Любовь после свадьбы / Под венец без свиданий / Женимся, не встречаемся / Никаких свиданий, только свадьба / Marriage Without Love / Marriage Not Dating (2014)
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Эта дорама о закоренелом холостяке и девушке, которой постоянно не везёт в любви.
Любовь после свадьбы / Под венец без свиданий / Женимся, не встречаемся / Никаких свиданий, только свадьба / Marriage Without Love / Marriage Not Dating (2014) смотреть онлайн бесплатно и без регистрации
Marriage Not Dating
Title: ?? ?? ?? / Yeonae Malgo Gyeolhon
Also known as: Marriage Without Love / Marriage Without Dating
Genre: Romance, comedy, family
Broadcast network: tvN
Broadcast period: 2014-Jul-04 to 2014-Aug-22
Air time: Friday & Saturday 20:40
Synopsis
A romantic comedy about a man who doesn’t want to get married and a woman who has no luck in marriage prospect.
Gong Ki Tae is a successful bachelor who keeps getting pressured by his family to settle down. He then comes up with a plan to introduce Joo Jang Mi, whom he thinks will never be approved by his family.
Han Sun Hwa as Kang Se Ah (33)
Любовь после свадьбы / Marriage Not Dating [2014]
классный и прикольный фильм :139. оч понравился, советую)
спасибо, что залили с озвучкой)
Lily@ написал:
Дорама просто впечатляющая! Невозможно оторваться от экрана! И почему я раньше ее не посмотрела. Почему никто не предложил смотреть ее в обязательном порядке. И вообще, почему так мало комментариев. Если бы не ярко желтый приказ NataLee, то я бы и далее игнорила дораму не смотря на многообещающее описание.
Сюжет тоже вызвал бурю оваций. В отличие от большинства дорам, в "Скандальной столице" действие происходит быстро, но равномерно. Все хорошо продумано и спланировано. Нету чувства срезанности или растяжки действия. Возможно, две последние серии ускорили темп, но все это поясняется кульминацией, которая в скором времени приведет к типичной дорамной каденции. А какая чудесная музыка! А какие переплетения судеб.
Вот такую вот бурю мыслей и умозаключений вызвала у меня дорама. Надеюсь и вы найдете что-то свое, посмотрев сериал. Обязательно посмотрите, не пожалеете)
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Опубликовано: 28 июля 2014 г.
Please watch in HD ;D
Jangmi ? Gitae
FUNNY COUPLE¦¦¦¦
Hope you guys enjoy it;)
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?Marriage Not Dating MV - "What The Hell?" AngelHeartSakuraO2 21 787 просмотров 4:46 Следующее Воспроизвести
[???? ?? ?????] Marriage Not Dating MV ???? ?? dnaak993 95 235 просмотров 3:22 Следующее Воспроизвести
[MV Fanmade] Ben - Stop the Love Now (Marriage Not Dating OST) JenA Jey 27 631 просмотр 3:33 Следующее Воспроизвести
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Marriage Not Dating - Episode 1 ?? ?? ?? ? Eng Sub ? [BEST KOREAN DRAMA] Korean Drama 2014 23 280 просмотров 3:57 Следующее Воспроизвести
???(???)- ???? ??? ??? (???????OST)Marriage Not Dating sally ying 11 483 просмотра 3:56 Следующее Воспроизвести
King of High School MV
Jung Soo-Young x Yoo Jin-Woo
Marriage Not Dating
Title: ?? ?? ?? / Yeonae Malgo Gyeolhon
Also known as: Marriage Without Love / Marriage Without Dating
Genre: Romance, comedy, family
Broadcast network: tvN
Broadcast period: 2014-Jul-04 to 2014-Aug-22
Air time: Friday & Saturday 20:40
Synopsis
A romantic comedy about a man who doesn’t want to get married and a woman who has no luck in marriage prospect.
Gong Ki Tae is a successful bachelor who keeps getting pressured by his family to settle down. He then comes up with a plan to introduce Joo Jang Mi, whom he thinks will never be approved by his family.
Han Sun Hwa as Kang Se Ah (33)
Marriage Not Dating wraps up in a satisfying and poetic way, bringing us back full circle to remind us why we’ve all loved this couple so much. They stay true to themselves as the show manages to tie up all the loose ends nicely, leaving me feeling like everyone gets the ending they deserve. It’s definitely made its mark as a memorable and wonderfully fun drama, and I know I’ll miss Ki-tae and Jang-mi and their crazy, messed-up families very much.
EPISODE 16: “Nevertheless, marriage”
Ki-tae and Jang-mi stand in their wedding finery, at an altar under a stormy sky, both of them looking angry and hurt. Jang-mi says, “Let’s fold.” Ki-tae asks if this is what she really wants, with no regrets, and she stonily replies that it is. Ki-tae turns and walks away, leaving Jang-mi alone at the altar.
In the present, business is bustling again at “Ju Jang-mi” thanks to Ki-tae’s mother’s kimchi, and Jang-mi, Hyun-hee, and Yeo-reum are on top of the world. But Ki-tae has the unenviable job of bursting Jang-mi’s bubble by telling her of her mother’s breast cancer, and she listens in teary silence as she thinks to herself how life is full of surprises, and the worst always comes along with the best.
Jang-mi goes straight to her mother, who would rather talk about how she’s hurt that Jang-mi didn’t tell her she was dating Ki-tae for real. Jang-mi says that’s not important and asks why Mom hasn’t told Dad she’s having surgery in two days. She thinks Dad will drop the divorce if he knows, but Mom says that’s why he can’t know – Dad will act sympathetic and come back, and she’ll be stuck with him.
While they talk, Ki-tae accidentally finds the envelope of postcards from Dad and swipes them. Mom gripes at him for being a tattletale, tells him that she’ll never accept him and Jang-mi, and kicks them both out. Ki-tae suggests they go see her father, since they now have his address.
As he drives Ki-tae tries to lighten the atmosphere, but he’s thwarted by Jang-mi’s bad mood at every turn. Finally he pulls over at a rest stop (also against her wishes) and orders lunch, saying he needs energy to endure her while she takes her upset out on him. He finally gets Jang-mi to eat by saying they can leave as soon as the food is gone. So cute.
