Psalms on Sunday: Psalm 19

Ahh. This psalm is one I truly love. It's an encouraging meditation on the nature of God. I can't always connect with the war-torn battle psalms, but there's a very clear place in my heart marked out for the praise psalms.

Verse 1 says that the heavens, meaning the sky, proclaim God's glory; the very sky itself is his artwork. It's so strange that even as a Christian, I think of the sky as this beautiful thing that is just there, without remembering that all the varieties of dawns, sunsets, and clouds are part of God's own artistic work. Nature is the ultimate example of form meeting function!

Verses 2-4 talk about how the glory of God is like a language that is spoken by the day, the night, and the entire world. Verses 5-6 personify the sun, talking about the sun's omnipresence and how nothing is hidden from its heat.

Verses 7-9 talk about God's laws. I think this is partly talking about the Jewish law system set up in Leviticus, partly about the Ten Commandments, and partly about the rest of the Bible, where God's laws and standards are made clear. We are told that God's laws are perfect, and that following them purifies us and makes us wise, and well as bringing joy to our hearts!

Verses 10-11 get more personal, talking about how the speaker in particular views God's laws as something wonderful, even comparing the laws to awesome things like gold and honey. God's laws prevent the speaker from going awry. Verses 12-14 ask God to protect the speaker from more insidious mistakes like hidden sins or presumptuous sins. The chapter ends on one of my favorite verses ever, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." It's a verse I catch myself repeating pretty often in daily life. :-)

_______________________________

¹The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

² Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

³ There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

⁴ Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

⁵ Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

⁶ His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

⁸ The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

⁹ The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

¹¹ Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

¹² Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.

¹³ Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

¹⁴ Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

________________________________________

K-Drama Review: Nice Guy, Episodes 17-18

 

Read episode reviews for:

Nice Guy--Episodes 1-2
Nice Guy--Episodes 3-4
Nice Guy--Episodes 5-6
Nice Guy--Episodes 7-8
Nice Guy--Episodes 9-10
Nice Guy--Episodes 11-12
Nice Guy--Episodes 13-14
Nice Guy--Episodes 15-16
Nice Guy--Episodes 17-18
Nice Guy--Episodes 19-20


Contains Spoilers for Episodes 17-18

Click "play" below to listen to me read the review! :-)



I am so jazzed and so scared for these episodes. Ack, do I dare to look?

We start by re-viewing Eunki's announcement to the Taesan board members about how she lost her memories, but she still wants to fight for her job.

Honesty May Just Get Us Where We Want To Go.

Eunki meets with Secretary Hyun and tells her that actually, she wants to give all the company leadership to Maru--Eunki's tired of this charade. And if her left father left money for her in Swiss bank accounts or anything, she wants to give that money to Maru. I wonder what her game is, but I halfway think that Eunki's genuine about not wanting to run the company anymore. She was good at business, but it was never her dream, just her way to not drown in her stormy family life.

But no, Eunki calls Secretary Hyun out for not telling her that Maru was the other person in the car accident a year ago. She asks if Secretary Hyun, Attorney Park, and Maru are all conspiring against her.

This Coffee Date Just Turned Into An Interrogation.

Eunki tells Secretary Hyun not to tell anyone else about her recovered memories. Secretary Hyun cries with joy that Eunki is better. The next day, Eunki talks to Choco, then goes downstairs to greet Maru, who is cooking breakfast.

Has No Clue That She Hates Him, Now.

Eunki gives Maru a hug, and as she leans against his back, she tells him about a "dream" she had where she met many people who said they were on her side, but Maru himself had said nothing. Eunki says all she ever wanted was for him to say sweet words to her, even if they were lies. Without turning around, Maru asks if he and Eunki should move somewhere far away, where nobody knows them. Wow, this is sudden.

"This Might Be the End of Everything/ So Why Don't We Go/ Somewhere Only We Know?"

Jaehee goes to see Maru's old house, which she bought, and the cleaning ahjumma is really freaked out by Jaehee's being there so early in the morning. Jaehee says her house is cold, but this place is warm and the ahjumma takes her literally, thinking the heater in her mansion is broken. Jaehee asks, if she waits for Maru at his house, will he come back? When the answer is negative, Jaehee announces that she'll make him come back home.

She's Scary When She Wears Fur.

Jaehee walks out the front gate to find Attorney Ahn waiting for her. She's skeeved out and angry that he's got her under surveillance 24/7 and always watches where she goes. Jaehee says, "You seem to have forgotten your place. Return to your senses--I am your boss." Attorney Ahn warns her that Eunki's acting strange lately, then he wraps his scarf around Jaehee, ostensibly to keep her warm, but she and he both know it's a sort of threatening gesture.

At home, Maru brings home a pair of couple rings he bought for himself and Eunki, then he sees some crumpled-up paper on Eunki's floor. It's her old diary notes, which say "Maru is the nicest guy in the world." He thinks to himself that Eunki has got her memories back, and he's glad of it, though it only means more heartbreak for him.

All Good Things Come To An End.

