What’s Up Fox? – Episode 14 Recap

Recap by EE

There is a tradition in Korea of offering those released from prison a block of tofu.  It is meant to provide nourishment: during the Japanese invasion, political prisoners often went on hunger strike and the meals provided were generally substandard.  Additionally, its pristine white quality represents purity and starting fresh.  The idea that you could leave whatever dirty deeds lead you to prison can be left behind, it is almost a pledge to do better from here on out.  Relationships aren’t as black and white as the law, but can your previous convictions cause a ripple effect in a new romance?

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Our couple is finally getting down to business in a hotel; there is a knock at the door.  It is the police.  They burst through the door claiming to have caught them in the act of adultery.

Ends up they are in the wrong room.  The husband (who was looking for his unfaithful spouse) reads Byung Hee the riot act.  He assumes she is married, and tells her to stop running around with kids and go home.  Chul Soo gets in a punch before the police break it up.They decide not to stay at the hotel, the mood clearly killed.  Chul Soo says not to take the husband’s words to heart and does a little dance to cheer her up.

They go back to his basement apartment and Byung Hee is worried about Seung-hye upstairs.  Chul Soo insists that his sister will be sound asleep until 9.  Byung Hee can sneak out before then.

Chul Soo gets a wash cloth and cleans her face and hands very gently. Byung Hee thinks about how long it has been since someone focused such sincere attention on her . . . it might even go all the way back to her father when she was a child.  She clearly feels very special and treasured.  They fall asleep (with no frisky behavior) in his bed.

Seung-hye does, of course, find them together the next morning.  She tells them to hurry up and get dressed, but they are both fully clothed under the covers.  Seung-hye is outraged that this is happening literally under her roof and ultimately slaps Byung Hee.  Byung Hee slinks away in shock and Chul Soo is torn between chasing after her and dealing with his sobbing sister.

As Byung Hee washes up, Mom asks Joon-hee to bring the lock down from the shelf.  Byung Hee gets dressed in her room and comes out to find a scenario just like what Mom did to Joon-hee, with the dining table pushed against her bedroom door.  Mom presents the coffee can to use as a restroom again, Joon-hee advises her sister to aim well LOL  Mom tells Byung Hee she will call her boss and tell them she will not be in for a few days and by the way, don’t even think about the window.  It already has a padlock.  Byung Hee realizes her bag (with her cell phone inside) was abandoned at Chul Soo’s house.  We see Seung-hye has confiscated her phone and removed the battery.

Chul Soo is trying to call her from the body shop but he assumes she is upset over the fight with Seung-Hye this morning.  Then Dr. Bae stops by for an oil change, which is SO AWKWARD.  He asks about Byung Hee and Chul Soo says Dr. Bae should be careful; he might contaminate his oil next time.  Dr. Bae says he knows Chul Soo well enough, he would NEVER do that.  Later, Dr. Bae drowns his sorrows with Young-gil and Bulldog.  Bulldog wants him to oust “that chestnut kid”; Young-gil thinks he should move on.

Unable to reach Byung Hee, Chul Soo resorts to calling Joon-hee’s phone.

Joon-hee tries to keep her answers simple to not give away who is calling, but then Mom hears his voice and grabs the phone away.  From inside her room/prison Byung Hee hears what is going on and leans out the door shouting “I am locked up, save me Chul Soo!”  Mom thinks she has lost her mind.  Why is she begging a child to rescue her?

Chul Soo scales the wall to get to Byung Hee’s window.  As “What is a Youth” from Romeo and Juliet swells in the background, Chul Soo tells Byung Hee that it will only be a few days.  They will be together for the rest of their lives. Chul Soo decides he would like to call Byung Hee “Baby” (in English), she says it is worse than cutie or sweetie.  Chul Soo says she won’t let him call her “Byung Hee-ya” (and who else just immediately goes to the Cinderella’s Sister “He called me Eun Jo-ya” scene? Mmm PIE is so good), she is going to have to accept being Baby. Sirens break through the sweet music; apparently Mom took a cue from a previous conversation with Oh Pil-kyo and called the police to roust the trespasser.

The police haul Chul Soo away and Byung Hee scales her way out of the mound of furniture piled at her bedroom.  She chases the police car down the street and they call for each other as they are being separated.

The following morning, Joon-hee offers to help Byung Hee with Chul Soo.  Byung Hee presumes her little sister wants reciprocity in the form of help with Bulldog.  Joon-hee insists this is not the case.  She just wants Byung Hee to talk to Bulldog and get to know him a little.

Byung Hee meets Chul Soo at the police station, tofu in hand.  She tells him not to be angry at her mother; he says to do the same for his sister.

