Asian Addicts Anonymous

Kang Hwi glares at Tae Ik. Why is he there? Man Ok goes to explains and Tae Ik cuts her off and asks Kang Hwi to talk with him outside. They get outside and immediately start fighting. Kang Hwi wonders how Tae Ik can do this without telling him. Tae Ik counters with why he has to say anything to Kang Hwi who then comes back with he has to since it involves Man Ok. Shakes head. Are you serious? What? Then how about when Kang Hwi moved into the annex without letting Tae Ik know. That was different. How so? Tae Ik is also in a position where he needs to hide out.

Tae Ik then changes the conversation. Kang Hwi knows better than anyone why Tae Ik has been forced into hiding. How can Kang Hwi of all people go back to Joon—did he injure his head (something like :P). Kang Hwi won’t tell him just why he returned to Joon and this puts more strain on their already strained relationship. Kang Hwi then says that if Tae Ik needs help, he’ll help him (to get him away from Man Ok). Tae Ik says it’s not his problem and tells him to leave. Kang Hwi stops him. How is it not his problem? Tae Ik essentially hurts Man Ok so he should just get out now and leave her in peace. What if Tae Ik can’t do that. What? Kang Hwi’s eyes narrow—can Tae Ik possibly like Man Ok? Is he sincere? What? If he is, is Kang Hwi going to steal her again? This confuses Kang Hwi, but Tae Ik refuses to explain what he meant. Does Kang Hwi not know that Tae Ik saw the kiss between him and Se Ryeong?

We cut to a scene from the past where Tae Ik and Kang Hwi were buddies and practicing hard. Tae Ik gets a text from Se Ryeong telling him to hurry up and meet her. He jumps up and Kang Hwi grills him on if the two are really dating. Tae Ik doesn’t want to say anything, but Kang Hwi insists he’ll keep it a secret and that as partners there shouldn’t be any secrets between them. Plus…doesn’t Tae Ik know Kang Hwi can’t stand being curious? Omo, such a little kid. And this scene, while cute…seems rather fake and juvenile. Tae Ik smiles and says it just happened. Tae Ik then makes Kang Hwi promise not to tell anyone because he’ll be in big trouble if the company finds out. Kang Hwi goes to tell him something (probably about how much he doesn’t like Se Ryeong or something like that), but changes it to how pretty she is. He then says that it’s always the quiet ones. Congrats on Tae Ik being the first to land a girlfriend. The smiling Tae Ik walks away leaving an unhappy Kang Hwi behind.

Kang Hwi calls Se Ryeong out and demands to know if she’s serious about Tae Ik. What does that have to do with Kang Hwi? He doesn’t care who she fools around with, but not Tae Ik. Se Ryeong declares this as nonsense. Who would she fool around with? Kang Hwi then says he knows exactly what kind of person she is and he won’t stand for it if he hurts Tae Ik. This makes Se Ryeong’s lip curl. Tae Ik then comes out and she recalls Joon’s words about leaving Tae Ik if she wants to live the life she wants. Eyeroll. Doesn’t that just prove how selfish she is? Thus she grabs Kang Hwi-nim and plants one on him. Poor guy. Tae Ik leaves and Kang Hwi pulls away. Is she crazy? He wipes his mouth and walks away. Se Ryeong also wipes her mouth and thinks to herself that she did nothing wrong. This is all Lee Tae Ik’s fault. Must resist urge to rip out her hair. What a useless and annoying character. The flashbacks end and Kang Hwi calls out to the dojo that he has never liked Jin Se Ryeong. If he did, then he wouldn’t be Kang Hwi, but a dog. He then mutters just who was it who got used by that vixen. Kang Hwi goes to leave and then yells out who is Tae Ik to tell him to come or go when it’s not even Tae Ik’s house.

