Where the last few episodes were all about the obstacles (and I mean a whole checklist of them) of keeping this couple apart, thus driving up the misunderstandings and “Oh woe is me!” and the Evil Heartless Witch continued to do her Evil Heartless Scheming, this was an episode we’d been BURSTING to get some respite from. Given how superficial this particular sub-plot has become—to my disappointment—I think a bit of Cute and Funny is in absolute order, no?

P.S. Be warned, there is a heck of a picspam ahead! ;)

So, Hae-young is playing the bad guy and has “stolen” Seol away in his shiny big car to a secluded house in the country. Walking to the house, Seol sees a familiar face, which is obviously a flashback, as surely the sight of his own father would have Hae-young look more than a little nonplussed. Hae-young asks Seol what’s up, but she just awkwardly brushes it aside. She asks him what this house is, to which Hae-young rather dashingly smirks: “It’s a ...]]> So, even though episode 15 is showing tonight, I’ve been recapping the last two episodes; this is my method of withdrawal therapy.

Where the last few episodes were all about the obstacles (and I mean a whole checklist of them) of keeping this couple apart, thus driving up the misunderstandings and “Oh woe is me!” and the Evil Heartless Witch continued to do her Evil Heartless Scheming, this was an episode we’d been BURSTING to get some respite from. Given how superficial this particular sub-plot has become—to my disappointment—I think a bit of Cute and Funny is in absolute order, no?

P.S. Be warned, there is a heck of a picspam ahead! ;)

So, Hae-young is playing the bad guy and has “stolen” Seol away in his shiny big car to a secluded house in the country. Walking to the house, Seol sees a familiar face, which is obviously a flashback, as surely the sight of his own father would have Hae-young look more than a little nonplussed. Hae-young asks Seol what’s up, but she just awkwardly brushes it aside. She asks him what this house is, to which Hae-young rather dashingly smirks: “It’s a place full of memories”. Can this new memory they’ll create involve some one on one time, if you get my drift? Once can always hope.

Inside Seol explores what seems to be Hae-young’s childhood room, judging from a photo of a young Hae-young with a penchant for prep school getup. Seol picks up an old piano music sheetbook. To her amusement she finds pages with Disney princess stickers on them, which just confirms that Hae-young was destined to be enamoured with a princess. The Piano Pages have spoken!

Hae-young calls Seol down for dinner. The chaebol is a man of many talents because it’s the finest curry dish.

Seol finds a child’s soup spoon in the cutlery he’s brought out, and she asks him cheekily whether it’s his. Hae-young retorts that he had a golden soup spoon. Ha. Hae-young asks if Seol remembers the five oaths he told Seol, and in a very teacher-like fashion he now he has a sixth one to add:

From now on, when you’re in this house with Park Hae-young, forget about the past. Look only at Park Hae-young, and only think of Park Hae-young. Just listen to Park Hae-young.

(OK, absolutely, I will do just that.)

Later, the wood’s burning in the fire, the lights are down low, and we’re expecting cues of close ups of smouldering and timid gazes, but it’s disguised as playful banter, and we know they’re so making out when Seol starts whacking Hae-young with her cushion when he teases her.

Seol falls asleep in Hae-young’s arms, and it is the most beautiful, adorable little scene ever. As befitting a princess (!), Hae-young lays Seol down onto the hard timber floor, covering her up in the rug, and strokes her hair, and caressing her eyebrows and ending at her lips, mirroring the way Seol did to him a good number of episodes back. Seol wakes at his touch. She asks him what is it, and he tells her to close her eyes and sleep. But if he’s not sleeping, she’ll stay up too. Hae-young says that if he looks at Seol’s eyes today, he won’t be able to sleep. Well, that’s kind of the point of sleeping: closing your eyes so you can’t actually see Seol.

(Hope he washed his hands)

(Kind of a creepy shot)

Day breaks and Hae-young wakes by the fire to find that he’s alone. In an adorable state of panic, he calls her name a number of times, only to discover she’s just gone out for some fresh air. Yeesh, Mr Diplomat wouldn’t make a good Mr Detective. Hae-young admonishes Seol for not washing her face, and she’s mortified that he’s noticed. “Is it that obvious I haven’t washed my face?” Hae-young chuckles: “Definitely. Look at your drool, there are marks.”