Jang-mi asks why Ki-tae went to see her mom in the first place, and he says he was jealous that she was getting so much affection from his mother and he wanted the same from her mom. She’s thankful that he did, since now her mom won’t have to have surgery alone.
They find the little pond where Dad’s been spending his days fishing, but he’s not there. Ki-tae notices Jang-mi looks pale and she runs to throw up, but thankfully it’s only from eating so much on a nervous stomach (and possibly also because Ki-tae just grabbed her and scared the crap out of her).
Ki-tae offers to take Jang-mi to the hospital, or the pharmacy, or to get married… Jang-mi’s, “Stop it! Wait, what?” reaction is priceless. She accuses him of joking around to cheer her up, but he mutters that he wouldn’t put his life on the line just for that. Jang-mi wants to wait until they’re sure but Ki-tae is sure now, and Jang-mi gives him an epic side-eye.
She tells him it’s not the right time because of everything her parents are going through, and commands him to take it back. But Ki-tae is sure her parents will make up, and even bets on it: If her parents get back together, Jang-mi has to marry him. I love his reasoning, that if the worst marriage she knows can work out, then surely theirs will too.
Jang-mi wants to know what was in her dad’s postcards to make Ki-tae so sure (he previously told her it was the sweetest love letter he ever read, hee) and grabs them from him. He reclaims them and they adorably tickle-hug-wrestle for possession of the envelope. A passing fisherman picks up the envelope when Ki-tae drops it, and says he knows the man who wrote it, and that he was heading to Seoul today to close his chicken restaurant.
Having put the restaurant up for sale, Jang-mi’s dad is pretty drunk on soju by the time they find him, and he roars at Ki-tae for having the nerve to show up here. Ki-tae stammers that he’s dating Jang-mi, which enrages Dad even further, and he shoves Ki-tae against the wall yelling at him for hanging around his daughter but not intending to marry her.
Jang-mi’s insistence that she’s unsure about marriage just makes Dad even angrier and he demands to know what Ki-tae did to make her uncertain. When Jang-mi asks what Dad ever did to give Mom assurance, it takes all the fight right out of him, but the news that Mom has cancer hits him even harder.
Jang-mi tells her dad to go to the hospital but he says that he won’t, since if her mom didn’t tell him she was sick it must mean she really hates him. He thinks his presence will only make her upset and she’ll feel worse. Oh, this is so sad.
Outside, Ki-tae hugs Jang-mi and tells her to go see her mom, and he’ll stay with Dad. She says sadly that their bet is over since her parents will never see eye-to-eye, but Ki-tae still has hope. She tries one more time to see what’s in the envelope, but Ki-tae promises to show her when their bet is really over.
Jang-mi climbs into bed with her mom and promises to be her life partner and never leave her. Mom says that sounds terrible, but Jang-mi says as long as Mom is against Ki-tae, she’s stuck with her, which makes Mom smile a little.
Meanwhile Ki-tae drinks with Dad, who’s calmed down enough to say that he understands that Ki-tae was just being cautious with Jang-mi. They commiserate over how hard it is to be around women who have to talk everything out, while men just get each other without speaking. Hilariously though, Ki-tae does say he likes how it’s easy to just say a few words to a woman and everything is fine. Hint hint . Dad. Go talk to your wife.
Ki-tae’s mom sits up alone late at night and is joined by Grandma, who also can’t sleep. Grandma says she has something to confess and asks if Mom remembers when she left home with Ki-tae. She tells Mom that Ki-tae thinks of those as his happiest days, but Mom remembers them as lazy days. She didn’t cook or clean, just spent all her time with her son. Grandma says that’s why Ki-tae was so happy.
Sadly, Grandma says it’s time that she let Mom go. She gives her permission to stop being the perfect wife and daughter-in-law, and tells her to just go be Ki-tae’s mom. Mom cries tears of relief, and asks what Grandma will do without her. Mi-jung enters the room, having overheard everything, and says Grandma has her and they’ll be fine. All three women dissolve into sobs and hold each other, but they aren’t sad tears – they’re tears of love and understanding.
sniffle
Ki-tae and Jang-mi talk to her mother’s doctor, who’s optimistic about her surgery prognosis. The only concern is that she will lose that breast, but Ki-tae tells Jang-mi not to worry, since he knows a great doctor. Se-ah enters right on cue, and offers to do the reconstruction surgery at the same time as the removal, so Jang-mi’s mother doesn’t have to live through the shock of having only one breast.
Jang-mi’s mother waits for her surgery, and she’s the only patient in the room who is alone. She sighs at all the other ladies who have husbands, boyfriends, and sons to support them, but pretends disinterest when her own husband shows up. Awww. She texts him to leave but he says he can’t read it, because he smashed his cell phone in anger and he wants to talk to her face-to-face. Well finally .
He hands her a bankbook which shows a balance of over 50 million won (around $50,000) which he got from the sale of the chicken stand. She’s touched that he sold the place she hated so much, but holds onto her pride and says she’s glad she got sick, because he finally left after she was ill. He yells that he never wanted a divorce, and he’s angry that she didn’t tell him she was sick.
Mom argues back with a wibbly voice that yeah, she’s sick, and so is everyone else here, but the other patients tell them to continue because this is more riveting than a drama (ha). Dad asks haltingly if he can stay with her, but Mom is stubborn and tries to give the bankbook back. It’s cute how the other women in the waiting room urge Mom to take the money and kick the man out, but the men are all “These women are so disloyal!” Mom grudgingly takes the money (and Dad), to a round of applause.
Jang-mi and Ki-tae watch from outside the room, and Jang-mi cries a few tears and notes that the reunion befits her parents. They go for a walk and Jang-mi asks to see her dad’s letter, but says it’s nothing special when she sees that they just ask if Mom has eaten or if she isn’t sick. Ki-tae counters that “nothing special” is pretty special, since only spending special occasions together like his parents do doesn’t mean much.