Unfortunately, we all still have to play the corporate game, and Eunki and Maru's fake wedding invitations have already gone out. Eunki's pretending to be happy, and Maru knows it's all an act, though it was an act anyway, since they weren't really getting married, though they did get officially engaged after their fake engagement... Dramas, oy.

Eunki makes Jaehee come with her for wedding dress shopping, which is cruel but funny, since Jaehee is fuming about the wedding, but can't say so. Jaehee doesn't know it was all Eunki's idea and she asks Maru if he loves her so much that he has to needle her through Eunki. The situation gets worse when Eunki walks in to see Jaehee holding Maru's hand.

The Chronic Guilt-Face Maru Suffers From Doesn't Help.

Then Eunki invites Choco and Jaegil to eat a meal with her, Maru, and Jaehee for two reasons; first, to kill Jaehee inside at the sight of the family she can no longer have, secondly to hurt Maru by having to see everyone interact. Choco, Jaegil, and Jaehee lie that this is their first time meeting.

After the awkward dinner, Maru is still left wondering who new-Eunki is and what she wants and values, but he decides that he loves her and won't grow weary of waiting for her to decide what she needs.

Well, Bonus Points For Stick-to-it-iveness.

Jaehee calls Maru in for a business meeting, but skips to the most serious topic ever--apologizing for taking away his bright future when she let him go to jail. She says she'll compensate him for ruining him, and she looks sincere. Maru says forget it, he's going to get rid of Jaehee as his final act to protect Eunki. He makes good on that intention by calling Jaehee out in a meeting for supporting a business plan he suggested, when she had opposed the same plan back when it was Eunki's original idea. He highlights her hypocrisy in front of everyone.

Jaehee finds him again and yells, "Is Eunki all you ever think about?"

Why, Yes She Is. Got a Problem With That?

Jaehee counters that she didn't say goodbye to Maru because she didn't still love him. She just wanted to get away from her horrible life. Jaehee says it's okay for him to marry Eunki, so long as she can still see him and he doesn't move any further away from her. Eww. And Eunki overhears all of this, naturally, for maximum knife-twisting.

Eunki says some mean things to Attorney Park, revealing that her memories are back, then she unwisely talks with Attorney Ahn who tells her about Maru's past time in prison for murder. Then Eunki brings up her own father's death and how strange it is that Jaehee and Attorney Ahn were the first ones to find him. Attorney Ahn denies any foul play.

She Knows What You Did Last Summer!

And wow, we skip forward a couple weeks (months?) to Eunki's wedding day. I'm betting she's going to leave Maru at the altar, not that public humiliation could hurt him worse than knowing she's plotting against him.

 

But Maru has gone missing, leaving his tux behind. We also get footage of a local news station receiving pictures of Jaehee and Maru, and a note warning them that the president of Taesan has a relationship with her stepdaughter's fiance. Next thing you know, their former relationship is in articles all over the internet. Reporters invade the wedding hall, shouting questions at Jaehee.

I'm betting Maru set this up. He wouldn't mind taking himself down and destroying his chance with Eunki if it meant protecting Eunki by getting Jaehee out of the way. Yeah. Maru totally did it--we see him brooding in his car far away, and not answering phone calls as the city lights up with the fresh gossip.

And The House Of Cards Begins to Crumble.

Jaehee barely notices when Attorney Ahn drives her away and says she needs to stay at his house, because there are reporters camped out at her mansion. I see what you did there, Attorney Ahn. Night falls. Eunki remains in the wedding hall, looking sad. I can't tell if the sadness is an act for those around her, or if she's truly let down that Maru bailed and this secret was revealed to the public.

But Maru does come back! He goes to see Eunki, who refused to leave the wedding hall until he came. He says "We need to talk".

We hear Secretary Hyun tell Attorney Park that it was Eunki who leaked this news story to the press and intentionally ruined her own wedding. Ah. That's mildly surprising. Maru talks to Eunki saying, "I know everything. I know your memories are back and you know what kind of man I am."

And Now She Knows He Knows She Knows.

Episode end. Not the most climactic ending because we don't get her reply, but still a big clearing of the air. I hope.

Episode 18 starts with Eunki and Maru sitting in his car. Eunki asks since when did he know her memories were back, and why didn't he say anything? He answers, "I wanted to be played as much as you planned." Maru wanted to take whatever punishment she doled out, because he knew he deserved it. Then Maru explodes that he can't believe Eunki was willing to hurt her own self in all of this. She should have taken down Jaehee and Maru and left herself unharmed, not drawn into a scandal.

But She's Not Being Sensible, Now.

Eunki says that since her father died while she was busy paying attention to Maru, she'll do anything to destroy his life. Listen, girl, you chose to go nuts over Maru--nobody was holding a gun to your head, keeping you away from your awful father in his last days. Take some responsibility for your actions.

Attorney Park comes to pick Eunki up and drop her off at a motel.

At Maru's house, he is calm as Secretary Hyun packs up Eunki's things. He eats a meal Choco prepared for him, showing no tears or outward signs of heartbreak.

But All Is Not Well On the Inside.

