THE SHORT VERDICT:

When Show is at its best, it is cracktastically good.

A tight narrative; sparky, smoldering OTP tension; cliffhangers that kept me on the edge of my seat; it felt like Show had it all. 🥲

Unfortunately, when Show is not at its best, it’s quite disappointing indeed.

Show makes some perplexing narrative decisions in its finale stretch, which I found disappointing not because of their makjang flavor, but because of how these decisions missed the mark of what had made Show so compelling to begin with.

However, Show’s still worth a look for its fantastic first half, in my opinion. 🔥

THE LONG VERDICT:

You know that saying, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey,” where the idea is that the experiences along the way are just as important, if not more so, than the final destination?

Well. If there ever was a drama application to that saying, this would it, I think.

Because, like I’ve alluded to earlier, this drama’s ending is not a strong one, in my opinion (and in most other viewers’ opinions, as far as I can tell).

And yet, I find Show’s cracky stretch to be breathlessly compelling enough, to still recommend that you consider taking a look at this one.

Just.. maybe limit your watch to Show’s first half? That might be the best way of getting Show’s best, without getting sucked into Show’s, uh, not-best. 😅

OST ALBUM: FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE

Here’s the OST album, in case you’d like to listen to it while reading the review.

Overall, I did enjoy the OST in this show; I felt that the tracks appropriately amped up the feels in various scenes.

The song that sticks in my mind the most, is Track 1, See The Light; I find that I really like the rock-edged groove of the chorus – I feel like I could listen to just the chorus on repeat, and be a happy camper. 😁

Here is See The Light on its own as well, in case you’d prefer to listen to that on repeat. Just right-click on the video and select “Loop.”

HOW I’M APPROACHING THIS REVIEW

First I’ll talk about how to manage your expectations going into this one, and what viewing lens would be most helpful.

After that, I talk about stuff I liked on a more macro level, before I give the spotlight to selected characters and relationships, in a separate section. Finally, I spend some time talking about my thoughts on the penultimate and finale episodes.

If you’re interested in my blow-by-blow reactions, &/or all the various Patreon members’ comments during the course of our watch, you might like to check out my episode notes on Patreon here.

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS / THE VIEWING LENS

Here are some things that I think would be helpful to keep in mind, to maximize your enjoyment of your watch:

1. Show is a makjang at heart

It’s true that Show’s been mostly promoted as a mystery-thriller, and it’s true that Show does have mystery-thriller elements in its story, but I would say that Show is more  a makjang with a side of mystery-thriller, rather than a mystery-thriller with a side of makjang.

Adjusting your expectations around that would be helpful, I think.

2. Suspension of disbelief is required

Along with accepting Show’s makjang core, I think it’s useful, and even quite necessary, to adjust your logic lens to a deliberately blurrier setting.

This will help you not to feel too fussed when stuff doesn’t make logical sense – as they sometimes don’t, in this drama world.

STUFF I LIKED

When Show is surprising

It didn’t take me very long, to get the idea that Show is like a magician working with lots of smoke and mirrors, and mayyybe the underlying truths might not be as spectacular as we imagine, but – and that’s a big BUT – Show does such a good job with all the reveals, while working the smoke and mirrors, that I found myself basically happily eating out of its hand, through its entire performance. 😋

How Show works all its twists and turns, serving up surprise after surprise, was definitely one of the big hooks for me, during my watch.

Here’s a sampling from episodes 1-2, of the various times I found Show to be surprising.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2. One of the first things to surprise me, is the fact that Chae Soo Bin’s character Hee Joo, is introduced as non-verbal; someone who uses sign language to communicate.

I hadn’t come across any mention of Hee Joo having a disability, in Show’s promos, and seeing her be a sign language interpreter, in itself was a surprise to me.

I naturally then wondered if she was deaf, because that’s often the case, when someone uses sign language to communicate.

But then, I realized that she seemed to be able to respond to vocal cues, so I wondered if she could hear, and that’s when Show stated that Hee Joo has selective mutism.

That was the first time I’d come across the term, so I looked it up, and the internet tells me that selective mutism is an anxiety disorder that makes it difficult for a person to speak in certain social situations.

..Which made me assume that something traumatic had happened to Hee Joo, to cause her to suffer from selective mutism.

It’s only much later in the episodes, when Hee Joo visits her father (Park Won Sang) at the nursing home, that it dawned on me that Hee Joo was literally only pretending to have selective mutism (because she blurts it out, to Dad). Like, what?

All this time, I’d also been somewhat puzzled over the way Mother Dearest (Oh Hyun Kyung) seems to have no real affection for Hee Joo, and it’s only at this point, when Dad re-enacts his earnest request to Mother Dearest, in his dementia, that it comes together in my head that Hee Joo isn’t Mother Dearest’s daughter all.

In fact, it seems that Dad had sent Hee Joo to Mother Dearest, in a bid to give Hee Joo the best future that she could have, that he couldn’t give her.

Putting that together with the supposed selective mutism, it looks like Mother Dearest had likely made Hee Joo pretend to have selective mutism, for the sake of protecting.. family secrets, perhaps?

All that to say, it really feels like nothing is as it appears, in this drama world, which makes for a very absorbing, rather trippy sort of watch experience, at least so far.

E1-2. The big twist in episode 1 – that Hee Joo’s got Attacker Dude’s phone, and is now calling Sa Eon, pretending to be Attacker Dude – totally took me by surprise.

I was like, Wait. WHAT. 😱🤯

I totally hadn’t seen that coming! 😅

And yet, when Show puts it in context, that Hee Joo had practically lost her mind with anger, at the things that Sa Eon (Yoo Yeon Seok) had said to Attacker Dude (Park Jae Yun), and then had managed to take Attacker Dude’s phone, I can see why she might think that this was her chance to get out of a very unhappy, suffocating situation.

Altogether very, very surprising, in the best way possible.

[END SPOILER]

The handling of the OTP connection [BROAD SPOILERS]

Part of Show’s appeal is the actual mystery-thriller part of our story, where there are lots of unknowns for us to figure out.

Mostly, though, to be brutally honest, I was much more invested in the slow but definite, very deliberate reveal, that Sa Eon is deeply and hopelessly in love with Hee Joo, and the increasing urgency that he feels, towards wanting to protect her. 🥲

It’s just very satisfying, to know and see that underneath all that sternness and businesslike exterior, he’s a helpless pile of heart-eyes for Hee Joo – and that he would do anything to keep her safe. 😁

I just loved watching Sa Eon’s feelings for Hee Joo become more apparent to us as viewers, step by inevitable step, amid all the tension.

I found this all to be very delicious indeed, especially with how intensely broody Yoo Yeon Seok plays Sa Eon. 🔥

I also think that Show is quite smart to find a way to keep a sense of danger and uncertainty in the OTP relationship, even after the relationship is minted at Show’s halfway mark.

I think that does help to keep the OTP adrenalin alive, for us as viewers – at least for a stretch.

When Show plays its cards well

Quite often, Show does this thing, where it tells us things – and yet, I found that I was no better off than before, in terms of understanding what was really going on.

I thought that was well-played, on Show’s part. Like, sure, I’ll tell you – without actually telling you anything really.

[SPOILER ALERT]

For example, for a good long stretch, I couldn’t figure out 406’s identity, despite Show giving us bits of information, and even showing us his face, and letting us know that there’s someone whom he works with, whom he addresses as “Master.”

I still felt like I was no closer to actually knowing who he was, and what he was about – which I actually found quite trippy, in a good way.

[END SPOILER]

STUFF THAT WAS OK

When Show freaks me out 😅

This isn’t a bad thing, actually, but since I am a bit of a wuss, I can’t say that it’s a good thing either, that Show can be very effective at freaking me out. 😅

Which is why I decided to park it here, in the neutral zone. 😁

Here are a couple of key times when Show freaked me out, and freaked me out good, heh.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2. Quite quickly, we get to the part of episode 1, where Hee Joo gets attacked, and I have to tell ya, I was totally creeped out with the way Attacker Dude had her entire car under control.

Like, eep, this looks and sounds like a plausible real danger, with how smart cars are nowadays, and how that means that they can be hacked, just like any other computer.

I found the idea that someone could potentially control my car, such that I had no ability to control where my car took me, or even whether I could unlock the doors to get out, utterly unsettling, and I can only imagine how terrifying it must be, to be in Hee Joo’s shoes.

