You’re Beautiful, episode 13
I’ve never been this miserable over a second lead for this long, ever. Just when I thought the writers have exhausted their emotional capacity to shaft Shinwoo repeatedly in the gut, they come up with 68 new ways to mercilessly torment him. I. NEVER! So indignant on his behalf right now.
Summary/recap of episode 13
After Taekyung gives Minam permission to like him, Minam is relieved. Taekyung clarifies that he won’t be annoyed, he won’t feel bad. He is a person that a lot of people love, so he won’t be annoyed with her for liking him. Have I mentioned that Minam is just so relieved that he’s gonna let her like him! But as a fan! Taekyung is taken aback that she phrased it that way, but yes, it’s an honor for her to be a fan, let’s not forget.
Meanwhile, the reporter goes back to the greenhouses to snoop around, thinking that there may be a lead there because Shinwoo exited from the greenhouses before. Lo and behold, he finds the polaroid that Minam took dressed in girls’ clothing and starts making connections. Could this be the secret woman that’s eluded him for so long?
Not one to miss out on annoying know-it-all reveals, he goes to AN management and sets up three photos side by side: the photo of the woman with her back turned the day of AN Jell’s first performance as a four member group, the photo of Shinwoo hugging his girlfriend close to him as to not reveal her, and the photo of Minam dressed in girl. He wants to be told the truth about the woman’s identity.
Taekyung and Minam are driving back after their nice little ring-around-the-rosy get together, but they get news of what’s happening at the office. They meet up with Shinwoo and Shinwoo says that he’ll be taking care of this whole matter. Taekyung directs Minam not answer anything unless she absolutely has to. Before they go though, Shinwoo tells Taekyung, “From now on, she’s my woman.”
(UGHHHHHH OH NO HE DIDN’T. I despise that crap.)
Ultimately, they present Minam as who she really is (Go Minyeo) and not as what she’s really done (impersonate her brother to get into the band). They promise the reporter an exclusive interview so that he doesn’t go blab around. President An deduces that this is what they must’ve been hiding from him, and that Shinwoo must really like Minyeo — he even got her a pair of shoes to propose to her.
Enough shenanigans for the night. Minam changes back into her clothes and blames herself (again) for messing things up. Shinwoo sees a better thing to do — if in case something like this happens again, they ought to have a story to go with it this time, right? So what would it be?
Once upon a time, he met a girl, a girl who he couldn’t hold her liquor when they were at a club. He knew then when he had to take care of her that she was a girl. Minam all of a sudden doesn’t know what to call Shinwoo anymore, so Shinwoo suggests she try “Shinwoo oppa.” She tries it, but it feels weird to call him by that when she’s been so used to “Shinwoo hyung.”
On their dates, they once went to the amusement park and had lots of fun riding the various attractions and what not. Not only that, but they went to Myeongdong, had kalguksu, had ice cream, and even went shopping together. Whenever he called out for her, she would come running.
Also, one more thing. This is most definitely going to come up in their interviews — when was their first kiss? Minam suggests that they haven’t had one yet, but Shinwoo says the reporters will think she’s acting coy. So he places a kiss on his fingers and then places his fingers on her lips. Now she can say they had their first kiss today.
Shinwoo continues the story by saying that he also rented out a whole restaurant and waited for her, getting ready to tell her while he stood in front of the mirror that the girl he liked is right in front of him. But as usual, his allusions and metaphors are lost on Minam, who doesn’t get his true intentions.
Taekyung is doing his usual rounds of checking the ANJell fancafe when he notices a certain Pig-Rabbit member has joined. He can’t let this moment pass, so he jumps on his chance to “test” Minam as the “site master.” So, just how much does she know about Taekyung? How cool does she find him? After a series of rather unfortunate, unexpected, and unsatisfactory results (7 out of 10, 5 out of 10, 4, 7, 2) Taekyung has determined that Minam’s preference towards Taekyung is rather average: 5. That means she could sway either side rather easily and he must not let that happen. One final megaball question: How much does Minam like Taekyung?
