I NEED ROMANCE 3, EPISODE 14
Joo Yeon comes home after enjoying some time with Se Ryung and Min Jung, and Wan leaves. She kept hinting at it and threatening it, so finally Wan decides that he will leave on his own.
I always imagined what would happen if Wan did leave or were kicked out as per Kang's suggestion. The daydream of her screaming and crying on the phone matched up well with my thoughts, but it was only a daydream. Joo Yeon's connection with Wan cannot be broken by absence as she begins to imagine he's there, talking to her. Ultimately, she ends up talking to herself. She tries to fill the void by doing everything Wan hates, hoping he would return to chide her, but no such luck. She realizes that everything he said was right and ends up weeping when she realizes she is alone.
The hallucinations were a nice touch. Once or twice I was fooled into thinking Wan was really back. I'm not sure that hallucinations really come with absence, though. I know if someone you were close to you dies, you will see them everywhere for a time. Not hallucinations per se, but people who have similar features will seem for a few seconds to really be the person that passed away. It's nice to know he had the hallucinations, too; I would have been a little annoyed if he hadn't. I've seen women portrayed as overly emotional before in the media and I was hoping the writers wouldn't stoop that low here. Fair's fair. He's just as much in love as she is.
I thought that leaving, though, was a very cold thing for Wan to do. I pondered his possible reasons:
- A) He's trying to step out of the way
- B) He's trying to hurt her
- C) He's trying save his own sanity -- out of sight, out of mind?
- D) He's testing the depth of her loyalty and/or love.
The ultimatum was given, so will she go after him or stay with Kang?
Wan answers these questions for me later in the episode. He just wanted to go somewhere, unsure of whether it was to have her look desperately for him or to make her hopeless. Regardless of his reasons, he feels bad about both, because they aren't loving ones. That kind of blew me away because Wan is usually the calm, collected one with the occasional foray into jealousy or frustration. He is usually a font of wisdom when it comes right down to it and has advice for just about everything. He doesn't seem like the type to willingly hurt anyone and he especially doesn't seem like the type to risk his carefully-crafted relationship, so that seemed a bit off to me.
They did a great thing for Se Ryung here: they made her a likable character. Who would have thought? She, Joo Yeon, and Min Jung all kick back and relax, masks dropped, confessing truths, learning more about each other, and acting like good friends.They laugh and grin effortlessly. It's lasted this long, so perhaps I was hasty in my last review about how long it would last. Perhaps the power struggles have been dropped at last, and they can just get down to business at work and ditch the drama? Let's hope so. There is one awkward moment for Joo Yeon, though, when she learns there was one man that Se Ryung was head over heels with. Three guesses who that is.
Hee Jae discovers there is something she would like to do: learn to play the piano. Woo Young suggests guitar, which can be self-taught. He then gives her a ukelele, and while she's uncomfortable with the gift, she admits then that the handbag he convinced her to buy makes her feel better in a variety of ways, making her feel more free and secure. I like how the handbag here has a deeper symbolism. It's like the beginning of a break from her old life and the start of embracing something new, which is also a great metaphor for their relationship. They seem increasingly comfortable with each other and I love that. They make a charming couple.
Min Seok stumbles into Min Jung's apartment, drunk as a skunk. He plops down on the couch and passes out, holding a package to him like a stuffed animal. Upon awakening, he explains what the package is over breakfast: it's a mechanical baby, simulating everything a real baby does. He wants to try and take care of it as practice for when the real baby comes. What will he do when he finds out she's having twins? I think his idea has merit: find out if you can weather this? When you have a baby, your whole life changes, so what's a better way to find out how it will change than having a dry run? I no longer think Min Seok is such a great guy, though. First off, he stumbles in drunk. Why? Second, when he tries to convince her to use the baby mannequin, he asks, "Do you think I could trust a woman like you [to raise my child]?" That got to me. Who's to say who the better parent is? The woman carrying the child or the guy with commitment issues who doesn't like children?
Kang is, well, Kang. When another department steals New Brand Team's idea, Kang comes down on Joo Yeon and tells her sales = achievement in merchandising. Joo Yeon describes his words as "cold." Kang confesses to her that he was crazy about Se Ryung, but it was stressful, and he doesn't want that anymore. Translation: "I'm not head over heels in love with you and that's fine by me." Joo Yeon definitely becomes a little uncomfortable after learning that there is only one man Se Ryung went nuts for -- and that he just had to be Kang. It takes Joo Yeon a bit of time, but she finally finds the courage to break up with Kang after understanding that, all this time, the man who really loves her like she should be loved is Wan (I hope).
I loved the final scenes here. Tension-filled, satisfying snippets that drive the point home. The confrontation at the park is priceless. Wan is experiencing hallucinations, too. He says that it's right to feel the way they do, a separation is supposed to be painful. He admits that he misses her, but she still passes it off. He tries to storm off but he knows he can't. He knows he's happy to see her, even if they're fighting. But he is visibly angry at her resistance to the idea. Then we find out that Joo Yeon is happy too, she just can't admit it. Is this because of loyalty to her relationship with Kang? Or is she still somewhat shut off from her emotions? In any case, he walks off, saying when she sorts through her feelings, she can come looking for him.
