Yoo Na's Street - Episode 16 (A GettingThereCap)

Time to give the "Madame" some love in this episode. Because raising a brother like Gye-pal and living with a socially inept (albeit sometimes cute) gangster boss Manbo can be quite hard. One hug and a Best Sister Award for this woman, please.
becca: Oh, Madame gets all the hugs this episode. She is quickly becoming my favorite character, and I think her friendship with Chang-man is my favorite relationship in the drama right now.
kakashi: *HUG*! Hey, but this episode was kinda sad-ish. I felt for Gye-pal. 

EPISODE 16

We start with a rehash of the love triangle (so far) from Da-yeong's point of view: watching a movie with Chang-man, getting ditched after, then seeing him come home arm-in-arm with Yoo-na; the rooftop fight with Yoo-na witnessed by Manbo; Manbo blaming Chang-man; Da-yeong running away. And last episode: Chang-man going to Ilsan to tell Da-yeong to stop the useless runaway shit and go home.

becca: She needed to hear that, and I was proud of him for being so clear (and yes, harsh). I'm not sure he would have been able to do that a few episodes ago.

kakashi: I am not sure I'd ever be able to do that. He's a grown-up if he wants to be, I'm impressed. 

In the present, Da-yeong's theater guy friend (the one she was pelting with popcorn in an earlier episode) is driving her home. They're taking turns reciting the last lines of the play "A Cosmonaut's Last Message To The Woman He Once Loved etc etc". But Da-yeong changed her lines to refer to a guy.

It's a goodbye to the man who may or may not know she is thinking of him in the last few moments before the ship self-destructs. She seems to be addressing the farewell script to Chang-man and ends it with feeling just as the car stops in front of her house. She hesitates. Theater Guy asks if they should go to his apartment instead. (LOL nice try) She laughs that his room is too smelly and says goodbye.

kakashi: This is another guy I feel sorry for. We don't know for sure, but doesn't it seem he has feelings for her? But of course, he also has no chance. 

Dong-min noisily greets his noona by the door. Manbo hears all of it from his bedroom. Dong-min runs in and tells him noona is home and Manbo's face splits into a conspiratorial grin, saying "I know!" But when Da-yeong comes in, he acts all tough again about how he didn't care that she was gone. She's just like her uncle who also went MIA after being discharged early from detention.

becca: His expression when he first realized she was home... it just kills me. He's so happy, but he won't show it outright. Okay, he gets hugs, too. Big bear hugs.

kakashi: Have I mentioned how much I love him? Oh, right ... I have. Does he even have teeth? How did he ever become a gangster boss?  

Manbo takes it too far with the Tough Dad act that when he finally invites Da-yeong for dinner, she declines to join despite them serving her favorite meal. He guilt trips her into joining the meal though and is a total softy knowing Da-yeong hasn't eaten yet. He won't even let her help serve the dishes!

becca: Aww, he's such a socially awkward teddy bear.

The Madame comes home from Gye-pal searching and joins them for dinner. She didn't find Gye-pal but she saw the hospital records. So the herniated disc was real. Also, the $700 discharge fee was paid by Chang-man. (*sigh*) Madame says her brother must've been ashamed to ask for help. But Manbo keeps making comments about how Gye-pal is totally shameless, and is probably hiding because he's planning another con.

becca: Oof. Poor Madame. It's all true, but can't Manbo at least pretend to have some sympathy? Gye-pal is her brother, after all.

kakashi: Hm, maybe it's good he's not sweet-talking things. Just like with Chang-man and the Little Miss, Gye-pal has messed up a thousand times and more, and every time somebody even thinks about being nice to him, he takes advantage. So no, I think Manbo is right. 