Man Ok comes out with snacks and finds Tae Ik sitting alone in his tent. Did he send Kang Hwi away? How mean to do to someone who has come all this way. Plus, Man Ok had something to discuss with him. Tae Ik asks about what and Man Ok refuses to tell him. She sets down the tray and goes to rush after Kang Hwi and Tae Ik stops her. They need to talk. Later. Tae Ik then demands to know how she can be like this. Is he more important or is Kang Hwi. Man Ok doesn’t get it. Is he sick? He’s not a kid and saying that is really weird. Tae Ik then asks who is the weird person who said she liked him. Man Ok asks when. Tae Ik replies yesterday. Can Man Ok really not remember? Man Ok only remembers eating the cupcakes and drinking the wine. Poor Tae Ik just hangs his head as Man Ok demands to know what happened (didn’t they just fall asleep). He also waves his hand telling her to just go and she complains that she should have just rushed after Kang Hwi. Poor, poor Tae Ik-ssi. I feel for you.

Enter Kang Hwi who immediately comes in and demands Man Ok feed him. Wow. That’s rather rude. Tae Ik then scolds him for that. Kang Hwi raises his voice—it’s not Tae Ik’s house. Enter Jang who says he can hear the voices all the way outside. Are they fighting in the sacred studio? Man Ok quickly says they weren’t. The boys’ voices are naturally loud. Kang Hwi apologizes and promises to be more careful in the future. Jang asks who he is. Man Ok goes to introduce him, but Kang Hwi takes care of it for her. He says he’s friends with Tae Ik (disbelieving look from Tae Ik) and close with Man Ok. Since Kang Hwi had business in the area, he came to visit his friends. Bum Soo then comes in complaining about shoes and hills and stops in shock when he sees Kang Hwi. What’s he doing there? Jang says they are obviously close and then says he likes Kang Hwi’s smiling demeanor better than Tae Ik’s sour expressions. LOL. Kang Hwi’s stomach rumbles and Man Ok is sent off to prepare food.

Man Ok and Kang Hwi sit down to eat and Tae Ik immediately joins them and demands she make food for him, too. Man Ok insists he already ate. True, but there was no fried eggs. Make him some. Man Ok then reveals Kang Hwi has the last of the rice. Tae Ik looks a him and Kang Hwi immediately takes the bowl and hides it. They should eat together. You shouldn’t touch someone else’s rice bowl. What? Tae Ik points out that the rice bowl Kang Hwi has is originally his. The two fight over the rice bowl and Man Ok scolds them and tells them to set it down. She leaves and comes back with another bowl and halves the rice. Man Ok tells them they are not kids and if they fight one more time at the table neither of them get to eat. Heehee. Man Ok smiles and leaves and the boys look cowed. Tae Ik digs in and Kang Hwi asks why Man Ok is soooo scary. Tae Ik softly replies that she shouts as she feels since it’s her own house. LOL. Kang Hwi looks at him in sympathy. It’s hard living in someone else’s house. Tae Ik nods and Kang Hwi says he understands. He lived in the house of a rude sagaji. Snort. Poor Tae Ik. Tae Ik looks at him and Kang Hwi smiles. He yells “yah” and earns another scolding from Man Ok. This silences him and he quietly starts eating while Kang Hwi shakes with laughter.

Go Dong goes to get Kang Hwi, but he’s no in the basement. He reports this to Joon who is upstairs waiting. Joon is angry. How can Go dong be so incompetent? He yells at Go Dong to quickly find Kang Hwi. Go Dong rushes off and Se Ryeong comes down. Has she seen Kang Hwi? Nope. She then asks if there is something wrong with Kang Hwi’s eyes. What is she saying? Se Ryeong then talks about the earlier incident. There is also the fact Joon is being overly caring for Kang Hwi. This annoys Joon. After the China shoot, he wants Se Ryeong to quickly pick up a drama or movie. Se Ryeong then says that is strange—weren’t they just talking about Kang Hwi? Why switch to work? Joon then gets his payback for all her horribleness. Looks like she’s thinking of useless things. He bought her contract at a high fee and granted all those nonsensical conditions of hers. It’s time for Se Ryeong does something to benefit Joon. He doesn’t like things that give him a loss. This throws her. She does, however, insist, that she will think of useless things if she wants to. She then wonders aloud where the sick Kang Hwi-nim went off by himself. What? Concern? SHOCKING!

