When A Man Loves - Episode 13 (A SqueeCap)

CUCKOLD

Middle English cokewald, from Anglo-Norman *cucuald, from cucu, the cuckoo, from Vulgar Latin *cucculus, from Latin cuculus.

So, Han Tae-sang (and his bulgy Dr. Jin eyes) now knows what his chippy and his protege have been doing on the sly.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR HAN TAE-SANG?

Episode 13

Shuk: We get a little peek at the nighttime goings-on at President Han’s house: Jae-hee scurrying away, wondering how Mi-do is doing, and the damsel in question throwing herself on the bed with all the drama of a spicy bodice-ripper. And our resident hot homeowner with not-happy thoughts running around in his head.
JoAnne: Scurry away, shameful person.
kakashi: Oppa is still in denial here. For a few moments longer. Wondering, doubting, but not wanting to see. By the way, this episode made me cry.

Shuk: Then we go back to the Squeal Reveal.
kakashi: It is time to recycle The Hulk Gif! I made about 1000 more gifs of him in this white wifebeater cause I've never seen anything as hot before. I would say this even beats what is underneath aka The Abs of Glory. #WhenAMansBicepsKills

Shuk: At breakfast, it’s just Tae-sang and Mi-do, and he drops the sentence, “Do you think I wouldn't know?”
kakashi: Oh dear, this episode had me on the edge of my seat all the time. I just HATE cheater dramas/movies!

Shuk: Mi-do’s eyes widen but she plays it coolly, and he continues with the conversation. He knows she is not completely happy, and apologizes. As he is leaving the breakfast table, she mentions the visit from the detectives the day before, but he just acknowledges the information and walks away.
JoAnne: Oppa continues to surprise me with his control. Thinking of ways in which control is a good thing…(smile) but now wondering if the inevitable explosion will kill everyone, or just some of them.
kakashi: IKR? It's like this volcano ... you are waiting for it to explore but you're not sure when. 
#WhenAManIsGoingToBlow

Shuk: The Lee brothers are at Incheon, and hyung can’t help but notice his younger brother is too busy looking through the crowds to pay attention to him, but he snaps him back with the admonition to look forward, not back, and keep his mind on work. Poor hyung, thanks for the effort you put into these two avoiding a collision.
JoAnne: Seriously, this guy is almost in more pain than Oppa. It must be hard to be caught between like that. You know the right thing, but you love both sides.
kakashi: Felt for Chubs here. #WhenAWomanWentOverToTheDarkSide ... Team Chubs all the way!

Shuk: At the apartment, she fingers the words on the drawing Jae-hee left: “With the sun setting into the sea, we were happy.”
JoAnne: WWW.SofaArt.com (don’t click the link, I made it up.)
Shuk: The poet is real, though. Kim Yong-taek.
kakashi: Thanks, Google Fu.

Shuk: Mi-joon finally wakes up and questions her about Jae-hee. He tells her to follow her heart and not use herself to buy off the family debt. Strong words from a kid that’s been bottom feeding off of Oppa for almost a decade. She replies that it’s too late to change now. As he leaves, he writes on the Chalkboard of Cheese: “You who loves the blackboard, help my sister turn back time.”
JoAnne: How has he been bottom feeding? Is Oppa buying his debut? I missed that.

Shuk: There's no way a family in those financial straights could afford to have the only male child slough off and play every day without bringing home money (think First Shop of Coffee Prince). So his 'no care in the world' attitude means he's never lacked anything, thanks to the family benefactor.
kakashi: #WhenAWomanIsBoredWithTheIdol

Shuk: The little gangster is money scheming by telephone when the corporate vehicle acts up. He looks at it, but he doesn't find anything wrong.
JoAnne: Writer, what the hell was the purpose of this? Honestly. Filling up the hour with this when we could have had shirtless Oppa.
kakashi: Well, since you've watched this to the end by now, you know what the purpose of this scene was. Little shit should have done something about the car. 

Shuk: In Hong Kong, Jae-hee meets with the investor, a cool individual who speaks fluently in several languages, and appears to personally know Han Tae-sang.
JoAnne: Calling it now, of course. Chubs, meet Han Tae Min.
kakashi: Do we like him? Or not? Is he good? Evil?

Shuk: Manager Lee calls the office after the meeting to say hi to everyone.
kakashi: Yeah. Sure. But I kinda like how much he is in love. It's believable. 

