Yoo Na's Street - Episode 1 (A FunCap)

Welcome to Yoo Na's Street Recaps! I'm so excited to finally be able to talk about this show in 4000-word lengths. Because yes, it is THAT awesome. Sure, it could be better with a bit of Rim, but IMHO that goes without saying, right? kakashi? becca? *crickets*
becca: That's a big ol' DUH, Mary! *gets out broom and sweeps stupid crickets away* What do they know?
kakashi: Girls, I'll not lie - I'm excited as well. About this drama (jtbc! It almost always rocks!), about this new squeecapping constellation, about life, about ... everything. And yeah, Rim. Rim is okay, but Rim can't be in everything. 
Still, for a Rimless drama, it's good. Our first episode sets the tone of the whole series and introduces the different people who live in "Yoo Na's Street": some are likeable, some are puzzling, and some are downright irritating. I guess it isn't a spoiler to rave about the fact that Yoo Na's Street takes the time to show you everyone's motivations and desires so you can't help but understand why they act that way, despite wanting to push them down the stairs sometimes...
kakashi: I'm watching this one episode at the time, so no spoilers for me, please! :D I must also say that this drama will most likely confuse a lot of people because there are a LOT of different characters. And at the end of this episode, absolutely nothing has become clear. (I went ahead and explained who's who in some cases to avoid too much ajusshi this and ajusshi that. But I won't reveal spoilery relationships. Hehe)

EPISODE 1
It's night. A woman hangs out by the sidewalk, watching people go by. This is our Kang Yoo Na: Badass Pickpocket Extraordinaire (played by the lovely Kim Ok Bin) *heart beams* *more heart beams* *massive girl crush* She spots a suited man approaching the ATM and follows, pretending to use the terminal on the left while a couple of equally shady guys use the other side. They watch the man withdraw and count his money. After the target leaves, they nonchalantly follow him to the train station.
Inside the train, the guys crowd the man while Yoo Na stands a little ways away, waiting for the others to slit the man's pockets and steal his wallet. They pass the loot to one of their boys who then moves further away from the victim before bumping "accidentally" into Yoo Na.
kakashi: Already love this drama. It's not in a rush. Not at all. This story feels real - nothing is forced on us, we're just watching a small crime unfold. 

The boys get ready to escape by positioning themselves near the doors. But the one who bumped into Yoo Na is frantically bending down and checking the floor of the train. He hurries over to the others and whispers, "the wallet is missing!"
becca: The first time I watched this, I thought they were all working together. Until they started freaking out about the wallet, and then I was like, "Ahh, she's a badass AND a lone wolf." I love her, btw.
kakashi: Loved how nervous the boys were getting. How much is in this wallet? 
HAHAHAHAHA! So she pickpockets from pickpockets? She wasn't part of their team after all?
becca: HAHA! See my comment above. I'm glad I wasn't the only one! :P
kakashi: I wasn't fooled. The way she eyed them ... clearly badass and smarter than them combined.

The gang leader scans the crowd and spots Yoo Na walking out of the station. When she looks back to check on them, he remembers seeing her near the ATMs. Commence chase! He catches up to her at the top of the steps and grabs her leg. Her shoe comes off and she kicks him down the stairs. She picks her shoe back up but gets no time to put it back on. Run, girl, run! Wait-- why are we cheering for the bad people? And does it matter if both sides are thieves?
becca: I don't know about you guys, but I have a separate set of TV Morals that I use when the screen turns on. Also, she's just awesome from first glance, so of course I'm gonna cheer for her.
kakashi: I love gangster films. There's always good ones and bad ones and OF COURSE you're allowed to cheer for the good ones. Where "good" can mean all sorts of things. 
The other lackey stops to help his boss, leaving just one guy chase down our girl. She zigzags through closed market stalls before running inside an old building and hiding in an abandoned restaurant upstairs. The lackey ignores the restaurant and chases someone who looks like Yoo Na downstairs. Thinking she's safe, the real Yoo Na stops to check her bleeding foot. But the lackey discovers his mistake and makes his way back up to inspect the restaurant again. Yoo Na manages to hide behind a counter just as the goon comes in and flips on the lights. "There's no electricity here" announces a groggy voice.
becca: Ooooohhh boy! Here he comes here he comes! *jumps up and down*
kakashi: Ahhhh, I hated this chase!!! I was "hiiiiiiiide", "ruuuuuuun", again asking myself how much money was in that wallet for them so be so tenacious about it?! I saw a few 50'0000 Won bills ... 300-400 dollars, at the most?
A man emerges from the back room and squints at the goon. He picks up a giant spatula like a weapon (LOL), and asks the lackey why he's trespassing. The pickpocket answers he's looking for a girl who might've come in here, but Mr. Sleepyhead is confused. This restaurant has been closed for a while now. No one comes in anymore. The lackey curses and leaves.
kakashi: He is one fine specimen, this one. We do need some males to squee over in every recap, I'd say! 