And then that moment, when Attacker Dude actually gets into the car, despite her effort to lock the doors, felt even more terrifying than anything else that had gone before, and I was completely horrified and terrified, on Hee Joo’s behalf. 🫣🙈

E3-4. I continue to be freaked out by the various acts of terror against Hee Joo.

I found that scene where she’s trapped in her car, and the car elevator doors close on her, taking her car back up into the building, really freaky.

Ackk. The vicarious stress and horror is no joke. 😱

It really made me feel like 406 and whomever he’s working with, know wayyy too much about Hee Joo, both in the past and the present, and have wayyy too much in the way of ability to forcibly take control. 😱😱

And then what about the way 406 takes Hee Joo’s father hostage, and shows her that picture of bloody teeth???

I found that incredibly freaky too, no lie. 🙈

[END SPOILER]

When Show leans into the makjang

Show’s rendition of makjang worked out to be a mixed bag for me, which is why it’s here in this section.

I do like a well done, juicy makjang from time to time (like Perfect Marriage Revenge, for example – review here! Ooh, and how could I forget the excellent, elegant Money Flower – review here and Open Threads here!), but I feel like there was something missing here, when Show decides to lean harder into its makjang core.

It felt a little too aggressive, and therefore, rather hollow, in execution, at least to my eyes.

However, I did like the sprinkling of makjang elements that Show drops in our earlier episodes. I thought those worked very well.

Here’s an example of Show dropping a makjang nugget in our earlier episodes, that helped to add a good amount of flavor to our overall story.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E3-4. I have to admit, that casually offhanded reveal by Show, via the flashback, that Sa Eon isn’t Chairman Paik’s real son, really threw me for a loop.

I was like, Wait, WHAT. 😱

So we have a fake son marrying a fake daughter..?!?? Well if that’s not makjang, I don’t know what is. 😁

I really need a minute to wrap my brain around the idea that both Chairman Paik and Chairman Hong have decided to cosplay that Sa Eon and Hee Joo are their real children, even though they know that their real children are no longer around.

And, in order to maintain the illusion, Sa Eon has to pretend to like fish, while Hee Joo has to pretend to be mute??

That is pretty makjang, and that also changes.. a lot of things.

[END SPOILER]

STUFF I DIDN’T LIKE SO MUCH

When Show is cringey

This is a minor thing, but I thought that I would just state for the record, that I did occasionally find Show to be rather cringey.

This example from episode 1 stands out in my memory, so here it is, to illustrate what I mean.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2. I have to say, the scene at the party, at the British Embassy, where Sa Eon and Hee Joo talk with the Ambassador and his wife, was pretty cringey. 😅

For one thing, I would have expected that someone like Sa Eon, who clearly would have a lot of international interactions as part of his work, would have better spoken English, and wouldn’t need a translator to translate his Korean into English.

Also, I know it’s quite normal in dramas, but I did find his spoken English painfully awkward. 😅 Which, I suppose, necessitated the translator. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Another thing that I personally found cringey, is that I thought the tone of the conversation between Hee Joo and the Ambassador’s wife was odd; it was weirdly personal, and not something I would expect of an official interaction.

Overall, this entire scene felt very stilted and awkward to my eyes. 😅

[END SPOILER]

When Show stretches logic / leaves loose ends

I know I’ve said that it’s important to suspend disbelief while watching this show, but I just wanted to put on record, that Show does stretch logic a fair bit, and here are two examples of when Show does that, just to, y’know, give you a flavor for it.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2. We’re never told what happened to Attacker Dude, the night of the attack.

I mean, we see that he’d suffered a knock to the head and passed out in Hee Joo’s car, bu we don’t know what had happened to him after that.

Clearly, she hadn’t called the police, and so he hadn’t been arrested or anything, but.. he also wouldn’t just conveniently vanish into thin air, right?

I thought that was a bit of a loose end.

E3-4. A big fat logic stretch is actually served up almost right away, at the top of episode 3, because after what looks like a pretty major explosion, Sa Eon, who’s the furthest away from the actual bomb, is the one that had gotten knocked out, while his righthand man, Park Do Jae (Choi Woo Jin) who’d actually gotten more of the immediacy of the explosion, is the one all alert and standing over him.

We’re told that the rest of the team members are all getting treated at the ER, and thankfully no one was seriously injured, but that seems quite unlikely, give the magnitude of the explosion we’re shown, doesn’t it? 😁

[END SPOILER]

Show’s handling of the finale

I felt that I had to at least make mention of the finale here, because its handling does account for a good chunk of the things that I didn’t like so much, in this show.

I will absolutely talk more about this later, in the section dedicated to Show’s finale episodes, but at the heart of it, for me, it all boils down to writer-nim missing the point, in terms of understanding what made Show’s early episodes so cracky for many of us, as viewers.

SPOTLIGHT ON CHARACTERS / RELATIONSHIPS

Yoo Yoon Seok as Sa Eon

I’ve come to the conclusion that the most compelling version of Yoo Yeon Seok is tortured, angsty Yoo Yeon Seok, and Show serves this up in spades, especially in Show’s first half.

On that note, I must give props to Yoo Yeon Seok; there are a good number of difficult scenes, where I felt that he did really, really well, particularly in showcasing Sa Eon’s more painful, desperate emotions.

At the same time, I find that sweet Yoo Yeon Seok, with his ooey-gooey tender side showing, works out to be a lot less compelling for me personally, so I was less sucked in by his delivery of Sa Eon’s sweeter scenes.

Overall, though, I would say that Yoo Yeon Seok gave us a very strong performance, and that for a good chunk of the show, he carried the bulk of the burden, in terms of getting me sucked into this show.

Chae Soo Bin as Hee Joo

With Hee Joo written to be such a quiet, reserved sort of person, and with Yoo Yeon Seok written to be a rather strong, brusque sort of personality, it would be easy to dismiss Hee Joo as a wallflower foil to Yoo Yeon Seok’s character.

However, Hee Joo does show consistent flashes of strength and resilience, and a steely determination, that demonstrates to those paying attention, that she’s very much her own person, and not just a foil for someone else.

Here are two quick examples to illustrate what I mean.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2. I was honestly both impressed and bemused, that Hee Joo would be able to behave in such a normal manner, upon reaching home.

I mean, Attacker Dude had not only tried to strangle her with a rope, he’d also stabbed wildly at her headrest (which in itself is terrifying), and had left a gash on her neck.

Ack. The stuff of nightmares, truly.

Hee Joo’s composure after this terrifying incident really makes me wonder what other horrors she’s had to endure in her life, to be able to remain so calm, after going through something like that. 💔

E5-6. When In Ah returns and tells Hee Joo that it’s ok for her to talk again, I can appreciate Hee Joo’s anger and response to In Ah.

After being victimized for so long because of In Ah, I can imagine that Hee Joo would reject the idea of simply doing whatever In Ah tells her to do, even if it’s to tell her that she can speak.

For Hee Joo, this isn’t about speaking anymore; it’s about establishing her personal agency.

[END SPOILER]

Sa Eon and Hee Joo

Like I alluded to earlier, the development of this OTP relationship was a huge factor in my personal enjoyment of this show.

At least for the first half of the show, I found the deliberate peeling back of the layers of angst and distance between them, to reveal the sincerity and vulnerability underneath, to be very compelling indeed.

In a word, it was all very tantalizing, and I lapped up every OTP morsel that Show served up, with great relish.

Here’s a sprawling revisit of all of the early OTP moments that made my watch of this show so memorable.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2. Show establishes very quickly, the kind of relationship that Hee Joo has with Sa Eon – or at least the kind of opinion she has of him – via the way she disgustedly gives his image onscreen the finger, while her colleague Yu Ri basks in fangirl admiration.

The thing with Attacker Dude calling Sa Eon and making demands of him, while holding Hee Joo hostage, is that Sa Eon has every reason to be suspicious, because I’m sure he comes across all sorts of potential scammers and other threats, particularly in his line of work.

Heck, any regular person living in the world today, gets spammed with all kinds of scam messages, too, yes?

And so, after Sa Eon hears from Mother Dearest the (fake) information, that Hee Joo is safely with Mother Dearest, having dinner, it makes complete sense that he would act tough with Attacker Dude, and be all unbending and provocative, in response to Attacker Dude’s demands.

