A chef meets her childhood crush who became a dispirited surgeon.
Notable Actors/Actresses
[Ep1] 1992 in Wando. Young Cha Young walks into young Lee Kang’s backyard and spots the drying sweet potatoes spread out on cloth on the ground. She then picks a piece and starts eating it but then Kang spots her and tells her that those were for the cows. He grabs a piece from the drying tray on the table, and tells her that this was for them to eat and takes a bite. She woefully tells him that she envies the cows for eating such delicious things. Lee Kang then brings her a huge spread of food to eat. She looks so tempted by this feast but she tells him that she doesn’t have any money to pay for this. He states that he had never asked for payment. And so she eats everything to her little heart’s content. Downstairs, he’s busy helping his mother with the customers at her restaurant, Bada Restaurant. When he returns later with his mother, they notice that she’s suddenly crying. He asks her if she had taken a bite into a stone or something. She tearfully replies that she was crying from happiness as everything was delicious. He tells her to return later, and he would make her something special, chocolate shasha. After he returns inside, her younger brother, Moon Tae Hyun finds her and drags her back to their mother, who makes her get on a scale, then angrily screams at her for gaining 1.2 kg as the auditions were in two days. Her brother tattles that she’d eaten an entire bowl of rice and even licked the rice out of it. And when her sweet father tries to offer her some fried chicken, her mother flips out and informs them that vacation time is over. They’re on the road now.
[Ep4] Cha Young attends Min Sung’s funeral, and his fiancée hands her a letter. He had asked for it to be given to the person who had brought the mandu stew. On her bus ride out of town, she finally reads the letter.
[Ep5] Kang is now taking care of Cha Young. Ms. Han comes into the room and he asks her why Cha Young is here. She replies that she’s not here as a patient but a chef. She’s been trying to pay off her brother’s debt. Eventually, Cha Young wakes up to Young Shil at her bedside.
[Ep6] After their dinner, they go out into the pouring rain but neither have an umbrella. When the owner gives them an umbrella to share, Cha Young makes the excuse that Ms. Han needs her so she’ll go on ahead. She turns to walk away and he holds onto her arm to stop her. He says that it’s not good to get soaked in the rain so they should go together. And so they share the umbrella.
[Ep9] Summer of 1995. Grandma and the family are having a meal with the baseball game on the TV. The scrolling marquee reads “Samjung Department Store Collapses Over 100 People Buried” and then it changes to the footage of this tragedy. Elsewhere, Kang Ho is watching the news coverage with tears streaming down his face as he listens to the names. The death toll is at 97 right now, with 922 injured and still climbing for both counts. However there were between 100 to 400 in basement level one at the time of the collapse… Kang continues crying as he waits to hear his mother’s name.
[Ep10] Lee Seo Hoon (Kang's aunt) shows up at the hospice and right in front of Na Ra, she kisses him on the cheek and says that she’s his lover. Poor Na Ra is shocked. Alone, he asks her what she’s doing here. She says that she missed him and she’s heard that Joon is also here. She says they should be on the same side and she’ll help him now. She mentions reaching out to Kim Jui Hu and persuading her to sue the hospice and Dr. Kwon. Oh. That’s why she’s here. -_- She searches her purse for a lighter but can’t find it so she waves at Cha Young to come over and bring her a lighter for her cigarette. Cha Young doesn’t have one and tells her that she’s not allowed to smoke here as this place is near the ward. Lee Seo Hoon says she’ll make sure the smell won’t reach the patients. Cha Young tells her to smoke away from the hospice as it’s bad for the patients. She replies that it can’t be that bad, plus these patients can’t be treated and they’re dying anyway. Ick. Kang looks at her with widened eyes and says imo again. She asks if she’s wrong as a little sniff of smoke isn’t going to have a huge effect on a dying person’s life. He tells her that’s enough. Cha Young tells her that the people here are just people who are dying. They’re living their lives here and they’re cherishing every day that they have, just like the rest of them, ma’am. Lee Seo Hoon takes offense at being called ma’am and walks over to argue with her. Kang finally yells that’s enough. She asks why he’s yelling at her as she just asked for a lighter. Cha Young repeats that she’s not allowed to smoke here and then walks away. His aunt tries to follow her but Kang takes the cigarette from her hand and breaks it into small pieces. He tells her that she should go now and he can’t see her off. He goes after Cha Young but then he stops himself and makes a call instead. Behind him, his aunt continues raging on about who she thinks she is.
She answers for him, “Eomma, Cha Young must be having such a hard time all by herself. She doesn’t have anyone. Let’s go back and be there for her.” She asks if he wasn’t old enough to say that to their mother. He says he did, he told their mother but she… Cha Young says a 12-year-old girl survived in the ruins of a collapsed department store amongst dying people without even knowing that her mother and brother abandoned her. He tearfully tells her that he had no idea that she was stuck in the ruins. She continues that there were even tougher challenges than that. But she endured and got through them. She says if she gives up here, it’ll be the end of her. If she lets herself become weak now, then she’ll never rise again for good. She’s not sure what happened to her. What happens to a chef who can’t smell or taste, she doesn't know what to think or how to react. She can’t figure it out. But she’ll get through the meal prep to figure out how she’s supposed to feel. They’re interrupted by a knock on the door – it’s a patient who says it’s his wedding anniversary today and wants to ask her to make something for him and his wife. Tae Hyun walks over and says that she’s not feeling well today. She pulls on his arm and he says there’s a bit of a situation so she can’t do it today. Cha Young cheerfully asks the man what dish he’d like. Tae Hyun is getting all bent out of shape, and so Joon runs over and jumps on his back, even as he’s saying that she can’t. Joon quickly tries to cover his mouth, and the two continue squabbling out into the hallway. Joon even says that he needs to take his medicine. XD! (~53:40, this is all even funnier because Tae Hyun is so tall with Joon being nearly 10cm shorter than him.) The man apologizes and goes to leave but Cha Young stops him and he says that he feels bad about asking as his wife is Vietnamese. She knows who his wife is and it’s a dish that they enjoy together. So she starts making bun cha, as his wife craves this dish from inside the Ho Chi Minh night market. He tells her that if he weren’t sick, then he’d take her to this place in Vietnam. Cha Young asks him to taste the food for her as she can’t taste things right now. Joon watches this from outside the door and smiles. Cha Young finishes making the meal for the man and the man presents it to his wife. He says that he remembers their first date so many years ago, and he had the chef here make it for her. He lovingly watches his wife eat and apologizes for having her move to a country that she’s alone in and now he’s going to leave her. He says that when they’re reborn in their next life, he’ll be Vietnamese or she’ll be Korean. Cha Young watches them from outside their room and she turns to leave… and sees Kang standing there. She tearfully walks by him without a word.
[Ep11] Kang goes to see his uncle who is in Dr. Kwon’s office. The two old men are griping about indigestion, however Dr. Kwon excuses himself to give them privacy. While Joon continues hanging up the wet clothes on the clothesline and gives more thought on Cha Young’s words about not giving up. But then his father finds him and kicks him in the shin. He yells at him and starts grabbing and throwing all of the clean items he just hung up. His father is fit to be tied, and tells him that he’s here to help Kang close down the hospice. And when it’s turned into a retirement place, it’ll go to Joon. That means that Geosung Hospital is going to be Kang’s.
Kang Ho removes his apron and then answers a call. It’s a woman, Jeong Bok, who used to live next door to him in Wando, who’s been trying to reach her. She’s Uncle Dong Gu’s niece. He passed away yesterday due to an accident. The kind fisherman, Mr. Ha, had a crush on his mother. His burial is tomorrow. She tells him that he has no idea how long he waited for him but he never even got to see him again. T__T Kang leaves for his car but he’s forgotten his jacket and keys. Cha Young follows him and hands him his jacket. He tries to get into the car, but she says that he just drank so he should call a driver or take a taxi. He says that he needs to go to Wando. She asks how about going in the morning. He says then it’ll be too late as tomorrow is his burial. She says it’s a six-hour drive, and if they go right now he’ll make it there for the funeral. She takes the keys from his hands and starts the car. She tells him that he needs to pay her for driving him, and urges him to get into the car.
[Ep12] As she’s driving towards Wando, he thinks about the past. He’s remembering Mr. Ha had liked his mother but had never said anything to her.
Kang finishes cooking and says he made what he did from memory but it probably doesn’t taste good. She thanks him for this meal and she slowly eats like she’s enjoying the food. He tells her that her brother sent him her MRI scans and medical records, so he knows that she can’t smell or taste anything. So that’s why he didn't want to take her to any restaurant. She tearfully continues eating. He tells her that she doesn’t have to force herself to eat anything. She shakes her head and continues eating, even as tears fall down her face. He hands her a tissue and she remembers when he wiped her tears from long ago. She says she’s just so happy. She continues saying that this food is so delicious it’s making her so unbelievably happy. That’s why she can’t stop crying and then she continues sobbing. Kang finally remembers the little girl who ate the dried sweet potatoes! He asks her if she visited Wando when she was little. She nods. He asks if she’s ever been to Bada Restaurant when she was young. She nods again. He asks if she remembers him. She nods and looks at him with tears falling from her eyes. He looks back at her with his own tear-filled eyes. Finally!
[Ep13] Cha Young gets up from the table and starts doing the dishes. But he follows her and stops her. He tells her that a guest shouldn’t be doing the dishes. He takes the gloves from her and tells her to make herself comfortable. He asks her why she didn’t come back that day, as she’d promised to come back for lunch. She says that something came up. He says that he waited for her. She says that she’s sorry for not keeping her promise. They’re suddenly interrupted by Mr. Ha’s niece, who says that she’s surprised he’s still here. She says that she told him to eat at her place so he didn’t have to get groceries and cook himself. She then addresses Cha Young as Kang’s girlfriend and asks what she does for a living. Cha Young says that she’s not her girlfriend. The woman says that she had a crush on him when she was a little girl but her uncle liked his mother so she gave up on him. She then says since he’s back, her feelings for him are returning. He tells her that he already has someone that he likes. Cha Young hears this but she slowly walks outside. Mr. Ha’s niece leaves wondering who the woman is, but then she returns to tell him to visit Sea, San’s grandson. Awww.
Kang finds Cha Young sitting by the seaside and says that he’s been looking for her everywhere. He then sits down next to her and she asks when he woke up. He replies it was a while ago, as he even took a shower and changed clothes. She asks if he remembers that Joon had been here to see him. He says he thinks so. She comments that they’ve been sleeping ever since they’ve arrived in Wando. He asks so what? She asks if he’s hungry and he says he is. She suggests that they go eat as she made some food. Kang thinks about Min Sung and tells him that he’s still confused and torn. But he knows one thing for sure – that he’s tired of doing his best to push away this woman who walked into his life at some point and has been on his mind ever since. She stands up and tells him that she won’t disappoint him as it’ll be so delicious. She says let’s go and turns to walk ahead and he reaches over and holds onto her arm. He’s decided to just follow his heart and inside, he apologizes to Min Sung. He says to Cha Young, “About Greece. Can you not go? And… can I… love you, Cha Young?” Ah-ssa!! She just stares at him.
[Ep14] At Grandma’s bedside, Kang apologizes as he didn’t know she had collapsed. His banshee of an aunt rails at him for ignoring all of her calls and text messages. Grandma asks if he was in Wando. He replies there’s a man there who used to think of him like a son. His aunt rails at him for taking a laid-back trip while his other aunt is trying to take over the company. Grandma asks him if he got to meet that man. He quietly says yes as he wanted to stay there with him. He admits that he didn’t want to come back from Wando. His aunt asks what he’s saying and Grandma angrily grabs a pillow and flings it at his head. She screams at him to go back to Wando over and over.
[Ep15] Kang drives back to Joon’s studio and sees the broken pottery scattered everywhere and asks what happened. Joon says he won’t leave this place so his mother sent over some men. Kang then notices the blood soaking through the bandage on Joon’s right hand, and so he runs to the car to grab first aid supplies. After he’s finished patching him up, he tells him that luckily it didn’t cut into any nerves. Joon says he can still make pottery with nerve damage. He’ll quit being a doctor anyway. Kang looks at him in surprise. Joon asks him if he wants to grab some soju with him.
[Ep16] Another day, Kang finds Cha Young at the chocolate shop and she asks what he’s doing here. He replies that he’s here to have chocolate and reads the descriptions for the different ones. He takes his first bite of chocolate in years and says it’s delicious. She asks why he told her that he didn’t eat chocolate. He replies that he’d been afraid that he’d want to go back to Wando. But he has her now and he won’t ever leave her. She asks him why he stopped eating chocolate after his mother passed away. She asks what kind of accident it was that she passed away in. He says it was a car accident, and she got hit after buying him some chocolates. She says that she thinks that maybe the woman who gave her the chocolates was his mother. He laughs and says her imagination went too far. He tells her to write novels instead of being a chef. Why is he hiding this from her? Sparing her? He holds her hand and says hwaiting, let’s make the best of their lives, and do it for the lady who gave her the chocolates, too. Wouldn’t she want that? She nods, and then asks if she’s free tomorrow. She says she doesn’t have any plans right now. He says then she should come over and he’ll put together a birthday party but he doesn’t want any gift. She’s his gift.
[Actors/Actresses] Ah, my love for Yoon Kye-sang started here a few years ago, and he's different here than he is in Kiss Sixth Sense. Either way, he's a feast for the eyes. I've only watched Ha Ji-won in this series.
Yoon Kye-sang: Lee Kang
Min Jin-woong: Moon Tae-hyun
Director:
Screenwriter:
Recapper: FanFanX
Recap Grade: A
Romcom / Romance Checklist
[In Progress]
How much of the plot is angst/romance?
0 / 1 / 2 / 3.5 / 4 / 5The ML:
Cold–Lukewarm–Warm / Timid / Falls in Love First / Noble Idiot / CEO / General /The FL:
Bold / Cute / Cool & Independent / Falls in Love First / Better Than ML / Noble Idiot / Describe the Relationship (the tropes):
Bickering Start / Childhood Connection / Cohabitation / Contract Marriage or Fake Couple / Enemies to Lovers / Hidden Identity / School to Adulthood / Love Triangle / Married Couple (Real) / Secretly in Love (FL) / Star-Crossed Lovers / Relationship Progress (officially together; first (official) kiss; breakup*):
Ep 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 # of CPs (including main CP):
0 / 1 / 2 / 3
0 / 1 / 2 / 3
Ending:
Happy / Sad / Open Happy / Open Sad / BadFanFanX: Once in a while, a melodrama romance keeps my heart hostage. Even rarer for me is to actually watch it a second time. So here we are... Slow recaps which fits the pacing of this series.
If you haven't seen it already - be patient and watch this with minimal distractions. As for binging it - I'm not sure if this is necessarily one that one should binge all in one or two sittings. This one may require a break in between eps, or perhaps 1-2 eps/day. You can gauge for yourself from the first 3 eps.
Caveat: If you're going to skip around, be careful. They develop the backstory with expanded flashbacks, so it's easy to miss the story within the story if you just try to skip through this. This is something that I nearly missed the first time around.
Edit No. 1: Haven't forgotten this one, just been busy and this series requires more emotional commitment than I've been able to handle.
Edit No. 2: Finally have the wherewithal to continue recapping this series.
Mini Recaps
As Kang is making the dessert, he ends up burning his left arm with the hot liquid. When he finishes with the dessert, he waits around for the return of Cha Young. However, a group of rich-looking people showed up. His mother recognizes them as Kang’s late father’s mother, uncle and his wife, and his bratty cousin, Lee Joon. While the adults are talking inside (more like grandma dressing down Kang’s mother for being an unfit person to be his mother), Joon and Kang end up fighting because Lee Joon kicks his doghouse over and over. The two end up at the hospital after fighting and falling into the water.
Spring 1993. Cha Young returns to Wando by bus and stops by the now shuttered restaurant. A fisherman spots her and tells her that the family moved to Seoul last year. She tearfully says that she came to eat chocolate shasha, and she doesn’t even need to be an actress anymore so she can eat however much she wants. The man tells her that Kang waited a long time for her and that he even scalded his arm making the candy for her. She recalls his kindness.
Summer 2012. Today is Kang’s mother’s death anniversary, and his best friend, Kwon Min Sung is the only other person with him. Kang recalls arguing with his mother about moving to Seoul. He had wanted to achieve his dream of being a chef in this small town, just as she’d wanted to make people happy with her food. She had told him that his maternal grandmother had died as his paternal grandmother’s housekeeper but she wanted to die as her daughter-in-law, which is what his father would have wanted. So now that’s her dream.
Kang is now a neurosurgeon, in direct competition with his cousin Joon, at the family hospital, Geosung University Hospital. Cha Young has memories of the 1995 Sampoong Department Store collapse, alongside a kind-spoken woman. She’s become a chef and she’s made some lovely dishes and cupcakes for Dr. Lee Joon. He rejects everything by trying to throw it out. She denies making it and offers to taste test everything but then she suddenly collapses.
Min Sung appears with food for Kang, who has had a rough day of surgery which resulted in death. So they eat outside, and at some point they abandon the food to use the restroom. Cha Young, recovering from an appendectomy, walks outside the hospital and sees the abandoned food on the bench. She’s hungry so she starts eating it. But Kang shows up behind her and asks if the hospital doesn’t have any food. She starts choking and then grabs the water bottle from his hand and takes a swig of it. He explains that he had left to see off his friend. He starts packing up the food, she notices his name tag, “Lee Kang” but she can’t remember why she knows the name. Later on, she realizes that he might be the boy from her childhood. She spends some time spying on him at the hospital. When he finally confronts her, she tries to run away but ends up pulling out her IV line. So he ends up having to change her IV bag and then she notices the large scar on his left arm. But he’s nothing like the sweet boy she remembers as he’s all business. He also tells her to not waste her time as he has no time for dating.
Kang is being sent to Libya by his uncle. The family says that it’s perfectly fine as it’s a good opportunity for him, but of course there’s war, destruction and death everywhere.
[Ep2] Cha Young is discharged and left dealing with her scam artist of a brother. However, she sees a confrontation between Joon and Kang which makes her think that Kang is an “evil bastard”, quite unlike the boy she remembered. When an old man’s cart of cardboard creates a massive traffic jam outside in the pouring rain, she sees Kang stop to help him. She now believes he is the man that she imagined the little boy would become. So she spends her time trying to get an appointment with Kang so she can be true to her feelings. And then she finds out that he’s leaving for Libya.
Six months later, she finds out that he was severely injured. She has an imaginary one-sided conversation with him outside on the hospital bench. She tells him that she’s been curious about him, what he’d been through, and if he’d remembered her. She’s always wondered about this chocolate shasha that he said he’d make for her. Then she begs for him to come back alive so she can know him more as she cries.
Joon confronts his father about Kang’s being taken off the ventilator. It was actually his heartless grandmother’s decision. He tells his father to leave Kang alone from now on as he’s no longer able to sit back and watch. He then says that he didn’t have to be a coward and send him there, as he could’ve beaten him on his own. He then tells his father that he might not have been a match for Kang’s father but he’s different and not incompetent. Joon leaves his office and encounters a somber Min Sung who is waiting to see his father to beg him to save Kang. Joon doesn’t say anything and only walks away. Min Sun calls after him and asks what he did so wrong, and was he that anxious about Kang having the hospital some day. Joon turns back and says that he said he was here to beg his father, so do that and leave. Joon turns away again and Min Sung yells that Kang is in this state because of them! Joon grabs him by his jacket and tells him to do what he came for and then leave. Min Sung grabs him by his coat and mentions what his family did when Kang’s mother passed away – they kept silent on her death by refusing to hold a funeral. So there was no proper burial as they had her cremated and wiped her out without a trace. Joon jerks himself away from his fists and says that he guesses his family was embarrassed because Kang’s mother was an embarrassing flaw that his family wanted to hide. Min Sung says even so, they should’ve at least asked for Kang’s consent to decide how he wanted his mother to part with this world as there’s not even a columbarium niche for him to visit. Heartless family. Joon pauses a moment before finally saying that they must’ve known this would happen, that he wouldn’t be able to visit her. Min Sung is confused, and then he starts sobbing and laughing hysterically at this.
Later, a quietly sobbing Min Sung walks outside to sit on a bench. Nearby, Cha Young notices him, so she gently sets down a packet of tissues next to him before walking away wordlessly.
Back in Libya, an unconscious Kang is still hooked up to various wires and tubes. The doctor is ecstatic when he notices that Kang moved a finger!
Cha Young is at work and lost in thought when she’s told that her brother is here. Tae Hyun is here to set up his sister with some guy who owns some restaurants. She politely bows and then walks away. The guy says that it’s hard to run a business on her own and do everything herself. She turns back and asks who he’s talking to. Tae Hyun starts rambling about truckloads of men wanting to date her, about being a contender for Miss Korea, etc. She interrupts and says her brother is trying to con him, and then asks if he’s loaned him any money yet. The guy says he hasn’t and she explains then don’t, because if he does, he won’t get it back. She explains that she doesn’t own this restaurant, as she’s just a salaried chef here. She continues saying that she spends one-third of her income on paying the loan interest because of the troubles he caused. Tae Hyun claims that it’s a crazy lie. She yells, at the guy, that as he can tell from her height, body size and looks, she’s not what they want for Miss Korea so she gave up. She finally walks away with her head held high. Nearby, Min Sung looks on with admiration, as he’s been in the dining room the entire time.
Later, she’s sitting out alone in the courtyard when Min Sung shows up to return her wallet to her. When she asks where he found this, he pulls out the packet of tissues. He says that he was going to return this to her as well if she were crying. She realizes it was at the hospital bench, and then asks how he knew it was hers. He explains that he saw her business card inside. She opens her wallet and looks at the paltry sum of cash inside, so she asks if he could send her his account number and she’d send a reward. He says that he received some incredibly happy news the moment he arrived at this restaurant - a miracle happened to his friend, whom he had been crying over yesterday. He comments on the name of the restaurant, Primo Miracolo – the first miracle. He says it’s thanks to her as she misplaced her wallet and made him come all the way here and then the first miracle happened. He bows politely at her before walking away. Cha Young thinks about this and wishes for him [Kang] to be gifted with the first miracle as well. Gaaah. I…
Joon goes to Libya to see his cousin who remains alive on the ventilator. Min Sung continues seeing Cha Young at the restaurant, dining inside and then observing her from outside it. Another day, inside the kitchen, Cha Young is distracted and distressed by the news that Kang’s family has gone to Libya to collect his body. Her co-worker notices the burning steaks, and that she’s actually burning up with a fever, too. Her boss sends her home to rest up, and so she tries to hail a cab but none will stop for her. She ends up just standing there in her weakened state with her head dropped down. Then a silver car pulls up and stops right in front of her – it’s Min Sung. He takes her to the hospital. He blots her sweaty forehead with a towel and eventually falls asleep sitting up on the stool right next to her bed. When she finally wakes up, she’s surprised to see him.
In Libya, they’re trying to get Kang’s heart beating again. In his coma dream, he’s gone back to Bada Restaurant and his mother is there to greet him. She asks if he wants to rest next to her.
When his mother ended up in the rubble of a large building collapse, young Kang had begged his grandmother to save his mother but the woman had ignored his tearful pleas and just continued eating as if he wasn’t even there. Adult Kang tells his mother that they didn’t have her funeral and there’s not even a grave for him to go to. She replies that they must’ve been ashamed of her as they don’t consider her family to begin with. Kang tearfully tells his mother if she knows how much he loved her, missed her and wants to be by her side. His mother walks over and holds his hand. In reality, Kang’s heart stops beating and they stop trying to resuscitate him. Young Kang had heartbreaking sobbed as his grandmother had given explicit instructions to not bother with a funeral for his mother as she was more worried about the gossip. Adult Kang tells his mother that now’s not the time as he has something to do. He tells her to wait a while longer, apologizes to her and then lets go of her hand, even as tears stream down his face. In reality, Kang’s heart suddenly starts beating to the shock and joy of his doctors and the medical team.
Winter 2013. It’s cold with snow on the ground as Min Sung stands outside the cafe that Cha Young is hanging out in. When he gets her attention via text, he pulls out his tablet to show her a message on his screen: “Merry Christmas.” So she replies the same via text. His next messages: “Did you know today is the 100th day? Since I confessed my feelings to you and got rejected.” He then looks properly dejected as he hangs his head behind the screen. She nods at this. He then shows her the next message: “Taking heart of grace, I confess them again!” He looks beseechingly at her and then turns his back to her and changes the screen. When he turns back around, it says “Please accept my love” with pink hearts as he bows his head behind the screen. He shows her the next message: “It’s Christmas! ♥️” She replies by text: “I am a person who lacks in many things.” He replies “So am I. I believe love is two people supplementing each other’s weaknesses.” She turns to look at him and he walks up to closer with the “It’s Christmas! ♥️” text magnified, complete with a pout. (~29:45) How does one say no to this?! *heart melting* He continues magnifying on the ♥️ as he alternates between smiling and pouting at her. She finally smiles at him and so he puts the tablet away and pulls his phone from his pocket. He then blows on his fingers for warmth as he continues typing. She finally goes outside to hold onto his cold hands and tells him that’s enough and he can stop now. He steps down from the bench he’s standing on and she pulls out a pair of mittens from her pocket. As she’s pulling them onto his hands, she’s telling him about her flaws – grinding her teeth in her sleep, has lots of belly fat, lazy, not that bright, has a temper and owes a lot of debt. His face crinkles into a smile and then hugs her. He says it’s okay, as he wasn’t fed well while growing up so cooking is enough for him. She pulls back in shyness and says people are watching. He hugs her again and says he doesn’t care as it’s Christmas. He then says that there’s a guy who keeps staring at them as he’s looking at someone behind her. When she tries to pull back to turn and look, he only hugs her tighter and tells her to stay still. He says the guy must be very jealous. He says he’s also ugly but he’s holding a flowerpot and at least the flowers are pretty. She tries to look again but he tells her to stand still as he doesn’t want him to steal her away. Min Sung finally lets him go and then hugs the man – it’s a very much alive Kang! Min Sung tells him that she’s finally accepted his love and Cha Young just stares at him as her eyes well up. My heart… They stare at each other until Kang finally asks if they’ve met before. Omo, so he doesn’t remember her at all? Min Sung teases him for using such a cheap pick up line, and says that she has a boyfriend. Kang hands her the poinsettias and tells her to take care of Min Sung. Min Sung apologizes for playing a joke on her and explains that he’s his best friend and he recently came back from the brink of death.
She doesn’t say a single thing but her eyes continue to redden as just stares at him. It starts snowing and Kang makes a comment about it. Min Sung cheerfully puts his arms around both of them, hugging them to his side and then says it looks like they’ll have a white Christmas as he laughs joyfully up at the skies. Kang replies that he’s glad he didn’t die, as he gets to see snow falling. Cha Young just looks over at him and then looks away as she’s standing next to her boyfriend…yet staring at the man she loves. Now the two guys are having a snowball fight as she hugs the flowerpot and just watches the two run around. Cha Young silently cries as she stares at Kang.
Another day, Cha Young goes to the movies and receives a message from Min Sung that he’s unable to make it as a client wants to see him. But he suggests that she watch it with Kang and then he’ll join her for a meal afterwards. When she sees Kang, she quietly turns to leave but he spots her and says her name. Kang then asks her where Min Sung is…
Cha Young tenders her resignation as she’s leaving for Greece. When her boss asks why she’s suddenly leaving, she replies that she can’t stop herself from falling for him. She misses him, so she’s going to a place where she can never see him.
Summer 2018. A rock musician has had an injury and sustained a head injury and Kang is the one who’ll be performing the surgery. Joon’s mother (also a doctor) is livid that Joon isn’t the one performing the surgery and demanding an answer from her husband. Her husband tells her that they did research and wanted Kang due to his experience in Libya. Right before the operation, Kang finds out that Min Sung has collapsed and is in the hospital. Kang runs to his friend’s bedside, where his fiancee is crying pitifully. Min Sung needs to go to the OR immediately. Kang then asks the surgeon if he can save his friend, especially as he’s recently caused a medical accident with a stupid mistake. Then Kang tells him that he’ll die by his hands if something happens to his friend. Kang then gets ready to perform surgery on Min Sung. So now Joon is operating on Chris Bay. Min Sung’s father, Kwon Hyun Suk, the president of Geosung Hospice, prays and worries over his son’s surgery.
Joon’s surgery goes well while Kang’s surgery was unsuccessful. Kang is consoled by Hyun Suk who says that he did great. Kang despondently says that he thought he’d be able to save him. Hyun Suk shakes his head at this and says that Min Sung already knew that there was no hope, as did he. So that’s why he told him to not tell him. Kang tearfully says that he’s sorry. Min Sung’s father tells him to not be sorry. He had hoped for a miracle but it’s called a miracle because it doesn’t happen often. Kang continues sobbing and apologizing. Min Sung’s father says that he’d given up so he thanks him for trying, and now he’ll take care of him. Imagine taking your own son into your hospice care facility
Some time passes before Kang finally visits Min Sung in hospice care. While the two are jokingly arguing about Kang’s malpractice (failing to deliver on his surgery) and quitting the medical field, they’re interrupted by the arrival of food. Min Sung takes one bite and then sets down his spoon. Kang asks if he can’t eat, and Min Sung says no, it’s because the food is horrible. He then says that he wants mandu stew. Kang offers to get some for him. Min Sung says he wants Cha Young’s, as her handmade mandu stew is the best stew ever. Kang asks why he’s talking about the woman who left him, and he’s even engaged now. Min Sung says he wasn’t talking about her but her mandu stew. Kang gets up and offers to get him anything, so tell him what he wants. Min Sun repeats that he wants Cha Young’s mandu stew. He says it’s his wish to eat it at least one more time before he dies as he looks out the window and gives a small smile.
In Greece, Cha Young continues to deal with yet another one of her brother’s meses as she’s forced to ride her bike to the police station. I cannot stand this character but this actor is so good in this man-child role. After bailing him out, she cries and asks why he’s torturing her. She offers to die so he can use the insurance money to pay for the very expensive wine bottle he broke. Does he work?! Scamming is a job but he seems horrible at it. Later she learns that there’s a cooking competition coming up with the prize being the same expensive bottle of wine.