Sleepyhead fumbles around and lights some candles. He goes to the window and watches the pickpocket hurry away. It seems the gang leader is in the ER with a broken arm. That can't bode well for Yoo Na, can it?
becca: I completely forgot about the broken arm thing. Actually I'm not even sure I knew that was because of this. Then again, I watched this without subs the first time, so I missed a few things.
kakashi: Yeah, he did take a great tumble down those stairs! 
After ensuring that the coast is clear, sleepyhead bangs the giant spoon on the counter and orders Yoo Na to come out. He offers her some drinking water, assuring her that the cup is clean. Hehehehe. I'm sorry. But this guy Lee Hee Joon is just... everything about him is funny. Not in a mean way. Just... his face is like a promise. A promise that there will be funny things. WTF things. Crazy things. Things that will make you giggle like a loon at 3AM and wonder if you were born this way or if WTF-appreciation is just an acquired taste from years of watching kdramas. (I dunno about you ladies but I think I was born with it...) (I know I was!)
becca: His face is like really handsome silly-putty. So many funny expressions.
kakashi: I approve. 
He asks if that was a cop who just left. Yoo Na asks in return if she looks like a thief. Ajusshi shakes his head. Yoo Na says that that guy was a gangster and she got involved due to complicated reasons, so she won't explain any further. Technically speaking, it's not a lie. But now the ajusshi must be thinking she's some helpless kdrama heroine, running away from loan sharks after her father gambled away the money or something.
becca: Random aside: I love that this girl dresses like, well, a real girl. T-shirts and jeans, huge floppy bags. It's a nice break from all the designer duds.
kakashi: Yes, and she doesn't run in high heels.

Then it's her turn to ask why the ajusshi is living inside a closed, rundown restaurant with no electricity. To which sleepyhead answers "It's complicated too, so I won't explain further." (I love their wit - it's the writing .... so good!) She asks if he's a homeless person? Ajusshi protests loudly then self-consciously tries to flatten his unruly hair.
becca: Aw, he's so cute. *hugs Sleepy Ajusshi* And yes, the back-and-forth in this drama is sooo much fun.
Yoo Na thanks him and tries to leave, but cries out in pain when she tries to shove her foot back in her shoe. Ajusshi checks her leg. Next we see, he's crouched down in front of her, removing a piece of glass that got stuck in her foot. He cleans her wound while she looks around his room and spies lots of books. Good lord, dramaland, he's not another genius, runaway chaebol, is he?
becca: I'm thinking not. He's definitely sharper than he lets on, but I don't think it's to that extent. Or am I just being naive?
kakashi: He seems down to earth (therefore, not a chaebol). I loved how he held the torch between his teeth, by the way.

She asks why he lied to the gangster. He answers with a saying "If you encounter a beast being chased, you should help hide it." (I think it's meant to sound nice and not an implication that she's a beast) She looks touched at that and thanks him again. He puts a bandage on her wound and lends her his newly-washed socks (because hers were too bloodied and dirty).
becca: Yes, I don't think it was beast as in huge/scary/despicable but more like wounded creature in need of refuge. I like it.
kakashi: That's how I understood it, too - you help a being in need if you see one. 
He stops her when she's about to leave and asks for a favor. "Can you please... lend me 5000 Won?" He promises to pay her back when they meet again. She says there's no need. (It's less than $5, I think.) But he insists that he will pay it back. Somehow. Then he cheerfully turns her shoes around so it faces her. Awww... it's kinda sad that someone so nice has to live this way. Yet he doesn't seem embarrassed or depressed about his situation. And you get the feeling that he would've saved her anyway from the gangster and cleaned her wound and lent her his clean socks because it's the right thing to do. $5 or no $5.
becca: Yes! He's just a genuinely nice guy, which is so rare in a male lead. He treats people with kindness and respect, and I bet he's the type to take in stray animals, too. *hugs Ajusshi again*
kakashi: I am not sure I approve of all the hugging.
becca: What? I've only done it twice!