It’s truly unfortunate though, that Hee Joo hears every heartless word that Sa Eon says to Attacker Dude, because I can only imagine how much worse her impression of him gets, and how distressed, shocked and enraged she must feel, to hear him act like he doesn’t care about her safety, to the point that he would even dare her attacker to only call him, when he has a corpse.

Ugh. I really feel for Hee Joo, because all of this stuff put together – the stress of being in a show marriage, the shock and trauma of being held for ransom, and the shock and horror that Sa Eon would devalue her very life – is literally enough to make her lose her mind.

E1-2. The thing that intrigues me about Sa Eon, is that he does seem to care about Hee Joo’s safety – but he seems intent on not showing it?

Like, he makes arrangement for her security and protection, but then is curt and businesslike when he tells her about that he’s arranged for her to attend the event at the British Embassy as a sign language interpreter.

In this moment, there’s even a quick moment where he tenses his jaw after saying his piece, right before he turns to walk away, and that tensing of his jaw, vibes like annoyance to my eyes.

I’m relieved, though, that at least Hee Joo finds out from Mother Dearest, that Sa Eon had been under the impression that Hee Joo had been with Mother Dearest.

At least this way, she has some insight into why Sa Eon might say such horrible things, without regard for her safety?

The curious thing, though, is that we do get a hint that Hee Joo might not have always felt so negatively towards Sa Eon.

In that scene at the office, when her director Jin Yi (Yang Jo Ah looking verrryy different from her recent outing in Romance in the House; eyeliner makes such a huge difference! 🤯) walks in on her practicing to a video, and reminds her that she’d used to like Sa Eon’s briefing videos, saying that they were like textbooks to her, and that she wanted to be onscreen with Sa Eon, even if it was just for a brief moment.

That makes me think that there was a time when Hee Joo had actually liked Sa Eon, and had wanted to win his heart. 🥲

E1-2. The whole point of the scene with the Ambassador and his wife, was to show us that Sa Eon gets flustered when he realizes that Hee Joo’s told the Ambassador’s wife that she has no personal relationship with Sa Eon whatsoever.

So yes, we do get a few glimpses at cracks in Sa Eon’s armor; he definitely cares more about Hee Joo than he’d like to admit.

It’s really quite arresting to see how incensed Sa Eon is, when he hears of how Hee Joo had actually been in danger, the night of the attack.

The fact that Sa Eon punches the wall so hard that his knuckles get all bloody, and the way he can barely control his voice, while the color’s drained from his face, say a lot, actually, about how Sa Eon feels.

That said, it is rather confusing, where this anger is coming from, particularly given how businesslike and almost terse we’ve seen him be, with Hee Joo.

As Hee Joo rationalizes, it could be a territorial thing; like, how dare you lay a finger on something – someone – that’s mine.

At the same time, it could also be indicative of Sa Eon’s feelings for Hee Joo, which, from the various clues that we’ve been given, are there; we just don’t know how strong those feelings are, yet.

Whatever it is, though, all of that emotion makes for a very electric scene, when Sa Eon pulls Hee Joo into that darkened room, and asks her, voice low and quivering, about the accident.

All that emotion charges the entire scene, and that translates into sooo much tension that I’m holding my breath, as he undoes Hee Joo’s neck sash, to check her wounds.

Dang. I felt like I could cut through the tension with a knife. 🔥

After this, for a good chunk of episode 2, I was on tenterhooks every time Hee Joo uses that phone to call Sa Eon, because Sa Eon’s determined to track down the caller, and is pulling out all the stops with a team working to trace the call every time it happens, and I’m sooo nervous that he’s going to find out that it’s Hee Joo. 🙈

As it is, Hee Joo hasn’t told Sa Eon anything about Attacker Dude taking control of her car, and so, it’s even getting to the point that Sa Eon’s arriving at the completely inaccurate conclusion that Hee Joo might have let Attacker Dude into the car, since the CCTV footage shows Attacker Dude entering the car so easily.

E1-2. I do love that Sa Eon gets all unsettled and jealous at the idea of Hee Joo smiling with another man, heh. Yes, your Jealous Husband side is showing, Sa Eon. 🤭

And then we get that whole thing where Hee Joo takes that picture of her bare thigh and sends it to Sa Eon, while saying things to provoke him, about Sa Eon maybe not recognizing his wife’s thigh, because he’s never seen it.

This is obviously not very rational thinking on Hee Joo’s part, especially the part where she dares Sa Eon to verify it by checking his wife’s thigh, so clearly, Hee Joo’s moving in a much more emotional sort of space here.

She keeps pushing Sa Eon to agree to leave his wife, in order to get herself out of this fake marriage, but at the same time, she’s also taunting him and getting him riled up – thus putting herself in a precarious situation, where Sa Eon would likely enter her room and get up close and personal with her, which she supposedly doesn’t want.

Also, can I just say, the tension between Sa Eon and Hee Joo is consistently sparky, but when we get moments of hyper-awareness and hyper-proximity, it’s positive electric.

Like when Sa Eon enters her room, presumably to try to check the mole on her thigh, and she resists his pull on the covers, and he ends up thrown forward, hovering over her, eyes blazing, breath ragged.

Ahem. 🔥 It’s all very tantalizing, not gonna lie. 😅

It’s quite fascinating, honestly, to consider where Hee Joo’s coming from, and try to decipher exactly what she’s thinking and feeling.

Right now, it seems like there’s a part of her which smarts from being rejected by Sa Eon, and maybe even kinda wants him to realize what a catch she is, and what he’s missing out on, by rejecting her.

I also find it fascinating, that Sa Eon would treat Hee Joo in such a cold, distant, brusque sort of manner, when, in the flashback, we clearly see him smiling at the way she’s fallen asleep at the dining table while waiting for him.

Is it because he doesn’t trust her family and thinks that forming a genuine connection with her would jeopardize his career plans..?

But.. in the present, he still cares enough to make her breakfast. Innnteresting. 😁

E3-4. Underneath all of the prickliness, it’s starting to become clear, that Sa Eon really does care about Hee Joo, and wants to respect her boundaries.

I believe that’s why he refrains from checking her thigh at the top of episode 3, even though he’s burning to know whether 406 had been right about the mole, and whether the photo had really been of Hee Joo’s bare thigh.

I think that says a great deal about how strongly Sa Eon feels for Hee Joo, because even though he’s burning with curiosity, he’s willing to forego satisfying that curiosity (and even any clues that the check might give him, as to 406’s identity), because Hee Joo clearly isn’t comfortable with him trying to lift her skirt.

The thing about Sa Eon asking to check Hee Joo’s phone for possible signs of hacking, is true and accurate, but at the same time, I’m kind of amused that he can’t help but look through her messages, specifically her messages with Sang Woo (Heo Nam Jun), because he’s jealous. 🤭

Honestly, the fact that Sa Eon goes to such great lengths, as to set up a lunch appointment with Yu Ri at the same restaurant at the same time, so that he’ll have an excuse to show up at Hee Joo’s lunch appointment with Sang Woo, is really quite amusing to me.

Your jealousy is soooo showing, Sa Eon. 😉

And, Sa Eon’s entire focus, once there, is to test Sang Woo.

When he asks, “Do you like (Object)?” it’s not clear who or what he’s referring to (because he doesn’t specify the Object in his question.

I’m sure the effect Show’s going for, is that Sa Eon’s actually curious to know if Sang Woo likes Hee Joo, but when it comes to specifying what he’s asking about, he chooses to deflect by pretending that he’d been asking about seafood.

E3-4. A silver lining, is that because 406 demands that Hee Joo continue to call Sa Eon, our OTP actually ends up sharing more conversation than they otherwise would – and these conversations, as they increase in frequency and familiarity, actually offer Hee Joo insight into how Sa Eon actually feels about her.

Like his refusal to give in to the demand to divorce Hee Joo, no matter what “406” says.

Additionally, there’s the fact that Sa Eon and Hee Joo are spending more time together, as a result of all this, and this offers moments of interaction that they wouldn’t otherwise have.

Like that moment when Sa Eon wipes that beer foam off Hee Joo’s lip, while casually remarking that she’s always so clumsy.