Maru goes to see Jaehee and says that he's the one who leaked the information to the press. He tells her not to have a press conference and deny the rumors or he'll circulate even more condemning evidence. Maru says he was only taking care of Eunki out of obligation, and that his love for Jaehee was the real thing--he repeats Jaehee's past words verbatim. Argh, what's his game? Personal degradation or something deeper? Maybe just keeping Jaehee out of Eunki's way?

Also, Maru's here to affront Attorney Ahn by showing how little Jaehee cares for him when Maru's around. Careful, Maru, it won't take much to push this guy to kill you. Or maybe you want that.

At the motel, Eunki locks herself into the bathroom and sits in her wedding dress in a full tub. Attorney Park finally gets in there, and I'm just glad she hasn't hurt herself.

Though The Wedding Dress + Bathtub Combo Is Still Weird.

Eunki haltingly says, "I...couldn't hate Maru. I should be furious, but no matter how hard I try, I can't hate him." She cries, "He doesn't love me. He's only using me to get her back." Which isn't true, but now Maru is saying it's true, so it just got all "K-Drama Inception" up in here. Eunki says that she hoped telling their story to the world would end her love for Maru, but it didn't work.

She weeps that she did the right thing, but she still misses him so badly, and I feel a little sick at my stomach. All this needless pain, just to prove a point that she doesn't need to prove.

At Jaehee's house, Maru tells Jaehee that she can have him, so long as she gives up the company and leaves Eunki be forever.

Do You Really Want Him Under Those Conditions, Jaehee?

 

At his home, Maru looks over the one lovely picture of himself and Eunki, and thinks and thinks and thinks.

The next day, Eunki moves back home into the mansion with Jaehee! Ha. Love it. Now that there's nothing left to hide, there's no reason for two bitter rivals not to share house-space, is there?

At the office, Jaehee has a face-off with Attorney Ahn. She tries to snub him, and he grabs her by her jacket and says that's she's a murderer and a nobody, so she shouldn't act all high and mighty. Who does she think helped her get to where she is, now? "You are mine. I gave up everything to have you. Let's get married." Then he forces a kiss on her, literally holding her head still.

It's Not A Happy Moment.

Maru goes back to work, and Attorney Park asks him to ask about Eunki. Maru says he won't ask about her because if Eunki is over him, that news will hurt him, and if Eunki is missing him, that news is unfortunate news also.

Eunki calls Maru, but she doesn't speak. They have an entire silent conversation in their heads, just listening to the other person breathe on the other end of the line.

Y'all Are In So Much Denial.

For Real.

After she hangs up, he says out loud, "보고싶다, 서은기." (Bogoshipda, Seo Eunki./ "I miss you.") Then he thinks to himself, "Call me again tomorrow. I'll be waiting for your call." Finally, some sweet moments, just when it looked like we'd lose them forever.

On the upside, every last bit of hidden nastiness is known by all parties. If Maru and Eunki can jump this hurdle and be together, there is literally nothing else left to drive a wedge between them. They have stared into the abyss, the abyss stared back, and they lived on.

At work, drunk Jaehee decides to stop drinking alone and hauls some alcohol up to Maru's office. It's weird that they almost seem like they could be buddies, now that's everything's over.

At a Certain Point, There's No Point In Enmity. 

Later, uber-drunk Jaehee comes home to the mansion where Eunki is, but Maru is the one helping Jaehee home. Jaehee invites Maru to stay so they can drink some more, with Eunki this time, since they all have so much to catch up on. Maru puts the kibosh on this idea, and as he and the housemaid walk Jaehee to her room, Eunki does the sad panda face.

Does Not Enjoy the Reality She Created.

Maru stops by Eunki's room after the maid tucks Jaehee in for the night. Maru asks Eunki a series of questions: Did she move back home? Is she doing well? Is she eating well? Has she been sleeping enough? It's like he's pouring his heart into these questions. He asks, "Is there anything you want to say to me?" When she doesn't reply, he leaves. Eunki stands in front of her door, almost opening it to go stop him, as Maru stands on the other side of the door, hoping she'll decide to stop him.

Instead, Maru calls her cellphone. He asks, "Is this house the only place you can go? Why do you look unwell? I'll leave now. Goodnight." Eunki says in her head, "I'm glad I saw you today."

Next day, Jaegil says he's forcing Maru to have that important brain operation. Maru doesn't agree.

Eunki meets with Attorney Park and says she wants to re-investigate her father's death, which looks like there could have been foul play involved. Attorney Park knows it's true, but if he tells Eunki, Attorney Ahn will tell Eunki that Attorney Park's Dad was responsible for Eunki's Mom's death.

His Secret Doesn't Seem That Impactful Anymore.

Attorney Park tells Eunki most of what he knows about the old events, and she's angry he kept this from her. She angrily asks if there's anything else he needs to tell her.

Jaehee meets Maru in a park and we don't see the scene, but I presume she confesses that she contributed to Eunki's Dad's death. As Jaehee sobs, Maru holds her, and of course Eunki walks up in the only park in Seoul and sees them. Because we must have coincidences and lots of them.