When Yoo Na is right outside the building, the ajusshi hails her again from the window. There seems to be a mistake. She gave him 50,000 instead of 5,000 won! She shouts back that she knows and there's no need to return it. He insists on going down right this minute to exchange it, but she just walks away with a smile. He looks happily at the bill and smiles too. And in case you're feeling all warm and fuzzy at the goodness of humankind, we cut to Yoo Na flipping through the stolen wallet and discarding all the cards and IDs--- things that were important to the person they stole from, and taking just the cash. I wonder if sleepyhead ajusshi will still smile if he knows where his $50 came from?
becca: I'm pretty sure she put those in a mailbox, though, so that they could be returned to the person. (I know she says later that that's a thing she does.) So, y'know, still not great but not the worst person, either. It's enough for me to still feel a little warm and fuzzy.
Mary: Ah, that explains why when I Googled the label on the box, it said "post office". LOL I thought it was an old bin repurposed into a trash can...
kakashi: Oh, absolutely, she put it in the mail. And at that moment, I cursed the person who stole my wallet a few months ago and did NOT put it there. Fucker. May you burn in hell.
Yoo Na walks home to find a couple of policemen waiting outside her house. She ducks into a corner and tries to call home in a panic, but her phone seems to have been dropped during the chase. She intercepts one of her neighbors (Byeon Chil ajusshi) who lends her his phone and gossips that the teacher who rents the 2nd floor room committed suicide so the police came to collect the body.
kakashi: Loved how she immediately took cover when she saw the police cars. 
The police are talking to Yoo Na's landlady and landlord. They complain to the officers that if people want to die, they should die properly instead of committing suicide and bothering everyone and causing a commotion. After the cops leave, the couple spots Yoo Na emerging from her hiding place. They tsk tsk at her for daring to time her return to avoid inconveniences. When Yoo Na worries about "that pitiful neighbor", the landlady is offended. They're the pitiful ones because that teacher didn't bother paying two months rent before dying! Ooookay... After Yoo Na bows respectfully and leaves, the couple call her rude for not seeing things from their perspective.
kakashi: This is where the confusing part of this episode begins. Confusing in a good way, in my opinion, but I'm sure it managed to turn a few people away. In "normal" KDramas, we always get tons of explanations/expositions so that we immediately know who the different characters are (also, there's only about 5 different types of cardboard characters to chose from). In this drama, we have no clue. It took me at least 5 minutes to guess that these two must be the owners of the place Yoo Na stays at.
Seriously. This couple is unbelievable... they're like the kind of people who complain about a homeless man eating food from the trash, just because he got to eat for free and they didn't.
becca: At first, I thought these two would be those uptight, snooty neighbors (didn't pick-up on the landlord bit till later - see?) looking down on our criminal heroine. Oy, I could not have been more wrong. I mean, they're still not peaches, but they aren't what I thought they'd be, either.
kakashi: I disliked HER much more than I disliked HIM, simply because I absolutely adore Lee Moon-shik as an actor. It's his eyes. I can't resist. What an ass, though!
Someone said ass?
Yoo Na finds another of her ajusshi neighbors, Hong Gye Pal, conducting ritual(?) rites (using a tape player, hahahaaa) inside the dead teacher's room. Byeon Chil's wife comes over with more candles and tell Yoo Na why their neighbor committed suicide: the teacher found out that her "boyfriend" was actually married and had two kids!
kakashi: Another long-time favorite of mine, Jo Hee-bong!
becca: So many good actors in this show! All hail jtbc casting!
Yoo Na goes to her rented room and calls her roommate Mi Seon, a sexy unni who owns a cafe/bar. Yoo Na tells her about the dead teacher's story and the unni hilariously insists that there must be another reason for committing suicide because having an affair with a married man isn't a big deal at all. Yoo Na warns her to be careful with "President Jeong" and the Mi Seon tells her to be careful herself before hanging up. They seem to know what each other is up to. I wonder who else in their compound is living on the other side of the law?
becca: That unni rubs me the wrong way. She's got issues.
kakashi: She has a receding chin and weird teeth. Not attractive. And she's not a very nice person, it seems. She seems very egoistical.
becca: I'm so glad I'm not the only one who thought she looked weird. Boobs do not necessarily equal sexy, people!
Next morning, Yoo Na borrows Gye Pal's (they call him Uncle Gye) phone and tries calling her number again. The candle ajumma from last night, Uhm Hye Sook, argue with Gye Pal about lost phones, with the latter saying that people these days don't bother returning lost ones when they can sell it for $25-$60 on the streets. Hye Sook points out that he's mighty knowledgeable about the street price of stolen phones... To which he says he just happened to watch a news special about the black market. That's all. He then turns really nice and tells Yoo Na to keep his phone for now before sidling up to her and asks why Mi Seon didn't come home last night? Whom was she with? Hye Sook laughs in his face for daring to like the sexy unni.
becca: Don't subscribe to her issues, Uncle! You're in over your head!
kakashi: Is candle ajumma single? Ah, no. See, I'm confused! She's married to that hairy guy, right? (Yep! Byeon Chil's wife.)