Kang Hwi ignores all of Go Dong’s calls and messages and goes back into the studio. Tae Ik goes out to his tent to sleep and is startled when he opens it and finds Kang Hwi sprawled out. He hasn’t left yet? Kang Hwi props himself up on his elbow and says that the bedding is cushier than it looks. He then asks to be able to spend the night. Tae Ik tells him to get out while he’s asking him nicely. Kang Hwi refuses to budge. He then asks if he should stay there permanently since Man Ok fed him warm food and there’s a nice bed. Awwww. That kind of makes him sound like a beggar. Tae Ik goes to yell and Man Ok comes out. Why are they fighting again? Kang Hwi then asks if he can stay the night. Here? Tae Ik says absolutely not and Kang Hwi snuggles down onto the bedding and refuses to move.

Tae Ik’s response? He grabs Kang Hwi’s ankle and tries to drag him out. Kang Hwi tells him to stop and then says he’ll just sleep in Man Ok’s room instead. This floors both Tae Ik and Man Ok. Tae Ik then shoves Kang Hwi down in the tent and tells him to be good or he’ll get kicked out in the middle of the night. Tae Ik then gets in so he’s the one by the tent’s opening. Man Ok asks if they will really be okay sleeping together? At the main house… What? Man Ok can’t possibly be serious about Kang Hwi sleeping in her room? No. She was thinking of grandpa’s room. Tae Ik yells at her to forget it. It’s rude as Jang is probably sleeping already. Tae Ik then points a Man Ok to go away. Man Ok does and Kang Hwi touches his shoulder. Tae Ik yells at him to go away and zips the tent shut. Man Ok then wonders why he’s getting mad at her again.

Tae Ik has his eyes closed and Kang Hwi asks if he’s sleeping. Tae Ik doesn’t respond. Kang Hwi then says that this reminds him of the past. He goes to explain about the misunderstanding Tae Ik has about him and Se Ryeong, but Tae Ik rolls over showing his back. Even though he did that, I think Kang Hwi should have just continued. Oh well. Heaven forbid people actual communicate in a drama because that would make things too easy and would clear up misunderstandings right away instead of having them linger for no good reason for a bajillion episodes.

The next morning, Tae Ik moves his arm and there is only empty space. His eyes pop open and he looks—Kang Hwi is gone. Man Ok catches him as he comes out of the studio. He should really eat before leaving. Kang Hwi insists its best for him to just go. He knows Man Ok was feeling uncomfortable since he just barged in. Man Ok quickly refutes this. Kang Hwi then asks if Man Ok heard anything from Joon. Man Ok replies that he asked her to come back to work. Man Ok then says she can’t like or trust Joon. This is why she cannot understand why Kang Hwi went back. Can he really not tell her? Kang Hwi’s reply this time is that he’s made for the stage and no one would touch him except for Joon. Man Ok doesn’t like this, though. She asks Kang Hwi to leave that place, but Kang Hwi says he needs Joon as of right now. He then also asks for Man Ok to stay by his side as he needs her. She doesn’t have to answer right now. He then leaves and says he’ll be waiting and calls her Apsala.

Kang Hwi comes home and Se Ryeong immediately starts ribbing Kang Hwi about how he obviously likes Man Ok. Kang Hwi tells her to shut her trap and she reveals Joon already knows about his feelings. He even has the phone. This shocks Kang Hwi. meanwhile, Joon is bawling Go Dong out and telling him if something else like that happens again, he’s done. Go Dong leaves and Joon then complains about how you don’t know someone’s worth until they are gone. I believe he’s referring to Bum Soo here.

And what is our manager doing? He’s meeting with his friend who says that he found an investor for Tae Ik. Seriously? The man admits he was surprised, too, but an older business sunbae expressed interest in investing in Tae Ik. Bum Soo is happy to hear that the man wants to help make the album and pay for the marketing. This floors Bum Soo. He wishes to know why this person would invest in Tae Ik. Is he a fan? He then asks to meet him and give him the production plan. His friend denies this. He will be handling everything and acting like the middleman. Bum Soo finds this very strange, but decides he will trust his friend.

