Asian Addicts Anonymous

Cliffhanger endings. I hate those since I probably won’t get around to watching episode 6 until tomorrow night. What an episode in building relationships as well as destroying them, or at least majorly straining them. I have also noticed that In Hwa is not completely evil—yet. As much as she dislikes  Hae Joo at times, she does have a conscience and actually admitted her wrong doing. I’m proud of her, but I have this feeling I’m going to probably hate her later. It’s like Shining Inheritance. I felt bad for the stepsister as it was really all the stepmother’s doing, but then the stepsister turned evil because of the guy she loved and I ended up hating her completely.

Anywho, on to the nitty gritty, and young love cuteness.

Hae Joo’s confession surprises her father. How can she possibly know? Well, Hae Joo isn’t dumb. She has noticed how much her mother dislikes her and only picks on her. However, Hong Chul will not tell her who her birth mother is. Hong Chul says that he and Hae Joo may not look alike either, but they are still father and daughter, right? That’s right. So it is with Dal Soon. She and Hae Joo may look nothing alike, but since Dal Soon is Hong Chul’s wife and Hong Chul is Hae Joo’s father, that means Dal Soon is Hae Joo’s mother. Wow…doesn’t that sound confusing? But Hong Chul knew the right words to break Hae Joo down as Hae Joo would never doubt that loving man who’s done the best (sort of) he can for her isn’t her father. Of course, this doesn’t mean that Hae Joo accepts Dal Soon as her birth mother. Meanwhile Hae Joo’s real mother is in the hospital crying over the sleeping In Hwa who still has yet to wake up.

Gi Chul gets Chang Hee home and they meet Il Mun. This can never be good as Il Mun is…a boy with a short fuse ready to explode at any moment. And explode he does. As soon as Il Mun catches sight of Chang Hee he starts beating the other boy. What I hate is that Gi Chul cannot really prevent this. He does his best to keep Il Mun back, but Il Mun still does a good number on Chang Hee. So what is Il Mun’s problem this time? Chang Hee coming home on his own two legs while In Hwa still hasn’t woken up yet. Gi Chul says that isn’t Chang Hee’s fault, but Il Mun says it is as Chang Hee didn’t stop In Hwa from getting on that boat. If anything should happen to his little sister, then Chang Hee will die. Eyeroll. It really makes me wonder if Il Mun is really that caring for his little sister as he totally doesn’t seem the type. But then again, that whole family is very happy and loving with each other, but completely cruel to the outside world.

Instead of sleeping in her brother’s room, Hae Joo does end up sleeping outside. She can’t sleep, however, and sits out on the table looking up at the sky. Dal Soon slides open the door and goes to get out until she sees Hae Joo. Her expression…I don’t know what to make of it. I think she does feel a bit regretful over her actions, but the problem that is between these two girls will never go away. She slides the door close and Hae Joo quietly says “mother.” Poor girl.

The next day the upset Chang Hee goes to the overlook where he meets the upset Hae Joo. These two are so alike in certain ways. Kang San and Hae Joo are also alike in certain ways. Their relationships are as different as night and day and that will make for interesting drama when the adults take over. Chang Hee wonders if Hae Joo had gotten bullied again. Hae Joo says that she hasn’t been. She then confesses that her mother is not her real mother. Chang Hee has her pegged. Don’t tell him that she’s been trying to please her stepmother all this time? Yep, without really knowing her for that long, he knows Hae Joo well. She then asks after his mother. Chang Hee confesses he was abandoned as a child and doesn’t even remember his mother’s face. Hae Joo is amazed at how similar their lives are. The two then bond and make promises to never reveal to anyone else what they discussed. It’s cute. It really is. Oh, and you got to love how Chang Hee can’t ‘fess up to the fact he got his rear kicked. He “fell.”

