Recap: That Winter the Wind Blows

         I have a confession to make. Please keep it to yourselves. I don’t watch melodramas. Go ahead; go look at my watched list. All of them, with the exception of Sirius, are rom-coms or coming-of-age stories. It isn't that I purposefully don’t watch them. In fact, I have several on my plan to watch list. It’s just that when I have to choose between a depressive drama and a light, airy chick-flick, the chick-flick wins every time.  Hands down no competition.  So why oh why, Grimm, did you decide to recap That Winter the Wind Blows? I dunno. Call it ego. *Deep breath* Here goes nothing. Don’t worry, you can send me hate mail if you want.
         Episode 1 opens with a shot of a barren winter landscape with one sole tree dotting the scenery. Bleak, that’s the word that floats through my mind as the camera pans out to see a woman leaving a small child nestled in old clothing underneath the tree.  The dead tree limbs are the child’s only companions.

          From the bleakness of winter we move into what looks like a penthouse apartment where our main male lead, Nam Oh Soo, is in bed talking about how he lives life half-heartedly with no real reason to live, a life with no meaning.  As his companion questions him about his family, he is caressing a pair of dice and repeats the word "family" as though it was a foreign concept to him.  We quickly flash back to the crying baby and realize that the abandoned child in the snow is him.
         After meeting our male lead, the scene changes to that of an estate covered in snow. We see our female lead Oh Young, played by Song Hye Kyo, running on a treadmill as a news report plays about her sick father, the PL Group CEO. It seems PL's CEO suffered an aneurysm, and the company is currently being led by Lee Myung Ho, Oh Young’s fiance.  Myung Ho is just stating how he can no longer continue as the substitute CEO, and hints that the marriage should take place sooner. 
         However, when Oh Young walks into the room, she suggests to Lawyer Jang that there should be no big event while a family member is ill.  You can tell she has no intention of marrying Myung Ho, just as you can tell he wants to marry her in order to become CEO, as opposed to "substitute CEO."

         We see Oh Soo, played by Zo In Sung, sitting at a card table playing poker. Here he looks suave, going all in on a hand--clearly--because plans on winning. And he does, but of course, he is accused of cheating; thus, he and his best friend, Park Jin-sung (Kim Bum) have to make a run for it. Both of these young men seem to be having a grand time running and fighting to keep their winnings.
          It is a well timed dance that these two men do, giving the impression that it wasn't the first, nor would it be the last time that they find themselves in a position where the only option is to fight. The voice-over informs us that “everybody wants a reason to live.” Whether that reason is love or passion doesn't matter, because, in the end, nothing lasts forever. Nonetheless, our hero too has decided he would look for a reason to live in this “dirty and lousy life.”  And, oooh foreshadowing! In the continued voice over, Oh Soo wonders if something will change in his life, since he has only had himself to depend on his entire life. 
         With these words, we are back at the penthouse, where Uh Soo is with his companion Jin So Ra (Seo Hyo Rim) from earlier. At this point, she is convinced that Oh Soo will get rid of her soon. (What a shocker..) He doesn't deny it, saying instead that if she believes it, then it would come true. More voice-over action with Oh Soo wondering if life would be more interesting if he would trust in what just might be a lie.
         We meet up once again with Oh Soo, Park Jin Sung, and their friend, Oh Soo--yes the same name, but he goes by Chik Il Soo. Anyways, Chik Il Soo is being made fun of by Jin Sung for saying that he is the eldest son of PL Group's CEO. Jing Sung doesn't believe him, because there is no way an heir would live as lowly as Chik Il does, so Jin Sung asks why he hasn't contacted his father for money.  Apparently Chik Il promised his dying mother that he wouldn't go to his father for money, and that he would become a respected Italian chef instead.