It’s the day of her competition and they pick out judges from the audience – and to her utter shock, Kang raises his arm and says he’ll do it.
[Ep3] On his flight to Greece, Kang thinks about a past conversation with Min Sung about happiness.
After his long day at the hospital, Kang finally calls back Min Sung and leaves a message asking him to return his call. Moments later, Min Sung returns the call but it’s actually Dr. Kwon who tells him that Min Sung is dead. He waited for him at the fishing stop and he just died a moment ago. Kang goes silent with shock and anguish. T__T Back at King’s Table, Cha Young sobs as she already knows.
Min Sung and Kang stand outside Cha Young’s restaurant as Min Sung laughs giddily while watching Cha Young working inside, talking to guests. He still can’t believe that she’s his girlfriend now. Kang then teases him for being so head over heels in love that he’d let his buddy starve as he’d told him to not eat anything until he had tried Cha Young’s food. Min Sung then tells him that if he ends up falling for Cha Young, just swallow his feelings as he refuses to end up in a love triangle with him. He guarantees that he’ll fall for her the moment he tastes her food as that happened to him. Kang turns to leave as he can’t anymore of this. Min Sung grabs onto his jacket and asks where he’s going. Kang tells him to call him after they break up or he should become at least less love-blind.
On his way to finding Cha Young in Greece, he’d thought about his dying friend’s last wish to eat her mandu stew before leaving this world. When he arrives, he looks for her everywhere but he’s always a few steps behind her. Luckily, a colleague at the restaurant tells her that she’s in a cooking contest.
Kang joins Min Sung at the bar. He knows that Cha Young wants to break up with him. Kang asks why he thinks that, and Min Sung says it’s a gut feeling and he thinks there’s another guy. Kang looks disappointed and asks who the bastard is. Min Sung admits that he’s not sure he can let her go and asks what he should do.
Back at the competition, Cha Young can’t take her eyes off of Kang. She thinks back to that night at the movies.
So they watch the movie together but he quickly falls asleep during it. Eventually, his head rests on her right shoulder. She had then made the resolution to return to Greece, somewhere where she’d never see him again. Later on, when she is leaving for her departure out of the country, Kang stops her to ask if she knows that Min Sung thinks she’s seeing another man. He then asks if it’s true. She says yes, and he goes to ask who – but then stops himself. Instead he asks if she can change her mind as Min Sung loves her very much. She replies that Min Sung is too good for her and he deserves someone better. Kang asks if she even loves Min Sung. She then replies that she’s in love with someone else.
Now, Kang judges her food as being exquisite, delightful – but also conniving and heartless. He says her French consommé is a Korean dish, gomtang but garnished and served with red wine. So she’s butchered the gomtang to turn it into consommé. She took the best components of gomtang and sacrificed it. If her gomtang was worth 80 points, then her consommé is only 30 points for him. She’s been decimated. Her brother blusters that he’ll go find him and beat him up, while she wonders where she can go now.
While on the phone with Min Sung, Kang says that he’s in China for work. Min Sung chides him for being selfish and working while his buddy is dying. Later, he shows up at her restaurant and refuses to speak anything other than Korean, to ask for something off the menu. When she sees that it’s him, she looks like she wants to run and hide. She reluctantly speaks to him and he says that he wants mandu stew. She explains that they’re at an Italian restaurant, and tells him to go to the nearby Korean restaurant. She leaves and he orders the most expensive bottle of wine, to wait for her to make him the dish. She returns to his table to tell him that she’ll make the dish for him but not during her working hours. She’ll make it after service ends. So he orders another bottle of wine and waits.
When he shows up in the kitchen later, she tells him to leave as only staff is allowed here. He asks her if she’s curious to know about how Min Sung is doing. She says she trusts that he’s doing well. He says he’s not. She loudly asks why she’s responsible for his misfortunes when they broke up over four years ago, as he should be cursing her instead. Kang says he’s canceling his order and turns to leave. But then he turns back to tell her that he’s on his deathbed and wants to eat her mandu stew one last time. That’s why he’s here like a lunatic, and he actually doesn’t want the last meal in Min Sung’s life to be made by a woman like her. His friend deserves better than that. When he goes to leave, he runs into a very angry Tae Hyun. Kang asks if he’s her boyfriend, and Tae Hyun says it’s none of his business. But then Tae Hyun starts saying he’s ruined not just Cha Young’s opportunity today but also his, as his passport has been taken away. He then demands that Kang pay for this and grabbing onto his jacket. Cha Young tries to get him to let go but he won’t. Kang remains calm and passive, so Tae Hyun starts telling him to call his mother as he won’t be able to go back for a while. Kang finally snaps and punches him in the face. Tae Hyun falls and starts fake complaining about his back.
Kang gets out of there and answers a call from Min Sung, who knows he’s not in China and asks if he’s found Cha Young. Kang says no, not yet as he’s searched all of Greece. He suggests that he give up on this dish as there are other dishes. From a distance, Cha Young overhears this phone call and realizes that she’ll have to return. She goes to her hiding spot (with a view) to gather her thoughts, and Kangs sees her on his way out but he doesn’t stop.
Back at Geosung University Hospital, Kang is late to a meeting and upon his entrance, his grandmother throws an object at him which shatters against the doorframe and piece cuts his head. She asks if he took this surgeon’s patient that day (Min Sung) and spread rumors of him pulling strings to work here following a medical malpractice elsewhere. Kang replies that it’s not a rumor but the truth. This makes his grandmother more angry and her son has to stop her from throwing things at him. His uncle tells him that he’s Minister Park, who has supported Geosung both financially and spiritually and they owe a lot to him. Minister Park plans to take legal action for intercepting the operation by force. (This entire scene sickens me, because you know there’s a whole lot of truth to how real-life hospitals are run in this world.) Kang stands there with blood dripping towards his eye as no one expresses any concern for him, as this pompous old man talks about his son needing to hand in his resignation. Kang’s aunt and uncle assure the man that they don’t want to lose such a talented doctor. Said talented doctor then taunts Kang for failing the operation as he failed to save his friend’s life. His grandmother says that it’s because he was raised by a loutish wench - from his ignorant and vulgar mother, that’s all he’s learned. I want to slap her. Kang’s eyes show anger but he only stands there and waits – his grandmother tells him to ask Minister Park and Doctor Park to forgive him. He just looks at her until she yells at him to get down on his knees and beg to be pardoned.
Cha Young arrives at Geosung Hospice but she just cries silently as she stands outside Min Sung’s room. Inside his room, Kang has brought him every type of mandu stew from the best restaurants in Seoul, which took him three hours to gather. Min Sung takes one bite and puts down his spoon. He tells Kang that he should’ve tried Cha Young’s as once you’ve had hers, you can’t eat anyone else’s. Kang tries to encourage him to eat but Min Sung says that he can’t and then turns away to sleep.
Cha Young is wandering around outside when she overhears Kang on the phone. She panics and hides her face with her shirt wrapped around her face. And when that’s not enough, she takes some woman’s basin to pull it over her head. The ajumma gets upset but she doesn’t blow her cover when she notices that she’s avoiding Kang. The ajumma then says that she’s the one she’s been waiting for, and puts her to work in the kitchen. First, Cha Young lugs a large bag of cabbages into the kitchen. Then she’s asked to peel onions, and so she peels fifty pounds of onions until it’s dark outside, and she’s been crying the entire time. The ajumma finally asks if she’s done. Cha Young softly replies that she’s done peeling them. The ajumma says, she’s asking if she’s done with her tears - as in done with crying. Cha Young just looks at her and the ajumma says one isn’t supposed to hold back tears but shed them. Cha Young tells her that she’s not the one she was waiting for. The ajumma asks who was she waiting for, as the person she’d been waiting for was here this morning. Cha Young asks then why… The ajumma asks then why did she not tell her that she wasn’t supposed to work here, as she just carried the cabbages and peeled all the onions. She then invites her to dinner at her place.
At the ajumma’s restaurant, King’s Table, she explains that volunteers at the hospice once a week. During the meal, it appears that she has forgotten that she's already brought out the rice, and she does this two times. When the ajumma turns back to ask her how many times she did this, Cha Young quickly says that she wanted to eat two bowls of rice. The phone rings and when the ajumma answers the phone, Cha Young notices that her shirt still has its price tag. The ajumma returns to tell her that a customer is coming by to eat, and she excitedly runs towards the kitchen. But then she suddenly realizes that she doesn’t remember how to make this spicy mackerel dish and just stands there fretting over it.
Kang returns to work at the hospital and finds out that he’s been barred from entering the OR, as this is the disciplinary punishment for stealing the operation. They’re organizing an official disciplinary committee as well. Kang says that he has two operations today, and his uncle explains that Joon and Dr. Jang Yong Su will be taking care of them. Joon is out of sight and eavesdropping on this conversation. Kang’s uncle then calls to yell at someone to make sure that Kang’s ID and password are deleted. Later, Kang receives the call that Min Sung isn’t eating. When he arrives at home, his housekeeper is outside waiting with his bags, as his grandmother has givens strict instructions for him to not be allowed inside the family home for a while. I hate this petty family! He calmly just asks for her to grab a box from his room. Inside the box are mementos from his childhood with mother: a photo with his mother and the fisherman and his mother’s recipe book. After his mother’s death, he had thrown out the book, but the housekeeper had known it was a treasured item of his. Kang had made the decision to no longer be a chef but to be a doctor, and a better one than Joon. So he didn’t need the book anymore and had asked for it to be thrown into the fire. He now flips through it with fondness and stops at his mother’s mandu stew recipe.
At King’s Table, Cha Young starts making the braised mackerel dish, and the ajumma finally asks what her profession is. She replies that she’s a chef, and when the dish is served, the customers rave about it. The ajumma later gives her the pay for her hours plus tips. Cha Young refuses this payment and thanks her for letting her help her and letting her cry out of her tears. When she asks where her restaurant is, Cha Young says it’s far away as it’s a restaurant in Greece. The ajumma asks what made her come all the way here then. Cha Young says that she’s here to cook for someone.
Outside the hospice, Cha Young runs into Dr. Kwon who is fishing alone at night. When she finds out that he’s the director, she asks to use the kitchen as the ajumma at King’s Table had said she could use it. He pauses to think about this and agrees for her to use it but says there’s someone in there already. And so she goes to the kitchen and sees Kang making mandu. She waits out of her sight, but eventually Kang is interrupted by a call from his uncle, demanding that he return for an emergency operation for an aneurysm rupture. If he can make him live, then he’ll let him come back. And so he leaves for the hospital.
When he returns to the hospital, Joon is the one in charge of this high-level patient normally but for today it's suddenly Kang’s responsibility. And if he doesn’t succeed, he’ll be fired. Joon tries to scrub in for the surgery, but his father stops him as he’s already made excuses for him. Joon gets upset that he’s using this as an excuse to get rid of him, and he wants to compete with him fairly. Joon asks what if Kang succeeds, then Joon will be the one who will be seen as the wimp doctor. His father allows him to go into the OR, and as means to keep him in his grandmother’s favor, he tells him to say that Kang stole his surgery from him. I truly feel sorry for both Kang and Joon. When Joon arrives, Kang tells his cousin that he should be performing the operation and he’ll be the backup. So Joon starts the surgery but doesn’t perform a bypass surgery before doing direct litigation. Kang tries to convince him otherwise, but Joon only kicks him out. Well, Joon nicks the artery and Kang returns to the OR table. Joon tries to kick him out again but Kang tells him to leave unless he wants the patient dead on the table. Kang takes over and inserts the radial artery and the patient's heartrate returns to a normal range.
Back at the hospice center, Cha Young is preparing her mandu stew while Hyun Suk checks on his sleeping son. Later, Kang makes plans to go fishing with Min Sung but he’s forced to return to the emergency room as a bus had crashed into a truck and they’re overwhelmed with patients. Min Sung is understanding about his job’s demands - saving patients and says that he’ll wait for him at their fishing spot. Cha Young brings the mandu stew to Min Sung’s fiancée and says this is per Kang’s instructions. When asked who made them, she replies that Kang made them and that he put his best effort into making them.
When Min Sung sees the stew, he doesn’t believe that Kang made this. At the first bite, he knows and can’t stop eating them as they’re the best mandu he’s had. He pauses to look out the window. Outside, a crying Cha Young says that she’s sorry. Min Sun smiles and resumes eating the stew.
After his long day at the hospital, Kang finally calls back Min Sung and leaves a message asking him to return his call. Moments later, Min Sung returns the call but it’s actually Dr. Kwon who tells him that Min Sung is dead. He waited for him at the fishing stop and he just died a moment ago. Kang goes silent with shock and anguish. T__T Back at King’s Table, Cha Young sobs as she already knows.
[Ep4] Cha Young attends Min Sung’s funeral, and his fiancée hands her a letter. He had asked for it to be given to the person who had brought the mandu stew. On her bus ride out of town, she finally reads the letter.
Cha Young –
Thanks for the dumpling stew. I just knew it. I could tell right away that you made it. You went to Greece because of Kang, didn’t you? The Peter Pan from your childhood you always talked about. Kang is that boy, isn’t he?
I happened to see that photo inside your wallet. She looks shocked as she pulls out said photo from the envelope. The two of us were out of focus, but Kang, who was smiling, looked very clear and sharp.
Kang and I are going fishing today. I’m going to tell him when I see him. That you remembered and waited for him for many years. To tell you the truth, I’ve tried to tell him a number of times, but I lost the chance to do so, being the petty-minded guy that I am.
I’m sorry. You couldn’t be with him because of me. This time, don’t let him go anywhere. Before it gets too late. I’ve learned that life is too short to waste time fooling ourselves.
I’d like to thank you one more time. Your mandu stew was the most delicious dish I’ve ever tasted in my life. Take good care of Kang. T_____T
Kang is sitting at their fishing spot without an umbrella or even bothering to cover himself even though it’s pouring out. Cha Young quietly approaches him and tells him that she made the mandu stew for him. He finally looks at her. She then says that Min Sung really enjoyed it and left. Both are crying as the heavy downpour continues. She finally turns away and slowly walks away before crouching down and sobbing. Kang hears her heartbreaking sobs and continues to quietly sob himself.
At the funeral, Min Sung’s father, Dr. Kwon texts Kang that he knows that it’s hard for him to accept Min Sung’s death, but he should give him a good send-off. So don’t make him wait for too long. Kang finally looks at the message and gets into the car and changes into a dry suit. He then sees Cha Young walking out in the rain and offers to gives her a ride. He asks where she’s going and she replies that anywhere where she can catch a taxi. He then asks if she’s returning to Greece. When she says yes, he tells her to have a safe flight back and that he hopes they never meet again. She looks at him for a moment before finally saying yes. He continues driving but he starts falling asleep at the wheel and ends up nearly driving into oncoming traffic in the opposite direction. Kang snaps back awake but continues drifting off to sleep at the wheel until he finally pulls over to sleep.
Cha Young takes a good look at him and recalls her Peter Pan.
A drunk Cha Young had told Min Sung about meeting Peter Pan only once when she was a little girl. He was her first love. She had met him again when she got older, too. But she was still so excited to see him and he made her heart flutter. Although he didn’t even recognize her. She had poured a drink and then asked him if she was a fool.
In the car, Cha Young reaches over and nearly touches his cheek but he wakes up. She stops and stares at him. And then they’re suddenly rear-ended by a truck.
Cha Young recalls being a little girl stuck under the rubble of a building collapse and begging for her mother and asking where she was. She had then asked if she was dead. A woman with a kind and soft voice answers that she’s alive. The woman is Kang’s mother who was impaled by steel rebar and stuck in a sitting position nearby. She had comforted Cha Young by saying that she was sitting nearby and that they would get out of there alive. When Cha Young stopped answering, Kang’s mother had kept calling for her - aga [baby] and pleaded with her to not give up.
After making Kang’s car spin around and once it had finally stopped, the truck just leaves the scene! An injured Kang comes to and sees that Cha Young’s head is bleeding and she’s unconscious. He drives to the nearby hospital and tells his friend that this woman needs to be examined. The fractures in her rib and right shoulder blade have caused a lung contusion. The CT scan shows significant lung damage. Kang needs a CT scan himself but he refuses. He’s going to operate on her right now, even though he’s suffering from severe injuries to his head and torso. His friend doesn’t want him to do this and tries to stop him but Kang locks himself into the exam room and staples his torso wound shut before starting the operation on Cha Young. Wow.
Elsewhere, Joon receives the call that Kang has been in an accident. Remaining unconscious, Cha Young continues reliving her moments with Kang’s mother. When the two exchanged names, Kang’s mother had said her name was Jung Su Hui. When she asked if she was scared, Cha Young had said not anymore as she was here with her. Kang’s mother suddenly started groaning from the pain of the rebar in her body. [Cha Young can’t see her.] When Cha Young said she was sleepy and tired, she had told Cha Young to reach towards her as she painstakingly handed something to her. Cha Young finally looked at the item in her hand - it was chocolate. Kang’s mother had said that her son loves chocolate and she’d bought it for her son but she didn’t think she’d make it. Cha Young had taken a bite of the chocolate and said it was good. Kang’s mother had told her even if it was hard, she needed to hold out until help arrived. She had encouraged her to eat the chocolate and get out of here alive. Cha Young had finished eating the chocolate and said yes. Suddenly more rubble rained down on them.
Kang finishes operating on her brain and wants to continue with the chest and orthopedics next. He’s struggling as he’s panting and sweating in agony. His torso wound is also bleeding out. When Joon arrives, Kang sees him and passes out finally. Joon scrubs in to operate on Kang, and he thinks about the times he’s argued with his father about how he’d beat him fair and square, and the last time they’d argued over the botched surgery that Kang had had to fix after his misjudgment. So Joon starts operating on Kang.
One Year Later.
Tae Hyun asks Cha Young if she knows who he is. She looks at him with widened eyes and asks who he is. He yells that he’s her brother and she replies that she doesn’t have any family. He starts yelling about how she has him and their mother. She says, ahjussi, she’s not feeling well, and asks to be left alone. He gets up and puts his hands on her shoulders and tells her to pull herself together. She removes his hands from her body and tells him that she’ll call the police if he continues doing this. The nurse then calls her name and she leaves to see Joon.
Joon asks how long it has been since her surgery. She replies it’s been one year. He then asks if she doesn’t remember her family. She doesn’t say anything but breaks eye contact. He’s looking at the monitor and says the MRI result seems good and the surgery was successful so he thinks it could be PTSD. When he suggests sending her to psychiatry, she says that he showed up after ten months. He didn’t call or text as he had disappeared, while his sister was hovering between life and death after a car accident. She then says that their mother ran away with him from creditors 24 years ago. She was alone when she was only 12 years old, as her mother had told her to wait in a department store and had told her she was getting her a birthday gift. And her mother hasn’t even called her all this time. He came back alone after 15 years. She asks what kind of family this is as she continues sniffling. She then tells him that she doesn’t want to talk that jerk for the rest of her life. She begs him to tell him that she has amnesia from the car accident. So sad for her but how is she so cute, too? He only sighs quietly, and she suddenly comes to her senses and tells him to pretend that he never heard this. She then tries to leave but he stops her to ask why she never asks about Dr. Lee Kang. He says that he was in the car with her, and he performed surgery on her even though he was injured. He asks if it’s because she wants nothing to do with him until she dies. She looks at him. He asks if it’s like her brother.
Today is Kang’s first day back at work, and he’s training a group of new doctors on how to draw arterial blood. A new doctor tries to draw his blood but fails as it is black. So he has the guy sit down in his place but when he tries to insert the needle into the artery, his hand starts shaking unsteadily. He quickly tells the group that one’s hand shouldn’t shake like this as it’ll lead to a mistake. When he tries to do it again and his hand shakes once again, she he plays it off like he’s nervous. He tries a third time and finally succeeds. This is very bad for a surgeon…
Cha Young is thinking of what she’d say to Kang but when she thinks about her feelings for him not subsiding, she just runs away from his office. She’s planning to return to Greece in a month’s time. She also remembers his request that he never see her again. She’s hoping to return and give her thanks when her feelings for him are gone. She makes a wish for him to stay healthy and happy.
Cha Young is recording herself for Han Sun Ae (the ajumma) from King’s Table as she’s booked her flight for Greece today. She starts recording the signature dish recipes for signature dishes that Ms. Han taught her so she can refer to them in the future: bulgogi and octopus stew. She’s interrupted by the sound of a crying child. Outside, two boys are arguing in front of Ms. Han who doesn’t remember what she told him. The younger boy is crying and yelling that she clearly told him to come by after the restaurant was closed and she’d make him banana rice cake. The older boy asks why she would make it for them, and she finally says she’s never heard of rice cake made with bananas. She says she’ll make him banana bread instead. The younger boy replies that she said rice cake and it’s his mother’s favorite as she ate more than ten pieces. She insists that she only knows how to make banana bread and then the boy starts sobbing inconsolably about her being a liar.
When Ms. Han asks Cha Young about the rice cake, she replies that she’s made one before - for Cha Young when she was unwell.
While everyone is watching Kang inside the operating theatre, his hand starts shaking when he uses the bipolar forceps, which requires fine motor skills. So he grabs onto his hand to stop it but he’s truly unable to stop the shaking, and so he pauses for an inordinate amount of time. His uncle calls in to ask what’s going on but there’s no real answer. Joon’s parents are reservedly ecstatic about calling in Joon, who actually looks concerned about Kang’s hesitation. After Joon gets into the room, Kang leaves and continues looking at his hand which won’t stop trembling. Joon starts the surgery while his smug parents look on.
Ji Yong (the little boy) is now at the ER while his sobbing older brother, Min Yong calls after him. Their grandma arrives and starts screaming to ask what Cha Young fed him. She then starts slapping at her and screaming hysterically to ask about what to do about her grandson. Kang stops the woman from continuing to beat on her and asks why she gave him rice cakes. Kang yells for security to remove the woman, and the woman screams that she’ll kill her if something bad happens to her grandson. Cha Young continues averting her face away from Kang, and so he only retrieves her shoe and sets it down next to her. Cha Young decides to change her wish to hoping that they never meet until the day they die.
Now Cha Young is screaming at Tae Hyun for being a beast. She beats on him before she finally goes and tells Ms. Han that her brother sold her fake pills for Alzheimer's. It’s actually a mixture of herbs for indigestion. I hate her brother. Ms. Han mutters it’s no wonder she never got gassy or had indigestion and just shoves the pills into her mouth. Cha Young says that he said he was scammed by someone on these but she doesn’t believe it. She then promises to return the money to her and apologizes again for her brother.
Kang is continuing to suffer from tremors and looks at his brain scan. When he sees his brain scan, he angrily leaves to confront Joon in his office. He grabs him and asks what he did to him. Joon says that he saved his life. Kang asks if he didn’t try to kill him. Joon says that he should’ve given up on Moon Cha Young as he had missed his golden time because of her. Joon says he's the one who saved him from dying that day. Kang demands to know why he didn’t remove the hematoma that day as it had nothing to do with the golden time. Joon shoves him away and says he can only blame himself as there was nothing wrong with his surgery. Kang yells why he didn’t remove the hematoma and Joon yells back the same response. Golden time/hour is a concept that critically injured patients are required to receive definitive care within 60 minutes from the occurrence of injuries, after which mortality significantly increases. Afterwards, he finds out that he’s being transferred to Geosung Hospice.
Back at the hospice, Cha Young is making banana rice cakes while Ms. Han is playing cards with the residents and Tae Hyun. The scam artist is winning but his sister shows up and demands that he hand over the card. He tries to deny this, so she yanks his arm behind his back and pulls out the one he has hidden up his sleeve. He then quietly tries to collect his winnings and leave but she trips him and lets the older women seek their revenge on him. A still alive Ji Yong wearing a hospital gown comes by to say hi to Cha Young to ask about his share of banana rice cakes. She shows them to him and while he’s eating, she asks where his brother is. He says that his brother and grandma are both embarrassed about what happened before. He wasn’t sick that day because of the banana rice cake. He says that he’s not going to die but live until 10 years of age. He’s only 8. :( A little girl interrupts them to ask what’s going on as their friends are waiting. He insists that Cha Young play with them as she’s always alone. And so she joins them for a round of hide-and-seek. One by one, Ji Yong finds all of his friends but he forgets about Cha Young and the kids leave to play freeze tag. Cha Young falls asleep in her hiding spot - the staff locker.
Kang arrives at the hospice and is greeted by Dr. Kwon, accompanied by two nurses, is happy to see him. Dr. Kwon then introduces him to the nurses, Ha Young Shil and Bae Na Ra who are eager to get an up-close viewing of the young handsome doctor.
It’s now nighttime and Cha Young is still asleep inside the closet and the construction work starts nearby. The sound of the jackhammer interrupts her slumber and triggers her memories of the building collapse from years ago. She wakes up covered in cold sweat and starts shivering and hugs her arms tightly. Suddenly, Kang opens the door which shines the bright light on her. With surprise, he asks her what she’s doing here. She doesn’t seem to recognize him and instead, she just hugs him and says that there are people down there as she gestures down behind her. She starts to beg for his help but then she suddenly passes out.
There’s a small welcoming party for Kang - of patients and nurses - but they’re singing happy birthday with a candle stuck into a stack of cakes. Ji Yong tells Kang to blow out the candle but when he goes to do it, the boy mutters that he wants to. So Kang lets him do it but Min Yong does it instead and then the brothers start bickering. Then Na Ra tells the halmeonis/ patients to introduce themselves. A cheerful woman introduces herself as Bong Yong Sun and then the woman next to her says she’s Jang Suk Ja, the first wife. Her husband had brought home the other woman when she couldn’t conceive a child. The two women appear close as Ms. Bong asks for Kang to cure Ms. Jang’s illness. Ms. Jang says he’s not here to cure any disease. Ji Yong’s friend, Ye Sol asks why he can’t cure any diseases even though he’s a doctor. Kang gets up to leave and the little girl asks about her mother, if he can’t cure her either. He finally leaves the room and when Cha Young sees him, she can only stare in shock. He wordlessly walks by her.
Joon is also at the hospice, and somewhere, he’s doing some pottery work but he’s unsatisfied with his fired pieces. Later, outside the hospital, he watches a woman in a wheelchair helped into the car by a man.
Kang goes to see his uncle to ask for reconsideration on the transfer, as he became a doctor to save lives. His aunt asks who becomes a doctor to kill lives. He replies that he’s a surgeon and his grandmother says that he’s a good-for-nothing surgeon who can’t even use his hand. She’s heard that he missed his golden time to save a woman. She then says that she overestimated him to be as good as his father, but he’s just an amateur, who can’t even take care of himself. He replies that he won’t run away like his father did. She says that he dares to climb that mountain - and he says that she’s wrong to think he’d collapse and just give up here. She then starts saying he’s brazenly stubborn just like that tramp mother of his – he roars that he’s not going to die like his mother! She then yells for the housekeeper.
A bowl of beans and an empty bowl with a pair of chopsticks have been placed on the table before him. She tells him to move the beans into the empty bowl. He hesitates but he ultimately picks up the chopsticks and struggles to keep the bean stable as his hand shakes. His aunt and uncle are smugly satisfied with his inability to do this simple task. His grandmother asks what a surgeon can do with that useless hand. She asks if he shouldn’t look for a different job, which her son and his wife quickly agree with. This entire family stinks. >_<
The woman in the wheelchair is brought to the hospice, and Dr. Kwon sniffles at the sight of her. The tearful husband hugs him before leaving and Dr. Kwon starts sniffling even louder. When Kang checks on him, he claims it’s the dust. Kang offers him a handkerchief and Dr. Kwon says that he didn’t cry. Kang says fine, it’s dust and Dr. Kwon finally accepts the handkerchief. He say that the husband was a former student of his and he even officiated their wedding. He starts bawling as he talks about what a lovely couple they are. When Dr. Kwon tears subside, he asks him if he’s okay as he’s a surgeon who belongs in the OR. Kang shows him his hand and Dr. Kwon asks if this is the hand he can’t use as he’s rubbing it. Dr. Kwon then says that Min Sung would be heartbroken by this. Kang says no, he wouldn’t as he used to hate that he was a doctor. Dr. Kwon corrects him – he used to brag about him to him all the time – that his best friend is the best NS in the country. [NS = neurosurgeon] Kang asks if he really said that. Dr. Kwon nods and Kang smiles at this.
Tae Hyun is back to his normal hijinks as he’s taking selfies with a Maserati in a parking lot with a luxury brand shopping bag. Cha Young busts him for doing this again. He gets upset with her for ruining his bag. She tells him to go back to their mother before she kills him. He replies that if he knew where she was, he wouldn’t be here. To vent her anger, she pulls up green onions but she’s interrupted by a patient, an old man, Mr. Kim, who wants to leave for jajangmyeon. She says she doesn’t have time today but Mr. Kim says he might die tomorrow. So off they go… At the restaurant, the man enjoys his noodles but she doesn’t like this dish. He teases her for being a chef who can’t even make this dish. She tries the dish and loudly says that it tastes awful and hers would be – but then she sees the owner is glaring at her. She stops and claims her eyesight is bad… so she pays for his meal and then waits outside. Afterwards, he wants to get a drink but she won’t allow it. Then he says that he forgot his hat in the restaurant, and it’s from his son. So she leaves to retrieve the hat but a motorbike driver knocks him over.
Back at the hospice, Kang tends to Mr. Kim’s wounds and asks who gave him permission to leave. Cha Young apologizes and Kang angrily asks if there is no order or system in place here as a non-medical staff member takes a patient outside the building and no one stops her. Cha Young says this won’t happen again. Mr. Kim asks if she won’t take him out for jajangmyeon again. Kang says no, and if he’s to stay under his care, then he needs to stay in the hospital. Otherwise, he’ll need to be discharged from the hospital. The man insists on being able to go out and looks beseechingly at Cha Young. When Kang leaves the room, she runs after him to beg for him to let her take him, and she’d take care of him. This is a huge medical and legal liability issue! She promises to be extra cautious. He interrupts to say that he won’t be here for long and he doesn’t care why she’s here but he’d appreciate it if she didn’t cause any trouble until he’s left this place.