Seol hurries to wash, only to come out of the bathroom with her face sopping wet. “There’s no towel!” Obviously this is a strategic move by Mr P, because—hey presto!—he’s waiting with a fluffy towel in his hands. Embarrassed, Seol reaches for the towel, but Mr P is determined, demanding she close her eyes while he dries her face. And now she looks human again! He certainly has become very forward over the last few episodes, which is lovely to see. I think I’d have fainted long ago from his unwavering attention on me.

And to make things even cuter, Hae-young plays nursemaid to the princess, combing and tying her hair, with the same strawberry hair-tie that holds a key to Seol’s memory of her past. Apparently he is “really good at this” (despite the fact he seems to be losing grip of her hair). Seol tells him to be careful as the tie was a gift from her father’s friend. Hae-young observes that she’s remembering bits of her past. Seol realises this in delight, and adds that the friend (her “uncle”) offered her meat to eat. LULZ. One track mind, that girl.

After an aeon, Hae-young finally finishes with Seol’s hair, stroking the sides of her head, which tickles. Awww, I’m flailing here. Hae-young teases her, “what’s up with you?” Seol replies cluelessly, “What?” To which Hae-young says, “I called you the ‘Ya-Seol (erotic Seol—a nod to the episode when Seol was writing dirty fic). Does the princess of porn want coffee?” Oh man, this banter.

The Cute can’t last, because Seol receives an anonymous call, and disregards Hae-young’s warning to not answer such calls as they might be reporters, saying that the caller might be answering her pleas about finding information about her father. And to our (non-)amazement, the mysterious caller is P-kun Senior, Hae-young’s father, Park Tae-jung. Seol leaves the house for privacy. He proposes to meet her, either in Korea or in the US, but he cannot return to Korea, not unless she pleads with the Chairman. Seol is the only person who has the power to bring him back. Seol asks him why she’d want to do that, but the fact is Tae-jung wants to return, and Seol wants the answers. Seol bluntly asks if it’s true, if Tae-jung was not responsible for her dad’s death. But Park Senior only curtly answers that they should meet and talk then. Seol insists that he tell her the truth now, because Hae-young is also hurting from this situation. Resignedly, Tae-jung concedes that he did not kill Seol’s father, even if there’s no evidence, it is the truth. Seol prods him further when he reveals that he took her in his care, but he remains tight-lipped, insisting the details must wait until they meet. He hangs up.

The door opens, and out comes Park Tae-jung. No, he did not Disapparate from the US, but it’s a moving (if a little disconcerting at first as it is shown in realtime) flashback as Seol remembers her ordeal as a child of waiting for her father to return at the Park house. Young Seol is stroking the royal satchel, crying for her father. Clutching her backpack like a shield, she implores Tae-jung why her dad isn’t coming. When is he coming? Didn’t you say he would be back in ten days? Ten days and another ten days have passed, why isn’t he here? With total bluntness, Tae-jung answers: “Your father is not going to come. Your father died. Your father’s dead.” Young Seol won’t believe it, sinking to the floor, and clapping her ears with her hands, crying out “You’re lying, you’re lying! My daddy said he’d come back. He promised!”

Meanwhile, Jung-woo is meeting with the Chairman, and presenting him with the fake sachet. But Yoon-ju had the artefact verified! But no, our Professor’s a crafty cookie, and tricked Yoon-ju, and he actually has the true sachet in his possession. Chairman asks why he would do such a thing. Professor explains Lee Seol has been a student of his for a while and he understands her the most, thus in his opinion, Lee Dan is not the true sachet’s owner. This is all obviously a hoax to undermine the restoration of the Imperial Family. Chairman concedes, and adding that Jung-woo must then know who the mastermind is. Jung-woo asks a favour of the Chairman, pleading with the Chairman to trust him to resolve the issue. Once everything is settled he will return the real sachet and bring Lee Seol back to the Palace. Chairman is thus reassured.

Cut to the country villa, and Lee Seol looks packed for a show on the road again. The quasi-honeymoon appears to be over. She rings up Director Oh, and we can see where this going. Hae-young returns to the living room with coffees, and to his surprise she’s gone again. How thick can he be, surely you’d notice, or at least hear, if she took all her luggage with her?

I don’t know how it’s possible but Seol manages to walk in those heels and given how slowly she’s walking, she has time to reminisce all those fun, intense, and sweet times with Mr P earlier in another lifetime.