After much deliberation and anxiety:
SUCCESS!
Then, Minam receives a text from Taekyung, telling her that there’s a fanmeeting taking place now, so she should join him. In the living room, Taekyung is seated by the piano and tells Minam to request something, because that’s what stars do at fanmeetings: they’re there to make the fans happy, so if Minam wants something from him now, she better decide quickly before he changes his mind.
Unfortunately she does decide quickly and he does honor her request because he sings “Fly Me to the Moon” and I die a little on the inside. Please Jang Geun Seok, stop thinking you can sing.
Now let’s deviate back to Taekyung’s mom for a second. She’s on a quest to find Go Jae Hyun’s kids because she feels responsible that they lost their mother, and she’s still mourning the fact that Go Jae Hyun must’ve only loved her and nobody else. The song that he made was a symbol of their love. Minam’s aunt knows about Mo Hwa Ran’s predicament and ultimately decides to bring Minam to her, hoping to get whatever benefit out of it she can. Minam’s aunt doesn’t know that Minam knows who Mo Hwa Ran is, and doesn’t know that Mo Hwa Ran and Minam have met before (tongue twista for ya). Once Hwa Ran and Minam meet, they’re a little taken aback at each other’s presence. Hwa Ran was under the impression that she was going to meet a boy, not a girl. But as their conversation proceeds, Hwa Ran picks up on the fact that maybe the person in front of her isn’t a boy. Minyeo’s peculiarities don’t match those of her brother’s and Hwa Ran is suspicious.
Heyi. Oh Heyi. Where would we be without Heyi?
Heyi gets angry that Taekyung still won’t pay attention to her and that they’ve still never shared a meal together, so she invites herself to the ANJ household to make them all cook for her. Resistance is futile so the three are forced to cook, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a thing or two up their sleeves. Right when Heyi is about to eat her spaghetti…
Shinwoo lets spill to the other two that he put a liiiiittle bit too much salt in the dish. To his surprise, Jeremy also lets out that maybe he put a liiiiittle bit too much sugar. And Taekyung? Well…
The three of them leer knowingly as Heyi gets ready to take a bit but just as she does, Minam comes home. She seems the four of them in the kitchen and then Heyi all of a sudden decides that she should try the boys’ cooking. In a moment of panic, Jeremy takes Minam’s seat and offers to eat for her.
Big.
Mistake.
Taekyung. What did Taekyung put into the dish? Oh, just a LIIIIITTLE the entire bottle of vinegar.
The three scratch their foiled plans to sicken Heyi with spaghetti so they start over with another dish, bokumbap. They don’t do anything fancy for this dish, so after they cook, they just eat.
But Heyi, being the ever observant person she is, spots that Shinwoo’s attention lingers on Minam for just a little too long, and just long enough to make him a person worthy of suspicion. When Shinwoo goes outside to fetch something, Heyi follows him. Inside Shinwoo’s car are the pair of shoes and bouquet of flowers that he never gave Minam.
Heyi: You gave the interview with the girl Minam yesterday right? Pretending to be in a relationship…are you having fun?
Shinwoo: Do you think it’s fun?
Heyi: Eh, a little. Oh, what’s that? A gift?
Shinwoo: Don’t touch it.
Heyi: I’m sorry. Kang Shin Woo sshi has said before that no matter what Minam does, you won’t feel bad because you’ll be understanding, right? But you know, Minam likes Taekyung. Does that make you feel bad?
Shinwoo: Talking to you about this makes me feel bad.
SCHNAP!
She won’t let it go just like that, and takes the next moment inside the house to snatch Shinwoo’s car keys to retrieve the things he had in his car. She then calls Minam out to try on the shoes, and then to hold the flowers while walking into the house with the shoes on, just to show that certain someone what the gifts mean to her. Minam is forced into wearing the shoes in front of Shinwoo, not knowing they were meant for her, and thinking that she just ruined the gifts that Shinwoo was supposed to give to the girl he likes. She takes the shoes off in haste, disclaiming ownership. While this is purely out of ignorant guilt on her part, Shinwoo looks like he’s taking it as a rejection from her. Shinwoo looks hurt and says that he should’ve just thrown them away, and then instructs Minam to throw them away for him.
