Asian Addicts Anonymous

Tae Yang is shocked to find Choi Kang Sun with Mok Ga On. What is that ahjumma doing there? Kang Sun turns, gathers her wits about her and says she is surprised to see Tae Yang there as he doesn’t seem to be the kind of person who can just come and go as he pleases. Burn. Kang Sun and Ga On then play that they only know each other through business. Tae Yang is suspicious, but takes this explanation at face value for the time being.

Ga On is more effected by this occurrence [visibly] at least than Kang Sun. Ga On wishes to tell Mok everything, as it still ins’t too late. Kang Sun says that Mok will turn into a cold and vicious enemy when he finds out the truth. Then Ga On’s doting dad will be gone. I wonder. Angry yes, but can he really hate the girl he raised as his own all this time? In order to keep Tae Yang off their trail, Kang Sun leaves early so that the family isn’t seen together. When Ga On is with Mok she says that she loves him and he wonders why the sudden declaration. Ga On plays it off as just worrying that he will end up loving the baby more than her, so she has to get her brownie points in while she can. Mok enjoys this as he is proud of his daughter and she is the person who lifts his spirits the most. Again, I wonder if he could turn so cold and cruel if he knew the truth? Meanwhile, Tae Yang can’t stop thinking that maybe, just maybe Ga On is Jin Shim.

At the store, Ho Jae’s mother comes and throws a big fuss at her son having lied to her about working at a company. She is very upset that her son is doing menial labor at the store instead of using his intelligence. She cries and yells and demeans Ho Jae’s friends and store. Seriously? Ho Jae tries to stop his mom, but can’t. Eventually he changes and leaves with her. It turns out that She found out through the newspaper article. Chan Sol wonders how she found it as it was supposed to be kept from her. Will Ho Jae allow his mom [who’s ashamed at him for working at a vegetable store – she’d rather have him hole up at home instead] to determine his future and his self-worth? I hope not. The boys discuss what happened and when Chan Sol complains about Ho Jae’s mother’s words, Yoo Bong says its to be expected. What parent doesn’t want the best for their children? Tae Yang recalls Kang Sun and Ga On and this makes him think on this subject more. Ki Young speaks up and says he wouldn’t know as he didn’t have parents. Wow. With his new style, he’s becoming more open about himself.

Later, a group of girls head off to the store in search of idol vegetable seller Chan Sol. They find him and he agrees to pose with them and just as Jung Ah walks in, a girl kisses him on the cheek. She is livid and drags him off to her nail salon next door for a dressing down. She complains that he still hasn’t changed his ways. Chan Sol explains that it wasn’t on purpose – he just agreed to take a photo. Jung Ah tells him that he needs to work hard and help sell instead of just standing around posing. Chan Sol brightens at the thought of being helpful to his hyungs and gives Jung Ah a  quick kiss on the cheek before leaving. You know, a nail salon next to a vegetable store seems out of place, but since the boys get mainly women, it’s a win-win situation.

Seul Woo comes yet again, but Tae Yang doesn’t want to give him the time of day still. However, with Ho Jae gone, the busy boys can’t take care of everything that needs to be done. When an ahjumma comes looking to have the boys peel her onions she bought from them, Tae Yang refuses to turn her business away and calls Seul Woo in for help. Even though he’s giving Seul Woo work, it’s revenge in a way. I mean, pealing onions [which entails cutting off the top and roots?] is smelly [I love the smell so it doesn’t bother me] and it will make you cry depending on how strong the onions are. Ki Young then gives Seul Woo carrots to clean and prepare afterward [after he was scolded by the ahjumma for taking too long to finish off her onions]. Tae Yang comes over and asks how he likes the work and Seul Woo says its great. It gets his mind of needless things. Tae Yang hunkers down to help as he needs to get his mind off something, too [Ga On = Jin Shim].

