Every time I sit down to watch another set of episodes of this drama, I come with the hope that Hae Joon will finally get a clue and stop being a total dip. But every time I wrap up another set of episodes I walk away completely disappointed. I’d really like to believe this won’t always be the case but we’ve reached the half-way point of this dram and if things don’t change soon, they’re not ever going to change at all. *sigh*
I find it utterly tragic that a character who’s poised in a place that could potentially do so much good, chooses to squander his second chance by focusing solely on himself. I’m convinced Young Soo has learned absolutely nothing since his return to Earth and I’m seriously doubting if he ever will. This man is so inwardly focused, so dead-set on doing everything he can to clear his name, he’s completely overlooked the needs and wishes of those he claims to love. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised by Hae Joon’s actions when it’s obvious Young Soo never bothered to listen to anything his wife said when he was alive but still, I had hoped there would come a time when he would learn a lesson or two and actually change. I guess that’s asking too much from a character who can’t get over himself but still… It would be nice if I could find some sort of reason to cheer for Hae Joon. I’ve gotten to the point when I cringe every time he appears on-screen which is sad because I actually love Rain, I just can’t stand his character. (Though maybe that’s actually a compliment to Rain’s acting, seeing as how I can’t see past Young Soo’s awfulness and am therefore repulsed by Rain. Hmmm… Could this mean internal beauty really is more important that external beauty??? Wow… How’s that for a rabbit trail?)
But back to Young Soo and his horribleness… I think a lot of my problems with Hae Joon/Young Soo would resolve themselves if the man would just stop shouting and start listening. He is seriously the most spazzy person ever and he over-reacts to EV.ERY.THING. He never takes a minute to stop and think about anything, he just jumps right in, does what he wants and makes everyone around him miserable. Just look at the way Young Soo died! Da Hye has every reason to be mad at her husband for being stupid enough to climb up on the roof and try to fix a sign! It wasn’t his job! It wasn’t his business! He wasn’t going to be paid overtime for trying to fix something that wasn’t his to fix in the first place so why the heck would he do that instead of run to his wife? It was their anniversary, after all. If he’d put half as much energy into pursuing Da Hye as he had running after that business exec, he would have had a much happier home-life and probably wouldn’t have ended up spending so many hours at work. Of course that’s just a theory but it seems to make sense to me.
Whatever Da Hye and Young Soo’s married life was like, it obviously wasn’t perfect and Da Hye had every right and reason to announce she was going to let him go now that the 49 days were over. It’s only natural and healthy for Da Hye to do so which makes Hae Joon’s reaction even more repulsive. Da Hye is a living, working, single mother who is desperate to make ends meet. Her job sucks, she has no social life, no friends, no one she can really lean on, she lives with her father-in-law and she’s tormented daily by Hae Joon… She has way too much to deal with at it is, she doesn’t need to be carrying around any sort of burden brought on by her dead husband. He’s gone, she’s free, it’s as simple as that. The fact Hae Joon is clinging to her like gum on the bottom of a shoe is a sad and pathetic testament to how selfish Young Soo really is. Once again he can’t see just how much Da Hye is suffering, he doesn’t even seem to care, all he wants is to keep her close to him forever and that’s not gonna work buddy because YOU’RE ALREADY DEAD! Obviously if anyone needs to be doing any letting go, it’s Young Soo. Seriously man, just hop back on your heaven train and leave your family alone. They’re much better off without you so just accept it and move on. Please.
Thank goodness there’s more to this story than just that of a selfish prick determined to make his surviving family (and us, the viewers) miserable! I’m so happy Gi Tak came back in the form of Hong Nan! She’s so much fun to watch and she’s actually doing some sort of good, which makes her about a million times better than Hae Joon. I know Gi Tak had a moment in these episodes where he wondered why he ever bothered coming back but if he could see what we see, he’d realize he’s actually doing so much good for those around him. Though Gi Tak may not be with them in body, his spirit shines through in Hong Nan and that in itself has brought his friends so much comfort. Even more than comfort, Hong Nan is using her brains to bring about so serious changes in Yi Yeon’s life. Sure, she’s still under the control of that nasty creeper, Suk Chul, and her life is still being manipulated by her ex-husband, Jae Kook, but their grasp on her life is slowly beginning to slip and I have faith Yi Yeon will find her freedom in the end.
Even more important in Yi Yeon winning her freedom is the life-lessons she’s learning from Hong Nan. She’s learning that hard work and determination will get you far. She’s learning that she can’t sit around crying about all that’s gone wrong in her life because that doesn’t actually change anything. She’s learning how to pick herself up after a fall and keep going, without falling completely to pieces. She’s learning there are some things worth fighting for and others that you just have to let go. She’s learning the value of true friendship and she’s becoming a better, stronger person and that just makes me so happy. I’ve actually gone from despising Yi Yeon to cheering for her, which is nice, seeing as how I’ve come to despise Hae Joon. The moments with Hong Nan have become my favorite, especially as this little posse around her is growing. I love that Seung Jae and Jegal Gil have gravitated toward Hong Nan and have even taken up the cause of helping Yi Yeon. Again, I believe this is because they can sense the presence of Gi Tak when they’re with Hong Nan and they truly loved their brother so, of course, they’re growing to love his “little sister.” A part of me wonders if Seung Jae isn’t starting to fall for Hong Nan, just a little, but I don’t really want to think about that too much because I don’t want Seung Jae to be hurt once Hong Nan disappears forever. That would just be too sad!
I do hope that things with Yi Yeon continue to get better. I hope she continues to grow as a person and can overcome this ridiculous set of obstacles before her. I hope she and her son can live long, happy lives, away from the toxic environment of her ex-husband’s family and I really hope Seung Jae and Jegal Gil become permanent pillars of dependability for her as life goes on. I think they all have a special bond forming here and it would be a shame to see that fall apart once Hong Nan leaves. Here’s hoping for the best, for all of them!
So tell me, what did you think of these two episodes? Are you as frustrated with Hae Joon as I am? Do you see any sort of redemption for him in the future? Will he ever get a clue? What about Hong Nan? Do you think she’s doing any sort of real good? Will she find a way to get Yi Yeon out of this mess she’s in? Are things really getting better for Yi Yeon or am I just reading too much into things with an overdose of wishful thinking? You know I always love hearing from you so be sure to let me know what you’re thinking by leaving me a comment below!
You can catch up on all of my reviews of Please Come Back, Mister here: