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Thursday, April 24, 2014

K-drama Review: I Hear Your Voice



I Hear Your Voice aka I Can Hear Your Voice / 너의 목소리가 들려



Starring:

Lee Bo Young as Jang Hye Sung
Kim So Hyun as the young Hye Sung
Lee Jong Suk as Park Soo Ha
Goo Seung Hyun as the young Soo Ha
Yoon Sang Hyun as Cha Kwan Soo
Lee Da Hee as Seo Do Yeon
Jung Min Ah as the young Do Yeon
Jung Woong In as Min Joon Gook
Yoon Joo Sang as Shin Sang Duk
Choi Sung Joon as Choi Yoo Chang
Jung Dong Hwan as Seo Dae Suk
Kim Kwang Gyu as Kim Gong Sook
Kim Hae Sook as Eo Choon Shim
Kim Byung Ok as Hwang Dal Joong
Kim Ga Eun as Go Sung Bin
Park Doo Shik as Kim Choong Ki

Year: 2013
Episodes: 18
Network: SBS
Genre: Supernatural, Comedy, Mystery, Crime, Thriller


Synopsis:

In a story spanning eleven years, murderer Min Joon Gook (Jung Woong In) relentlessly tries to harm Jang Hye Sung (Lee Bo Young) for testifying against him in court over the murder of Park Soo Ha’s (Lee Jong Suk’s) father. In turn, Soo Ha vows to protect Hye Sung for the rest of his life as he grows from an adolescent to a man. After Joon Gook is released from jail, he realizes that Hye Sung had become a public defense lawyer continues his revenge on her with Soo Ha blocking Joon Gook at every step. Meanwhile Jang Hye Sung struggles with the true meaning of being a public defense lawyer.

Reasons to watch it:

All the comedic moments alone are enough reason to watch this show. I even learned new Korean vocabulary like “Byung Byung” for the fart sound and the old fashioned way of saying, hello, “Hi-ru.” Of all the characters, Attorney Cha Kwan Woo (Yoon Sang Hyun) has the widest range of comedic emotions. I also enjoy every scene with Head Attorney Shin Sang Duk (Yoon Joo Sang).

Cameos are featured in almost every episode. Certainly, my favorite cameo has to be with Uhm Ki Joon, who plays the new, overachieving lawyer who replaces Attorney Cha in the story line. There are a lot of cameos, but my other favorites are cameos from Jun Soo Kyung as a dental post-it promoter, So Yi Hyun as Min Joon Gook’s lawyer for his first court case, Lee Byung Joon as the owner of a newspaper company, Ahn Moon Sook as an orphanage representative, Kim Min Jong reprising his Lawyer Choi Yoon character, Kang Nam (a member of the singing group, M.I.B. Honestly, I thought he looked familiar, but I found out later it was him) as a thief, and Jung Man Shik as a job interviewer.

The overall cast is worth it. I think the entire cast did an excellent job portraying their roles. I am especially impressed with Lee Jong Suk’s acting range, showing emotions such as happiness, goofiness, anger, impulsiveness, helplessness, amnesia “blank” self, panicked self, and Hulky Jong Suk. He wasn’t really able to show all that in dramas, Secret Garden and School 2013. The entire cast was perfectly in character. I am, in a way, sad to see such an awesome collaboration end.

Reasons not to watch it:

If you’re looking for a romantic love story, this drama will not fit the conventional love story line. I watched how Hye Sung slowly fell in love with Kwan Woo, but all of a sudden, her love for him disappeared like the wind. It is not immediately apparent that she has feelings for Soo Ha, but their love has always been implied throughout the show. I always thought Hye Sung treated Soo Ha like a brother so I had a hard time believing in their love relationship. In the end, the man who has Hye Sung’s heart is not important at all even though I was very focused on the love aspect of the show.

While our main heroine is worth cheering for, our main character, Hye Sung, isn’t exactly loveable. Hye Sung has her moments when she’s smug, dismissive, conceited, and childish. I’m so used to the main protagonist having loveable qualities that this type of heroine character is new for me. Sometimes, I wonder if she is worth all the affection from Soo Ha and Kwan Woo. All these negative qualities make Hye Sung look like an everyday, realistic character that may be worth the appreciation. Most of the times, we see her struggle through life with few stellar accomplishments. Her disappointing qualities might turn viewers off.

