XXI
Dramaland
This episode could be summarized as Sooho & Youngro longingly gaze at each other. & let me tell you that the angst of such looks was everything to me. It's clear that Sooho cares but is trying to protect Youngro while she's conflicted coming to terms with the fact that guy she was falling for isn't who she thought he was. I particularly liked the scene where he tended to her wound but of course the scene where Youngro revealed her identity was great. Aside from them, I was most excited to see Cheongya appear as she's finally going to play a larger role in the story - that look between her & Sooho has me happy that I was right in thinking she's more than a mistress. &, yes, Boonok continues to be annoying & her mouth finally gets her in trouble (as she causes herself & hostages to not be released) but we learn a little more about her backstory.
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When I say I'm exhausted, I mean that in the good way where I was nailed to my seat tense. The action this hostage situation brought us was so good. It hurt seeing Youngro's expressions as she realized who Sooho really is & it also hurt seeing Sooho have a blank mask & stop himself from comforting her. Though Youngro is a college student, it doesn't mean she knows it all or is mature so I can't wait to see how this rude awakening helps her to grow. Also, I don't know what direction the story is going forward & that scares me.
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This episode was full of moments of my heart aching. Seeing Youngro throw away the necklace & Sooho close to tears as he picked it up was delicious angst. He didn't hesitate to protect her (from Comrade Joo shooting at her) & seeing him trying to hold off, especially in front of Cheongya, was great acting from Haein. Also, the conversation he was having with injured Eungcheol (& Cheongya about caring for his men's lives) once again showed what a great leader he is. It's no surprise that Sooho ended up teaming up with Kangmoo once he learned he was betrayed by his father/party -& what a great ending to the episode! Of course, we can't forget how excellent Kim Hye Yoon was as Boonok (teamed up with the spies) showed her power over the hostages. Finally, we saw the full extent to how Headmistress Pi was tortured & made out to be a spy & therefore forced to work for the ANSP.
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Youngro was grieving the news of her brother's death so naturally it hurt to see her in her state. It was nice to see her emotions snap as she slapped Sooho & then later on tricked him by hugging him to take away the detonator. What a way to end the episode! I do think that this episode helped some viewers see that his feelings for Youngro are deeper than they thought - like once again we see the mention of the importance of the necklace he gave to her, his care for her wellbeing, & him finally letting some emotions out as he says sorry for her loss & hugs her. We also got more clues about Headmistress Pi's backstory.
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First of all, let me yell about Cheongya's true identity as I knew she was going to play a much larger role than being just a mistress! I can't wait for Taeil to find out that he's been sleeping with the enemy lol Also, I'm sure that Cheongya won't hesitate to use Youngro against Sooho & I'm lowkey looking forward to that too. & of course I have to talk about how good Jisoo's acting was - like the expressions that she was making as she was made the hostage to stand by the window had me tearing up. The scene where she faced the gun to Sooho's comrade had my nerves tense as you could see Sooho fearing for her & I loved the moment where she realized he had her paper airplane.
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I was so nervous throughout the episode. There were some things that could be questioned about the fates of characters, they didn't take away from my viewing experience as a whole. The ending was what I expected yet the way that it happened had me bawling. Youngsoo deserved better than to have Sooho die in Youngro's arms, though his death was realistic. Youngro listening to the recording her left her as she imagine the life that they could've lived as ordinary people was bittersweet. It's been hours & I'm still recovering so maybe I'll edit this later on.
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This has to be my favorite episode, after the 9th one. I was glued to my seat. Of course every episode has been tense with comedic moments but this felt different, maybe because we're nearing the end. Whenever Youngro & Sooho kept talking about seeing each other again, a little piece of my heart broke knowing that's unlikely. It's not as I'm surprised, but the old man ended up being the mole & Sooho's mother ended up being the NK woman who kept giving orders to kill him. Though neither of those were a surprise, the reveal was still entertaining to watch. The old man was given the orders to kill Sooho & the other agents, except Cheongya & the NK woman is another parent who is willing to sacrifice their child for power. Sooho's expression when he found out was a tug to the heart. (Haein better get all the nominations!) Speaking of a tug to the heart, Sooho saying goodbye to Youngro & trying to get her to see the bitter truth about them seeing each other again was also sad to watch. As for the comedy, it was so funny to see Youngro's dad show up to arrest Taeil & Mr. Ahn as they turned the camp into a circus.
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The moment I've been waiting for, after the Youngsoo kiss, finally happened - Taeil discovered that Cheongya was a spy. I was expecting a more dramatic reaction, something similar to his wife fainting when she realized that & how they were lovers, but it was satisfying to see him be in denial & taken down a peg by Mr. Ahn, who he was always looking down on. Cheongya had itended to follow through with the original plan made with Sooho but now she's on the run too so who knows what she'll do next. Of course Boonok was involved in Cheongya's identity being found out & letting others learn the identity of Youngro. While she didn't tell them herself, she told the old man's son who revealed it. The reactions were to be expected, & naturally it's not difficult to feel bad for Youngro as we know she's been doing her best to protect the hostages in whatever way she can. Youngro's father initially wanted to work with Sooho to release the hostages, as well as making sure he & his comradres will be safe, but at the urging of his wife & the president he decided to follow through with the plan to blow up the dorm - at least that's how the episode ends.
