Cunning Single Lady / Sly and Single Again - Episode 12 (WookiCap)
In this episode, a doctor diagnoses lovesickness and that's what was needed to make Jung-woo realize what's quite wrong with him these days. Good! Finally! It can no longer be ignored!
JoAnne: Someone connect the dots between plastic flower and lovesickness for me, please.
kakashi: I'm willing to bet it's an awesome sub-fail, haha.
Episode 12
It's a VERY romantic atmosphere at Luscious' studio. If this were an American drama, sexy things would happen next! But in this version, all that happens is Luscious telling Ae-ra a story ... the story of his parents' love and hate, told in the form of a fairy tale (the "7th Princess"). It's the story of a man (his father) suffocating a woman (his mother) so much, she gets very, very miserable. She has seven daughters - the one with the longest hair is to inherit the kingdom. They all start obsessing over their hair. The mother dies.
JoAnne: I close my eyes and pretend he's reading to me in bed.
In comes terribly moody and apish prince (Jung-woo) to marry the woman with the longest hair. Six of the seven princesses all have grown their hair very long, in fact, to the same length, but the one (Ae-ra), the one the mother gave most attention to, has SHORT hair (that's her natural length hair, by the way, so STOP with the stupid extensions already), is therefore not eligible to inherit the kingdom, but gains her freedom. She leaves with the prince's servant (Luscious) and lives happily ever after.
JoAnne: I keep my eyes closed and pretend we're in bed.
His mother, Luscious adds thoughtfully, could only become happy away from his father in real life. And he talks about her family and how he wants all that, the noise, the fighting, etc. Yeah ... so he's a sensitive guy, yaddayadda, we know, we know. Ae-ra is somewhat surprised he has such depth and says "don't try so hard" (to be always cheerful). She puts her hand on his shoulder to comfort him and says she understands about the always smiling even though you're not well. That's her. Cue the hugging we have already seen in episode 11. That's totally it, though ... he is leaving right after (though he doesn't want to).
JoAnne: I close my eyes in dismay.
Sorry, but I have to mention 2nd Lead and her father for a second. So, the father has invited Jung-woo over to discuss the "marriage" issue with him. And he wants to mention 2nd Lead's "leg issue". She freaks out about it. They have a lot of issues and some ugly arguments. Right when Father lifts his hand up high to strike his daughter, Cha Jung-woo jumps in between and shields 2nd Lead. Can he fly? There seem to be no locked doors in this drama. Anyway, she breaks down and sobs against his manly shoulder.
JoAnne: You mean to tell me he doesn't know about the leg?
kakashi: *shrugs*. BIIIIIIIIIG deal with the leg, apparently.
Jung-woo takes her up to her room and puts her into bed. She grabs his hand and asks him to stay until she's asleep. He does and she smiles like a kid that just received a cookie. A piano-playing Luscious thanks him on his way out. The piano is out of tune. This scene was pointless.
JoAnne: I got to see the Puppy, and we got to see that their friendship is really going to be ok.
Alone and at his penthouse (PENThouse, JoAnne) he can't stop thinking about Ae-ra and calls her. He wants to know where she is, she doesn't tell him and even hangs up on him. That's when he picks up an envelope from his coffee table ... it's an invitation to somebody's wedding...
JoAnne: Yes, I read it correctly this time.
... and cut to the rice soup restaurant, where the (pre?)wedding party currently is. Useless Brother is working hard because of Roomie, whom he wants to impress. Ah, the people are there to celebrate that the groom has passed an Exam. THE exam? The civil servant one? Anyway, the soon-to-be-bride is pregnant and the almost-groom is tactless and/or stupid enough to ask Ae-ra whether she is still without child after being married for so long.
JoAnne: So these are dear friends, one of whom somehow missed the news of the divorce and subsequent rise to fame and fortune for Jung Woo?
Yeah ... tiny little detail there: The woman is divorced. In comes a new dude, named Chun Gyu. Judging from how awkward Ae-ra gets as soon as he starts talking to her, I guess they have some sort of past.
JoAnne: He's just creepy. Designed to make you feel awkward.