I found a few flaws with the story line, especially with the early court cases with the Min Joon Gook case and the Go Sung Bin (Kim Ga Eun) case. Then, there’s an inconsistent age gap between Hye Sung and Soo Ha, which I don’t bother pursuing since it’s not that important anyway.

Favorite Couple and Chemistry Factor:

My favorite couple is definitely Hye Sung and Kwan Woo. I love to watch how love progresses. The mini-steps Hye Sung took to realize that she has feelings for Kwan Woo was exciting for me. I didn’t need to know how Kwan Woo fell in love with Hye Sung, but I enjoyed their courtship very much. Even though Hye Sung was picky about Kwan Woo’s appearance, I think she loved who he was, with or without glasses. I wish I knew how their date would have went if there were no interruptions along the way. I would have loved to receive Kwan Woo’s box of chocolates. Kwan Woo would have swept me off my feet.

Favorite Scenes:

When Soo Ha was in denial about loving Hye Sung after he saw her morning-after look. Fueled by his teacher’s words, Soo Ha was so furious, he pounded the table and proclaimed that he did not like “her,” forcing the whole class to look at him along with Choong Ki, who was startled from his nap.

Hye Sung and Kwan Woo’s date scene, or what was the start of it, was cute. I loved how Hye Sung directed Kwan Woo’s look and then contemplated about showing a little more “skin” just before they were about to meet. Kwan Woo was also sweet to buy some chocolate in an ice bag.

It’s a painful scene, but I loved how conflicted Seo Do Yeon (Lee Da Hee) was while prosecuting her father in the courtroom. I also enjoyed Do Yeon’s sweet scenes with her father as they reconciled.

Least Favorite Scenes:

As I mentioned in my Dramafever review, some events simply didn’t make sense to me like Min Joong Gook spending 17 seconds to drag a pipe and his 26-second warning speech afterwards, all while police sirens were going off, indicating the police would arrive soon.

When Hye Sung went to look for Soo Ha rather than Kwan Woo in the rain as Kwan Woo stared at her from afar. That scene marks the major shift in Hye Sung’s love interest.

Min Joon Gook’s final demise was very pathetic. In the beginning of the drama, Min Joon Gook wouldn’t blink an eye to kill someone, but towards the end, he kept playing too many psychological games, allowing Soo Ha, Kwan Woo, and the police to locate him.

The Lesson:  Justice is always open to interpretation.


Theme songs:

Two songs stand out for me in this drama.
Every Single Day (에브리 싱글 데이) - 에코 (Echo) – The opening theme song

Why did you come now ( I hear your voice OST ) - Jung Yup – The romantic theme song between Jang Hye Sung and Park Soo Ha


Watch it on Dramafever for free!


Wehaiyo’s Dramafever Recommendations:

If you liked this drama, then consider watching these Korean dramas:

Good Doctor: Like Park Soo Ha, Park Shi On (Joo Won) is an autistic doctor with a savant syndrome. Not only that, he also possesses the power to view internal body organs in “3-D.” With the odds against him, Shi On must  endure hospital politics, angry mothers, and disrespect from his peers in order to continue his path to become a pediatric surgeon. Meanwhile, senior resident doctor, Cha Yoon Seo (Moon Chae Won) struggles with loving Professor Kim Do Han (Joo Sang Wook) and Shi On.

The Master’s Sun: I haven’t seen this drama yet, though it does fall somewhere in the lines of having supernatural power. Similar to how Park Soo Ha got his supernatural power, Gong Hyo Jin plays a woman who can see ghosts after a car accident. Together with a stingy and greedy CEO played by So Ji Sub, they solve ghost mysteries together.

Who Are You: I also have not seen this drama yet. Actress So Yi Hyun also plays a woman who is able to see spirits after a six-year-long coma. Together with a skeptical detective played by Ok Taecyeon, they try to help spirits rest in peace at the lost-and-found center.