The landlord's daughter interrupts them (how do you know who she is?! Tell me!) (It's shown by the end of episode 1 who she is). She asks Uncle Gye where the dead teacher's laptop is. The teacher's relatives are here to get her stuff. Uncle Gye says he "hid it" because a lot of people were coming and going and it might "get lost". Then he goes inside to fetch the laptop. Ha! This guy, I swear... I bet the ritual was just an excuse to look at the dead teacher's stuff.
kakashi: Is he a thief as well? Seems so! Candle Ahjumma says to Yoo Na that he is "very fast". 
Just then, the restaurant ajusshi calls back, saying he found the lost phone. He and Yoo Na meet up at a breakfast place and he says he didn't see the messages until now because he slept at a jimjilbang. It's where he sleeps when it's too cold in the cellar, but he didn't have money for it lately until he ran into Yoo Na. He thanks her for lending him money so he was able to sleep well. Yoo Na agrees that he looks cleaner and better today and the ajusshi admits (with a straight face) that he may look very unhygienic, but the truth is, his nickname is "Lee Byeong Heon". LOL! As in Lee Byeong Heon from Iris. Lee Byeong Heon from GI Joe. This Lee Byeong Heon: (NOTE TO MARY: It's Lee Byeong Heon or Hun.) I fixed it now. Thanks. ^___^
becca: Heehee. Abs. ^^
kakashi: I nodded. Yes, there is an resemblance! 
He boasts that back in high school, the girls chased him around because of his good looks. Then he looks at Yoo Na and says that she kinda looks like Lee Hyori. Something about her face shape? She laughs and declines to join the you-look-like-a-star compliment parade. He's like one of those gabby people who always talks nicely to others. Even the ajumma serving their meal says she missed him. They talk about jobs and we learn that ajusshi is an "all around" worker guy. He gives Yoo Na his business card and proudly tells her he can do construction, plumbing, electrical stuff... he even adds in a cooking certificate and a Taekwondo level 3 blackbelt. Hahaha it's adorable! Judging from the smiles Yoo Na makes while listening to him, she seems to think so too.
becca: She's a smart girl, of course she does! As someone who is absolutely terrible at conversing with strangers/mere acquaintances, I really appreciate people like this, who can make friends anywhere and put anyone at ease. I don't know how they do it, but it's lovely.
kakashi: I was surprised she wasn't more wary. He is far too nice, if you know what I mean. They're never that nice in real life. And if they are, something is usually fishy :)
She asks why someone with lots of skills has to borrow $5 and he explains how the owner of the restaurant, his ex-boss, went bankrupt, borrowed money from loan sharks, and sank deeper into debt. In the end, the owner ran away, leaving him unpaid for 6 months work of work. The boss still calls from time to time, asking him to watch over the restaurant tools and kitchen equipment, promising to give him his wages soon.
becca: See? He's a total softy.
kakashi: D'awwwwwwz. He is.
becca: *sneaks in another hug while kakashi isn't looking*