In Bulldog’s apartment, Joon-hee is having a little chat with Bulldog’s wife (by having an open monologue with her framed portrait).  She finishes by telling the portrait it is time to move on and lunges at it with a box cutter just as Bulldog enters the room.  He stops her and she screams.  She is on some level jealous of his first wife, she will never leave and they will never break up.  She storms out of the house, and Bulldog takes the box cutter in his hand and begins to cut the portrait from the frame.

Joon-Hee is sitting outside the house and sees Bulldog come out with the rolled up portrait.  She follows him up to a clearing and watches from behind as he says his goodbyes and then lights the portrait on fire.

“How long will you be standing back there?” Bulldog shouts.  Joon-hee runs up and hugs him from behind, apologizing.  “I should be the one to do this right?” Bulldog tells her, petting her arm.  “You are getting so mature, telling me you are sorry.”

Dr. Bae stops by C’est Si Bon and wants to talk to Byung Hee.  She calls Chul Soo to tell him something came up, so she is meeting with “someone” after work.  He says he did not have anything planned, and notes it is a little weird but goes back to work on the bus (which he has now painted the interior pink).

Dr. Bae tells Byung Hee that he is sorry for not trying harder to win her over.  He thinks that maybe he should have said he loves her, but what he can tell her is he can promise a happy family to be a good father to happy children.  He asks her to reconsider their relationship.

Byung Hee says she is happy with Chul Soo.  Dr. Bae says he can wait it out; she can play with Chul Soo as long as she wants.  She lets him know that she might be with Chul Soo a long time . . . maybe even her whole life.  Personally, I think chit chat with any ex is awkward and the fact that she felt she needed to hide the ID of her drinking companion from Chul Soo means she knows she “shouldn’t” be meeting up with Dr. Bae.  I am glad she asserts that she is in a relationship with no intention of leaving.

Dr. Bae drives Byung Hee home and as they are saying their goodbyes in the parked car, there is a tap at the window.  It is Chul Soo (ohhhh BUSTED!)  He thanks Dr. Bae for bringing “my Baby” home and drags Byung Hee away by the wrist.

Chul Soo is (understandably) upset that she met with Dr. Bae and that she lied about it.  Byung Hee kind of blows it off, saying she has no feelings for him so why should it matter.  Chul Soo takes it one step further and says he forbids them to meet which raises Byung Hee’s hackles.  He has no right to tell her to she can or cannot see.  She starts to leave and Chul Soo reminds her they have plans tomorrow to meet his friends.  Byung Hee tells him to forget about it and storms out.

Chul Soo is out with his friends, who congratulate him on *finally* getting a girlfriend.  He is anxious that Byung Hee has yet to show and excuses himself to make a phone call.  He stands in the doorway and apparently makes several phone calls.  Each time he has to leave a message.  He starts by asking if she is lost, then if she is still mad.  Then he apologizes for being mean and its fine if she can’t make it.  But it would be really GREAT if she could make it . . .

He is about to give up when she bursts in the door.  She explains she was late because she couldn’t decide what to wear, and gestures to one of the many bangles she has on.  Chul Soo raises an eyebrow because she IS working a whole LOT of look but is so happy to see her anyway.  She introduces herself to his friends, and there is some awkwardness about the age gap but Kang-tae jumps in and says “Look at Chul Soo! He is able to snag someone 9 years older!” Liquor also helps put the young friends at ease.

Then there is the massive cuteness of our OTP at the norebang.

They return to Chul Soo’s apartment, both worn out from a night of fun.  Byung Hee pokes around at the things on his table and notices a letter . . . it is his enlistment papers.  Byung Hee is confused, isn’t he doing the 3 year plan where he works with machinery and studies and still comes home on the weekend? Chul Soo knows right away what happened, it was his sister.  She must have submitted him for full enlistment.  And now he is heading out for boot camp in two weeks . . . and we have two episodes left for our heroes to work this out.

EE Comments

I think that moment a relationship becomes “real” is when you meet the friends.  Byung Hee is so cute with her attempt to appear “hip”, probably wearing more of what was in style ten years ago than current fashion.  You can also tell Chul Soo is new to the “relationship” thing as well . . . He was totally in his rights to be upset about an illicit meeting with Dr. Bae but also went too far by “forbidding” anything.  These two are just on brink of being comfortable with each other and I think they might get Mom to accept their relationship somewhere down the line.  Seung-hye, however, has proven a much more formidable foe.  I think in addition to just being opposed to the age and (in her mind) almost incestuous nature of their relationship, Seung-hye is also mad that Byung Hee violated her trust.  Seung-hye is incredibly stubborn and it not likely to give up easily.  Someone who cares for each member of the OTP yet does not want them together is far more compelling than a rejected suitor “villain.”