Naturally Mr P comes calling (honestly, how much of these plots are driven by mobile phone conversations?). He repeatedly demands to know where she is, and that she should come back. Lee Seol says, no, I am leaving Park Hae-young. All that about Hae-young’s dad is the truth. Hae-young persists, saying that they should meet and talk. Didn’t they agree that they would find out the truth together? Whatever the truth will be. Seol says yes, originally that was the plan, but now she can’t do it, because she will feel guilty to her father, so this is why she must leave him. She hangs up. OH NOES, WHAT NOW!

Director Oh conveniently arrives at this point to pick up the princess. Meanwhile, Jung-woo meets with Yoon-ju. He recalls Yoon-ju’s wish to see the Chairman kick the bucket before the national election. Urgh. He tells her bluntly that he’s seen the Chairman and that the satchel she’s seen is fake—he switched the two. Yoon-ju, with her icy demeanour, asks why he’d do that, he’s not the type of person to do that (yeah, because you didn’t realise you treated him like shit?). He warns her to stop whatever she’s up to while she can, to own up to being responsible for the fake sachet incident, and resign from the position of Director. He will then keep her secret that she tried to bring down the imperial family. This is his way of protecting her. Yoon-ju gets a text message saying Seol is now at the Palace. She has to leave, but the Professor won’t be waiting long. Professor, you are too much! This heartless cow doesn’t deserve your help!

Seol meets with the Chairman. He implores her not to be swayed by those wanting to undermine the Princess. Director Oh is waiting ourside. Yoon-ju appears, demanding to be let inside, but her father won’t allow it. Seeing her agitation, Director realises that his daughter is more involved in this whole fiasco than he thought, and demands to know what’s happened.

Seol cuts to the chase, asking the Chairman upfront whether Park Hae-young’s father killed her father. The Chairman confirms that his “disloyal, unfilial” son did not harm the Emperor’s grandson (that being Seol’s dad), but Tae-jung did not kill His Highness. It was only an accident, but Tae-jung was making threats (this seems so silly an excuse). Director Oh and Yoon-ju burst inside the room. Chairman gets down on his knees begging the Princess for her not to leave in this fashion. True to form, Grandpops conveniently keels over from the stress of it all. All are shocked and horrified. Oh wait, blink and you’ll miss it—was that a hint of glee in You-Know-Who’s face?

Meanwhile, the Korean President is informed that the Chairman Park Dong-jae has collapsed. He is concerned more for the loss of support for his government, and hopes that the Princess will be on his side. He is certain that Lee Seol is the “real deal”. He is conveniently met by the opposition leader, who is smug in the wake of news of the Chairman’s ill health.

Lee Seol arrives at the hospital Yoon-ju behind her. Yoon-ju curtly states that she wants to talk briefly with Lee Seol, but Seol is saved by the arrival of Hae-young. To my utter delight, he flatly ignores Yoon-ju’s condolences (with a visible show of annoyance), and beelines for Seol.

I love Hae-young’s expression here. He’s practically fuelled up with “argh, you again, just seeing you makes my whole being bleed.”

(Oooh, does it hurt, Yoon-ju? Ye-es it ought to.)

But before going into see his grandfather, Hae-young firmly warns Seol to wait till he comes back out. “If you go somewhere … [ominous silence].” RAWR, ALPHA MALE.

Yoon-ju is most disgruntled and tells Seol sharpish to follow her so that they can talk, but Seol says that whatever Yoon-ju has to say can be said here and now. “You’re quite something else,” Yoon-ju sneers, and essentially gloats in Seol’s success in getting the Chairman to collapse. “Are you worried you can’t be a princess?” Splutter. The sheer nerve of this horrid woman is incredible. So what else can Seol do? She calls Yoon-ju a bitch, not once, but twice, disgusted that Yoon-ju could bring up such an insensitive topic. On cue, Jung-woo also arrives, asking after the Chairman. Yoon-ju asks Professor Nam for another hearty chat. Yeah, right.

(OMG evil bitch smile. Avert thine eyes, children!)

In the Chairman’s sickroom, Director Oh lays down his suspicions that the princess knows something. That Chairman was begging for the Princess’s forgiveness, and that on the list of people who knew information about Emperor Lee’s grandson included Hae-young’s father, and that Lee Seol requested said list. This is only the Director’s hunch but it makes sense because there wouldn’t be another reason for the Chairman to beg for forgiveness. Oh that’s all? So now Hae-young realises the implication that his dad was more interested in talking to the girlfriend rather than the son. Ouch.