Shuk: Mi-do is chatting with him when President Han walks by. She is startled to realize he was behind her while she was doing long-distance codespeak with her paramour.
JoAnne: Yes because why would you ever think that the man who owns the company might actually enter the room?
kakashi: #WhenACheaterFeelsGuilty. Good. And #WhenAnExGangsterIsSadInTheElevator

Shuk: At some crazy location in Hong Kong, containing a long conference table, a full-size tapestry antelope, and a light fixture made of rope intestines and glass balloons, but no bed, Jae-hee relaxes for a bit. Until he opens a package left for him.
JoAnne: Brocade Bambi? But that plank table was the shit.
kakashi: Who wants to write a post on the 10 most ridiculously furnished KDrama apartments? 

Shuk: It contains his carefully-folded shirt, with a friendly note from President Han: “I accidentally ripped your shirt, so I’m sending you a new one. How is the meeting going?” AND HE KNOWS THAT HE KNOWS.
kakashi: ahahahaa, oppa has a sense of humor! 
JoAnne: squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Shuk: Our resident housekeeper hyung finds President Han’s shirt in his brother’s laundry and wonders about it.
JoAnne: Oppa. OPPA. Silver thread on a regular cotton shirt for day? No, Oppa. Also, Chang Hee, would it KILL you to iron in your underwear, just once?
kakashi: Is that a regular fantasy people have? My husband always asks me to do housework in underwear, too. Or without it. Oh dear, TMI! Sorry.
Shuk: O.O
kakashi: ... yeah ... I keep telling him it's dangerous. Iron - skin. Or hot stove - skin. High risk. 

Shuk: Yay – More Pilates!! Enough said on that. At the bookstore, Seon-joo meets with the real estate agent, and we find out that Gu Yong-gap apparently did not purchase the bookstore building, but it appears that our jilt-bird plans to buy it instead.
JoAnne: All these tentatively raised and then dropped potential plots. The scenery is positively LITTERED with the ghosts of stories not quite realized these days. Are they bread crumbs for writer-nim to grab in the event he/she gets lost in some plot turn to come?
kakashi: That's KDrama for you. Who wants to write a post on the 10 most useless potential plots in KDrama? That said, these Pilates machines continue to fascinate me. How many of them does she own? How big is her appartment? Did she have to get a bigger apartment because of the machines or did she buy the machines because her apartment is so big? Plus, why is she ALWAYS doing Pilates when she gets a scene? This is PPL, yes? Google Fu?

Shuk: Mi-do walks to their secret spot (her fiancé, not her lover, just to make it clear). President Han is waiting with keys to a Fiat and a request for her to accompany him. While driving, she gets a text from Jae-hee. SO NOW SHE KNOWS THAT HE KNOWS THAT HE KNOWS.
JoAnne: squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee because we know that they know that he knows but does he know that they know that he knows? Wait, he must. He sent that shirt.
kakashi: This is where oppa begins to scare me.

Shuk: He takes her to a wedding boutique, and more or less demands she try on wedding gowns. His expressions with each one are much less than, say Tacyeon or Hong-gi on We Got Married Global.
JoAnne: Look at YOU with your pop culture references. Team HongGi all the way, by the way, and that second dress with the low back and the heavy silver embroidery was kick-ass. Poor Oppa’s heart, it just keeps shattering.
kakashi: What is he going to do to this woman?! And why is there no terminal illness yet?

Shuk: The Seo parents are having a discussion over the ramyun ahjumma's soup. Same discussion about their daughter's future [yawn]. Han Eomma is overhearing the conversation, and I think she knows it's in regards to her eldest.
JoAnne: If her soup is so freaking good why is that restaurant always empty? And what does she DO with the mountains of bean sprouts she’s always prepping? For the customers that are never there?
kakashi: She might be into drug-trafficking.

Shuk: Outside the restaurant, Chang-hee and Yong-gap meet, and our Boston Blackie wannabe bemoans the fact that more people know where President Han’s mother is. Yong-gap leaves after a final mention of Mom’s lover.
JoAnne: Grandpa Leeteuk, go away. You cease to amuse.
kakashi: Quite the opposite, JoAnne. Look: 

Shuk: Uncle Cabbage is mooching there too, when Chang-hee shows up. He pushes him outside, and asks him if he is Han Tae-min. And for some reason, Uncle Cabbage was able to bully Amber Eyes into leaving.
JoAnne: Yeah, the translation I saw said that Han Eomma thinks he’s Tae Min but um, hello, it’s not like she’d say to Cabbage so again, like Hong Kong and car trouble, this is random and out of nowhere, glaringly so.
kakashi: #WhenAWomanIsTotallyLostAboutWhatYouJustDiscussedBecauseSheSkipsCabbage