He sighs that his boss is a "pitiful man" for having to hide everyday. Yoo Na tells him no. In her opinion, it's him who's totally a "cheated man" right now. And he answers "I'm not a 'cheated man'. I am Kim Chang Man. My name is Kim Chang Man. What's your name?" LOL Smooooth... Yoo Na comes back with a better one, "if we're fated to meet again, then I'll tell you my name" and she leaves.
kakashi: That was very smooth of her! She's a cool cat.
becca: *sings* Everbody wants to be cat! Because a cat's the only cat who knows where it's at!
Yoo Na goes to her Unni's cafe and finds her eating jjampong and jajangmyun with President Jeong. She ignores the President's invitation to eat with them and leaves right away. President Jeong complains that he never saw Yoo Na smile even once. Mi Seon says some of their customers like that about Yoo Na. President Jeong says how can anyone notice Yoo Na when Mi Seon is there?! And Mi Seon just shamelessly answers, "That's what I think too!" (Hehe. They're cute. But seem to be more friendly than adulterous at this point.)
becca: I thought so too, initially. But I will be ranting later, oh yes, I will. Hmpf. *crosses arms*
kakashi: Hey, friendly and adulterous do not exclude themselves! I thought they seemed very comfortable in each other's company, like a long married couple, in fact.
Mary: Ah, YES! So that's what they made me feel. I guess I've been expecting a tense, secretive vibe from adulterous couples, since that's how they always portray affairs in dramas. Once again, this drama surprises me. Which is a good thing, right?
Back in the compound, the dead teacher's relatives pay for the two months rent and apologize for inconveniencing the landlady. Now she's all sweet and agreeable. After they leave, she sighs that she's too nice, she didn't have the heart to charge them for half a month's worth of electricity and water too. (Gosh, what a saint you are... NOT.)
kakashi: perfect little add on to show us what kind of person she is! 

The landlord, landlady, and Uncle Gye (he's the landlady's brother) worry about renting out the teacher's room. No one will pay for it once word gets around that someone committed suicide there. Just then, the harabeoji renter from the first floor knocks and asks to use their toilet. His is clogged (again). The landlord gets the idea to transfer the bothersome grandpa to the 2nd floor room and repaint the first floor room to rent it at an even higher price. The landlady and her brother balk at that. It's not right to transfer a grandpa with arthritis to a 2nd-floor room! The landlord argues over their protests and bullshits that climbing stairs is good exercise for the old man.
becca: Booooh! I hate seeing the elderly disrespected and ignored like that. Shame on you, sir!
kakashi: Terrible. But so well done. 
When the grandpa comes out, they keep quiet and talk about some event he has to attend later. The old man tries to beg off. He doesn't know anyone there. The landlord just ignores his concerns and orders the grandpa to get ready. Awww... poor grandpa is too cute and I hate how they disregard him.
becca: Shame shame shame!!
kakashi: Tell me they will pay for this, later?!
A man waits for Yoo Na outside her house. (It's your Bong2, kakashi! His surname is Bong here too. Hurrah for recycled names! hahahaaaaa, that's what I tweeted you when I watched this!) He spots Yoo Na and orders her inside his car. Yoo Na follows meekly, but inside the car, she goes "Did you and unni fight again?" Hahahaha. He almost looks pitiful as he whines that there's no one else he can talk to about his problem.
kakashi: Another unni?! How many unnis?! And they're all non-blood-related unnis, I think? 
He's an ex-crime squad leader in this district and he married another unni of Yoo Na, an ex-pickpocket called Yang Sun. (It's a gang-type of unni. Not blood-related. Thanks for clarifying! All these unnis confused me a bit - ah, we all think alike. That's great) They opened a noraebang and this is the second time one of their customers lost money. Bong2 is sure his wife took it. He fought with her and hit her. Now Yang Sun has ran away. Yoo Na says her unni promised she won't steal again, but Bong2 claims he knows that look and itchy hands thieves get when a rich person is in their sights. Yoo Na starts to squirm. Then Bong2 asks her outright "this habit you have... does it really not go away for life?"
becca: I'm on the fence about this couple. On one hand, they're funny, and I like the actors. On the other hand... violence and distrust do not a healthy relationship make.
kakashi: They're all so flawed ... marvelous. 