Hae Joo goes back to the hospital where Jang is getting upset that Geum Hee hasn’t been sleeping or eating and In Hwa is still not waking up. She goes to leave as In Hwa finally does wake up. The first words out of her mouth is she wants to eat pizza. LOL. She’s still on her pizza kick? Geum Hee hugs her adopted daughter to her and Il Mun is sent for the doctor. He runs into Hae Joo and cannot believe the beggar had the gall to visit. Jang comes out and scolds Il Mun and once again sends him for the doctor. Hae Joo bows and apologizes, but Jang refuses to talk to her or let her see In Hwa. He only has something to say to her father. He goes back into the room and Geum Hee is really upset to learn that shameless child came back. In Hwa then does something surprising—she stands up for Hae Joo. This is mostly after Jang threatens to make Hong Chul pay for the boat and In Hwa’s hospital fees. Petty b*stard. She says that it was her fault. She wanted to show up and turned the boat on. Since she didn’t know how to drive, Hae Joo pushed her out of the way to steer the boat. Geum Hee doesn’t relent in her opinion as Hae Joo should have immediately gone back to shore, but she drove the boat. In Hwa then reveals that Hae Joo saved her when she drank sea water and passed out. This then makes Geum Hee feel bad. And she even slapped Hae Joo! I had to laugh at loud when In Hwa feigned being in pain and the doctor comes in with a shot and she changes her tune.

Hae Joo heads home where she is bawled out by Dal Soon for leaving and just coming back now. Hae Joo is apologetic, but there was someplace she had to go to. She then hurries to fix lunch since Dal Soon complains she’s starving, but Young Joo pipes up and says they already ate. LOL. Got to love it when kids ruin an adult’s plan. Hae Joo goes to her room where there is steamed potatoes. This small kindness makes Hae Joo happy. Of course Dal Soon must try to cover up her good deed by saying that what Hae Joo doesn’t eat will be bartered for flour from the neighbors.

Hae Joo runs into Bong Hee and Jung Woo with her potatoes. She is happy to see Jung Woo as it has been awhile. Jung Woo is equally happy to see Hae Joo. Bong Hee comments that this is why Jung Woo will never marry since he associates with children. Wow. Hae Joo and her maternal aunt (Bong Hee is Geum Hee’s little sister) are quite alike in a way. They say what is on their mind consequences be damned. Seeing the two interact together really makes Jung Woo laugh. He takes the two girls home where they continue to pick at one another. Jung Woo gives Hae Joo the sought after flour and the young girl goes home. When she leaves, Bong Hee immediately complains about her. Jung Woo continues to be amused and admits that Hae Joo reminds him of Yoo Jin—she would be Hae Joo’s age you know. Does any one else find it interesting that Geum Hee has no inkling that Hae Joo just might be Yoo Jin, but Jung Woo cannot seem to separate the two? It’s his deep down uncle instinct 😉 Bong Hee then invites him to visit her sister, but Jung Woo refuses. Looks like he’s still mad at his sister-in-law for marrying Jang. I don’t blame him.

To make amends and to celebrate the kids making it back safely, the Jangs throw a party. Hong Chul watches how In Hwa and Jang interact and he tears up. If only Hae Joo could have such a happy, spoiled life. He even envisions Hae Joo feeding Jang (blech). When everyone sits down to eat, In Hwa announces that she will marry Kang San when he grows up. Omo. That brazen little girl. Needless to say, San is not happy about this  at all and tells her to come to her senses. Hae Joo then asks In Hwa about San’s father’s age. In Hwa tells her that Kang is San’s grandfather. Geum Hee mentions that Sang Tae looks bright (how can she say that when you watch how he was stuffing his face at that exact moment?). Il Mun replies he’s dead last and Hong Chul wonders what will become of his boy. To diffuse the situation, San happily points out that he has actually taken the position as the last in their class. LOL. Only San would be proud of something like that.

Jang takes Kang to talk business. Jang thinks a marriage between the families would be good and Kang points out that is just because Jang is greedy for the business. Kang then gets angry when Jang mentions the pear orchard. He knew Jang must be up to something. We then get into a cock fight. There is a long history between Kang and Jang as Jang mentions working under or looking up to Kang at one time. I guess that would make sense given that Jang was really close to Hae Joo’s father and those two were close to Kang somehow. Kang basically says he won’t let Jang have his way as Jang is only a man who gets things by underhand methods and not hard work. He also lets Jang know that he cannot talk to his elders with such disrespect. Kang is still the mighty lion while Jang is still the tiny puppy. Kang then storms out and takes his grandson with him. I LOVED it when Kang threw wine in Jang’s face. Truthfully, Jang needs a beating more than mere wine.