Ki-tae wonders if he should start proposing now that the bet results are in, but Jang-mi stops him again. She wants a fancy proposal, but Ki-tae argues that he prefers the simple everyday conversations like her dad’s letters. Jang-mi says she worries that he’s only proposing since her mom is sick and he wants to take care of her. She asks Ki-tae to wait, but he rightly says if they wait until all the drama is over, it will never happen.
Jang-mi pouts that Ki-tae’s proposal isn’t very romantic. Ki-tae just says that life is uncertain and full of twists, and you never know what may happen, and there’s no such thing as complete assurance that marriage will last, but nevertheless, he wants to marry her and love her forever. Jang-mi finally cracks a smile and counters that you can’t trust men, but nevertheless, she wants to trust Ki-tae. And with that, they’re engaged.
Jang-mi asks if he doesn’t have something for her like oh, maybe a ring, and when he shrugs she commands him to take the whole thing back. Hee. They can’t do even the most romantic things without fighting. He teases her out of her grump, but in voiceover Jang-mi says that back then, they never expected the worst life-twist that was ahead for their wedding.
Ki-tae’s mom serves tea to Grandma and Mi-jung and says she’s been thinking about what Grandma said. Before she can announce her decision, Dad comes running in to excitedly tell them he’s been promoted to university president. I love how all three of the women’s faces are like, So what, jerkface. When he asks for congratulations, Mom says he ought to congratulate her, so he starts in with the lip service of how he owes it all to her. He thanks her and she asks for something in return… a divorce. Dad’s shocked face is so satisfying.
He turns to Grandma for support, but Grandma tells him to give her the divorce. Mom asks for the house, and invites Grandma and Mi-jung to live with her not as in-laws, but as friends. The women are as touched as Dad is horrified, and they all hug again leaving Dad out in the cold. Sooo satisfying.
After a successful surgery, Jang-mi’s dad cuts fruit for Mom and tells her his plan to open a pizza delivery place. She grouches that it’s not much better than chicken and lets him know that she still hates him, but she’s taking him back so as not to burden Jang-mi. She says she’ll use the money from selling the chicken place for Jang-mi’s wedding, asserting that she only objected because Ki-tae’s mother was so rude and whoops . there she is, come to visit.
The two women talk alone, and Ki-tae’s mom apologizes for her previous behavior. Jang-mi’s mom says she’s being much more cautious about Jang-mi and Ki-tae’s engagement this time, but Ki-tae’s mom says she’s decided to do the opposite and keep out of it. She says she wants their marriage to be theirs alone, but Jang-mi’s mother asks if she won’t ask Jang-mi to cook for rituals and such.
Ki-tae’s mother promises she won’t, since she’s getting a divorce. She grins that she got the house, which impresses Jang-mi’s mom. Jang-mi’s mom congratulates her and asks her secret, and the two women laugh together for the first time. These two are going to be besties, aren’t they?
A few months later, a now-showing Hyun-hee watches a new chef cook in their restaurant, and Yeo-reum tells Jang-mi that this is his replacement. He says that he started this restaurant for her, and that he’s got lots of other types of food he’d like to cook, so he’s striking out on his own. He offers to sell her his recipes and bids her farewell, and in voiceover she says that this goodbye was the beginning of the wedding trouble.
Ki-tae’s parents have a glass of wine at a bar, where Dad tries to act pitiful without her but Mom calls him on his BS, saying she saw him pull his missing button off outside. HA. She tells him that she doesn’t regret their time together, but that doesn’t mean she was happy – she was doing her best to live with her choice to stay. She tells Dad to take responsibility for his love, and find fulfillment.
Mom turns to go but Dad grabs her arm, crying that he’s lost everything so what good is love? Ki-tae didn’t even invite him to the wedding. Mom shakes him off, saying that’s what Ki-tae wanted, but turns back to throw him a pity invite.
Ki-tae and Jang-mi enjoy a candlelit bubble bath together the night before their wedding. Jang-mi tells Ki-tae he looked like a wet rat the first time she saw him (from his date that threw water on him), but agrees that he looked so sexy that she threw the juice on him later just to see him all wet and sexy again. They reminisce over all the key points of their relationship, teasing and joking adorably.
Ki-tae suggests they remodel the bathroom after their honeymoon, saying it’s a bit small as he tries to scootch over to her side of the bathtub. Jang-mi says she likes the small tub, and they canoodle as she says in voiceover that at that point, they still trusted each other.
It’s the day of the wedding, and again we see Ki-tae and Jang-mi at the altar as she tells him they should just fold, and he agrees and stalks off. He tells the wedding coordinator to fold the umbrellas from the tables, even though he thinks it’s a bad idea since a storm is brewing. Jang-mi argues that the forecast predicted it would clear up, and the bride gets her way so the umbrellas come down.
Yeo-reum approaches them and grabs Ki-tae in a bear-hug when Ki-tae pouts that he only greeted Jang-mi. Yeo-reum escorts Jang-mi to her waiting room, and Ki-tae overhears him say something about wiring money and gets suspicious. He eavesdrops as they talk about how much money Jang-mi sent to Yeo-reum, but his mother drags him off and he doesn’t get to hear the rest of their conversation.
Se-ah comes to congratulate Jang-mi, who jokes that her mother loves her new breast but her dad loves it more, hee. She invites Se-ah to her bar, but Se-ah says she can’t drink for a while because her dream is coming true – she’s pregnant. Jang-mi’s face freezes in horror, and she can’t even smile for her wedding photos. Hyun-hee notices something’s wrong, and Jang-mi asks her to get Ki-tae for her.
Ki-tae greets the wedding guests (and gets glomped by an overly-enthusiastic Hoon-dong, cute) where he and his mother are grilled by the female family members over her divorce and his not inviting his father. Dad shows up and Mom admits to having invited him, but Hyun-hee comes to get Ki-tae before he can address any of this.
An upset Jang-mi asks if Ki-tae gave Se-ah a baby, but he’s too offended by the question to even answer. He counters by asking why she gave Yeo-reum money, and she says it’s business and takes offense in turn at his suspicion. The wedding coordinator comes to get them since Hoon-dong has been calling the groom down the aisle for several minutes, but Jang-mi cries that she can’t get married feeling this way.