Yang reports that there is no unusual activity at the store with Tae Yang and Kang Sun tells him he can stop watching. She’s got something up her sleeve. You just know it. Meanwhile, Seul Woo has finished at the shop and gone to visit his mother. He tells her he’ll get her out on bail. Hwang says there is no money. Seul Woo reveals where he’s working and that even if he doesn’t have the money, he has willing friends to lend it. Oh really? Hwang is shocked to find out where her son is working. She asks if he is seriously only working at a vegetable store. Seul Woo swears he is and to top it off, it’s a store run by other hardworking young men. He’ll definitely learn something and become a better person. This relieves Hwang a bit as she was worried he was doing something shady to get money and she can’t stand for that.

Seul Woo meets with Kang Sun while Tae Yang just can’t get his suspicions out of his head and tries calling Ga On who ignores his calls. When she gets a text asking her to answer his phone as he has a questions, she really starts freaking out. We learn that Seul Woo is working with Kang Sun to destroy Tae Yang. Seul Woo wonders if it has to be taken as far as she is going since Ga On and Tae Yang broke up. Kang Sun wants to sever the roots of the problem. Seul Woo comments that he wishes he can take Ga On away from her evil mother. Nice one. However, despite his intense dislike for Kang Sun and his distaste in her plan to ruin Tae Yang, he still goes along with her in order to get the money needed to get his mom out of jail. Hwang would not be happy about this at all.

Tae In goes to visit Tae Yang who immediately asks her questions about her relationship with Ga On. Tae In lies and says she only got to know Ga On when she learned her brother was dating the Mok heir. Her brother knows that she admires women like Ga On right? And now that they are no longer a couple, Tae In will have nothing more to do with her. Tae Yang then tells her about meeting Kang Sun with Ga On and wondering if she couldn’t be Jin Shim. Tae In immediately denies this. What will happen when Tae Yang finds out his dear sister and life line lied to him? Tae Yang, while appearing to accept Tae In’s explanation, really doesn’t believe that he is wrong. He needs to find out for himself. Tae In then calls up Ga On, warning her to be Ga On until the end and never confess that she is really Jin Shim unless Ga On wants to see Tae Yang go crazy.

Yoo Bong goes to Seo Young’s to look after her plants and Seo Young reveals that she knows he’s been outside her apartment building at night. Why does he come so late when he knows he can’t see her? Yoo Bong reveals that he comes to watch over her place. He’s afraid that something bad will happen again. Awww. Seo Young then invites him out on a date! Well, a trip to the zoo. She loves animals, especially giraffes, but hasn’t been able to go since coming to Seoul. Does Yoo Bong want to go with her? Yoo Bong really does, but until the store really takes off, the boys vowed no days off. Not wanting to disappoint Seo Young, Yoo Bong decides that they will go to the zoo together. How sweet! I really love watching these two together.

The next day Tae Yang finds out where the Moks live and pays them a visit. Yang tries to stop him, but Tae Yang won’t be put off. Kang Sun immediately freaks and loses her temper, demanding the boy be sent away. Mok assures her that Ga On already cleared up the misunderstanding regarding Tae Yang, but Kang Sun is sensitive right now and doesn’t want to see the boy. Tae Yang is turned away, but he manages to force his way in. Hearing Tae Yang in the house, Kang Sun worries about what he might tell her husband. She breaks a vase and says that she had an awful shock when Mok comes in to see what happened. She begs him to stay and Tae Yang is turned away once again. This time he sees a family picture and it confirms his gnawing suspicions. Ga On is Kang Sun’s daughter. Choi Ga On died 12 years ago. Thus, Mok Ga On is really Jin Shim.

At the Jung home, Boon Hong cries while patching a sock. When Jung wonders what is wrong, Boon Hong immediately scolds him for making her mend his holey socks instead of him just throwing them out. This emotional display shocks Jung. He takes the sock and says he’ll do it and Boon Hong says she hopes he understands just how annoying his miserly ways are when he gives it a try. She then heads out shopping with Dan Bi. Since Dan Bi has learned the truth, their relationship has gotten much better. Yay! After their shopping is done, Boon Hong suggests going to check out Tae Yang’s shop. Looks like she has a hint that her daughter just might like Tae Yang.