A patient goes into anaphylactic shock because she ate something from the cafeteria with shellfish in it. Now, Dr. Kwon is in the kitchen yelling at Ms. Han in the kitchen and then orders her to leave. Cha Young wants to run in there but Young Shil keeps her from going in. Ms. Han offers to apologize and he asks if apologizing will be enough when she kills someone. He then says that he’s heard that she has Alzheimer’s so how can she be in charge of patients’ meals. She says that cooking is okay for her as she’s never made a mistake. He roars that she made one today and put the patient in danger. She tearfully admits that she doesn’t remember doing it. She’s tried hard to recall but she can’t remember putting shrimp into the dish. He says that’s his point as her illness is serious and she should never be cooking. He angrily leaves and on his way out, he also tells Cha Young to pack her bags to leave. The patient is having cyanosis (turning blue from inadequate oxygenation of the blood) and needs to be intubated. They’re unable to move the patient as it’s a short window to save her, so Young Shil assists Kang with this procedure right there.
Cha Young comforts Ms. Han that Kang is a good doctor who will save the patient’s life. When one of the other assistants returns, Cha Young asks her which dish the patient had and when she’s shown the dish, she samples it. She then says that they should eat before they go, and asks Ms. Han to make bibimbap with fresh ingredients. The other woman tells them to eat what they already have. Cha Young insists that Ms. Han makes her the dish.
The patient is breathing again and awake now. Meanwhile, Ms. Han has made the bibimbap that Cha Young wanted. When she tries it, Cha Young asks her if she made the dish that the patient ate. Ms. Han angrily yells that she doesn’t know as she can’t remember due to her Alzheimer's. Cha Young says that the outer leaves that the woman ate had pickled shrimp in it which is why she had an allergic reaction. She points out that she seasons the outer leaves with only soybean paste just like she did just now. The assistant interrupts to say that they should leave now. Cha Young continues that the outer leaves with salted shrimp is not what she made, which is why she can’t remember it. The assistant glares at Cha Young and asks if it wasn’t her, then who else was it. Cha Young says it’s a habit that her body remembers so she can’t easily forget or change it – unlike what the brain remembers. Ms. Han tries the two different batches, and then she tells the assistant that it’s her work. The assistant denies this. Ms. Han says the dish tastes like pickled shrimp and anchovy sauce, and she knows that she always uses anchovy sauce to season her vegetables. The assistant yells that it isn’t her, takes a bite and denies this. When Cha Young says she also tastes the anchovy sauce, the woman finally admits that she made the dish and forgot to check the list. She yells that it’s not worth the little pay, so she removes her apron and quits right then and there. Good riddance.
Ye Sol gives Kang a present for saving her mother’s life but he doesn’t accept it as he didn’t save her life but cured her allergy. The present is chocolate and he says that he doesn’t eat chocolate. Instead he asks for her candy ring as a thank you gift, which she gives to him. He then sticks it in his mouth and walks away. She thinks he’s weird.
Dr. Kwon is making himself a bowl of packaged ramyeon in his office. Meanwhile, Cha Young is making the meals by herself in the kitchen as Ms. Han only watches from the sideline. Eventually, Ms. Han helps her serve the food. The reality is that the budget for the kitchen staff keeps dwindling so they’ll need to keep on Ms. Han and Cha Young until they find their replacements.
Another day, from a distance, Joon is watching and listening to the man read to his wife. He’s interrupted by Cha Young who sees him and asks what he’s doing here. He says a patient of his got hospitalized here. He asks why she’s here, and she says that she works as a chef here. He gives one last longing glance at the woman before he turns to leave. But then he turns back around and gives a bag to Cha Young and asks for her to give it to Ms. Kim Hui Ju. She asks what it is and he says it’s something he promised to give to her. She looks inside the bag and asks if he made it himself. It’s a simple rectangular plate with his signature and there’s a simple ribbon around it. He then asks if she can let him know if she happens to pass away. She asks how he knows her. He says that she taught him how to make pottery, and was someone he liked for a long time but she has no idea. Later, Cha Young recalls their conversation and her reverie is broken by Mr. Kim who wants to leave to get jajangmyeon. She says she can’t as the new doctor hates her.
Tae Hyun is getting called out about being a fake online for his photos. Yet when Kang parks his car (ah, it’s his blue Maserati) and walks away, Tae Hyun returns to posing with the car. But he’s startled when Mr. Kim pops up behind him and asks him to take him out for jajangmyeon. Tae Hyun says no way as he doesn’t want to go to a Chinese restaurant, plus they make the worst jajangmyeon. Mr. Kim suggests he eat jjamppong instead, and Tae Hyun says that’s probably just as bad there. Tae Hyun suggests that he should eat rice instead and he’ll take him to the room. Mr. Kim whacks him with his cane and says he should eat fried rice then. Tae Hyun yelps in pain and then yells for him to come to his senses – he always eats at that place because his son told him that he’ll come pick him up if he waits for him there. T__T He continues saying that he needs to stop as he can wait all he wants but he’ll never come. He then asks if he knows why he was abandoned in the first place. Mr. Kim starts sputtering at this.
Inside, Na Ra runs up to say hi to Kang, as Dr. Kwon had asked to see if he was here as he hadn’t been answering his calls. She’s also trying to make him notice her huge hairpins. He then realizes that he’s left his phone in the car and leaves to retrieve it.
Tae Hyun continues telling Mr. Kim that he knows because his mother abandoned him, and he came back because he could at least leech off of his sister. He then says that no one would come back for a penniless old man like him as he’s told him that he’s sold everything he owned and gave the money to his children. Tae Hyun emotionally yells that he doesn’t even have any money to buy jajangmyeon for himself, plus he’s sick, so why would that asshole come back for him. Mr. Kim gets upset at him calling his son an asshole and starts beating him with his cane. Cha Young sees what’s happening and shields her brother from Mr. Kim as she receives the continued beatings instead. Suddenly Mr. Kim collapses onto the ground and Kang runs over to tend to him.
In our mini world, it seems that Ye Sol likes Min Yong, while Ji Yong likes Ye Sol. Ji Yong gets upset when Ye Sol gives the sandwich he gave to her, to his brother. She claims that she was full and he says that he was hungry when he gave her this half sandwich. He takes the sandwich from his brother and calls them both mean before running off. Min Yong runs after him and says it’s not what he thinks it is.
Mr. Kim wakes up in bed and asks Dr. Kwon about going to the restaurant. Dr. Kwon says that he had planned to do it when he woke up but the restaurant is closed today. Mr. Kim says then he’ll just take a rest and wake up later. He says if he [his son] calls, to let him know. And then he tells him to make sure to take him to the restaurant tomorrow no matter what. He insists on a pinky promise, and so Dr. Kwon abides by this. Elsewhere, Tae Hyun is going on and on about his bodily injuries. Kang finally asks him if he doesn’t recognize him from Greece. Tae Hyun starts sputtering at him but Kang asks if he’s Cha Young’s brother. A now horrified Tae Hyun protects himself with a pillow. Kang only moves towards him, to treat him - the big baby - and tells him that his sister is more injured than he is. Despite her injuries, Cha Young is in the kitchen making jajangmyeon. But when she goes to deliver it, Kang makes her wait to go in, and then Dr. Kwon comes out with reddened eyes. He tells her that he doesn’t think Mr. Kim will like this version, as he enjoyed the one he ate at the restaurant the most, where he waited for his son. He then says that he finally finished his picnic in this world and went back where he came from. Cha Young’s eyes fill with tears at this. T_T Later, Cha Young stands outside the Chinese restaurant before finally entering to talk to the owner about Mr. Kim’s hat. When the woman gives him the hat and asks about him, she replies that he went somewhere. Kang suddenly appears and asks if she’s had dinner yet. She says no and he asks if she’d like some jajangmeyon, as he grabs a table. He orders three portions. He mixes a bowl and places it in the empty spot next to her before mixing his own bowl. She just sits there and watches, so he tells her that she should mix hers before it gets soggy. She then orders a bottle of baijiu but there’s no response. Kang pours her a glass of whatever is already on the table and then one for himself and downs it before returning to his noodles. She drinks her cup of alcohol and suddenly it starts raining. In their minds, they’re having a good time with Mr. Kim who is drinking, eating and laughing.
Mr. Kim had told Dr. Kwon if his children ever show up and start crying because of him, tell them that he was fine. Tell them that the jajangmyeon tasted so good that he actually enjoyed waiting, that it completely made him forget about the sorrow he once felt because of them. Tell them to not feel sorry and that he hopes they’re happy. Tell them he completely understands and that he hopes they live a happy and harmonious life. Please tell his children that he’ll pray for them even after he dies. T__T
[Ep6] After their dinner, they go out into the pouring rain but neither have an umbrella. When the owner gives them an umbrella to share, Cha Young makes the excuse that Ms. Han needs her so she’ll go on ahead. She turns to walk away and he holds onto her arm to stop her. He says that it’s not good to get soaked in the rain so they should go together. And so they share the umbrella.
Another day, on his drive into work, Kang notices Ji Yong waiting by the side of the road with a paper sack. He eventually turns around and asks the boy why he’s here and asks if he isn’t from the hospice. The boy tries to run away from him but Kang easily catches him and holds onto his shirt. Ji Yong says he isn’t running away but waiting for his mother. Kang asks where his mother is and the boy says she got married to some guy. He then asks him to not tell his brother, and hands him a crumpled piece of paper that his brother had hidden from him. Kang opens it and says that he can’t go there all by himself. He suggests that he ask his mother to come see him, and the boy says that she doesn’t like coming to see him. :( This little boy. So Kang drives the boy back to the hospital, and the boy protests that he has to give her his gift for her birthday. He then tugs on the oversized shirt that he’s wearing and says this is a birthday present from her, so he wants to give her a gift, too. Kang tells him to go with his brother then. The boy sighs and says that his brother will tell him that he’s a crazy idiot. Kang says he can’t go in his current condition but when he’s better – Ji Yong interjects that he’s never going to get better. And he knows that. :( Kang doesn’t have anything to say to that. When he parks the car outside the hospice, Ji Yong yells that he’s not going back as he needs to see his mother. He then tells Kang that he’s mean, a dumb meanie. Suddenly he starts crying. Kang starts the car again and tells him that Gongju is three hours away and he’ll wake up when they get there.
Cha Young spends a long time making a pot of dakjuk. When she goes to deliver it to Tae Hyun, he refuses to get out of bed and still refuses to eat as he’s been down since yesterday. She asks if he’s behaving like this because he feels guilty about Mr. Kim’s death. He asks why he would feel guilty as he was terminally ill and bound to die any day. He claims that he’s angry because his Overwatch account [online gaming platform] is suspended for a month. She says it’s not his fault that he passed away. He wanted to go to heaven and eat better jajangmyeon and that’s why he passed away. So don’t beat himself up. He doesn’t say anything so she leaves the dakjuk for him. After she leaves, he yells why would he beat himself over this as he’s not an idiot like her. When he looks over at the dakjuk, his lips start quivering and then he yells about jajangmyeon in heaven. And people take advantage of her because she still believes such bullshit. He starts tearing up as he yells about how she is going to survive in this tough world. Cha Young has stopped outside and overheard all of this. Tae Hyun has a new post: a photo of jajangmyeon with the caption “I’m sorry. When you’re having jajangmyeon in heaven, ask them to put an egg on top. When we meet again, I’ll buy you a proper jajangmyeon.” Aww. He has a heart somewhere under all of that blustering.
Cha Young creates a beautiful set of cherry blossom kimbap for Kim Hui Ju with the use of Joon’s custom-made plate. Cha Young says if she didn’t get to see the cherry blossoms in the spring, she can have this kimbap instead. The woman reaches over to touch the kimbap and says she didn’t know such a thing existed and Cha Young realizes that the woman is blind. She asks her to describe it to her, and explains that she can’t really see because of her illness. Hui Ju eats a piece of kimbap and says it’s delicious. She thinks that she knows what it looks like now that she’s tasted it. Cha Young pours her a cup of tea and tells her it’s plum blossom tea. She should drink it while she eats the kimbap so she doesn’t choke on it. Hui Ju takes a sip of the tea and says it smells like plum blossoms, just as she could sell the cherry blossoms from the kimbap. Cha Young tells her to let her know if she has any cravings and she’ll make it for her. Then she tells her that Dr. Lee Joon made this beautiful plate for her. Hui Ju sets down her cup and now reaches out to feel for the plate. She then says that fool, as she’d thought he had smashed everything but she guesses he had saved one.
Joon receives a photo of the food on his plate and smiles. Then he sees the photo of a smiling Hui Ju holding the plate and his eyes tear up. He replies “Thank you, chef.” When she’d received the plate from Joon, she’d asked him why Kang was at the hospice. He’d told her because he was a surgeon who could no longer perform surgery. She had asked why he was unable to, and Joon had told her to ask him herself.
Kang arrives in Gongju with a sleeping Ji Yong next to him. When he parks the car, he sees an envelope on the floor, and so he picks it up. It’s a letter written by Ye Sol for Ji Yong who hasn’t had a chance to learn his alphabet because of his illness. Kang doesn’t read it any further and instead puts the letter away into the bag and then he wakes up Ji Yong. Ji Yong gets out of the car and runs towards the building but then he stops and waits for Kang who hands him the bag. He asks Kang if he’s coming in with him and he says yes. But then he receives a call asking for surgical advice. Jin Yong is impatient and runs inside without him.
Cha Young goes to the hospital to get an updated prescription for her medication. The nurse says that she’s heard she works in the hospice cafeteria and asks about Kang. Cha Young asks the nurse why Kang was transferred and finds out that there was something wrong with his wrist. Neurosurgeons often perform surgery for small blood vessels in the brain, so their hands are very important. However, his hand started shaking during surgery so he was removed before he could even complete it. When she returns back to the hospice, she finds a crying Min Yong, and she wonders if something happened to Ji Yong. He nods and she starts to quietly sob. But then Min Yong says that crazy idiot – he’ll kill him when he finds him. He asks for her to lend him some bus fare to look for him.
Kang walks inside the building and searches the very large place for Ji Yong. He starts panicking when he can’t find the little boy anywhere. He ends up contacting Dr. Kwon and he’s just contacted the police as he’s lost him. It’s nighttime now, and Kang talks to a woman who’s seen Ji Yong. Now she wonders if he’s the Seoul lady’s kid, as she had disappeared in the middle of washing dishes. He asks for her contact information but she doesn’t have it. She’s only heard that she lives near the Gongju Church. On his way there, he sees Cha Young and Min Yong exiting a taxi and gets their attention. Min Yong says that he has his mother’s address and Kang asks for it. He hands it over to him and then tells him that he’d promised his mother that he’d never visit her again. Cha Young looks across the street and sees Ji Yong eating at a street vendor’s stand. Min Yong runs to his brother and starts sobbing as he yells about being worried about him. Cha Young asks him if he saw his mother. He says that she gave him some money, saying he should get something nice to eat and shows them the money. She asks where his mother is and he repeats what his mother told him. His brother says she asked about where their mother was, and Ji Yong starts crying. Cha Yong asks if something happened to her. Ji Yong says that the man that lives with her started beating her up.
Kang is now giving an update to Dr. Kwon: Ji Yong’s been found but Min Yong suddenly collapsed so they’re at the hospital now. His temperature is 38.2°C, and has nausea and vomiting, so he’s on an IV right now. He’ll bring them back tonight. The brothers are laying in bed together and Min Yong tells him to stay glued to his side. They make a pinky promise on this. Kang returns to check on them, and Ji Yong pretends to be asleep. Ji Yong with his eyes still squeezed shut says he doesn’t feel sick so is he still going to scold him. Kang says they’ll see about that. Ji Yong whines to his brother, who asks for him to forgive Ji Yong. Kang asks where Cha Yong is, and she’s out to deliver the present to their mother as Ji Yong had forgotten to give her the present.
When Cha Young gets to the address, she sees a disheveled woman sitting on the steps, with her head down and sobbing. Cha Young thinks back to the day that her mother left her at the department store and quietly cries out eomma. The woman sees her and Cha Young asks her if she knows Yang Seung Hui who lives in Jangmi Townhouse. As Ji Yong has his mother’s eyes, she already knows it’s her. When she asks if she knows Ji Yong and Min Yong, the woman looks away. Cha Young sets the bag on the ground and says that this is a birthday gift from Ji Yong for his mother. She asks her if she knows their mother, to please give it to her. The woman starts shaking. Cha Young says if she ever meets Ji Yong’s mother, will she ask her if this is the happiness she got in return for abandoning her own children. The woman starts sniffling. Cha Young says if she ever meets her, to please tell her happy birthday. Then she tearfully asks if she can please ask her if she knows that today is Ji Yong’s last birthday. The woman can no longer hold back her emotions as her tears stream down her face. T___T
Kang and the boys leave the hospital just as Cha Young returns alone. Ji Yong pouts that he’s hungry and it’s his birthday. Cha Young acts like she didn’t know and then looks at her phone and says that there’s still five hours left of his birthday. So she asks what he wants to eat, and the boys list off many items. Now she picks up everything they need to fulfill the boys’ wishes – dumplings, rice balls, triangle kimbaps, spicy ramyeon, etc. She also makes sure there’s seaweed soup. Kang is pretty impressed with what she’s done in such a short amount of time. They sing happy birthday to him in the convenience store and he makes a wish but his brother blows out the candle before he does. And then they start eating.
The boys’ mother reads Ji Yong’s letter.
Eomma. Happy Birthday.
I’m really happy that you have the same birthday as me. I got the birthday gift that you sent me. It’s a little too big for me, so Grandma told me to wear it next year. Then she let me wear it as we never know what will happen next year. I’ll wear it when I go to see you.
Eomma, I miss you. I want to have a birthday party with you. My birthday gift for you is a happy sandwich. When Dad was alive, he bought it for me without telling you or Min Yong. It’s really delicious. It makes me really happy every time I eat it. He bought it because I don’t eat well and fall sick often, so I don’t want you to be upset about it. I really love you, Eomma.
Love, Ji Yong.
She’s been crying the entire time but now she starts sobbing uncontrollably as she hugs the letter to her chest now. T___T
Back at the store, Ji Yong wants to eat the tteokbokki but his brother says it’s too spicy for him as he continues eating it. Ji Yong says he’s really unlucky as his brother gets to do all the good stuff. Cha Young says no, he’s lucky to have a brother like Min Yong. Because she has a brother like Tae Hyun, and Min Yong says he’s sorry that she has him for a brother. She replies that she knows she’s the unluckiest one here. Ji Yong argues that he’s still the unluckiest as it’s his birthday and his mother isn’t here. Cha Young says she spent her birthday without her mother, too. He says he spent his last birthday in the hospital and had to get a shot, too. She counters that she goes to the hospital on her birthday every year and gets a huge IV bag. She goes to the hospital every year and never had a birthday party like this, ever since that day. Min Yong asks what’s that day. She replies that he doesn’t have to know, as it’s a horrible day that she doesn’t even want to think about even in her dreams. She changes the subject by asking what they think of the food. On their drive back later, Kang thinks about when he found her in the staff locker and how afraid she’d been.
Joon’s surgery doesn’t go well as the patient, Chairman Jo dies on the table. When his parents find out, his mother is concerned about her mother-in-law finding out, while his father is actually more concerned about Joon. Joon tells the patient’s family that he went into cardiac arrest during the surgery. The son gets angry that he didn’t save his father and starts beating on him. Joon’s father arrives and breaks it up and chides the son for touching Joon, as he was the one who saved his father and took good care of him. He then says that he’s an ungrateful bastard. The son gets angry and asks who he is to defend this jerk, and then Joon’s father hits the guy. He says this jerk is his son, and calls him a discourteous rascal. Joon’s father then says that he was too busy doing drugs in the U.S. even when his father was dying. He continues saying he’s just back for his money – and now Joon has to hold back the guy from hitting him, and Joon’s mother bites her husband’s hand to get him to stop. I have a teeny bit of respect for Joon’s father now. Teeny.
Joon’s parents are now groveling before Grandma over this mess. He says that he just lost his mind. When she starts verbally attacking his wife for failing to do her job – to keep her dumb son in line, he defends her by saying that she’s taken very good care of him. But his wife interrupts and says that it’s all her fault as she’s done wrong and she’ll make sure it won’t happen again. What is wrong with these people?! His sister points out that he humiliated the Chairman’s wife by bringing up her son’s drug issues, and she also has a nasty temper. Her brother says that the families have been close for a long time so surely she wouldn’t go that route. His sister says he’s just awoken a sleeping lion as he provoked and humiliated her in front of everyone. His wife asks her if she’s having fun as she can tell she’s enjoying this. Outside, Joon overhears what is being said. But once it returns to being about how great it would be if Kang’s father were alive - Joon leaves. Kang is waiting for him in the lobby, and says that he heard Chairman Jo passed away. Joon is very defensive and asks if he’s here to see how much of a mess he is. Kang tells him to keep this between them – if it weren’t for the doctors at this hospital, he would’ve passed away long ago. Joon asks if he’s changed his strategy. Kang says that he did see the news about Chairman Jo’s passing and that his son had punched the doctor in charge.
But he’s actually here for something personal. They’re interrupted by a nurse who he was waiting for.
Back at the hospice, Young Shil and Ms. Han alongside Ms. Jang and Ms. Bong (the legal wife and concubine pair) are watching Kim Hui Ju’s husband sweetly place a ring made of flowers on her finger. Young Shil He tells her to smell it as it smells nice. Young Shil says she’d love to have a husband like him for at least one day, and she’d even settle for a half a day. Ms. Bong says “me, too” and Ms. Jang says she’s already had her share of romance. The old man was really nice to her because she gave birth to a son. (It’s jarring for me to see Lee Moo Saeng as this sweet doting husband as I’ve recently seen him as a creepy killer in another series. lol) Ms. Han says she had an amazing husband once but she ended leaving him because she was out of her mind. Young Shil says that she must’ve a fool to let go of such a catch. Ms. Han says yes, so she should never let go of that amazing guy like she did. Young Shil says yes, but then she asks what she’s talking about. Ms. Han doesn’t answer but she leaves to check on her food in the kitchen. Young Shil is confused by what amazing man she was referring to.
When Ms. Han finds out that Dr. Kwon had instant ramyeon for a meal, she drops off a bowl of fresh gomtang in his empty office. However, she’s startled by him entering the office, just as she’s leaving. She says it tastes better when it’s warm, but he just tells her to remove it. The two then argue as he’d prefer the instant ramyeon over anything she makes. She tells him that she knows he hates food waste and begs him to eat some. He yells at her to give it to an animal or throw it away in the trash. Wow, why does he harbor such animosity towards her? She reluctantly removes the food and shuffles out of his office.
Ms. Han gives the food to Tae Hyun who eats it like someone’s going to steal it from him if he stops. She tells him to slow down or he’ll have an upset stomach. She asks why he ate so fast - is someone chasing him? He replies yes, someone was always chasing him so it’s become a habit of his now. His mother always ran away after she borrowed money. She abandoned his sister and kept him. He’s not sure how the creditors did it but they’d always chase them down. Ms. Han gently tells him to not be like that and from now on, he should get used to eating his food more slowly. He should make it a new habit or else he’ll be very sick some day. He then asks for more gomtang… as he remembers the last time he had it was in Greece. He suddenly remembers why the name Lee Kang sounds familiar to him – Cha Young’s first love. Omo. I’m afraid for her.
While on her way back from a grocery run, Cha Young overhears the news report of a building collapse – with two laborers, a woman in her sixties and a seven-year-old child who are being rescued now, and suddenly, she’s back to being in that building. She starts seeing nothing but the rubble, hearing the loud sirens and starts banging on the car windows.
Back at the hospital, Kang is asking the nurse about Cha Young’s psychiatric treatment at the hospital since 2006. He wants to know what happened to her. The nurse tells him about her being buried under the collapsed department store that day and she’d only been 12 years old. Kdramas don’t have patient privacy restrictions. Kang realizes it’s the same one his mother had been in, but Cha Young must’ve been so scared. He then drives by a woman who is vomiting on the side of the road. It’s Cha Young but he doesn’t see her face. He returns to the hospice and sees the taxi driver unloading the groceries and leaves Cha Young’s bag with Ms. Han before leaving.
Ms. Han asks Kang if he saw Cha Young on his way here. She explains that she was on her way here but she got carsick and got out of the taxi. Ms. Han opens her bag and sees that Cha Young left her wallet and phone in there. Na Ra interrupts to tell Kang that they’ve been trying to reach him as Ms. Jang has suddenly collapsed. He runs inside to check on her and Ms. Bong suddenly collapses right next to him. It’s nighttime now and Ms. Jang is awake but Ms. Bong is still unconscious but it’s only temporary shock from Ms. Jang’s condition. Ms. Jang refuses to get treatment and instead cries by Ms. Jang’s bedside.
Kang returns to his office and calls the cafeteria to see if Cha Young has returned. She hasn’t and so he drives around looking for her. Joon happens to see her walking slowly on the sidewalk and takes her back to the hospice. Kang drives past them without seeing them. Cha Young looks inside a bag and asks him if it’s for Kim Hui Ju. He says not exactly – he’s had a crappy day and he happened to see a bungeo ppang cart on his way home. He bought some but then realized he didn’t like it. However Kim Hui Ju does, and before he knew it, he was already headed this way like a lunatic. When he drops her off, she says that she’ll make sure to give it to her on his pretty plate.
Before she leaves his car, she asks him about what happened to Kang’s wrist. He pauses before asking her if Kang likes her. She’s startled by this question. Kang drives around fruitlessly looking for her before returning to the hospice. He calls someone to see if Cha Young was – but then he changes his mind and says he made a mistake. When he spots her working outside, he looks relieved to see her but he doesn’t approach her.
Now Kang has set up a makeshift memorial service for his mother on the dock. He tells her that Min Sung always helped him prepare her service but he’s not here anymore. So they’ll drink by themselves and have her favorite shrimp crackers. Cha Young finds him here as Ms. Han had told her that Kang had been looking for her. He tells her that he wanted to ask if she’d like a drink with him after work. So she goes to sit down on the mat but he says it’s his mother’s spot and points at the empty spot on the other side of him. He then grabs a cup and pours her a drink of water. When she asks if that isn’t water, he replies that she’s not feeling well. When she moves to clink her cup to his – he tells her happy birthday and then wishes her to never be sick again, especially not for her birthday. She can only look at him with tears in her eyes. He clinks his cup to hers and then downs his drink.
[Ep7] She slowly drinks her water but Tae Hyun interrupts them as he loudly calls Kang hyung. He has brought gifts of drinks and sashimi. Cha Young wonders what’s going on and then her brother starts singing. She tries to get him to stop, but he goes on and on about her Miss Korea past and her other finer points. The two start arguing with Kang in between them. She finally gets up and drags her brother away with her. When they’re alone she sniffs at his breath to see if he’s drunk but she doesn’t smell anything. She asks him what’s going on with his nonsense. He wants to know which part was nonsense. She says when he called him “brother-in-law”. He smiles and says he’s all for her ending up with her first love. She’s shocked that he knows and begs him to stop. She shoves him towards home but he won’t leave until she offers to pay for the sashimi plus an extra 50,000 won. He starts yelling hyung again and so she covers his mouth and says it’ll be 100,000 won. He then starts trilling hyung and so she covers his mouth again and says make it ten times that amount. I want to shin kick her brother. When Cha Young returns to Kang’s spot - he’s gone as well as everything he’d set out.
[Ep8] Cha Young sees Kang and thinks about each of their past exchanges. She doesn’t remember when her heart started to flutter for him nor does she remember when the thought of him and the memories they shared started to fill her days. She can’t remember exactly when her feelings for him started to grow.
In Ji Yong’s honor, Cha Young makes a spaceship shaped chocolate cake with a star-filled background. She places a card on the cake: “Thank you, Iron Ranger Number Three.” She tears up as she places the final piece – the Iron Ranger in its seat. Meanwhile, Kang is looking at the stars and imagines a spaceship taking off up above. He tells Ji Yong to not get lost and have a safe trip home. They’ll do their best to keep Earth safe without him. Goodbye, Iron Ranger Number Three. T_____T
Ji Yong and Min Yong’s mother arrives at the hospice and starts sobbing the minute she sees the sign on the building.
The next morning, Dr. Kwon finds Kang asleep in a chair. When he sees the empty bottles, he says one for his mother and two for him? Kang is surprised that he remembers. Dr. Kwon admits that he does get the dates mixed with for his wife’s death anniversary but never his mother’s. Dr. Kwon continues that even when such a huge accident takes place, everyone quickly forgets about it, unless it happened to them. No one reflects on it, nor does anyone try to prevent it. One has to remember what happened to reflect on it, which one must do to be able to protect those who are alive. He then takes him to get some hangover soup – it’s packaged gomtang. Kang says he’s going to wash up now.
Cha Young and Ms. Han are going through the dried sweet potatoes and Ms. Han asks if these are her favorite. Cha Young says that the first time she saw these, she was starving as she hadn’t had anything to eat to prepare for a kids’ acting audition. Ms. Han says nothing tastes better than what you eat when you’re starving. Cha Young replies “But the ones that cows eat tasted a little better than the ones we eat.” Kang is listening from nearby. Ms. Han asks what she is talking about as people in Tongyeon, Gyeongsangnam-do make porridge with this and it’s so good. Cha Young smiles and says that she’s had it, bbaeddaegijuk. Ms. Han says the people on the islands of Jeolla-do even make noodles and sujebi (hand torn noodles) with dried sweet potatoes. Cha Young is surprised by this and Ms. Han says that people used to make it back when grains were considered expensive, so you rarely see people eating it these days. She then offers to make her some and asks if she’d like to try it. Kang slowly walks over to them and asks if he could have a bowl of those noodles.