Credits:

Thursday, April 10, 2014

HALLYU ZOMBIE DRAMA REVIEW: Emergency Couple Episodes 20-21 (4/4)



Zombie: Can you believe it? The end of Emergency Couple has finally come… *sniff sniff* Yes, I’m holding back my tears… but honestly, it’s not because this drama has ended, it’s more “I don’t want to say goodbye to my lovely friends!”



Karen: Me too! I am really going to miss this drama because I’ve grown attached to a lot of the characters. What will I do now? There’s an empty void in my life.

Tanya: I’m in the world of both. The story was okay…. but talking with you guys was the best!

Zombie: So what did you think of this ending? Were you happy with the way things turned out or would you have liked to see things turn out differently?

Tanya: It was satisfactory. I mean, we got enough for it to be a conclusion without forever wondering what’s going to be happening in the immediate future, unlike a certain drama we shall not name.

Karen: ...which I shall not finish. Anyway, the Emergency Couple ending was more or less unexpected for me. I expected a happier ending than the one we saw, but I suppose a realistic ending is also okay.

Tanya: They would have either needed to go completely off the deep end into unrealistic or fast forward through a lot of time in the last five minutes to give us all happy endings. It was good enough.

Zombie: I thought it was fairly predictable but not unenjoyable. I actually liked where Chang Min and Jin Hee ended up by the end, they’re in the right place to heal old wounds and move on. I was pretty indifferent about everyone else… I guess I would have liked to see Drs. Gook and Shim progress a bit farther than they did but other than that, I’ve got no qualms with this show. I’m happy it ended better than it began!

Karen: I remember that I used to hate Chang Min from the beginning because he was such a jerk towards Jin Hee. Now, I feel genuinely happy that Chang Min and Jin Hee were able to continue their relationship. I just wish I could have seen their real wedding with all their relatives attending. I want to see another fight where they actually resolve their differences instead in their post-marriage life. As for the other characters, I wish Yong Kyu didn’t have to suddenly leave the country and I’m really confused about how Dr. Gook feels about Dr. Shim.


Zombie: I’m pretty sure Dr. Gook is beginning to realize just how important Dr. Shim is to him and I choose to interpret his request to her, at the airport, to come back, as his admitting that he still has feelings for her and he’d like the chance to start over.

Tanya: He’s speaking Drgookinese for “Woman, come back!” That’s pretty much all we’re going to get from his awkwardness, but it’s good enough. Dr. Shim recognized it.

Zombie: And that’s all that matters. You’re right about Yong Kyu though. He finally gets Ah Reum to fall for him and then he has to up and leave? What’s the deal with that? Why do drama writers always feel the need to separate characters in love for ridiculously long periods of time? I guess I should just be happy it’s not Jin Hee and Chang Min, right?



Karen: Exactly! That makes no sense. And what is so special about studying abroad or even working abroad? Well, music is everywhere and I don’t see why Yong Kyu has to go so far away. Even Kim Kwang Soo and Oh Jin Ae didn’t go anywhere (but maybe it is because they are financially poor.)

Zombie: Maybe Yong Kyu was suddenly recruited to join an idol band and he’s got to go away because they’re doing a world tour! lol

Karen: Most songwriters don’t need to go study abroad. If Yong Kyu is a songwriter, he can basically write songs and lyrics from anywhere. I’m just saying that Han Ah Reum might find another boyfriend in the meantime especially when she is so popular with the guys.

Zombie: If she did, I wouldn’t be too upset about it. There’s still a part of me that thinks Yong Kyu could do better. I mean it wasn’t that long ago we were all wishing she’d drop off the face of the planet. I maybe have softened my feelings towards her a bit but that doesn’t mean I’m super jazzed about her and Yong Kyu getting together. I’d be fine if they both went their separate ways in the future.

Tanya: I think he could do better, but at the same time maybe he sees something we don’t… like her connections? Lol.

Zombie: I’d like to think Yong Kyu is above that but I guess you never know… You know, I’d really like to know what happens to Jin Ae and her family. Does she ever get a solid gig? Do they ever move out of her mom’s house or do they stay there forever? If they stay, will Jin Hee move out? (and in with Chang Min maybe?) There are a lot of questions that never got answered.