         Chik Il has a hand written letter for his sister (supposedly Oh Young). When Jin Sung notices it, he snatches it out from Chik Il's pocket, immediately reacting to how the envelope reads, "Oh Soo (Chikil Soo)."
Jin Sung just doesn't like Chik Il sharing the same name as Oh Soo and that he is using Oh Soo's address as well. However, Oh Soo doesn't seem to care as he grabs the letter and reads, "Chik Il Soo?" Chik Il then explains that he got that name because his mother wanted him to be a protector (the Chinese character "Chikil" = "to protect"). Curious about the meaning of Oh Soo's name, Chik Il asks what character he uses for his name. Oh Soo admits that there is no deep meaning to his name--it's just "tree. "Nam Oh" = "tree," so he takes the "Oh" and relates it to his name, since he was abandoned under a tree and the orphanage where he grew up was surrounded by trees. These three are an interesting group--two hustlers and the seemingly innocent one trying to better himself. Hmmm..one just doesn't belong, no?

         I love closets. In this one, we have Oh Soo getting dressed, and his first love's younger sister, Moon Hee Sun(Jung Eun Ji), asking whether or not he’s in love with So Ra to which he replies, "I only love you." Brotherly love it seems. When they walk out to the dining room, Oh Soo joins Jin Sung and Chik Il at the table, as Hee Sun stops and notices Oh Soo's unfinished painting of a tree. Hee Sun finds it ironic that Oh Soo is a painter, but doesn't paint because he spends his time with "desperate girls" instead, and scolds him for it. When she asks where his wallet is (it's pretty much routine for Oh Soo to give money to Hee Sun), without even having to think about it, he tells her it's at his bedside. She goes through his wallet takes out some bills, but notices something else as well...

         With a pair of skimpy panties dangling on her finger, she goes to stand next to the dining table, where the three friends are having breakfast. Jin Sung is the first to notice, suddenly stopping mid-sentence at the sight of what Hee Sun is holding. Walking towards Oh Soo, she  drops the panties in his soup. Since that didn't phase him, she ended up dumping the soup over his head. He is more exasperated than angry at her childish actions, and once he gets up to dry his hair, Chik Il asks if it were true that Oh Soo killed Hee Sun’s sister, Hee Joo.
        According to Jin Sung, "They were dating and when he ended it, she got mad, got on that motorcycle, and SCHRREEEEECH!" Apparently, Hee Joo died in a motorcycle accident. This explains why Oh Soo puts up with Hee Sun--guilt over the death of her sister. [I can honestly say I let out a squeal of delight when Jung Eun Ji came on screen. I have a tiny little crush on her since watching Reply 1997 and am happy to see her once again.]

        Back at Oh Young’s estate we see Secretary Wang walking outside with the gardener, and then her concern shifts as she sees the mailman riding toward the house. She immediately sprints toward the front of the house trying to intercept the mailman before he reaches the house, but Oh Young opens the door to receive the mail before she can reach him. The mailman is friendly handing her the mail and mentioning that she has another handwritten letter from her brother. Oh Young seems surprised as though this is the first time she’s heard of it. The mailman goes on about how her brother has written her repeatedly in the last couple of months, and that surely, Secretary Wang has informed Oh Young of this. Ah, so that’s why she’s trying to break Usain Bolt’s record getting to the front door.  Secretary Wang walks into the house and after a quick glance into the sickroom she heads upstairs.  We then see inside the sick room where Oh Young’s father seems to be worsening, his vitals dropping.
          Secretary Wang goes into Oh Young’s room, where the young woman is putting on lipstick, using her finger as a guide, and asks her if she is going somewhere. Oh Young coolly tells her that she is going to the center, and asks where a blind person like her would go otherwise.  Secretary Wang offers to call for a car, and is rebuffed by Oh Young, who states that she already called a taxi, to which the older woman verbalizes false concern. Oh Young waves this off stating she needs to learn to be independent, since she will be alone once her father passes away. Secretary Wang wonders if she’ll ever be a trustworthy person to Oh Young, while Oh Young wonders how Secretary Wang could possibly be trustworthy, since it’s her fault that her parents divorced, which is why she had to live without her mother and older brother for many years. Oh Young asks if Secretary Wang had heard anything regarding her brother after their mother passed fourteen years ago, but she denies knowing anything, and says Oh Young’s father didn’t want them trying to locate his son. Oh Young then states that she blames her father for leaving her alone, and for never trying to find her older brother.
        Oh Young stands up to leave, but first asks why Secretary Wang came to see her. Secretary Wang asks if Oh Young received the mail, which she denies. She does not realize that the letters are peaking out of her purse in clear sight. As Oh Young rides away in a taxi, Secretary Wang calls the post office to ask whether a handwritten letter had been delivered. She gets affirmation to her suspicion that the letter had been delivered. In the meantime, Oh Young hands the stacks of letters to the taxi driver, instructing him to look for the handwritten one, and  taking her to the address on the letter, to which he agrees.
       Back inside the house, the alarm from the sickroom goes off. Secretary Wang rushes down the stairs towards the room, only to stop in front of it. Secretary Wang lets the alarm ring, and tells that nothing is wrong, when someone called the house to check up because of it. I don’t think I like her, since she is going to let the old man die. I wonder what she gets out of it. Is she in the will?