Jung-woo practically accuses Yoon-ju of causing the Chairman’s collapse. But that “miracle” was actually the work of Princess Lee Seol. Yoon-ju is sure that the Chairman and Seol weren’t discussing the sachet so she tells Jung-woo to return the sachet to her. Apparently, the law states that this is theft (HAH! HAH! There are worse things the law can accuse you of, Miss Holier Than Thou!). Jung-woo is flatly unimpressed. Time’s up for Yoon-ju, and Jung-woo will make good on his intentions now. He’s giving her one last chance to not get involved with the Imperial family. She won’t give up but Jung-woo should, Yoon-ju says. “Why are you being like this? I’ll have no one to depend on anymore.” What the hell, you silly, entitled woman?! Jung-woo feels a fool: “I should not be by your side.” HAH, put a sock in it, bitch! But hey, there’s always your mobile phone, Yoon-ju. You seem to be more intimate with that thing than anyone else in this drama.

Lee Dan is not yet forgotten, and that so-called smart brain of hers ought to have realised that she’s been set up for the ultimate fall, stuck in a hotel with nowhere to go and forbidden to speak to her mother. So, Lee Dan is being booted, but that’s OK, Yoon-ju’s wired Dan money so she can leave the country. It’s for her own good and the country’s good. Good on Yoon-ju for being utterly ruthless—when you’re taking the monarchy down you’ve got to go all the way, taking out all your pawns along the way.

Hae-young finds Seol waiting outside the hospital. He asks the dreaded question: “Was the call you got, by any chance, from my father?”

Seol’s silence confirms it for him.

OK. But just listen to me. I haven’t heard my father’s voice for 20 years. It seems he doesn’t want to talk to me. Or he has nothing to say to me. Whatever you heard, and though I don’t know what you remember… that’s OK. Even if what you heard is true, if, because of the truth, I can’t be by your side, that’s OK, I can handle that. But, know this one thing before you leave, I am always on your side, no matter what you do.

Well, if that wasn’t a declaration of solidarity, I don’t know what is. Seol finally speaks.

I asked the chairman if the person who killed my father was Park Hae-young’s father. The Chairman said it wasn’t him. If you want to be by my side, help me not to be the princess. Your grandather. Your father and you forever depressed, so you can never be free of your guilt. Whether it was making my father die, or whether it was frightening him so that he ran away his whole life, it’s all the same to me. In the end, my father still died.”

Harsh words, but they cut through to Hae-young, who can’t make a comeback, and frankly he doesn’t deserve to get any reprieve at this stage. Ah, this Romeo and Juliet parallel just kills me .

Director Oh is massaging the Chairman’s chest when Yoon-ju arrives, with her beady snake-like eyes honing in on her father’s torn button. Grandpa stirs and Director Oh rushes out to get Hae-young. Bad idea, dad. You don’t leave the she-devil so close to a sickly old man. For a brief moment, you do wonder if she’ll have the guts to make that “miracle” come true for good. Chairman mumbles for the princess who Yoon-ju says has left. She is relieved that he has awoken. Right, ’cause you look so genuinely concerned there with your constipated expression.

Jung-woo chases up Seol walking down the street, saying Chairman has regained consciousness. Seol is relieved, but doesn’t go back, because Chairman might faint again (heh). She tells Professor she’s remembered something about the sachet, but it seems insubstantial. Jung-woo assures her that anything’s good. He asks what to do with her sister, but Lee Seol is so loving and decent, she can’t bring herself to seek revenge on Lee Dan. “She is my sister, she is my family.” That’s not family, Seol—that’s a cruel, spiteful thing worse than dirt!

Seol misses her mother and goes to the pension alone, refusing Jung-woo’s offer of a ride.

Lee Seol arrives at the pension and her mother is delighted, but laments the poor complexion of the princess. Seol apologises for all the trouble, but her mother brushes that aside and is only concerned for her daughter’s happiness. Seol asks after unni, but her mother simply says Dan is spending some time away because of the “false news”. They both know this is a lie but both play along with the charade. This is confirmed by the bag of clothes Seol spies, which her mother says is for a friend. Seol happily sends her mother on her way to said “friend”.