Karen: We’ll never know. Jin Ae and Kwang Soo are such fickle people. One day they are homeless and jobless, the next day they are able to get jobs. I think Jin Hee needs to eventually move out of the house because she doesn’t even have her own bedroom anymore. Meanwhile, Chang Min has the most awesome apartments though.

Zombie: He does have a really great apartment! I wouldn’t mind living there if I were Jin Hee!

Tanya: I kind of think that the living apart without any commitments while they try to figure things out for sure is a good thing. They really don’t need to go through the pressure of marriage again right now with where they are in life career-wise. And props to the moms for finally being understanding that they are adults and they are going to do what they are going to do. Just let them deal with it and take care of your own.

Karen: It’s sad that it took a person’s death to make Sung Sook realize the reality of the situation. The divorce was also sad. I wish it didn’t have to get to that extreme, but otherwise, we might not have come this far that quickly.

Tanya:  It’s always sad when life has to dish out a reminder to someone that they’re an adult and should start acting like one. It shouldn't take something like that to make you into a decent human being.


Zombie: Word! Now, with this being the last of our chats, it’s time for us to come up with a rating for Emergency Couple so what are your thoughts? Out of five zombies, how many would you give this drama?

Tanya: I’m going with 3 zombies. It wasn’t a horrible show, but it wasn’t very cohesive at times. There were a lot of stories that went unfinished on the medical side. The storyline also jumped around a bit. Watchable, but could be better.

Karen: I concur because the storyline was a bit strange, there was little to no follow-up on patient story lines, and some of the plot simply didn’t make sense to me. Despite all these complaints, I still enjoyed watching the drama for what it is: a simple love story.

Zombie: I’m with both of you on this one, Emergency Couple started out a bit rough but it grew on me as the story progressed so I too have to give this drama three zombies.



 











And there you have it folks, the end of our Emergency Couple drama review. It’s been a ton of fun discussing this drama with all of you and I hope you come back for our next Hallyu Zombie Drama Review. In the meantime, you can leave all your thoughts on the finale of Emergency Couple in the comments below!




Be sure to check out our blogs for more Hallyu fun!
Miss something? You can catch up on all of our past discussions of Emergency Couple here:
Episodes 1-2: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 3-4: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 5-6: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 7: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 8-9: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 10-11: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 12-13: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 14-15: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 16-17: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 18-19: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 20-21: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

HALLYU ZOMBIE DRAMA REVIEW: Emergency Couple Episodes 20-21 (3/4)

Emergency Couple has officially ended. What will I watch now? The ending was nice, but the story still left me scratching my head. My name is Karen and it has been a pleasure for me to write Emergency Couple Hallyu Zombie reviews with my partners, Zombie Mamma and Tanya. Over the course of eleven weeks, we have experienced the ups and downs of our Emergency Couple couples so I would like to give my final thoughts on each couple.



Emergency Couple #1: Oh Chang Min (Choi Jin Hyuk) and Oh Jin Hee (Song Ji Hyo)

I almost got what I expected with this couple. What I didn't expect was the overabundance of kisses in the last two episodes and Jin Hee's striptease in front of Chang Min. I loved that this couple decided to date each other again, but take it slowly. Realistically, this is the right thing to do, but I was really hoping to see another wedding scene and to see actor Yoon Joo Sang cameo as the officiant once again.



I was a bit confused about Oh Chang Min's mother, Yoon Sung Sook's (Park Joon Geum) words to Jin Hee. It seems as though she is telling Jin Hee to live her own life and find another guy and if Jin Hee and Chang Min decide to marry one day, Sung Sook does not want to be in their lives. However, Jin Hee and everybody else interpreted those words to mean that Sang Sook will not interfere with Chang Min and Jin Hee's relationship and the two lovebirds can do whatever they want. Either way, I think Sung Sook will eventually accept the couple into her life.