           Back at the penthouse apartment, So Ra is packing a bag and placing an envelope in the safe, while Oh Soo sleeps peacefully in bed. That doesn’t look too good. I think she could be trouble: just look at her crazy eyes. She smiles a bit sadly at the sleeping Oh Soo, clenches her fist, and tries not to touch him while grabbing one of his pictures before leaving.
         Oh Young arrives at the address on the letter, and gets instructions from the taxi driver on how to get to the front door. We get to see what she sees for the first time: not total darkness, but hazy shapes surrounded by darkness. How did she become blind? Was she in an accident? Is it reversible? All of these questions need to be answered like right now--no seriously now. She makes her way into the apartment building, and passes So Ra, who is coming down the stairs.
          Oh Soo groggily makes his way to the door to see who has disturbed him.  Asking who has disturbed him, she answers “Young Hee”.  Oh Young asks if this is her Oh Soo oppa’s house, when Oh Soo confirms that he is in fact Oh Soo, she tells him that she received his letter.  Oh Soo realizes that she’s there for the other Oh Soo, and tells her that he is not in and should be back at three.  He turns to head back to bed clearly still needing a few more zzz’s.  She persistently rings the doorbell again, so he turns around saying once again that her brother wasn’t there, and she should return later. She doesn’t quite believe him, stating that he had just confirmed his name was Oh Soo. He explains that he and her brother share the same name, and tells her that he is extremely tired. He asks if she could refrain from ringing the doorbell again, turns off the bell, and heads back into his bedroom.
          Oh Soo finally leaves his room and heads for the lobby, only to meet Oh Young on the stairs. When the bellboy tells him she has been waiting the entire time, he relents, telling her they should go somewhere else, since the lobby is full of people. He then asks if he should hold her hand to help lead her somewhere else, but she refuses saying that she can use his footsteps as a guide. His awkward concern for her is cute and seems to be innate. They make their way down the staircase, while Oh Soo is carefully watching out for Oh Young.
        They move outside, where Oh Soo begins to read the letter to Oh Young. As he reads the letter, he realizes that her brother has no idea she can’t see. Oh Young explains that she still had good eyesight, when the siblings were separated at the age of six. Ah, so it’s not a birth defect. An accident, maybe, and if an accident, caused by whom?
         As he continues to read the letter, Oh Soo chuckles to himself over the exaggerations Chik Il writes, wanting to make himself seem more successful in front of his sister. Chik Il describes Oh Young as talkative, to which Oh Soo makes the comment that she doesn’t seem all too talkative to him. She asks him if he is going to finish reading the letter, but while he reads the letter, she tears up listening to her brother’s concern for her. Oh Soo gently places a handkerchief in her hand, and continues to read. He stops  when he comes to a part describing himself.
        As he explains to her that her brother tends to exaggerate, and that he will skip all the juicy details about himself to protect his privacy, he notices a police car pulling up to the apartment building, just as he gets a phone call from Jin Sung. The phone call warns him that the police are out to get them after So Ra framed Oh Soo for stealing from President Kim’s club.
          Oh Soo hides behind a pillar a second too late, and drags Oh Young behind with him telling her that she just needs to stay there for a second. He is trying to decide the best course of action, and before he makes a run for it he tells her that the last line of her brother’s letter is that he loves her. He makes a run for it, with the police right behind him, when the other Oh Soo sees the chase, and begins to follow him asking what’s wrong. As the chase continues, we see Oh Young receiving a phone call from Lawyer Jung giving her the news that her father is in critical condition, just as a car hits her brother Chik Il Soo.
       The accident makes Oh Soo stop, too concerned to continue his escape. As the police grab him, he struggles in order to go to his friend, but to no avail. As this is happening, Oh Young is standing at the curbside calling for a taxi, while her brother is dying a few feet away from her, but she has no way of knowing this fact. This scene is so very sad for a number of reasons: you have her not knowing that the brother she was looking for is dying right in front of her, and Oh Soo trying to get to his friend.
       We are then taken to the prison where Oh Soo garbed in a prison uniform is making his way to the visiting room.  His visitor happens to be So Ra and her attorney. Well, she’s got a pair on her, after framing Oh Soo, she goes to visit him. He asks what she’s doing there after she did such a good job of framing him. He seems to think that the charges were for embezzling 5 million won and he would walk out of jail rather soon. She bursts his little bubble saying that in reality the money stolen were 70 million won. On top of that he is charged for illegal gambling and that he should rot in prison for a year while she’s away filming in the states. Hahaha, talk about an insecure bitch.  She framed him so that he doesn’t screw around behind her back while she’s not there.
         So Ra then goes on to tell him that the money is waiting for him in Switzerland. She tells him that after he serves a year in prison, he should go to Switzerland and wait for her and they’ll live happily ever after, since President Kim is a bad man and would go after Oh Soo if he were to stay in Seoul. The fact that she thinks anybody in their right mind would go along with such a plan is mind boggling. Luckily, Oh Soo quickly crushes her dreams by telling her that he would much rather take his chances with President Kim than continue with her.