Shuk: Just so you know, if my cops acted like KDrama cops, I would find a job at McDonalds. The detectives question President Han at The Golden Tree, but it’s clear they are fishing based on an anonymous tip.
JoAnne: I heard that the cops in Seoul don’t even have bullets. Just little rubber things that hurt like a bitch but don’t normally kill you.
kakashi: There is just one cop I like in Seoul and he is Yeo Ji-hoon. 
This is: #WhenAManKnowsHowToLookScary

Shuk: Jae-hee is back in Seoul. Whut? All the angst and goodbyes were only for one lousy day??
JoAnne: I said the exact same thing on Twitter. Then I realized he came home to report in and will be going back. Still, that trip was dropped on us out of nowhere. It kind of feels like a few pages of rough draft got mixed in with the story, Writer-nim.
Shuk: Skype would have been a hell of a lot cheaper.
kakashi: It is a bit harder to satisfy sexual urges over Skype, though.
Shuk: But not impossible...

Shuk: Manager Lee and President Han meet over drinks and fruits. There are a few banalities before it gets real. Tae-sang flat-out asks if Mi-do is the woman Jae-hee fell in love with. Jae-hee readily agrees, stating he first met her seven years ago, but fell in love with her in Guam. Tae-sang tries the reasonable approach, but Jae-hee says that the older man isn't good enough for her.

HTS: “So says the coward who ran away wearing someone else’s shirt.”

JoAnne: I was squeeing for real and wringing my hands here. And confusingly kinda proud of Chubs for being brave. He'll pay for it eventually. Or someone will. Kdrama law says that if he doesn't his brother will. Whatever Mi Do pays for will be on behalf of Oppa. (See: Kdrama Law of Side-Stepped Consequences)
kakashi: Omo, who could have known this drama is actually good??! 
#WhenAWomanBitHerFingernails

Shuk: After a charged moment, President Han continues. He will not ask about the night, but the younger man is not allowed in his house, and is not allowed to do anything with Mi-do. Jae-hee counters by poking Tae-sang in his tender spot: Does he know if Mi-do truly likes him or is staying by his side because of the money. They end up playing Shatter The Highball Glasses, glaring challenges at each other.

JoAnne: Oppa is trying SO hard to be understanding and reasonable. It hurts to watch. Does Jae Hee win because his glass broke into smaller pieces, though? I am not sure of the rules of that game.
kakashi: He definitely wins. He pulverized the glass. 

Shuk: At his place, Tae-sang has about 11 seconds to himself before Seo Eomma pops in. He asks her permission to marry Mi-do next month, and Mom wholeheartedly agrees.
JoAnne: This woman. Gah.

Shuk: Jae-hee walks past the bookstore and sees Mi-joon’s note. He smiles sadly and erases it, preparing to write something else, when Mi-do walks out of the apartment. He immediately flies to her for a hug, then wrist-grabs her into the bookstore. He tells her that he confronted President Han at work. She tells him that he is making her into a bad person for liking someone behind the back of the person she promised to marry.
JoAnne: There you go, that’s a train of thought I can get behind. And push right over you, you stupid young people.
kakashi: Kinda late, this realization, don't you think, Cheater-Biatch?! (Oh wait ... am I Team Han again?)

Shuk: A familiar black car pulls up outside, as Jae-hee bulldozes over her objections and promises to take care of everything. She sees Tae-sang outside and tries to push him into the house, but he wants to take a stand. She shoves him out just in time.
JoAnne: Well, time is relative. ‘just in time’ would have been Day One in Guam. Or seven years ago, in a rice line.
kakashi: I don't know, people. Chubs has a right to love her. And she loved him first, too. In fact, oppa is at fault, I think. For not seeing her true feelings. Yes, Team Chubs again! 

Shuk: President Oblivious offers to carry her bags to the car, and she says she has to go upstairs for something. Meeting with Jae-hee she tells him to exit after she leaves, and he pulls her into a hug.
kakashi: The hugging is so lame. The kissing/undressing was good. 

kakashi: And there is that bit where he calls after her and you just know ... DOOOOOOM is coming... 

She tentatively returns it just as Tae-sang flips the lights on, having seen and heard everything.
JoAnne: Can you imagine his heart at that moment? Everywhere he turns, they’ve just been there together, mocking him.

Shuk: He knocks the younger man to the floor with a single punch, and grabs up a piece of wood to administer a beat-down when our baby Messalina throws herself between the two of them, facing Tae-sang. His look of betrayal is heartbreaking as he throws the stick down and drags her out of the building.
JoAnne: Oppa, stop. Just push them off the roof. 
kakashi: Yeah, too messy. Think of all the pieces of skull you would have to remove from the books. 

