HIGH SCHOOL: LOVE ON, EPISODE 16

Mobbing Ji Hye's car

RECAP

After confronting Woo Hyun and Seul Bi, Sung Yeol is back at his house and spies a book about angels in Woo Hyun's bag. He reads it, learns her secret, but abandons the book when it floats by itself (Sunbae?). The next morning, a fight between Sung Yeol and Woo Hyun gets broadcast over the P.A. system by Sunbae, and the whole school now knows that Ji Hye is both stepmom to Sung Yeol and real mom to Woo Hyun, whom she abandoned. That afternoon, Jae Seok bullies Tae Ho and Byun Wook to exchange cellphones and Woo Hyun weathers another attack by Sunbae. Sung Yeol deliberately earns a night in jail so he doesn't have to go home; his father spends the night with him there. Another encounter with Sunbae reveals that not only is he exiled from Heaven but he's also not in control of his actions.


Good night, Dad. Good night, Jail. Good night, Sung Yeol.

The next morning at school, there is a mob of mothers who want Ji Hye to resign; they feel a mother who abandons her son has no right to teach ethics. They pound on her car as she drives in and crowd her while Woo Hyun tries to protect her. When Ji Hye walks into the classroom, most of the students walk out.  Ye Na eats her lunch in the bathroom alone and cries. Seul Bi shoves a carton of milk into the stall. Byung Wook and Tae Ho find Jae Seok and have to be held back from tearing him to bits because Tae Ho missed an important call about his father, who's in emergency surgery. Woo Hyun protects Jae Seok, but also blasts him for his stupid and hurtful pranks.


Jae Seok defeated.

Later, a humbled Jae Seok visits Sung Yeol at the PC cafe, admitting to him that he's scared that he'll be friendless. Woo Hyun hears Sung Yeol's parents arguing that evening. She wants to raise Woo Hyun, he wants to put Sung Yeol first. The next day, the students who have tried to get Ji Hye back have not met with success. It is Woo Hyun's impassioned speech that gets the homeroom kids fired up to help and, with help from the President of Earth Angels, she is allowed and encouraged to keep her job. Later at home, Sung Yeol and Ji Hye grapple over the necklace, which leaves it in smithereens. Sung Yeol goads Woo Hyun, and Woo Hyun prepares to hit him. Sung Yeol's father stops Woo Hyun and kicks him out of the house...

MY TAKE

Okay, I admit it, I cried when Woo Hyun talked about how he has no one he can freely call his mother, and that the fact that he gets to see her in class is really all he has from her. I really didn't think he cared; I thought he had just written her off and all his interactions with her were out of bitterness. But he took out his heart and trotted it around for everyone to see. My eyes were blurry with tears by the time he was done.


Woo Hyun delivering his speech

The President of Earth Angels seems to be their deus ex machina, the guy that delivers happy endings. At first, he seemed to be absolutely nutty and eccentric, and dodged Sunbae like he knew he was doing things wrong. Now he's the voice of reason that runs the school and saves people in spite of themselves. It's a bit much. I think I see what they're doing -- they're trying to surprise us. They're trying to make us think this will go one way and it ends up completely different.


Woo Hyun, ready to hit Sung Yeol

Jae Seok's transformation is a wonder to behold. I figured something would happen to him to topple his world, but I didn't think it would be that fast or even that way. But both lackeys have left him, and now he's scared he'll end up alone. I'm not sure alone is the proper word, but definitely ostracized like our poor Ye Na. What I wonder is this...he kowtowed to Sung Yeol's wishes when he signed the petition against Ji Hye's return. Does that mean he'll end up as Sung Yeol's henchman, carrying out his orders?


Sunbae tries to attack Woo Hyun

So now I have questions. Like usual. What's going to happen to Jae Seok? And if Sung Yeol has figured out Seul Bi is an angel, then what exactly does that mean for her? The main idea is that if anyone knows she's an angel, she leaves the mortal realm. Both Woo Hyun and Sung Yeol know, so something else apparently has to happen to make that work? With Sung Yeol's dad and Ji Hye split on how to make things right, what's going to happen there? Is she going to leave them to raise Woo Hyun? If Sunbae can't return to Heaven because of Seul Bi, does that mean he's in exile or he simply can't bring himself to do so?  

You'll have to wait two weeks to see our cast again. Episode 17 is being postponed because of the KBS 2TV 'Daejong Film Awards.' Just a heads up so you know!  And yeah, I know, it's hard for me too. Still, it'll be worth the wait, don't you think?

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