Things I Loved:

1. Eunki's Sugar Cubes. In episode 17, it's a nice callback to the past when Eunki starts plunking sugar cubes into her coffee when she gets her memories back. We've seen her do this before when she was troubled.

 

Complaints:

Some of the fire is gone from the show, but that's mostly due to the places the plot needed to go. So, it's okay.

Watch Nice Guy on Dramafever.

Episode Evaluations:

Oh, these episodes weren't totally heartbreaking, but they were frustrating. Because Eunki's choices are keeping us from all the good moments, these eps were constantly scurrying away from satisfying scenes. Yet, the writing is still dead-on because the frustration is showing us something important about the characters' choices.

I like how revenge feels so empty for Eunki. Revenge is not the tasty morsel of rare meat that it is advertised to be--sometimes getting revenge means keeping yourself from the only good things you have in life. Even Maru learns that the fruits of revenge aren't grand. He thoroughly relished the chance to ruin Jaehee in the past, but now he's like a brother, shepherding her home when she's had a few too many. There is nothing left to be angry about.

So, Nice Guy. The anger is gone, so let's bring the love. You've got two episodes to give me my epic happy ending. Go, go, go!

K-Drama Review: Nice Guy, Episodes 15-16

 

Read episode reviews for:

Nice Guy--Episodes 1-2
Nice Guy--Episodes 3-4
Nice Guy--Episodes 5-6
Nice Guy--Episodes 7-8
Nice Guy--Episodes 9-10
Nice Guy--Episodes 11-12
Nice Guy--Episodes 13-14
Nice Guy--Episodes 15-16
Nice Guy--Episodes 17-18
Nice Guy--Episodes 19-20


Contains Spoilers for Episodes 15-16

Click "play" below to listen to me read the review! :-)



Under pressure from Maru, Jaehee holds a board meeting to propose that Eunki become the co-director of the Taesan Corporation as well as its spokesperson and public "face".

It Was A Huge, Crippling Concession.

After the meeting, Jaehee asks Maru if he's feeling good, now that he's got everything he wanted. Maru replies that he's certainly feeling very happy, but he is far from done. Jaehee is floored that he would use her brother Jaeshik against her, but Maru interrupts to remind her that there is absolutely nothing he won't do to get Eunki back to her rightful place.

Jaehee says this manipulation isn't like Maru; only she herself is capable of such atrocious behavior. Maru says he's not so different from Jaehee--did she think that only she could stoop so low in order to get what she wants? Anyone can be a villain, Maru says. The reason most people aren't villains is that they have dignity and self-restraint. Good point. Being a bad guy doesn't take a certain strength of character--what it takes is a complete lack of decency or love for oneself or for others.

But I Don't Want YOU To Be A Villain, Maru.

It brings up another key question--can Maru beat Jaehee without being Jaehee? Can you defeat badness without internalizing the same?

Jahee has one last question for him--if she gives up everything to Eunki, will Maru come back to her? She outright asks him to wager his own affections. Hoo boy. I am so worried about this question because Maru has zero self-worth. He's not going to refuse on the grounds of being too good for Jaehee, and he's not even out for revenge anymore, so he's not going to refuse because he's mad. In fact, being with Jaehee might be the ultimate way to punish himself and get Eunki restored to her position in the process.

But he says no. Whew. Cue the massive sighs of relief.

You Had Me Going For A Minute, There.

 Eunki knows something is up, but Maru won't tell her that he threatened Jaehee in order to get the directorship for Eunki. Maru tells Eunki she must get her memories back soon, and that it's only a matter of willpower for her. O rly?

In other news, Jaehee has bought Maru's ratty old house and often visits it, alone. That's less creepy than I thought it would be, and more sad. Instead of spending time with her son or spending time becoming a stronger businesswoman (or a decent human being!), Jaehee basks in the guilt and sentimentality of the past.

Maru shepherds Eunki around to the places where she might have memories of him, to nudge her into recalling everything. Eunki remembers nothing, no matter how strong the memories associated with a certain place should have been.

Those Memories Are Buried Deep and Far Away.

Then Eunki sees another happy couple walking and asks Maru why he doesn't kiss her--why he always seems distant, like he's about to leave. She asks if they've kissed before, and Maru smoothly lies and says they haven't.

Jaehee's scheming proceeds apace--somehow, Jaeehee has looked up Eunki's ex-boyfriend Junghoon, and he goes to see Eunki. This is a great move by the show's writers, because they're using an already established character to gum up the works instead of pulling somebody new out of nowhere.

What Fresh Havoc Shall You Wreak?

There's a tense pause as he walks into Eunki's office and she's speechless at the sight of him. We know she doesn't remember him, but how well can she fake the interaction? A flashback shows that Jaehee has already told him about Eunki's lost memories and offered him a really good business deal if he can separate Eunki and Maru.

Maru gets in trouble when he goes to confront a businessman for helping Jaehee frame Eunki for embezzling funds from the Taesan Corporation. The guy gets beaten up, on orders from Attorney Ahn, and Maru is framed for the assault.

Whole Lotta Framing Goin' On.

