Curtain Call: Episodes 9-10

by SugarSnow

As our drama slowly chugs along, our stage actors work to cover their tracks while more and more people are leaning about the big lie.

EPISODES 9-10 WEECAP

Curtain Call is beginning to take a personal toll on my patience. The characters are great at their foundation, but none of them have seen any big developments. The looming secret in the background has been revealed, but not opened up yet. Everybody is scheming but nobody is moving the chess piece forward. The best way I can describe this drama is that it manages to diffuse tension really well. Isn’t that the opposite of what’s supposed to be happening at this point in the plot?

Aside from that, a few minor plot points this week were interesting. As we inch closer to the end of the drama, I can’t help but hope that the next few weeks will be the firework weeks — but then again, I thought this week would be one of those as well, and we got the opposite.

To start this week off, we see Se-yeon hiding in the background watching over Jae-heon without confronting him, as she now knows his secret. In a meeting with Geum-soon’s doctor, it was brought to their attention that her condition isn’t improving despite her better mood and outward well-being.

Conflicted about whether to bring up Jae-heon to Geum-soon or not, Se-yeon takes into account the happiness he has brought into their lives and decides not to tell her. Later on in the courtyard, she talks with Jung-sook regarding her thoughts of a “justified lie.” Jung-sook surprises Se-yeon when she tells her that “Not all lies are bad” and “It isn’t a lie to the person who believes it’s the truth.”

Now in South Korea and told by Tae-joo to hide out in the a tiny room he’s provided, an emotional Moon-sung thinks back to a time where the woman he loved was sick. I like how the drama is adding more and more humanity to him as we go. Even after being told to stay put, a restless Moon-sung defies Tae-joo and marches into the Nakwon hotel demanding to see the chairwoman. Hearing the commotion in the lobby, Jae-heon runs out realizing it’s the real Moon-sung. Locking eyes, the two recognize each other. After the situation is diffused, Moon-sung leaves and Jae-heon instantly notifies Yoon-hee and Secretary Jung.

Knowing exactly who was behind Moon-sung’s arrival, Secretary Jung takes matters into his own hands. Paying Tae-joo a visit, he warns him to pick up his calls as he better not be hiding anything. I really really like seeing fierce Secretary Jung go to work.

Tae-joo, following through on his promises made to Moon-sung, reaches out to Se-joon over the phone to notify him that Jae-heon is a fake – taking into account how he would latch onto the real Moon-sung to oust Jae-heon for leverage in his fight over the hotel. But Se-joon shuts him down and threatens to take legal action if Tae-joo does anything else. Not willing to take no for an answer, he surprises Se-joon in the parking garage urging him to listen. Taking them back into his office, Se-joon is persuaded to take Moon-sung to get a DNA test. The test: a 99.99% match.

Now knowing that Jae-heon is the fake, Se-joon acts cordially around him at the house – a drastic switch from how he acted before. Meanwhile, Se-yeon cocoons herself every time she is in Jae-heon’s presence. These two drastic characteristic changes set off alarms in Jae-heon’s head.

Anxious, Jae-heon gathers Secretary Jung and Yoon-hee outside to explain the differences in Se-yeon and Se-joon’s personalities and how it would only occur if they have caught on to them. Confirming that they have been caught after seeing Moon-sung meet with Se-joon, Secretary Jung tells them that he is going to end it and tell Geum-soon the truth. But the two ask for more time, as they have grown to love the family and Geum-soon. As Geum-soon doesn’t know yet, they would rather exhaust all of their options at mending the situation before they tell her the truth.

It’s interesting to see how they have become less worried about the money and more worried about Geum-soon’s wellbeing (and the family’s) as time has gone on. They went from being merely stage actors on a huge stage to being genuine grandchildren in the family – even though not actually blood related, the feelings are there. Especially Jae-heon as he’s now worried about how much time he has left to be with Geum-soon and is kept up at night thinking about her. The two want to finish strong and do as much as they can rather than just quitting and leaving — the opposite of what they wanted before.

Showing up unannounced at Tae-joo’s, Secretary Jung meets Moon-sung. Moon-sung introduces himself politely, but Secretary Jung asks Moon-sung to go back to where he came from, saying that he isn’t the grandson Geum-soon needs right now as he is rash, violent, and hot-tempered. Flying off the handle, Moon-sung throws a punch at Secretary Jung only to get choke-slammed against the wall. In a fit of anger, Moon-sung flees the scene. Turning his wrath towards Tae-joo, Secretary Jung throws more than a few connecting punches his way and then tells him to reach out regarding everything he and Moon-sung do.

Bloody knuckled, Secretary Jung lies in bed conflicted over whether his actions were right. Persuading himself that this lie was not his to make, he decides to tell Geum-soon the truth. Walking to her room, right before he knocks on her door, he thinks about Jae-heon and Yoon-hee and pulls his hand away, willing to keep going just a bit longer.

Secretary Jung was already a good character in my book, but the layers being added to him interest me and I’m curious to get more insight to his full backstory – like, why is he a hand-to-hand combat master? I’m definitely getting ex-gangster vibes from him.

In the background, the battle over the hotel rages on – albeit very slowly. Se-yeon, now having lost her leverage on Se-joon (what with Jae-heon being a fraud), next moves into Dong-je’s arms for his shares. Even though it hurts her to do so, she tells him over dinner that she is willing to consider the idea of marriage if she can have his shares.

On the other hand, Se-joon has now gained the leverage and has dropped his pursuit of Dong-je’s shares. He hires a reporter to put pressure on Se-yeon as he is conducting interviews to gain information on Moon-sung (Jae-heon). Picking up on this drastic switch, Dong-je convenes with Se-joon to ask about it. Talking to Se-joon, Dong-je puts the pieces together and reasons that Jae-heon was a fake. Se-joon brings up how Dong-je has the upper hand on Se-yeon, too, and he can basically strong-arm her into marrying him. Dong-je has shown me that he has some sense to him, but I’m wondering if his heart eyes for Se-yeon and newfound grasp on her will lead him down the arrogant and forceful path again. Ugh, I hope not.

With the reporter probing around asking about Jae-heon, Se-yeon tries to change the subject with the announcement of her and Dong-je’s engagement. The reporter, totally dropping the Jae-heon subject, instantly engages with Se-yeon regarding her possible marriage. Ready to take the bullet so Jae-heon’s secret doesn’t get out, she is willing to even marry Dong-je and talk about the matter with a reporter – that’s crazy.

Ending the episode, we see Moon-sung approaching Geum-soon alone at a cafe, intercut with Jae-heon pulling Se-yeon out of the room with the reporter. In the hallway, Se-yeon blatantly reveals to Jae-heon that she knows he is a fake. I don’t know where the scene between Se-yeon and Jae-heon will go, but I can’t help but feel like the Geum-soon/Moon-sung situation will be a cop-out. The drama has burned us before promising big moments and then giving us very little, so I don’t think Moon-sung will even tell her he’s the real grandson when he sits down with her. At the same time, I won’t be sorry if this drama finally decides to ramp up the pace, and do what it teases!

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Curtain Call: Episodes 9-10