Jung-woo is outside, agonizing in the car .... but when he sees her parents and her brother leaving (for the sauna, as always), he goes in! Everybody is much impressed to see him, but they also stop talking. Haha. oups. It's because he sat down next to Ae-ra and everybody seems to be thinking they're enemies or something, which ... yeah, they kind were until not so long ago, but they assure everyone that they're totally fine with each other. The people cheer for them and wish them a great fresh start.
JoAnne: How did they make that leap from 'we're ok around each other' to 'we are starting up again' ?
Well, that Chun-gyu dude had a crush on Ae-ra back then and he is trying again. He is drunk and pushy and starts to get rough while insulting her for being "returned goods". Jung-woo interferes - but before he can hit the scumbag, Ae-ra screams at him to stop.
JoAnne: What a pig.
She throws him out. He is confused and furious about the treatment she just received from the scumbag. She tells him she can handle her life without him - and wants him to stay out of it. He is burdensome to her. If that isn't already hard enough for Jung-woo it gets a great bit harder: Luscious is also there and tells him he is taking Ae-ra home to the art studio (watching, by the way, is that incredibly redundant secretary dude from the extremely annoying father).
JoAnne: Yeah, and WHY, exactly?
kakashi: Redundant redundancy that is redundant.
In his penthouse (PENThouse, JoAnne), Jung-woo cannot get over the fact that they live in one house. Cue imagination of sexy scenes. Poor Jung-woo. I bet that won't help with the stomach ulcer.
JoAnne: It's the House of PENT up Emotion, is it what it is.
Product placement with orange peppers and cute drawings and smiles from Luscious.
JoAnne: Luscious, my Pup, come place your product here. Noona has the perfect spot.
Then, 2nd Lead making a move: she meets Ae-ra at a restaurant. The mood between the two women is still friendly ... yes, in another universe, these two would be friends. Because we’re in episode 12, SecondLead finally tells Ae-ra that she knows all about the ex-wife thing. She also tells Ae-ra about the accident and about the leg! And we get to see ROBOLEG! OMG she is a friggin cyborg. Jung-woo doesn’ know about the leg, Ae-ra gets to hear and the leg is also the reason SecondLead has hesitated for so long. Allow me a question at this moment ... so ... this leg thing is a REALLY big deal in Korea, somehow? Why exactly? Since she got a Roboleg, it’s invisible.
JoAnne: It's a roboleg with some long freaky toes.
Anyway, Roboleg is the right woman for Jung-woo, she can give him strength and everything he needs to become even greater. So: Ae-ra, don’t shake the weak-hearted him. He may be wavering, but SecondLead questions whether Jung-woo’s feelings are love rather than guilt – guilt for not making his ex-wife happy. Ae-ra needs to butt out because he draws too much of his attention and energy – attention that should be on the company (and on SecondLead). Long and hard thinking by Ae-ra.
JoAnne: And now I dislike Second Lead.
It’s time for the project presentation for the Shilla Hotel Wedding Anniversary Event. All the Directors are there ... very scary. Poor Ae-ra. (Oh, who is the Shilla CEO? I know this dude! JoAnne, help me out?) She talks about moments you want to remember as a couple, the moments of blind love and total infatuation. In Jung-woo’s head, he meets her all over again and gets married to her and is happy. It’s those happy moments that make us endure difficult times, she continues. Jung-woo has a lot of water in his eyes ...
JoAnne: Nope, I don't know him, but he's cute.
So the plan is to have a wedding picture event for the wife in addition to a lovely dinner – but Shilla Dude thinks that’s excessive. Women don’t even like it: they want cash (huh?). One of the other director dudes says she must be single, seeing how clueless she is about these things. Shilla wants to reconsider: Ae-ra ... fail! But this isn’t the end yet .... Jung-woo and Ae-ra lock eyes .... and they both give a brief nod to each other. Ae-ra says that the clueless ones are the husbands in this room, maybe. She isn't - she was married once.
JoAnne: So the key to a solid presentation is to talk back to your potential customer and be rude?
The mood noticeably changes and I don't really get why. It's all very solemn and important. Jung-woo steps outside the room, very much rattled. Ah ... flashback to what she said. Why do women look happy when they receive material gifts? It's not because of the money that went into it - but because of the gesture. The thing that makes a woman the happiest is her husband: her husband's heart.