Emergency Couple #2: Kim Kwang Soo (Park Doo Shik) and Oh Jin Ae (Jun Soo Jin)

All along, Kwang Soo and Jin Ae's relationship was going really well, but suddenly they had a fight and had to go to Chang Min and Jin Hee for relationship advice. That sounded really fishy to me because out of all the people Kwang Soo knew, he chose to open up his feelings to Chang Min. It seems as though Kwang Soo and Jin Ae purposely looked for ways to keep Chang Min and Jin Hee together throughout the drama. After their meeting, Kwang Soo and Jin Ae made up immediately and spoke of going to a hotel. Fishy. With such a cute baby in their hands, I can't imagine Kwang Soo and Jin Ae ever breaking up.



Emergency Couple #3: Im Yong Kyu (Yoon Jong Hoon) and Han Ah Reum (Clara)

This couple really makes me scratch my head. I guess Yong Kyu is pursuing a songwriting career since Ah Reum asked him to write her a song. Honestly, I'm still weary of Yong Kyu suddenly changing his career. His story doesn't change the overall story line that much and I wonder if it's necessary for him to have a career change of heart. Yong Kyu and Ah Reum's relationship might have started since their musical kiss in the park, but Yong Kyu is going to study abroad just like every other drama character. Ah Reum seems to be okay with it, but I can't guarantee if this couple will last with a long distance relationship.



Emergency Couple #4: Park Sang Hyuk (Im Hyun Sung) and Lee Young Ae (Chun Min Hee)

I really expected happy endings with every couple, but I guess not everybody gets an absolute happy ending. As Zombie Mamma mentioned in her post, we watched Sang Hyuk and Young Ae go from a super lovey-dovey couple to a couple that is on the brink of divorce. I really hope that this couple does not break up over a small misunderstanding as Chang Min and Jin Hee did, but it is realistic that Sang Hyuk and Young Ae do not get an absolute happy ending. They are trying to make things work again and I hope they succeed.



Emergency Couple #5: Gook Chun Soo (Lee Pil Mo) and Shim Ji Hye (Choi Yeo Jin)

I saved this couple for last because they are the most complicated couple. All along, Dr. Gook had been giving me mixed signals as to who he really likes: Jin Hee or Dr. Shim. It's a mystery to me how Dr. Gook can confess his feelings to Jin Hee, but like Dr. Shim at the same time. Dr. Gook is lucky that Dr. Shim has not been taken away by another man throughout the drama. By the end of the drama, it seems as though Dr. Gook is mildly asking Dr. Shim to come back. We can only assume that this couple will start a relationship after the drama ends. I still think it's dangerous because Dr. Shim can always meet another guy in the United States, but hopefully, not another jerk.



It's nice to see that Dr. Gook received a postcard back from his biological father. Dr. Gook doesn't seem to have any intentions to meet his father or work in Africa though. I suppose everything is a new beginning.



Even Dr. Ahn was mildly embarrassed at the hospital when he refused to perform dangerous surgery on a patient whose family was not available in time to sign the consent form so he ended up backing off on ruining Dr. Gook and Dr. Shim's career. There are no evil people in this drama and only dying patients.



Dr. Shim claims that she worked at the Wusu hospital for a year,  but in the drama, she came back to the hospital after the new interns started working at the ER. That would mean that the interns worked at the ER for more than the two months that they were assigned at the beginning of the drama. Or is it possible that the interns had already visited the other departments and ended up back in the ER department after all this time? I was trying to be logical about how an intern spends his or her time at the hospital. I guess all the interns made rounds in other departments already because how else are Chang Min and Jin Hee able to pick their specialty without experiencing the other departments?



Lastly, Dr. Gook's nickname of being the "Devil" was only mentioned near the beginning of the drama and once again at the end of the drama. Honestly, the only time I thought he was harsh was when he tried to fire Jin Hee on her first day on the job. Otherwise, this goofy-looking man is very sweet and thoughtful to others. He would protect his team until the very end. I can only say that the awesome Dr. Gook is misunderstood.

It is with a heavy heart that I say farewell to this drama and its characters. Despite all the critical comments I made about this drama, the drama is still interesting enough for me to come back and watch the next episode. Emergency Couple has an addicting factor that many viewers will enjoy. For those who have not seen this romantic drama yet, now is a good time to start watching Emergency Couple. Coming up next: Please come back soon to read our last collaborative chat with Zombie Mamma, Tanya, and me.