Da-Bok meets with her daughter in a cafe, scolding Dan for the trouble she’s caused, but Dan is still under the delusion that she could actually be the princess. Mummy is not impressed, and shoots that belief down, as she knows Dan has been in contact with her biological parents from time to time. This is not the Dan she knows. “I was proud of you.” But get this, what disgusts Dan the most was that she was the perfect student, and Seol was the troublemaker, yet Mother still loved both of them equally. Love is supposed to be quantified by how good you are, apparently! So by that logic, whatever bad deeds Dan has committed, her mother cannot hate her because she loves her daughters equally. Good grief, this girl needs help. Yes, Mother loves you Dan, but she’s not sure she can forgive you for this one, so give it up now. And even then that’s a bit too much love than you deserve.

Yoon-ju and the Professor are in his office. The miracle that she wanted to happen did not happen. Jung-woo flatly says that it won’t happen in future either because that’s not what you call a miracle. Well said, Professor. Jung-woo asks if she’s here with her answer to his ultimatum earlier. She asks him out to buy a new suit jacket for her father (the button came off earlier). The subtext for this scene seems to be that Yoon-ju is resting the blame on her father. For all her wrongdoings her father is the one who will have to apologise to the Chairman. Does Yoon-ju want this? Jung-woo asks. Yoon-ju still thinks it won’t happen, but secrets always have a way of showing themselves. As long as the real sachet is returned to her it’ll be safe. Jung-woo pensively affirms that the last chance he gave her now is thrown away. Not to mention you threw away a bloody decent man, Oh Yoon-ju, a very, very good man. Geez, is there going to be any chance of redemption for her? Because, I really don’t think there’s hope, and if the writers make it otherwise, I’m afraid it’ll take another “miracle” for me to actually believe she could change.

Court Lady Shin and Gunna are boo-hooing over a cookbook and pointing out dishes that the princess would love to eat. They debate over how Seol favours Korean food because she is Korea’s princess, but Court Lady Shin says that she loves all kinds of meat (which I agree with!). Gunna quips “Just like you like all men.” Court Lady Shin is offended, but then sidles up to him flirtatiously asking if he’s free tonight and that they’ll rendezvous after the sun sets, and to wear sneakers since they’ll climb over the wall. HAH, nice one.

Lee Dan is leaving the hotel, and out of nowhere Hae-young charges up to the porch, matter-of-factly stating there is no reason for her to head to the airport. She is forbidden from leaving the country. (It helps if you’re a diplomat and have friends in high places, of course.) Dan must pay for the grave mistake she has made. Hae-young bided his time, not wanting to see Seol upset because of it, but as for the trouble Dan has caused, he will take care of it. Dan struggles to cling to excuses—she doesn’t at all regret taking the Imperial family’s dirty money and running away. Hae-young is like ten steps ahead of her, and anticipated that she would take the money and run, so he’s frozen all her account too. Very thorough, that is our Park Hae-young. This is his final warning: Don’t even think of living happily in another country. Don’t even think of becoming a lawyer. Don’t even think of living seeing Seol or your mother’s face, and don’t contact Oh Yoon-ju. But above all, don’t mess with an angry, depressed, lovesick, determined Mr P, or you’ll seriously get what’s coming to you.

Meanwhile Lee Seol is alone in the pension, looking so pretty and dejected while cleaning the house. Wiping the windows of her room she is reminded of the time when Hae-young stayed overnight. OK, we’ve established how lonely and isolated she feels, but this is her own problem for not keeping Mr P by her side. After mopping the floor for what seems to be only three minutes she finishes looking like she worked for three hours, but the house is spick and span, and we get the idea that she may have been a bit hasty in pushing Hae-young away.

While Seol feeds her dogs, Hae-young walks up the driveway, observing Seol silently until she notices him, mirroring the very first time he came to the pension to find Lee Seol. “Let’s talk,” he says. Lee Seol clumsily apologises and says she’s too busy, hastily escaping back into the house. Coward!

Being Hae-young, he does not relent, banging on the door, imploring her to open it.

I know that you’re behind the door. You want to hear my voice. You miss me, but you’re holding it in. So you’re not doing anything and just standing by the door. Even though the door is closed, I see you. And I can hear everything, silly. So don’t do this to me, OK? Although I hate waiting, today I’m thinking of changing that. So let’s not waste our time and energy, OK? Seol! Lee Seol! Lee Seol, please open the door!

