It seems like the main theme for this show, whether intentionally or not so, is ‘misunderstanding’/’the could-have-been-saids’. If it wasn’t for the fact that I really like the visuals, the cast, the acting, and some attachment to the characters, I would have dropped this show. Thankfully, I spam-watched the existing episodes (12 of them) in 1.5 days so I wasn’t too bogged down by all the verbal hurdles that the characters had to face. A conflict which could be solved simply by having a conversation is one of the worst conflicts to drag out, in my opinion.

Geon Woo watches Jung Joo from afar and asks, “Do you want to come with me?”

Jung Joo stares at Mayor and realises something. She’s not hot, she’s not in pain. When she’s with the major, she feels at ease. While the mayor initially thinks that what she’s saying is a good thing, even he understands that this means that Jung Joo still has a lot of feelings for Geon Woo.

Jung Joo rushes back to Warm and Cozy to check what Geon Woo has placed on the shelf. He appears behind her and tells her that he knows she would come back to check – and that there was nothing. He played a prank on her. Now we all know that’s not true, but at this point, I’m stopping myself from feeling frustrated. Numb is the way to go for this frustrating drama.

Jung Joo observes that Geon Woo isn’t alright and asks about him. He gets angry because she isn’t getting angry with him for pulling a prank. If he asks her to go somewhere with him again, will she fall for it? Although she says no, he scoffs that it’s no longer any fun, and that he should stop. He leaves the wine cellar and looks at the necklace in his hand.

Heh, I didn’t really find the necklace thing very appealing initially. I mean, this was one man’s gift to a girl, and another man simply stepped in halfway…so it feels the necklace doesn’t just represent the relationship between Geon Woo and Jung Joo, but also the Mayor. Which is weird, because the necklace is supposed to be a symbol for the relationship between the couple. ONLY the couple. But I guess the idea is slowly growing on me, because it’s a necklace that Geon Woo has put in effort to get. It isn’t obtained through using money (for e.g Boys over Flowers and etc) and I think there’s a huge charm in that.

Mayor is sad that Jung Joo has returned to the restaurant. Poong San appears for the gathering, just in time to meet Mayor’s niece – who is really Seohyun from SNSD making a cameo appearance.

As an attempt to get to know the niece better, Poong San suggests for the mayor to have a second round of drinks at Warm and Cozy. He even begs a dejected Jung Joo to stay and have drinks with them. Hilariously, Jung Joo takes a look at the niece and asks Poong San, “Who is that?” (because she doesn’t look like Mayor at all).

Mayor walks in and the two look at each other.

Poong San tries to chat the niece up and offers to cook her anything she wants. At the other side of the table, Mayor and Jung Joo patch up as Mayor tells Jung Joo that his pretty niece looks just like him.

Jung Joo answers, “To be honest, she’s really pretty because she doesn’t look like you.”

Later, Geon Woo (who has stormed out earlier) worries whether Jung Joo will be crying again.

 

He walks in to find her in the midst of playing drinking games, but doesn’t notice that she’s quite down, so he’s a little put off at how cheerful she is just after their quarrel.

 

One of the town people suggests that Jung Joo kisses the Mayor, who has been her Black Knight three times. Although the couple is reluctant, the niece playfully and intentionally pushes Jung Joo, so she ends up pecking the Mayor on the cheek.

Geon Woo gets real pissed and walks to Jung Joo, telling her to do a real kiss instead. Need a demo?

He stalks off after that and Jung Joo runs after him. She comments that he’s being jealous, just like the other time when she went to collect flowers.

 

She gives him a chance, “If you want to hang on to me, tell me properly now.” Instead, he tells her that he’s leaving Jeju and Warm and Cozy.

Mayor finds a dejected Jung Joo once again. She’s sad because she thought Geon Woo was holding onto her, but in the end she’s nothing.

Mayor protests, “How can you be a nobody? I see no one but you.” Jung Joo apologises for not reciprocating his feelings but Mayor quickly leaves before she can say anything else.