Chang-man goes to the police station to ask about Gye-pal. The officer (same one who processed Yoo-na's recent "case" - I like him. Yup, he's cute!) finds it odd that Chang-man is friends with pickpockets, gangsters, and a corrupt ex-policeman (great dialogue, where Chang-man goes: "Yep, living with this one too, knowing this one too"). LOL. Anyway, he tells Chang-man that Gye-pal filed a case against the dog farm owner for selling his dogs instead of just taking care of them.

kakashi: That's such a horrible thing to do :(

Chang-man excuses himself to take a call. It's Yoo-na, warning him not to meet with Nam-su if ever he calls Chang-man out. She doesn't know what happened the last time they talked, she just knows that Nam-su is pissed off big time. (Heeheehee~) Chang-man doesn't care. He'll handle it as he sees fit. (You idiot, Yoo-na just cares about you.) Since he's already in the police station, she asks him to inquire if the sauna theft case has been resolved.

becca: Please, let's not talk about the last time the boys met. It's too sad.

kakashi: Can't they just be friends? *thinks* .... nope. I guess not. 

Yoo-na is currently waiting in a park. She's surprised when Kkang-sun's other ring member shows up. (Her name is Yun-ji.) She was released the previous day on a two-year probation. She's here to meet with Yoo-na while Hwa-suk is being tailed by cops. She'll help Yoo-na get back at the Mother-Daughter gang instead. (LMAO not two days out of jail and she's already planning another job?)

becca: What do we think of this girl? Can we trust her? Is it safe to like her? (She has a zombie movie. I like her.)

kakashi: Weird casting. She looks like such an average beautified Korean girl. But in this episode, I started to like her. 

BUT Yun-ji is familiar with the sauna thieves and it's actually an Aunt-Niece pair. They're currently living in a rented apartment in Paju with an unknown person. The niece has 2 previous convictions while the aunt is currently wanted with maybe 3-4 convictions. Yun-ji's explanation is interrupted when Chang-man calls to tell Yoo-na that the case hasn't been solved yet. Yoo-na ends the call and says, "My informant tells me the case is still open". LOL. Informant, my foot.

becca: Pffft.

kakashi: I liked that Yoo-na showed that he cares for Chang-man during the phone call! She picked up his tired voice and asked what was going on. She liiiiiiikes him! (And them dating in real life makes this so much more exciting, doesn't it?!) 

Anyway, Yun-ji is telling Yoo-na that they should hurry and get the thieves before the cops do. Yoo-na isn't so sure... she hasn't done a house robbery before. Yun-ji assures her that she's done it all: lockpicking, safe-opening, wall-scaling, vent-crawling... as long as she and Hwa-suk are on the job with Yoo-na as lookout, it'll be peanuts.

becca: So I have a question. Why are they mad at these thieves? Just because Yoo-na got blamed? That's not their fault. Was it for beating her to the jewelry? So what? For all we know, they saw it first and Yoo-na was the one trying to move in on their score.

kakashi: I think they want to get back the very expensive jewelry! And sell it themselves, no? It can be wrong to rob a robber.  

Chang-man comes home to find Axe Grandpa practicing dancing in the yard. (And ooooh~ I just noticed this now, but ever since that first lesson with the colatec Chef, Grandpa practices dance instead of punches in the yard, huh? Awwww, it's true! And he is getting good at it!!) Anyway, he tells Chang-man that Manbo is waiting for him.

Manbo and the Madame listen to Chang-man's report: Gye-pal reported his "friend" for selling his dogs. Then Gye-pal went missing right after.

Where is Gye-pal?

becca: Who cares?

kakashi: That's mean :(

Gye-pal is being accosted by two beggars in the park. One of them is mad that Gye-pal stole his "bed", a box, and gave it to a dog. (It's Mandu!!! That is one ugly dog. He's sweet, though. Hahahaaa, becca, I couldn't stop saying "that's such an ugly dog" when watching this ep) The other accuses him of being a "European beggar". One who begs with a dog in tow. (Hahaha such randomness.) Gye-pal is sorry about the box, but wants Beggar#2 to take back his accusation that Mandu is a beggar too.

becca: Hee. Even beggars have their social orders and distinctions!

kakashi: Laughed so hard at the "European beggar" accusation. Gye-pal goes: "Have you been to Europe then?". The beggar goes: "No, but a relative of mine went!"