Maru goes to talk to Jaehee and demand that she clear Eunki of all embezzlement charges. Jaehee doesn't want to, and she hedges. Jaehee also lies to Attorney Ahn to protect Maru. Well, we always knew she'd throw Maru under a bus to save herself, but Attorney Ahn's place in Jaehee heart is even less--that of a well-trained minion, only that minion is thinking for himself now.

Maru is arrested and Eunki marches into Jaehee's office to make a deal. If Jaehee wants Taesan, she can have the whole business, just stop trying to frame Maru.

You Tell Her, Honey.

Jaehee nearly has a come-apart at this news. Why is Eunki giving up the corporation for some worthless guy, she demands? Jaehee herself always chose money/power over love, so she can't conceive of why Eunki would act otherwise. Eunki says that she and Jaehee just see the world differently, because Eunki would gladly trade something she barely cares about (business) for someone she loves (Maru).

Eunki meets with ex-boyfriend Junghoon and he lies about their past, saying he used to tell her he loved her all the time. This info prompts a memory flashback for Eunki of herself, telling Maru that he was the first man to ever say "I love you" to her. Excellent move from the writers, again, because it makes narrative sense and because it reminds the audience of a great scene in the show's past.

Junghoon clasps Eunki's hands and she regains her old fire to say, "Get your hands off me, you lying scumbag." Yay!

And some weird conversation is going down with Attorney Park and Maru. Maru says he doesn't want to leave Eunki's side after she regains her memories. Attorney Park reminds him that he signed a contract to this effect.

What Are You Up To Now, Maru?

 Jaehee arranges for Maru's name being cleared. Attorney Ahn blows a gasket and starts throwing things when he hears of it. Eunki meets Maru the second he is freed, and says "You are such a liar and con artist." Maru's face falls, thinking she's remembered everything about him. But no, she only remembers that they've kissed before, which he had lied about. She then gets embarrassed and walks off.

Luckily, Maru Knows When Walking Away Means "Please Follow Me."

Maru stops Eunki and tells her, "Eunki, remember this. This is important. Remember this as your first kiss." There's something desperate about the way he says it, but it's clear why--she's getting back memories of her first kiss with him, and he's upset that his feelings for her weren't real then. He wants her to remember the real thing.

Pictured Above: The Real Thing.

They walk home, hand in hand, and Eunki says, "You asked me to try to remember what kind of man you were--I remember now. You were the kind of man that I loved." Quite true. In the past, she learned the truth and didn't care that he was a bad dude, she just plain loved him. Maru swallows and blinks back tears. Eunki poses an important question to Maru once more, "Us having a future and a family together, will that be possible?"

In answer, Maru kisses her again. Eunki smiles and says they should get married.

You Never Cease To Amaze.

Though really, I'm not at all surprised that Eunki proposed. This is who she truly is--heart on her sleeve, nothing hidden, charging forward. "If we get married, then I'll become a part of your real family." Maru is about to shed tears once again when she says she wants to help him build a warm and reliable family. Gosh, it is hard watching a grown man struggle not to cry.

He replies, "Then. Let's get married."

YAAYYYY!

But oh man, this is too much straight up happiness for our show. Somebody we like is going to die soon to make up for the joyful moments, right? I just hope it's not Choco.

Eunki shows Maru a dress shop where she has clearly been admiring white dresses for awhile. Ah, and then they walk along the street, talking about wedding plans. Eunki wants to book a wedding hall, Maru says they need to plan a honeymoon, then they cutely discuss future kids. Maru wants a boy and a girl, while Eunki is holding out for 9 kids, a whole baseball team's worth.

In Jaehee-land, Jaehee has wandered to a seedy old bar that she and Maru used to frequent. She drinks alone, and when a pushy ahjusshi asks her to come to his table, she yells at him, then Attorney Ahn appears out of nowhere and punches the guy.

Getting Stalkier and More Controlling.

Maru tells Eunki that they'll have to get married after she gets her memories back--a good move on his part. Eunki says she won't have a change of heart after getting her memories back, and I think she's right. Maru replies that in the future, there may be a better man waiting for her. Aw, does he mean Attorney Park? But if Eunki does still want to marry him after her memories return, Maru swears he'll never let her go.

Jaegil finds out about Maru's cerebral hematoma and wonders why Maru has refused an operation. Maru says it's because the surgery is risky--he could end up dead or paralyzed. Also, Maru is enjoying life with Eunki so much, he doesn't want to take the chance of losing this incredible happiness just yet.

Happy, Even In His Sleep.

The next morning, Eunki, Choco and Jaegil prepare some kind of eel stew (starting with live, squiggly eels!) and as they joke around, Maru hears them from bed and smiles, thinking to himself, "I hear my friend my sister, and my love all laughing. I'm afraid this dream will disappear when I open my eyes."

Jaeshik goes to tell his sister Jaehee that Attorney Ahn wants Maru dead. Jaehee's not happy about this. She's even less happy about the news spreading that Eunki is soon to marry her fiance, Maru--so that even if Jaehee can declare Eunki mentally incompetent, Maru will still take over her role in the company.