Rummaging through memories of what Wan said to her, Joo Yeon finally connects the dots. He was not getting ahead of himself, it was that she was too slow. I can't be too mad at her for this -- it's all too common. Once you've been "friend-zoned," declarations of love get dismissed with giggles, admiring looks are ignored, compliments are deflected. That's human. We make snap judgements. Like/dislike. Hot/not hot. Friend/lover. The problem is that we often don't take the time to think further. Hot/not hot is an easier distinction for us than "kinda cute, nice guy, high earning potential."
I totally did not see the end coming. My heart initially sank when she showed up at Kang's. But things take a turn: she tells him that she knows there is no love that would kill someone in its absence, but she is going to love someone who believes that a love like that exists, and she's going to believe in it too. Then, she formally breaks up with him, which is a great thing. It clears the way for her and Wan to be together, and maybe even Se Ryung and Kang?
So what do you think? With two episodes remaining, there's not much time to think about it!
Wan answers these questions for me later in the episode. He just wanted to go somewhere, unsure of whether it was to have her look desperately for him or to make her hopeless. Regardless of his reasons, he feels bad about both, because they aren't loving ones. That kind of blew me away because Wan is usually the calm, collected one with the occasional foray into jealousy or frustration. He is usually a font of wisdom when it comes right down to it and has advice for just about everything. He doesn't seem like the type to willingly hurt anyone and he especially doesn't seem like the type to risk his carefully-crafted relationship, so that seemed a bit off to me.
They did a great thing for Se Ryung here: they made her a likable character. Who would have thought? She, Joo Yeon, and Min Jung all kick back and relax, masks dropped, confessing truths, learning more about each other, and acting like good friends.They laugh and grin effortlessly. It's lasted this long, so perhaps I was hasty in my last review about how long it would last. Perhaps the power struggles have been dropped at last, and they can just get down to business at work and ditch the drama? Let's hope so. There is one awkward moment for Joo Yeon, though, when she learns there was one man that Se Ryung was head over heels with. Three guesses who that is.
Hee Jae discovers there is something she would like to do: learn to play the piano. Woo Young suggests guitar, which can be self-taught. He then gives her a ukelele, and while she's uncomfortable with the gift, she admits then that the handbag he convinced her to buy makes her feel better in a variety of ways, making her feel more free and secure. I like how the handbag here has a deeper symbolism. It's like the beginning of a break from her old life and the start of embracing something new, which is also a great metaphor for their relationship. They seem increasingly comfortable with each other and I love that. They make a charming couple.
Min Seok stumbles into Min Jung's apartment, drunk as a skunk. He plops down on the couch and passes out, holding a package to him like a stuffed animal. Upon awakening, he explains what the package is over breakfast: it's a mechanical baby, simulating everything a real baby does. He wants to try and take care of it as practice for when the real baby comes. What will he do when he finds out she's having twins? I think his idea has merit: find out if you can weather this? When you have a baby, your whole life changes, so what's a better way to find out how it will change than having a dry run? I no longer think Min Seok is such a great guy, though. First off, he stumbles in drunk. Why? Second, when he tries to convince her to use the baby mannequin, he asks, "Do you think I could trust a woman like you [to raise my child]?" That got to me. Who's to say who the better parent is? The woman carrying the child or the guy with commitment issues who doesn't like children?
Kang is, well, Kang. When another department steals New Brand Team's idea, Kang comes down on Joo Yeon and tells her sales = achievement in merchandising. Joo Yeon describes his words as "cold." Kang confesses to her that he was crazy about Se Ryung, but it was stressful, and he doesn't want that anymore. Translation: "I'm not head over heels in love with you and that's fine by me." Joo Yeon definitely becomes a little uncomfortable after learning that there is only one man Se Ryung went nuts for -- and that he just had to be Kang. It takes Joo Yeon a bit of time, but she finally finds the courage to break up with Kang after understanding that, all this time, the man who really loves her like she should be loved is Wan (I hope).
I loved the final scenes here. Tension-filled, satisfying snippets that drive the point home. The confrontation at the park is priceless. Wan is experiencing hallucinations, too. He says that it's right to feel the way they do, a separation is supposed to be painful. He admits that he misses her, but she still passes it off. He tries to storm off but he knows he can't. He knows he's happy to see her, even if they're fighting. But he is visibly angry at her resistance to the idea. Then we find out that Joo Yeon is happy too, she just can't admit it. Is this because of loyalty to her relationship with Kang? Or is she still somewhat shut off from her emotions? In any case, he walks off, saying when she sorts through her feelings, she can come looking for him.
Rummaging through memories of what Wan said to her, Joo Yeon finally connects the dots. He was not getting ahead of himself, it was that she was too slow. I can't be too mad at her for this -- it's all too common. Once you've been "friend-zoned," declarations of love get dismissed with giggles, admiring looks are ignored, compliments are deflected. That's human. We make snap judgements. Like/dislike. Hot/not hot. Friend/lover. The problem is that we often don't take the time to think further. Hot/not hot is an easier distinction for us than "kinda cute, nice guy, high earning potential."
I totally did not see the end coming. My heart initially sank when she showed up at Kang's. But things take a turn: she tells him that she knows there is no love that would kill someone in its absence, but she is going to love someone who believes that a love like that exists, and she's going to believe in it too. Then, she formally breaks up with him, which is a great thing. It clears the way for her and Wan to be together, and maybe even Se Ryung and Kang?
So what do you think? With two episodes remaining, there's not much time to think about it!
SEE ALSO: Min Hee Jin wants HYBE to purchase her ADOR shares
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