Asian Addicts Anonymous

Omo, omo, omo. Kang San in this episode! He was so awesome and cute. Park Ji Bin just shines in this role. And Park Gun Tae does an excellent job as Chang Hee as well. He makes me want to hold him and tell him things will be fine. I really do wonder just what his father’s master plan was—doesn’t he understand just how much his son is suffering thanks to his rather bad decisions?

We start back up at the luncheon with Il Mun being the insulting brat that he is and throwing water in Hae Joo’s face. In Hwa may not really like Hae Joo, but even she knows that her brother is acting wrongly (or maybe she only thinks that way because it looks bad in Kang San’s eyes?). Hae Joo insists she isn’t a beggar and Il Mun says that her actions show that she is. Hae Joo points out that she politely asked and Geum Hee graciously allowed her to take food home—that isn’t begging. I loved how she said it was a hot day, so thanks for pouring the water on her. Of course, Kang San has to get involved in the situation and he tips over the entire table of food. What a way NOT to get on Hae Joo’s good side. This makes her upset at him and she leaves.

Chang Hee also rushes off with Kang San following. Kang San gives him a dressing down for allowing Gi Chul to be talked to like that. Chang Hee snaps. Kang San doesn’t even get the entire situation so he should just shut his trap. Of course Chang Hee would like to defend his father, but his hands are tied thanks to where they live. Chang Hee then points out that Kang San and Il Mun are alike and that Kang San only bothers himself with others when he feels like it. They are all from different worlds and don’t belong together. Harsh. You wouldn’t think that he and Kang San are really so different, but Kang San definitely shows off some more wealthy young heir vibes in this episode than in previous ones.

Hae Joo gets home and meets her father who is anxiously searching for Young Joo. Hae Joo is horrified to learn that she is missing and is about to go search when Dal Soon rushes in and slaps her as it is all Hae Joo’s fault that the little girl is missing. Um, hello? You’re the mother, you’re the one who’s supposed to be responsible for your children. Dal Soon starts pulling out Hae Joo’s hair when Young Joo appears. She wasn’t lost at all, just asleep in the shed. Sang Tae sheepishly says he forgot that she gets in there and sleeps sometimes. After all this, Dal Soon doesn’t apologize or anything and she still blames Hae Joo as Young Joo was probably looking for her unnie and fell asleep in the shed. Poor Hae Joo can’t take it any more and runs off. Hong Chul tries to follow, but she is too fast.

Hae Joo rushes to her overlook and shouts encouraging words while wiping away her  tears. She then notices that Chang Hee is there as well. She tells him that looking out over the shipyard in the distance comforts her. Chang Hee makes certain that her name is Hae Joo and thanks her for standing up for his father. Hae Joo says it’s nothing. She cannot stop herself when she sees wrong being done, and In Hwa’s oppa was just being plain evil—talking to an elder like that. Chang Hee asks what she needed to find comfort from, but Hae Joo just shakes it off and says everything is okay. She asks if looking at the ships comforts him, too. Chang Hee says he does get comfort sort of by looking at the shipyard, but he doesn’t like boast in particularly. Actually, he wishes to be the owner of the whole yard. This shocks Hae Joo. She laughs and says that Chang Hee is very greedy. She’d be content with only one boat. I admit that even though I like all the Kang San/Hae Joo moment in this episode, I would have liked more Chang Hee/Hae Joo ones.

Gi Chul of course seeks out Hong Chul because Hae Joo was at the house yet again. Hong Chul says that he knows Gi Chul was lying about Jang hating kids, so just why is Gi Chul acting like that? Why? Gi Chul then wonders if Hong Chul has found out the truth. Poor Hong Chul is just too dang confused. What is the truth? Why doesn’t Gi Chul want the child around? They part ways and Gi Chul realizes that he should have kept his mouth shut as there is no way that Hong Chul has discovered the truth. Unfortunately, that fight made Hong Chul starting thinking about this big secret related to the Jang family. What can it possibly be? Hong Chul goes back to the boatyard where he sees Jang and his lackeys (there having Hong Chul’s workplace repair Jang’s boat). Hong Chul learns just how wealthy and powerful Jang is. He then starts asking his boss questions and learns that not Jang, but Jang’s second wife lost a baby just before they were married thanks to Gi Chul. So almost all the puzzle pieces have come into place for Hong Chul now. Good job, Gi Chul, good job.