Jaehee's Just Giving Everybody The Stinkeye, This Episode.

Jaehee meets with Maru and begs him to call off the wedding. Maru shakes her off and says, "I'm the one who needs Eunki. Without Eunki, I couldn't bear to go on one more day."

Eunki finally puts together the memories of her accident and recalls that it was Maru she crashed into a year ago. She also remembers the words he said about loving Jaehee, not her.

It's More Than a Little Shocking.

In a board meeting, Eunki announces that she has amnesia and is suffering from brain damage, destroying all the work that Maru and Attorney Park have done on her behalf for months. But Eunki isn't Eunki without impulsivity and brutal honesty. She says she'll step down from her position if the directors want her to.

Maru goes to see her in her office afterward and tells her she did a good job. He tells her that he just got his paycheck, so he'll get her anything she wants. Eunki requests flowers, a purse, samgyeopsal (삼겹살, pork belly-bacon), and a kiss. Maru dutifully collects all the things Eunki wants while Eunki goes to visit her father's urn, to apologize for getting involved with Maru.

When Eunki finally does show up to meet him, Maru happily shows her the little presents he got for her, then offers her the last present--her requested kiss. It seems like all is well, but Eunki opens her eyes during the kiss, looking cold and manipulative, just like Maru used to.

End episode. Nooooooooo!

Things I Loved:

1. The Eunki/Maru Kiss in episode 15. To finally get Maru's real feelings and see him expressing actual true love for Eunki? It's priceless.

 

 

Complaints:

None.

Watch Nice Guy on Dramafever.

Episode Evaluations:

Does this show have to end? Because it's seriously glorious in a way that few shows have ever matched for me. We've got layered villains, layered good guys, vulnerability everywhere and lots and lots of character growth. Plus, in these episodes we get kisses and marriage proposals! Win.

Nice Guy is just designed to rip viewers' hearts to shreds, but it feels like it's actually doing some good, too--we get to see people making a variety of choices, and we see how ugly it is when Jaehee consistently chooses selfish ambition, and how beautiful it is when Eunki and Maru choose sweetness and self-sacrifice.

Oh, but how that last episode hurt. Eeep, I'm worried about where Eunki is going, now. Will we have yet another character going on a revenge spree? Keep your fingers crossed.

K-Drama Review: Nice Guy, Episodes 13-14

 

Read episode reviews for:

Nice Guy--Episodes 1-2
Nice Guy--Episodes 3-4
Nice Guy--Episodes 5-6
Nice Guy--Episodes 7-8
Nice Guy--Episodes 9-10
Nice Guy--Episodes 11-12
Nice Guy--Episodes 13-14
Nice Guy--Episodes 15-16
Nice Guy--Episodes 17-18
Nice Guy--Episodes 19-20



Contains Spoilers for Episodes 13-14

Click "play" below to listen to me read the review! :-)



As our show opens, Eunki smiles while cooking.

Okaayyy.

The scene cuts to Maru, fresh out of the shower. He smiles and writes "haengbok" 행복, or happiness in the fog on the mirror. Ah sugar, I get the feeling you won't be riding that happiness high for too long. Sure enough, Eunki has a flashback to a time when her doctor told her to seek out her bad memories and confront them, so she can finally recover from that brain trauma.

Eunki remembers herself swerving in that tunnel a year ago...which mean she's getting her memories back. Eunki even flinches away from Maru when he comes into the kitchen of the house they share with Choco and Jaegil. So the question isn't "will we be getting angst this episode?" but "how much angst will there be?"

Angst Had Better Not Interfere With the KitchenCuddling.

Eunki admits that she's worried Maru will one day get tired of her, but he works hard to convince her otherwise: "No, I know how I feel. I won't get tired of you. I won't run away." These sweet words are cut off by a ring at the doorbell--it's some more lawyers, saying that Maru is being sued by the Taesan Corporation for false business practices.

Is it bad that my first reaction is "yay!"? Because while I love Maru, I think he is owed some karmic payback for all those people he scammed and cheated during his year apart from Eunki. It was his choice to become a thief and a crook, so it's only right that now he's being called out for the crookedness. Maru doesn't just need to play white knight for Eunki--he needs to actually become a hero, which is hard to do until you reform your morals.

The Pitiable Puppydog Face Will Only Get You So Far, Maru.

Maru agrees to go with the prosecutors, but not before he eats breakfast. He explains to them that Eunki worked hard since dawn to prepare the first meal she ever made for him, and he's not about to miss it. OMG, why so cute? Then he grins at the prosecutors outside because he knows they don't have a warrant for his arrest, and can't make him go anywhere. He goes to visit Jaehee, who says she'll bury him with framed evidence of his corporate betrayal unless he leaves now.

She closes her offer by saying, "If you were sent to prison again, what would happen to Eunki and Choco?"

She Did NOT Just Go There.

Threatening his kid sister and his precious Eunki? You have to be lower than a snake's belly to even come up with that.