And we’re all thinking: OMG, woman, open the bloody door! The guy is practically spilling his heart and guts out on the floor for you and your too proud and noble self won’t give in. Stop putting us all in agony.

Yet to our incredulity and deep admiration, Hae-young waits. And waits. And waits. Lee Seol moves a few steps up the staircase but also sits and waits. Cue sad piano score and lots of deep sighs.

Hours later, night falls, and still our two star-crossed lovers are less than metres apart from each other, if only Lee Seol weren’t so stubborn and opened a damn door. It’s freezing out, and Hae-young has stood by the porch all this time, but no longer. He leans against the door pane, and he reveals this bright vulnerable gem:

Alright. When I think about my father has done, when I think about the pain you received because of that, I know that I shouldn’t come here. I know it’s not right to appear in front of you again. I know I shouldn’t behave like this, I know the etiquette for attending to a Princess like you; I’m sorry. But I can’t do that today.

I know all the times I bullied you, made you do things you couldn’t do, and made you confused; I don’t think I can give up the fun I got from that; I can’t give up being the Mr P who makes you breathless and your heart race.

I was raised so preciously, I lack patience. I have not given up on anything before. OK. Like you said, I am a really bad person. You’re right, but … but … (and here Hae-young starts to cry) What can I do, I miss you so much. I want to see you all day long, so what should I do? I just said I miss you. I miss you to death. So what should I do? Huh? Lee Seol? What should I do? Lee Seol!

Lee Seol. I love you.

This Mr P … loves you.

And finally, after that raw, heartfelt confession, the door creaks open.

Seol starts to say “I also … Mr P …” But this is a man who knows what he wants, and Mr P doesn’t let her finish. GO, MR P!

Awww.

Afterword

Was all that unnecessary angst over 4 (or however many you interpret it) episodes worth the pain? Well, let’s say, yes. Because at last we got an ending that was touching, emotional and unrestrained. And like many who did watch this episode, I am even more in love with Park Hae-young—for being so frank and ardent in his love for Lee Seol, for ignoring her request to stay apart (which is very silly and virtually impossible, when you think about their situations), for taking the initiative, and making everybody feel slightly less antsy. I would like to see Lee Seol admit the same depth of feeling to him, even though this is obviously implied in that she’s not rejecting him (but er, who wouldn’t), but if she could say it, I’m sure Mr P would be doubly happy.

I was particularly impressed with Mr P’s speech. I find it incredibly awesome when heroes admit their feelings first, and I drew parallels with my number one literary hero, Mr Thornton (from Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South). These are two men who are irrevocably in love with women above their station (though in Mr Thornton’s case, he feels like she is above his station), kept apart from them by circumstance and/or prejudice, but nonetheless devoted to loving and protecting the women they love from a distance. I don’t think you can get a better boyfriend/husband package than either of these guys, seriously. Mr P began his association with Seol for selfish reasons—this was the girl who would steal his heart inheritance—but this episode showed how emotionally vulnerable he set himself up to be; however, knowing his mindset, he’s not prepared to take no for an answer now.

The case of the real culprit responsible for Seol’s father’s death seems a moot point now. What needs to be resolved is the familial ties of the Park clan. It seems likely Park Tae-jung will return to Korea by Seol’s command, and we will finally get absolute closure about Lee Dan’s death, but in any case, whatever happens now Hae-young will be having a say in it. Which means more of The CUTE! And more of the cute can only mean more blissful fangirls. :D

As for Oh Yoon-ju, I highly doubt that she’s going to redeem herself; at least, it will be very difficult now to convince viewers to sympathise with her. She’s simply caused too much trouble and to begin with had no strong reason to motivate such hateful crimes. But then this is a K-drama, and the fact that someone younger and ditzier than you managed to steal your man (or make that, men) is enough motivation. Perhaps Jung-woo (being the incredibly decent and considerate man he is) will be Yoon-ju’s last saving grace, but I can say with confidence that she hasn’t been an inspiring kind of antagonist throughout any part of the drama. You are only as good as your enemy, and unfortunately this enemy has been so poorly written it’s not a wonder that the actress can’t do much with the character.

Here’s hoping I get episode 14 done tomorrow!