 Shuk: He all but tosses her onto her bed, and asks her why she did this. The answer stabs: “Because I like Lee Jae-hee.” His look is chilling as he says, “Stay with me. Don’t make me become a monster.” Later, he sits in his bedroom and broods.
JoAnne: For a minute I thought…but no, this isn’t a sageuk or a movie, so no forcing of love upon thee, Pissy Face. Well, at least not any more than already has been.
kakashi: He is SCARY goddamit, really scary! I would run from him, too ... 

Shuk: Jae-hee drags himself into his home, and announces that he told President Han about his love, and that she knows too. Chang-hee reacts pretty much as you would expect, yanking him up from the couch and giving him a quick shake. Jae-hee breaks down and cries as the two hug, and Chang-hee keeps repeating through his tears, “I’m being punished. I’m being punished.”
JoAnne: Again, this is not about killing the boss. I REALLY want to know what secrets Chang hee is holding. And man, do I love these brothers together. Good criers, too.
kakashi: I cried here. Who would have thought this drama would do this to me?! Poor Chubs ...

Shuk: Mom happily pops into Mi-do’s room the next morning with the news that President Han wants the marriage moved up to next month. She interrupts her mom’s gushing to give her the news that she likes someone else. Her mom’s reaction? To smack her hard on the shoulder a couple of times and tell her to cooperate.
JoAnne: Let me count the ways in which I hate this woman. One: With all of my heart. Two: To the soles of my feet. Three: Forever and a day. 
kakashi: I always just ff her. That's the most cruel thing you can do to a drama character. 

Shuk: Jae-hee tracks down Dong-goo, and asks him about his brother’s prison term. The little gangster appears to be doing something suspicious in the library, but tells Jae-hee he needs to talk to Chang-hee about the events seven years ago.
JoAnne: Tell me this is going somewhere, eventually. I can wait. But you should take somebody’s shirt off in the meantime to make it easier on me, Writer. And by somebody I do NOT mean Chubs, Dong Goo, Grandpa, Pops, or any of the idol boys. No. It should be Oppa, and Chang Hee. And they should be giving each other that hard pre-scrub they do at the sauna before the actual bath, thank you.
kakashi: I would like to see how oppa flagellates himself naked. Or is this not "here-is-where-we-reveal-our-fantasies'? Shoot. 

Shuk: Tae-sang is in his living room, having a Jo In-sung moment and making a video proposal for Mi-do’s birthday. He is interrupted by Mi-joon and quickly hides the vidcam.
JoAnne: Well we know what happens now. I hope they have their clothes on, for Oppa’s sake. For mine, I’ll take a shirtless Chubs with those passionate kisses again, if I have to.
kakashi: My heart broke a little for oppa here.  

Shuk: At Café PPL, Mi-do looks at her friends: Mi-joon and Eun-hye are going over octavos, and Ddol is sketching the two of them. She wistfully says out loud that she wants to go the New York City with Kelly Jo, and work hard in the theater business.
JoAnne: Every time we get to this point I feel a tiny pang of sympathy for this girl. And then I remember she could have just said no to Oppa to begin with, and that pang of sympathy withers and dies.
kakashi: NO sympathy for the Cheater-Biatch. Sorry. I loath her. I have more sympathy for Ms-Pilates. 

Shuk: Things are a little different with Jae-hee, who is sharing dinner with Seon-joo. He is asking her about the events leading up to his brother’s arrest, but she says there’s a better witness. Enter Yong-gab looking dapper in a dark suit for once. She subtly coaches him about where to place the blame for that night, but Jae-hee interprets her actions correctly and leaves.
JoAnne: Grandpa entering the room with that dramatic pose in the doorway…I thought I’d wet myself. You know he thought he FINALLY was getting somewhere. Pabo.

Shuk: Our bad guy is happy to form a team with his unrequited love, but she sets him straight. All she wants to do is ruin everything and everyone around Tae-sang so that he will have no choice but to come to her. Wow, she’s really approaching that Moral Event Horizon.
JoAnne: Oh come ON. Moral Event Horizon was reached AND breached weeks ago. She’s just bad news, the shameless loser.
kakashi: And really quite redundant at this point. Things are already bad enough around Tae-sang. 