Elsewhere, Attorney Park calls Attorney Ahn out for fabricating evidence against Maru. Attorney Ahn says Attorney Park should welcome the chance to get Maru out of the picture, so he can have Eunki all to himself. Attorney Park finally admits that he does love Eunki, and in that way, he and Attorney Ahn are rather similar--they're only fighting on different sides because they fell in love with different women in the same sorta-family.

It's a nice moment of recognition between the two men, and I also think it's pleasant how Park calls Ahn seonbae-nim (선배님), a polite, deferential form of address to someone who is your senior in school or at work.

Polite to A Fault, Is Attorney Park.

Maru goes down to the prosecutor's office on his own and demands that they investigate him! He explains that he was an industrial spy and a scam artist in the past, so he does have a criminal record, but now he wants to go straight. He says he lived so horribly because he hoped his bad actions would help him die faster. Maru concludes, "But I want to live now, because I have a reason to live." And the camera cuts to Eunki.

Eunki travels to her old house, to try to pick up some more memories. And then she runs across little Eunsuk and his nanny! Eunsuk is her half-brother, the 6-year-old son of Jaehee. Eunki used to be a beast to the poor child, but he always adored her. When this tiny tot says "Bogoshipeosoyo, noona!" (보고 싶어소요, 누나!, "I missed you, big sister"), it could melt hearts from 50 yards away.

If Cuteness Could Kill, We'd All Be Goners.

Eunki stays around the house to hang out with Eunsuk. Jaehee comes home to find them happily playing a video game together. Then Eunki stays for dinner.

At home, Maru is losing it because he couldn't find Eunki anywhere. Finally Jaegil says he knows where she's gone--to her old house.

Eunki really shouldn't have stayed for dinner, because Jaehee notices that Eunki eats shellfish, which she's allergic to. Maru shows up to retrieve Eunki, and while Jaehee's out of the room Eunki explains her wanderings to Maru by saying that she's got to go looking for her lost memories instead of sitting around passively, letting Maru do all the work. He's touched by her go-get-'em attitude...

But Still Worried About Her Safety.

As they leave, Eunki talks to Maru about how ridiculous she used to be--throwing fits and shouting when she was served food she didn't like, as the housemaid said. Maru's like, "Yeah, I told you that you were mean as heck before the accident." Eunki just hadn't believed it until now. I like this revelation; I want Eunki to keep her strength and tenacity while also moving on from the downright bratty behaviors of the past.

Eunki confesses that she's afraid of getting her memories back and being disappointed in the person she discovers herself to be. Maru says, "If that's the case, just stay as you are now."

Maru, That Benefits YOU a Lot More Than Her.

Eunki just laughs it off. She's going to get her memories back, regardless of what he says. She especially wants to remember all her good times with Maru, which has Maru looking stricken, since all their good times pre-accident were mostly lies, in contrast to their present.

While Maru's off being a boss at Taesan, both literally and figuratively, Eunki gets into more trouble by letting Jaehee into their house. When Jaehee says she knows Choco and Jaegil, Eunki's curiosity goes into cat-killing mode and she asks, slightly hurt, "You know Choco and Jaegil?"

Oh, Child. She's Got You, Now.

But Jaehee is less focused on finding the holes in Eunki's memory and more focused on getting Eunki away from Maru. Really? Jaehee's still feeling possessive of him? She asks Eunki, "Were there no other men in the world? Why did you have to choose Maru?" Eunki wonders why Jaehee is so against her being with Maru, and suddenly Eunki's getting a dozen flashbacks in a row, all memories of hearing that Maru had once loved Jaehee and was only using Eunki to get back at her.

Eunki collapses to the floor while holding her head, probably in considerable physical pain in additional to the emotional pain. Jaehee kneels over her, honestly worried about her safety, which is just when Maru walks in. Maru shoves Jaehee away from Eunki (woot!) and tells her to get lost (double-woot!). And then Maru bridal-carries the unconscious Eunki out of the room, and takes her to the hospital.

 

And as Maru dotes on Eunki in the hospital, Jaehee sits alone at the Taesan corporation, drinking glass after glass of wine. Attorney Ahn arrives to tell her that Eunki is suffering from brain damage and lost memories.

At the hospital, Maru wakes up to find Eunki gone. When he discovers her outside, sleeping on a park bench, she rebuffs him, pushing him away when he tries to bring her back inside. She asks, "Who ARE you?" Huh. Either she's gotten her memories back and she's asking about his intentions, or her memories were so painful, she double-suppressed them and now doesn't remember him at all.

Episode 14 shows us that it's the lattermost option--Eunki wanders around outside in a haze, while Maru follows a few paces behind, since she keeps shoving him away.

At Least She Allows Him to Pull Her Away From Oncoming Traffic.

Maru leads her home to the room she shares with Choco, but Eunki goes berserk when she sees a photo of herself with Maru. She throws the picture frame to the floor and yells that the picture is a lie, and everything in the room is a lie. Eunki may be losing more memories, but she senses that something's not kosher. She screams until she faints.

Not That I Mind The Snuggling, But Do We Have to Faint So Much?