In the kitchen, Cha Young watches Ms. Han make these noodles as she grinds up the dried sweet potatoes. While waiting in the cafeteria, Kang fondly remembers watching his mother make these noodles and its broth from scratch. When Cha Young drops off the noodles, he asks where hers is, and she says she’s going to eat in the kitchen with Ms. Han. He digs in, and then Cha Young tells him that her brother was drunk and spewing nonsense last night so just ignore it. Kang says he didn’t seem drunk. She says he was very drunk, and even when he’s drunk, he seems sober. While she’s trying to come up with more excuses, he asks if it’s him asking him to be his brother-in-law that’s making her go on and on about this. She presses her lips together and just widens her eyes at him. He said that he’s erased it from his head right away as it didn’t even deserve to be ignored so she doesn’t need to explain. Oof. Cold. As she’s leaving, he receives a call and then asks Cha Young to take care of the food and to tell Ms. Han that he enjoyed it.
Ye Sol’s father is packing up his wife’s belongings as he wants her to go to another place. His wife says that the other place is more expensive. Her husband says it doesn’t matter how much it costs as Dr. Jo promised to cure her. When Kang asks who Dr. Jo is, Young Shil quietly tells him it’s someone in Mount Gyeryong who specializes in alternative medicine. She then mouths the words that she thinks he’s a quack. Kang tells husband and wife that she can’t be cured… and he’s likely not a licensed doctor. So he’ll put her through hell and waste their money. The husband argues that he’s sure he’s better than him, as he’s not even doing anything. All they do is give her morphine when she’s in pain. Are they just waiting for her to die? He asks how they can call themselves doctors. He then says he’s heard that he’s saved many lives at the hospital, yet he’s not doing anything for his wife. Dr. Kwon interrupts this tirade and apologizes for not doing anything. They won’t stop him, so do as he wishes. The man continues packing and Kang turns to leave and is met with a crying Ye Sol.
At the hospital, Joon’s parents are angry and not speaking to each other but lobbing insults at each other and Joon has to be their interpreter because his mother is speaking in French only. His mother says that the news will release this soon: 43 years ago, his father’s false admission to the university. This conversation goes nowhere. Then Joon receives a call from Kim Hui Ju and leaves to answer it in private. She tells him that she got his number from Cha Young, but she really can’t see and one of the kids dialed it for her. She says that she knows he’s busy but to come by and see her sometime. Joon thinks back to when he was in high school and he’d secretly watched her at the pottery wheel. One day, she had finally said something to him and told him to learn to do it. He had told her that he was too busy with studying but then had asked to stay and watch her instead. Ah, his first crush.
Cha Young is slowly opening clam shells as she thinks about Kang’s last dismissive words. She flails as she’s mortified by this but then she manages to cut herself. Suddenly a woman, Ji Yong and Min Yong’s mother, shows up and starts doing it quickly. She tells her to get a bandage on it. In his office, Kang is looking at his hand but then he’s interrupted by a knock on the door. A little astronaut opens the door and when they remove the visor, Ji Yong’s little face is revealed. He asks if Ye Sol’s mother really left the hospital. Kang says yes. Then Ji Yong asks if Ye Sol really isn’t returning then. He says yes. And the little boy says gosh, she didn’t even say goodbye. Kang asks where he got this costume and Ji Yong says his mother did, and she’s coming to live with them. Kang says that’s good. Ji Yong says now that he has his helmet and spacesuit, all he needs is a spaceship. Kang asks about the spaceship. Ji Yong says he won’t go to heaven, instead he’s going to space. He then takes off his backpack and gives his sandwich (obvious PPL but I won’t say it) to Kang. He says that Cha Young got it for him this morning but he can eat it. Kang asks if she didn’t get it for him. Ji Young says now that his mother is coming and he has his spacesuit, he doesn’t need it. He’s happy already. Kang asks if he looks unhappy to him, and the boy pauses before saying yes, a little. Kang thanks him and eventually he takes a bite of it. He thinks back to his happy days at his mother’s restaurant and when he fed a little girl who was so grateful to eat. He had wanted to make her the chocolate sha sha because she seemed a bit unhappy, which can make anyone happy. Kang continues eating his sandwich but…
Young Shil goes to see Dr. Kwon in her hanbok, who tells her that she doesn’t look good in it. And he chides her for doing this as she’s a nurse who is still on duty. She explains that Ms. Bong had given it to her. She’s wearing it as Ye Sol’s mother just left and everyone’s feeling uneasy and so she wanted to lift the mood with it. She then suggests that he wear it and starts untying the dress as he has a pretty face like a girl’s. He quickly turns his back to her and starts yelling at her for undressing in his office - but she’s wearing her uniform underneath it. She walks up closer to him and teases him for being so shy… as he’s even seen her get diapers changed when she was a baby. He asks if she has a death wish as he’s had enough of this. She says yes, and then throws the outside layer over his shoulder and continues getting undressed. She says that when her brother changed her diaper, he saw the whole thing. She continues throwing the inner layers over his shoulder as she says that he said that he’s never fantasized about her and could never see her as a woman. She then grabs him by the shoulders and tells him to look at her, just turn around and look at her. She starts yelling that she’s a woman, too as she spins him around but he’s covered his eyes with his hands. She insists that he look and he reluctantly peeks through his fingers and sees that she’s wearing her nurse’s uniform. XD These two are the pairing I need in another series! She asks what he thinks he’d see as she finishes buttoning her uniform. He says that he does have a bone to pick with her – he’s her brother’s friend and seven years her senior. She says that her brother told her to talk down to him, that way they can be more intimate and pats his shoulder. He brushes her hand off of him and says there’s a more important matter – why does she keep saying he’s pretty. She replies that he is. Ms. Han is outside eavesdropping on this conversation. He asks her what’s wrong with her eyes, and she points out his eyes, nose, lips…and then says everything else. She then says that cute guys are such assholes, and then she puts the hanbok on him and says he’s very pretty. She starts laughing at him. Ms. Han turns around and leaves with her tray of food.
Elsewhere, Ms. Bong quietly gives a set of women’s clothes and a pair of women’s shoes to Tae Hyun. He asks what this is for and she says for him to wear. He says that he’s clearly a man so… She says she didn’t take it from anyone - not Ms. Jang, not her son, etc. He doesn’t believe her and thinks she took them from Ms. Jang and says he’s disappointed in her. She continues saying that she didn’t steal them and then runs aways even though she’s barefooted. Tae Hyun knows that the son brought them for her and her only, which causes conflict between the two women.
Cha Young does Kim Hui Ju’s make up before her meeting with Joon. She wanted to look nice before her first meeting with him since her marriage. When Cha Young is done, she says she looks better without it. Kim Hui Ju says she didn’t want to look like a patient. Cha Young says she doesn’t look sick. Kim Hui Ju then asks her to select an outfit for her, one that looks like she’s going on a trip, if she were to leave today. She then says that she wants a date with a view, so she wants to meet him by the lake instead of the stuffy lounge. Cha Young takes her to this lake and together they wait for Joon. Kim Hui Ju thanks her for this and for her food. When she had eaten her food she had the strangest experience. She felt like the food comforted and embraced her as she realized that she had had a good life. She will leave this place feeling warm and full for a long time. When Joon arrives with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, Cha Young gives them their privacy.
Kim Hui Ju sniffs and touches the flowers with her hands. Joon says that he’s brought her the wrong bouquet as she probably would’ve preferred a bouquet of cash. She gives a light laugh and asks if he knows how much more she ate because of the plate he made. He says that he’s heard that Cha Young is a good cook. She says that she hasn’t had a meal that good in her whole life, and he should try it, too. She then tells him that she’s sorry. He asks for what. She says, for everything and for ignoring his feelings. She continues that he’s lucky enough to not end up with her. Her husband only went through a hard time because he married her. He led a difficult life because he was always busy taking care of his sick wife. She asks why he isn’t saying anything. He says that the fact that she knew how he felt is embarrassing and hurts his pride. She says that she’s sorry. He says hearing her apologize makes it even worse. She says she’s sorry and then she starts rubbing her arm as she’s cold. He removes his jacket and places it around her shoulders, and she says it’s okay as her husband will be here soon. She thanks him and apologizes again. She wishes that he meets someone healthy and kind, and that he lives a long and happy life. His eyes fill up with tears but he doesn’t say anything.
Cha Young pulls up some green onions and thinks about Kim Min Hui’s words about leaving today and stops what she’s doing. Joon is now walking alone on the road and he’s wearing his jacket. But he stops and looks behind him. At this moment, Na Ra runs into Kang’s office and says that she just found this bottle under Kim Hui Ju’s bed. It’s filled with sleeping pills, and she’s worried that she’s going to commit suicide. He asks where she is now.
Out by the lake, the wheelchair is empty as Kim Hui Ju has gotten up and is walking towards the lake. But there are so many rocks before the shoreline and she’s unable to see. Everyone at the hospice is looking for her. Cha Young is running back towards the lake. Outside, Kang calls Kim Hui Ju’s name and is spotted by Joon, who asks why he’s looking for her. Cha Young finally gets to the lake but Kim Hui Ju is already deep into the water. Cha Young runs in to pull her out as Kang finally arrives after following Kim Hui Ju’s trail of discarded clothes. Kang spots the two women and dives in to help pull Kim Hui Ju to safety. Joon arrives and stands at the shoreline and watches Kang lift her motionless body in his arms. On the shoreline, Kang starts chest compressions as Cha Young sobs in anguish. Joon can only stand and continue watching.
Kim Hui Ju is alive but with a low body temp and low blood pressure. Her husband who is away in Jeju for a conference has been contacted and he’ll be here as soon as he books a ticket. Dr. Kwon is grateful that Cha Young was there to save her. A freezing Cha Young is now in the kitchen, and Ms. Han gets her blankets and then gives her a good scolding for caring so much. She asks why she’d go into the water like that as it was dangerous. Cha Young says that a long time ago she survived because people tried to help her regardless of how dangerous it was. She then gasps as she thinks about Joon. Joon is standing outside Kim Hui Ju’s room and Kang tells him that she’s regained her consciousness just now. Joon doesn’t say anything but his red eyes are brimmed with tears.
Joon quietly walks into her room and stands there without saying anything. She hears him, and thinks it’s her husband and so she says that she’s sorry for startling him, as she just didn’t want to burden him. She says that he gave up going abroad as an exchange professor because of her. He gave up everything he wanted. She’s going to die anyway so she just thought she could die quicker. She wanted to set him free as quickly as she could. Joon says that’s impressive as he’s touched. She asks who it is, and then says “Joon”. He says that he didn’t get to say goodbye to her for the last time, and so he came to say goodbye for good. She looks embarrassed. He tells her that he regrets ever liking her. And even if he hears about her death, he’s not going to her funeral. He says he’s not going to cry, even though his eyes are so full of tears now. He then says if she’s going to end her life this way, she doesn’t even deserve to be born again as anything. Kim Hui Ju’s eyes fill with tears at this. He then says bye and then leaves and closes the door. She starts sobbing.
Ms. Han makes soup for Cha Young, who is now wearing dry clothes. As Cha Young drinks the soup, she feels warmed at the thought of Kang running in to save Kim Hui Ju. She then goes to see Kang but he’s not in his office. She overhears Dr. Kwon and Young Shil asking why Kang didn’t get an IV drip, too. She wonders where he is as his car is still in the lot. Dr. Kwon isn’t sure why he would but then Young Shil says he went into the water to save both Cha Young and Kim Hui Ju. And so Cha Young goes outside looking for him and doesn’t find him but he sees her as he’s standing on the rooftop. Min Yong interrupts to ask him what he’s doing here as Cha Young is looking for him. When he goes to call her, Kang tells him not to, as he’s wondering what this is. He asks what he means. Kang replies that someone keeps bothering him. Min Yong asks who he means. Kang says he wishes to avoid her but she makes him feel worried and he can’t get her out of his head. He asks what he thinks this is, and Min Yong says the Zika virus. So Kang asks what he needs to do. He says he should get a vaccination. And if he already has it, he should get it treated. Kang asks how he can get it treated and Min Yong says he needs to exterminate the virus first. But then Min Yong asks why he is asking him as he’s the doctor. XD Kang says he's right as he is the doctor.
Cha Young waits by Kang’s car and he asks her what she’s doing standing by his car. She says that she couldn’t find him anywhere. He asks why she’s looking for him. She says that she’s worried about him as she’s heard he’s sick. He tells her that he’s fine and then goes to open the door. He offers to give her a ride and she says no, as her brother’s coming to pick her up. He gets in and drives away but he can’t help but look at her in his mirrors. Kang Ho thinks about the time he’d gone to look for her in Greece. And then how she’d told him that she’d made Min Sung the mandu stew and how he’d enjoyed it. And how he’s been bothered by her over and over… He tells Min Sung that he’s once again lost.
Tae Hyun is daydreaming of having Kang as his rich brother-in-law. Meanwhile, he lists Ms. Bong’s shoes for sale, claiming that he’d given them to his girlfriend who had dumped him. Ms. Jang is pitching a fit and wants Ms. Bong to bring her the shoes and hanbok from her son. Na Ra turns out to be the buyer for these shoes, and she quickly calls someone. Tae Hyun flings them at her and runs away. Now Young Shil tells Tae Hyun that Ms. Bong said that she had told him that stole them from Ms. Jang. He denies this now, but she knows that he knew and still posted them for sale. Apparently this set was intended for Ms. Jang, and she wants him to return everything to her now. And then she says quietly to not tell her about Ms. Bong stealing them. Tae Hyun loudly says he didn’t get them from her and this is a sting operation on an innocent civilian. Ha. He says if they do this again, he’ll sue her. Young Shil tells him to give her the shoes and she’ll buy him stir-fried octopus. He looks at her and then moves to walk away. She then says, the one on an iron griddle, fresh octopus and not frozen.
Joon is at the shuttered pottery workshop and looking at everything that’s covered in dust now. He thinks back about his last exchange with Kim Hui Ju and then locks up the workshop before leaving. He then throws away the key. He receives an update from Cha Young showing him the fish that she made and that Kim Hui Ju had only eaten half of it and to not worry. He replies that he’s not worried as she has nothing to do with him now, and to throw out the plate he gave her. He finally thanks her for everything. Cha Young replies back: “Later on when you no longer regret falling for Hui Ju, please stop by our cafeteria. If I’m still working here, I’ll make you a warm bowl of rice and delicious doenjang stew. He angrily gets into his car yet his eyes are filled with tears.
Ms. Bong tells Cha Young that Ms. Jang won’t eat because she’s mad at her. Cha Young says for dinner, she’ll make doenjang stew with snails, which she loves. Ms. Bong asks her to make rice cakes with raspberries as those are her favorite, too. Ms. Bong then says that she’ll go pick raspberries right now. And so she heads up the mountain with Cha Young not far behind. While they’re picking berries, Ms. Bong suddenly gets bitten by a snake. Cha Young calls for emergency help but the call drops out and so she starts running around to get a better signal and ends up slipping and rolling down the side of the mountain. Omo, why is she always in danger?!
In the kitchen, Ms. Han wonders where Cha Young is as it’s nearly dinnertime. Ms. Bong returns to the hospice while being carried on a man’s back. While receiving medical attention from Dr. Kwon, she says that she said she’d go get someone. Ms. Bong sobs as she said that she told her to wait there. Dr. Kwon asks who she’s talking about and they realize that Cha Young is still up on that mountain in the dark. Ms. Bong shows Ms. Jang the mushy raspberries that she picked for her. Ms. Jang says if the son asks for her [Ms. Bong] to live with him, don’t say anything and just do it. Ms. Jang tells her that the son doesn’t dislike her, but is actually very fond of her. It’s just that he doesn’t know it yet. She and the son don’t share a drop of blood but he’s still so sweet to her. So why would he hate his own mother who gave birth to him? Ms. Jang admits that she was mean to her in the past, and she was jealous as all first wives are. Yet she still stayed glued to her and followed her everywhere, as she has a heart of gold. Ms. Jang says everyone thinks the wife and mistress would hate each other and fight all the time but it was never like that. Both women are crying now. Because of Ms. Bong’s heart of gold, they’ve proven the prejudice was wrong. She then says in their next lives, they should meet as something else. Perhaps as sisters. Or if they’re born as man and woman, they could get married. In their next lives, she’ll do all the things she couldn’t do for her in this lifetime. She admits that she’ll be a lot more affectionate towards her. A sobbing Ms. Bong agrees to meet again no matter what. T_____T
Meanwhile, Kang is desperately trying to locate Cha Young by himself. Why isn’t there anyone else with him? He finally finds her still laying on the side of the mountain and calls her name until her eyes flutter open. Kang carries her down the mountain on his back. He then tends to her wounds, even wrapping up her injured left ankle. He insists that she needs x-rays and she says that it doesn’t hurt at all. So he asks her to start walking on it now and she can barely stand and put weight on it. He starts yelling at her for not taking his advice and then he rages on about how worried he was as he was looking for her. He finally stops to calmly say that she can do whatever she wants before leaving her alone.
Kim Hui Ju’s husband tells Kang that she’s been vomiting but everything else appears okay. However when Kang checks her eyes, he’s concerned about what he sees. But her husband tells him to stop for now as she’s not feeling the greatest and just needs some rest. Kang leaves and asks to see Kim Hui Ju’s medical records.
Cha Young makes this beautiful steamed raspberry rice cake with a jelly layer for Ms. Jang’s passing. She presents it to Ms. Bong, who comments that the cake is still warm, and then asks her if she’ll be warmed from inside her grave with this. Ms. Bong then thanks her for picking the raspberries for her and that Ms. Jang had told her that she thought she wouldn’t get to eat raspberries this year. Later, Cha Young heartbrokenly sobs on the rooftop by the clothesline. But she’s not as alone as she thinks as Kang watches silently from nearby. When she’s done crying, she puts the towels back on the line and finally notices Kang standing there. He asks if she’s done crying. She asks him when he came by and he replies since before she came. She’s awkwardly quiet. He asks if it’s due to the pain and if she fell down the mountain again as he walks away from her. She thanks him and he says she’s said that 37 times already. He walks back and asks if she’s returning back to Greece. She says she will. He asks when and she says soon. He says if she’s leaving, then she should go soon as this job doesn’t seem to suit her. She doesn’t say anything to this and just sniffles as he walks away finally.
He replays their conversation in his head and then sighs. He then meets with Kim Hui Ju’s doctor to discuss her medical history. The doctor says that the patient is her colleague’s wife so she knows her personally. He knows that she had surgery for acute hydro [Hydrocephalus is the buildup of fluid in the cavities (ventricles) deep within the brain]. He wants to know why she didn’t receive the secondary surgery for craniopharyngioma [benign brain tumor]. The doctor says she did remove the tumor during the first operation but some parts in her cranial nerves and hypothalamus show serious tumor adhesion so it was impossible to remove it 100 percent. The recurrence of the remaining tumor led to an acute hydrocephalus. But considering the endocrine control and other circumstances, they had to give up the secondary operation. He asks her to elaborate on the circumstances that made them give up the second operation. She asks why she needs to explain it as even the patient’s husband agreed with her. He doesn’t understand how her husband was entirely convinced to give up his wife’s surgery. He tells her to convince him now. He says that once the hydro is fixed, she could’ve used a shunt to solve all the issues at once. And the hypothalamic damage could’ve been treated with another operation.
She asks if he’s trying to say that she’s an incompetent doctor. He smiles and asks if that’s how it sounds. She says that she needs to perform an operation and needs to go. She gets up and leaves and he says that he’s saying this is an accessory to murder. She turns back to give him a scared look.
Now this doctor is running around to a more secluded area to call someone she calls jagiya and asks what they should do now as she thinks he knows everything. Kim Hui Ju’s husband reassures her that it’s okay and it will be all right. Omo. I knew it had to be too good to trust this actor. He then asks for them to meet right now. She runs out of the hospital and he picks her up but they’re stopped by the police. The police are taking them in for questioning on attempted murder.
Cha Young makes a beautiful dish of stuffed lotus root slices on Joon’s dish for Kim Hui Ju. But when she goes to deliver it, Kim Hui Ju is screaming in agony as Dr. Kwon and Young Shil quickly try to administer the pain medication. Cha Young leaves to return to the kitchen and comes upon a woman who is crouched down on the ground and seems to be crying. Ms. Han comes out with a glass of milk for the woman as she had found the kimchi stew to be too spicy. Cha Young asks Ms. Han if she’s the mother of the son who came from New York. Ms. Han says yes as she made kimchi jjigae with pork. But if it’s not pork, is it anchovy or pike mackerel? Cha Young asks what she’s talking about.
Ms. Han returns to making more kimchi jjigae and tells Cha Young that his name is Michael and he was adopted from Korea to the U.S. when he was seven. He recently found out that he was terminally ill. He wants to finish his life with his free will, so he’s refused life-prolonging medical treatment. He wanted to have the kimchi jjigae his birth mother made when he was little, one last time before he died so his foster mother brought him to Korea. T_T Ms. Han thinks it’s amazing that he can remember what he had when he was seven. I have vivid memories of my father’s tangyuan at four years of age. Cha Young hesitates but she finally tells Ms. Han that she’s going to return to Greece. Ms. Han replies that she was going to let her go anyway as she may fall sick if she stays here any longer. Then she admits that she got lost on her way here yesterday, and she forgot to come here and went to King’s Table instead. She doesn’t think she can work here anymore. Cha Young looks shocked and saddened by this. Ms. Han says after making kimchi jjigae for Michael, they can quit together. Cha Young sighs.
Joon’s mother, Yoon Hye Mi, barges into Lee Seung Hoon’s (her husband) office demanding to know if he’s seen the news about a “Dr. L’s” false admission to medical school. She asks why he decided to mess with them, and he quickly grabs her hand and asks what to do now. She jerks her hand away and screams at him to let go of her. Kang’s grandmother is telling two men that she’ll have him resign, but she’s told that won’t solve the problem as he should resign as a director as well. Grandma says that she had to use her own money to save the hospital from bankruptcy 40 years ago. The man replies if she wanted to save it then she was supposed to run it the right way. He doesn’t want the Lee family running this hospital anymore and all the directors agree on this point. Her daughter, Lee Seo Hoon argues tells her uncle that it’s not true that all the directors do as her brother and his wife didn’t. She then asks the man if he’s the one who tipped off the news outlet. The man replies that daughters are strangers after marriage, so this is none of her business. Omo. She replies that she signed her divorce papers yesterday so she’s no stranger here. She says that she can tell that he’s trying to kick her brother out of this hospital and trying to take it back by placing his own kids in the post of director. She then asks if they know why her father killed himself – they’d conspired and slandered him to take this hospital from him. Grandma tells her to stop saying such reckless things. She says they’ll protect Geosung as her grandchildren, Joon and Kang who are way smarter than his kids will protect it no matter what. She then yells at them to leave.
Joon’s mother is outside begging for forgiveness but then she receives a call about someone mentioning her husband’s actual name in a comment. She then screams about why they would answer a reporter’s call but then she changes her tactics. She says they need to answer all of their calls and tell them everything that could promote the hospital including the staffs’ community service and donations made. She also wants them to find a trustworthy marketing firm to get rid of the hospital and director’s name from the most-searched list.
Kang is now at the police station as Joon assaulted Kim Hui Ju’s husband after his investigation, which was in front of everyone including the cops. The husband is filing a lawsuit for assault against him.
Kang returns to the hospice as Kim Hui Ju is being taken to another hospital for surgery. Young Shil says that she hopes her surgery goes well, and that she’s better when they meet again. Once the ambulance pulls away, Dr. Kwon lets out his tears. When he goes to smoke a cigarette, Kang takes it away and says that he thought he’d quit. Dr. Kwon says that he picked it back up today so give it back to him. Kang refuses to and Dr. Kwon asks how he could conspire with his mistress to do such a thing to his wife. He can’t believe that jerk used to be his student and he’d better not run into him, as he’ll kill him the moment he sees him. He then pulls out the pack of cigarettes and tries to pull out one but Kang takes it away from him. Dr. Kwon angrily screams why he keeps taking what doesn’t belong to him. Kang softly says if he wants to kill that bastard, he needs to be healthy and then walks away with the cigarettes. Dr. Kwon thanks him as he was so close to unknowingly helping their crazy plan. He was able to avoid being part of a big sin. He thanks him for saving him. Kang Ho only stops to nod and then keeps walking away.
In the kitchen, Cha Young places Joon’s plate high up on a shelf. Ji Yong shows up in his spacesuit to tell her a big secret and makes her swear to keep it a secret. He’s the Iron Ranger Number Three and the sparkling thing in the night sky is a signal that’s being sent from his home planet, Iron 130. She asks what kind of signals are they and he replies that they’re telling him to come back because keeping peace on Earth seems to be a difficult job. She suggests that he tell them that he’ll stay for a while longer as he has his mother, grandmother and older brother here. Tell them he’ll return after he spends a long time here with his family. He says he wants to but there are rules so he can’t. He needs to quickly go back but he’s still here and that’s why he keeps getting sick. This boy. T__T He needs to go as soon as the spaceship arrives but he needs to keep peace on Earth in the meantime.
Kang goes to the rooftop to smoke a cigarette but he turns around to hide when he sees Cha Young looking at the stars with Min Yong. She points out one to the boy and says this is Iron 130, where Ji Yong is from. The boy angrily asks if she really believes that as it’s all a load of crap. She asks if he doesn’t believe him. He says no as he believes this because of a lie their father told them. Back when he was young, he caused so much trouble and never listened to their parents. That’s why their father made up the lie: “You’re from outer space, to maintain peace on Earth. But you won’t even listen to your parents.” And after that, Ji Yong came to his senses and became a nice kid. Cha Young says she doesn’t think he lied as she really thinks that Ji Yong might really be a space warrior from outer space. Min Yong tells her, noona, to not say stuff like that as they’ll think she’s crazy. He then says to keep this story between the two of them. Cha Young looks up at the sky full of stars and then makes a wish: That the spaceship Ji Yong is waiting for will get lost and end up coming here really late after 100 years, and tears drip from her face. Min Yong doesn’t say anything.
Lee Seung Hoon picks up Joon from the police station and gives him a block of tofu to eat. Joon ignores the block as his father says that their family gets unlucky every ten years. And this happens to be the tenth year so it’s fate. Joon starts tearing up and his father asks why he’s not eating as he even got himself a parking ticket to buy it. His father then says they’re not going home, they’re going to a hotel as his wife doesn’t want to see either one of them for a while. Joon remains silent as his father continues chiding him for hitting someone instead of using his words. But then he realizes that he must’ve deserved it as this isn’t like him at all. Then he asks if he stole his girlfriend or something. Joon then receives a call from Kim Hui Ju which he finally answers. She says that she’s going to get surgery soon and she apologizes for everything. She says that she hopes they’ll meet next time and hangs up. Joon remains silent even as his father is chattering about his mother.
Kang is rushing to the hospice in his car and Cha Young is trying to get there on her bike as well. When Kang arrives, from outside the room, Min Yong tearfully asks if he could save his brother as there’s still so much he wants to do with him. Kang just gives him a pat on the shoulder and then joins Dr. Kwon and Young Shil inside. Dr. Kwon is telling a very pale and blue-tinged Ji Yong to look at his mother but he’s staring up at the ceiling. Young Shil quietly tells Kang that she thinks he’s showing symptoms of delirium. Ji Yong’s mother asks for him to look at her but he continues staring up at the ceiling without uttering a single word. Cha Young arrives to hug Min Yong and watch from outside the room. Kang finally asks Ji Yong what they are saying from his planet. He asks if they want him to come back. Ji Yong turns his head and looks at him. Kang walks closer and asks what he wants – does he also want to go back? Ji Yong struggles to nod. Everyone sobs at this. Kang tells him that he doesn’t think the spaceship has arrived yet. Ji Yong starts to speak in a very weak voice and Kang gets down on his knees right beside his bed, so he can hear him. Ji Yong says very softly that he couldn’t finish his mission. Kang asks him what mission that is. Ji Yong says maintaining peace on Earth. Everyone sobs even harder at this. Ji Yong starts convulsing and Kang gets up to let Young Shil talk to him. She tells him that he has no idea how peaceful Earth has become because of him. Because of him his grandmother’s back has been cured and his mother has finally returned. His mother gives a heartbroken sob at this. Young Shil says that his grandmother forgave her and they have made up with each other. And he’s brought so much joy to everyone who works here, and he’s their mascot, a mascot of happiness. He has no idea how grateful they are. Ji Yong turns his head and seems to telepathically ask Kang if what she’s saying is true. Kang nods yes with a small smile. Then Ji Yong passes. T_______T His mother sobs in agony as his brother calls his name from outside.
In Ji Yong’s honor, Cha Young makes a spaceship shaped chocolate cake with a star-filled background. She places a card on the cake: “Thank you, Iron Ranger Number Three.” She tears up as she places the final piece – the Iron Ranger in its seat. Meanwhile, Kang is looking at the stars and imagines a spaceship taking off up above. He tells Ji Yong to not get lost and have a safe trip home. They’ll do their best to keep Earth safe without him. Goodbye, Iron Ranger Number Three. T_____T
[Ep9] Summer of 1995. Grandma and the family are having a meal with the baseball game on the TV. The scrolling marquee reads “Samjung Department Store Collapses Over 100 People Buried” and then it changes to the footage of this tragedy. Elsewhere, Kang Ho is watching the news coverage with tears streaming down his face as he listens to the names. The death toll is at 97 right now, with 922 injured and still climbing for both counts. However there were between 100 to 400 in basement level one at the time of the collapse… Kang continues crying as he waits to hear his mother’s name.
Later he tells his grandmother that his mother is under the collapsed department store. She ignores him and asks for the servant to get her coffee. He begs her to save his mother’s life and she says nothing. His uncle tells him that the rescue workers are doing their best, and he’s already told him to wait just a little longer. His aunt tells him the same thing – to count on the workers to rescue his mother and just eat something as it’s already been a day since he’s eaten. He tearfully asks if she’s enjoying their barbeque. She cheerfully says yes and then asks the housekeeper to get him some food. He tearfully asks how they can expect him to eat as his mother must be stuck in the dark, without even a sip of water to drink. He keeps thinking about that and he just can’t eat. His grandmother coldly tells him not to eat if he doesn’t want to eat. Don’t force himself. She then says if something about Su Hui [Kang’s mother] comes up, don’t bother to prepare a funeral. If it becomes public, it will just be something people would gossip about. His uncle says yes, mother, and then he tells Joon to eat up as he seems bothered by this. Kang stands there sobbing.