Doesn’t that land as kind of affectionate..? 😱

And then there’s also the way Sa Eon insists on sleeping in the same room – and on the same bed! – as Hee Joo.

It is admittedly rather bizarre that he climbs into bed still in his dress shirt and everything, but never mind about that, because it’s actually quite touching, that his real reason for sleeping in the room, is to give Hee Joo a sense of safety and security, because of how 406 has invaded so much of their lives. 🥲

And Hee Joo does sleep, and quite soundly, after that, and I just felt the whole thing was quite sweet, despite the rather baiting, brusque words.

And of course, there’s also how Sa Eon rushes to the nursing home when he hears that Hee Joo’s father had been abducted for a while.

First of all, it’s one of those “hidden sweet” things, that Sa Eon would have left his phone number with the nurse, in the event of an emergency, when Hee Joo believes that Sa Eon never even knew of Dad’s existence.

Secondly, I did find it all rather swoony, when Sa Eon stops that entourage, and walks up to the police officers who’re with Hee Joo, and says, matter-of-factly, that he’s Hee Joo’s family; that Hee Joo is his wife.

Ahhh! There’s something quite discombobulating about the idea that Sa Eon is basically choosing not to care about his family’s decision to keep Hee Joo a secret, and is declaring so openly, that Hee Joo is his wife. 🫠🫠🫠

Not only that, he’s taking things into his own hands, and moving Hee Joo’s dad to a much nicer nursing home, in a pretty protective sort of way, and I dig it. 🥲

ALSO. Sa Eon’s reaction when he realizes that Hee Joo can make sounds, like when she cries, is one of genuine wonder, and the smiles that he leaks, as he chews on that new discovery, are so gratifying to witness. 🥹

He’s HAPPY, that she has more sound-making ability than he’d imagined; isn’t that quite lovely?

And at the same time, he’s sensitive enough to the fact that Hee Joo could really use a good cry, and that’s why he tells her that she can cry as much as she wants. Aw. 🥲

After that, he gets her a hotel room, so that she can wash up and rest and recover, with that dainty tower of different kinds of snacks, and insists that she stay there and rest, while he goes off to deal with his parents?

And then, when Chairman Dad gets all insulting towards Hee Joo, Sa Eon’s instinct is to stand up to Chairman Dad, shield Hee Joo when Dad throws that wine glass, and then get Hee Joo outta there.

AND HE REFUSES TO LET GO OF HER HANDDD. 🥹 While telling her what awful people his parents are, and to not listen to them or take anything to heart. Aww.

Seriously, how does he manage to be so brusque and businesslike, and yet, leak so much care and tenderness, all at once? 🥹

Honestly, I did get a kick out of seeing Sa Eon so fixated on Hee Joo, during the sign language interpreter interview.

Part of it is the fact that he’d underestimated her, yes, because she’s way better and way more prepared than he’d ever imagined.

But there’s also the thing where he learns that she’d wanted so badly to be a sign language interpreter for a government agency, that she’d studied all of his briefings obsessively.

How discombobulating it must be for him – who cares so much about Hee Joo – to know that she’d spent hours upon hours obsessively studying him. 🤯

E3-4. As we close out episode 4, it feels like our OTP has inched that much closer to each other – but are, once again, in danger of being driven apart, possibly, thanks to the return of In Ah, who had been Sa Eon’s originally intended bride.

It’s a scene full of so many tantalizing emotions, because Hee Joo’s worried about In Ah’s return, and what that would mean to Sa Eon, while Sa Eon is resolute in staying married to Hee Joo.

It’s honestly all kinds of swoony to hear him defend Hee Joo, to Hee Joo’s own self-deprecating words; that she doesn’t lack social skills, but is observing her surroundings; that she didn’t succumb to money, but she’d just acted out of love for her mother.

That, at a time when he’d hated eating or speaking with his own mouth, he’d found comfort and release by looking at her.

That she’s not supplementary pages, but a brand new language.

AUGH. How beautiful is that??? 🫠🫠🫠

But Hee Joo’s questions are absolutely valid – why HAD he told her not to have any illusions about them being a real couple?? I want to know too!

..And that’s the moment when Sa Eon walks onto that roof, and sees Hee Joo standing on that bench, near the ledge, on the phone. Ahhhh!!! 😱😱😱😱

What does this meaannn??

I wonder if Sa Eon is making the connection, that the person he’s been talking to, had been Hee Joo???

AND ALSO. How about that epilogue flashback, where we see how Sa Eon had learned, accidentally, that Hee Joo’s actually able to speak!

In that last scene, there’s a lot of emotion in his eyes, and I really wonder if Sa Eon’s managing to piece together the reason Hee Joo’s had to pretend to be mute, all these years?

After all, he’s familiar with the concept of acting the part of the lost biological child himself..?

I’m sooo curious to see what Sa Eon will say to Hee Joo, now that he has, at a minimum, caught her speaking on the phone, and at a maximum, figured out that she’s been masquerading as 406.

I’m on tenterhooks at the possibilities!

E5-6. Backing up to the top of episode 5, I’m honestly not at all surprised that this is not the point where Sa Eon realizes that Hee Joo is, in fact, 406.

It feels perfectly appropriate for Show to extend that particular tantalizing possibility for another episode, so that we get to see the pieces slowly fall into place, for Sa Eon.

After all, there are several stages to Sa Eon’s realization, from Hee Joo being able to speak at all, to the fact that Hee Joo is actually calling him, and demanding that he divorce her.

There are so many facets to that, that I absolutely don’t begrudge Sa Eon the extra time, to investigate everything, and actually verify the wild theory that slowly but surely sets in: that Hee Joo could be 406.

I have to give Sa Eon credit though; he doesn’t take long to reach the correct conclusion, about why Hee Joo isn’t speaking – that she’d been forced to act like she couldn’t speak, out of deference to In Ah, when In Ah had lost her hearing.

Which is such a wild thing in itself, that I think it says a lot about what Sa Eon himself has been through, that he would actually be able to deduce, correctly, what had happened to Hee Joo.

I do find it satisfying to watch Sa Eon’s building urgency, when it comes to protecting Hee Joo.

First, there’s that moment on the roof, when he looks decidedly worried to see Hee Joo standing so precariously on that bench near the edge of the building, and there’s also how he rushes forward to catch her, when she loses her footing.

And then, there’s how he literally runs down the stairs in a panic, when he hears that 406 is in the same building, because he naturally reaches for the probability that Hee Joo would be in danger.

The satisfaction here, I think, is how Sa Eon’s almost always so controlled and in command of his situation and surroundings, but he can’t help but lose control, when it comes to Hee Joo.

I mean, these episodes, we even see Sa Eon completely distracted at work, because he can’t stop thinking about Hee Joo.

That’s how much he cares about her, and how much she’s gotten under his skin – and that thought is swoony. 🫠

On that note, can I just say, it was quite hilarious to see Sa Eon’s reaction, when Hee Joo accidentally sends that heart-eyes emoji. He literally doesn’t know what to do, and I was very amused. 🤭

I liked watching him angst over what to say in response, and I am quite pleased with his choice, to congratulate her on her new job, rather than to question her use of the emoji, which had been his first instinct.

It’s played for laughs, how Sa Eon is so clueless about relationships, that he would keep asking his staff for input and suggestions, but I give Sa Eon credit for choosing a pretty great gift with which to congratulate Hee Joo on her new job.

Getting her a sleek, professional looking suit to mark the occasion, is a great choice, and I approve. 😁

I also love that Sa Eon seems naturally inclined to look out for pretty things for Hee Joo; that’s a very boyfriend/husband thing to do, and I must say that that dress that he ends up picking out for her, suits her beautifully.

More than that, though, I love what he says to her, about the fact that she’s always underestimating herself, and that he wants to help her overcome that.

Aw. I love this idea, that he sees her value, more than she sees her own value, and that he wants to help her see what he sees. 🥲

I also think it’s adorable that when Hee Joo wants to take him to an expensive restaurant in order to celebrate her new job, he balks at the high prices, and states that he wants jjajangmyeon instead.

Aw. Look at him trying to help her save money. Cute! 🤩

It’s getting increasingly awkward to see Sa Eon trying to stick next to Hee Joo as much as possible, and yet, not reveal that they’re married.