Of course this results in a fight. Gye-pal can't defend himself because of his injury. He ends up on the ground being kicked by the beggars. Luckily for him, Yoo-na and Yun-ji are in the same park. Yoo-na spots Mandu and is surprised to see him there. Then she hears the sounds of the fight and recognizes Gye-pal's voice.

kakashi: That was well shot! She pats the dog, while the beat-up happens in the background. I was THAT close to shouting at her to turn around and go help Gye-pal! That must have hurt! 

The two girls run to stop the fight. Yoo-na throws the first punch (more like kick to the balls) but it's Yun-ji who impressively drives the beggars away. Yoo-na helps Gye-pal up and asks what he's doing sleeping here instead of being in detention. Gye-pal starts tearing up and says he didn't realize being a homeless person would make one so sad. He then asks Yoo-na to call Chang-man.

becca: Yun-ji was pretty awesome there, wasn't she? I kinda like her, but I'm trying not to because she's bound to disappoint me, right?

kakashi: She was kickass awesome, this girlie. 

A beat up Gye-pal is escorted home by Chang-man and Yoo-na. The whole family + Axe Grandpa fusses over him. Manbo laughs in his face when he finds out that Gye-pal got beaten up due to a fight over a mere box. (Not really funny, Manbo. Haha) Da-yeong is glad Chang-man found her uncle. It's Yoo-na who found him, says Chang-man. Yoo-na explains that she saw Gye-pal in the park. But Da-yeong goes: "I wasn't asking you." Ah, I guess she's still not over Chang-man. Ergo, she's still going to be a delulu bitch.

becca: Oy, this girl. *shakes head*

kakashi: Too funny though. How absolutely childish. Hahahaaa. 

Upstairs, Yoo-na finds Mi-sun sick in bed. She asks her eonni why she didn't tell her about helping Gye-pal go to the hospital the other day. Mi-sun says she's actually a nice person, she just doesn't go bragging about it. Heh. Yoo-na is envious. She wants to do nice things too. Like helping a grandma cross the street. But when she remembers the bad things she did, she feels it'd be hypocritical to help others. (Aww... you poor, conflicted thief.)

becca: So she's not THAT proud of her work, it seems.

kakashi: Remember them talking about sins? She knows she's a sinner. But she probably can't help it. 

Talk turns to Mi-sun's "business". She hasn't saved as much as she expected to at her age. She's tired of cheating men for their money. Yoo-na asks if she spent lots of money on Min-gyu again? Mi-sun waves her off and goes to sleep. Yoo-na checks her forehead and exclaims she needs to go to the hospital! Mi-sun doesn't care. She just really really misses Min-gyu.

becca: Maybe I've gone insane from prolonged exposure, but I'm worried about Mi-sun. I still don't trust Min-gyu.

kakashi: What a good job this drama is doing. Me too! I can't hate her anymore since they show us her vulnerable side. 

Manbo gets ready to sleep when Madame asks him to delay the rooftop room renovation for a week. Manbo says he already asked the contractor to do it two days from now. She thinks it's a bit heartless to drive Gye-pal out just as he came back, but Manbo claims that bro-in-law needs to experience the hard life. He promises to find a nice, cheap room for him instead. The madame leaves Manbo in bed and says she's going to sleep with Dong-min tonight. Heh.

becca: Haha. Good for her!

kakashi: Look at his face!!! *hugs him and puts him in pocket*

You know, Manbo is not evil here. When I see the Madame still doing Gye-pal's laundry and cooking food for him, I really come to hate Gye-pal in those moments for being such a leech to his older sister.

becca: Yes. I understand why he's so fed up - supporting a dead-beat brother-in-law for years and watching him make Madame suffer on top of that. Manbo has reason to be upset. I just wish he could be a little more sensitive to Madame in the way he says things. I don't even need him to change his actions, just express the reasons behind them in a gentler way.

kakashi: Ah, but come on. He's a gangster! 