Geon Woo’s dad is sad that Geon Woo doesn’t want to see him, but promises to leave after he buys Hae Sil’s house.

From the author, we learn the story behind the photograph and Geon Woo’s father. Geon Woo’s parents were travelling with Jung Joo’s parents and his mum simply took a photo with her father. Supposedly, Geon Woo’s father lied to Geon Woo’s mother that he made a lot of money overseas. She had an argument with him the day she found out, and drove off drunk. As he was chasing her in his own car, he accidentally knocked over Hae Sil’s husband. Even though the husband was alive at that time, he ran away, thus becoming a hit-and-run murderer. Hee Ra understands now why Geon Woo’s mother spoke so harshly to Geon Woo about his father – how she didn’t want to give birth to a baby from the likes of his father, how his father was human trash, a con artist, a liar and a murderer. She warns the author and her husband not to say anything about this.

Alas, as bad guys always somehow have extra ears, Ji Won (who has already been wondering about Geon Woo’s strange behaviour and wanted to ask Hee Ra about it) overhears the entire conversation.

(I really like the interior design??)

Geon Woo ponders over all the moments between him and Jung Joo, and barely acknowledges Jung Joo’s presence.

   

As she pours hot water for her drink, she looks at him and ends up pouring water over her hand. Geon Woo is startled and quickly pulls her to the sink.

Later, he ices her hand and remarks that she was so distracted because she was looking at him. Haha, things like this, they catch on so fast, but for other things, they either misunderstand or don’t talk about it. Psh.

Geon Woo asks in a serious tone, “Don’t go anywhere else, do you want to come with me?” Jung Joo looks shocked, but Geon Woo immediately follows after with, “Can you tell whether I mean this or not?” He’s scared that he will be rejected if he asks seriously, so he always asks as a joke such that he can withdraw easily if the answer is no.

 

But he points out that Jung Joo is the same – she only gives save answers and wouldn’t tell him yes or no. He notes that the burn has cooled down a lot and leaves.

Mayor suggests that Jung Joo should plant a clementine tree in her garden, so that when the tree bears fruit, it will be about the same time it takes for her house to be renovated. In order for Jung Joo to keep Warm and Cozy, and not leave to take on another restaurant, Geon Woo comes up with a lie (conveyed to Jung Joo and Poong San via Jong Bae) that Warm and Cozy will be converted into a love hotel (“this place has an amazing sea view”) if sold.

 

Jung Joo and Poong Sang ‘manage’ to convince Geon Woo to keep the place as long as the both of them run the restaurant together. Jung Joo apologises to the Mayor for pulling out of the restaurant deal and the Mayor comments that he will always be behind her.

Not yet beside her, but just behind – since that is a safe position. Jung Joo nods and looks down, “Being safe…should be a good thing, right?”

Jung Geum is miffed that Hae Sil didn’t reply his messages, to which she’s like, “Do you want me to bring my phone into the ocean?” But she smiles and pacifies him, even when he brings up the fact that her messages “are too dry”, and could do with more “squiggles, teehees, and smiles”.

HAHA I really like the way this couple functions. Perhaps slightly unrealistic, but the simplicity is refreshing.

Since Hae Sil is firm on not moving to Seoul, Jung Geum decides to move to Jeju island instead and marry Hae Sil. He wants a wedding where none of his family members will be invited, and the guests will be the people in Jeju. Geon Woo congratulates his brother, but is adamant on not coming for the wedding. Anyway, he will be leaving Jeju soon.

This news is soon conveyed to Hee Ra, who passes it on to Ji Won. While Ji Won is taken aback that Geon Woo is leaving, she smiles when she hears that Jung Joo will be staying in Jeju. Ji Won’s ex-fiance is at the Jeju resort and the duo meet up. He offers to start anew in New York, and that it was rash of him to cheat and call off the engagement. Ji Won scoffs that it was hard on her to go with the engagement but the guy rightly point outs, “You didn’t endure because of love alone. You haven’t found someone with my kind of background, right?”