Like that whole thing where he says that she can go meet Sang Woo and Yu Ri for drinks, on the condition that he gets to tag along too.

I don’t blame Sang Woo for looking so quizzical at the fact that Sa Eon is even there, heh. But also, I weirdly want Sa Eon to just come right out and state for the record that Hee Joo is his wife. 😁

It’s so uncomfortable that I’m not surprised Hee Joo ends up excusing herself, and of course, if Hee Joo leaves, naturally, Sa Eon would follow – which is how we end up having Hee Joo rushing forward, to save Sa Eon from that oncoming Truck of Doom (which we later find out is being driven by 406).

The most exciting thing about this beat, of course, is the fact that Hee Joo reflexively shouts out Sa Eon’s name in panic, when she realizes that he’s in danger of being mowed over.

Ahh! Not only does he get to hear her voice, but it’s her voice, expressing concern for him! Very momentous indeed, I’d say. 🥲

Even though Hee Joo denies having called out his name, I really like the steady intensity in Sa Eon’s gaze and voice, as he tells her that he wants to hear her voice again.

That in itself is very swoony, because Hee Joo’s entire world as she knows it, wants her to keep quiet and never speak again, and yet, here he is, so hungry to hear her voice.

It feels like he wants more of her, and this want has been building over time, and is finally now coming to a boil.

I do think that that’s the driving reason behind Sa Eon saying that he wants to learn sign language.

Yes, it’s sure taken him long enough, given that they’ve been married for 3 years, but with the reason that we’re given, these episodes, that it was all because Sa Eon hadn’t wanted to get attached to her, it makes sense, particularly within the context that this is a makjang story at its heart.

On that note, I am also processing this in relation to Sa Eon being so distant and brusque with Hee Joo all this time, in the same vein.

My logical brain protests that that’s not how you treat someone that you love, and surely your affection for them would leak out in spots, over the 3 years that have passed?

But in the context of this being a makjang story, I’m willing to just roll with it, and buy that Sa Eon was that distant and cold towards Hee Joo, in order to make it easier to let her go, which he’d believed he’d have to do, inevitably, in order to set her free.

Right now, seeing Sa Eon taking steps to learn sign language from Hee Joo, is very satisfying, because it’s a practical way for him to actually have more of her in his life.

He wants to hear her voice, but she won’t speak; the other way, is for him to learn the language that she does speak.

The first time they actually have an exchange in sign language, feels like a really meaningful moment, because they are finally speaking the same language to each other. 🥲

Of course, with Sa Eon slowly but surely coming to the realization that Hee Joo is the 406 whom he’s been speaking with, and with In Ah coming back to Korea and making her presence known to Hee Joo, these slow steps to a better connection get thrown into disarray.

In fact, on hindsight, it seems like Hee Joo might have actually been on the verge of telling Sa Eon that he’d said that he’d liked her, while in his drunken state – which is when Sa Eon gets the call from Park Do Jae, that confirms that the voice of the 406 with whom Sa Eon’s been speaking, is a 99.99% match with Hee Joo’s voice.

Ack. I felt bad for Sa Eon, since this must be such a shock to him, to have confirmation that Hee Joo wants to divorce him. It’s little wonder that Sa Eon gets so distracted.

To his credit, he doesn’t ever consider the possibility that Hee Joo is in actual cahoots with 406, only that she’s somehow mixed up with him; he never actually thinks that Hee Joo might be out to harm him.

That’s a show of trust that I really do like.

Yes, he’s definitely hurt and angry, so the fact that he even tries to forgive Hee Joo, says a lot about how much she means to him, I feel.

E5-6. Honestly, I really like the tantalizing effect that we get, when Hee Joo calls Sa Eon as 406 – but Sa Eon now knows that it’s her.

It adds a whole other layer of nuance and meaning to their conversation, and I thought this was really well done. 🤩

We finally get some truths out there between them, and I can’t help but clock that the first thing Sa Eon wants to know, is if Hee Joo’s being threatened.

See, he trusts herrr. 🥲

Importantly, he finally tells Hee Joo why he’d asked to marry her in the first place – and how he’s more than ready to show her all of the sincerity, concern, understanding and affection, if that’s what she actually wants.

Even more importantly, in response to Hee Joo’s pushback, he finally explains why he’d been distant – because he’d believed that she hadn’t wanted the marriage, and he’d been preparing to set her free, basically.

I really like that Sa Eon makes an explicit promise to Hee Joo, that he will work to change things with her, because this definitely helps to frame things for her, going forward.

He does make an effort, though I’d also say that a lot of that effort is played for comedy during the whole workshop thing, like how he basically ejects that other dude from his seat next to Hee Joo, so that Sa Eon can sit next to Hee Joo.

It’s silly and ridiculous, and looks highly inappropriate to everyone else, since nobody knows that they’re married to each other, pfft.

Same thing with how he forces the team pairings during the games portion of the workshop, and immediately chooses Hee Joo as his partner.

It’s dorky only because we know he’s her husband; to everyone else, this must look alarmingly inappropriate. 😅

And then how about the way he tries to impress Hee Joo with the jumprope thing, but fails? I kinda love that Hee Joo basically takes charge, and then leads them to victory. 🤭

It is sweet, though, that the thing that Sa Eon asks for, as their prize, is a photo.

Aw. Looks like they’ve never taken a photo together before this, then.

It’s really quite sweet that this matters to Sa Eon, and that he wants to fix it, as soon as possible.

I also thought it was thoughtful of him, to give Hee Joo his jacket, when he notices that she’s very lightly dressed, while they’re hiking up the mountain.

It’s very affecting indeed, to see how Sa Eon reacts, once he learns that Hee Joo’s fallen from the lookout, and is missing.

The mounting worry and fear in his eyes is unmistakeable, and I find it touching to see that he would throw himself into searching for her, even if it means taking personal risks, like climbing down to look for her on his own, before the rescue team arrives.

He’s so dogged and so desperate, and you can totally see his heart leap, when Hee Joo finally calls, using 406’s phone, because her own phone is dead.

And yet, even in his panicked, worried state, he catches himself when he answers the phone calling her name; he immediately changes tack, to ease her mind, and speaks of Hee Joo instead of to her.

This, when he’s so desperately worried for her, that he starts rambling about how she needs to drink water, because she can’t get dehydrated.

YET. He does urgently tell her about the flare that he’d put in her backpack, and also, asks if she’s scared – and then tells her how terrified he is.

It’s true; from Sa Eon’s eyes sheening with tears, to the way his voice trembles with every syllable, to the way his entire body is drenched with cold sweat, we can literally see him enveloped in terror. 😭

When he thinks he’s lost her on the line, his voice rises several octaves, as he asks if she’s still there, and to please answer him.

And then when he hears her say that she can hear him, you can sense the wave of relief that washes over him, to still be connected to her. 🥲

I had literal tears in my eyes, in our last minutes, when Hee Joo sets off the flare, and Sa Eon just starts racing to her, while yelling into the phone to 406, as he runs, to tell Hee Joo not to worry, that he’ll be right there.

AUGH. So, SO affecting. Just, SO MUCH emotion, in the scene. 🥹🥹🥹

I’m honestly a little bereft, afterwards; the emotion stranglehold is so well done, that I’m all breathless and on the edge of my seat, even though I know that Hee Joo will be ok.

E7-8. I thought that the way we have Hee Joo looking back on key points in her life, and having regrets at not speaking up more, for herself, was quite cleverly done.

Like, yes, I can believe that as she’s hovering in and out of consciousness, while in a situation where her life has been in danger, she would have that “my life flashed before my eyes” sort of experience.

And it feels significant, that it’s in this state, that she remembers that Sa Eon had always been there for her, helping her and protecting her, even when she hadn’t spoken up for herself to ask for help.

That’s one of the mini arcs that I am enjoying; Hee Joo coming to realize the depth and extent of Sa Eon’s love for her.

Although, the sight of him, all ragged and tearful, so desperately worried about her, upon her opening her eyes at the hospital, would be a very significant clue, yes? 😁

On that note, I have to say, I really bought into Sa Eon’s entire disheveled, bereft sort of aura; really well done. 🤩🥲

It was so satisfying, to hear Hee Joo eke out the words – audibly! – “Don’t go,” while grasping Sa Eon’s arm.