From that point on, the party takes a downward swing. When Hae Joo starts receiving compliments, Dal Soon bristles. She demands Hae Joo take care of the sleeping Young Joo. Both Hong Chul and Chang Hee are against this. I love how Chang Hee, knowing the situation, tries to stand up for Hae Joo so she can finish eating her supper properly. Geum Hee even intervenes and asks the maid to take the young girl to lie down on her own bed. In Hwa wonders if Dal Soon is really Hae Joo’s mother as she doesn’t even pack the girl a lunch. Dal Soon takes this to mean that Hae Joo is griping about her and she starts in a tirade and goes to say that Hae Joo isn’t her daughter when the worried Gi Chul stops her mid-sentence as she is being rude. Things get really bad and Hong Chul slams his fist on the table and yells at his wife to stop. Why must she make such a scene? Dal Soon then tells her husband to go ahead and beat her. At this point Young Joo wakes up crying. Oy.

Gi Chul pulls Hong Chul aside and Hong Chul asks after the family. Does In Hwa have a twin sister? She and Hae Joo are the same age, so why is it that no one bothered about one twin and lavished all the love and attention on the other. Wow. I’m pretty sure that when Hong Chul asked, the man at his work told him that the child lost was NOT Jang’s, but Jang’s second wife’s. How dumb is this man? Of course, Gi Chul doesn’t want to reveal just what the situation is. If only this idiot would open his mouth. But, of course, it wouldn’t be a drama if people communicated well and worked things out. Meanwhile, Geum Hee gifts Hae Joo with a dress as an apology and a thank you. Hae Joo takes it and tries it on and just as she is about to turn around baring her scarred neck (I had thought Geum Hee had seen it already, but apparently not if they are making such a big deal out of it here), the two men come out. Hong Chul is amazed to see his daughter in such pretty clothes and you know he feels guiltier and guiltier.

Dal Soon immediately demands the dress be handed over to her so she can sell it and get much needed money. Hae Joo is disappointed, but like always, concedes to her mother’s wishes. Hong Chul cannot stand for this. Please, treat Hae Joo better already. This upsets Dal Soon. She was a pretty woman who was desired by quite a few men, but she chose Hong Chul and her life has been in a downward spiral ever since. By the end of the argument, both father and daughter are crying. It really amazes me that Dal Soon hasn’t lost that baby yet with her temper and how it always goes off (like the evil mother’s in Bachelor’s Vegetable Store—it came as no shock when she lost her baby boy as she was always angry and worried and out destroying people’s lives). Hong Chul watches the sleeping Hae Joo and thinks back to the happy and doted upon In Hwa. He comes to his decision, which we all know isn’t the right one. He takes out a box which has the clothes Hae Joo was wearing when Gi Chul brought her to him.

The next day Hong Chul goes to Jang’s office to talk to him about the missing Yoo Jin. However, Jang is in a meeting with Jung Woo. Jang says he is upset that Jung Woo is taking Kang’s side. All Jang is trying to do is make Jung Woo’s brother’s dream come true. Jung Woo snaps at this. The pear orchard will remain out of Jang’s hands if he can help it as his brother would never want that land to go for a shipyard. Of course, Jung Woo wouldn’t have a problem if Jang paid fair market value. Jung Woo also points out that Jang has no right to talk about Hak Soo’s dreams since Jung Woo knows what Jang did to his brother. Now, does he know about Jang killing Hak Soo or is he referring to this insinuated relationship with Geum Hee? It looks like those two had a past before she married Hak Soo.

Hong Chul then comes in and broaches the subject of Yoo Jin. Jang is taken by surprise, but does his level best to keep is poker face. When Hong Chul pulls out the clothes, Jang says he doesn’t recognizes them at all (but we know he does). Hong Chul then says that while Jang might not, Geum Hee might. This makes Jang say that the baby’s body was found 10 years ago. Hong Chul leaves and Jang immediately calls for Park. We then get more uncontrollable hand shaking from Jang (we first saw this when In Hwa went missing). I think this is a precursor to Jang’s downfall (whenever that may be). If he doesn’t get killed or jailed it will be a situation much akin to Can You Hear My Heart? or various other dramas in which the bad guy has some life crippling health problem at the very end. Sometimes that problem kills them, sometimes that problem lets them see the error of their way, and sometimes that just makes the suffer for the rest of their life. Truthfully, his is a character that shouldn’t be spared at all.