When Shinwoo sits by himself outside, Minam finds him in a bad mood and tells him that she wants to be able to comfort him the way he has done so so many times in the past for her. Shinwoo makes a very simple request for her to sit next to him.
Mo Hwa Ran finds out inadvertently through President An that Taekyung is very close friends with Minam, and wonders if he knows anything about their own situation. For the song remake’s sake, she decides to pretend to not know about their interconnected relationships until the project is over. She then also suspects that maybe Taekyung is so at ease around Minam because he knows that she’s a girl.
In a rather odd turn of events, Minam tells Taekyung that she’s headed up to Busan with Shinwoo. He has to tell his parents of their “relationship,” so she’s going with him, along with Jeremy, Manager Ma and Co-d Wang. Taekyung is irritated but as always, stands his ground and refuses to tag along.
Shinwoo takes this moment alone with Minam to ask her if it was possible for them to date for real, if it was possible to start over. Minam hesitates and tells him that they each already have someone they like so she doesn’t see how this is possible and doesn’t answer.
Back in the studio, Taekyung tries to figure out why he’s at unease. Minam may like him 100 points out of 100 points, but this could easily change with her trip to Busan with Shinwoo. Taekyung refuses to lose even a single point to anybody, so he decides to straighten this out with Minam right away. On his way out, he learns that Manager Ma, being the huge idiot he is, purposely set the trip up so that Shinwoo and Minam could be together. Taekyung totally flips a yak at finding out that the two will be alone — oh NO — and rushes out in a hurry.
Shinwoo tells Minam that he doesn’t mean she has to give herself over to him immediately, but if she could give him a just a little place in her heart, bit by bit, then that can be a start. He’s already began to do so himself. If she can make a decision to start as well, he’ll be waiting inside.
(STOP WAITING FOR EVERYTHING. DO YOU NEVER LEARN.)
Inside the airport, Taekyung frantically looks around for Minam. And as Shinwoo ought to know by now, Minam will continue to disappoint him, so he turns and boards first when he doesn’t see her. Taekyung, on the other hand, tries to decide his next step. If he leaves now, he’ll be in Busan in about five hours. He could take the highway…
…or he could run into her right now. Taekyung is astonished that she didn’t leave and is so pleasantly surprised that he goes over and grabs her in a hug,
Go Minam, I give you the same score.
Annnnnd scene.
I like that the Hong sisters like using metaphors, and like to sustain those metaphors continuously. Minam being relieved that she gets to like Taekyung as a “fan,” and then joining an actual fan cafe, and then Taekyung testing her out as a “fan” by getting and receiving scores, and then giving her the same score he gave him. It’s all very light and really well done.
I feel like I keep saying the same things over and over for Shinwoo, but what the eff are they doing to him? Is there any viewer left out there who’s not frustrated with his actions at this point? No matter who supported him in the beginning, he’s proving to be a really flawed character with some pretty irredeemable qualities, such as being a very romantic and idealistic guy who doesn’t seek truths, systematize or rationalize.
The Hong Sister’s other flaw in this series is writing really terrible female characters. Mo Hwa Ran’s storyline is shallow and horribly repetitive. Every time she comes on the screen, she complains about a problem we’ve already heard of in the last episode, and she only trickles into the main plot whenever we need more conflict. Same for Heyi. At this point, I think Heyi’s actions are caricature-like and comical. It’s hard to take her seriously as a threat because she just keeps being so out there with her badness it doesn’t seem plausible anymore.
Amy Reply:
November 19th, 2009 at 11:02 am
The only thing that’s “wrong” with Shinwoo is that he’s so passive about his feelings. If only he would step it up JUST A LITTLE I would be happy, even if I knew he won’t get the girl anyway.
Friday Night Lights! I was in an area where they were filming last week. ‘Twas odd.
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