Now the housekeeper is collecting his mother’s belongings to be burnt. She tells Kang that if they don’t, her soul might not be able to move on or rest in peace, and linger in this world as a ghost. She then says softly that she should’ve just continued to live quietly in Wando. She asks why she came to Seoul. Kang stares at the photo of himself with his mother and then he throws all the chocolates in his pockets into the box. She says he used to give up sleeping to eat chocolate, so why isn’t he burning them instead. He says that he’ll never have chocolates ever again. If he does, then he’ll want to go back to Wando. He tells her that he wants real food and asks her to prepare him a meal. Kang starts eating.
LK: After all, I think I’m the one who’s lost, Min Sung. I thought I was going the right way.
Back in the present, Kang wonders if he’ll find his way again as he returns to the family home to see his grandmother. Grandma asks him how rehab is going and he says he’s doing his best. His aunt eavesdrops on this meeting. Grandma thanks him for saving that doctor’s wife as the public has become more friendly towards them. The hospice has become a hotbed of horrible crime, so even the civic groups and organizations that were against them shutting it down will be quiet for a while. She then says that she’s going to get rid of that useless hospice and replace it with the best exclusive retirement community in this country. Ick. She wants him in charge of that as she can’t trust others. If he can help her shut it down and make her long-cherished ambition come true, she will wholeheartedly trust him and even pass the Geosung Foundation to him. So she wants him to do the dirty work – displacing all these sick people and the staff. Yoon Hye Mi calls Joon but he’s not answering as his phone isn’t on. And so she calls her husband who ignores her call… as he’s at lunch with Dr. Kwon.
Dr. Kwon asks why he’s wearing sunglasses as they’re indoors. He says they’re going to stare at him even more as he looks like a lunatic. So Seung Hoon removes the sunglasses and then fusses over the bug – a cockroach – no, it’s actually just a fruit fly in his soup. He then gripes about how Dr. Kwon picked a restaurant like himself – not fancy. Dr. Kwon says what’s wrong with this place that’s been around for 80 years. Then he asks what he wants as thirty years ago, he didn’t even speak to him. He asks why a nobleman like himself would want to see a lowborn man like himself. Heh. Snarky ahjussi. Seung Hoon is here to see him because he’s comforted that even someone like him can move on in life. Jerk. He points out that he divorced his first wife and then his second wife died after giving birth to his son. And then his only child – that’s when Dr. Kwon stops him. Dr. Kwon says if he doesn’t want this soup, and takes it away from him. Then he tells him to go somewhere else for a fancy steak. Seung Hoon says he heard from someone that his ex-wife who had left him for another man came back with Alzheimer’s. Dr. Kwon slams down his spoon and stands up to yell at him: “Don’t you dare talk about that woman, you asshole!” O_o! Seung Hoon says there’s no need to get angry.
Cha Young is at the chocolatiers and a child in a spacesuit bumps into her. She immediately says Ji Yong and the child lifts up the visor and it’s not him. He looks around for his mother and then runs to her, and his mother calls him, Ji Hun. Cha Young sniffles. Elsewhere, Ye Sol is watching a turtle walk around and she asks if it misses him, too. She says that she does as she watches jump into the water. Kang notices her and asks if she’s returned with her mother. Ye Sol says no as she’s here to check on Ji Yong’s turtle, and he’d asked her to take care of it when he’s gone. He then asks about her mother and she glumly shakes her head and says no, she suddenly collapsed and is in the ICU. She’s been intubated and won’t even wake up. She admits that when they were here before they’d eat and have a good conversation. Min Yong interrupts to give Ye Sol a plate of freshly made Manila clam pancakes, as his mother is very good at opening these clams. She asks him if his mother works in the cafeteria here, and he says no, her skills are limited so she opens these clams. Kang looks over at the turtle swimming around and smiles. Min Yong tells him that he thinks his brother has safely returned to the planet he came from. Kang nods at him. Min Yong says that his mother saw him in her dream last night, and he looked very happy there. Ye Sol who is happily eating the pancakes suddenly starts crying as she remembers her mother loves these clam pancakes as well. She wants to take them to her but she’s in the ICU and can’t eat anything right now. She sobs as she continues eating.
Kang returns to his office and finds a beautiful tray with a bowl of clam juk and pajeon. In the kitchen, Ms. Han struggles to remember all the steps to make this clam juk again. Cha Young encourages her to try to remember as she just made two pots of it earlier. When Ms. Han can’t remember, she yells in frustration for them to just act like she doesn’t exist and she leaves in a huff. Dr. Kwon, who was eavesdropping outside, runs to hide in a nearby office and grabs at his hair in frustration. Na Ra delivers a package to Cha Young – it’s from Joon. Suddenly Ms. Han returns to the kitchen and screams that she’s remembered it. She happily goes to the fridge to pull out the clams and returns to cooking. Cha Young opens the box from Joon and finds a large plate inside.
Kang is thinking about his grandmother’s words about closing the hospice, and Dr. Kwon’s words about doctors who can accompany patients and help them end their lives in peace. He’s remembering everyone he’s encountered, and the depth of gratitude and sadness here. He later crosses paths with Cha Young and a bedsheet ends up landing on them. He thinks about how she worries him and quickly removes the bedsheet. From above, Joon sees them and Kang is confused.
From Dr. Kwon, Kang finds out that Joon is here doing community service for assaulting that other doctor. Dr. Kwon says that he didn’t assault him, he probably would’ve killed him himself. Dr. Kwon tosses him the basketball and tells him to play a game with a patient in his stead, and the prize is ramen.
Joon is now angrily processing anchovies in the kitchen as he breaks them in half and throws the pieces into the bowl and basket (discards). Ms. Han tells Cha Young to stop him before there’s nothing left. Cha Young hunkers down next to him and cheerfully shows him how to remove the anchovy’s head and then split the belly open and remove the guts. She patiently shows him this one more time and he does it again with slightly more patience this time. She stands back up and thanks him for the plate but then she realized she wasn’t supposed to say anything. He says it’s better than sympathizing or criticizing him and then offers his hand for a handshake. They’re interrupted by Young Shil who tells Joon that they just received a call about taking extra good care of him. He replies that he has nothing to do with this. Young Shil says that he must have quite the connection as he’s here for his community service hours. However, she won’t be doing things that way, as everything will be carried out fairly and according to principle. He gets upset and tells her that’s enough. She tells him that he’s done for the day and to not forget to punch out. Tomorrow morning, he’ll be washing linens just like today and then work in the kitchen. He angrily removes his apron and shakes it off before leaving in a huff.
Kang who is shooting hoops by himself is joined by Joon who asks if things are going well in getting rid of this hospice. He knows about Grandma’s promise to leave him the hospital if he can shut down this place. Kang shoots the ball and misses and Joon takes it and asks him if the people at the hospice know about this. That he’s hatching a wicked plan with such an innocent face. Kang asks how they would know if it’s a wicked plot like he says. Joon throws the ball back at him and asks what if he stops him. The two then start playing an angry game of one-on-one, even though it starts raining. However, once Kang makes Joon fall, Joon throws the first punch. And so the two continue throwing punches at each other as they both remember years of resentment. They grab at each other’s shirts but both exhausted as they kneel and pant on the muddied ground until Dr. Kwon yells at them to stop. From under an umbrella, he glares at them and asks what the hell they’re doing. They two finally let go of each other’s shirts.
Young Shil tries to patch up Joon’s wounds but he keeps jerking away. Dr. Kwon says he’s a doctor, does he want scars? He finally lets her get on with it. She mentions that his jaw is red, so Kang must have a heavy punch. He churlishly says he’s stronger than him. Dr. Kwon says he must be proud. He’s here for community service after assaulting a doctor, and now he’s in yet another fight with a doctor – does he want an award?
A wet and equally cut up Kang is just standing in an unlit bathroom. Dr. Kwon asks him why he isn’t showering and if he’s trying to catch a cold. He then throws a towel at him and asks if they’re going through puberty or something. He wasn’t even like this as a kid. Kang replies that they fought like that as kids. Dr. Kwon asks, so what, he wants to fight him again? Kang says yes, this is their fate. They need to fight until one of them wins. Dr. Kwon asks for what – who gets the hospital? Dr. Kwon says okay, then go fight him to death, and he hopes he wins and takes that Geosung bullshit with him when he dies. It’ll be very heavy but make sure to bring it with him. He turns to leave but then he turns back and says those who have passed have taught those lessons with their whole lives. But this is what he’s learned? Kang finally looks at him, and Dr. Kwon turns and quietly leaves.
Cha Young leaves the building and carries an umbrella. But then a man pops up next to her, and gets right under the canopy. It’s Joon, who asks for her to take him to the parking lot. She says she thought he already went home. He takes the umbrella from her and says he’ll hold it. He then puts an arm around her and the two huddle together and he says this is a very small umbrella. (~38:20, he’s so cute right here.) From behind them, Kang watches them walking away together. The two get to his car and Joon removes his arm from around her and grabs his car key from his pocket. He then asks her where her car is. She looks at him and says that she doesn’t have one as she rides a bike. But since it’s raining, she’ll take a bus. He offers to take her home, and she says no, she’s fine as she can take the last bus. He insists as she saved him from the rain. He helps her into his car.
On their drive, Cha Young notices that it’s stopped raining. He tells her that she should stay put as it’s late and the bus might not show up. She says then she’ll just get comfortable and she finally relaxes. Kang is following them and starts honking at them. Cha Young comments what they did wrong. Joon says he wonders too, and then mutters about him being jealous. Kang continues honking and flashing his headlights at him, and Joon ignores him. Omo. These men boys! Joon stretches his wrist as it’s bothering him now, and Cha Young asks if he hurt himself. He says he hurt himself when he was beating up Kang. She looks at him in shock, and he says that Kang hurt him, too. He points out the cuts on his face and his bandaged elbow. Kang continues honking at him to move over and Joon finally does. Kang then floors it past him. Cha Young asks why they fought and then she mentions Kim Hui Ju. Joon says that they’re not going to talk about this now.
As they continue driving, Cha Young says that Kang saved Kim Hui Ju, which makes Joon pull over and park the car. He tells her that he asked her to not talk about this and she doesn’t know how evil he is. She replies that she does know him. She knows that he isn’t someone he can criticize, badmouth, and judge however he wants. He wants to say more but she thanks him for the ride, removes her seatbelt and says she’ll walk from here. She gets out of his car and walks away.
Kang answers a call from an unknown number, it’s Ye Sol’s father, who tearfully apologizes for being stupid and thoughtless. She had wanted to stay at the hospice but he forced her to leave. Kang says that he has no authority over this so he needs to talk to the director and then hangs up on him. Kang just sits there a moment longer, and just as Cha Young sees his car, he drives away.
The next day, Cha Young sees Ms. Han with her limited English trying to console Michael’s mother, by telling her to not cry. Inside the room, Michael’s birth mother, Gwang Suk and twin brother, Jo Seung Gu are sobbing and hugging him. Gwang Suk apologizes and says that she couldn’t afford to raise both of them but she shouldn’t have let him go. She asks if he was bullied in the U.S. for speaking a different language and looking different. She wonders if that’s why he has this horrible disease. He says that he was happy with his parents. His brother tearfully sobs that at least he has rich parents and he and their mother don’t even have a place to stay. A sobbing Dr. Kwon and the nearly stone-faced Young Shil watch from nearby. Michael says that he really wanted to meet her and he missed her. Dr. Kwon and Young Shil finally leave the room.
Cha Young and Ms. Han watches Gwang Suk make him the kimchi jjigae he’s been wanting and they learn the secret – she seasons her kimchi and pork together well before it’s cooked. Once she’s done, Susan asks her for a taste, and Cha Young has to translate as Gwang Suk doesn’t understand English. She tries a spoonful of it and she immediately chases it with a glass of milk. When Gwang Suk brings it to Michael, his brother laments that he can’t enjoy this, too. He then mentions getting a bottle of soju. Young Shil says that he can’t drink. Seung Gu says he knows that, and he’s joking around because he’s happy to see his brother again. Michael finally takes the first bite and he says it tastes good. Seung Gu then asks how he is going to repay their mother. She smacks him and then asks Michael if he’d like some rice with it, like when he was a baby. Michael says he’s fine and he slowly eats some more. Both mothers watch him eat, but Young Shil notices something is wrong.
Kang runs into Cha Young and Min Yong at a sandwich shop. Kang is there to meet Min Yong, who tells him that he stood him up yesterday and so Cha Young brought him here today. Kang looks at his phone and apologizes for being busy. She suggests that they have lunch together since he’s already here.
Joon is angrily doing the laundry by hand (and foot) as the washing machine just broke. XD Him being in trouble makes him endearing. Young Shil apologizes for the inconvenience and he angrily stomps around in the water making sure to splash her with it. She walks away and Tae Hyun shows up to help him clean, do laundry and bathe the patients. He’ll help him do all the work in the blind spots of the CCTV. He just needs to make sure to punch in and on time… Joon stands up and yells to ask who he is. Tae Hyun gives him his full name and says that his sister works in the kitchen. He says that she thinks it’s nonsense that he’s here doing these things so she told him to come and help him. Joon tells him that he doesn’t need his help and to get lost. Tae Hyun leaves his card. But when Joon calls him a crazy bastard, Tae Hyun turns back and says that he’s awfully rude to a stranger. He thinks he’ll mistreat his sister, and he’s probably not even that rich. He then mentions his car and wonders if his designer clothes are all fake. He then criticizes him on how to do the laundry. Tae Hyun walks away, and Joon says hey, which makes him angry. Joon asks what his sister’s name is and if he actually knows her.
At lunch, Min Yong asks Kang about what happened with the Zika virus, which makes Kang choke on his sandwich. Min Yong continues saying that he said that he had some Zika virus-like symptoms. Haha. He continues coughing and waving his hand which makes everyone look at him. He finally says that he doesn’t have Zika virus. And now they’re taking his temperature on the sidewalk. As they’re waiting, Min Yong says he’s going to be late for school so he runs away. Ha! Kang takes out the thermometer from his mouth and yells after him. His temperature is 37.6 which is normal. She looks at the thermometer and asks if it isn’t broken. So he grabs her hand and places it on his forehead. He lists off fever, rash and red eyes – none of which he has. She jerks her hand away and the two awkwardly stand there a moment before he opens the car door and tells her to get in. She looks around for the bus and he says she didn’t seem to have any issues getting into Joon’s car. He asks if she’s uncomfortable around him, or scared that she might get infected. Too late. She pulls out her phone and looks at it before saying oh she forgot something and just gets into his car and closes the door. She says she wasn’t worried about getting infected but she was worried about him actually having it.
On their drive, she tells him it’s not that she wanted Joon to give her a ride. It was raining that night and she was tired. She honestly didn’t want to walk all the way to the bus stop but she wasn’t really close enough to ask him for a ride. She hesitated for a long time before getting into the car. She’s busy folding a napkin in her hands and misses Kang smiling over this. When they arrive at the hospice, she thanks him for the ride and he watches her walk away. He then notices that she left behind an origami crane. He recalls her previous words – of waiting for him and being worried about him.
Cha Young arrives in the kitchen and sees Joon, who she only politely bows at. Joon continues peeling onions by hand while she starts her prep work. Joon starts tearing up from the onions but she still doesn’t acknowledge him.
Kang is now sitting outside with Min Yong who keeps his distance. Kang tells him that he doesn’t have the Zika virus and didn’t Cha Young text him. Min Yong looks at his phone and says he just saw it. He then slides over to sit right next to him and says that he’s sorry as he has to live a long life. Ha. Kang says he understands. Then he asks what he does if there’s someone he wants to apologize to. Min Yong says then just go and apologize. Kang nods and says he’s right. He gets up to leave and Min Yong says that he called him to ask him that. Min Yong continues saying that he knows that he likes someone. Kang asks him who he does like then. Min Yong writes in the air “hospital staff.” Kang looks surprised and Min Yong teases him for blushing and becoming flustered. Min Yong says he’ll keep it a secret, just as Ye Sol also promised noona that she’d keep it a secret. Min Young then realizes that he just let it slip. Oops. Kang asks if she told him that she thinks he likes her. Min Yong glumly nods yes. Later, Min Yong texts Na Ra that he’s sorry that he accidentally told Kang that he knows that he has feelings for her. Na Ra becomes visibly upset that the brat said anything.
Cha Young finally lights some candles for Joon so his eyes won’t burn as much from the onions. He complains that she just let him suffer this whole time. She replies that she wasn’t watching him as she was busy making fritters. She then sticks a piece of onion in his mouth and says she thinks this works best. (~10:50) Bwahaha, he looks like such a sad puppy now. She says that she’d love to help but he’s here to get punished so keep up the good work. She returns to making frying battered flowers as he sniffles and peels onions. Joon finally asks how she met Kang. Her response is to bring him one more huge bag of onions. She then returns to frying the flowers but when he asks her if she likes Kang, she splatters some oil on her finger. He gets up and pulls her hand under cold running water. He asks if his question bothered her. She gets something to put on the burn and tells him that she doesn’t have feelings for Kang as he’s a doctor who she’ll always thank for having saved her life. Standing outside the kitchen door is Kang who just overheard her answer. But she’s lying.
Later, Ms. Han delivers dinner to Dr. Kwon, who asks if she’s ever going to listen to him. He says that he’s not going to eat this and take this out right away. Ms. Han says she didn’t make this, Cha Young did. She knows that the staff and guardians are always busy taking care of patients, so she wanted to show everyone the seasonal vegetables and flowers by making a dish out of them. He says he doesn’t care and tells her to take it back. Ms. Han tells him that she’s asked Ms. Ha to hire someone to replace her and she’ll leave as soon as they’re hired. She then thanks him for everything, gives a deep bow and leaves. She doesn’t take the food with her.
It’s dark out now and Joon gets into his car and sees a text message from his father: “Your mother’s gone crazy. Come home as fast as you can.” When he returns home, his parents are kneeling before his grandmother. Joon asks what’s going on and his father says that his mother’s asked for a divorce. His mother asks her mother-in-law for her approval for the divorce. Her husband tells her to not give her approval as he can’t live without her. Joon’s mother says that she’s had enough, so please let her leave. Grandma gives her approval and both Joon and his father protest at this. Joon’s mother stands up and gives a deep bow before turning to leave. Joon’s father crawls over and clings to her leg and says that he can’t live even one second without her. He threatens to kill himself the moment she leaves this house. He then tells his mother that if she doesn’t want to lose him, she better change her mind. Joon’s mother begs him to let go of her.
Joon says that Mr. Choe was recently investigated for illegal recruitment and he heard that his grandpa was the one who asked him to do it. He asks his parents if it’s true and the three adults look surprised by this. Joon says the firm that supplies ingredients to their hospital caused a stir for having supplied fake Korean beef and his uncle had been benefiting from that. Joon’s mother asks why he is suddenly talking about his uncle. Joon says that his grandmother already knows everything, and she knows all of her weaknesses. So if she leaves, what will happen to them? His grandmother won’t stay idle. Grandma stands up and says that she’s had enough of her pretentious act and then calls for the housekeeper.
Michael's mother sits alone in his empty room, and Young Shil calls Cha Young to say that she thinks there’s something suspicious about Michael’s mother and twin brother. She tells her that Susan (Michael’s mother) was very careful when she told her this – she doesn’t think the kimchi jjigae tasted like what Michael had in mind. Cha Young says she understands and then she sees Michael with Gwang Suk and Seung Gu. Gwang Suk pats his face and says he’s handsome enough to be an actor. Seung Gu says that everyone thinks he looks like a criminal as everyone gets off the elevator whenever he gets on. He then gripes that his mother gave birth to twins yet he didn’t turn out as handsome as him. His mother tells him to shut up and go to work. His brother says that he heard his adoptive parents are really rich. Michael says just a little bit. His brother complains that life is so unfair as their mother couldn't receive surgery after she hurt her back because they didn’t have any money. His mother starts yelling at him to stop talking nonsense and just go to an internet cafe. She starts removing her shoe to throw it at him. Michael asks if this is true and she tells him to not worry about it. She says her back is fine as she just needs to wear a waist support belt. His brother says he can't take his money with him when he dies anyway so how about he spends it to help their mother. His mother tells him to stop as the money isn’t his but his American parents. It starts raining, and so they go back inside.
Cha Young then asks Gwang Suk to make the stew again as she thinks he lied because he didn’t want to disappoint her. It didn’t taste like the one he had been craving. The woman tells her that she used the same kind of kimchi and the same type of method to cook that stew. The woman makes it again, and when mother and son taste it, she suddenly says it needs sugar. After she adds the sugar, she tastes it and says that he was right, as it tastes better this way. Seung Gu tries it and agrees with her. Cha Young lifts the boiling pot and dumps its contents into the sink. Gwang Suk gets angry and asks why she just dumped it. Cha Young asks why she’s here. Why did she show up when she’s the one who abandoned him? She asks if she’s here for money, to steal from a dying child. Gwang Suk grabs Cha Young by the collar and asks what she just said to her. Cha Young said that a family isn’t something that one can throw away and find whenever they please. Her son gets in between them and shoves Cha Young and she hits her head on the refrigerator behind her. She then swings into the nearby shelf and knocks off several things. The woman tells her to watch what she says, and then asks who she thinks she is to say that kind of stuff. Cha Young says that she gets that she abandoned him but not that she forgot. It’s the least she could do as a human being and his family. Cha Young says that her son isn’t allowed to eat sugar. He gets rashes on his skin if he eats sugar. He can’t even breathe, so he will pass out. Cha Young asks again how she could forget.
Gwang Suk recalls a time, when the boys were young, Michael had been scratching himself after eating some candy. She becomes emotional and just leaves the kitchen. Seung Gu continues shaking Cha Young over and over, which makes her think about the day that her mother left her at the mall. She’d been waiting for over three hours before finally calling her mother from a payphone. She’d been walking her way back to the mall and then the collapse occurred.
Na Ra is awkwardly trying to tell Kang that she didn’t mean to say it, as Min Yong misunderstood. She says that she has no excuse for what she said. Kang’s shift ends and he finds Cha Young sitting outside and clutching her head. He thinks back to when he’d found her on the side of the mountain, and all of their previous exchanges. He approaches her and says that he’s sorry for saying anything that may have caused a misunderstanding between them. She looks at him and appears to have double vision. He even says that as Min Sung’s friend, he knows how much he loved her. And he supported their love more than anyone. To him, she’s still Min Sung’s… She says that she knows what he means. To her, Kang is still Min Sung’s friend and she’s never forgotten it. Omo, Min Sung, you have ruined them, even now!
Cha Young goes to dinner and continues adding salt to her food. Her brother tastes the food and wonders what’s going on. She eats a spoonful of salt and realizes that she can’t taste it at all. So Cha Young gets an MRI scan done and awaits the results.
Ye Sol returns to the hospice with her sick mother and her now humble father. While the staff brings Ye Sol’s mother into the hospice, Ye Sol stays behind to thank Kang as she can now stay and see her mother as she wishes. He tells her that she doesn’t have to thank him. She gives him a gift – a ring pop – as it seemed to be something he liked. Awww. Kang thinks about Cha Young saying that the people here are living their lives here and cherishing every day that they have.
Ms. Han makes snacks and goes to Dr. Kwon’s office but changes her mind and walks away before knocking on his door. He exits the office and sees her walking away. She brings the snacks to Ye Sol, who is busy making a wedding invitation for her parents. Her grandfather opposed their marriage so they haven’t had a wedding. She plans to give the invitation to her grandfather, even knowing that he’ll just throw it back at her. Ms. Han offers to go with her to see her grandfather.
Joon and Cha Young are peeling radishes but she’s barely peeling them. Tae Hyun shows up and asks her how she can be peeling radishes now. She quietly tells him that they should talk about this later. He yells that she can’t taste or smell anything. How is she going to prepare the meals? He pulls her up and yells for her to go see another doctor. Awww, this is the first time I’ve ever seen him actually care about her well-being. Joon asks what’s going on. Tae Hyun said they went to a doctor earlier as she hurt her head. Cha Young tries to get him to stop but Tae Hyun remembers that he’s a doctor and begs him to help his sister. She shoves at her brother and says just go tell everyone that there’s something wrong with her. Just tell the whole world and then she walks away. Tae Hyun tries to go after her but Joon stops him.
Ms. Han takes Ye Sol to her grandfather’s restaurant and waits. She uses the bathroom and when someone asks where the bus stop is, she’s confused as to where she is. She can’t remember where she is. She walks on the streets wondering what she’s forgotten.
Joon finds Cha Young and says that he looked at the MRI scan on her brother’s phone. He places a piece of soap in front of her nose and asks if she can smell it. She says no. He then pulls out a cigarette and breaks it open and tells her to smell it. She can’t smell it. He then asks if she hit her head hard recently. She thinks back to that night with Michael’s mother and brother. He says that he thinks she lost her sense of smell due to the injury. The olfactory nerve damage is also affecting her sense of taste. He says that she might experience diplopia [double vision] too, but that will go away with time. She asks if her sense of taste and smell also come back with time. He asks what the doctor said and she replies that he said it may or may not happen. He then nods and says he agrees with him.
Kang sees them together and Joon notices him walking towards them. He asks her if Kang knows, and she says he doesn’t and to not tell him. Just as Kang is almost there, Young Shil calls for Dr. Lee. Kang answers her and Young Shil is actually here for Joon who should be peeling radishes. Joon tells her if he passes out from high blood pressure, it’ll be her fault. Young Shil nods and follows him around. He says that he’ll sue the hospice for oppression, exploitation and human right abuses. She argues that they’ll sue him for calumny. The two continue arguing all the way back to the kitchen. Cha Young looks at Kang and starts seeing double of him. Kang walks away and Seung Gu yells at Cha Young that his mother is bawling and won’t even eat because of her. She asks if he’s sure that it’s her fault. Cha Young tells him to ask her directly before coming at her like this. She turns to walk away but she sees Kang and she continues rubbing at her eyes as she’s seeing double again. Seung Gu angrily runs to follow her and Kang trips him, so he falls down on the grass. He gets up and glares at Kang who removes his glasses and asks what he will do if she stops. Seung Gu just stares at him, so Kang repeats his question. He asks if he will hit her. Is he rich? Seung Gu tells him to mind his own business. Kang now grabs him by the collar and asks how dare he be so rude to her. He then calls him a little shit and says he’ll teach him how to behave.
Back in the kitchen, Cha Young is shredding radishes but her hand slips. She shakes her head and rubs her eyes as she’s having double vision issues. Her brother watches her and then walks over to the kitchen door before asking her why she won’t listen to him. He asks if she really wants him to see him go crazy. He asks if she’s really the only cook in this kitchen. Joon comes in the back door while carrying a huge bag of onions but he pauses to listen to them. Cha Young ignores her brother and just returns to shredding the radishes. She asks him since when was he so worried about her. When she needed him so desperately and asked him to come, he was never around. He replies that it was because eomma…
She answers for him, “Eomma, Cha Young must be having such a hard time all by herself. She doesn’t have anyone. Let’s go back and be there for her.” She asks if he wasn’t old enough to say that to their mother. He says he did, he told their mother but she… Cha Young says a 12-year-old girl survived in the ruins of a collapsed department store amongst dying people without even knowing that her mother and brother abandoned her. He tearfully tells her that he had no idea that she was stuck in the ruins. She continues that there were even tougher challenges than that. But she endured and got through them. She says if she gives up here, it’ll be the end of her. If she lets herself become weak now, then she’ll never rise again for good. She’s not sure what happened to her. What happens to a chef who can’t smell or taste, she doesn't know what to think or how to react. She can’t figure it out. But she’ll get through the meal prep to figure out how she’s supposed to feel. They’re interrupted by a knock on the door – it’s a patient who says it’s his wedding anniversary today and wants to ask her to make something for him and his wife. Tae Hyun walks over and says that she’s not feeling well today. She pulls on his arm and he says there’s a bit of a situation so she can’t do it today. Cha Young cheerfully asks the man what dish he’d like. Tae Hyun is getting all bent out of shape, and so Joon runs over and jumps on his back, even as he’s saying that she can’t. Joon quickly tries to cover his mouth, and the two continue squabbling out into the hallway. Joon even says that he needs to take his medicine. XD! (~53:40, this is all even funnier because Tae Hyun is so tall with Joon being nearly 10cm shorter than him.) The man apologizes and goes to leave but Cha Young stops him and he says that he feels bad about asking as his wife is Vietnamese. She knows who his wife is and it’s a dish that they enjoy together. So she starts making bun cha, as his wife craves this dish from inside the Ho Chi Minh night market. He tells her that if he weren’t sick, then he’d take her to this place in Vietnam. Cha Young asks him to taste the food for her as she can’t taste things right now. Joon watches this from outside the door and smiles. Cha Young finishes making the meal for the man and the man presents it to his wife. He says that he remembers their first date so many years ago, and he had the chef here make it for her. He lovingly watches his wife eat and apologizes for having her move to a country that she’s alone in and now he’s going to leave her. He says that when they’re reborn in their next life, he’ll be Vietnamese or she’ll be Korean. Cha Young watches them from outside their room and she turns to leave… and sees Kang standing there. She tearfully walks by him without a word.
[Ep11] Kang goes to see his uncle who is in Dr. Kwon’s office. The two old men are griping about indigestion, however Dr. Kwon excuses himself to give them privacy. While Joon continues hanging up the wet clothes on the clothesline and gives more thought on Cha Young’s words about not giving up. But then his father finds him and kicks him in the shin. He yells at him and starts grabbing and throwing all of the clean items he just hung up. His father is fit to be tied, and tells him that he’s here to help Kang close down the hospice. And when it’s turned into a retirement place, it’ll go to Joon. That means that Geosung Hospital is going to be Kang’s.