Gi Chul had just managed to get another pear orchard owner to sell and happily went to report that to Jang, but Jang takes him to the ocean where Yoo Jin was supposedly killed and he asks him about what happened. Gi Chul keeps insisting that Yoo Jin is dead and Jang keeps beating him and holding his head under water. Jang gives him one last chance, and Gi Chul again says that Yoo Jin is dead and that he has no plan to hold the still-living girl over Jang’s head as the ultimate betrayal. Jang believes that last part, Gi Chul isn’t capable of betrayal. Hmm…I think there just might be a snapping point for Gi Chul that could cause him to betray Jang, but maybe not. Gi Chul then says Hong Chul was his accomplice since he himself could not kill Yoo Jin. After the deed was done, Hong Chul had a change of heart and kept the clothes for blackmail purposes. Jang then orders Hong Chul to be brought to him so they can all talk things over. Well, Gi Chul, if Hong Chul wasn’t shark bait at this time, he is now. Good job at throwing him under the bus and stabbing him in the back.

Bong Hee has gone to visit Geum Hee who is delighted to see her little sister. Geum Hee even encourages the girl to move in with them and Geum Hee will get her an arranged date. Bong Hee refuses the offer. She makes snide comments about Geum Hee having married twice. This brings Geum Hee’s happiness over the reunion down and the mood is completely ruined when Bong Hee says that she wishes to find a man like her brother-in-law (Hak Soo not Jang). Hmm, did Bong Hee have a crush on Hak Soo, or is she referring to his little brother Jung Woo?

After School, Chang Hee is leaving when San comes up behind him and scolds him for leaving without San. Chang Hee comments San wasn’t in class to which the other boy smiles and says he was sleeping on the lawn. Before Chang Hee can reprimand him for his lack of seriousness in his studies, up comes Hae Joo. San asks if she was waiting for him and is pleasantly please to hear that she was. You have to love the difference in her treatment of these two boys. Chang Hee is greeted with a smile and an affectionate “oppa” while San (who is older) is treated more on equal footing and much more disrespectfully. In fact, Hae Joo is all smiles and niceness. She apologizes to Chang Hee, but she needs to go somewhere with “this liar.” Chang Hee seems sad to see Hae Joo drag San off.

So where is our leading lady dragging San? To the shipyard! Since Hae Joo has learned that San is the heir to Hae Poong, she is going to get an up close and personal look at the shipyard. She scolds him for not telling her sooner so she didn’t have to be in awe from afar. San shrugs this off and says he wasn’t trying to hide it—but does that make Hae Joo think of him more highly? This earns him a rather hard slap. LMAO. Ahh, these two. Who would have thought I’d get conflicted over couples and we’re not even out of the kids segment? This was really just a cute scene of Hae Joo enjoying going around and seeing the ships and tormenting San who is not just afraid of fire, but of heights, too. Got to love how this cocky kid with a big mouth can be such a fraidy-cat. I loved how he asked her to do a trade. Hae Joo will teach him welding and he will give her all of his ship knowledge. Hae Joo is leery at first since San has been branded a liar in her book, but he does spout off a lot of ship details that makes her accept the offer. This made him so happy and he wanted to do it right at that moment, but she had to go home and cook dinner. Rice cookers cook. LOL. Ah, San. So cute.

When Hae Joo gets home, she sees the loan sharks have returned. She quietly turns around and tries to sneak away, but the head honcho does catch a glimpse of her and it looks like he’ll be following from a distance. At this time, Hong Chul and Gi Chul meet. Hong Chul says that he has realized he was wrong about Hae Joo’s identity after all. D’oh. Too late, dumb*ss. Hong Chul then says he doesn’t care who Hae Joo’s parents are as she is his daughter and all he wishes to do is live his life with her. While he is giving this speech, he misses the ugly look on Gi Chul’s face. As Gi Chul slowly gathers the courage to push his friend off the side of the cliff, Hae Joo comes up and demands to know what the ahjussi is doing. End episode.

See, cliffhanger! Well, I suppose if anything happens and Hong Chul dies, it would be great if Jung Woo and Bong Hee take her in and raise her, but who knows just what will happen? Oh, and I forgot to mention that Jung Woo and Bong Hee took a look at the dying pear trees and Bong Hee sniffed out pesticides or some other chemicals and said that they should take the decayed roots to the lab for testing.