The Angriest Groom Ever stomps down the aisle, and Jang-mi doesn’t look much happier as her father escorts her to him. Ki-tae refuses to look at her which makes things worse, so that when it’s time for Ki-tae to take over from her father, she refuses to take his arm. In front of everyone, Jang-mi demands to know if Ki-tae’s hiding anything from her.
He declares that he isn’t, and that she only has to look for herself. They (and every single wedding guest) look to where Se-ah is sitting, looking very cuddly with the 3D technology sales rep on her arm. Ha!
Absolved of guilt, Ki-tae asks what Jang-mi is hiding, and she tells him she only paid Yeo-reum for his part of the bar since he’s leaving. The busybody Gong ladies, who have been complaining about everything, now take offense that the family’s only heir is marrying a bar owner. Jang-mi’s mom hollers at them, “What’s wrong with a bar?!” Hyun-hee stands to defend her friend, which is the first Hoon-dong’s mother has heard of her involvement in the bar, and soon the entire wedding has been taken over by fights and bickering.
Just when they thought it couldn’t get any worse, the sky opens up and it starts to pour. All of the wedding guests run for cover, leaving Ki-tae and Jang-mi to stand in the rain at the altar all alone. Jang-mi says in voiceover that in life, the worst things happen during the best times, but you can get through life because the best things also come with the worst.
Soaked and deserted by family and friends, Ki-tae and Jang-mi just look at each other and begin to laugh. Jang-mi giggles at how “them” the wedding is, and Ki-tae agrees. They exchange wedding rings in the pouring rain, as Jang-mi thinks how marriage involves not just them, but both of their families. There will be lots of family issues, but marriage is worth it to be together.
They seal the deal with rainy kisses. Lots of them.
LOLLYPIP’S COMMENTS
Well, Jang-mi took the words right out of my mouth – their wedding was so perfectly “them!” It wouldn’t have felt right if it had gone off without a hitch, because their relationship was always full of fights and drama. But the fact that it was a total disaster, but they still came out the other side smiling and loving one another and accepting each other’s faults and all, was just the perfect wedding to top off this show.
In fact, my favorite thing about this drama, now that it’s over, is that everyone stayed fundamentally true to themselves. This goes for the parents as well as the leads, because none of them really changed dramatically; they only learned to accept themselves and take responsibility for their own happiness. Nobody had to have a personality transplant in order for someone to love them… yes they all changed some, but they just became better versions of themselves. Before, their quirks and hangups were holding them back, but they learned to take those qualities in themselves and use them in a positive way instead of letting the personality trait be in control.
The best example is Jang-mi’s tendency to think of others’ happiness before her own… at the beginning, she let this habit run her life to the extent that she never got what she wanted in favor of making sure the other person was happy. Instead of giving Jang-mi personal satisfaction, this just led to her being dismissed and overlooked by her friends and family. But now she’s learned to use that quality in herself to help others, like how she put her own discomfort aside time and again to reach out to Ki-tae’s mother, and help her find her own happiness.
Ki-tae arguably did the most changing during the course of the show, since he had to learn to let people into his life (physically and emotionally) to know that it’s worth putting yourself out there in order to gain love. Protecting yourself to the point that you shut out everyone and everything may be a safe way to live, but it’s not a happy way to live. He had to learn that while you may get hurt if you reach out to others, you also may gain immeasurable happiness, and that’s worth possibly experiencing some heartbreak in the process. But I believe that even though he did a lot of growing, Ki-tae still stayed essentially himself through the course of the show… he simply learned how to turn his protective instincts to the people he loves rather than keep it all for himself.
But the best thing about this entire show has always been the focus on family. None of us live in a vacuum and, good or bad, our families shape and define who we are. Jang-mi and Ki-tae were dysfunctional because their families were dysfunctional – but rather than fighting the future in-laws for control like so many drama characters, they actually drew those families in and worked on healing them. They both understood that the other’s family was part and parcel of who they are, and they each reached out to help the other’s family become healthy (even if that meant one couple splitting up). I adore how the families are still, and will always be, dysfunctional, because really aren’t all families in some way? But they learned how to love and accept one another in spite of that, and maybe even because of that.
It’s that acceptance of people and relationships for exactly who they are, and not trying to change them, that made Marriage Not Dating not only a fun and funny rom-com, but one with a heart and soul that will stick with us for a long time to come. The best dramas are ones that not only make you laugh and root for the characters, but make you feel something special, and I think I can confidently say that this show did that and did it well.
GIRLFRIDAY’S COMMENTS
What a fitting end to a series about marriage and dating—it doesn’t paint marriage as a fantasy, or the end-all-be-all of romance. It is in some ways the least romantic and most realistic of depictions since we have characters who run the gamut from happily wed, happily divorced, to some whose marriages resemble war buddies who are in it till the end because no one else would know their pain. What I like most about Ki-tae and Jang-mi’s final decision to be married is that they acknowledge that happily ever after is but a fantasy—marriages go bad, spouses cheat, love cools. But the theme of the episode is that despite all the odds, they’ll go in with eyes wide open and try anyway. That realism-optimism one-two punch just speaks to me, when they propose to each other to love and trust, even if there’s no such thing as forever.
This series is a standout among rom-coms for its fresh take on contemporary romance, its flawed characters who were allowed to remain flawed, and the lovely sense of humor that the writer and director shared—there was a cohesion in the writing and directing that was palpable, in that we were made to feel all of the right beats in all the right ways, which is actually rare. So often writing feels labored or directing diverges because they aren’t in sync, but here every song cue, every sound effect, every handhold, felt like it was taking us to a deliberate place, and that the writer-director team was always in control.
Granted, where we were taken wasn’t always roses. There were obvious missteps with supporting characters who were given central importance when we needed conflict, made to do crazy things to extend that conflict, and then shunted aside when they weren’t needed anymore. And as with most dramas that take on the contract dating/marriage premise, getting your characters out of the entanglement (or prolonging it, for that matter) proves to be a difficult endeavor. I loved the setup, but it started to drive me nuts the way we felt trapped there. The series was at its best early on, when the humor crackled and the couple was forced to act loving on the surface while antagonism brewed underneath.