         We are next transported outside in the pouring rain where a funeral procession is pulling up to the cemetery, and people are coming out of their cars including Secretary Wang and Myung Ho. Myung Ho stands outside the lead car where we see Oh Young crying clutching a picture of her father. From a crying Oh Young we are taken to the inside of Oh Soo’s prison cell, he is sitting on the floor knees drawn up looking up to the sun coming through the lone window.

         It is winter again, snow is covering the road while Jin Sung and a newly freed Oh Soo are driving through a curved road toward where Chik Il Soo’s ashes were scattered. Oh Soo is eating some kind of pastry as Jin Sung complains that President Kim took all of Oh Soo’s assets including money and car. Jin Sung goes on to state that he was so pissed, he went to Kim’s club to cause a scene only to have his shoulder dislocated; the next day he went back with a cast and had his leg broken. After the leg healed he went back with the intent of burning down the club only to be offered money and a job. Jin Sung, being ever loyal, spit at Kim only to have 2 teeth knocked out. I love Kim Bum in this role, ahh what a cutie being all loyal and stuff.
       They stop in what seems to be the middle of nowhere and Oh Soo asks if this is where Chik Il Soo’s ashes were scattered. Jin Sung states that he followed Chik Il’s last wishes and stating that even at the end he kept the lie that he was the son of PL group and if they ever needed anything they should go to his father for help.

         Oh Soo throws a small bouquet of flowers toward the empty snow as Jin Sung states that they need to go to Soo’s rooftop room since they are now penniless with no place to go. Oh Soo tells Jin Sung that he wants him to quit the business reminding him of his dreams to build his father a dairy farm. Huh? dairy farm? Jin Sung says that there is no way he would leave Oh Soo and that Oh Soo should be the one to leave if he really wants to, but neither of them can let go of their friendship. Jin Sung seems to think that now that Oh Soo is back, everything will go back to the way it used to be, but he soon finds out otherwise.