Ahhh!!! This feels so significant, after she’s been silent with him for so long. 🥲🥲

I love Sa Eon’s look of shock and tentative wonder, as he turns back towards her, upon hearing her voice. And we know how deeply Sa Eon’s longed to hear her voice!

So, for him to hear her speak now, in this context, must feel so special to him, yes? 🥲

Augh. This entire scene is so emotional; I was floundering my feels, y’all. Floundering. 🫠🫠🫠

It does feel a bit unnecessary for Sa Eon to still keep up the pretense that he doesn’t know that Hee Joo’s 406, but fine.

I get that Show wants to draw out the narrative tension from this for as long as possible, and since I am a direct beneficiary from narrative tension, I’m willing to roll with it.

Plus, it’s true that we tend to get some excellent beats of honesty between Sa Eon and Hee Joo during these masked conversations, so it does feel like these phone calls, with Hee Joo acting as 406, are a helpful crutch, in a way?

And, I’m also rationalizing that Sa Eon doesn’t want to force Hee Joo to confront her ruse, until she’s ready, and that’s why he keeps up the pretense. I can buy that.

I am definitely eating up any and all OTP skinship, like the way Sa Eon princess-carries Hee Joo out of her wheelchair, to tuck her into the hospital bed; he’s so gentle, deliberate and tender, as he takes off her slippers and pulls the covers over her. 🫠

With Sa Eon being like this, it’s not hard to understand why Hee Joo would get more and more comfortable with him, over the course of these episodes.

Well, that, and how he’s become her safe haven.

That scene at the end of episode 7, where Hee Joo panics, thinking that it’s 406 on the other side of the hospital door, and then crumples into Sa Eon’s arms, when she realizes that it’s him and not 406, says a lot, I do think.

She’s relieved that it’s not 406, but she’s also relieved that it’s Sa Eon; she’s come to trust him now, and she’s come to associate him with safety, which feels like a huge step forward. 🥲

Her burgeoning sexual awareness of him is played for laughs, with her getting all antsy about the fact that he’s running water in the hospital bathroom, but on hindsight, I do think that it adds a nice foundational layer to the kiss that we eventually get, at the end of episode 7.

In the meantime, though, I do very much appreciate the way Sa Eon’s quietly and carefully tending to Hee Joo, and asking her to get more sleep; it’s such a husbandly thing to do, I feel like. 🥲

I rolled my eyes and chuckled at the part where Sa Eon teases Hee Joo by pretending to flirt with 406, by asking if she’s pretty (Hee Joo’s discombobulated perplexed reaction face is quite priceless 😂), but I figure Sa Eon’s probably trying to provoke Hee Joo a little bit, to try to get to her true feelings about him.

I do really like how, when Hee Joo’s all rattled and scared, Sa Eon simply climbs into bed with her, to hold her, which helps to calm her down. 🥲

The whole amusement park experience thing, leading up to the kiss at Namsan Tower, feels quite extra, even if, as we see in episode 8, that Sa Eon had been inspired by Hee Joo’s childhood photo.

But like I said, this show is makjanging, and logic stretches are more than permissible, in a makjang world.

I’m just homing in on the tearful tenderness with which Sa Eon finally approaches Hee Joo, while letting her know, finally, that he’s known for a while, that she’s 406.

The whole scene is very affecting.

First, there’s Hee Joo’s tearful shock and growing disbelief, as Sa Eon doesn’t grow angry or cast her aside, but starts to actually confess his love for her, and then there’s Sa Eon’s pent-up feelings, finally eked out and given voice, past his stoic facade.

“How could I not love you?” – as he leans in to kiss her, the way he’s likely always dreamed of, but never though he would ever be able to kiss her.

The kiss is deep, and hungry, and yet also tortured, as it carries with it, waves upon waves.. upon waves, of pent-up feelings, finally given expression.

It almost feels like that kiss takes over Sa Eon, and he’s powerless to stop it, because he’s that consumed by those waves of pent-up love and desire.

Daze. Flail. Faint. 🫠🔥🫠🔥🫠

Afterwards, I rolled my eyes a little bit at the kimchi PPL 🤭, but I like the sweet coupley vibes of Sa Eon cooking for Hee Joo, and Hee Joo smiling approvingly, as she takes her first bite of Sa Eon’s cooking. 🥰

Importantly, I like that Sa Eon finally explains why he’d been so cold and distant towards Hee Joo, when they’d first gotten married.

It occurs to me that a lot of Hee Joo’s feelings towards Sa Eon have a foundation in safety, where she starts to see him as her safe haven.

Aside from what I’ve already described these episodes, we have that flashback to when Hee Joo feels that she’d first started dreaming of an ordinary life for the both of them, and that had been when he’d appeared as her rescuer, like a knight in shining armor, when she’d been having that panic attack at the side of the road.

And there’s also the way she has that nightmare, that he’s abandoned her, and then how he pulls her into his arms, where she finally relaxes – in her safe haven.

I find this imagery quite.. comforting, honestly.

And given how Hee Joo’s been rejected so much by her own mother, I can understand why Sa Eon’s acceptance of her means so much to her. 🥲

And so, later in episode 8, when Sa Eon stops Sang Woo’s car and demands that Hee Joo get out, I can totally see why Hee Joo would open the door without hesitation, even though Sang Woo tells her not to open the door.

She trusts Sa Eom implicitly now, and I really like that thought.

I also really like that we’re starting to get more communication between Sa Eon and Hee Joo, where they can talk face to face, without having to rely on the ruse that she’s 406.

Like when Sa Eon asks if she hadn’t asked him about the threats because she’d been afraid, and she answers yes; that because she knows what it feels like, and how it had made her want to run away, she’d been afraid to ask.

AW. Communication and empathy?? That’s so great. 🥹

And then there’s so much quivering, honest emotion, as Hee Joo tells Sa Eon how she’s felt extremely uneasy, because she’s afraid that their new relationship is all a dream; that this kind of happiness would never happen to her; that no one would love her this easily.

Augh. Our Hee Joo is being brutally honest, in tearing open her heart to Sa Eon, and I’m so glad that he responds by taking her into his arms, and just holding her.

I’m with Hee Joo, when she requests that he tell her everything, so that there are no more secrets between them; it’s too bad that Sa Eon doesn’t feel that it’s the right time to tell her everything.

But, he does offer up a clue, in the way he asks her to remember that even if he loses everything – every title and identity that now belongs to him – that she’ll remember that the only Paik Sa Eon that he wishes to leave behind in the world, is the Paik Sa Eon who belongs to her.

Foreshadowing much? 😅

E7-8. As we close out these episodes, we’ve got Sa Eon passed out in a fire, while trying to save Fisherman Dad, and that’s just so poignant but also kind of distracting, that Show would layer on the scene of Hee Joo looking through the workshop photos, and realizing that Sa Eon’s eyes are always on her, in every single one.

He’s always only had eyes for her, which is so very touching – but my brain is protesting that now is not the time to get sentimental, BECAUSE SA EON’S PASSED OUT IN A BURNING HOUSE, EXCUSE ME?!?? 😅😅

I’m sure Sa Eon will survive (because he has to! 😅), but I’m curious to see how Show manages to save him – and then I’m curious to see what other truths Show will let us in on, in our next episodes.

All in all, I’m still very much engaged, if there ever was any doubt. 😁

[END SPOILER]

Heo Nam Jun as Sang Woo [BROAD SPOILERS]

Honestly, I think Show was very clever to cast Heo Nam Jun in the role of Sang Woo.

I mean, it’s true that Sang Woo seems to be a genuinely normal guy, who just happens to have a soft spot for Hee Joo, from their time together in school.

I have to admit though, that after seeing Heo Nam Jun play a rather unhinged sort of character in Your Honor (review here!), I couldn’t help eyeing Sang Woo with some suspicion.

As a result, through a good chunk of my watch, while Show kept me guessing at the truth around 406, I couldn’t help wondering if Sang Woo was involved somehow – even though there was actually no evidence to that effect. 😅

Clearly, Heo Nam Jun left a very deep impression on me, in Your Honor. 🤭

Jang Gyu Ri as Yu Ri

I just wanted to say that I found Jang Gyu Ri very pleasant as Yu Ri.

I’d imagined that Yu Ri would be a more.. I dunno, manipulative character, given Show’s core makjang nature, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that Yu Ri was a genuinely nice person.