Bum Soo, Tae Ik, and Man Ok arrive at a vocal trainer and writer’s house. He’s known as a wolf and is very cold and rude. Bum Soo warns Tae Ik to be on his best behavior and endure. Tae Ik says that he’s not a child. Right. Sangdae is introduced to Tae Ik and says she won’t give him lessons until after he’s heard Tae Ik sing. Tae Ik then asks if Sangdae hasn’t heard hi s songs before. Oh no, he has. But half of the voice is synthesized, thus you can’t judge the ability. He wishes to hear Tae Ik sing live to gauge where he stands. Tae Ik, being Tae Ik, demands Sangdae show his skills first. Eyeroll. And who said they wouldn’t be childish? Omo. These two are really on the same level.

Sangdae breaks out his guitar and starts singing. He’s good. He has a pleasant voice and sings with quite a bit of emotion. Tae Ik…his expression seemed annoyed. Sangdae stops and asks if he’s good enough to give lessons and then tells Tae Ik to try. Sangdae plays the guitar, but Tae Ik remains silent. What? Does he have no confidence? Bum Soo tells him to take it easy. Sangdae then decides to switch the song as Tae Ik might not have known that one. He begins playing again and Tae Ik demands to know why he’s lowering everything by half a key. Tae Ik caught that, huh? He’s not completely devoid of pitch then. Sangdae says he was doing that to suit Tae Ik’s talent (yeah, Tae Ik and those high notes from earlier episodes….*shudders*). Sangdae agrees to raise the key back to the original level, but he doesn’t think Tae Ik will be able to sing it.

Bum Soo shakes Sangdae who replies that he thought he was being brought a new singer. It would have been better if he had. Since Tae Ik has been a star already, he has no will to earnestly learn and doesn’t have the dedication a new singer just starting out would have. Since he’s a star, he’s relying solely on his looks and not talent since he obviously can’t sing. Ouch! Prove him wrong Mr. Arrogant. Tae Ik jumps up, furious. Sangdae then tells him if he wants to sing, come back with the right attitude. Tae Ik then asks if he’s doing that because he’s jealous. Say what? Tae Ik says it doesn’t matter if you have the looks or the talent or both because neither are necessarily what the people want. Tae Ik then explains the harsh world they live in and how he’s been walking a fine line for years to safeguard his position. The two nearly come to blows. Bum Soo holds Sangdae back and Man Ok holds Tae Ik back. Tae Ik storms out followed by Man Ok. Bum Soo then apologizes to Sangdae and then scolds him for looking down at Tae Ik. His charge will definitely make a comeback. Just wait and see.

They get dropped off at the studio and Man Ok asks if Tae Ik will be okay. She’s worried that he’ll just give up. Bum Soo says this is necessary for Tae Ik to grow and that he’s much stronger than he looks. He won’t give up anything easily. Man Ok leaves the van as Bum Soo goes off to an appointment. She rushes up the stairs complaining about the anchovy-like Sangdae the entire way. LOL. She’s really trying to cheer Tae Ik up. Tae Ik says nothing while Man Ok continues her tirade. She then stops and asks how Tae Ik knew the key was lower. Does he perhaps have perfect pitch (you don’t necessarily need to have perfect pitch to hear that if you’re musically inclined and know it well…unlike me. I couldn’t tell the difference at all unless it’s significantly lowered, slowed down, or sped up). Tae Ik then holds out his hand. Give it. What? Man Ok puts her hand in his. I don’t think that’s what he meant. This surprises him and he looks up to see Man Ok smiling at him.

The scenes! I can’t wait for the boys to start training. I want our family back together again with Bum Soo, Go Dong, Tae Ik, Kang Hwi, and Man Ok. Se Ryeong can take a flying leap and land on Joon’s head. Sigh.