Speaking of Gye-pal, he sits sadly in his room while Chang-man cooks ramyun for him. (See? See? Ugh this guy.) Looks like his friend pretended to take in his dogs for "training" and split the prize money for a pet show, but was planning to sell Gye-pal's dogs all along. Gye-pal getting out of prison too early upset his plans, so the guy was caught by the police before he could run away with the money.

kakashi: He's such an annoying person, but also a very unlucky one. 

Chang-man leaves Gye-pal to his dinner and chats outside with Mandu. The Madame catches him talking like that (heh). She asks him to give a box of meals to Gye-pal and ask if he contacted a certain Gye-suk. Chang-man notes that Gye-pal is very lucky to have a noona like her. (True! Very true!)

becca: She does coddle him too much, though. I want her to toughen up and force him to grow up, but she doesn't have the heart to do it yet. That soft heart is one of the reasons I love her.

kakashi: She's the oldest, right? I guess she also does it out of a sense of duty. 

Chang-man takes the food inside and asks Gye-pal about contacting Gye-suk. He protests loudly. He'd never do that!

becca: Then you shouldn't have told Madame that you would! You knew that was a low thing to say, Gye-pal!

Chang-man goes out again and relays Gye-pal's answer. She's in a sharing mood and tells Chang-man that Gye-suk is their youngest sibling. She raised Gye-suk and Gye-pal when she was just 21 years old. Then she drops the bombshell: "Do you know what I was doing at that age? I was a bar room girl."

becca: Yes, we know.

kakashi: We do. But did Chang-man know? I think this is a big moment for her, telling this guy. 

Gye-pal was a troublemaker. He got expelled before finishing high school. But Gye-suk was smart and studious and topped the exams. Seeing her younger sister succeeding inspired the Madame to work harder. Even if Gye-suk disapproved of how she earned the money, Gye-suk didn't complain because it was for them. But she drew the line when the Madame married Manbo. She disowned her eonni for becoming a gangster's second wife. Last the Madame heard of her sister, she's a prosecutor who married a plastic surgeon. (That bitch! If she shows up in this drama I will strangle her!)

becca: Why? I can understand her. Maybe she wanted better for her unni, after all the trouble Madame went through to raise her and Gye-pal. Sometimes when someone you love is making choices that aren't right for them (or you don't think is right for them - we know that Manbo is a pretty good guy, but that doesn't mean she does), it hurts to watch. Maybe she couldn't bear to see that anymore. Remember, no one is a simple good or bad person in this drama. It's much more realistic, and the characters have more layers than we see on the surface. And we haven't even met her yet - I'm not going to judge her until I see her.

Mary: She should've stayed with her sister and talked to her. I think disowning the eonni who essentially sold her youth and her body/pride to get you through school is up there in the "Things Ungrateful Bitchy Sisters Do".
kakashi: Yes, the disowning is such a mean thing. I'm sure they'll get to make up though. The dongsaeng must know what she owns this woman.

The Madame starts crying while telling the story. Even if Gye-suk hurt her a lot, she still misses her dongsaeng. Chang-man notes that the Madame doesn't have ill-will at all, and she answers that she lacks will in general. That's why she married Manbo. (Aww... don't say that! I thought you loved Manbo?) It's also why she cannot abandon Gye-pal, because Gye-pal never judged her for her choices in life.

becca: I love the music in this scene. It's a soft piano and harmonica duet, and it has a wistful, longing timbre. It's perfect for Madame.

kakashi: I wish you happiness, Lady :(

Next day, Yoo-na reports to Yang-sun about the aunt-niece jimjilbang thieving pair. Also about the change of plans. Yun-ji will go in Hwa-suk's place. Yang-sun is worried about this newbie, but Yoo-na totally vouches for her and says she's so much better than Hwa-suk. LOL. Yoo-na also promises to give Yang-sun a finder's fee if they succeed in the mission, but she just shoos her away and asks not to be mentioned if they get caught. Teehee~ Yoo-na coos that she likes when her eonni is being cool like that.