Cha Young sighs as she makes a batch of sauce. She tastes it but she’s interrupted by Susan who asks for her help with something. Elsewhere, Kang is eating sandwiches with Min Yong. He’s eating it in such a hurry that Min Yong asks if something’s wrong. He nods yes. Ming Yong asks if a patient passed and he nods. Min Yong then offers him his sandwich as his brother had said this sandwich brought happiness. Kang asks if he looks unhappy and Min Yong says yes, a little bit. Min Yong then says he got yelled about knowing about his crush on the nurse. Kang asks if he’s talking about Na Ra. Now he realizes he’s made a fool of himself to Cha Young, and he groans in exasperation.
Back in the kitchen, Cha Young is now teaching Susan how to make seaweed soup. Kang is quietly watching from outside until Young Shil sneaks up behind him to ask what’s going on. He says that the patient in room 303 has food allergies so he’s just checking. She replies that he passed away two days ago. He looks properly sad about it and says he was confused. He walks away with his hand over his face. Then he runs into Na Ra and he scrunches his face and sighs at her before walking away. All the women are going to be his undoing. XD
Ms. Han returns to the hospice and wonders what she’s forgotten. A crying Ye Sol tells her that she’s bad because she waited for her but she never came back. Ms. Han doesn’t remember any of this. Ye Sol says she says she was going to use the restroom but she never came back, and her grandpa just kept looking at her but she was afraid. Ms. Han was supposed to talk to him, for her. So poor Ye Sol didn’t even give him the wedding invitation. She calls her a liar before walking away with the card in her hand. A now panicked Ms. Han is concerned about making this promise to Ye Sol yet she doesn’t remember any of this.
Young Shil goes with Susan to deliver soup. Young Shil stops a man carrying a guitar on his back to ask if he’s…but then man just takes off running. Young Shil and Susan continue their climb to see Gwang Suk, and they’re here to give her food as she’s been feeling unwell. Young Shil explains that she’is here as their translator and interpreter. Susan tells her that she bought everything from the department store, except for the seaweed soup. Gwang Suk asks why she made the soup. Susan says that she’s read Michael’s adoption papers and she knows it was a difficult time for her. She knows that in Korea it’s customary to have seaweed soup after giving birth, but she doesn’t think she had it then. Gwang Suk gruffly says how could she know whether she did or not, could she see it or what? Young Shil translates this as she appreciates her effort, and so much so that she may shed a tear. XD! Susan tells her that she’s the one who is thankful. Because she gave birth to Michael, that was the best gift anyone could have given her. Gwang Suk says grateful, her foot, is there nothing else she could be grateful for. She says that the twins’ father told her that he never told her to get pregnant, and that she should raise them by herself and then he ran away. She only gave birth to them because she couldn’t kill them. Young Shil relays this to Susan as she had a hard time raising twin babies alone. Susan now puts her arms around Gwang Suk and starts rubbing her back and says she understands that this would’ve been difficult. Gwang Suk shrugs her off and asks why she’s being this way. She then says that they’re not supposed to embrace, make food for each other like this as she waves at the table, let alone befriend each other. She taps her chest several times as she says that she abandoned that ill child. She heard that she’s rich, but even with her money, she couldn’t help him fully recover and she now has to watch her son die when he just turned 20. She continues telling Susan that she should grab her by the hair and yell at her, if anything. She looks at the soup and asks why make seaweed soup for her. She doesn’t deserve this. Gwang Suk finally breaks down, and a confused Susan looks over at Young Shil. Seung Gu returns home and asks what’s going on. He asks what they’re doing here at their home. Young Shil says they’re here to see his mother, as Susan wanted to come. Susan grabs Gwang Suk’s hand and gives her a comforting pat. But Gwang Suk shoves her away. Seung Gu looks at the stuff on the table and tells his mother to just ask for money. His mother glares at him.
He says they’ve seen their home now and know what they’re going through. He says that he’s heard that Seung Chul [Michael] is her only son, so she can give them half of the money they were going to leave his brother. At this point, his mother smacks him on the face. She asks him if it’s his mother that this woman has. He says Seung Chul will die anyway… His mother reaches over to grab him and shakes him and asks him what have they ever done for Seung Chul, how they have the nerve to ask that. She continues sobbing and beating on him. He screams at her to let go of him and shrugs her off. He says if she’s rich, she can share some money with them. It’s not like she’ll die with it. He yells that they’re not strangers, as they’re Seung Chul’s mother and brother. His mother says they didn’t do anything as his mother and brother so they can’t claim to be either to him. She then says she’ll snap his mouth shut as he dares to say such a thing. She then proceeds to beat him with her shoes. And then she chases after him with the broomstick after Young Shil hands it to her. LOL! Young Shil tells poor clueless Susan that nothing’s going on.
Michael asks Kang if there’s a korean dish called sujebi. Kang says there is, and Michael says, well it’s a sujebi, but not exactly a sujebi. He’s had it with his mother in a restaurant in LA, and it was sujebi that wasn’t a sujebi. When he returned to NY, his mother had wanted it, and so he returned to LA but the place had shut down. He wants to see his mother enjoy the dish again before he leaves this place. Kang nods and leaves the room. He wonders what it is. Kang receives a call from his grandmother to return home for dinner. He replies that he can’t and she promptly hangs up on him.
Joon looks at a text message from his mother telling him whatever his father said didn’t matter, as some day, he’d take over Geosung. He watches Kang get into his own car and drive away. Then he notices Cha Young dejectedly walking, and thinks about her question about her current inability to smell and taste. Cha Young goes to the night market but she can’t smell anything. Joon has followed her and keeps his distance. She finally sits down at a restaurant and orders stir-fried sundae, chicken feet and spicy noodles. She takes a bite of everything but she still can’t taste anything. Joon finally makes his presence known when he follows her to a chocolate shop where she’s just staring at the confections. She’s surprised to see him, and he tells her that he’s been following her as he was worried about her doing something silly. She asks what that would be, and he says what if she got drunk and… She laughs and says that she can’t appreciate the taste of alcohol which might taste like water right now. He says she wouldn’t appreciate the taste of chocolate either. She says she can appreciate the taste of chocolate.
And so she takes a bite of chocolate and she tells him about that day. Twenty-four years ago she was stuck in the collapsed department store, and the lady next to her gave her some chocolate. She ate the chocolate and held out. Thanks to this chocolate, she came out alive. So even if she loses her senses of taste and smell, she can tell what this chocolate tastes like and what it smells like. She just knows. Joon asks her about the lady who gave her the chocolate. She says that she passed away after she gave her the chocolate. Joon remembers his aunt telling him to tell Kang to wait for her. She was going to get chocolate for Kang and then they’d return to Wando. Cha Young says that the lady said she bought it for her son because he liked chocolate. Cha Young suddenly remembers that he’d lost a family member in the accident and apologizes for bringing it up.
Back at home, Kang is having ongsimi with his grandmother. This home is so sterile and dead. She mentions this was a dish his father liked. Kang asks her to not shut down the hospice. He says that saving lives is important but helping those who are dying can be just as worthwhile. She asks if he’s making excuses for his incompetence. He continues that it can be worthwhile and meaningful from what he’s heard. He’s heard his grandfather say this as he built the hospice, which was what other foundations hesitated to do. She asks so what? He says he believes that they should never close down the hospice. She changes the subject by talking about the food. However, she does place a piece of kkakdugi on his spoon. Joon’s mother has been eavesdropping on their entire conversation.
Kang leaves just as Joon returns home. Joon asks him what his mother would think of him if she saw him now. He asks if she’d be proud? He then tells him that his mother was going out to buy chocolate and go back to Wando with him. Oh Joon, why only now?
1995. Kang’s mother tells Joon that he didn’t need to fight with Kang anymore as he won’t be here anymore. So don’t hate him so much. She says she was wrong and Kang was right, that they shouldn’t have come to Seoul. She says that she knows that he and Kang are having a hard time because of them, the adults. She apologizes for this. He asks if Kang knows that he’s leaving, and she says no, she still has to tell him. And if she tells him, he’ll be really happy. She tells him that he really didn’t like having to fight and compete with him all the time. She then tells him to tell Kang to wait for her. She’ll be back with some chocolate for him. She’ll buy some chocolate and go back to Wando with him. She asks if he will tell him that.
Joon’s mother asks her mother-in-law what Joon means to her. I want to pull out my hair over this horrible forced rivalry. She says that she knows that she’s already picked Kang as the successor to Geosung, which is why she went all the way to Wando and forced him to come to Seoul, even though he insisted on staying there with his mother. Her mother-in-law asks what kind of nonsense this is as she’s already said she’ll only pick the smarter and more talented one as the successor. Joon’s mother insists that she only thought of Joon as the pacemaker to provoke Kang to become more powerful and tenacious instead of becoming weak and uninterested in gaining power. She accuses her of using Joon for her own benefit. Her mother-in-law laughs and says she must’ve lost her mind now that things aren’t going her way. She says she let her become queen when she didn’t even deserve it. She should be grateful for what she has. Joon’s mother says that’s not the queen, as how can she be the queen when her husband isn’t the king. As the only true king in this family is Kang’s father. Joon’s mother then says that her husband and Joon’s father isn’t the legitimate son. She says that her father-in-law didn’t pass away due to his siblings’ betrayal but because his eldest son wasn’t his legitimate son. Grandma starts hyperventilating and calling for the housekeeper. Joon’s mother says that she sent her home as she wanted to talk to her about this today. This is evil. Joon’s mother then asks her to pick Joon as the successor and she’ll keep it a secret… even as her mother-in-law collapses on the couch. Joon’s mother seems to do nothing, and Joon just watches from a hidden spot. WTH.
Cha Young is waiting for Kang at the hospice as she heard that he’ll be returning to the hospital. She thanks him for everything and then says she’s going to quit her job soon. She wanted to say goodbye before she left. She tells him to take care of his health and then she walks away. He runs after her and says something that is sujebi but actually isn’t sujebi - does she know what that is? He says that Michael keeps asking him but he doesn’t know, and thought she might. Michael wants to find out the answer before he dies. She replies that the dishes she can think of are possibly wonton soup, ongsimi, and olchaengi guksu. She then turns to go but he blocks her path and asks if she can make these before she goes. One last time?
So she returns to the kitchen, and he offers to help her. He starts mixing the dough but wipes flour on his black slacks. She runs to get him an apron and then helps him put it on as his hands are covered with wet dough. They’re both bothered by the continued body contact.
At the hospital, Joon’s mother is acting distraught at the sight of her mother-in-law being rolled into the ER. His father shows up and asks him why she collapsed. Joon says he doesn’t know. Then his father asks if her life is at stake and Joon says he doesn’t know again. His father chides him for not knowing anything and then runs into the ER.
Back in the kitchen, Kang stands very close and watches Cha Young wrap dumplings. She tells him to go back to his office and she’d call him when they’re ready. He says okay, he’ll give her some space and walks over to the sink area behind her. But then he leans back and knocks over a few things. He then sees the bottle of soju on the shelf and asks to drink it. She says it’s fine as she was going to cook with it. He opens the bottle to drink directly from it but then thinks better of it and grabs a glass to pour it into. He offers the glass to her and she says that she doesn’t drink when she’s cooking. So he downs it, and then he asks her if she’s returning to Greece when she quits. She doesn’t give an answer. So he pours another glass and then sets it down. He goes to stand next to her and says that he’s sorry for misunderstanding her. She asks about what and he just looks at her. He hesitates and then asks if there’s anything he can help her with. She tells him to please leave as she’s feeling very uncomfortable with him here in the same space.
Kang Ho removes his apron and then answers a call. It’s a woman, Jeong Bok, who used to live next door to him in Wando, who’s been trying to reach her. She’s Uncle Dong Gu’s niece. He passed away yesterday due to an accident. The kind fisherman, Mr. Ha, had a crush on his mother. His burial is tomorrow. She tells him that he has no idea how long he waited for him but he never even got to see him again. T__T Kang leaves for his car but he’s forgotten his jacket and keys. Cha Young follows him and hands him his jacket. He tries to get into the car, but she says that he just drank so he should call a driver or take a taxi. He says that he needs to go to Wando. She asks how about going in the morning. He says then it’ll be too late as tomorrow is his burial. She says it’s a six-hour drive, and if they go right now he’ll make it there for the funeral. She takes the keys from his hands and starts the car. She tells him that he needs to pay her for driving him, and urges him to get into the car.
[Ep12] As she’s driving towards Wando, he thinks about the past. He’s remembering Mr. Ha had liked his mother but had never said anything to her.
1992. Young Kang with a bandage on his head asks Mr. Ha if he cried the entire night because they’re moving. Mr. Ha denies this as he’s a grown man. He then says that his eyes are swollen because he got bitten by a centipede while he was sleeping. He then blusters on about killing that centipede when he comes upon it.
Joon’s father and aunt are both hysterical at their mother’s bedside. Joon’s mother pretends to dab at a tear and then leaves the room. She encounters Joon and he says that he knows that she’s not okay as anything could happen to her in current condition. She says that she’ll be better soon. He asks if she’s contacted Kang. She says no, not yet, but when she wakes up – He asks what if she never wakes up. She asks why he’s so concerned about Kang suddenly. He asks what if Grandma reads her will before he arrives. He then says, “The only legitimate bloodline of Geosung is Kang. And therefore, he is the only legitimate heir.” She looks around before asking him what he means by legitimate heir. He says that Kang and he have the same grandmother but they don’t have the same grandfather.
Cha Young drops Kang off at the funeral home in Wando. She gets out of the car and removes her apron. She’s startled to see him watching her, and she tells him that she’s going to take the express bus back. She tells him to go bid farewell to him and come back when he’s ready. Mr. Ha’s niece runs over to talk to him and Cha Young walks away. Later, Cha Young reaches inside her pocket for her cellphone and realizes that she forgot it back home, and she still has Kang’s car keys.
Kang looks at Mr. Ha’s portrait and recalls their past conversation, when he said that he’d return to Wando soon. Mr. Ha had asked why a bright kid like him would return to the countryside. He’d told him to forget about this place and live happily in Seoul with his grandmother and mother. Kang had told him that he wanted to live here with him until the day he died. He’d pinky promised him and said he’d given his word as a man that he’d return before San (his dog) turned three. So please wait until he returns. Mr. Ha had hugged him and the two had sobbed together. Kang apologizes for taking so long to return.
Cha Young returns to the funeral home and decides to just wait outside. Mr. Ha’s niece gives Kang a box that her uncle had wanted to give him whenever he returned. He opens it and finds it filled with Kang’s favorite chocolates. Kang’s tears silently fall but he smiles through them.
Ms. Han shows up to work at Ye Sol’s grandfather’s restaurant as he’s nowhere to be seen. He had left the doors open and the customers had been waiting and so she’d started service. She now chides him for not closing up the shop or posting a sign. She knows he disapproved of his son’s marriage because his daughter-in-law was an orphan and weak. But she gave birth to a very healthy and pretty little girl. Grandpa waves at her to go. Ms. Han continues saying how kind, warm-hearted and considerate Ye Sol is, as are her parents. He finally yells at her to get out, and if she doesn’t leave, he’ll call the police. She continues cleaning the table and says after some time, he’ll regret it and ask for forgiveness. But it’ll be too late then. People think they have all the time in the world but life is very short. She tells him before it’s too late, and before his daughter-in-law dies, just accept them already. Or he’ll regret it just like she does. She returns to the hospice with buns for Ye Sol and says her grandfather made it just for her. She also encourages her to visit him and give him the invitation herself.
Joon’s mother had told Joon that his father and grandfather had been close, especially as his father was his eldest son. He had asked if his father knew. She had asked if he wanted them to go down together. If that’s what he wanted, then go tell him himself. Joon decides to go see Kang at the hospice but he finds out that he went to Wando. Na Ra hands Cha Young’s cell phone and bag to Tae Hyun. And then her phone rings and Tae Hyun answers it – it’s Cha Young who asks him to text Kang that she’ll be at the park near the funeral hall and that he should come for her once he’s done. Tae Hyun wonders why she didn’t stay with him while Na Ra wonders why they’re together. He asks her if she likes him and she says she doesn’t. He says since she doesn’t like him then he won’t tell her this secret. She admits that she does like Kang, and so he says that Cha Young and Kang are each other’s first love, which began in Wando when they were kids. Then they met again in Geosung Hospital and then Greece. They’re always running into each other so there’s no space in between them for her.
Cha Young sits on a bench by the water and waits for Kang. Kang is now at the burial site and telling Mr. Ha to make sure to propose to his mother, and he doesn’t have to be intimidated by his father.
Back at the hospice, Ms. Han barges into Dr. Kwon’s office and asks if he’s eaten. She knows he hasn’t so she drags him into the kitchen to eat the doenjang jjigae as she insists that it’s best when it’s hot. She forces him to sit down to this feast and says that they lived together for a year but she doesn’t know what he likes. What? She says it’s all her fault, so please just finish this meal. He looks at her and she says that she’ll never show up in front of him again so just eat this meal. She says she thought she’d have more time but she doesn’t think she does. He sets down the chopsticks and says he doesn’t know why she’s telling him this but he’s not interested. He tells her to move but she stays in his path. She says he wanted to eat her cooking and if he doesn’t eat it today, he will never have a chance. She grabs his hands and begs him to please eat.
With bloodshot eyes, he removes her hands from his, and then says that after he divorced her, he got remarried. Omo. They had a son, but he’d never given him a good hug. His mother had died right after giving birth. He lived with his grandparents in the states for over ten years. He says that “Please come back to Korea now. I really miss you, my son.” are words he never said to him. In case, she would come back to him. That’s how terrible and devious he’s been. She didn’t come back when he waited and she just showed up after so long when she got old and sick. He asks why, because she thinks he’s a pushover? She tearfully shakes her head at this. Does she think she can do whatever she wants to him? He doesn't know how much time he has left but with the given time left, please let him live as a decent human being. Please stay out of his life. He’s begging her. He leaves the kitchen and she drops to the ground with great heaving sobs. Dr. Kwon returns to his office and pulls out the picture of himself and Min Sung. He starts sobbing copiously and apologizes.
Kang has received Tae Hyun’s text message and finally spots Cha Young, who is now asleep on the bench. He removes his jacket, kneels down on the rocks, and then places it around her. Her head slowly pitches forward and lands on his left shoulder. Tae Hyun had also texted that his sister is very ill right now as she bumped her head and got hurt. She has lost her sense of smell and taste. He’s a doctor, so he wants him to take good care of her, please. Kang had then asked him to send copies of her medical record and MRI scan. (~31:30)
Joon is standing outside watering the plants outside but he’s spacing out as he just holds the hose in one spot. Suddenly, two men come outside and start arguing and pushing each other. The younger man accuses the older man of losing his mind over a woman and then abandoning his family. Joon continues standing there with the hose in his hand. But then Young Shil walks up and takes the hose from him to spray the two fighting men with water. She tells them that they’re not supposed to fight here. She then starts beating on them for being such brats. It turns out they’re her second cousins. Their father just arrived yesterday but they’re too busy fighting over money. The two men return to insulting and fighting each other. She tells Joon that her uncle spent his whole life doing physical labor to make them study and get married. All he has left is the 30-million-won deposit money and that’s what they’re fighting over. She comments if two brothers are fighting over that sum, and if the amount was a thousand times more, things would be even more cruel and heartless. Joon seems to finally register her words here. She walks away from her cousins.
Young Shil sits at her uncle’s bedside and holds his hand and tells him to eat well and wear good clothes in his next life. To live a good life and not become a father again. Na Ra interrupts to tell her to go to the kitchen. Gwang Suk is in the kitchen and tells her that she remembers what she forgot to put in. She opens a package of pine mushrooms. When the kids were little, she went to the mountains to pick them but the kids wouldn’t eat it. So she put them in the kimchi jjigae and Seung Chul really liked it. Back then, pine mushrooms were too expensive for people like them to afford. So she gave it to Seung Chul without telling Seung Gu about it. Young Shil pats her on the back and says she understands as Michael was sick even then. So Gwang Suk makes the stew and when Michael eats it, he smiles and continues eating more of it. He even shares it with his mother, Susan, who is overjoyed for him. He thanks her for bringing him here as it’s been amazing. Then he says he’ll see her in his next life. He says if they’re born again, he’ll be a better son. He says that he loves her and she sobs and the two hug. Outside the room, Gwang Suk wants to know what they’re talking about, and asks Young Shil if it’s the stew that he wanted. Young Shil says it is, and so Gwang Suk walks away. Young Shil asks if she doesn’t want to see her son. She says that he wanted his stew and she’s given it to him and then walks away. Young Shil tells her that he’s grateful that she gave birth to him, and Michael told her this. Gwang Suk gruffly says grateful, her foot, and does he have nothing else to be grateful for? She continues walking forward but then she turns back and tells her to tell Michael’s mother that she enjoyed the seaweed soup and “Thank you very much.” Then she says how can an American woman make a better seaweed soup than most Koreans? She says she knows that she didn’t make it herself as she must’ve gotten help from someone. She tells her to not tell her that last part though and then quickly walks away.
Cha Young wakes up and it’s twilight now. Kang asks if she slept well, and she screams, gets up and runs away from the bench and him. He slowly gets up from his kneeling position on the rocks and says that she drove six hours straight without even taking a nap. She asks if he’s okay, and he says he is. She then asks how long did she sleep like this. He says oh, about four hours. There’s no way with those rocks! She gasps and asks why he didn’t wake her up. He says that he didn’t want to, and she starts muttering how this is so crazy and she must be out of her mind. He turns her around and makes her sit back down on the bench and then sits down next to her. He says she was tired so what’s so crazy about that. She neither snored nor drooled. She replies that she doesn’t snore or drool. He says he was trying to say it’s okay even if she snored or drooled. She hands him the car key and says that this was so unexpected that she forgot her phone and wallet. She then asks if she can borrow some money for the bus fare. He asks if she can wait and go back with him. She pauses before saying that she needs to go back right away. He says even if she runs to the terminal, she won’t make it for the last bus. She asks if the last bus leaves this early. He asks if she’s hungry as he’s so hungry he could pass out. He then gets up and walks stiffly. Ha. She watches him with a look of horror and embarrassment. XD Her face here!
The two are at a wet market now as he’s picking out seafood. She asks why they’re picking this up when they could go to a restaurant. He says that he knows a place so they head there.
Joon returns home and sees his father crying over an old family picture. His father speaks to the photo: He hadn’t been prepared for his late father’s death as he’d suddenly died, and he doesn’t want to lose his mother the same way. Joon tries to console his father but then Joon’s mother calls to tell him that his grandmother is awake. Joon and his father quickly leave for the hospital.
His grandmother sees her daughter-in-law and she moves away from her.
Kang and Cha Young arrive at Bada Restaurant, and he tells her that this was his mother’s restaurant. And Mr. Ha had run the business after they had left. Kang finds the hidden key and unlocks the door. Kang tells her that his mother was a great cook like her. He picked up cooking from watching her in the kitchen. He then removes his jacket and gets ready to cook. He’s going to try even though it’s been so long.
Joon, his father and aunt go inside the room, but his grandmother is asleep again. She has been taken off the ventilator. Two men in suits are also in the room with them as grandma had called for them when she’d gain consciousness. She’d said that she was stepping down from management as of today. She’s delegating her responsibilities to the vice president, Joon’s mother, for the time being. Joon’s aunt is upset over this. Joon is the only one who seems to care about his grandmother’s health, and he stands there and watches a tear slip down her face.
Kang finishes cooking and says he made what he did from memory but it probably doesn’t taste good. She thanks him for this meal and she slowly eats like she’s enjoying the food. He tells her that her brother sent him her MRI scans and medical records, so he knows that she can’t smell or taste anything. So that’s why he didn't want to take her to any restaurant. She tearfully continues eating. He tells her that she doesn’t have to force herself to eat anything. She shakes her head and continues eating, even as tears fall down her face. He hands her a tissue and she remembers when he wiped her tears from long ago. She says she’s just so happy. She continues saying that this food is so delicious it’s making her so unbelievably happy. That’s why she can’t stop crying and then she continues sobbing. Kang finally remembers the little girl who ate the dried sweet potatoes! He asks her if she visited Wando when she was little. She nods. He asks if she’s ever been to Bada Restaurant when she was young. She nods again. He asks if she remembers him. She nods and looks at him with tears falling from her eyes. He looks back at her with his own tear-filled eyes. Finally!
[Ep13] Cha Young gets up from the table and starts doing the dishes. But he follows her and stops her. He tells her that a guest shouldn’t be doing the dishes. He takes the gloves from her and tells her to make herself comfortable. He asks her why she didn’t come back that day, as she’d promised to come back for lunch. She says that something came up. He says that he waited for her. She says that she’s sorry for not keeping her promise. They’re suddenly interrupted by Mr. Ha’s niece, who says that she’s surprised he’s still here. She says that she told him to eat at her place so he didn’t have to get groceries and cook himself. She then addresses Cha Young as Kang’s girlfriend and asks what she does for a living. Cha Young says that she’s not her girlfriend. The woman says that she had a crush on him when she was a little girl but her uncle liked his mother so she gave up on him. She then says since he’s back, her feelings for him are returning. He tells her that he already has someone that he likes. Cha Young hears this but she slowly walks outside. Mr. Ha’s niece leaves wondering who the woman is, but then she returns to tell him to visit Sea, San’s grandson. Awww.
Joon finally calls Kang to let him know about their grandmother but Kang doesn’t answer as he’s left his phone in the car. Kang is now with Sea who seems to know that his human, Mr. Ha has passed away. Joon is now on his way to Wando to meet Kang. On the phone, his mother asks why he’s doing that and Joon says because he misses him. She isn’t happy about this. Meanwhile, Kang tells Dr. Kwon that he’ll need to stay a bit longer. Cha Young makes dried pollack broth for Sea who actually drinks it. She had remembered when her family had a dog when she was little and when she was sick, she’d lose her appetite. And the broth was the one thing she’d still drink. Kang is planning to stay for Sea. Cha Young says that she is going to take the bus back at sunrise. He asks if it’s too selfish for him to ask her to stay here longer with him.
She then cooks different types of potatoes for Sea. He apologizes for being too selfish and having her stay so he offers to give her the car keys so she doesn’t have to take the bus back. She replies that she promised to stay with him and she will keep her word. Even though she broke her promise about returning for the chocolate shasha. She then says she can’t seem to leave someone who’s suffering like this. Sea or him? When he tries to feed the dog the potato mush, he won’t eat it. But when she offers it to him, the dog eagerly eats the food.
Afterwards, he thanks her for staying as he would have otherwise just cried. They’re interrupted by a video call from Tae Hyun to Kang. She takes the phone from him and tells her brother to hang up and then promptly hangs up on him. He calls back and the two argue about what’s going on. She hands the phone back to Kang, and her brother asks Kang if they’re staying at a motel instead of a hotel because his sister is being cheap. XD Kang explains that they’re not staying at a motel but it’s a friend’s place and whatever he thinks will happen will never happen. She then takes the phone back and screams that she’ll kill him and then hangs up on her rascally brother. She calmly hands the phone back to Kang and suggests that he turn it off before turning to run outside. Kang smiles at her departing back. She goes to pull off her hanging clothes.
Inside, Kang lays down next to Sea and talks about possibly going fishing tomorrow. And then the mountains the day after. And he needs to think about what he needs to do. He then says sweet dreams, and he’d see him again tomorrow, with Cha Young. Cha Young goes to her room and smiles at a photo of young Kang with his mother and Mr. Ha. She says, “Hi, kiddo. I’m glad we met again, kiddo.”
Back at the hospice, there’s a board covered with photos of patients who had passed accompanied by notes. Young Shil looks at the wedding photo of Ye Sol’s parents and Grandpa is in it. She pins up her note: “You were the prettiest bride we had ever seen. Goodbye.” Next to Ms. Jang and Ms. Bong’s photo, there’s a doodle of a pair of shoes with a note that reads “A gift from Tae Hyun. It wasn’t stolen.” With the photo of Min Sung and Kang, Dr. Kwon’s note reads “I’m sorry, Min Sung. I love you, my son.” With the adorable photo of Min Yong and Ji Yong, the note reads “Ji Yong, have fun with Dad up there. Min Yong.” By the photo of Cha Young and Mr. Kim, the note says“How good is the jajangmyeon in heaven?” And with the happy photo of Michael with both of his mothers, “Seung Chul, don’t be sick in heaven.” Young Shil now removes Michael’s name from the sign outside his room. She sees Susan still packing and asks her if she’s had lunch yet. Susan says not yet. Young Shil sees the photos in her suitcase and then she says that Michael had asked Kang to give her a quiz.
In the kitchen, Young Shil shows Susan four bowls of food: tteokguk, olchaengi guksu, wonton soup and ongsimi. Susan asks how this is a quiz. Young Shil asks if she remembers when she ate with Michael in LA, and he had said that she loved the Korean food there. But when they made a return trip, the restaurant had shut down. And so this is a quiz for her, to treat her, and she needs to find the answer. She starts with the ongsimi and it’s the exact dish that she’d loved – sujebi that isn’t sujebi. [Subjebi is a hand-torn noodle soup, and ongsimi is a potato dumpling soup.]
Susan continues eating the ongsimi even as tears fall from her eyes. Young Shil later calls Kang to tell him that the answer was ongsimi. She then calls someone else and says that she ate it all, including the broth. She had said she’d return to eat this again sometime. Young Shil tells the caller that she should come back and make this again. On the other end of the call, Gwang Suk says forget about it, as she has to grind the potatoes and it’s so much work. So tell her to go to a restaurant that sells it as she has a lot of money. Gwang Suk gruffly says that this is the last time she’s going to talk to her as she’s going to change her number, and then she hangs up on her. All prickly outside with a marshmallow center.
Back in Wando, Kang goes to wake up Sea and go for a walk but the old dog has passed away. Cha Young then finds Kang holding him wrapped up in a blanket and she asks to say goodbye to him. She tells Sea that she wished he could have waited for her as she’d learned that he liked chicken and she’d gone to the store for it. Parked outside Bada Restaurant, Joon is woken from his slumber by a tap on the car window. Mr. Ha’s niece tells him to get out of the car and then ogles him. He starts going on about looking for someone who won’t take his calls or answer his texts. And he’s here as this was the only place he knew in Wando. When she doesn’t say anything, he asks if she wants him to pay for parking or something. She asks who he is looking for and if he’s on the loose, she can find anyone. Her father is a retired maritime police officer and so is her older brother and all of her friends here. He quickly says he’s looking for Lee Kang. So she shows him where Kang is but when they arrive at the house, no one is around.