JoAnne: Or so we want you to think.
Shilla likes the concept and it's no longer Ae-ra fail but Ae-ra FTW! Hissy fit by Second Lead - and dressing down for the Workplace Biatch and Bossy Boss, who want to take the project away from Ae-ra who put in so much overtimes while the others went home, now that she was successful. Jung-woo tells them that he will not tolerate that behavior - and he gestures Ae-ra up to the roof. He wants to treat her to dinner - as promised when she was working on the proposal. She asks whether it's a date - he says no, no.
JoAnne: Loved that bit with the workplace annoyances.
In Ae-ra's head, Second Lead's words are playing: it is not love, it is guilt that makes Jung-woo attentive. And she turns him down, saying she has another appointment. Bleh. He shouts he will wait for her until she comes - she says she will not. He says he will wait anyway.
JoAnne: Because that will make her show up? I never understood that.
kakashi: a) he's an idiot. b) he is an idiot. c) he is an idiot.
Back in the office, Ae-ra is depressed ... until Luscious asks her out. Now she indeed DOES have an appointment. It's a meeting with the Shilla CEO: who wants her to work for him.
JoAnne: Seriously cute.
kakashi: If you don't know him, he was in a show I have watched and you haven't. There's probably only one or two of them, so we really SHOULD be able to find out!
In the meantime, Jung-woo waits. He has a huge bouquet of flowers there. He is grinning ... this is going to hurt, but he deserves it.
He is still there when the restaurant closes ... now asleep in the chair. Okay, I said he deserves it, but his pain is really pitiful. He is deeply disturbed. He can't sleep .... and calls her. Why didn't she come? And why wasn't she even concerned about him waiting? And why hasn't she answered L-secretary's call about important work? She said she was busy washing herself ... at the studio. Which pushes him over the edge for good (remember his fantasy?)(I have my own. They're better, trust me.)
JoAnne: He is so freaking hilarious. He really throws himself into this.
Only he doesn't get far in his attempt to rush to her, because his stomach ulcer makes him double over in pain. L-Secretary gives him shit again about Ae-ra and his jealousy and doesn't even believe it's a real ulcer. But it is, the doctor (cameo Lee Han-Wi) confirms. This special type of ulcer cannot be regulated by medicine well: cause it's obviously lovesickness ("plastic flower").
JoAnne: Some one skipped a day of med school. Just sayin'.
Jung-woo laughs and laughs about it, as he usually does when he is uneasy or embarrassed ... but he also says that the one responsible has to pay for the hospital bill. He calls Ae-ra. But Ae-ra isn't at her desk: she is getting permission to get off work early: she is going to that interview with Shilla. She is a bit nostalgic ... this may well be the end of her time here at this company.
Jung-woo is angrily muttering to himself as he makes his way to her office ... why isn't she answering his calls? Why does she turn a perfectly normal person into a lovesick fool? He meets Luscious there ... who smirks at him and says Ae-ra isn't there; she went to an interview with Shilla hotels. And Jung-woo runs.
JoAnne: why would he do that? Puppy I mean.
kakashi: It's his mean-streak. He really just gloats and rubs it in that he knows more about Ae-ra.
He finds her under the blooming cherry trees ... and starts shouting her name, over and over. She finally sees him .... and he starts running across a very busy street. Truck of doom?! Ah, thankfully, no. He makes it across safe. Does she hate being with him so much that she is already going to another company, even though her internship isn't over yet? What is it to him? Why is he so concerned? Is it pity? Is he sorry?
No, he says ... he has plastic flower. And ... he likes her. He really likes her. KISSU!
JoAnne: FINALLY.
The Rest
Nothing. Thank goodness.
Comments
She does seem to kiss back - or at least, she doesn't PULL back or do the big, astonished eyes, but is she really ready for this? I am not sure ... yes, when Second Lead tells her that Jung-woo feels guilt, not love, Ae-ra seems disappointed and sad. But why would she want this man's love (again)? The show hasn't given us many insights into how she feels about all this, quite contrary to how it has focused on Jung-woo's predicament. We have seen him suffer and we have seen it get worse and worse and worse, until he can no longer keep it in. She hasn't spoken to anyone about her feelings and at this very moment, I am not sure whether that's really well done by this show (because I have to wonder about what comes next, as I seriously don't know) or whether that's bad writing (because there is a huge inbalance between the emotional insights we get about the two leads).