Jaehee shows up at their house the next morning, and Choco stands watch outside like a cutesy bulldog, taking Jaehee to task for every bad thing she ever did to Maru. Right on. Jaehee says yes, she got everything she ever wanted...then as Maru steps outside, she adds, "But I'm not as happy as I thought I would be." Omo. No she didn't. Choco goes inside, telling Maru, "This is not the same Jaehee we knew, this is just a strange ahjumma. Don't talk to her for too long." ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Maru is so angry, he pushes Jaehee against a wall and tells her to get away. Jaehee answers that she is Eunki's mother and therefore has a right to see her. In what universe does kicking out Eunki's mom, marrying her Dad, then contributing to Dad's death make you her mother?

Not Pure Evil, But Inching Closer Every Day.

Jaehee beings to sweet-talk him, saying that he once loved her, and she had to lose that love to realize how precious it was. Baloney. She says she's determined to get that love back, but instead of further torturing Maru, she leaves.

Inside, Eunki is in super-amnesia mode, remembering nothing and throwing down every glass of milk that Maru brings to her. Maru quietly says, "Okay, let's see how far this can go. The cabinet is full of cups, there's plenty of milk in the fridge, and I have a day off of work." In other words, he's going to try to get her to take nourishment all day long, and break every piece of china in the house if that's what it takes.

He Is Nothing If Not Dedicated.

She cuts her hand on the broken glass of the fourth shattered cup, and as he disinfects her cuts, Maru says that he's glad she's showing anger because her situation is rough enough for her to pitch a hundred fits. He says that if she's repressing memories of him because they're so painful, she should stop hurting herself, and instead take her anger out on him. Then he says that he can't leave her until he sees her standing on her own feet--she has to make a complete recovery before he'll be able to disappear from her life.

 Ah, so he is planning to disappear. He leaves and comes back with the fifth milk, to find Eunki sobbing her heart out. Maru lets her cry it out, and he goes and vomits because his cerebral hematoma is acting up again.

Our Main Couple Is So Wounded, It's Not Even Funny.

Next morning, Eunki walks down to breakfast, smiling, and I'm left wondering which Eunki it is. Medium-amnesia Eunki or Mega-amnesia Eunki? They are two very distinct women. Eunki tells Maru that she dreamed about him--but in the dream he was a dishonest bad guy, and he hurt her. Maru instantly stops spreading jam on Eunki's breakfast toast.

Maru asks, "What will you do if you get all your memories back, and I turn out to be that bad person?"  Eunki says she'll never forgive him, to which Maru laughs and says he's relieved that she wouldn't forgive him.

You Are One Weird Dude, Maru.

 

Eunki meets with Attorney Park and asks him if he once told her that Maru had only approached her to get revenge on someone else. Attorney Park, resident good guy, lies to Eunki's face and says he never told her that. Huh. Why is Attorney Park so staunchly Team Maru right now? Because he thinks Maru's the only guy who can win the company back for them?

Eunki returns to work at the Taesan corporation and Jaehee "assigns" her a meeting with an important business contact she used to know very well, but whom she doesn't remember now. Maru wants to help her, but she's determined to handle the meeting herself. But Jaehee told Eunki she was meeting the wrong person! Just to confuse her. Oh, girl.

I Am Physically Cringing While Watching This Scene.

Eunki ruins the meeting, which thrills Jaehee because she'll have a better excuse to kick Eunki out. I hate this because I want so desperately for Eunki to be independent, but every time she tries, she fails spectacularly. Maru tells her she can't give up Taesan, though--he won't let her.

Maru drops Eunki off in front of the chairman's house, then drives away. Is he tossing her into a lake to see if she can swim? Eunki waits outside the chairman's house all day until nightfall. She comes right out and tells him she's suffering from amnesia and she lied to him by pretending to know him. Her honesty works because the Chairman wants to work with only Eunki on future business deals.

That One Backfired!

The episode ends with Jaehee appointing Eunki as co-director of the entire company, I guess in the hopes that greater responsibility will lead to greater future failures.

Things I Loved:

1. Eunki Being Domestic. It's just for a moment, but it's nice to see Eunki happily preparing a meal for her and Maru. Makes you wonder what could have been if Eunki had gotten cutthroat business training as well as a decent home life.

Corporate Shark+Heart Apron? Possibly.

2. Couple Moments. In episode 13, Maru can barely be around Eunki without touching her shoulder or reaching for her hand, or a dozen other small, non-intrusive gestures of affection.

 

Best. Thing. Ever.

 

 

Complaints:

None. I'm cool with everything.

Watch Nice Guy on Dramafever.

Episode Evaluations:

It's great to see Eunki working so hard to be independent. Even in her hurt state, she's cooking meals, going out on outings, and taking responsibility for her own medical condition. In short, even though she's been reduced to a child on some levels, our Eunki is still, miraculously, a grown woman who will not stand by and be babied.

Unfortunately, her stabs at independence have disastrous consequences in the form of Jaehee figuring out her amnesia secret.

The double-amnesia was kind of fascinating, like a way to force the moment to its crisis, to make a bad situation infinitely worse so it could get better. We're all still hanging on, and the show is going strong. Bring on the next eps!