Ji Won takes a break from the conversation and happens to spot Geon Woo. She sits down, notices the two plane tickets in his hand, and asks if he is leaving with Jung Joo. Even though she left him behind several times, he has never held onto her. She requests that since he has never changed that because of her, “I don’t want you to change because of another girl. Don’t become desperate and hang onto someone in the future.” Geon Woo retorts, “Then I should hang onto her then, I’m feeling desperate right now.” Ji Won returns to the ex-fiance and tells him that she’s going to New York…but not with him.

She’s going to go there first, since the guy she wants to go with isn’t asking her.

 

Desperate Geon Woo returns to restaurant with renewed vigour, only to see Mayor and Jung Joo semi-holding hands and fussing over each other because Mayor accidentally spills soup on Jung Joo. Desperate Geon Woo becomes Pissed Geon Woo, who walks past the duo and insinuates that Jung Joo is making use of the Mayor.

Jung Joo rushes after Geon Woo and notices the two plane tickets on his bed.

They argue as usual, which culminated in Geon Woo’s reply, “Yes you worked hard dragging me around like a cow!” Jung Joo retorts, “If you are going to leave, leave right away!”

Geon Woo knows that what he should be doing is to beg Jung Joo to go with him.

     

He quietly and sheepishly sits down to wipe the dishes, before going, “Moooo~”

“I’m a cow.” HAHA.

But before he can ask her to leave with him, Jung Joo reveals that she’s going to plant a tree the next day. Geon Woo realises that she wants to stay in Jeju and decides not to make his request. “I cannot tell you why I’m leaving, not to anyone. I wanted to ask if you’d put a rock to my paper, but nevermind.”

He tells her that by the time her tree bears fruits, she will become really cool.

He places the necklace into Jung Joo’s ticket holder and places his own ticket into his jacket.

Geon Woo’s father bought Hae Sil’s house successfully. One of the ahjummas says that she has seen someone who looked like President Jin recently, and Hae Sil’s face immediately changes. Jung Geum happens to visit Hae Sil and hears the name, thus learning the reason behind Hae Sil’s hatred towards the name.

 

He tells Hae Sil that he will be moving to Jeju, “Ms Kim Hae Sil, let’s get married.”

Jung Geum tells Hee Ra the news, who decides not to care any more about her brother’s affairs. She suspects that Geun Woo is leaving because he’s scared that his father will turn up, and gives Jung Geum a thumbdrive, containing the information she has privately dug into.

  

President Jin, despite promising never to turn up in front of Geon Woo, cannot resist and pops by Warm and Cozy. Geon Woo welcomes him, and he shakes his head with tears in his eyes.

As he steps back into the car, Geon Woo suddenly realises that this is his dad.

Although Jong Bae promises to keep the secret, Geon Woo thinks that he should leave Jeju anyway. Jong Bae nods to himself and murmurs, “If what I remember is the truth, then it’s the worst.” We are shown his flashback – which shows President Jin prying the keys out from Geon Woo’s mum, who then obstinately decided to drive off with President Jin’s car instead. Jong Bae knows that it was President Jin’s car which had knocked down Hae Sil’s husband, “Did they switch on the road?”

With such knowledge, how could Jong Bae not speak up??

Okay so here’s the theory that I’m sure immediately pops into everyone’s mind – it was Geon Woo’s mother who committed the hit and run, and then President Jin probably offered to cover for her. Or he didn’t even offer and was simply caught because he was the owner of the car. Either way, it’s probably not the dad who knocked down the husband, and President Jin probably took the blame out of love and/or the fact that she’s with child.

This takes the conflict off Geon Woo entirely. If it’s the mum’s fault, well then it’s very much Jung Geum’s own problem as well!

Jung Joo is concerned about Geon Woo and places a hand on his shoulder.

He places his hand over hers tenderly, “No matter how much I think about it, I should hang onto you.”

He has to go see his brother now, but he wants her to wait for him because he has something to tell her when he returns.