While Tae Yang rushes off to confront Ga On about the truth, the boys are swamped at the store. They are anxiously awaiting Tae Yang’s arrival. The man is never late, but he is now. Chan Sol encourages Yoo Bong to leave as he is already late for the date. Yoo Bong can’t leave while they are so busy and Tae Yang isn’t back yet. He calls Seo Young who is happily awaiting their date. He tells her he’ll be late, but he’ll definitely come. Seo Young then promises to wait for him. Such a mushily cute couple.

When Ga On gets to her office, she is surprised to find Tae Yang there. She tells him he’ll need to be quick as she has a meeting. Tae Yang does not come right out and ask. Instead he basically asserts that he knows she is Jin Shim without coming right out and saying it. And Ga On plays until the very end that she is not Jin Shim, but Mok Ga On. When she does this, Tae Yang is hurt. However, he hurts himself and Ga On by saying that the magic lunch box that Jin Shim made him no longer can bring him comfort. Ouch. He’s calling her out on her lies by subtly [or rather not so subtlety, but just not actually saying it out in the open] saying that the item from the past that means the most to him is now no longer a happy memory and treasure. But she pretends to be Mok Ga On even though Tae Yang has dealt her a pretty lethal blow.

Dan Bi and Boon Hong arrive at the store and are shocked to find Seul Woo working there. Dan Bi is really stunned as she remembers how Seul Woo adamantly said he refused to be linked with Tae Yang. The two women then learn that Tae Yang has been gone all day and no one can get in touch with him [thanks to Jung Ah who came over to serve them tea since the boys are too busy to take visitors], which is really worrisome as that has never happened before. Dan Bi anxiously tries to call him, but his phone his off. Boon Hong tries to reassure her daughter that everything is fine, but Dan Bi is still ill at ease.

Tae Yang shows up at closing time. The boys are worried about him, but he can’t tell them what happened just yet. He promises to tell them at a later time and then sends them upstairs while he finishes closing up. Yoo Bong hightails it immediately to Seo Young’s and is shocked to find her outside. Why is she still there? Seo Young says that even if it was really late, she knew he’d come. Yoo Bong is sad that they can’t go to the zoo as it is probably closed. He then says he can take her to see a giraffe [after she told him to go home since he seemed so tired]. He takes her and shows her a giraffe painted on a shop’s metal door. Cute. The two then sit and have a drink and Seo Young  tells Yoo Bong facts about giraffes. She really likes giraffes and she thinks of Yoo Bong as a giraffe [well, he is tall and gangly with a long neck like a giraffe]. Seo Young then explains how giraffes are wardens for the smaller animals as they spot cheetahs and such first since they are so tall. Yoo Bong’s protection towards his beloved younger friends, reminds Seo Young of this. Touched, Yoo Bong takes her hand and puts it in his pocket to keep it warm. Awkward moment that is eased by two happy smiles. Awww! So cute and and innocent.

When Ga On gets home she is greeted by Kang Sun who tells her to hold onto Tae Yang. As long as Tae Yang knows she is Jin Shim, he can’t completely cut her out. Ga On replies that it is over as Tae Yang is too hurt by her lies. Kang Sun then goes into a dramatic meltdown about how Ga On should’ve just let her die if she planned on throwing her away now. Ga On chose Kang Sun over Tae Yang, but Kang Sun turns it into a pity party and is blind to Ga On’s true meaning behind her actions. With this heavy guilt trip, Ga On will, of course, listen to her mother and do what she wants. Ga On, Ga On.