She comments that even Sea isn’t here. He repeats the name Sea, and she explains that Kang used to have a dog named San, who gave birth to a dog who was Sea’s father. But he’s so sick that he could die any day now. Joon says that his car is still outside so he couldn’t have gone far. She suggests that he wait here for him. She then asks how he knows Kang. He receives a call from his irate father who wants to know when he became so close to Kang as he even said that he misses him. Joon says he doesn’t know why he misses him all of a sudden. Maybe he’s gone crazy. He’ll call him once he finds that out. He hangs up the call and then asks Mr. Ha’s niece if he looks like a crazy man. He wonders what he’s doing here. He’s been doing fine so far… but why is he doing something he’s never done before. She asks if he’s asking her this and if she’s supposed to answer. He says that he’ll go take a look around.
Joon’s father is in Dr. Kwon’s office and gripes about the fact that his son hung up on him, and that he’s still waiting for Dr. Kwon. Eventually he takes off and he runs into Ms. Han, who he recognizes as Dr. Kwon’s ex-wife. He asks if she recognizes him as they’d met a few times when they’d been doing their internship back then. She looks scared and just politely bows. He then says oh, she doesn’t and then brings up Alzheimer’s. He then says that he heard that she works here. She just politely nods and then turns away. He walks closer to her and says that she let her younger siblings study with Dr. Kwon’s money. Did they become a judge or lawyer? He then says he hopes they won’t forget her kindness, as she married someone she didn’t love. What a sacrifice to go through all that to help them get through law school. She tightens her grip on the flowers in her hand. He then mentions that she was in love with someone else, too. He even boasts about his great memory. He then says that he’d been really shocked that Dr. Kwon was a victim of a fraudulent marriage. She sits down resignedly and he tells her that she should have been nice when he was with her. He points out that she’s now too old and sick. He then asks her if she thinks that Dr. Kwon – and suddenly Dr. Kwon runs up and lifts him by his collar. He asks him what he’s talking about. Joon’s father says that he was just saying that Kwon Hyeon Seok is a stupid idiot as he’s a total disgrace to men. He’s being such a pushover and that’s why tramps like her – and then Dr. Kwon calls him a bastard and then punches him. He yells how dare he call her a tramp and to even say these things to her. Joon’s father punches him back and the two continue fighting. But Ms. Han grabs onto Dr. Kwon’s waist and tries to hold him back. She tearfully says it’s all her fault and she’ll disappear out of his sight right away. She begs him to not do anything like this because of her. Joon’s father says he’ll return to Seoul and get his mother to fire him. He touches his teeth and realizes that he has a loose tooth, and angrily walks away. Ms. Han continues hugging onto Dr. Kwon and just sobs. He finally releases her hands from around his waist, grabs his jacket and walks away without saying anything else. Joon’s father has nowhere to be as he's unemployed now, so he asks his driver to just take him away from here.
In Wando, Kang and Cha Young bury Sea next to Mr. Ha. Cha Young says this way Mr. Ha won’t be lonely anymore. He says she’s right and then walks away. She asks if he’s okay. He says he’s feeling sleepy and he just wants to sleep. He wonders what’s wrong with him. Depression does this. Joon goes for a walk and thinks about his mother’s words about his father.
Joon’s father goes to see his mother, who is sleeping in the hospital bed. He says he has a secret, the day his brother died, those tears he shed back then were real. He was so sad that he couldn’t even eat, but at the same time, he was also so happy. He felt as if something heavy had been lifted off his chest, and he felt relieved. He’d been taking digestive pills since childhood but once his brother passed, he’d stopped. But lately, he’s having digestive issues again and getting tests done. He’s disturbing her rest as she furrows in her brows in her sleep. His sister shows up and asks him about going to the board meeting. He says he’s not going. So she says it’s fine as she wouldn’t want him adding yes votes anyway. She then starts complaining to her mother about giving her sister-in-law all of this power. The two then start arguing very loudly but finally leave her room. Grandma finally opens her eyes once they’re gone. Joon’s mother is getting ready for the board meeting and calls Joon who continues to not answer.
Back in Wando, when Kang sees Joon, he doesn’t even greet him. Joon asks why he isn’t answering his calls and Kang replies that he didn’t want to. He then heads straight for the bedroom. Cha Young tells them that he’s run down and feeling exhausted, since he long ago left Wando. Joon goes to the bedroom and tells him that he needs to get up and they need to head back. When he pulls him up, he sees that Kang is broken down but he still urges him to return to Seoul. Kang looks at him and tells him that he should have left them alone so they could live here. He just wanted to live a happy life with his mother, Mr. Ha and San. With his voice breaking, he says that’s all he wants and then he flops back down to lay on the floor again. When Joon looks at his phone again, he sees that his mother has been made Vice President now.
Later Cha Young checks on Kang who is out cold, and so she gets him a pillow and blanket. Then she lays down to look at him and ends up falling asleep. When he wakes up later and sees her face right across from his, he gives a brief smile and then falls back to sleep.
A patient wearing a red-violet wig shows up inside the kitchen and sets up her vlogging rig for her ASMR livestream. She starts to eat sea grapes and shrimp on camera, but then she drops her food. So she doesn’t notice Tae Hyun pop up behind her, to throw hearts at the camera. The attention seeker. When she finally notices him, she’s so startled that she screams and then says that he’s a surprise guest.
Cha Young eventually wakes up and joins Joon who is sitting by the ocean. She asks him if it’s possible to climb up a mountain on just one leg. She says she’s going to try to do that on one leg. She thinks that Kang is doing his best to climb that mountain, too. So she’ll try as well, and imagine that she has two strong legs like she used to. He says that he’s glad that Kang has someone like her by his side.
Back at Bada Restaurant, Cha Young returns to cooking. She knows what the food should taste and smell like so she has the confidence to keep trying now. Joon finally calls his father as he thinks about the despair in Kang’s eyes and voice. He says that he needs to talk to him when he returns to Seoul. His father asks what he needs to talk about and Joon says about Grandma, him, his mother, himself, as well as Kang and his father.
Kang finds Cha Young sitting by the seaside and says that he’s been looking for her everywhere. He then sits down next to her and she asks when he woke up. He replies it was a while ago, as he even took a shower and changed clothes. She asks if he remembers that Joon had been here to see him. He says he thinks so. She comments that they’ve been sleeping ever since they’ve arrived in Wando. He asks so what? She asks if he’s hungry and he says he is. She suggests that they go eat as she made some food. Kang thinks about Min Sung and tells him that he’s still confused and torn. But he knows one thing for sure – that he’s tired of doing his best to push away this woman who walked into his life at some point and has been on his mind ever since. She stands up and tells him that she won’t disappoint him as it’ll be so delicious. She says let’s go and turns to walk ahead and he reaches over and holds onto her arm. He’s decided to just follow his heart and inside, he apologizes to Min Sung. He says to Cha Young, “About Greece. Can you not go? And… can I… love you, Cha Young?” Ah-ssa!! She just stares at him.
[Ep14] At Grandma’s bedside, Kang apologizes as he didn’t know she had collapsed. His banshee of an aunt rails at him for ignoring all of her calls and text messages. Grandma asks if he was in Wando. He replies there’s a man there who used to think of him like a son. His aunt rails at him for taking a laid-back trip while his other aunt is trying to take over the company. Grandma asks him if he got to meet that man. He quietly says yes as he wanted to stay there with him. He admits that he didn’t want to come back from Wando. His aunt asks what he’s saying and Grandma angrily grabs a pillow and flings it at his head. She screams at him to go back to Wando over and over.
Joon and his father are at his grandfather’s gravesite and his father wants to know why they’re here. He replies that he knows that he likes this place as he always comes here when he’s having a hard time. His father gives a short laugh and then says that’s because his father was the only person who understood him. He then asks again why they’re here. Joon asks if Grandpa was really the only person who understood him. His father says absolutely as everyone including his mother and siblings all looked down on him. But he always told him that he’s the best and that he’ll always be on his side. Grandpa had said that his imperfections made him care for him even, and so Joon’s father had purposely stopped studying as he wanted him to care about him even more. His father says frankly, Grandpa wasn’t that happy with Kang’s father, and that’s because those who are smart tend to be very inhumane. His father asks if he’s going through something and that’s why he brought him here. Joon says he feels suffocated in Seoul. His father presses him and Joon says he forgot what it is.
Back at the hospice, Kang thinks about Cha Young’s response to his confession. Cha Young is cooking in the kitchen and pauses to think about what and how the food should smell and taste and just goes with her heart. She offers her brother a bowl of japchae and he just shakes his head at it. She asks why and he yells that he’s stuffed with food. She says she told him to taste a little, not stuff himself. He yells that he couldn’t stop eating because the food was so good. xD Babo. He then calms down and says what’s weird is that she can’t smell or taste anything, but her food tastes even better. She goes to taste her food but she still can’t taste anything. Kang interrupts to ask if he can have a bite as he’s only had coffee today. Tae Hyun not-so-subtly leans over, shoves his sister into Kang, to grab a pair of chopsticks and hands him the bowl of noodles. While Kang is taking a bite, Tae Hyun silently mouths to her that he’s going to leave and give them some privacy. Tae Hyun silently chuckles to himself and quietly slips by behind them as Kang tells her that it’s quite good and seasoned just right. Tae Hyun says they went to Wando together and asks if nothing happened between them. Kang asks if she said that nothing happened and Tae Hyun says yes. Kang says then he guesses nothing happened. A disappointed Tae Hyun finally leaves the kitchen muttering about the two of them being like a monk and a nun. xD! Kang tells her to try making something else and he’ll taste it for her. She tells him to tell her what he wants to eat and she’ll make it for him. He says something that takes a very long time to make and gives her a smile.
She starts cooking again and he guesses that she’s making mapadubu and says it doesn't take that long to make. He then says about his confession – no, his question back in Wando – she doesn’t have to answer it. He’ll continue liking her regardless of her answer. She finally stops stirring and he says that it’s going to burn and pours in some water. He then says but of course he’d ask for nothing more if she also liked him back. But even if doesn’t, he won’t get upset and then he puts in the tofu. When she reaches for a bowl, he puts his hand on top of hers and she finally looks at him. He continues saying because even if she rejects him, that’d also be her choice. He finally lets go of her hand and says he’d respect the choices she makes. Her eyes tear up at this but she only returns her attention to the dish. Confession Part 2?!
When she sets down the food, he takes the first bite and says it’s delicious. He then says that he’s happy to see her. She looks at him and he says that he was worried that she’d feel pressured and end up running away. Suddenly they’re interrupted by Na Ra who runs in as she’s trying to get away from an angry older man. She runs to hide behind Cha Young and Kang even as man yells at her. Na Ra makes her escape as Kang blocks the man’s path. The man yells to ask him what he’s doing. And then we see the man dragging out Na Ra, his daughter, by the ear as he’s upset that he spent all this money to send her to nursing school to treat sick people and help them recover. Instead she’s here to take care of people who are about to die soon. Why is everyone so against this?! People need dignity in dying, too. She says that she didn’t have good enough grades to get a job anywhere else. She asks him if he thinks she’s a criminal or something as she tries to remove his iron grip on her left ear. He says yes, she’s a criminal, a fraud who tricked her own parents. He finally lets go of her ear to tell her that he won’t let her stay here for a moment longer. He then grabs her arm to go with him and Young Shil interrupts to tell him that not all the nurses here have bad grades. She graduated with the highest grades – and he interrupts to ask what her point is. The two stare at each other for a long moment before she drops it and he takes Na Ra away with him. Dr. Kwon looks at their departing backs and says it’s for the best. Young Shil asks why he said that. He tells her that he received a call this morning from the hospital telling them to stop receiving patients. :( He says that they plan to shut down the hospice. He then asks where Kang is as he’d heard that Na Ra’s father punched him.
Kang is sitting on the rooftop dealing with his aching jaw. Cha Young shows up with a rubber glove filled with ice for his cheek. They’re at a hospital, why wouldn’t they have actual ice bags?! He cheerfully says that it’s nothing as it was a weak punch. But she presses it up against his face and says that Na Ra’s father was in the news as he’s the chief of a serious crime team. Oh. He admits that he was hiding in embarrassment from getting hit in front of her. She asks why and he says that it’s the nature of men, to want to appear invincible in front of the person they like. Cha Young turns to leave and he says he’ll think what he wants, as he knows that she would’ve this for anyone else, but he chooses to think that she came because she was so worried about him. He asks if that’s okay and she only nods before running away. She returns to the kitchen and sees that he didn’t finish his food. But then she receives a text from Joon who says that he’s been hungry but can’t seem to eat. What should he eat when this happens? She asks if he has any cooking utensils where he is. He looks around the kiln and sees some stone planks. She tells him to pick up rice, kimchi, pork belly and green onions, and ham and eggs if he’d like. And so he buys everything and cooks over an open fire. She had told him that kimchi fried rice is the best meal when one’s distressed. He asks how she knew he couldn’t eat because he was distressed. That day, he had asked his father why he and Kang must fight. He had said in the past he thought he knew why but he can’t remember. Joon continues eating the fried rice as he stares into the fire.
Kang returns to his office and answers a call from Joon who asks if he’s had lunch. Kang drives over to meet him at the pottery workshop. Kang asks him if he knew how to fire pottery. Joon says he knows how to do everything. Kang asks if today isn’t his first day back at work. Joon replies that the long break made him lazy, so he’s slacking off. Joon asks him again if he’s eaten. Joon cooks everything and says that kimchi fried rice is the best when one’s distressed but then he says he’s out of rice. He hands Kang a pair of chopsticks and the two eat pork belly and kimchi. Joon takes a bite of pork belly and says soju would be good with this. Kang offers to get some and Joon says he won’t drink with him. Joon then asks if he has something to tell him. Kang says it seems like he has something to say to him though. Kang offers to go pick up soju and Joon repeats that he won’t drink with him. Kang says then he’ll leave then, as he wanted to eat together and they did. So they’re done, right? Joon tells him to go meet Director Lee Jong Uk or Director Kim Hyo Ik. Kang asks who they are and Joon says influential directors at Geosung Foundation. They’re very unhappy and nervous that his mother became the acting chairwoman and therefore, they could be of help to him. Kang asks why he’s telling him this. Joon says forget it if he’s not interested and returns to eating. Kang leaves and sits in his car.
Spring 1995. Kang sees Joon sitting on his knees being scolded in English by his mother for missing two answers on an exam. Joon tells her that he doesn’t understand a word she’s saying. He asks for her to speak in Korean. She asks him in English why he doesn’t understand. She then says in Korean that he went abroad to study English, so why can’t he understand. She asks how he will be able to survive like this. She says that Kang may seem dumb, but he’s actually a very scary kid. Is he sure that he’ll always be better than him? He replies that he got two questions wrong out of all the tests. That times five is ten lashes. She tells him to stand up and he does and rolls up the cuff of his pants. She then hits the back of his legs with a ruler. Joon flinches and groans in pain, and Kang feels the pain as well. Later, Kang brings a plate to Joon and says that he doesn’t understand him, and neither does Kang’s mother. He was always at the top of the school and he just took third place just once, so is it a big deal for him even to skip a meal? Kang says he came in 86th place, does that mean he should kill himself? He then offers him a chocolate shasha that he made. Joon swats it away and tells him to go away. Kang cheerfully tells him that once he has a bite all of his anger will just go away. Joon knocks it out of his hand and screams at him to go back to his house. Kang tearfully says “I’m not someone scary. I’m not here to prey on you. I’m a human being, not a monster. Why do you keep treating me like that? Seriously, I’m just a human being.” (~24:00, T_T The two boys. The boys.)
Young Shil ends her call with Na Ra and hears a man playing a guitar as he's singing outside. She tells him that he can’t be doing this here as this is a hospice and he could disturb the patients. He keeps his back turned to her and walks away but she grabs onto him and then finally sees his face. She says his name, Min Dae Sik. He laughs happily that she does recognize him. She says of course, as she recognized him that other day. She asks what he’s doing here and if he has a family here in the hospice. He asks, noona, she’s not married is she? He says that she hasn’t changed at all and he grabs her by the nose and then pulls on his cheeks and says he must’ve had plastic surgery. He says he may not look attractive at a glimpse but if she has a closer look, she’ll fall for him. She scoffs and asks what more he could want. After getting beaten up by those gangsters, it’s a miracle that he’s still alive. His nose bone and cheekbones were broken back then and totally lost the shape of his face. She then says, good boy, Dae Sik, she’s happy that he’s still alive like this. She then pats his face like one would a child, and he grabs her wrists and says that she still treats him like a child. She says that she knows as she changed his diapers a lot when he was a baby. She shakes off his hands and says she’s glad that he didn’t die and then pats him on the shoulder and gives him a great big smile. He smiles and says that he likes it, too. That he’s alive so he can see her again like this. She asks why his eyes are getting glassy and she’s scared. He walks closer to her and she pushes him away and asks why he’s getting so close. He sits down to hold his guitar, and then says, noona, he’s here to ask her something. She’s more interested in the guitar but asks him what is it. He asks why she dumped him back then. She looks up and hits him before saying omo, he must be out of his mind and looks around before running back inside. He calls after her, noona, it was raining that day…
Young Shil brings dalgona to Ms. Han at King’s Table. She asks her why she didn’t come back for the wedding as Ye Sol waited for her. Ms. Han asks if Ye Sol’s mother left well, and Young Shil says she did after thanking everyone. Young Shil asks if she’s really giving up like this. Ms. Han says she should cook for Dr. Kwon sometime, and Young Shil says she can’t even cook noodles. Then she says she has a guy who is crushing on her, and he’s seven years younger than and single. She then talks about his build and appearance… She changes the subject to ask her if she can make bossam kimchi. Ms. Han asks if that’s what she wants to eat, and Young Shil says it’s for Dr. Kwon, and the hospital is about to be shut down. Young Shil says he likes the expensive things in the kimchi, things like small octopus, abalone or pear. She’s not sure he’ll eat her cooking though.
Nonetheless, she starts making the kimchi. Tae Hyun lets it slip to Cha Young about their mother’s last address, a place called Forget-Me-Not-Pension. Kang receives a call from Joon’s mother.
Cha Young goes to her mother’s address and finds out that she’s swindled another man of his money/the building. Cha Young sees the man waiting at the bus stop for her mother, and thinks about the day she was also abandoned by her. She asks the man if he’s waiting for someone. He says that he’s waiting for his wife. She tells him to not wait for her as she won’t be coming back. She’s never coming back. She’s also waited for her, and it’s been 20 years. The man asks what she’s talking about. She says that people told her that her mother lied and that she’d never come back, but with hope, she still waited for her. She tearfully says, “To tell you the truth, I waited for her until yesterday. But starting today, I won’t. So you should stop waiting for her too. I’m sorry.”
Tae Hyun is crying at a KTV and texts Cha Young to ask if she’s found their mother. Cha Young says no, no luck as she was told that no one by that name lives there. Cha Young pulls out 500,000 won to pay for the meals of the owner of Forget-Me-Not Pension. She says when the money is gone, she’ll send more.
Kang asks Joon’s mother to follow his grandmother’s wish to not shut down the hospice. She says that she thinks it’s something that needs to be done and goes on. Kang receives a call from Cha Young just answers it and thereby cutting off his aunt’s speech. XD! So deliciously rude. She asks if he’s busy and he says no, he’s not busy at all. His aunt isn’t happy. Heh. He sweetly asks where she is as he dropped by the kitchen earlier and she wasn’t there. She tells him where she is, and he looks at his watch and says if he leaves now he can be there in two hours. He asks if she can wait for him and then asks for her to send him the address. He hangs up the call and his aunt glares at him to ask what that was about as she was talking to him. Hehe. He stands up and says that he’ll make sure that the hospice doesn’t get shut down, so he doesn’t need to hear what he should do after it’s shut down. Boom. She’s shocked by this. He says that he has to take care of something important, so he’ll get going. He bows before leaving and her jaw drops.
Ms. Han gets to the gates of the hospice with the bossam kimchi and a flask but she gets scared and squats outside. A moment later she looks at the stuff in her hands and is now confused as to where she is. She slowly walks and then stands around looking lost. A car pulls up and it’s Joon’s father who says hello. She turns around and with a smile asks if she knows him. He says that they met a while ago and that he and Dr. Kwon got into a fight because… and then he realizes that she has dementia. He says he’s Dr. Kwon’s friend, and then he asks where she’s going. She says that she’s dropping off lunch she made for her husband. She knows that interns have a lot of work as he didn’t come home. He says okay and then tells his driver to drive, and leaves her standing there.
Joon’s father is telling Dr. Kwon that they need to get rid of things that have no future, and invest in what seems more promising to grow it more. They’re making an economically sensible move. He says he’s been a doctor his whole life and knows nothing about business. Dr. Kwon asks him if he’s afraid that the employees would go on strike or something, and if he’s here to ask him to coax the employees and persuade them. Joon’s father says they’re friends so he’ll make sure there’s a position for him and if there’s a specific position he wants – Dr. Kwon gets up and grabs the baseball bat. He says that he bought this to play with the kids and swings it at him – but if he keeps this up, he’ll bash in his head with it. Joon’s father heads for the door, and tells him to take care of his ex-wife. He says shame on him for leaving a serious patient alone before running away. Dr. Kwon runs outside and sees Ms. Han picking up the food that’s now on the ground. When she sees him, she says yeobo, and then asks what she’s going to do as she made lunch for him but a truck driving by almost hit her so she dropped everything. He looks on with reddened eyes as she continues crying over this mess. She cries even moreso over the bossam kimchi that she made for him and says it’s all wasted now.
Kang meets Cha Young at the restaurant, who says that the lady told her to eat the local clams, especially since she’s not feeling well. She says she feels bad for making him spend time coming out this way as he’s busy. He says that today is his day off and he only dropped by the hospice because he wanted to see her. She smiles and then gives him a piece of the grilled clam. He eats a bite and says it’s pretty good and then gives her a piece as well. She tells him that she’s going to tell him a long story and asks if he’ll listen.
They go for a walk on the beach and she tells him about her first love, who made her a warm home-cooked meal because she was starving and didn’t even charge her. He then said he’d make her chocolate shasha for her if she came back around lunchtime, but she had to go back to Seoul because her parents fought. So she couldn’t keep her promise. A year later, she went back to find that boy, but was told that he had moved to Seoul. Then she grew up and met him again, like a miracle. She tried to forget him. So some days, she couldn't even remember his name. But there were also days when she couldn't stop thinking about him all day long which made her heart flutter and sad at the same time, filled with thoughts of him. She says that she and Min Sung got together because of him. When she went to the place where they first met after hearing that he got into a big accident in Libya. He looks at her but then breaks eye contact. He then recalls when he’d asked her if she even loved Min Sung…
Now, he walks ahead alone, away from her. She stands and watches him walk further and further away. He thinks about their past exchanges – when he met her as Min Sung’s girlfriend, the time they saw a movie together, when he told her he had hoped they never saw each other again right before their car accident, how he had performed surgery on her, and when he woke up next to her in Wando. He finally stops walking and turns around to look at her.
Kang’s voiceover: Let’s stop talking about Min Sung, your past and my past. How about we only talk about us from now on? As if it’s always been just the two of us from the very beginning.
[Ep15] Kang drives back to Joon’s studio and sees the broken pottery scattered everywhere and asks what happened. Joon says he won’t leave this place so his mother sent over some men. Kang then notices the blood soaking through the bandage on Joon’s right hand, and so he runs to the car to grab first aid supplies. After he’s finished patching him up, he tells him that luckily it didn’t cut into any nerves. Joon says he can still make pottery with nerve damage. He’ll quit being a doctor anyway. Kang looks at him in surprise. Joon asks him if he wants to grab some soju with him.
Cha Young goes to the police station to bail out Tae Hyun…again. Tae Hyun is all beaten up as this rich guy’s girlfriend says that he was hitting on her. Tae Hyun says that she actually hit on him and had asked him to buy her a drink. The woman whines and hugs her boyfriend’s arm and says that he’s a psycho. Tae Hyun sees his sister and waves her over. When asked if she’s his family, Tae Hyun starts acting like he has a broken rib. Cha Young finally says that she has nothing to do with this Mr. Moon. She then tells him to not contact her anymore. She tells the cop to proceed according to the law and then she leaves. He gets upset that she’s just left but then he sees the newspaper headline “CEO of Sinmyeon Construction Jo Cheul-U Receives Conditional Probation” for the collapse that left 10 dead and 68 injured and his hands start shaking.
Back at the pottery workshop, Joon asks Kang about his hand and the tremors. Kang says it’s still there. Joon says it wasn’t intentional as he did his best. It’s too bad if he doesn’t believe him, and if he wants to blame it on his incompetence, he’ll accept it. Kang says if this wrist hadn’t had its accident, he guesses that he could’ve outdone him with his skills. Joon just says okay, he probably would have. Kang says then Geosung would’ve been his, too. Joon says yes, probably. Kang asks, then what would’ve happened after that? Kang answers himself – he would’ve beaten Lee Joon with his skills and made Geosung his but then what? Would he be happy after all that? Joon says no. Kang says right, he thinks so, too. He asks what have they been fighting so hard for? Kang pours him another glass of soju, and Joon pours him a glass, too. The two empty their glasses and then Kang says they finished the soju and asks if he has more booze stashed somewhere.
Kang asks if he’s planning to stay here long. Joon says he can breathe here. Kang says what about the hospital? Joon says there are so many doctors, and he’s not even that competent as a doctor. He laughs as he says Kang knows that better than anyone else. Kang says that his parents won’t let him stay here. Joon says they’ll send over people to vandalize the place again or they’ll come here and do it themselves. He says it’s okay as he can make more. Kang’s designated driver arrives and Joon tells him to remember to keep the first aid kit in the car as they’ll probably need it again in the future. Kang laughs and says that he’s off. He gets into his car but before they drive off, Joon knocks on the window and says that he needs to tell him something.
Back in the kitchen, Cha Young is whacking away at something. Her brother arrives and says that the dried pollack isn’t him. She looks at him and he says that he bets she wants to beat him up. So why hit the dried pollack instead as it didn’t do anything wrong. He lowers his head to her height and says he’s right here, so don’t beat up that innocent fish. Go ahead and hit the one she actually wants to beat up. She asks him how he got out. He says that he caused a huge scene at the police station. He says that he took the cops’ guns and said they’d die if they chased him. She screams his name and he exasperatedly asks if she really believed that. He says it’s obviously because he didn’t do anything wrong. He asks if she really thinks he’s messed up enough to steal guns from the cops and flee? There were three witnesses who saw the woman making a move on him first. And the CCTV footage all showed that he’s completely innocent. She sighs and then returns to beating the dried fish. He says that she must be embarrassed that she has a brother like him. She continues beating the fish. He stops her and asks if she just wants him to be gone. She shrugs him off and tries to return to beating the fish but he grabs the stick from her and says she should’ve kicked him out so why did she take him back? She says because they’re family, and he’s the only family she has in this whole world. And because she forgot the fact that he, too, had abandoned her just like their mother did. He asks if she wants him gone now. He says then from now on, she can just tell everyone that he’s not her brother, and that she has nothing to do with him whatsoever, just like she told the cops earlier. He says fine, then they can officially cut ties. Either remove her name from the family register, or he will. He exits the kitchen, slamming the door behind him. She’s too self-righteous here. Wasn’t he a victim, too?
Joon tells Kang that Grandma had wanted Kang to inherit Geosung from the get-go. That’s why she went all the way to Wando to bring him back to Seoul. He was just the pacemaker whose job was to train and provoke him because he [Kang] had no desire for power. Kang laughs at this and asks who wrote that novel. He says that they must’ve drank too much and then turns to get into the car. Joon says that his father, Lee Jae Hun was the only legitimate child of the Geosung family. Kang turns back and Joon says that his father doesn’t know that Grandpa wasn’t his biological father. He hopes that he never finds out. But if he does, it is what it is. But now that Kang knows about it, that means only five people know about it – Grandma, Joon, Kang, Grandpa who died from the shock of this knowledge, and Joon’s mother. He turns to leave and Kang asks if it’s true, wouldn’t it be reasonable to take it to his grave? Joon says that he doesn’t want to cheat, that’s all. The one thing he hates the most is cheating. He yells that he told them that over a thousand times but no one ever listens.
Kang returns to the kitchen and finds Cha Young sitting in the dark. He asks how he is supposed to find her if she’s hiding like this. But he missed her so much. He sits down next to her and then realizes that he must reek of alcohol. She grabs onto him and says it’s okay. She says that she can’t really smell anything. He asks if something bad happened and she says no. He says she seems a bit down, and she wonders if it’s because she skipped dinner. He offers to make her dinner but she says it’s okay as it’s late and she’ll gain weight. He goes to the garden and brings back a pumpkin and makes her buchimgae. She says he’s a pretty good cook, and he says that he wanted to be a chef. She says that she loves buchimgae and he says his mother did, too. She asks about his mother passing away in an accident. He nods and she says that it must’ve been hard. He nods and she holds his hand. He says that it seems that she must’ve had it harder and he should be holding her hand. She says she’ll hold his hand today. He feeds her a bite of buchimgae, and she thinks about Ms. Jung: “Thanks to you, I can enjoy and cherish these precious everyday moments. Are you watching over me now? I will continue to share your warmth with those who are still in need of warmth and go on with my life. I want to tell you about my first love, whom I met again after such an ordeal, as well as stories about my family and my wounds, which are still hanging over my head. I have so much to tell you, Ms. Jung. I’ll tell you more when I see you. Good night.”
