I NEED ROMANCE 3, EPISODE 11
We open this episode with Wan presenting Joo Yeon with flowers, honoring the 100th day since his return and as a "thank you for living with me." When he hears she was out with Kang and that they are dating, his mood darkens. Wan plots how he will cut through this love triangle. A word of warning to Wan here, who will never read this because he is a fictional character: never, ever be one of the points in a love triangle. "I love her, but she loves him, and he loves her too (maybe)" is never a recipe for happiness.
And yes! Joo Wan finally confesses to Joo Yeon, telling her he hates the fact she's dating Kang. He believes strongly that Kang is a bad guy, and she should be with someone who realizes how great she is. And he admits that all his talk of "I don't care if it's not me" is a lie, that he wants her, he worries about her, he desperately loves her. As if this weren't obvious from the beginning. But, now that he's poured out his heart to her in a torrent of emotion, how is she likely to react? I've seen that turn out very badly in real life. I keep hoping Joo Wan and Joo Yeon will get together, but Kang now realizes he has a rival in Joo Wan, and he knows Joo Wan does not approve of him. Might Kang be so unprofessional that there would be workplace friction if this happens? I hope not.
Kang is turning out to be the cad I always pegged him as. He is the bad boy stereotype switched up, because he's highly successful. But he's emotionally unavailable, and doesn't even want to really announce that he and Joo Yeon are dating. He even gives earrings intended for her away, because Hee Jae asked for them. Then he blames Joo Yeon for opening the present in the office. I don't blame Hee Jae or Joo Yeon, it's all Kang. There's really only two things he did here that I approve of: he squeezed her hand for encouragement at the seminar, and he stopped at kissing when Joo Yeon gently stopped him. He gets points for that, but he's already at a deficit, and digging himself a deeper and deeper hole.
Min Jung's subplots keep getting stranger. She decides to have the baby. Okay, fair enough; it's her life. She was worried that her kid was the result of a one-night stand, but the letter he wrote her was sincere and caring, asking to date her for real. So even with all she's put him through, he wants a relationship with her. Instead of pursuing a relationship with what appears to be a great guy, she hopes her child will take after his father, even though the father will never know of the child. Okay, reality check time. Do you think great guys grow on trees? No. Someone had to make them that way -- so the best way to have the kid grow up the right way and take after his father is (drum roll, please)...bring his father into his life! I'm still a little miffed at her for not letting him know. He's no longer a one-night stand that ended the day she got pregnant; she will now be reminded of him for the rest of her life. Although, now that he knows she's pregnant, I wonder if he'll stick around.
We don't see much of Woo Young and Hee Jae here, and it's a pity. There's a shot of them walking along hand in hand and he announces, rather spontaneously, that when they reach the next lamp he will kiss her. So when they get there, he leans in to lock lips and she runs off. An image of her ex and Woo Young at the laundromat flashes through her mind and she does a double-take. But it was so quick. Just because her ex knew there was a rival? Isn't he out of the picture anyway? It seems like a step back for their relationship.
Se Ryung is plotting to leave everything in ruins. At a designer's party, she announces that she likes Kang. Somehow, he cannot bring himself to expose the deception and introduce Joo Yeon as his current partner. Not only this, but she also has contacted her attorney, asking when the best time would be to leave, the time that will hurt J Home Shopping the most and herself the least. Joo Wan tells Se Ryung here to leave Kang and Joo Yeon alone and walk away. She informs him she was always the kind of girl where, if she had to give her toys away, she would break them rather than see someone else with them, which may be where this comes from. She acts from a very dark place inside her. It's a bit like a train wreck; you can't bear to watch but you can't look away, either. It's certainly a grand way to make an exit.
And just when you thought it couldn't get worse, Kang confronts Se Ryung, and she says she's turning tables. Just as he got hurt because of rumors about her, now Joo Yeon will be hurt by rumors about him. She will feel more and more insecure, as he did with Se Ryung. She sees Joo Yeon appear, and continues, saying more hurtful things about their relationship, which Kang does not deny. This visibly upsets Joo Yeon, who doesn't want to believe what she just heard. Which is precisely what Se Ryung wants. If she can't have Kang, then no one can, and she will fix it so that this romance fails. Which brings to mind the advice Joo Wan gave to Joo Yeon: Love him for him, and leave rivalry out of it. Se Ryung does the exact opposite here; I wonder why Wan didn't tell her that? Maybe he figures she's irredeemable, and the Joo Yeon can yet be saved from herself?
Wow, I don't think anyone ended up happy here. Joo Yeon is in tears over Kang, Min Jung continues to push her boyfriend away, Hee Jae runs away from Woo Young, Se Ryung not only fails to win Kang back but wants everything to go south, and Wan ends up with his back to the wall and confesses his love. I think it's time to see some happy faces again, those great grins from Joo Yeon and Joo Wan. Their onscreen chemistry is amazing. Hard to imagine the actor, Sung Joon, was afraid of Kim So Yeon at first; he knew her from where I knew her: Iris, as the North Korean amazon assassin. I'm never sure where this is going, but I want to see romances bloom again. Fighting!
For the curious, you can catch this Mondays and Tuesdays on tVN, DramaFever, or other streaming sites accessible in your country.
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