The show’s signature cold open was another of those love-hate things for me—it began as a clever way to set us up for a twist on our expectations, and often it worked very well, using a pun or a song to lead our interpretation one way and then take a sharp turn in the episode proper. But once they started using it to misrepresent scenes altogether with footage that was a direct lie, it stopped being clever and felt manipulative; they lost meaning when I could only start counting them as fantasy sequences. It’s too bad, because had they remained the strict clever twists on expectation, they would’ve been the show’s crowning cap. I do like that the writer was clearly experimenting and pushing the boundaries of that device; the results just weren’t always in my wheelhouse. At least the finale went out on the kind of cold open I had loved early on.
Marriage Not Dating was a relative success for tvN (it reached a high of 4.2% during Episode 13 and mostly stayed within the 2% range which is good for cable), but it’s a far bigger success for Yeon Woo-jin and Han Groo . who showed fantastic range and now each have a leading role in a well-received drama under their belts. They were both so wonderfully funny and emotive, and considering the roles they’ve had in the past (oddly enough, they’ve both played cold-blooded killers, of all things), they displayed a totally different kind of warmth and accessibility that worked so well for the show. I love watching actors grow role by role, and these two had such a fantastically timed growth spurt in the same drama opposite one another. I can’t wait to see where they go from here.
I’d caution anyone against taking friendship, business, or ex-girl/boyfriend advice from this show (*shudders*), but I genuinely appreciated its take on family. I found the most touching thing in the finale to be Mom’s declaration that she’d take the house in the divorce and keep Grandma and Aunt—their bond had transcended all the traditional lines separating in-laws and blood relations, and they were just three women who loved each other as family. It underscored that the secondary loveline in the drama—between Jang-mi and her future mother-in-law—was something that changed Mom as a daughter-in-law as well. I loved that the familial thread ran through the show from beginning to end, and that despite the romance being the hook, family is what we end on. Accepting a person as they are is noteworthy; accepting their crazy-ass family as they are—now that’s love.
The line between what’s real and what’s pretend continues to blur, as Jang-mi and Ki-tae start to realize that they may have genuine feelings for each other…but the problem is that everyone else is beginning to notice as well. It’s one thing to be willing to go to great lengths to get what you want, but when others start being hurt and the innocent white lie turns into a giant uncontrollable monster, maybe it’s time to re-evaluate if what you want is really worth it.
EPISODE 10: “The thing you should keep hidden until the very last moment”
Ki-tae, his grandmother, and his aunt sit in the living room looking nervous as Jang-mi and Mom have an epic stare-down. Jang-mi asks Mom, “Does this really have special meaning for you, Mother?” Mom swears that it (whatever “it” is) is very special and should be treated as precious. Suddenly Jang-mi grabs a huge rock, raises it over her head, and smashes it down onto the table as Ki-tae’s entire family looks on in horror.
A few days earlier, we rejoin Ki-tae and Jang-mi mid-kiss. Jang-mi looks startled when Ki-tae swoops in, but soon her eyes flutter closed.
Having gone for help, Yeo-reum finds Hoon-dong drunk and alone in his room and tries to wake him, and Hoon-dong suddenly sits up and grabs Yeo-reum for a long passionate kiss. HAHA. Yeo-reum manages to flail his way out of it, and carries Hoon-dong outside to dunk him in a barrel of freezing water.
Yeo-reum fills Hoon-dong in regarding Hyun-hee’s disappearance on the way back to the stuck car, but Hoon-dong is slow to understand why Hyun-hee is at a temple and why he should care. Yeo-reum gets to the car in time to witness the kiss, and can only stand stunned until Hoon-dong’s loud voice causes Ki-tae and Jang-mi to jump apart. It’s pretty obvious to everyone that Yeo-reum saw the kiss, though nobody says a word about it.
Hoon-dong finds Hyun-hee praying at the temple, and starts a weak apology. Hyun-hee says that this “gift” may be unexpected, but it’s still precious, and offers Hoon-dong one chance to bail if he wants. Shockingly, Hoon-dong instead hugs Hyun-hee and cries that he’s sorry for her, that it had to be someone like him.
Hyun-hee sobs that she’s scared, and Hoon-dong promises to take care of her, and I actually believe that his tears are genuine. But Hoon-dong is still Hoon-dong, and their embrace changes tone quickly and he starts to take their clothes off. At least until they’re busted by a monk.
Back at work, Jang-mi and Hyun-hee can’t help but be distracted, and their manager takes them to task. Hyun-hee is all smiles as she tells Jang-mi that she’ll be quitting soon to get married, and Hoon-dong will be speaking to his mother soon. But Jang-mi has met Hoon-dong’s mother and knows it won’t be that easy.
Cut to: Hoon-dong on the street outside his house in only his socks and tiger boxers. HAHAHA. Poor Hoon-dong, I don’t think those half-assed martial arts moves are fooling any of the passers-by.
Hoon-dong’s mom beelines for the department store to confront Hyun-hee, who innocently greets her. Jang-mi rushes over to shield her friend and takes the brunt of Mom’s anger, who calls her a stalker and accuses Hyun-hee of trapping her son on purpose. The scene draws a crowd, and Hyun-hee and Hoon-dong’s mother both leave. The manager warns Jang-mi not to bring personal issues to work again or there will be consequences.
Hoon-dong’s and Ki-tae’s mothers discuss the situation. Hoon-dong’s mother is furious that Jang-mi lost out with her son then went after his friend, then sicced her friend on her baby boy. Well, I guess it does sound bad if you say it like that . Ki-tae’s mother advises her to do what she’s doing – aggressively plan the wedding, and the girl’s true motivations will come out.
Hoon-dong happily tells Hyun-hee that his family wants to meet her parents to talk about their wedding, but Hyun-hee says her parents are on a cruise for a few months and aren’t available. She says she’s always been independent and her parents would probably want her to do this on her own, but combined with her shifty expression, this makes me feel this is just more lies from her.
Jang-mi, who’s been sitting with them, gets up to leave but comes face-to-face with Ki-tae walking into the restaurant. He looks thrilled to see her, but she reels in horror and runs back to the table. Ki-tae joins them and she pops back up and flees, telling Yeo-reum she’ll wait outside for him to finish his shift.