Gi Chul has finally managed to convince the pear orchard owners to sell at a fraction of the real value of the land (thanks to him poisoning the crops). You know that he feels guilty, so why does he stick with Jang? Couldn’t there have been a better way? But then again, Jang isn’t one to leave any loose ends around. This is a horrible no win situation. At this time, Kang picks up Jung Woo and takes him to the pear orchard. He explains what Jang wishes to do with Jung Woo’s brother’s orchard. Jung Woo points out that Kang just doesn’t want Jang to enter the industry and become his rival. Well, that is true, but at the same time, for Kang it is different. He’s worked hard all these years and put in tons of effort while all Jang has done is use underhanded methods to get what he wants. Will Jung Woo finally become involved once more?

Hong Chul heads home where he finds Hae Joo waiting for him. Since she ran off, she fears her mother’s wrath and wishes to go home with her father in hopes of assuaging her mother’s anger. Like that would happen. The two get home and Dal Soon asks her to leave since she ran away. Poor Hae Joo tries to apologize and promises to cook dinner, but Dal Soon won’t hear it. She keeps encouraging Jae Joo to leave and stay gone. What a horrible witch. Of course, no matter what Hong Chul says, it won’t placate his livid wife. This is another bad situation going nowhere. I have to wonder why Hong Chul just didn’t claim the baby as his and just tell his wife she’s the daughter of dead friend or something like that. Couldn’t that have worked? Anywho, Hae Joo sits in the little room cooking rice and crying. Hong Chul comes in to comfort her and talk about what if her mother was different. Hae Joo just says she loves her mother and understands that it’s the tough times the family fell on that made Dal Soon that way. Hong Chul thinks about it, but no, his wife was always like that. You can see how much it tears Hong Chul apart to see his adopted daughter hurting so much. This is great proof of just how much love can be thicker than blood.

Chang Hee is at home studying, but he recalls Il Mun from earlier and is enraged, snapping his pencil and stabbing his book. Gi Chul comes in and says that Geum Hee has given them food from earlier and Chang Hee asks his dad if they can just leave. What reason do they have to stay in such a place and get such treatment? Chang Hee would gladly live in an attic or a one room house just to escape this living nightmare. Gi Chul can only tell his son to bear it and beat Il Mun. Gi Chul must know that makes no sense whatsoever. What good is Chang Hee proving himself better than Il Mun do? Seriously? If Gi Chul thinks that’s good revenge…it’s really not. So all the Parks can do is endure and endure and will all that enduring come to any good ends? Probably not. It was heartbreaking to have Chang Heel yell at his father and tel Gi Chul to please not say that Chang Hee is the only reason for Gi Chul to live. T_T Superb acting that cuts you right to the heart. Oh and then we have Chang Hee outside the Jang house listening to them laugh and be happy. Fester, fester, fester. Rot, rot, rot. [Meg Ryan in French Kiss, random, but I think that phrase works for this.]

The next day Hong Chul goes to the Jang house and sees In Hwa and Geum Hee together. This really this him hard to see Geum Hee doting on “princess” In Hwa. When Gi Chul comes out Hong Chul makes himself known. The two end up in a little clearing where Gi Chul demands to know why Hong Chul is there—didn’t Gi Chul make it clear that they were supposed to steer clear of the Jang family? Hong Chul points out that the person Gi Chul really doesn’t want there is Hae Joo. Hong Chul then demands to know why his poor Hae Joo has to live and suffer so badly when she could be living a good life in a wealthy family (no, her life would actually just be another type of hell—at least hers is a happy hell for the most part right now). See, I have no idea why Gi Chul just doesn’t come right out and tell Hong Chul the reason he stole Hae Joo away from her mother. That could spare a lot of pain and heartache, but Gi Chul swears that if Hong Chul ever knows the reason, the two will be going to their grave together. So frustrating. But, what an awesome display of fatherly love for his adopted daughter. Hong Chul would miss his girl, but he wants a good life for her free of Dal Soon’s torment and no poverty.

After the fight, Hong Chul runs into a mud covered Hae Joo and he explodes, bursting the girl’s happy bubble (she had been catching loaches for dinner). It was just too painful for Hong Chul. Of course he can’t tell her the entire reason why he’s upset and he apologizes and helps her catch the loaches that he threw out. When they get home, Dal Soon is still angry and crabby, but the father and daughter are happy and laughing once more. At dinner, Sang Tae scarfs down two bowls of the loach soup and asks for thirds. Hae Joo says that the soup is all gone and then offers her and Sang Tae greedily takes it. This earns him a spoon to the head from Hong Chul. Dal Soon says that its only right for a growing boy (who’s the shortest in his class) to have the food and a tall wench doesn’t need any. Oh, and then Young Joo complains about the loach soup—she wants meat instead. Dal Soon then scolds Hae Joo for not selling the loaches and buying the family meat. Omo, I have never wanted to beat a pregnant woman so much.