She takes offense at the question. Bong2 calls bullshit and asks her if she isn't doing it right now? Yoo Na lies she's working part-time in her pretty unni's cafe. Bong2 asks if that's enough to live well these days? Hahaha. They're interrupted when Yang Sun herself texts Yoo Na asking her to meet. I LOL at how Bong2 tries to peek at the phone screen to read their convo. (You said he's not a good actor in Jang Bori, kakashi. Why? I love this guy! Maybe the Bong2 character is just hateful and stupid?) (I usually love him, but sometimes he's off if the show/character isn't right.)
kakashi: You know what, mary? When I watched this episode, I went: "Hey, he does well in this!". In Jangbori, he constantly overacts. It's annoying. He does that stuff with his eyes ... just ... too much. (Maybe he's great in slightly comedic roles and sympathetic roles. He was good in High Kick too! In Jang Bori he's playing a "serious" guy who is stupid and blind when it comes to BaDIL and Minjung.)
The landlord and grandpa come out just as Yoo Na is dropped off by Bong2. The landlord seems to enjoy the fact that Bong2 is no longer in active duty and is just running a noraebang. He patronizingly asks for Bong2's business card and Bong2 doesn't hide his irk when he says, "I don't have a business card to give you." Then he gets in his car and almost runs the landlord over.
kakashi: This was the second best scene in this episode - I absolutely loved it. 
The landlord scoffs and says that man is called "Dirt-rag Bong" because he accepted bribes and went after petty thieves instead of catching the big fish. He even enjoyed beating them up. Dirt-rag Bong was the one who caught the landlord and put him in jail for two years. But later, Bong was fired for being corrupt. The landlord warns Yoo Na not to get close with that dirt-rag or his wife. He stalks off, and the cute grandpa stays behind to invite Yoo Na for some chicken and beer when he gets his social living allowance (some sort of pension?) before landlord shouts at him to hurry up.
kakashi: From about now, this show gets really good. 
Landlord and grandpa go to the jimjilbang to scrub off before tonight's party. Landlord shows off an ornate tiger tattoo on his back and a rough sort of character on his shoulder (the latter made during his stint in prison). Then he laughs at the rabbit on gramp's back. Turns out gramps was a fearsome gangster in his time called "The Axe" (dokki). He went to a famous tattoo artist, a foreigner. (Japanese, judging by how they mimic his accent in this scene.) Gramps asked for Twin Axes (ssang dokki, thanks Jules via twitter! Thanks, Jules!) but the foreigner heard Mountain Rabbit (san tokki). The landlord says it turned out well since the rabbit matches gramps sweet personality. Then they bond while scrubbing each other's back and going "hai, hai, san tokki desu ne?" :D
becca: Aw, see, but sometimes Landlord is like this, and I like him. A prime example of how good this show is at creating flawed but relatable characters.
kakashi: Brilliant scene. 
Yoo Na and Byeon Chil are talking when Uncle Gye orders him to move gramps stuff upstairs by tomorrow. Yoo Na is shocked at the landlord's stinginess, but what can they do? No one wants to rent a room with such history, even at a low price with no deposit. Yoo Na says she miiiiight find someone who's interested. "Where will you find such a person?" asks Byeon Chil.
becca: *raises hand and jumps up and down* Ooh ooh! I know I know!
kakashi: heheheee, can't wait. 

Cut to: Chang Man at work with his phone ringing. The caller ID says "Hyori style". Hahaha! He greets her happily and she can't help but smile as she asks him to meet later to talk about something.
becca: *heart beams to both of them*
kakashi: Look at how smiley they are!
Now, to that party gramps and landlord go to: it's the opening of a galbi restaurant owned by another gangster, Big-eye Herring. The place is packed with thugs sitting in rows and standing along the walls. The landlord is very deferential as he introduces "Our Most Respected Hyungnim: The Axe". He pretends that this is some bigshot gangster he brought for the restaurant's opening, and I LOL at The Godfather music playing in the background.
kakashi: This is my favorite scene in episode 1! So ... Axe wasn't a bigshot gangster in his youth? I thought he was one for real, just slightly ... vintage :)
He was a real gangster. But he's not impressive to the young 'uns nowadays. Maybe they want someone more flashy and successful.

Sadly, gramps isn't very "cool". The first thing he says when asked for a few words for his lacking hoobaes is "my teeth aren't great, so your beef ribs aren't good for me". Big-eye dutifully promises to serve some soft soup any time he comes back to the restaurant. Then gramps proceeds with his speech, talking about the great deeds of past gangsters. But all the legends he mentions have all been dead years ago and the hoobaes neither know nor care about the stories he tells.
kakashi: hahaha, SO disrespectful! I enjoyed his stories a lot.
I cackled everytime he paused and everyone thought his story was done... then he moves on to another name like "The Frog", "The Grasshopper" etc.
The hoobaes start fidgeting and eating their food surreptitiously. The landlord is embarrassed that the "special guest" he brought isn't very impressive. Gramps also notices the waning attention and tries desperately to name more people, but the hoobaes become more bored and brazen in ignoring him.
becca: Okay, I do feel for these people 'cause I've been there. My Papa used to talk in circles like this - start in one place, ramble around for an hour, then somehow come back around and tie it into the beginning again - and it's hard to take if you're starving. But dammit, you sit up and listen because this is your elder speaking and he deserves at least that much respect simply for surviving this long. Even at ten, I was better behaved than these people. Rant over, for now.
kakashi: So exactly what I thought, but I also had to laugh at how it was shown ... how the first starts twitching, then one starts eating, then everybody follows ... hahahaa
becca: I have to admit, I laughed, too.