Ki-tae follows her to say that if she keeps acting like this, she may as well announce the kiss. She grabs his face and manhandles him off the street, while Hoon-dong and Hyun-hee comment that they spend a lot of time together alone at Ki-tae’s house, and have been acting strange lately. Yeo-reum tells them that he lives at Ki-tae’s house now too and that he and Ki-tae snuggle at night. Aaaand now Hoon-dong thinks Ki-tae is gay.
Jang-mi drags Ki-tae all the way to his office, and he complains that she won’t let him talk. She says it’s that mouth that’s the problem, and Ki-tae is all, “Why, does your heart flutter when you see my lips?” Hee. Jang-mi admits that she’s been avoiding him because she can’t pretend nothing happened.
She flat-out asks Ki-tae if he likes her, and his giant grin is precious. But Jang-mi assumes he’s laughing at her and relaxes that he hasn’t really gotten serious about her. She rattles on about how she was nervous that the lines had blurred, but she’s relieved to know it all really was an act, and anyway she has Yeo-reum, and and and… she’s completely missing the fact that Ki-tae has gone very quiet. He finally reminds her that she’s the one who crossed all the lines he drew.
Jang-mi asks why Ki-tae kissed her, and he bluffs that it was to shut her up because she was talking too much. He accuses her of liking it too much, she calls him a bad kisser (oh honey, we all saw it and NOPE), and they both agree that of course it meant nothing at all, nope not even a little bit, uh-uh.
Jang-mi’s grand flouncing exit is ruined when Yeo-reum is on the other side of the door and scares ten years off her life. She asks how he knew she was here, and he leans in close to whisper that he knows everything she does, no matter where she is. They leave while Ki-tae fixates on the “bad kisser” comment, making thoughtful kissy faces to himself. Cute cute.
Ki-tae’s mom meets with Jang-mi’s mom and non-apologizes by saying she’s sorry that Jang-mi got upset, but she supposes she took her words in the wrong way. Then she does the same thing to Jang-mi’s mom, saying that she understands that she was upset to see Ki-tae with his ex-fiancee but it’s just that they’re still so close. She says that she hopes that her son will make Jang-mi happy but gosh, he tried so hard the first time and failed, and she just doesn’t see him trying that hard this time around. Pretty sure she just invented a whole new level of passive-aggression.
Jang-mi’s mom wonders to herself how this got all twisted, and tells Ki-tae’s mom that she should have helped with the wedding plans more, vowing to do her part from here on out. She takes on duties in spite of Ki-tae’s mom’s protests, realizing internally that she’s still being manipulated but not quite sure how to retaliate.
Jang-mi and Yeo-reum go for a walk, and when a cyclist comes too close, Yeo-reum grabs Jang-mi’s waist and pulls her in close. Uncomfortable, she tries to pull away but he doesn’t let her, saying he wants to kiss her. He leans in but her phone rings, and she shoves him away to freak out that someone is calling her, OMG, what strange timing!
It’s Ki-tae, and Yeo-reum snatches the phone to tell him that Jang-mi is too flustered to talk because she’s concentrating on him. He refuses to let Ki-tae talk to Jang-mi, so Ki-tae tells Yeo-reum that her mom is choosing a wedding date.
Mom drags Ki-tae to a fortuneteller, who says that Ki-tae doesn’t have much luck and that people avoid him, ha. Jang-mi bursts in, and the fortuneteller immediately says that luck follows her, and suddenly Ki-tae looks more interested.
The fortuneteller says that he’ll regret it if he loses Jang-mi, and people will tell him how stupid he is, especially since she has probably even saved his life once already. Then he starts to go on about how sexually compatible they are, and Ki-tae’s face is priceless as he agrees that of course the sex is incredible, earning a jab from Jang-mi. Dude, her mom is right there .
The fortuneteller suddenly turns angry, and yells that if they aren’t going to do this marriage right, they shouldn’t do it at all. Jang-mi and Ki-tae look nervous but luckily, Mom thinks he’s talking about how she wasn’t helping plan anything, and vows to do things right from now on. Whew.
On their way out, Jang-mi fusses that she thought Mom was against the marriage, but Ki-tae is all smiles as he fawns over Mom. He offers to take her to eat but since she’s heard “that thing” between them is so great, she says she’ll leave them alone, and she saunters off saucily as Ki-tae blows her kisses. Love it.
Ki-tae and Jang-mi walk home, and she says that she’s tired of this and wants to end it. She whines that because of him she’s lying to everyone, and even the fortuneteller told them to end it – but now Ki-tae says the guy was a charlatan.
In an echo of the scene with Yeo-reum, a biker gets too close, but now it’s Jang-mi who grabs Ki-tae and pulls him close, and this time they’re both affected by the contact. Jang-mi shoves away and says that these kinds of things keep happening when he’s around, and Ki-tae asks for some time to end everything.
The moms go shopping, and Ki-tae’s mother manipulates Jang-mi’s mother into buying the expensive wedding gifts a second time since Jang-mi returned them. She stunned to hear that Ki-tae’s mom is also expecting her to provide a dowry and more wedding gifts, but she’s locked into agreeing or risk looking bad again.
She runs home and gives her husband her best aegyo to get his attention (Dad: “I’ll talk when it sounds like talking!” HAHA) and Dad is horrified to hear everything that Ki-tae’s mother expects. He offers to get a loan with the house as collateral, but Mom says she already applied for one and they also need one on the restaurant. When he correctly guesses that she’s already done that too, he chases her out of the restaurant.
Later Jang-mi finds Mom getting deliberately drunk and gripes at her for putting the house and restaurant up for collateral, but Mom just says she doesn’t want her to feel ashamed in front of Ki-tae’s mom. She shows Jang-mi an old article she found, where Ki-tae’s father gave his mother a huge pink diamond ring, and she had said she would someday give the ring to her daughter-in-law.
Jang-mi’s mother says that Jang-mi will be receiving that ring and that she doesn’t want her to live like her mother. Jang-mi thought her parents married for love, but Mom cries and says love isn’t everything, and that marrying Ki-tae will give her daughter everything she couldn’t. Awww, Mom. *sniffle*
Jang-mi angrily confronts Ki-tae with the article, saying that because of that ring, her parents have gotten loans on everything and that she can’t keep doing this. But Ki-tae’s face noticeably hardens when he sees the photos, and it’s obvious he’s not listening.
