Yoo Na's Street - Episode 19 (A GettingThereCap)

Some things are settled in this episode but other things start turning bad ... people we thought we hated suddenly seem very pitiful. Not a dull moment with this one.
becca: This episode reminded me once again that nothing and no one is black and white in this world. This certainly isn't a crack drama for me, but it satisfies my heart and my mind because these characters and their problems are shown in a very realistic and thoughtful manner. The characters seem and act like real people, for better or for worse. Why can't more dramas do that?

Episode 19

Yoo-na is about to go into the sauna when the child thief catches her arm! "You know me, right?" she says and takes off her sunglasses. It seems she received a beating, her lip is cut! Yoo-na pretends not to know her, but the girl is persistent. Well then ... Yoo-na pushes her to the ground and runs. Damn! Yoo-na may have trained her legs for running away from police officers, but this girl is lighter and young and faster - and catches up to her.

They collapse on a bench, totally spent. It seems the girl hasn't had breakfast? Yoo-na buys her some ... and even shares some of her own with the starving being. The girl tells Yoo-na about her dream: Yoo-na at the sauna, her waiting to catch her. But when Yoo-na came out, she had snakes wrapped around her that she threw at thief-girl. Three of them she couldn't shake - and then she woke up. The meat that Yoo-na just shared with her: the same color as the snakes. The girl's aunt calls, but the girls doesn't pick up. A falling out, it seems: the aunt hit her and in general, just uses her for stealing. And she wouldn't even let her see Snowpiercer.
Mary: Poor girl. No, really. She is too sweet for a thief. The world will eat her alive.
becca: I like her. Can Yoo-na and Yun-ji adopt her? Please?

Well, this 16 year old girl reminds Yoo-na of herself and of how she was taken in by Yang-sun. She asks the girl what she wants her to do, then. Well, give back all the stolen stuff, of course! Cause it's theirs. Nope, says Yoo-na: since it's stolen, it's whoever has it that's the owner. While Yang-sun is getting a bit worried in the Sauna because Yoo-na isn't showing, Girl Thief keeps walking behind Yoo-na like a little lost duck. She can't go back to her aunt without the stolen goods! Yoo-na claims that they were stolen from her as well and then learns that Yun-ji's identity has indeed been uncovered by the girl's "uncle" (the third in three years). The Girl Thief begs Yoo-na to meet with her aunt just once.

Mary: Yang-sun unni flashback!!! She was so great even back then. She's the only person (so far) who hasn't annoyed me at some point...

becca: *thinks* Hm... it seems that everyone has annoyed me at some point. Except Yun-ji, but she hasn't been around for very long

Manbo has learned that Chang-man is lending Gye-pal a considerable amount of money. That upsets him, of course, because it makes him look like a bad guy. So he gives Chang-man the money back! And storms out, angry, because everybody sees him as meanie and Chang-man as an angel. Aw.

becca: Aw, poor Manbo.

All the other employees of the colatec are celebrating Curly's Wife's return from the detention center (with tofu, of course - because one wants to live a life as pure and white as tofu after being discharged). So ... everybody knows where she was?! Haha, no need to talk about "a leave", then? Manbo walks in, in a super foul mood. He feels so mistreated ... even though he does many good things for his employees and his family, it's always Chang-man that gets the credit. Everybody thinks he just cares about money!!! and he takes some out and throws it into the air.

Noooooo, somebody hug Manbo please :(( 

Mary: I will. After I finish laughing at the fact that he only threw $30 after that big speech. Some things never change. Haha.

becca: I'll hug him, too. He can be petty sometimes, but his heart is in the right place.

Well, Chang-man tries to be nice, but Manbo keeps telling him to get lost. He blames Chang-man for always taking all the glory away from him, even if he does something good - and says he knows what Chang-man is thinking: "Manbo, eat shit and die". Oh dear.

becca: :(

Yun-ji is hiding in the dark in front of Mi-sun's café, when Thief Aunt and Uncle arrive in their car. Damn ... they're there for the meeting with Yoo-na! (The Girl Thief is called Han-jeong by the way) Uncle goes in and the deal this "uncle" has to offer to Yoo-na is go 50-50. "That can't be done", says Yoo-na. I doubt she feels as cool as she acts!!
becca: That uncle seems like a loose cannon to me.