JoAnne: You're right. I mean, I think I've known from the beginning that she still had feelings for him and I never actually felt like she was as MAD as he was, but I certainly feel like she has plenty of reasons to hold back from engaging again - way more than him. So it's weird, a little.
JoAnne: Someone connect the dots between plastic flower and lovesickness for me, please.
kakashi: I'm willing to bet it's an awesome sub-fail, haha.
Episode 12
It's a VERY romantic atmosphere at Luscious' studio. If this were an American drama, sexy things would happen next! But in this version, all that happens is Luscious telling Ae-ra a story ... the story of his parents' love and hate, told in the form of a fairy tale (the "7th Princess"). It's the story of a man (his father) suffocating a woman (his mother) so much, she gets very, very miserable. She has seven daughters - the one with the longest hair is to inherit the kingdom. They all start obsessing over their hair. The mother dies.
JoAnne: I close my eyes and pretend he's reading to me in bed.
JoAnne: I keep my eyes closed and pretend we're in bed.
JoAnne: I close my eyes in dismay.
JoAnne: You mean to tell me he doesn't know about the leg?
kakashi: *shrugs*. BIIIIIIIIIG deal with the leg, apparently.
JoAnne: I got to see the Puppy, and we got to see that their friendship is really going to be ok.
JoAnne: Yes, I read it correctly this time.
JoAnne: So these are dear friends, one of whom somehow missed the news of the divorce and subsequent rise to fame and fortune for Jung Woo?
JoAnne: He's just creepy. Designed to make you feel awkward.
JoAnne: How did they make that leap from 'we're ok around each other' to 'we are starting up again' ?
JoAnne: What a pig.
JoAnne: Yeah, and WHY, exactly?
kakashi: Redundant redundancy that is redundant.
JoAnne: It's the House of PENT up Emotion, is it what it is.
JoAnne: Luscious, my Pup, come place your product here. Noona has the perfect spot.
JoAnne: It's a roboleg with some long freaky toes.
JoAnne: And now I dislike Second Lead.
JoAnne: Nope, I don't know him, but he's cute.
JoAnne: So the key to a solid presentation is to talk back to your potential customer and be rude?
JoAnne: Or so we want you to think.
JoAnne: Loved that bit with the workplace annoyances.
JoAnne: Because that will make her show up? I never understood that.
kakashi: a) he's an idiot. b) he is an idiot. c) he is an idiot.
JoAnne: Seriously cute.
kakashi: If you don't know him, he was in a show I have watched and you haven't. There's probably only one or two of them, so we really SHOULD be able to find out!
JoAnne: He is so freaking hilarious. He really throws himself into this.
JoAnne: Some one skipped a day of med school. Just sayin'.
JoAnne: why would he do that? Puppy I mean.
kakashi: It's his mean-streak. He really just gloats and rubs it in that he knows more about Ae-ra.
JoAnne: FINALLY.
The Rest
Nothing. Thank goodness.
Comments
She does seem to kiss back - or at least, she doesn't PULL back or do the big, astonished eyes, but is she really ready for this? I am not sure ... yes, when Second Lead tells her that Jung-woo feels guilt, not love, Ae-ra seems disappointed and sad. But why would she want this man's love (again)? The show hasn't given us many insights into how she feels about all this, quite contrary to how it has focused on Jung-woo's predicament. We have seen him suffer and we have seen it get worse and worse and worse, until he can no longer keep it in. She hasn't spoken to anyone about her feelings and at this very moment, I am not sure whether that's really well done by this show (because I have to wonder about what comes next, as I seriously don't know) or whether that's bad writing (because there is a huge inbalance between the emotional insights we get about the two leads).
JoAnne: You're right. I mean, I think I've known from the beginning that she still had feelings for him and I never actually felt like she was as MAD as he was, but I certainly feel like she has plenty of reasons to hold back from engaging again - way more than him. So it's weird, a little.