The third personality of this series…now the story has emerged as a character study. This is what I thought the show would be from the get-go. Let’s do this.
Episode 16 Recap:
Seo Jin (Hyun Bin) and Ha Na (Han Ji Min) are at home having survived the confrontation with Tae Joo. Ha Na will be moving out tomorrow. Seo Jin asks Ha Na “May I love you?”. Ha Na naturally hesitates. She admits she has wondered why she has supported him to the extent that she has. Good point for her consideration. In the end, Ha Na has come to the conclusion that she wants a relationship with someone she feels comfortable with from the beginning, and that is Robin.
When Robin (Hyun Bin) wakes the next morning he remembers the confrontation with Tae Joo. He is disturbed when he remembers how Ha Na urged Seo Jin not to let him out. Robin asks Ha Na why she wanted Seo Jin to suppress him. Ha Na says it had nothing to do with Robin but everything to do with Seo Jin staying in the moment and facing his fears, not hiding behind Robin.
Ha Na moves out back to her circus friend’s apartment.
Seo Jin’s crafty cousin, Seung Yeon (Han Sang In) and his secretary wait for Robin at the coffee shop. Crafty cousin is concerned that Seo Jin will attempt to take back the CEO role he now has. Crafty cousin hopes that if Robin stays strong, Seo Jin will not return to business.
Crafty cousin overhears one side of Robin’s phone call to his agent Publishing Company CEO Min (Maeng Sang Hun). CEO Min tells Robin he is working on obtaining an identity card and has found him an apartment.
Robin and Ha Na shop for lamps for the new apartment. Robin tells Ha Na people will start banging the drum to eliminate him.
Crafty cousin does not want Robin eliminated, he wants him to flourish and become stronger. It’s time for Robin to become independent.
Tae Joo has not spoken since the police took him into custody. Seo Jin visits Tae Joo (Sung Joo) and is surprisingly kind. He brings drawings that Tae Joo made as a child. Seo Jin remembers that they were good friends. Seo Jin remembers that Tae Joo had nothing to do the with kidnapping. He was a pawn in the kidnapping game not a contributor. Seo Jin apologizes for thinking ill of his former friend. He notes Robin is a good artist just like Taeo Joo is, so obviously their friendship resonates with him. Tae Joo finally speaks and tells Seo Joo the time has come. They need to let each other go. Seo Jin calmly tells Tae Joo no. Tae Joo is his only friend and he will not abandon him.
Dr. Kang is impressed with Seo Jin’s interaction with Tae Joo. She asks what is next for Seo Jin. He surprises her by saying he wants to learn how to talk. He wants to be able to speak with ease to others. He wants others to be comfortable speaking with him too.
Seo Jin’s assistant, Young Chan (Lee Seung Jun), tells Ha Na that Robin needs to stay on the down low. Hmm, that’s not what Robin is thinking.
Seo Jin’s father, Myung Han (Lee Deok Hwa) listens to his son’s ideas and is accepting. It is a nice conversation between them.
Pursuing his goal of comfortable conversation, Seo Jin stops by the circus and tells them he will observe their easy camaraderie. LOL when Seo Jin declares he will not leave even if they want him gone. Of course that makes everything awkward but they gamely involve Seo Jin and keep talking. When Ha Na arrives, she is not happy to see Seo Jin on her turf. She pulls him away and asks why he is there. Seo Jin is surprised that Ha Na does not want him around. He asks why he does not have the right to make an effort to learn to converse and enjoy others. He tells Ha Na he is surprised she detests his attempt to become a better human being.
Seo Jin’s father asks Dr. Kang the question “why is Robin still around?” The incident with Tae Joo is resolved. Why is Robin still appearing each evening? Dr. Kang believes that Robin’s love for Ha Na is contributing to his strength of will to stay active. She also believes the Seo Jin’s caring for Ha Na makes him allow Robin’s existence too as it makes Ha Na happy. Seo Jin’s father is not happy with that explanation. He believes Robin is like a tumor that must be cut away from his son.
Seo Jin’s father requests a meeting with Ha Na. He tells her that Robin is merely an illusion. He is direct that Robin may still be in existence because of her. He stays around for Ha Na. To that end, Seo Jin’s father reasons that Ha Na needs to leave the country.
Crafty cousin ingratiates himself with the circus performers with food and drink. He claims he wants an even bigger show than what they offer now. He encourages Ha Na not to leave town but instead support Robin.
Ha Na tells Robin that Seo Jin’s father did not ask her to leave. Interesting that she elects to lie about this.
At his apartment, Robin mentions the upcoming interview. Ha Na is concerned that Robin going public will bring public scrutiny on Seo Jin and jeopardize his chances to become CEO again.
Circus guy and Woo Jung (Hyeri) and her father are impressed at the number of comments on Robin’s page. She frets that after the interview, the number of comments and fans of Robin will explode.
Robin elects cancels the interview as Ha Na requested. She is relieved. She texts him she’ll cook him dinner at his apartment.
Seo Jin talks to his father about his request for Ha Na to leave. His father is candid that he did this to eliminate Robin and put his son on a path to integration. Seo Jin asks his father to back off. He declares the time has come for him to protect his own interests as well as his fathers.
Comments:
* Now the show is a character study of the personalities. This is what I thought the show would be from the beginning. It is a logical place to go. This series’ plot has jumped in 3 times. I’m thinking of this as the 3 personalities of this series. The first personality was the first 7 episodes of fluffy fun. The second personality are episodes 8-15, the Tae Joo’s revenge quest against Seo Jin. Now the third personality emerges as the writers begin to explore if Robin has a right to exist separate from Seo Jin. I’m wondering, the third personality, Terry, is he never to be mentioned again? You would think the more Robin feels threatened, the more likely that Terry would emerge.
* Hyun Bin flipped between Robin and Seo Jin throughout the episode. I must say that I do not feel passion between Seo Jin and Ha Na or Robin and Ha Na for that matter. There were glimmers of cute in the first 7 episodes but now everything seems muted. With this story, these actors, perhaps a compelling couple is not in the cards.
* Han Ji Min as Jang Ha Na choose Robin. I appreciated that the writers allowed the Ha Na to admit even she had to examine why she protected Seo Jin putting her life on the line multiple times. In the end, Ha Na wanted a comfortable relationship. That certainly equates to Robin. In a way, she has turned her back on Seo Jin due to loyalty to Robin and her desire to simply her life (especially after all she has gone through).
* The OST has 7 songs, 4 ballads, 1 semi upbeat, and 2 upbeat tunes. Listen to the OST via the embedded playlist or this link.
Asian drama fan. I watch and blog dramas on https://kjtamusings.wordpress.com/.
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Do you know the name of the song at the end of ep 18? We hear it often but I can’t find it anywhere :C
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are you referring to the instrumental track at the end of the episode when Robin is watching the video?
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