Manbo is home - and seems to have lost some of his boiling anger. After briefly hesitating, he goes into Axe's little corner room. The old man is already in bed and doesn't want to come and drink beer with Manbo. But not because he dislikes Manbo, he says; he dislikes beer. And he thanks Manbo for the knee injections - and agrees that he's a good guy. That makes Manbo very happy. Of all people, it's Axe's opinion he cares about the most.

Mary: Poor Manbo. Axe Hyung is still the person he looks up to the most. The thing is, in that kind of relationship, Axe is used to being stingy with praise for him. So Manbo will always have to be extra smarter, extra nicer, extra generous to even warrant a bit of thanks from Grandpa. :(

Once outside, he bumps into his Madame who has come early too - they bond over their common dislike of Chang-man and HUG!

Mary: They are sweet and she handles him well. Their marriage is nice. Not perfect, but really compatible tempers.

becca: Aww, it's good to see that they do like each other. Sometimes I've wondered....

Yun-ji watches the Thief Family drive off and then, she discusses what has happened with Yoo-na in her own car. Uncle turned pale and started shaking when he heard that the diamonds were already sold. He begged for the watches to be returned to him at least - Yoo-na will meet him again tomorrow. Off to Nam-su! But ... oh no. Somebody is following them in a car! 

Yoo-na is in a restaurant with Nam-su (who is not drunk, it seems - yay!) and hands him an envelope with $18'000. Not bad. She claims it's from Hwa-suk (well, technically, it is) and feigns ignorance over where it came from. The money comes in handy, he says, because his two lost boys were caught last night doing one of their Arirang tricks! He'll get them a lawyer with it. This is very sweet of Nam-su, wow.

Mary: He will go dirt-poor again trying to save his lost boys with all his money. Whereas Yoo-na won't even lend him $$$ when he got stabbed by the girl she vetted. (Yes, I'm still bitter about how Yoo-na is acting towards Namsu.)

becca: She did take care of him when he was in the hospital and after he got released, though. It was once he started drinking and whining all the time that she got fed up. I do agree that she's been cold to him, but were they ever really buddies? On her side, it's always been professional.

He walks Yoo-na home and they talk about how the boys want to "settle down" (whatever that means for them). As for her? She'll never quit. In the car, she notices that they're being tailed by several guys in a black car. She doesn't tell Nam-su though (of course not, since that whole diamond business is not something she wants known) and gets him to drop her off in front of a store.

Two guys get out - in gangster suits. She lets them follow her a bit, but then starts to run and shakes them off within seconds. But instead of running away, she goes to the black car! It's the fence dealer and he is currently on the phone with, I guess, the "Uncle". But not much longer, because Yoo-na smacks her elbow into his face and walks off. With his mobile. Awesome! She tells "Uncle" on the other end that she was willing to give him the watches ... but not anymore.

Mary: You go Yoo-na! LOL at other team's fate.

becca: Pfft. That was pure awesome, Yoo-na.

Mi-sun gets home in the morning, all dolled up - she seems super tired. Oh dear ... young Gigolo took her card and left without her to buy himself a birthday present. So it's like we've suspected?! He wants a wrist watch, so Yoo-na offers to sell one to Mi-sun for a good price. Mi-sun quickly wonders where that watch came from but then, she calls Min-gyu. Only ... he isn't buying a watch for himself, but a bag for a woman. Since I've come to kind of like Mi-sun, I can't even say 'serves her right'!!! He is mean to her, too, calling her petty (for wanting her own card back).

Mary: Gigo is an ass of the highest order. Or is it lowest order? Anyway, he is an ass. I must go back to the past Yoo-na recaps and remove all references of us liking him.

becca: I like Mi-sun now, but I'm still gonna say that she should've seen this coming. She's always trusted him too much. That said, Imma go punch him now.

In the morning, Chang-man takes Axe for a walk - Manbo, who sees them, is no longer acting like an unloved baby, so I guess Madame was very nice to him. In the park, they run into Miss Delulu. Who is reciting her lines to Gye-pal's extremely ugly dog as always. But, oh no ... their theater production won't happen! The investor went bankrupt. Delulu even cries a little. She looks like a 12year old.
becca: Shall we start taking bets on how long it will take Chang-man to offer to invest? He said earlier that the money he lent Gye-pal (and then was repaid by Manbo) was originally set aside for investments. This can't be a coincidence, and I'm not happy about it. :|

Yun-ji is at the junk yard, when that long-haired dealer arrives in his big fat (and loud) car. He wants his phone back - and HAHA, he has a black eye. Bravo, Yoo-na! Yun-ji tells Long Hair how pissed Yoo-na was at the whole thing and that it very much depends on how he behaves now or Yoo-na will hand his phone over to the police. Just then, Junk Yard Haraboji arrives with a load of paper and Yoo-na in tow and Long Hair politely greets the elder and says his name is Jo Yeong-gun.

Well, it seems Junk Yard Haraboji is the king of all diamond sellers and Yeong-gun gets quite the verbal beating for messing with Yoo-na. The guy seems embarrassed. He gets his phone back and then, the Uncle (and the two women) arrive. So uncle's name is Ha Jon-gap and he knows Junk Yard Haraboji (we learn his name is Baek Du-sik) well too. Calling it fate that they all meet like this, the Master takes them all to eat cold noodles.

Mary: So Grandpa really is some hidden, genius master of stolen goods?

becca: Did anyone else find this whole sequence really funny? They've been at each other's throats for the past few episodes, but now that Du-sik has taken over, they're all on their best behavior. They're like little kids who've been caught fighting. I like this Haraboji.

Ahahaha, Diamond Master is so smug, I love it. Uncle Jon-gap tries to find out whether he has his diamonds or not, but Du-sik apparently never ever talked about goods in his possession. They eat cold noodles (Aunt gives the poor Thief Girl the stink eye for being excited about the food) and then, over coffee and outside on the balcony, things are settled between Yoo-na and Jon-gap. Du-sik tells Yoo-na to give back all the watches to Jon-gap. It's a deal! I hope.

Chang-man took Axe to the hospital and while they wait, he is practicing English with headphones on. Then, Nam-su arrives. He is here for physio therapy and in fact, he is really civil and nice this time. They go have a drink together on the balcony and talk about Nam-su's hand (not recovering well) and then thieving, which Nam-su has given up for good, as he informs Chang-man. But he doesn't want to work at a colatec (oh, I would have liked that!).
becca: Is it wrong of me to wish that these two could set aside their differences, ditch Yoo-na, and become best buddies?

Yang-sun is buying herself pretty clothes ... and doesn't stop there. Uh-oh. Of friggin course Bong notices that right away. Yang-sun is lucky that Nam-su calls, but what is this?! He wants to ask Bong something about bodobangs (which, the subs informs us, is a shady agency that supplies bar girls). He wants to open one himself and incidentally, it's what Yang-sun and Bong had before they opened the karaoke place. Nam-su has no clue about business though. This is not going to start or end well ...
Mary: It's a step away from pickpocketing...
becca: He would've been better off at the colatec, I think. I'm worried by this new development.

And now for the gruesome finale: It's night and Mi-sun almost crashes her car into the house (and into Chang-man). She collapses at the wheel and when Chang-man gets her to open the door and helps her up, we see that her face is a bloody mess.
Mary: BLOODY HELL.
becca: DID MIN-GYU DO THIS?? ASSHOLE, I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN!!

Comments

You know why this drama is really hard to recap? Because you never know what is important and what is not. And in the end, all of it is - and is not at the same time. There is a story, but it's not what's the most important. It's all the characters and how they meet, talk, cry, get hurt and are happy.
Mary: Amen.
becca: Yes, well put, Big Kahuna.

I am glad things seem settled with the stolen goods, but of course, we can't really trust this Uncle. He looks vicious. He is not one of the good thieves - one with strong loyalty, even ethics. As for Nam-su (who certainly has them), I hope he finds his happiness outside pick pocketing, but I wish he wouldn't get involved with bar girls.
Mary: Yes. Because then I would want to be a bar girl***. And we can't have that now, can we?
becca: It worked for the girl in Heartless City. Except, you know, when it didn't.

*** Not really