Yoo-na leaves the noraebang and gets in the car with Yun-ji. Yun-ji is about to scope the jimjilbang thieves' place and asks her to come along. Since the sauna thieves are in the wanted list, they need to act as soon as an opportunity arrives. If the police get to them before Yoo-na does, the loot will be taken away as well.

kakashi: See? This is about money. And maybe pride. 

Bong catches Yoo-na getting into a car with Yun-ji and planning something inside the car. He calls Chang-man and tells him to be on alert, watch if Yoo-na is doing "it" again.

kakashi: That's right, before we forget: these two have a pact. 

Curly comes to Chang-man's room bringing lots of side dishes his wife made before leaving. Then he notices Chang-man has set three places on the table. Cue Gye-pal knocking. It seems Chang-man wants them to eat like a happy family. But Curly is pissed and doesn't want to be close with the guy who put his wifey in jail. He walks out and swears he hates Gye-pal's guts.

becca: *sigh* Curly knows how to hold a grudge. Didn't Mrs. Curly tell you not to do that, Curly? You'll only make yourself more miserable.

kakashi: In all honesty, Curly gets on my nerves BIG TIME. 

Yoo-na calls just then to ask Chang-man to check on Mi-sun. Gye-pal hears about it and jumps to help, claiming Mi-sun saved his life. Chang-man tells him not to be dramatic. Teehee~

becca: *rolling eyes*

kakashi: Cue me feeling sorry for Gye-pal.

Chang-man goes to Mi-sun's room and offers to make some food, but she doesn't feel like eating. Mention of red bean porridge (pat juk) gets her looking up though, so Gye-pal offers to buy some for her, since Chang-man has to go to work. Chang-man gives Gye-pal some money, reminding him that it's a loan. (He calls himself a chaebol compared to Gye-pal, but says they're still both just working men, so please value the money he receives. Haha)

kakashi: Gye-pal is at the mental age of a 10 year old, right? He got SO excited to bring his flame something she wanted, he almost fell over! 

Outside the gate, Chang-man sees Manbo talking to Curly and the contractor about the rooftop renovation. It's going to cost $500 per day because they need to carry the debris manually. Chang-man points out you can rent PVC pipes the size of playground slides and just have a truck wait to catch the debris as it slides down. Manbo looks impressed and leaves the contractor to talk another time.

becca: Hmm, the contractor and Curly looked kinda fishy there, didn't they? Were they trying to pull a fast one on Manbo to get more money? Or did they really not know there was a better way to do the work?

kakashi: Absolutely!!! Either they're clueless (likely) or they wanted to rip-off Manbo (which I don't think). Either way, BRAVO Chang-man. You're the best. 

On the way to work, Manbo asks Chang-man about his construction experience. He says he has lots. Then he asks to handle the demolition. He promises to do it for cheap if Manbo agrees to delay it. "Until when?" "Until Gye-pal hyung's back recovers." Hehehe~ Niiiiice.

becca: Smart.

kakashi: *enthusiastic clapping*

Gye-pal runs back to the house, trying to keep the porridge warm under his shirt. He's annoyed at Grandpa Axe for stopping to ask what he's carrying. And he shoos away his eonni when she asks too. (Da-yeong says Gye-pal must be having LBM. Hehe) But when Gye-pal gets to Mi-sun's room, she's talking to Min-gyu on the phone. She tells him to stay put and an ajusshi will fetch him from the gate and take him to her room.

kakashi: My back hurt just from watching him run. I also hurt my back a few weeks ago and ... ouch. And then, I thought Gye-pal was kinda cute for being so excited. And then, I felt sorry again for him. Because he doesn't get what Mi-sun means when she says "dongsaeng".