While gramps talks about honor and bloody battles between gangs, we see the pickpocket gang from the intro walking towards the restaurant, their boss in the lead with one arm in a sling. (Hot damn, that leader is SEKSHI in that leather jacket with his hair all fixed up.)
kakashi: Here comes trouble! And I'm calling SJR, mary.
Oh, please do. I would love to get the chance to "appease" an angry Rim. I've learned a lot of things, reading JoAnne's comments and tweets for the past 6 months or so...
They call out the landlord and call him Hyungnim nicely, showing a picture of Yoo Na and asking if he knows her. They need to "talk" to her. The landlord, thinking Yoo Na is just a girl who rents in his compound, tells them where to find her.
becca: Does he not know? I thought he knew and told them because he was taking them at face value.
kakashi: Ah! Me too. I thought "what a dick!! He should protect her!"
Yoo Na is in the cafe with her ex-pickpocket unni, Yang Sun. She's drinking like a fish and complaining loudly about her husband. Mi Seon (the cafe owner) watches them and gives Yang Sun the stink-eye. Looks like the two unnis don't like each other. Yoo Na tells Yang Sun to just admit taking the money. Yang Sun insists she's innocent. Yoo Na asks how much was in the wallet and Yang Sun answers without skipping a beat, "cards, ID, and 60,000 won" LOL.
becca: Okay, but Yang Sun Unni is kinda awesome. It's mainly her hubby that I'm unsure of.
kakashi: I'm not liking any of these "unnis" so far. 

Yoo Na stares pointedly at her, but she scoffs that she has pride too! She won't steal from customers and give her noraebang a bad reputation for a mere $60. She cries foul at being hit by her husband, when he should be the first to take her side. (Mi Seon is in the background making faces at Yang Sun haha) (makes faces back at Mi Seon)
The cafe door bangs open and the three gangsters walk in. One lackey overturns chairs while the other dives for Yoo Na. But the boss stops him, cool as a cucumber. "Oy, Kang Yoo Na-sshi" he calls, and I almost run over to him. The episode ends with Yoo Na staring back defiantly at the trio, while I escape being slayed by the gangster's eyebrows, thanks to the protection of my Patron Saint of Squee.
kakashi: hahahaaaaa, mary. And alright, this guy is hot. Will this be a case of very bad 2nd Lead Syndrome?!

COMMENTS

I have two main reasons for wanting to recap this: [1] to share this awesome drama with y'all, and [2] to put up the gangster boss puppy for adoption. I will vouch for his hotness, and regret that I cannot stan more than one man, so I shall leave this guy to you ladies. Meanwhile, so I shall keep passively squeeing about him here, until you snatch him up.
becca: You really should be a talent agent, Mary. Your client might become famous for really weird reasons, but hey, people would know them.
kakashi: I think JoAnne already got her hands on him. Damn. It's hard to fight against her! In any case, THANK YOU, mary, for getting me to watch this! It's clearly one of those KDramas I really, really like, one of those that are so much better than the usual fluff we get served. I know people will ask where they can watch this - it's not on the big sites (Dramafever, viki), but it's available at Darksmurf (also subbed there) and on some of the streaming sites, I think, like myasiantv.
That being said, how fun is Yoo Na's Street? (SO FUN! LOVE IT) I'm worried that we won't be able to capture the richness of the characters in a recap (well, you never can. People have to watch for themselves!). There is so much witty banter here. Hopefully, after this introductory episode, we can focus on some of the quippy lines they say. Or maybe after reading our funcaps, you'll be able to decide for yourself whether to marathon this sucker and get caught up like the rest of us? It's slated for 50 episodes, and we've only had 20 so far. HUEHUEHAHAHAHAHA!!!
becca: This is gonna be SO MUCH FUN. *runs off to catch up*
kakashi: OMG another 50 episodes drama ... *thinks about retiring but doesn't*
*pats kakashi* Don't worry. There'll be three of us now. :)
becca: A small gang of badass squeecappers. Unnis, fighting~!!