Finally Ki-tae says in a hollow voice, “Ask her for the ring.“ If his mother doesn’t give it to her, it will show that she’s against the marriage. He tells Jang-mi to actually say that to his mother when she asks. Jang-mi objects, because what if she does give her the ring, but Ki-tae is adamant that she won’t. Jang-mi agrees, since it would be a clean way out of the fake engagement.
So Jang-mi calls Ki-tae’s mother and boldly asks for the pink diamond ring, saying that she knows that it will mean her acceptance into the Gong family. For once Ki-tae’s mom is rendered speechless, and insists on discussing it in person that weekend. Jang-mi is relieved that this is almost over, but Ki-tae’s expression is very worrying.
Jang-mi and Hyun-hee go out, and Jang-mi drunkenly complains that she doesn’t understand what’s happening with this whole ring deal since she’s not really getting married. She doesn’t know why she feels upset, but Hyun-hee does – it’s because she’s started to like Ki-tae for real. The more Jang-mi insists it’s not like that, the more Hyun-hee just smiles knowingly, and tells her that she’s probably upset because it’s about to be over and she won’t have reason to see Ki-tae again. Jang-mi blurts out that she’s got Yeo-reum, and anyway she only kissed Ki-tae that one ti…whoops.
Hoon-dong and Ki-tae drink and have pretty much the exact same conversation – except Hoon-dong thinks Ki-tae is in love with Yeo-reum. Hoon-dong takes offense that Ki-tae thought he wouldn’t notice, then adorably asks how he can help. Ki-tae says just to act like he knows nothing, which prompts Hoon-dong to ask if it’s one-sided, on top of everything else.
Ki-tae staggers home to find Jang-mi asleep on his couch, and he watches her sleep for a moment. He gently touches her hair, which wakes her, and she sleepily asks him, “Why isn’t it me? The ring. Why can’t I receive it?”
Jang-mi asks Ki-tae why, when her mother is willing to give everything for them, can’t she receive one small ring from his mother? She thinks that she doesn’t see her as worthy of such a valuable thing, but he says that’s not the reason. He’s reluctant to explain, but Jang-mi demands to know.
She’s wondered why his mother is so against their getting married and she thinks this may be the key. She asks with tears in her eyes if it’s money, or her family, or if it’s just her. But that’s not the problem, and Ki-tae answers sadly, “That ring…isn’t my mother’s ring.”
Three years ago, Ki-tae and Se-ah had gone to a jeweler’s to shop for their wedding rings, and ran into his father buying the pink diamond ring. Se-ah sees the ring and assumes it’s a wedding renewal ring for Ki-tae’s mother, but Ki-tae notices his father acting cagey and evasive. He rushes out, dropping the card on his way, and Ki-tae sees that it was addressed to “J.”
Later Ki-tae’s family gathers for the article photo shoot, and Se-ah makes the mistake of mentioning the ring in front of everyone, putting Dad in an awkward position. Ki-tae takes his father aside, gives him the card, and tells him that he knows “J” isn’t his mother. He starts to get upset, but his mother finds them and tells him to hide his facial expression and voice, or everyone will find out. Ki-tae is devastated to know that his father is a cheater and his mother knew.
Back in the present, Jang-mi wonders how his mother could wear that ring that she knew was for another woman, for all the world to see, but Ki-tae says that’s why – because everyone can see. Tears roll down his face as he gasps that they can’t let anyone see their real feelings.
Jang-mi seems to suddenly understand Ki-tae so much more, and she gently takes his hand and tells him that he can show her his real feelings, since she’s not real. They stand in that moment, neither speaking, and neither of them notices that Se-ah and Yeo-reum have walked in.
Se-ah breaks the silence and Jang-mi drops Ki-tae’s hand, and Se-ah leaves while Yeo-reum stays with a hurt look on his face. He says that she shouldn’t have let him find out (about her feelings for Ki-tae) – she should have known how hard he was trying not to know.
That weekend Jang-mi and Ki-tae drive to his family’s home to talk to his mother about the ring, the atmosphere in the car strained and silent. Jang-mi thinks to herself that this is for the best, that it’s dangerous to keep this up, but wonders why she feels unsettled. When they arrive, Ki-tae says that since this is the last time, she has his permission to make the biggest scene she can. She says she will, for their sake and also for Yeo-reum’s sake, which gives Ki-tae pause before he ushers her inside.
Ki-tae, Jang-mi, Aunt Mi-jung, and Grandma all sit in uncomfortable silence while Mom casually cleans a trio of large ornamental stones. Grandma asks if Jang-mi is really here for the pink diamond, which Jang-mi confirms, and Mom blandly says that she finds her request quite bold. Jang-mi says she’s asking for it so she that can feel secure that she’s truly welcome in the family. Mom asks why she thinks the ring will do that, and Ki-tae speaks up – he gives Mom a loaded glare as he says that it’s because the ring is so special to her.
Of course, Mom can’t give her the ring, because right now Dad and his mistress are together and we see that the mistress is wearing the pink diamond ring. It’s a slam-dunk for Jang-mi and Ki-tae, since if Mom can’t give her the ring, they have proof she disapproves, and they can call the fake engagement off.
When Mom hesitates, Jang-mi starts to say that it’s obvious she doesn’t accept her, but Mom suddenly slides a ring box across the table to her. Everyone looks shocked, not knowing how Mom got the pink diamond. Jang-mi asks if the ring truly has special meaning for her, and Mom says that it is and asks her to treat it as precious.
Jang-mi takes the ring and sets it on the table, then suddenly grabs one of the stone ornaments and raises it over her head. Before anyone can react, she smashes it down onto the ring. Everyone gasps in shock, but when Jang-mi lifts the stone, we see that the pink diamond is dust – it was a fake.
Jang-mi states that she knows now what Ki-tae’s mother thinks of her, and she understands that she’s been rejected. But she takes this last chance to ask her to let go of Ki-tae, and not to force a marriage on him that he doesn’t want just because it looks good to others.