That night Hong Chul moves the sleeping Hae Joo inside and goes outside where he thinks about the life Hae Joo might have had in torment. Dal Soon comes out and tells him to get Hae Joo back outside and come into bed. Hong Chul begs her to be nicer as Hae Joo is trying so hard for the family. Besides, it’s been over ten years already, can’t Dal Soon accept the girl as hers? No, because that daughter is the product of betrayal. See? Couldn’t he have made some better story than claiming Hae Joo as his? Hong Chul tells her to quiet down as Hae Joo has no idea that Dal Soon isn’t her mother, but Dal Soon doesn’t care. She tells him once more to kick Hae Joo out and goes back in to bed.

The next day Kang San catches Hae Joo taking a basket and buckets out of the bushes by the school. He asks what she is doing and she tells him to mind his own business. In Hwa then comes up and asks him about the opera her mother wants to go see. Kang San quickly says that he doesn’t like operas and that the only phantom he’s seen is her and he rushes off after Hae Joo. This makes In Hwa jealous of course and it just annoys Hae Joo. She gets even madder when Kang San just offers to give her money without her working to earn it. Hae Joo angrily points out that she isn’t a beggar and continues picking her herbs. So Kang Sun rushes to the market and buys herbs and sticks them in the ground around where Hae Joo is picking. The girl is excited to see so many herbs, but a little surprised that they aren’t firmly rooted in the ground (the roots are also completely clean), but she keeps picking them and Kang San happily keeps planting them.

He then goes and buys a big bucket of loaches and puts them right in the way of Hae Joo. She is happy and then she notices him and his bucket. Kang San immediately says he was catching loaches, too. The two then catch them together and Kang San complains about his aching back and wonders why Hae Joo just didn’t take him up on his earlier offer. Hae Joo just yells at him to get back to digging before the loaches all get away. LMAO. This couple is soooooooo cute! The two then go to market to sell their catch. Hae Joo doesn’t make much headway, but Kang San roles up his pant legs and puts a bowl on his head and starts attracting the crowd. Hae Joo is in awe of his skills. Soon her loach have all been sold. She pockets the money and Kang San asks for his day’s wages. How much? Kang San takes her to the shipyard and asks her to teach him basic welding. She then calls him a liar. Aww, how sweet. Now they both of nicknames: “tinker” and “liar.” Kang San explains that he is afraid of this kind of welding as he was burnt badly in the past. I loved the moment when Hae Joo told him he must call her master. It was priceless. Their bickering is so cute. Makes me really wonder what their adult relationship will be like…I can’t see Kang San changing too drastically nor Hae Joo.

Gi Chul goes to the orchard to finish off the deal. I guess there is more than one owner or something…it’s confusing anyways. A different man says he refuses to sell anymore as he learnt a shipyard will be built there thus the land is worth more than what the original offer was. Enter Jung Woo. Gi Chul is shocked to see his deceased friend’s little brother. Jung Woo rips up the contract and says that the orchard will not be sold like this. Jung Woo also warns Gi Chul to stop working for a man like Jang. Is he doing this just because he feel’s guilty about losing Yoo Jin? Jung Woo asks if his sister-in-law even looks at Gi Chul…nope, not really. Jung Woo’s sudden reappearance shocks Gi Chul and really sends him reeling. First Hong Chul comes to Ulsan with Yoo Jin and now Yoon Jung Woo is interfering in the sale of his brother’s pear orchard.

Gi Chul goes to report to Jang who beats him with a gulf club for failing to get the orchard. Chang Hee sees this and goes to rush in, but stops himself and just watches on helpless and angry as Jang beats his father. Gi Chul tells him of Jung Woo’s appearance. This enrages Jang. Of course, anything to do with Geum Hee’s first husband is bound to get his goat. As Jang turns to leave, he catches sight of Chang Hee, but just continues on to the house. Chang Hee rushes to his father. He helps Gi Chul inside and tends his wounds. Oddly enough, this is the first time Chang Hee seems to have seen the bullet wound on his father’s leg. Gi Chul covers it and says he  told Chang Hee about getting shot while in the army. He then turns around so Chang Hee can work on the bruises on his shoulders and Chang Hee can only silently cry at his battered father’s shoulder. Gi Chul turns around and before he can say anything, Jang calls for him once more. Gi Chul rushes out and leaves with Jang as Il Mun arrives. Satan’s spawn asks why Gi Chul was limping, but Chang Hee says nothing and Il Mun gets up in his face and gives it a tap. So annoying. Chang Hee keeps his temper down and can only clench his fist painfully tight. Poor kid. Why must he endure this torment?