Be sure to check out our blogs for more Hallyu fun!
Miss something? You can catch up on all of our past discussions of Emergency Couple here:
Episodes 1-2: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 3-4: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 5-6: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 7: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 8-9: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 10-11: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 12-13: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 14-15: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 16-17: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 18-19: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 20-21: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

HALLYU ZOMBIE DRAMA REVIEW: Emergency Couple Episodes 20-21 (2/4)


Well, as they say "all good things must come to and end." That's now the case for Emergency Couple as its last two episodes aired, but I am left feeling content overall. The struggle of these characters over the past 11 weeks didn't necessarily make sense at first, but once you look past the minor details you can definitely enjoy the storyline. Let's jump into the last two episodes.

Monday, April 7, 2014

HALLYU ZOMBIE DRAMA REVIEW: Emergency Couple Episodes 20-21 (1/4)

four friendsThough it's hard to believe, this week brings with it the final episodes of Emergency Couple and while this drama and I got off on the wrong foot, I'll be the first to admit that this drama has steadily grown on me, so much so that I'm actually a little sad to be saying my final farewells.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

HALLYU ZOMBIE DRAMA REVIEW: Emergency Couple Episodes 18-19 (4/4)

Tanya: I think that we have come to the conclusion that this week’s episodes have been the best of the series so far. And about time because we only have one week left!

Karen: As I mentioned in my review, this week’s episodes had the perfect mix of emergency room drama and love drama. It also didn’t hurt that there weren’t too many negative things going on as well. I’m just waiting for that happy ending next week.

Tanya: I really do hope that they all have happy endings… or at least satisfactory endings because not every ending can be happy. We don’t want anyone left in limbo like dramas love to do. So let’s talk about the risque moments this week. There were quite a few actually from the stethoscope scene and the ER patient with his pants down to Jin Hee wearing Chang Min’s shirt and them ending up naked in bed.

Karen: Wow, is this drama trying to push the envelope? Kids, beware. I definitely raised my eyebrows at the stethoscope scene and I’m surprised that was allowed to air. I forgot about actor Kim Kang Hyun who seems to be playing an extension of his character in Unemployed Romance where he plays a sex-obsessed man. Too bad we didn’t get to see the aftermath of his cameo scene in Emergency Couple. While I am not surprised that Jin Hee is wearing Chang Min’s shirt, I am surprised that they end up in bed together. Yikes!

Tanya: What happened to being the knight in Chang Min armor and sleeping on the couch?! I don’t care how much you’ve been drinking. Or put her on the couch before you go to bed. Something. It’ll be interesting to see where that goes at the start of next week. I still don’t understand how they ended up without clothing. They both had it when they passed out…. so what happen?

Karen: I thought that was how the night would go because Chang Min looked so responsible at the time and he didn’t seem to drink that much alcohol before. I think Jin Hee must have tempted him somehow even though she was almost knocked out in bed.

Tanya: Maybe it was all their talk about babies…. drunk and sober. That would be interesting. Don’t you like how they just gave up on justifying why she was in his shirt to Yong Kyu and Kwang Soo? It was hilarious... Especially Yong Kyu’s creeper stare at Jin Hee.

Karen: Yong Kyu was a bit creepy, but maybe he had brotherly instincts. Anyway, it’s not like he didn’t know what was going on. Kwang Soo wasn’t bothered by it at all.

Tanya: He’s not bothered by anything though! After the momentary shock, we got this whatever look and he drank his beer. It was perfect. I want to say I’m proud that Yong Kyu decided to stop being a wimp and made up his mind finally.

Karen: I really don’t buy Yong Kyu’s career change. All I have seen so far are scenes of him putting on headphones and listening to music. He doesn’t play an instrument and he doesn’t seem to sing. He probably means that he wants to get into the management aspect of the business.

Tanya: That we’ve seen anyway. He could be interesting in songwriting or producing. There’s really no way for us to know, but the fact that he has actually made a decision is a step in the right direction. What do you think is going to happen between him and Ah Reum?

Karen: I might be a bit hard for them to meet up regularly, but as long as Ah Reum still enjoys going to clubs on her spare time, I don’t think it would be too hard. Of course, that would give them less time to do normal things like eating out and watching a movie.