And her light, warm sort of energy worked out to be a nice balance to the angstier notes in our story world.

Yu Ri and Sang Woo [BROAD SPOILERS]

Given the meet-cute between Sang Woo and Yu Ri in our opening episodes, part of my fangirl brain immediately went to the possibility of a loveline between them, but Show doesn’t really do a whole lot with this loveline, for almost the entirety of its run.

There are little snippets of Sang Woo and Yu Ri spending time together, in the name of work, but no overt romantic progress.

In the end, though, Show does give them a romantic happy ending, and I just wanted to say that I thought they made a cute couple. 😁

Father and Mother Paik

I also just wanted to say that in a drama world with multiple awful parents, I somehow disliked Father and Mother Paik (Yoo Sung Joo and Chu Sang Mi) even more than the average Awful Parent.

Just look at those smug faces; dontcha just want to smack ’em? 😅

Park Jae Yun as 406 [SPOILERS]

I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to Park Jae Yun, for his portrayal of 406.

Yes, his rendition of 406 was very OTT, but given Show’s makjang nature, I thought that fit nicely.

Overall, I thought he did a really good job of delivering 406’s special brand of wild-eyed unhinged instability; there were times when I legit felt scared of him. And yet, there was also a tiny piece of my heart that felt sorry for him as well, towards the end.

I thought it was a very solid outing, all in all.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE PENULTIMATE EPISODES [SPOILERS]

E9-10. Ha. Remember when I said last week, that the makjang in this show is makjanging?

Well. It feels like Show saw that and said, “Hold my beer. Lemme show you what real makjang is!” – which is how we ended up with this week’s episodes. 😂

The funny thing is, the more Show leans into the makjang this week, the more I find myself losing interest, even though I do enjoy the odd juicy makjang.

I don’t dislike the show, to be clear; it’s just that Show’s lost its magnetic pull on me, and I’m sorry, but I do think it’s because, for me, all the magnetic pull had been to do with the will-they-or-won’t-they push-pull of our OTP, when their real feelings hadn’t quite been established.

Now that that’s been established, I find that even the truckload of makjang that Show’s serving up, doesn’t quite add up to that breathless magnetic pull that had had me under Show’s spell, for a stretch.

I do think that your mileage is likely to vary, and I do think that the variable really has to do with how surprising you find the developments of these episodes.

Personally, I found myself being able to guess quite a few of the developments ahead of their respective reveals, which definitely dampened the surprise factor of the actual reveals themselves.

But if you really were taken by surprise, I can imagine these episodes being a pretty great rollercoaster experience. 😁

One of the things I did genuinely enjoy, these episodes, is the tone of the conversations between In Ah and Hee Joo.

With In Ah having been painted as a bit of a baddie, in the way that her disappearance had forced Hee Joo into a political marriage that she hadn’t wanted, and the way she’d talked about how it was ok for Hee Joo to speak, now that she herself had regained her hearing, it really came as a surprise to me, that we’d get such amicable conversations between the two of them.

I actually appreciate that part of In Ah’s agenda, is to free Hee Joo from a marriage that In Ah believes Hee Joo doesn’t want.

I also really liked that moment when Hee Joo speaks, and In Ah remarks that she likes the sound of Hee Joo’s voice, and had, in fact, rather liked it, when Hee Joo had used to call her “Unnie.”

Aw. That’s really pretty lovely, I thought. 🥲

Afterwards, I really liked that we get to see In Ah and Hee Joo on the same side, like when they have that talk with Father Hong, to ask him what he’d gained and lost, in this deal with the Paiks.

This is something that I found genuinely surprising, because it had never occurred to me, that In Ah could possibly be on Hee Joo’s side, particularly after making it such that Hee Joo had had no choice but to stand in for her, in that arranged marriage.

Another thing that I did appreciate about these episodes, is that we get to see Hee Joo’s determination to protect Sa Eon.

Yes, sometimes her means are limited, but I do like this idea in principle, that she doesn’t just want to be a damsel whom Sa Eon rescues; she wants to protect him too.

And so, the idea of her coolly and firmly demanding that her in-laws file a report that Sa Eon is missing, and then just walking outta there, appeals to me quite a bit.

I also appreciate that Show makes it make sense, that Sang Woo would be the one to rescue Sa Eon and Fishing Dad from the fire, because he’d been there to see Fishing Dad about the missing orphans case, and then had turned back, when he’d seen Sa Eon heading towards Fishing Dad’s shop.

Yay. Good job, Sang Woo. I’m sorry I was suspicious of you and thought you might be one of the bad guys.

I’m thinking that they’d had cast Heo Nam Jun, basically as a red herring – and that had worked really well, because all this time, I’ve been like, “But would they truly cast Heo Nam Jun as a harmless good guy???” 😆😅

And then of course, we also have some details being revealed, that finally shed some proper light on the truth of what had happened.

It’s very wild to me, that Grandpa Paik had personally tried to drown Original Sa Eon; normally, aren’t these things that get delegated to black-suited righthand men who don’t question their orders?

Based on Grandpa Paik’s words to Sa Eon, it becomes clear that Original Sa Eon had taken to killing children younger than himself, after getting started by killing animals.

That’s when it had dawned on me that that’s what had become of all the children who’d gone missing from the orphanage; they’d been killed for sport, by Original Sa Eon.

And Grandpa Paik would rather kill his own grandson and have him replaced, than have Original Sa Eon dealt with by the law, because he didn’t want the hit to his family’s reputation.

Additionally, that thing that Grandpa Paik says, that this is the reason he hadn’t given Sa Eon a name, actually leads me to think that Sa Eon is actually Grandpa Paik’s hidden son, and that Grandpa Paik had entrusted him to Fishing Dad, until such a time as this, when Grandpa Paik had a need for a replacement grandson.

..Which then leads me to the conclusion that Mother Paik makes, in episode 10, that Father Paik isn’t his father’s son – because that’s the only way to explain the fact that the DNA test shows that Sa Eon isn’t related to Father Paik.

Ha. The irony, that the “outsider” whom Father Paik’s been disdaining all these years, is the actual son of Grandpa Paik, and Father Paik himself isn’t even related to Grandpa Paik, and had likely been the result of some affair that Grandma Paik had had. 😅

It’s actually even wilder to me, that Grandpa Paik would have Father Hong’s son killed in that “accident,” because the boy had seen the face of Original Sa Eon – and then Grandpa Paik had called it even, telling Father Hong that he’d had his own grandson killed too.

This is absolutely the kind of bizarre logic that I’ve come to expect of makjangs. 😂

Mother Paik tailing Original Sa Eon to his hideout, and then tearfully telling him that she won’t lose him again, is basically her agreeing to be an accessory in his criminal activity, isn’t it?

After all, when she sees him hanging around the memorial service for Grandpa Paik, she would know, right away, that he’s not there for anything positive, fun or safe. But she just turns a blind eye, and lets him be.

Uh. Is this really the right way to love your son? I dunno, Ma’am. I think you’ve gotten it all mixed up.

And of course, there’s Park Do Jae, whom everyone watching, has been suspicious of for a while now.

As it turns out, everyone was right, and Show basically gives the game away, right before the reveal, by that meaningful extra shot of his face, when Sa Eon’s team is wondering which hospital Sa Eon’s in.

That’s really the confirmation that told me that everyone had been right about Park Do Jae, rather than the actual reveal, heh.

And of course, like we’d been speculating, Park Do Jae is the surviving twin, and now that we know that Original Sa Eon had killed all those missing orphans, it’s little wonder that Park Do Jae’s made it his mission in life to get revenge on Sa Eon.

He just hadn’t factored in the possibility that the original Sa Eon had been swopped out for a replacement, which is how we end up with this bizarre situation, where Park Do Jae’s been working with the person whom he really should have been targeting, to go against someone who’d had nothing to do with his twin brother’s disappearance.

And, if I understand it correctly, Park Do Jae had only really realized the bizarre irony, right before Original Sa Eon had set Fishing Dad’s shop on fire.

I appreciate that Park Do Jae jumps in to save Sa Eon from being stabbed by Original Sa Eon, and that he eventually makes peace with Sa Eon, after some time in the hospital.