Kang meets with Jung Woo who promises him his help and the orchard as long as Kang pays triple what Jang was offering. Kang cannot believe these terms. That would mean losing money. Jung Woo says that sum isn’t a major loss all things considered. If Kang cannot comply with these terms, then Jung Woo will walk and Jang will have the orchard. Kang cannot have this. He then tries talking Jung Woo’s terms down. How about only double? Meanwhile, Jang is upset about the orchard. They must get it so he can destroy Kang. Now why is Jang so hell bent on destroying Kang? Is it because the man is the complete opposite of himself and is actually hard working and honorable? Or is there some weird grudge that we don’t know about? There boat springs a leak and they go back to the docks where Jang’s secretary gets slapped for taking the boat for repairs at such a shoddy shop that couldn’t do the job properly. Kang and Gi Chul then leave the secretary behind to take care of the matter.

Hae Joo and Kang San show up to practice welding while Hong Chul goes to check out an engine. I wonder if there will be a big problem with this boat or not? Hong Chul looks and recognizes the engine as Japanese and they don’t have parts compatible with it. Meanwhile, Kang San watches Hae Joo take off her vest and notices her scar. She was burned, too! How did it happen? Hae Joo says she doesn’t know herself. She then asks just where was Kang San looking. LOL. The boy gets hit in the head by Hae Joo and he tells her that his head is precious. Hae Joo cannot believe that a liar’s head would be worth much of anything.

At the Jang house, Chang Hee is out cutting grass. This makes Geum Hee start clucking like a mother hen. Well, at least she doesn’t take out Gi Chul’s mistake out on Chang Hee. I have to say that this scene was all kinds of weird and awkward for me. She touches the boy’s sweaty chest and then notices the scar on his shoulder from when Yoo Jin was burned as well. She then talks about how she used to mother him when he was small. Weird, weird, weird. That scene almost gives off a pedophile vibe. I know that’s know what’s intended at all—its just a trigger to the past and her missing her daughter, but still, it just played out too awkwardly for me. Geum Hee is then informed the In Hwa went off to some industry a while ago.

Kang San and Hae Joo are looking at Jang’s boat when In Hwa shows up. The girl gets downright cranky to see Kang San and Hae Joo together yet again. Kang San is not happy to have his stalker arrive yet again and Hae Joo isn’t happy that In Hwa thinks that Hae Joo is following Kang San when it is the other way around. In Hwa then recognizes her father’s boat and invites the two aboard (well, she really only wanted Kang San to see it). Then comes Chang Hee telling In Hwa that her mom is waiting for he back home. In Hwa refuses to go and tells Chang Hee to go tell that to her mother. Brat. Chang Hee also comes aboard as the kids discover the keys in the boat. In Hwa immediately tries to drive it and Hae Joo lunges and takes the wheel when the boat lurches. This earns Hae Joo the praise since she actually can drive the boat.

In Hwa tells Hae Joo to take them for a round, but Hae Joo doesn’t wish to go to far as she doesn’t want to risk damaging an expensive boat. Chang Hee seconds this as an accident could happen. Yep, like the fact that Jang’s boat still hasn’t been repaired? But no, the kids end up going out further and further thanks to Kang San and In Hwa’s insistence. Then In Hwa takes over the wheel and the boat stops. They have no idea what is going on. Kang San and Chang Hee rush on deck and yell for help, but there is no other boat around. This is bad! They are even drifting further away! Um…radio? Shouldn’t there be one? The if the boat is not working, will it’s radio still work? The kids then notice water coming in. Kang San, Hae Joo, and Chang Hee immediately start bailing water while In Hwa climbs higher and complains about her dress being wet. Seriously? You’re sinking and all you can think about is your clothes? Somebody knock some sense into that child.

Episode 4 will most likely come tomorrow night as I haven’t watched it yet as today was a really long day with my niece, nephew, canning, laundry and gardening. I’m off to watch it now, but probably won’t get a recap up until after work tomorrow.