Tanya: One of the biggest changes we’ve seen this week was in Chang Min’s mother, Sung Sook. I wasn’t originally buying her change of personality after her husband passing away, but the scene where she wishes Chang Min happiness solidified to me that she really is changing her outlook.

Karen: I’m glad to see Sung Sook mature into an understanding mom now. The fact that she said that she knew everything wouldn’t go her way anyway tells me that she was going to eventually cave in to Chang Min’s wishes. I’m sad for her loss, but I hope she moves on soon and adds Jin Hee back into the family.

Tanya: That’s very, very true. Jin Hee’s mother has also mellowed out a bit but I don’t think it’s nearly as much as Sung Sook. Hopefully she hops on-board this family train and doesn’t cause too many problems. Dr. Shim, man…. That’s all I got. It was difficult? Interesting? I don’t know.

Karen: I really wished that Dr. Shim lashed out at Dr. Gook in real life. How interesting would that be? She has never gotten mad at him as far as we could see and I think Dr. Gook needs a huge wake-up call. Drinking his sorrows away instead of chasing the girl of his dreams is cowardly especially after Chang Min gave Dr. Gook that chance.

Tanya: He did! And I didn’t understand why he didn’t accept the fact that Chang Min was willing to step back. I know that he recognized Jin Hee still has feelings, or at least concern, for Chang Min, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have a chance. He blew it.

Karen: Dr. Gook and Jin Hee seemed boring together. I expected more from them when Jin Hee visited Dr. Gook’s pension house, but I found their conversation a bit dry. On the other hand, Dr. Shim and Dr. Gook’s conversations are always engaging to me.

Tanya: They are definitely a better fit but they have to actually realize that and act upon it. I really hope Dr. Shim leaves and Dr. Gook runs after her.

Karen: The way I see it, Dr. Shim is preparing to go back to the United States and Dr. Gook will be left hanging dry. I just can’t see Dr. Gook getting in Dr. Shim’s way.

Tanya: We’ll have to see… but the guy made progress this week with the postcard to his father, so there is always hope? I’m trying to be optimistic here.

Karen: I think Dr. Gook will go to Africa instead to reconcile with his father first. After a nice long vacation (or will he be volunteering there?), Dr. Gook will then fly to the United States to meet Dr. Shim and her cute daughter.

Tanya: That would be good! The last thing that I want to touch on is the proud moment I had when Young Ae stood up for herself. She’s absolutely right with her statement that she shouldn’t have to put babies first just because she’s a woman. There was a lot of anger feelings towards Sang Hyuk at that point. Just because a woman can be a mom doesn’t mean she has to give up herself for it! His wife wants to have a career. Let her build it, then add babies.

Karen: What I don’t understand is that this couple is still so young. They have plenty of time to think about babies. All of a sudden, Sang Hyuk is obsessed about babies, but he knows that it is very hard to become a doctor so it isn’t reasonable for him to ask Young Ae to skip her internship to have a child for him especially when she is not ready to have a child at this point.

Tanya: And thinking about it practically, he’s still an intern himself. He has a crazy schedule, he doesn’t get much sleep already, AND he wants to add a baby to that madness. If he thinks Young Ae will just takes care of everything on her own while he’s going off to work everyday, he’s wrong. Very wrong. Babies don’t discriminate when it comes to crying and waking you up in the middle of the night.

Karen: Sang Hyuk needs to calm down and think about this issue from a long-term perspective. I think they should both finish their internship and then decide what to do. I hope this couple makes up soon so we can have that good ol’ happy ending with them as well.


What can we expect from the finale of Emergency Couple? Will Chang Min and Jin Hee officially get back together and perhaps have another official marriage? Will Dr. Gook remain forever alone? Let us know what you think and let’s hope for a lot of happy endings!


Be sure to check out our blogs for more Hallyu fun!
Miss something? You can catch up on all of our past discussions of Emergency Couple here:
Episodes 1-2: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 3-4: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 5-6: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 7: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 8-9: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 10-11: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 12-13: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 14-15: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 16-17: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
Episodes 18-19: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]

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