And believe me, it is just infuriating having to tolerate insipid and purely malevolent characters doing such nasty things episode after episode. My Princess certainly has this all in spades. The only other melodrama I can compare this to is Goong (Princess Hours), and while I was obsessed with that series too, my initial thoughts were that My Princess would be a chance to highlight the political intrigue of reinstating the monarchy back ...]]> This week, or rather, just yesterday, I delved back into the melodramatic, sophisticated, glamorous, gorgeous world of Korean drama, after what must be a four year dry-spell. My drama of choice: My Princess 마이 프린세스 (Ma-i Peu-rin-se-seu). See AsianMediaWiki. The right choice? Time will tell. But I’ll say I am damn hooked. The last drama I watched to the series end was My Girl and that was during my final year of high school. I’ve found over the years that I prefer Korean film, not only because the subject matter tends to vary and be overall both more entertaining and challenging, the executions are more interesting, and there is the great appeal of not having to sit through hours and hours and hours of tedious, exasperating soap operas.

And believe me, it is just infuriating having to tolerate insipid and purely malevolent characters doing such nasty things episode after episode. My Princess certainly has this all in spades. The only other melodrama I can compare this to is Goong (Princess Hours), and while I was obsessed with that series too, my initial thoughts were that My Princess would be a chance to highlight the political intrigue of reinstating the monarchy back into a contemporary Korean society, WHILE also doing that thing that Koreans do so well: epic, beautiful, bitter and angsty romance.

Lee Seol, a university student of archaeology works part time at the old royal palace dressed in the traditional royal princess garb to pose with tourists. Just after her shift ends, a diplomat and heir to the Dae-Han corporation (very big and important, who needs to know the details?), Park Hae-young, approaches her requesting that Princess Stella (of I have no idea which country; I forgot, European I’m assuming) wants to be photographed with her dressed as the princess. He offers Seol $100/hr just so that she’ll stay, and when the task is done to satisfaction, she demands her pay from Hae-young but he only has a cheque for $10,000. Seol has no change (!) so Hae-young suggests she text him and he’ll wire over money to her bank account. Seol sees Hae-young’s good will as a hoax and in exasperation gives this up as a lost case of a good deal of money. Or so she thinks.

In typical fashion, this incident incites the coincidences that will drive the rest of the narrative. Turns out Lee Seol is the direct descendant of a prince, and the Dae-Han Group wants to reinstate the monarchy, because the Director (Hae-young’s grandfather) feels a tremendous guilt over not doing right by the prince, who died in tragic, mysterious circumstances as a commoner. Director tasks his grandson to find Lee Seol, and to his incredulity Hae-Young discovers it is the same silly girl he’d met the day before. Coincidence? Nooo! So, in short, Hae-young now becomes Lee Seol’s “teacher” in all manner of official princess business. Ladidi ladida.

In the first episode I had such incredible hopes. Hae-young was a subdued, reticent if arrogant type, and Seol was bubbly and cute and relatable and their banter was funny. I had hoped this wasn’t just another angst-ridden eye-rolling romantic drama, which is to say, I was dreaming because that’s all I got. I had hoped for more than just a petty storyline about lost royal descendants, and more about the trials and tribulations of bringing back the monarchy to the Korea republic. I’d have loved to see more nuanced byplay between politicians, civilians and the main characters, but I feel as though I’ve just gotten an overdose of angst. In fact, I would say since episode six or seven, it’s been non-stop crap about The Love Rectangle. It’s not enough that the hero and heroine are obligated to go through episodes and episodes of misunderstandings and tension to even get to the acknowledgement that they fancy each other, it is a necessity to throw in a third and fourth wheel (that being Lee Seol’s professor and his former girlfriend—of a sort—to compete for the affections of the heroine/hero), and turn the lost prince/princess plot into a device for revenge. I think this was a wasted opportunity by the writers to create some depth to this political dilemma, but instead it’s just a vicious, calculated plot to bring down the Princess by a petty and totally unsympathetic character. This time the villain of this drama is one Oh Yoon Joo and Lee Seol’s fellow adopted sister, Lee Dan. I don’t believe I have ever seen such a vile character on a melodrama before. (This is a trope that seems to be a pre-requisite of Korean drama. I’ve even jotted down a rough list of the clichés that occur, which I will outline in a future blog post.) I just want to murder her every time she shows her cold face. I’m sure the actress is lovely in real life, but good grief, the evil emanating from this character is awful. Lee Seol at one stage calls Oh Joon Yoo a “bad person” but that is such an understatement.