Shuk: Jae-hee shows up at the apartment, determined to confront President Han. Her reply is sad; President Han won’t ever let her go. She asks him to leave, he hugs her. Mi-joon is in the apartment, so they hustle outside. She tells him the wedding is planned for next month, and he promises to arrange for her to leave for New York City.
JoAnne: Ah, ok. This is what gets filmed. Snore.
kakashi: Yeah. It's the hugging again. Maybe the producers got told off by MBC for too much sex last week? 

Shuk: President Han is working his way through a solitary bottle of brandy when Seon-joo walks in. She sees his bowed head, and a twinge of pain crosses her eyes. Too much Pilates, or a little stab of conscience? Either way she shakes it off and goes to sit with her party.
JoAnne: Neither. The Botox is rejecting her as too fake.
kakashi: How inconsistent. She wants to destroy him but pities him? Bad writing. 

Shuk: Tae-sang makes it home, and calls out to Mi-do. There’s no reply, so he sits down with the camera. It turns out he never turned it off, and it recorded the liaison between the two lovers. In his apartment. Planning to disappear together. Oh, snap.
JoAnne: Yes, Oppa, because they were absolutely going to just stop because you asked so nicely. Come here and let me li- let me hug you.
kakashi: My achy-breaky-heart .... :-( (Remember this?)

Shuk: He goes on a fast and angry drive, remembering all the times she initiated the skinship and agreed to his requests and generally lead their relationship, followed up with her hugging the little punk in the book store and protecting him from Tae-sang’s wrath.
JoAnne: You weren’t crazy Oppa, she really did have moments where she liked you.
Shuk: [Raised Eyebrow Of Disbelief]
kakashi: That woman ... she is just not right for our oppa. 

Shuk: Something pops under the car and he goes from a deserted road to a street filled with cars to dodge, ultimately ending up against the guardrail. Where he screams in primal rage.
JoAnne: The popping sound was either the tire blowing, or the seeds of convenient car balloons hatching, so that he’d have something to avoid dramatically. Although since he didn’t even get scratched I’m not sure why it happened at all. I did scream ’Oh God where is the TRUCK OF DOOM’ but then I remembered we still have 7 episodes to go. 
kakashi: I thought he is going to have an accident and will get amnesia next. But wow, this drama knows how to surprise. And I don't even mean that sarcastically!! 

Final thoughts

Shuk:      Oooh, this gets darker and darker, but I’m kind of digging on it. No matter what happens, I believe Jae-hee is in no way superior to Tae-sang. He dismisses anything Mi-do says that’s contrary to what he wants. Her fault lies in telling Jae-hee her dreams but communicating little to her fiancé, and Tae-sang is forced into guessing (wrongly, unfortunately), what she truly wants. I believe he is willing to give the space she wants, but, dammit, she has to tell him first!

Shuk:      Jae-hee admits to his brother that his actions are reckless, but claims he cannot control his feelings. I have to throw the BS flag on this play; anyone able to complete college and be in command of multiple languages and courses of study has the discipline to control himself. He just chooses not to, under the guise of “love”. It’s gonna get messy and ugly, and no doubt all the blame will be put on Tae-sang’s shoulders for the kids wild-ass behavior.

JoAnne: I admit that I fully expected a terrible drama and planned to focus on making off-color remarks about how handsome Oppa is, but this show is actually interesting (for the most part - there are those weird bread crumb moments and a couple of sub plots I give not one shit about) and entertaining. Solidly so, week after week. Shuk’s right, it’s getting darker. As for the kids…well. The heart wants what it wants, right? But there’s a way to do it, and this ain’t it. Commence bloodshed. That will make Kakashi very happy, I think.

kakashi: I am actually SAD, that is what I am. Because this is how (surprisingly) good this drama is. I can relate to all of their pain, fully. Chubs loves this woman? I believe it. It is a stupid and reckless love, yes, but I buy that it is uncontrollable. This has nothing to do with intellect. And I think he is unable to control it just because he is usually so much in control of himself. Tae-san is no saint, either. He is trying, yes, but he is trying too hard. He is smothering her. She tried to love him or like him, but she does not. He MUST let her go. Especially if he likes her. As for her ... still hate the character (and the actress. Seriously, go back to acting school!). But I can relate, too. Not knowing what you want when it comes to love? Yes, that happens a lot. Falling in love with the "wrong" person? That, too. Trying to make it work with one person while you truly love somebody else? Yes. I believe she really loves Chubs (her eyes light up when she sees him) though the actress is not good enough to show us. But because she is a KDrama "heroine", she has a strong sense of duty. That's why she went along with the marriage-thing as long as she possibly could. 
WTF ... am I defending her now?!