So down Gye-pal goes again to fetch the "dongsaeng Mi-sun knows". Madame scolds Gye-pal for running here and there, but he's just too happy to be able to do stuff for Mi-sun. He gets to Mi-sun's room in time to see Min-gyu giving her abalone porridge. Mi-sun then gives the red bean porridge back to Gye-pal and he leaves the two to talk. He hears them reminiscing their Jeju trip and how they ate abalone porridge there too. Gye-pal goes upstairs to Mandu and has a red bean porridge party with him instead. :(

becca: *yawn* I have nothing to say about this.

kakashi: I do :( That was SO CRUEL. He has a hurt back, he ran for her with his hurt back, so that she could enjoy red bean porridge while it was still warm. She doesn't even acknowledge it properly and just stuffs it under the bed, but looks at Min-gyu's porridge as if it were gold. She's not outright mean to Gye-pal, which makes it even worse. She's just ... completely inattentive. And then, Gye-pal gets "it". This is no "dongsaeng-dongsaeng", but a hot namja "dongsaeng". And he looks so disappointed ... and then, he's overdramatic again on the roof, and I am glad, because it made me laugh and I stopped feeling sorry. 

Curly visits his wife again and complains that his rooftop project with Manbo got delayed. She scolds him for refusing to give a worry doll for Gye-pal. You're supposed to give it first to the person you hate the most, so your heart will also feel lighter. Then they do this cute thing where she passes him energy through the glass to cheer him up.

becca: She is adorable. Can we take a moment to appreciate all the great female characters in this show? We're used to guys getting good characters and storylines in dramas, but it's much rarer to find a drama without any screechy, hysterical females.

kakashi: Yes. A cheerful, lovable person. A bit unlucky about the guy she married, but I think she doesn't realize that herself. 

Axe Grandpa watches the dancers again without a partner for himself. He meets eyes with the grandma who rejected him and they both look away. Eheh. Ah, but Big-eye Herring brings over another granny. It's that cute granny from Nail Shop Paris! The one who dated before she... well.... never mind. T__________T

becca: That grandma who rejected him... she's regretting it now, huh? *nudge nudge* The way she touched her hair and looked away, and then how she watched Grandpa and Paris Granny....

kakashi: Yay for hot grannies! 

Anyway, in this drama, Paris Granny is a cute one who calls herself "Spotted Deer" and agrees to dance with "The Axe". (Heheh. Was she a gangster, too? Right?! Man, I laughed!) Axe thanks Big-eye for finding him a partner. Hehe. Chang-man and Janggu Omma talk about how nice Big-eye was and truly loyal to Axe Hyungnim, unlike Manbo. LOL

Nam-su goes to the noraebang and asks his Yang-sun noona to take his side in the Chang-man, Yoo-na, Nam-su love triangle. Hahaha! Of course Yang-sun refuses. But it's funny and a bit pitiful that he has to ask for help in this.

becca: Poor Nam-su. *pat pat*

Mary: *pat pat pat* what? Oh. That's your butt? Soweeee~

kakashi: You big doofus softie you! 

Speaking of Yoo-na. She's sleeping inside the car when Yun-ji runs up in a hurry. They need to infiltrate the house now! The ajumma and her live-in partner are going on some errand, leaving the niece alone at home. Yoo-na is a bit reluctant, but Yun-ji insists it's the best chance they have. Yoo-na thinks for a short while before saying "Let's do it."

becca: Noooo! Let's not!

kakashi: It's not going to end well!!!!!!!

COMMENTS

Yoo-na... please don't do it. Or, please do it. Or not. I don't knooooooooow.

I'm not even sure why she's doing it! Just leave it to the police!

Greed. 

Gye-pal, grow up.
Or go away.
I'm pro growing up. 

Da-yeong, stop being delulu.
Seriously.
She needs a boyfriend. What about Namsu? 

Manbo, more of the clueless cuteness, less of being an ass.
Please.
I love him in any case. 

Madame... I... *hugs*
*also hugs*
*pat pat* there, there.