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This episode was great for the simple fact that Cheongya played Taeil. She offered herself as bait wearing a bomb vest to scare Taeil from taking actions against the students. We don't know if this gamble will work for Sooho, but Cheonya was able to leave the dorms to Taeil's place with the intention of finding out how much money is the deal with the North worth. With the uncertainty of whether she can be trusted, of course Kangmoo gives Hanna her own orders to tail Cheongya & take action against her at the first sight of her betrayal. The episode ends with Sooho hearing those plans & finding himself at odds with Kangmoo. Another important factor is that while Youngro's dad is okay, he fed the media that he's unconscious leaving us wondering what exactly are his plans & how will he stop Taeil, who gave the okay to shoot him.
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Though I was disappointed that this episode didn't start where the last ended (with Youngsoo kissing), it was a good episode to start setting up the finale. It's not like it's a surprise, but Sooho/Kangmoo/Hanna's plan to send evidence of the ANSP colluding with the North (in the hostage situation) to tv stations failed as the ANSP has their people everywhere. Because of this stunt & thanks to the mole in the dorm, the Youngro's dad & Taeil learn that Sooho, Kangmoo, & Hanna are working together. They ask for Hanna's arrest as well as threatening Sooho/Kangmoo by placing bombs outside the dorm. Of course Youngro wants to save everyone's lives so she demands to talk to her father face to face resulting in him getting shot (most likely by Taeil's command since he's more aggressive about wanting to kill the hostages). Back to the mole, it appears to be lunch lady but I have a feeling it's really not her. Though this episode ended with a literal shot, I'm thinking about Sooho's confrontation with Cheongya. He was sounding her out to see if she could really join his side as well as get a grasp of what can be done in his situation.
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Yes, I'd be remiss if I don't start off with the fact that Youngro & Sooho finally kissed! Not to be biased, but I think it's going to be one of the most memorable scenes as that "erase this" conversation was beautiful. Youngro had already realized the burden that Sooho was carrying & why he took the actions he did & forgave him before she decided to comfort him, & eventually let herself be kissed by him. Aside from this, we finally have Sooho teaming up together against Cheongya & Comradre Joo as both feel it is their best bet to keep the hostages safe. With that being said, they reveal to the hostages the reason for this newfoun alliance. Boonok keeps being her selfish self & is still on the side of the spies using Youngro as a hostage (to ask for the release of the spies) & attempting to shoot Headmistress Pi. She would've succeeded if she had actually been given a loaded gun. That tension full scene was one of the best of this episode, & maybe the show.
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This has to be the best episode by far & that's because Cheongya finally did what her comrades kept threatening to do - she actually took action & used the detonator! What a way to end the episode! Aside from her, Youngro & the rest of the hostages also decided to make an attempt to escape & that was fun to watch. & not that it's much of a surprise, but it was confirmed that Headmistress Pi has been forcibly working for the ANSP.
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There was a couple of revelations made in this episode that made it the best so far. For starters, though we knew they had a past, we heard it from Hanna's own mouth that they were supposed to get married before he left her. I'm looking forward to learning more about them. The biggest shock may be learning that Sooho's father is the head guy from NK that Youngro's father is working with. Speaking of Sooho, as expected, once Boonok found out his identity she wanted to report him resulting in her break of friendship with Youngro & Youngro getting kicked. Not only that, but we learned a little more about Boonok's background. I liked the actions scenes & of course that cliffhanger at the end has me excited for what's to come.
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This episode is showing us how the plot will start to pick up. We got another quick glance hinting at Headmistress Pi's background, saw there's more to Youngro's family dynamics, Youngro continues to be a smitten girl while Sooho tries to keep his distance (though he gives a couple of lingering glances), Seolhee seems like she's going to be used by Sooho's friend (who didn't think twice about ratting him out), Jeongmin & Seolhee continue to help Youngro, Boonok will most likely continue to act in her own best interests, & Sooho has finally left the dorm. Also, the music played during this episode was so good.
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I loved the building tension in this episode, it makes me scared for what's to come later. After the first two episodes, I'm very curious about Housemistress Pi & Cheongya's backstories. Housemistress Pi comes off as cold but I think she's one of those who cares deep down. I love how she didn't give in to demands of the agents to inspect the dorm rooms (even though she was held at gunpoint) & how she didn't mention anything about the blood she saw in dorm 207. Of course that little flashback of her being held at a dam reveal there's more to her than we think. Moving on to Cheongya, I know there's a reason why she's a mistress to that man & I can't wait to find out (how she hopefully takes him down). As for Sooho, I don't believe he actually is a spy but we'll see why his background has him in dangerous situations. Seolhee is precious & her & Younhro are the cutest partners in crime. Also, Jeongmin stood out this episode with the way she took on a leadership role in helping to hide Sooho.
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