Curtain Call: Episodes 11-12
by SugarSnow
Our stage actors’ secret might be coming undone, but not a lot changes on the surface, and we find ourselves counting down the clock until the one person who wasn’t supposed to find out, finds out.
EPISODES 11-12 WEECAP
We’re getting close to the finish line on this drama and I am patiently waiting for something to happen… still. This week, we gained glimpses into some characters’ pasts while also getting to see some fun character moments, but regarding everything on the line, we still have yet to push past the anti-climactic wall.
This drama loves to beat around the bush without ever actually diving into the nitty gritty. I’m hoping this is all just a long-winded build up for a massive conclusion, but at this point, it wouldn’t be hard to persuade me otherwise.
Back where we ended last week, we see the fateful meeting between Geum-soon and Moon-sung. Neglecting to tell her directly that he is her grandson, he hints at it by bringing up his past (told you so.) Distraught over her previous shortcomings regarding her son and grandson in North Korea, she begins to cry at the table. Throughout this whole week, we see Geum-soon wrestling with her emotions and it looks like she knows Moon-sung is her real grandson but the drama is still playing with the “who knows the truth?” question.
We see Geum-soon think back to the past and it seems as though her whole life has been flipped upside down again even though Jae-heon is still there. Seeing her deal with this heartache, I’m sure she knows Moon-sung is her real grandson, even though we aren’t explicitly told that – the drama is just annoyingly holding the bait over our heads without giving us a chance to get a bite.
Revealing to Jae-heon that she knows who he is, Se-yeon also reassures him telling him she understands why he lied and that’s why she has kept his secret for a bit as well. She is willing to go along with everything as she values Geum-soon’s well being over everything. Surprising Yoon-hee and Secretary Jung, Jae-heon brings Se-yeon in for an emergency meeting – where Jung and Yoon-hee hilariously do their best to keep the truth hidden in front of an already enlightened Se-yeon.
Bringing them to her art space, Se-yeon plans to work with them until Geum-soon’s passing. In order to keep the good memories she has made and to keep the hotel, she reasons that they need to act like they don’t know Se-joon knows Moon-sung is in South Korea. After agreeing with this, Jae-heon and Yoon-hee take a look around at the pictures, seeing one with a young Secretary Jung front and center.
In a flashback, we see that Secretary Jung (guest appearance by Da Won as young Secretary Jung) used to be a gangster and got into a large brawl with a rival gang in the middle of Geum-soon’s hotel. Stopping the fight with her robust voice and enormous presence, she sees that Jung was attempting to kill one of the gang members. Proceeding to chase the gang member down to kill him, and getting stabbed once catching up, Jung’s plans are halted by Geum-soon. Taking him in, she allows him to work at the hotel so he can live a normal life and work a proper job.
Seeing Geum-soon as a beacon of light, he works for her diligently without looking back — which has gotten him to where he is today. Out of all the character relationships this show has, I like hearing about Jung’s dynamic with Geum-soon the most. I feel it has taken a backseat recently and that’s a shame because it has so much character and heart. Secretary Jung really cares for her and you can see he is driven by that in everything he does.
Lingering outside of Geum-soon’s house, Moon-sung runs into the crime boss who he was trying to pay off in North Korea. The crime boss brings up Moon-sung’s wife (the real Jang Jin-sook), and how she needs a new liver to survive. With the wealthy grandma Moon-sung has, he should be able to pay for a liver with no problem, he reasons. Threatening him, the crime boss tells him to hurry up and give him the money needed for a new liver for Jin-sook.
This is interesting, as I was partially thinking Jin-sook was dead because of how the drama portrayed her and didn’t mention her in the present time. This also somewhat explains Moon-sung’s rash methods. He needs help, but nobody is willing to give it to him, so he has become impatient. I feel like he could be a character full of depth and color, but the drama waited so long to bring him into the story, and now with him present, he’s still not getting a ton of characterization – just a few showcases of humanity here and there. Definitely not enough to paint the full picture.
Moving forward with their plans to marry, Se-yeon and Dong-je meet with Geum-soon. Geum-soon tells Dong-je that she never had a problem with him before, he’s just too intellectual at times and tends to lack consideration of others’ feelings due to his intellectual outlook on everything. I’m hoping this statement may have gotten through to him — telling him he’s basically forcing Se-yeon to marry him — but who knows.
Now that Se-yeon is marrying Dong-je, Se-joon has managed to pull Moon-sung over to his side as well for now. The fight over the hotel continues to be at a stalemate despite the new game pieces and developments added to the table.
Attempting to hint to Jae-heon that she likes him, Yoon-hee gets frustrated at his lack of understanding. Telling him to leave, she is joined by Secretary Jung who sits down to talk to her. Overhearing everything, he tells her she needs confidence if she’s willing to push their relationship to the next level. Taking into account what Secretary Jung said, she psyches herself up in the mirror one night to tell him her true feelings. Moving outside to talk with Jae-heon, she sees him meeting up with Se-yeon, as he’s frustrated about her marrying Dong-je. As Se-yeon tries to dodge his confrontation, he tells her he likes her. Ending the episodes for this week, we see Se-yeon reply, telling him that she likes him back, while Yoon-hee watches from afar, heartbroken.
This week we got some fun and whimsical character moments, but as usual, nothing that really pushed the story forward. I’m glad we finally got to see the confessions of both Se-yeon and Jae-heon because that was bound to happen sometime. I can’t help but think it feels a little out of place now, though, especially considering the lens of the drama has been focusing more on the hotel and the big secret, which has now dissolved into practically nothing. With the last couple of weeks coming up, and a very sudden pivot to the romantic, I’m crossing my fingers for some actual plot developments to carry us through to the drama’s conclusion.
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Curtain Call: Episodes 11-12
Source: Buzz Pinay Daily
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