As for the mystery of the sender of the DNA test, it only hit me right as In Ah and Hong Joo were puzzling over it, but it does make perfect sense to me, that Sa Eon would have been the one to send it to In Ah – so that he could ask for Hee Joo as her replacement.

That was smart, even though I’m still side-eying Sa Eon a little bit, for being so distant and cold to the woman he loves, but fine. I’ll talk myself into buying the logic that he’d been steeling himself for the moment he would have to let her go – or so he thought.

The main theme that I see in our OTP relationship, these episodes, is Hee Joo consistently and repeatedly telling Sa Eon that it’s her turn to protect him.

From the time she calls on her in-laws to file the missing persons report, to when she tries to turn herself in at the police station, for her part in the 406 calls, we see that Hee Joo is serious and adamant about wanting to protect Sa Eon.

On hindsight, I see that as Show ramping up this idea, so that when Hee Joo drives off the side of the cliff, while being held hostage by Original Sa Eon, it feels like something we’ve sort of been prepared for.

I will say though, it really was moving, to see Hee Joo unhesitatingly walk the talk, and choose to give up her life, in order to protect Sa Eon.

That is love, truly. 🥲

Poor Sa Eon. How utterly horrifying it must have been, to be on the other end of the line, and actually hear the car crash into the guard rails, before the line went dead. 🙈

Afterwards, I did like the scene of Sa Eon making his statement, and then earnestly telling the world at large about his wife, Hee Joo. He’s finally telling the world about Hee Joo, and it’s what I’d wanted, but under the worst circumstances. 😅

Though I will say that I did get a bit of a kick watching the various groups of people in our drama world having brain implosions at the revelation that Interpreter Hong Hee Joo and Spokesperson Paik Sa Eon had been married all along. 😁

I’m sorry. I know that’s not the point, and I know that the point is how broken and worried Sa Eon is, and how Hee Joo’s life might be in danger.

In my feeble defense, I am very, very sure that Hee Joo will be ok, even if Show has to stretch logic to make it so. 😅

Now I’m just waiting for the reveal, that Sa Eon’s actually Grandpa Paik’s son – and the fallout that must come with. 😁

THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING [SPOILERS]

E11-12. I guess I should preface this section by saying that I know that this finale is extremely divisive; I’ve seen folks express that they love it, and I’ve seen folks express how much they hate it.

I don’t think I hate this finale as much as some viewers, but I have to confess that this finale was not my favorite thing that Show’s done. 😅

First, let’s talk makjang.

After Show had leaned so hard into the makjang in our penultimate episodes, I was not surprised that it would lean even harder into the makjang, in our finale week.

And since, one of the fundamental rules with makjang, is that logic can and will be stretched, sometimes to extremes, I was actually reasonably happy to roll with all the developments in episode 11.

But then episode 12 happened, and midway through it, I literally said out loud, “What the heck am I watching..?” 😂😂

Yup, you guessed it; that’s the part where we see Hee Joo wandering around the jungles of Argan on her own, and promptly getting abducted.

And then we get that big rescue scene (which, honestly, what the heck is Sa Eon doing, fighting the insurgents..? 😅), and the big reunion scene in the middle of the jungle, where they are supposed to be hiding from said insurgents – but don’t bother to keep it down, or keep it short. 😂

Turns out that while I like having a sense of desperate urgency between our OTP, I do also like things to make some kind of sense. 😅

Here’s what I think of the whole thing: I feel like writer-nim got the idea that we viewers love angsty, tortured Sa Eon (because yes, he was 🔥 in earlier episodes), and was looking for a good, dramatic way to give us exactly that.

HOWEVER.

I do think that writer-nim didn’t truly understand what we were loving so much, about Show’s earlier episodes.

Because, YES, I have to admit that angsty, tortured Sa Eon was definitely part of the equation.

And of course, there was the will-they-or-won’t-they push-pull of the OTP, but since the OTP’s long been minted, writer-nim reached for a reboot of sorts, by separating Sa Eon and Hee Joo, first via Hee Joo’s abduction, and then via Sa Eon’s disappearance.

I understand the principle of that, and y’know, that could have worked, in theory, except that writer-nim missed one last critical part of the equation, which, arguably, is the most important piece, in terms of why we – well, I – had found Show’s earlier episodes so compelling.

And that is, the ardent love that Sa Eon has, underneath all of that angst, and the deep desire to love and protect Hee Joo, despite the circumstances stacked against him.

The desire to respect her and honor her, over and above the facade of cold aloofness that he’s chosen, and the desperate need to protect her, while holding onto his last shred of sanity and dignity – because she doesn’t know it, but she is his whole world.

THAT was the thing that really made every bit of tortured angst and distance between our OTP pop so much, for me, that it had felt like Show was serving up a one-two punch every episode, while reaching through my screen to grab my heart out of my chest.

And I feel like that is the one thing we did not get, in our finale.

Yes, Sa Eon’s tortured and angsty, but time and time again, he says and does things that go against what I’d come to understand of him; that he wanted to put Hee Joo first, and protect her, and be tender toward her, and respect her.

ALL of that went out the window, with OG Sa Eon’s whispered words to him, in episode 12; that Grandpa Paik had killed Hee Joo’s little brother.

Suddenly, we have Sa Eon disappearing on Hee Joo without a word, and staying completely out of reach for months on end, and when Hee Joo tracks him down in Argan, of all places, armed with nothing but a headscarf – where he’s gone so that he can watch the sunset (😂😂) – he says to her, “I TOLD YOU TO WAIT FOR ME!”

You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me. 🤯

That is quite possibly the most bizarre, selfish thing to have ever come out of Sa Eon’s mouth, even if Show couches this as him wanting to punish himself, and I found this perplexing enough, that I found myself not truly caring about the spicy sexytimes scene that Show then serves up soon after, to try to distract me.

Yes, I’d found the earlier skinship in the show quite electric, but if the foundation’s wonky, it just.. doesn’t work the same way, y’know?

Then, after everything is returned to normal, Sa Eon goes off to be Chief Negotiator in some dangerous situation – and lets Hee Joo find out about it while she’s doing sign language translation on the news..??

Say, what?

And when Hee Joo finally gets to talk to him on the phone, instead of being apologetic, he uses a cold tone with her, to provoke her to talk more like she’d done, when she’d been “406”??

Ok, fine, I can buy that he’s just teasing her here, and his overall message is a more positive one, that he wants her to express herself more freely around him.

BUT, let’s not forget that this is in the context of him jetting off to be Chief Negotiator without telling her, and these are basically his first words to her, after the fact.

It just.. doesn’t sit right, if you know what I mean?

Overall, I’m still perplexed at the lack of communication around all the important stuff, like his decision to punish himself by removing himself from Hee Joo’s presence – without so much as a word to Hee Joo.

What happened to respecting her? Why not put yourself in her hands, to punish or forgive, as she sees fit?

And, why not actually tell your wife that you’re going on an important and dangerous assignment, so that she doesn’t find out about it on the news, while she herself is on the air??

In the end, the OTP that we get at the end of these finale episodes kinda-sorta look like the OTP that I’d been so smitten with in Show’s earlier stretch, but at the heart of it, I can’t shake the niggling feeling that body-snatchers have been at work, and all I’m seeing here, is a hollow reflection in their likeness – without the heart that had grabbed my heart, in the beginning.

And so, as I finish my watch of this show, I find that the feelings that I have remaining for this OTP, are, likewise, a hollow reflection of what they had used to be.

Ah, the could’ve beens. 🥲 But there’s no denying that when Show was at its best, it had me breathlessly by the heart. 🥹

THE FINAL VERDICT:

Disappointing in the last stretch, but worth a look for the electric first half.

FINAL GRADE: B+

TRAILER:

MV:

PATREON UPDATE!

The next drama I’m covering on Patreon, in place of When The Phone Rings, is Motel California [Korea].

You can check out my episode 1-2 notes on Motel California on Patreon here.

Here’s an overview of what I’m covering on Patreon right now (Tier benefits are cumulative)!

Foundation Tier (US$1): Entertainment Drop (Sundays) + the first set notes of all shows covered on Patreon (that’s 2 episodes for kdramas and 4 episodes for cdramas)

Early Access (US$5): +Blossom [China]

Early Access Plus (US$10): +Motel California [Korea]

VIP (US$15): +Love Scout [Korea]