Ga On heads to the shop the next day, but Tae Yang ignores her. The boys see this and wonder what will happen. Ga On waits outside all day and Tae Yang’s mood gets progressively worse, so Yoo Bong sends Tae Yang out to do deliveries. Chan Sol doesn’t like this idea, but Yoo Bong thinks it’s a good thing if the two can talk things over. Tae Yang ignores Ga On and does his rounds. Meanwhile, Ga On sits and waits for him. When he comes back at night she apologizes and Tae Yang says she should have kept lying until the end since she has already ignored him. Ga On says there is no way she could have acknowledged him and told him the truth as she must live as Mok Ga On. Tae Yang tell her that is exactly why she should have told him. It’s time for her to live as Jin Shim and she Ga On’s identity. It’s too late [is it really?], she can only live as Mok Ga On now. Ga On then [instead of clinging like her mommy wanted her to, although this isn’t much better] tells Tae Yang to forget her and leave her and her family alone. Poor Tae Yang. He can’t take this. Does Ga On really expect him to accept that his best friend Jin Shim could do something that bad to him? Oy, that girl just makes things worse instead of better.

Seul Woo comes back from the lawyer’s office after doing the paperwork to set in motion getting Hwang out on bail. He sees the shell shocked Ga On and follows her all the way to her neighborhood. When she collapses on a set of stairs and cries, he can no longer keep his distance and rushes up to comfort her. This shocks Ga On, but she doesn’t resist the comfort he offers. Again, I really wouldn’t mind if Dan Bi ends up with Tae Yang and Ga On ends up with Seul Woo, but in kdrama land, either the main couple will end up together or one of them will end up dead. Sigh. Kdramas.

We end this episode with Mok receiving an anonymous envelope which contains a picture of Ga On and Jin Shim as children. He flips it over and it reads “the happy days of Ga On and Jin Shim.” Who sent the picture? Was it Tae In? Or does someone already know about Kang Sun’s dark secret? Mok goes to his wife and asks if she knows just who Jin Shim is. We get a freaked out expression and that’s all for this episode.

Comments:

I was wondering why Seul Woo seemed to do a complete 180 from his original personality. It also goes to show what happened when Kang Sun asked Yang to get more information on him. I highly doubt Hwang would approve of her son’s actions if she finds out that he helped destroy someone only to have her set free. And while Seul Woo was never as mature as he should be, I really don’t picture him as a person who can follow through on his promise to destroy Tae Yang.

And what is up with Kang Sun blaming everything on Jin Shim? Kang Sun only chose to live and use Jin Shim as Ga On since Jin Shim saved her the night Kang Sun tries to kill herself. You can’t hang that all on the actions of that child. What also really surprises me is Jin Shim’s attachment to Kang Sun. She knows that woman’s true personality better than anyone else, so how can she stay with her. Does she still truly see that evil witch as her perfect mother? I mean, I get Jin Shim choosing Ga On for Mok who seems like a good man and a great father, but to do it for Kang Sun’s benefit? Yeah, I just don’t get it.

I also didn’t like what happened with Ho Jae’s mother. She looks down on the Fresh Men who didn’t go to college. While I may have a college degree, it certainly isn’t everything and not having one doesn’t make you any less smart than a person who attended. Besides, she seems to be overlooking the fact that even though it is a vegetable store, it is still first and foremost a business. Ho Jae has knowledge and intelligence. It may not be a big corporation, but can’t she see that he can handle the business side of things well for that little store? And if it grows and does well, then he’d be working for a chain. Seriously.

I did love Seo Young’s and Yoo Bong’s budding romance. Their scenes together are so awkward and cute. And now that it has been revealed that Jung Ah and Chan Sol are a couple, I find their more coupley moments adorable. Especially when the very pregnant Jung Ah gets angry at the teenyboppers fawning over her man. Also, the little exchange between Boon Hong and Jung was just cute. A nice older couple bickering. It was really funny to have her crying over those socks. Did she do that only so she wouldn’t be late for her date with Dan Bi?

At least Tae Yang knows now…

I did like how he told Ga On that you become like your most favorite person. As a child, Tae Yang strived to be likes his best friend and first love Jin Shim. He sees that Ga On treasures her mother very much as Ga On acts just like her mom. Ouch. I so wouldn’t want to be compared to Kang Sun.

Love isn’t easy and all sunshine and roses, but when it’s that difficult and hard and painful, shouldn’t you just give up on it? There comes a point when you have to wonder if all that suffering is worth it in the long run as there is more pain than there ever was pleasure.