Jung Geum opens the articles on the thumbdrive and learns that Geon Woo’s father was called Jin Tae Young – the very same guy who knocked down Hae Sil’s husband. Initially, he invited Hae Sil to the meeting with Geon Woo because he wanted to introduce her to him, but now…as Geon Woo prepares to leave when he sees Hae Sil, and Hae Sil offers to leave instead thinking that it’s her fault for making him uncomfortable, Jung Geum says, “You can leave if you feel uncomfortable.”

 

Geon Woo looks at him, and then at Hae Sil. Jung Geum holds Hae Sil’s wrist, “I can’t let you go,” and Geon Woo understands.

Jung Geum apologises, “I’m sorry to just let you leave.”

Geon Woo tries to act strong, “It’s okay, brother. It will be okay once I leave. I will leave.” I really like this scene because the brothers merely exchanged glances and loaded words, and they knew what each other was referring to already.

Jung Joo smartly guesses that the other ticket is for her, and asks her reflection, “If Geon Woo asks me to come with him without knowing anything, will you go?”

Her reflection beams and nods vehemently. Hahaha.

Of course, Ji Won has to come around and spoil everything by saying that she’s going to follow Geon Woo no matter where he goes. Although Jung Joo doesn’t believe Ji Won’s lie that Geon Woo asked her to go with him the first time, she is shocked when she hears that Geon Woo is leaving because of his father. Did she really get asked by Geon Woo to leave with him when she doesn’t even know why he’s leaving?

Jung Joo is defeated.

Mayor notices Ji Won leaving the restaurant and comes in to comfort her, “I’ll come to your side.”

She leans in onto his shoulder and he pats her arm.

At this moment, (suddenly both Jung Joo and Mayor turn deaf and cannot hear the door bells) Geon Woo walks in.

He takes in the scene, turns around and comforts himself, “It’s okay. I was going to leave on my own.”

 

He looks down, and then up again, before leaving .

-the end-

What I like – the setting, the interior design of almost everything, the actors, the relationship between Hae Sil and Jung Geum, the fact that Hee Ra is a harmless sister who honestly just loves her brothers.

What I don’t like – the simple misunderstanding of the couple’s feelings for each other, and the simple conflict between Geon Woo’s father and Hae Sil.

Indeed, it’s probably the same simplicity running through BOTH the factors that I like and dislike. However, I feel that on one hand, I can definitely appreciate goodie sisters, goodie brothers, strong females (Hae Sil), uncomplicated relationship between a chaebol and a poor ahjumma and so on, this simplicity cannot be the main thread pulling the main drama along. Yes we have Ji Won’s manipulation here and there, but everything hinges on communication. There’s no strong plot barrier barring the couple from coming together. And the thing is, this couple isn’t stupid! For example, Geon Woo knows that Ji Won was lying about the scam; Jung Joo is always honest about her like for Geon Woo. Sounds like a success of a love story to me? But no, instead, they hide from other issues or they avoid talking about it because of any of the reasons below:

(1) Revived Geon Woo walks in on Mayor + Jung Joo and therefore deflates in anger.

(2) Could have simply just come out right and ASKED each other what they wanted, but decided not to do so out of consideration for each other. Too much consideration, assumption and guessing in my opinion.

(3)Revived Jung Joo walks in on Ji Won + Geon Woo and therefore deflates in rejection.

I can’t think of any more.

I might sound like I really dislike this show, but I don’t. I’m still holding on (and recapping this drama) because I genuinely want to see this couple come together. There was so much potential they could have explored. Make the characters smarter, less deflatable, more honest with each other, less assumption and guesswork – and then use the freed-up time to invest in a better conflict other than Geon Woo’s dad having supposedly run down Hae Sil’s husband and therefore possibly ruining Jung Geum’s relationship with Hae Sil. Or invest in the mystery of who actually killed Hae Sil’s husband.

I don’t know, is it just me?

P.S The couple also need to have a real kiss soon – not just any angry kiss, or a prove-my-point kiss.

<3thoughtsramble