Min Dae Sik is singing a song and drawing a crowd outside the hospice. Young Shil shows up but tries to hide behind a tree. lol Of course he notices and then she runs away. When he later finds her, she tries to rap him on the head but he says that his head isn’t so great these days so don’t do that. She asks if she knows why she dumped him – because he’s not a man. He tells her that he is and reaches for his waistband. She grabs his face and says that to her he’s just like a kid, even with all the stubble. She says she always carried him on her back because his sister was so frail. He grabs her and kisses her on the lips. He pulls back and she screams at him. He asks how she feels now – does she still think he’s not a man? He tells her to answer him, and that it made her heart flutter, didn’t it? She pauses and then no, not at all, as he’s kissed her so many times when he was little. He’d give her a peck on the lips after eating, peeing, and even throwing up. He did it all the time. She tells him to stop polluting this hospital and go home while she’s still talking to him nicely. She then says he shouldn’t be here – pats him on the cheek – kiddo. Then she leaves. He stands there and touches his lips. She walks inside and leans against a wall and says that she can’t believe she had her first kiss with him. She then says no, that was not a kiss. It was just a quick peck on the lips. She thinks about his lips being moist – and then shakes her head. No, they were plump – no… Dr. Kwon walks towards her, waves and says that’s such a nice outfit. She looks down at her usual nurse’s uniform and suddenly standing next to her, Min Dae Sik answers back that he has a nice tie on. Dr. Kwon asks if he’s done singing for the day. Young Shil asks Dr. Kwon if he knows him, and he says that he volunteers here. He also sings for their patients and families from time to time. Dr. Kwon mentions that he’s heard he has a knack for cleaning and doing laundry. She pulls Dr. Kwon aside and tries to quietly tell him that he used to be a thug – and Min Dae Sik says that he knows that. Min Dae Sik suddenly starts gagging and runs for the bathroom. He runs into the bathroom just as Kang is washing his hands at the sink. Min Dae Sik proceeds to loudly retch into a toilet bowl. Dr. Kwon shows up and asks if he's okay and needs to have his back patted. Min Dae Sik replies that he’s fine and then returns to retching. Dr. Kwon quietly asks Kang if he’s seen his brain CT and asks what he thinks. Kang quietly shakes his head. Dr. Kwon says that he told him that he didn’t want Young Shil to find out about his illness yet and that he’d tell her himself when the time comes. Kang nods in agreement.
At the hospital, Joon lingers outside his grandmother’s room and hesitates on going inside. His aunt sees him and says his mother must be having a hard time as her only son ran away to the mountains to scoop dirt. She’ll come visit her in the hospital when she passes out, and she’ll bring the popcorn. She has such a way with words… *eye rolling* Grandma is having a nightmare and when Joon goes to wipe her forehead, she wakes up and violently shakes off his hand. She then moves far away from him. Joon’s father notices this and wonders why she did that. His father starts asking questions with his aunt making her snide comments. She closes her eyes and turns her head away from Joon. What did he ever do wrong? Joon leaves and returns to the workshop where his mother is waiting.
She sees his bandaged hand and asks if he’s okay. He says she sent those people. She says she wanted them to trash the place and not him. He says he was taken care of very well by Kang. He says that Kang used to be so kind and gentle before they messed with him. His mother tells him to just come back to the hospital. She asks if he doesn’t think it’s cowardly of him to rebel against her like this. He tells her that he wanted to be a good brother to Kang at least once. He wanted to say that his parents were wrong for once in his life. But he restrained his anger and has come this far by being as cowardly as he was told. She says so, if he remains cowardly, it could even take him as far as he’ll ever go. She asks why stop here. He says because she’s just too wrong, eomma. He says he’ll let it slide for the second time but there won’t be a third time. If she damages his property again like this, he’ll call the police. He then returns to picking up the broken pottery pieces.
Dr. Kwon is on the phone turning away patients who are crying and asking what they should do. The new kitchen help brings him food as Ms. Han gave her instructions to take care of his meals as he always eats ramyeon. She had thought he might start eating food from the cafeteria once she was gone. The woman apologizes and then asks if she should take the meal with her and then he says to leave it. She thanks him for it. Dr. Kwon looks at the tray of food and sits down to eat it.
Back at Ms. Han’s, Cha Young is being kicked out by Ms. Han who doesn’t remember who she is. She’s thrown all of her stuff into the courtyard. She tells her to leave before her husband returns. She thinks she’s her sister and asks if she hasn’t sponged off her brother-in-law enough who paid their father’s hospital bills and everyone’s tuition and allowances. He works his fingers to the bone without sleeping and coming home. She yells about them just drinking, so why does her husband have to pay the tabs for their drinks, clothes and shoes? Ah, she left him because of love. Cha Young says that she’s sorry and she won’t do it again. Ms. Han screams at her to go. Dr. Kwon suddenly shows up and asks her where she is supposed to go. To everyone’s shock, Ms. Han gets a scared look on her face and calls him yeobo. Cha Young doesn’t say anything and Dr. Kwon gives her a tiny nod. He calmly tells Ms. Han that her brother and sister aren’t strangers. They are like his family. He asks why she would kick them out when he’s fine with it. Dr. Kwon then crouches down and starts picking up Cha Young’s belongings on the ground and into the suitcase, even as Ms. Han tearfully continues saying yeobo.
In the kitchen, Cha Young starts making rice cakes. When she’s nearly done, Dr. Kwon comes in and tells her that Ms. Han must’ve mistaken her for her sister. She says she must have. He says that actually her brother and sister were quite selfish. Ms. Han worked hard to take care of her siblings and she even gave up college to pay for her father’s hospital bills. But now that they have their own families, and she’s old and sick, he guesses they broke off contact with her. He apologizes to her for having to deal with that. She says it’s okay as she’s like that sometimes but most of the time, she’s very nice. She treats her like her real sister. She asks him if he’d like rice cakes as Ms. Han’s been talking about it so she thought she’d like some. Dr. Kwon looks at it and tells her that she doesn’t like it. She had to eat unsold rice cake all the time as a kid, so she doesn’t even want to smell it. His mother-in-law worked as a housekeeper at an omaegi tteok shop. Ah, this is why she was dead set against making them when Ji Yong asked about it before. He says he’s the one who likes omaegi tteok and then asks if he could try one. She goes to get him a plate and he says no, and reaches for one. He takes a bite and it makes him cry. He says it’s good and it tastes just like the tteok that his mother-in-law got him. He starts choking and she pours him a glass of water.
He returns to Ms. Han, and finds her fallen asleep in the doorway as she has dropped a skein of yard mid-task. He picks it up and then tries to wake her up by saying Ms. Han but she doesn’t respond. So he sits down and says her name, Seon Ae which finally rouses her and she smiles and asks if he’s just returned. He talks about her mother bringing rice cakes to the hospital, and telling his colleagues, “Please take good care of my son-in-law. Please overlook his mistakes and be generous about his blunders. Please forgive him if he does anything wrong.” She laughs about her mother saying that. He starts crying and she asks what’s wrong. He asks why she did that. She asks what she did. He says he worked hard and did his best to make ends meet. He then sobs over and over why she did that to him? She starts sobbing as she sees him in pain.
Tae Hyun is outside Yun Hui Na’s (the vlogger) room and waiting as Kang and Young Shil are helping her through her pain as they’re waiting for the painkillers to work. She asks for some music to be turned on as Young Shil continues massaging her. Afterwards, Kang looks at the patient board and thinks about Cha Young’s words about people living their lives here, Dr. Kwon’s words about needing doctors accompanying people to the end, and Joon’s words about how he hates cheating but no one ever listens. He pulls out the phone and calls Joon’s mother and says he has an answer for her now.
Now Hui Na gets ready for her livestream as she feels great today, and she wants to go outside. She wheels herself outside but struggles and Tae Hyun arrives behind her to help her. Before she starts broadcasting, he asks her why she’s doing this as she’s quite sick. She shushes him as she doesn’t want them to know that ever. She’s going to eat songpyeons from each region of Korea. She slowly takes a bite of a couple and says it’s very good. But she has a hard time keeping it down. And then she suddenly passes out on camera. Tae Hyun calls her name when he realizes that she really did pass out, and goes over to check on her. She wakes up and softly mutters how annoying and gripes that she’ll have to record again.
A well-dressed older man is crying at his wife’s bedside and apologizes for putting her through so much, and not being able to take her somewhere nice to eat. This is being recorded by a camera crew. He says he hopes they meet again in heaven and then starts sobbing. Kang walks in and says that he told them that they couldn’t film here. The irate man asks why and says he’ll leave after he films his wife. Kang says that he can’t do that and the man starts yelling that he doesn’t want to talk to a minion like him and demands to speak to the director [Dr. Kwon]. Young Shil says that he isn’t here right now and if Dr. Lee says he can’t do it then that’s it. The man asks one of his men to call the chairwoman of Geosung. The man then says it’s as if everyone thinks they have the right to abuse their power these days. Kang tells him if he did something wrong, he should apologize properly. The guy plays dumb. Kang says don’t try to be sly and make people pity him by using his sick wife. The man now grabs Kang by the collar, and Young Shil yells at him to stop. Kang says ten people lost their lives in his poorly constructed building. The man asks how many construction companies in Korea he thinks sticks to the plan, uses the right materials, and finishes the construction on time. He says other construction companies do the same thing. He only got caught because he was unlucky. Tae Hyun finally remembers where he saw this man… the CEO of Sinmyeon Construction Jo Cheul-U from the front page of the newspaper. Kang says that people died. The guy says, so, he paid money. Kang repeats that people lost their lives and clenches his fists at his side. Young Shil places her hand over his fist. The guy lets go of him and then laughs and says that everyone dies. He says there were other people trapped in the collapsed building, but some survived unlike those who died, didn’t they? They survived and are living just fine. Those who died were just unlucky just as he was for getting caught. Before Kang can punch him, Tae Hyun pops up behind the man and knocks him down to the ground. Tae Hyun asks him what he is so proud of. How can he be so brazen? Cha Young shows up behind him. Tae Hyun asks, so what if they survived, does he think their lives are ever going to be the same? The fact that they’re still breathing and living their lives doesn’t mean their lives are okay. He didn’t just kill ten people. He killed tens of thousands of people. Those who died, those who survived and all their families. He killed all of them. A crying Tae Hyun yells “Don’t you get it? If you did something wrong, please just admit it and apologize.” Cha Young and Kang both look on with tears in their eyes.
Now Tae Hyun is back at the police station but he refuses to say anything. Cha Young arrives and says that she’s his sister. Tae Hyun says no, they’re not related as they’ve cut ties. He pushes her away but she returns to his side. He gets up and shoves her away and says he’s made her come to the police station two days in a row, so he’ll need to change both his first and last name now. She returns to him, and silently cries as she puts her arms around his neck and hugs him. He tries to remove her arms, but lets her stay. He tells the policeman to not misunderstand as she’s his sister and they are family. Cha Young finally says with pain in her voice, that she thought she was the only one who suffered. She thought that she was the one who was living a miserable life. She apologizes and now they’re both crying. It took her so long to see beyond her own pain. It’s a shared trauma.
Cha Young falls asleep sitting outside the police station and Kang watches her for a moment before approaching her. She tells him that Tae Hyun will most likely get released tomorrow. He says her brother told him this, and then hands her the bag that he'd hidden behind his back. He says her brother told him to get her chocolate as she has to eat chocolate when she’s having a hard time. She accepts the bag and pulls out the box of chocolates. She offers to share them with him and he says he doesn’t eat chocolate. She asks why Mr. Ha left him a box of them then. He says he liked them when he was little. But he stopped eating them when his mother passed away. He says that chocolate must be soul food for her and gives her strength. She says she promised herself that she would become someone who can help people if she managed to survive. When she was down there, she decided to become a generous person who selflessly shares what she has with others if she lived. That's what she told herself. She wanted to be like the lady who gave her her chocolate. To her, chocolates are like a compass. They tell her which way to go.
Later he leaves her in the car and says he needs to use the restroom. He starts walking down a set of stairs and then stops at the first landing as he recalls the rest of their conversation.
She had told him that if the lady had the chocolate herself instead of giving it to her, she could still be alive. So she always felt sorry and it made her heart ache. Kang had asked what the lady was like. Before she could answer, he had then said that she probably doesn't know her name. Cha Young had replied that she did know her name. She said that she’d never forgotten her – Ms. Jung Su Hui.
Kang starts sobbing heartbrokenly on the stairwell.
Tae Hyun is with Hui Na who is taking her driving test (video game) and she passes. So she tells him that she wants to get a car. So they go look at cars – more Maseratis. (The PPL in this… lol) He asks if she’s really going to get her license. She asks if he’s afraid that she’ll die before then. She says that she might be alive, and her life would be pathetic if she can’t even get her license. She’s sure that she wasn’t born to live such a meaningless life. Before she found out about her illness, she lived a pathetic life… just like him. She lived like she had a thousand years left and as if she was never going to die. She tells him that there’s a place she wants to go to when she gets the car – the sea – and she asks him if he wants to go.
Dr. Kwan and Ms. Han are at the beach and she’s screaming happily while splashing in the crashing waves. She asks if he doesn’t need to go to work. He says that he took the day off. She asks what about the resident who bullies him for hanging graduated from a university med school from out of Seoul? She asks what if he harassed him again? He cheerfully says it’s okay as he told him to have fun with her. She says it’s weird to spend time with him like this as he never comes home, never takes any days off and works night and day. He’s the busiest person in the country. He says he thought he had to work hard in order to make her happy. But he only ended up making her feel lonely. He’s sorry as he had no idea. She screams happily that she loves the beach, and tells him to spend time with her like this – once in the spring and once in the fall. And she won’t ask for more. He nods yes and then she drags him into the ocean and they play in the water.
Afterwards, they sit down to a meal and she says she’ll join a cooking academy since she’s such a horrible cook. She feels bad that after a hard day’s work, he can only have misugaru or ramyeon. He says that he likes ramyeon and then feeds her a bite of food. They’re interrupted by a phone call that he has to answer. And within moments she looks down at her necklace and returns to being Ms. Han. She sees him and looks petrified. She walks away from the table. When he asks the owner where she went, she tells him that she secretly paid for everything and left as something urgent came up. Ms. Han is on the bus and sends him a message: “After I met you, I was blessed with so much happiness. Please make sure I don’t ever visit you again. Don’t skip your meals. And I want you to be happy from now on, too.”
At the hospital, Kang is helping Grandma button her clothes while Joon’s father is griping about why she’s repulsed by Joon’s touch. Joon’s mother pinches him to get him to shut up but he won’t drop it. When Kang tells Grandma that she seems to have recovered, so she should start working again, his uncle yells loudly at this. Grandma says that she’s not interested in returning to work as she wants to rest. She says “You guys are in charge of Geosung now.” Kang says that he’ll make sure to contemplate what she said to him earlier.
Then Joon’s mother calls Kang for a meeting, in the hallway, about the Chairman position as she sacrificed everything for Geosung. She knows her mother-in-law and herself worked hard to make this place what it is now. She wants to know what difference it makes that her husband isn’t her father-in-law’s biological son. She asks what his father did, and demands to know why she must give this up. She mentions that Joon worked so hard and then Kang just suddenly appeared. She asks if any of this makes sense. He says no, he thinks it’s absurd that he gets to be the owner just because of who his father was. He says he means that. Geosung belongs to those who sacrificed their lives for it, and he’s not even interested. However, that only applies as long as she promises not to get rid of the hospice.
On a call with Kang, Joon calls him a lunatic for using the chairman position as leverage to maintain the hospice. Kang will remain silent as long as the hospice remains open. Joon asks why and Kang says his mother was right, that he did absolutely nothing for Geosung other than the fact that he’s his father’s son. Joon calls him a psycho, and says there’s something he wants to know. He asks when he got transferred to the hospice because of his hand, he thought he’d either refuse to go or do his best to return to the hospital. But he accepted it more easily than he’d expected. Why did he do that? Kang says did he? He doesn’t think so as he visited Grandma and complained about it. Joon says he was exhausted, wasn’t he, and he wanted to stop. He was relieved to have someone else put brakes on him, right? And he bets the people there ended up changing him. Joon ends the call. He remembers Cha Young’s kindness and says after all, they ended up changing him as well.
Kang’s inner thoughts: Don’t wait for me, Grandma. I’m not going back. I’m never going back… to that hell you all live in.
Young Shil sobs in the bathroom as she’s found out about Min Dae Sik’s diagnosis. She manages to clean up before she goes to see him but now he’s avoiding her. He doesn’t get far as he’s now too sick to go far. He’s forced to sit down on a bench. She sits next to him and tells him to look at her but he holds up a bowl in front of his face instead. She removes the bowl and says that he said he wanted to go out with her. She reaches over and holds his face between her hands and says, then he should look her in the eyes and do his best to win her heart. She then says, “Noona, I know I used to be a gangster, but I’m done with that life now. I’m trying to start over. So can you reconsider? You’ll never be able to date a sexy and handsome guy like me. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you. So forget the fact that you used to change my diapers and start thinking of me as a man.” With tears in his eyes, he says he came all the way here to say that but he realized that there’s not much time. She asks what is he talking about as he’s breathing now, talking now, his heart is beating nice and strong at a warm temperature of 36.5 degrees. As he sobs, he says that he should’ve come earlier. He should’ve come last year. He shakes his head, no, he should’ve come six months ago. She goes to wipe the tears from his face and says it’s not too late. But he gets up to walk away and then stops as he’s unable to exert himself. To his back, she says that everyone is terminally fated to die from the moment they’re born. They just tend to forget that when they’re living. She grabs his arm and makes him look at her and says who knows, she might even die before him. He tearfully denies this as she can’t die until much later. Someone who is as kind as her has to live a long life. He finally hugs her and says only then can the people who can’t go to heaven learn that an angel really exists. With tears, she says, this is way too quick, and his charm just went up by one point. But she hugs him back.
Kang returns home with groceries and starts cleaning up. He then looks at his mother’s notebook and says that he’s having a birthday party with his girlfriend today. And she’ll be really glad to see her. He asks his mother for her help and then starts cooking with her recipes. Elsewhere, while in the middle of making his birthday cake, Cha Young receives an unexpected call from her mother.
While he finishes setting up his birthday party and Cha Young arrives late with the cake. He’s impressed by her cake while she’s ecstatic about this huge plate of fried chicken. She says that her father used to sell fried chicken at a market, and she missed it so much. Kang asks why she looks so pretty today and she’s giving him butterflies. He then says, never mind, she always does. Flirty oppa mode is on. ^_^ She says it’s his birthday today so she put on some makeup and the most expensive dress she owned just for this occasion. She lights the candle and then turns off some of the lights. She tells him to make a wish and then blow out the candle. He says “Thank you for blessing me with this very moment.” She says that’s not a wish. He smiles and says he doesn't have a wish as he has everything he wants. He removes the candle and asks when she will stop calling him Dr. Lee as he’s her boyfriend now. She looks away and goes to answer but he interrupts with a swift kiss. He says that he wants to start speaking casually with her from now on and she just looks at him. He then continues kissing her.
She later asks him if they should run away together. He asks her where. She says it doesn’t as long as no one can find her there. He says he can do that, so let’s go. She’s surprised and asks now? He says she said it so they might as well leave now. He then tells her to wait a moment and brings her a scarf and puts it around her neck. He says he’s not sure which country they’re going to but it might be cold there. She thanks him for saying that he’d go with her. She says she’s spent the whole day trying to run away from her mother. She says her mother is a horrible person. She admits that she actually came here to avoid her mother. But she thinks she should meet her. She just remembered something she needed to tell her. He says that’s a shame. They’ll just have to elope next time. He smiles at her and she nods. He holds her hand and tells her hwaiting.
Before meeting her mother, Cha Young goes to church and prays, and Kang waits nearby. When Cha Young meets her, she is very polite with her and her mother scolds her for being so formal as she hasn’t seen her in 20 years. Her mother orders the most expensive steak on the menu while Cha Young orders only a coffee. Her mother chides her for being so stubborn like her father as she only wanted to treat her to some delicious steak. Cha Young says that she was so worried but she looks quite happy. Her mother says that she’s glad that she looks happy. Cha Young then says that she was worried that her mother would be happy. Because of her a lot of people had to suffer misfortune. It wouldn't be right if she were the only happy person. Her mother says it’s not her fault. Even without her, they are so stupid that things like that would’ve happened anyway. Like her father who stood surety for his friend and lost all his fortune. She asks if she’s forgotten what they had to go through because of her stupid father? She continues cutting into her steak as she says she’s learned that there are only two ways in life: you either get stabbed in the back or stab someone in the back. Those who get stabbed in the back rest easier than those who don’t stab, they say. But that’s not true. It’s better to stab someone than to get stabbed and then you can at least have steak like. Then she eats her bite of steak.
Cha Young softly sighs before saying that in the collapsed department store, she met a lady. Where she told her to wait in the department store and abandoned her. Her mother laughs and says that was because she was being harassed by moneylenders and she thought they wouldn’t do that to her with her [her mother] gone. Cha Young says “You have to get out of here alive.” The lady had bought some chocolate for her son, but she gave it to her. Then she passed away. Kang is seated nearby, out of sight with his back to them and listening nearby. Cha Young says that she learned what life is about from that lady. Her mother says she’s heard from Tae Hyun, and that’s why she lives like such a fool. She went to a culinary school in Italy but she’s just looking after some dying people now. She calls her a nitwit and asks if she thinks people would appreciate it. Cha Young says she wasn’t going to see her again until her dying day. But she’s come all the way here because of how that lady taught her to live. She said people are their last hope. She thought her mother would actually feel bad for those whom she hurt. Her mother asks what she’s talking about and just continues eating her steak. Suddenly a man runs up and tells her mother that they need to get out of there. Someone has found out that she’s here and they’re on their way here with a cop. Her mother mutters that it’s just five million won. She says she’ll just pay him back and get it over with. She then tells Cha Young that she’ll give her a call later and she can finish eating her steak. And she should get the bill, and she’ll pay her back later. Her mother goes to leave and Cha Young tells her to not call her as she won’t answer it. She stands up and says not now. Let’s meet in ten years and then they’ll see whose life was right. They can talk about it then. The guy returns to drag her mother away and off they go.
Cha Young watches them rush off and then she receives Kang’s text message asking if she wants him to hold her hand. She looks around and spots him sitting nearby. He texts that he was worried so he was going to watch her get on the subway. But the next thing he knew, he was here. He’s sorry if he startled her. Awww. She walks over to his table and offers her hands to him. She says please hold her hands as her hands are freezing. He holds her hands and then he stands up and keeps her in his warm embrace. Love is warm. They ride the subway together with her asleep on him, and their fingers interlaced. She’d told him that she’ll get off at the next station. She says that she’s sorry and asks for a little more time. She asks for him to not push for her to come back soon. She asks for him to not wait for her. Don’t feel bad for her. And don’t pity her. Wae? Covered in sweat, she lays down and silently cries inside her room. Kang stops by outside her place to make sure that she did get home safely. He sees her shoes outside the door. He won’t push her nor wait for her. But don’t get lost. Just make sure she comes back. He waits outside until it’s dark outside. She’s finally fallen asleep.
Some Time Passes.
Joon is at an art museum with his father. His father says that his mother and aunt finally fought and even pulled out each other’s hair, and then his grandmother’s blood pressure spiked. He says he’ll make pottery with him, but just got back to the hospital. He spent six years in medical school and worked as an intern resident – what a waste. Joon isn’t saying anything. When his father gets louder, Joon shushes him with a finger to his lips. Joon then notices a woman in pink who keeps rubbing her left shoulder and arm. His father continues trying to talk to him, but he just ignores him. Joon keeps his eyes on the woman and finally approaches her. He tells her to go see a doctor soon. He walks away and then returns to say that she has a serious condition. She asks if he’s hitting on her right now. He says no, not at all. He apologizes and then leaves. Within seconds, the woman suddenly collapses. Joon runs back to check on her and holds her hand and asks her to hold his hand if she can hear him. She’s then loaded into an ambulance with Joon at her side. She asks who he is, and he says Lee Joon, a neurosurgeon at Geosung University Hospital. He tells her to not worry and then he tells the driver to head to the ER. He continues checking her vitals. [The actress is Lina, and these two are actually married in real life.]
It's moving day for Ms. Han, but Dr. Kwon shows up and tells the movers to drop off everything at the address on the paper. The mover says he thought they were going to the countryside. Dr. Kwon says she’s her husband and they had a bit of a situation so they couldn’t live together. He then apologizes for the hassle. The man leaves, and Ms. Han says to not do this. She says she’ll only be a burden to him from now on. He replies that he hasn’t even had a chance to enjoy a proper meal prepared by her. She can’t run away like this, like a coward. He says just saying sorry isn’t enough. She drops her gaze and he walks over and hugs her. He says what’s done is done now. So be it if he’s a terrible and devious man to stay by her side. Should reincarnation be real, they’ll be given a chance to atone and apologize to the ones they’ve wronged. When that time comes, he’ll pay for everything that he did wrong. Even if they forgive them, he’ll never forget and receive punishment for everything. So in this life, let him be terrible and devious for her. They’re both sobbing as she finally hugs him back.
At the hospice, Kang is laying out in the sun. But he’s interrupted by the tap of a cane as an old man asks to go out for pizza. Young Shil runs up and says that it’s too far for him and she’ll order some for him. His grandson had taken him out for pizza a while back so he says pizza is best when it’s fresh out of a wood-fired oven. She quietly waves at Kang to follow along. Kang nods and says it does taste best when it’s fresh out of a wood-fired oven and suggests they go together. The man smiles and says really. Kang says he should dress warmer as it’s cold out and so they go inside to get him more clothes.
Tae Hyun is at the beach vlogging in Hui Na’s stead. He says that he’s here because Hui Na is away on a trip. She said she was going to a place where she can enjoy the warm sunlight and blue ocean. She also asked him to tell them all how sorry she is for leaving unexpectedly like this without even saying goodbye. She told him over and over how terrible… and he pauses and then turns off the camera. On her deathbed, she’d asked him to do this for her. She wanted him to tell them that she’s doing great somewhere in the world. Make everyone believe it. He’d held her hand and with tears on his face said yes. She’d said because she really won't die. She’ll work hard and continue to live her life to the fullest… in this beautiful world of theirs.
Back at the beach, Tae Hyun wipes the tears from his face and then takes some deep breaths and turns the camera back on. He says, “As if today is your last day, and as if you know that this moment will never return, cherish every single moment that comes by, ladies and gentlemen. The day you wasted today is the tomorrow that someone who died yesterday wished so badly for.” He then turns off the recording and sits down to look at the great big skies and waves in front of him. T_T
Wearing a couples’ outfit, Young Shil is singing with a very sick-looking Min Dae Sik who is singing off-key. They’re practicing for a competition and trying to win in the popularity category. xD! They’re suddenly interrupted by the joyful scream of Na Ra. Young Shil hugs her and Na Ra says that she misses her, the cabbage, Ji Yong’s turtle and she continues going. But Min Dae Sik interrupts to ask if she’ll keep listing things because they need to practice for their preliminaries. She says that she still has 30 more things and maybe more as she continues. Na Ra is back to work here as her father has broken both of his legs while chasing a suspect. Before she goes, she asks Young Shil who the man next to her is with their matching shirt and hoodie – she says he’s her boyfriend. This makes Min Dae Sik laugh happily.
Kang continues missing Cha Young who still hasn’t returned. He looks around at the kitchen where she once worked. He goes for a walk alone on the beach. He goes hiking on his own and takes photos.
Cha Young’s voiceover: You're doing well, right? I know you'll wait for me even if I tell you not to. I'm sorry I can't return soon knowing you're waiting for me. I'm telling you this in case you're worried. So far, I have never been lost, not even once. All because you followed me no matter where I went and stood there for me, holding a guiding light so that I wouldn't fall or get hurt. You told me that I've been doing well and that I just have to keep on living the way I have been. I'm grateful that such a wonderful man like you makes my heart flutter. The fact that I'm in love with such a warmhearted person like you makes me happy. I truly love you with all my heart.
Kang returns to Greece to find Cha Young. He goes to where she’s been but he keeps missing her over and over. So he continues waiting at the restaurant she works at. One day, a slice of cake, his birthday cake, shows up on the table. He runs out of the restaurant and rides his bike and then mad-dashes to her hide-away spot.
Kang’s voiceover: I’ve been running for a long time to come to you. There were times when I wanted to stop. At times, I wanted to flop down and collapse. And sometimes, I got lost. But because of you, I could come this far.
He finally sees her, standing alone and gazing at the ocean. He envelopes her in a warm hug. And he asks if she got some rest. He lets go to look at her face and then gives her a kiss.
LK: I came to get you. I wanted you to get more rest but I missed you too much.
MCY: I wanted to rest with you, too.
Later, the two walk along while holding hands. But then he stops and places his scarf around her neck.
LK: Our story ends here… but we know that this is not the end. We will get lost again at one point or another, and lingering despair will make us flop down along the way as well. But as long as we hold onto hope, nothing can break us down. We will remember that fact no matter what.
Montage of the food and poignant scenes from the series, followed by mukbang videos, including ones of our cast.
LK: To those of you who are walking by my side now. Thank you.
The value of one’s life is determined by how much love one gives,
not by how much love one has received. -Epictetus
The End.
Remarks
by FanFanX
[First Impression (Ep1-)] This is my second time watching this and I'm noticing even more details this time around.
[Actors/Actresses] Ah, my love for Yoon Kye-sang started here a few years ago, and he's different here than he is in Kiss Sixth Sense. Either way, he's a feast for the eyes. I've only watched Ha Ji-won in this series.
To be honest, I had to rewatch this one to remember Yoo Teo's character in this... As I had thought I'd seen him for the first time in Love to Hate You but that's untrue. His screentime is limited but profound here. No spoilers.
Overall, the cast is spectacular in this. A few of my favorite supporting actors: Kim Won-hae, Kim Ho-jung, and Yeom Hye-ran.
[Behind the Scenes]
→ Ep9. This rain scene with Joon looking adorable with a jealous Kang nearby. Ha. And our guys playing basketball.
→ Ep12. Bench scene. Kang's poor knees here. (Yes, the man does have a very fine form. Shhhh.)
[OST]
[Ending] A long meandering road to happiness. <__<
[Review & Rating]
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