Mom asks Ki-tae what his intention was to have Jang-mi ask for the ring, for the first time showing some emotion as her voice starts to shake. Jang-mi says that they just wanted to hear her honest feelings, since her real marriage is so different from what’s shown in the magazines.
Mom tells Jang-mi to shut up, that she doesn’t know anything about it. Jang-mi bravely says that she knows Mom is very hurt, and has been having a hard time, and doesn’t want Ki-tae to be stuck in the same loveless marriage she’s had. Her voice gets high and strained as she says she understands that Mom wants Ki-tae to be happy, but that she needs to be happy first, and not just look happy.
Mom tries to hold her carefully neutral expression, but her iron control slips and tears start to fall. Grandma tries to interrupt but Jang-mi has one more thing to say. “The person who made Ki-tae so alone is you, Mother.”
Jang-mi leaves and Ki-tae follows her. Mom gets up without a word and goes to her room, and for the first time in probably many years, gives in to her emotions and cries great, wracking sobs of pain.
Jang-mi cries outside, but when Ki-tae finds her she slaps on a happy expression and asks how her final performance went. When he doesn’t answer, she says he should say he’s grateful, but he thinks to himself that if he does, it could be the last time he talks to her. Jang-mi says that this was the last time, and holds out her hand for him to shake.
Ki-tae silently takes her hand, then pulls her in for a hug. She pats his back and tells him that he should start showing his emotions, “Although I won’t be beside you.” Ki-tae finally, finally admits to himself that he wants to stay by her side, even if he can’t say it out loud. Crying even as she tries to sound brave, Jang-mi says, “Finally our roller coaster wedding scam is at an end.”
Ki-tae still can’t speak, but only holds her tighter for a long moment, until a voice from behind them gasps, “What did you say?!” They both turn to see Grandma standing there, having just heard Jang-mi admit that their engagement was fake the whole time.
I have to say, I’m firmly in the “this show just gets better and better” camp, and this episode is no exception. We’ve finally gotten to the point where real feelings can’t be hidden or ignored any longer, and at the same time we’re learning why Ki-tae and his family are so afraid of showing their real feelings, and I could just eat it up with a spoon.
I’m especially enjoying the way the show is giving us more information about Ki-tae’s parents, and their actions and reactions. The reasons behind their behavior are so real and accessible – it’s a situation that can (and does) happen to anyone, and the different ways they choose to protect themselves and their feelings are very understandable. Often I have trouble when shows introduce things like birth secrets and backstories where someone’s mom killed someone’s dad or whatever. That stuff is certainly shocking and makes for interesting television, but that kind of thing just doesn’t happen to normal people; so in a way, when a drama brings in plot points that I can’t relate to in a real-life way, even while I enjoy the story for being shocking and dramatic, it creates a barrier between the characters and myself as a viewer. They become less “people” and more “characters in a drama,” so I lose some of my connection to the characters and I’m just not as emotionally invested.
But a husband who cheats and a wife that focuses so much energy on showing the world a perfect family, to the point that her own children even become emotionally stunted…now that’s something I can see happening to normal people, and it actually draws me IN to the characters and makes me care about what happens to them. Last week in my recap I devoted a large portion of my comments to complaining that Ki-tae’s mother was losing my sympathy. While we saw some vulnerability in her at the beginning of the show (through Jang-mi’s eyes), she had recently lost that relatability as the wife whose husband was stepping out on her and was just trying to keep it together, and becoming the two-dimensional drama mother-in-law who tries to break up the leads for no reason other than the girl being of lower class.
But in this episode, we got to see exactly why she objects to Jang-mi; it has nothing to do with Jang-mi, and everything to do with her fear that her son will end up alone or in a loveless marriage. With her strong reservations that the engagement happened so quickly, she was thrown into panic that her son would make a rash decision and marry without real love, and I can see why Mom defaulted to Se-ah, who does still care for Ki-tae. What Mom fails to understand is that it’s not only important that Ki-tae marries a woman who loves him, but that he also loves the woman he marries.
I can also see how this situation has made Ki-tae how he is, because he discovered his father’s infidelity right about the time he and Se-ah were gearing up to get married. That had to throw him for a loop and make him view marriage with suspicion, so that when she crossed that line and disregarded his wishes, it became about so much more than the house – it became, “Can I trust this woman with my heart?” Someone who violates your boundaries before you even get married, is someone who very likely can’t be trusted to have your marriage’s best interests at heart, especially when that person just flat-out says that they will have no compunctions with using information about your family to get her way once you’re married. It’s no surprise that Ki-tae just bailed on marriage altogether.
So now we know, for the most part, what makes Jang-mi and Ki-tae the way they are, why one is so afraid of being alone and the other is terrified of commitment. But we’ve also reached the point at which they finally admit to themselves that there’s something more than obligation and friendship going on between them. Now we get to watch them try to find their way to each other, which is always my favorite part of any drama. I’ll admit I’m surprised that it will probably be Ki-tae to reach out first, since he’s the first to admit to himself that he wants to stay by Jang-mi’s side while she’s still thinking that her relationship with Yeo-reum is her primary concern. Jang-mi is such a caring, loving person, so I was expecting that she would realize her feelings first and have to get grumpy Ki-tae to come out of his shell. I’m doubly interested that that expectation has been turned on its ear, and dying to see how the show makes this happen, since it never does things in a way that we expect.
Given how clumsy and adorable Ki-tae can be when he’s trying to be charming, I think we’d best brace ourselves for a whole lot of cute headed our way. Our leads still have a lot of emotional ground to cover too, because there are still holes in their backstories that I’m sure are important. And I’m loving how the show continues to only dole out crucial information to us as viewers as the characters learn it, as I mentioned in a previous recap. We only know what the characters know, and we learn it just as they learn it (such as hearing the story of the ring as Ki-tae tells it to Jang-mi, so we find out at the same time and in the same way as Jang-mi does), and it makes those reveals so delicious because it’s not just us learning these things, it’s the characters too. It’s such a great subtle way to draw the viewers into the story, to have us experience things the same way the characters do.
Keep it coming Show. I’ve got my spoon ready and I’m hungry!
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