      It is night and the two young men are outside a gambling establishment not being allowed to enter, as Oh Soo's longtime friend Man Du (pictured above) apologizes, saying that it's because of President Kim. It seems all of Oh Soo’s former “friends” have turned their back on him in fear of President Kim. We see a flashback of So Ra going after Oh Soo as President Kim looks on. Oh Soo took Kim’s girlfriend and now with the added embezzlement, he is really unwanted in all his old haunts. It seems Jin Sung is the hothead between the two so he starts beating up the people at the door only to have Oh Soo stop him.

         Oh Soo calls one of his contacts, Man Du, only to be shot down and hung up on. Jin Sung mumbles that he is dead meat and goes off looking for Man Du. Oh Soo is stopped by a tough looking fellow--you can tell he’s a bad guy from the background music--and is told that he owes 78 million won which includes a commission and one year interest, and that he has 100 days to pay or he’ll have the choice of either going quietly or trying to take him with him. The baddie walks away, but as Oh Soo turns around he finds himself on the receiving end of a knife. Not a fatal blow a bit to the left it seems to hit the heart, Oh Soo is advised to get himself to a hospital before we see him fall to the ground.

        It’s a bright and sunny day at the PL group where Oh Young is giving a speech to a room full of random people regarding the future of the PL Group and their designs. We find out that she has been the acting president for the previous three months, but does not expect to be named the permanent president. She goes on to say that they only accepted her doing the presentation because of the novelty of having someone that is blind doing it.  She admits since it gave her an opportunity to be someplace other than home or the center, she found it fun. As she and Secretary Wang get in the car, she asks Lawyer Jung if he was going to have dinner with them. He refuses the invitation stating he has something to do having to do with her late father’s will and that it is a surprise. Lawyer Jung gets a call telling him that they’ve found him...


         On the drive home, Secretary Wang asks Oh Young when she plans to marry her fiance since it’s been a couple of years since the engagement. Oh Young coolly states that she has no plans to marry and that the engagement was her father’s idea not hers. Secretary Wang asks why she doesn’t want to marry and how she thought that Oh Young liked Myung Woo. Oh Young asks why she should marry someone she simply likes if it’s because she’s blind and has no other options.


        Next we go to the hospital where Jin Sung is looking for Oh Soo only to be told that his friend has already left wearing street clothes. Oh Soo has gone off after Man Du, which he truly believed was his friend, and starts to beat him up asking if Man Du has called for backup. Which he totally denies it that he would never do that to his “hyung” who has done so much for him. Through this exchange we learn how much Oh Soo values friends and how much he is willing to give them. The fact that this one person could betray him cuts deep.


        The backup Mun Do called finally arrives teaming up on Oh Soo and beating him bloody. He is writhing on the floor, tapping out it seems, when the baddie that stabbed him also arrives reminding him of time that has gone by and also chiding him about still believing in loyalty even after everything that has happened to him.
         He is thrown from a van, and Oh Soo makes his way to the rooftop room he’s been using only to be met by Lawyer Jung asking if this was Oh Soo’s home again. Oh Soo states that it is him and seems confused by the lawyer until he sees the business card. Another instance of mistaken identity, and remembering all that has happened since he got out of prison including Chik Il Soo’s final words, Oh Soo plays along pretending to remember Lawyer Jung. 

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Personal Comments:

I don’t know. I’m not sure. This is my first real melodrama so I really have nothing to compare it to. It seems good. I wasn’t bored watching it. Kim Bum is a cutie pie. The music was haunting, the acting was good. I think I need more episodes to decide on whether or not I actually like it. I don’t feel that any emotions were forced on me. The progression of the story was smooth, and the characters flowed with it. As a first episode, it kept me intrigued enough that I am looking forward to watching the next one which is the most important thing, right?