My annoyances aside, this is the first I’ve seen of Song Seong Heon and Kim Tae Hee in action. They are such a supremely good-looking couple, I just can’t look away. Their acting isn’t spectacular, but then these roles aren’t demanding too much of them, though I’m sure they’re up to it.  What makes this drama so appealing is that they’re so beautiful their genuine chemistry and sweet banter (while shown rather rarely, in proportion to all the sobbing, brooding and angst) that clinches the idea of this crazy relationship working out. And a fair amount of slapstick and absurd situations. It’s great and fun when it’s good, but don’t get me started on how frustrating it is to watch the “WE MUST DESTROY LEE SEOL BECAUSE SHE’S HAD IT TOO EASY, THE BITCH” drama play out. I rather wish I didn’t love it so much, but in a perverse way it’s been thrilling to get so angry, so emotional, at television. But those precious moments between Hae-young and Seol are worth it. That’s what I tell myself anyway…

“You watch porn?”
“I only saw a preview.”

“You’re not the enemy that I hate the most.”

Source: Sala Gifs

Look at them! So perfect! A couple should not look that good together.

There are still 4 episodes left of this drama (and I am in total withdrawal). I’m hoping My Princess can redeem itself and I look forward to seeing ALL EVIL VANQUISHED in a SUPREMELY SATISFYING MANNER, lest I burn out from the fires of fury emanating from me. Oh yeah, and there had better be like the most amazing SNOG ever, like it should make fireworks and bedazzle us all, because a drunken peck does not kiss make. Episode 13 airs tonight in South Korea, with a promise of some intimacy, if we can go by the preview images OHOHOHO.

Hae-young doing Seol’s hair? This is the cutest thing.

Did I mention Song Seong Heon packs an incredibly good body? Holy cow. It’s not that often a man has my jaw dropping in sheer awe… let alone an Asian one. OK, I really shouldn’t be demeaning to my own ethnic kind. Someone said on a forum I was on tonight: we Asians are not a handsome people (!). Whatever that means. I’m still racking my brains over that thoughtless comment. There are beauties all over the world. And Song oppa, you are most certainly a desirable beauty!

Click here to view the embedded video.

AIIIIYE. MAN. NUDE. FLESH. ABS. IN SHOWER. RIVULETS. WATER. SLICK. WET. I ALL FLUSTERED.

He is incredibly hot, and he is seriously wasted in his role as a diplomat, all tucked up in those fine tailored suits and winter overcoats.

Also this is a hilarious clip of Kim Tae Hee doing the dance moves to SNSD/Girls Generation’s “Hoot”. That was a nice surprise!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Original SNSD “Hoot” MV:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’ve grown up with Frasier. I was the odd kid out in high school—with the exception of one other well cultured friend who incidentally loved Star Trek, Star Wars and Harry Potter in addition—who adored it and quoted it, while everyone waxed lyrical about that other asinine and not that funny comedy about a certain group of “friends” (OK, that’s not fair; it occasionally has good moments!) I just see a bit of myself in every character, and the jokes are so wry, ironic and witty. I inadvertently find myself appropriating the dialogue in my own voice sometimes. It’s amazing how influenced you become simply from watching this show hundreds of times.

I watched ‘Something Borrowed, Something Blue’ (the last episode of season 7) today for the first time in a couple of years, and as always I bawl at the end when Niles finally tells Daphne he loves her. Even though the quality of the show’s writing ...]]> Yes. After 6 years (and probably 10 years of waiting), today I finally completed my Frasier DVD collection! I was quite devastated that Big W had run out, but a chance entrance into JB Hifi mollified my disappointment. I am quite simply ecstatic!

I’ve grown up with Frasier. I was the odd kid out in high school—with the exception of one other well cultured friend who incidentally loved Star Trek, Star Wars and Harry Potter in addition—who adored it and quoted it, while everyone waxed lyrical about that other asinine and not that funny comedy about a certain group of “friends” (OK, that’s not fair; it occasionally has good moments!) I just see a bit of myself in every character, and the jokes are so wry, ironic and witty. I inadvertently find myself appropriating the dialogue in my own voice sometimes. It’s amazing how influenced you become simply from watching this show hundreds of times.

I watched ‘Something Borrowed, Something Blue’ (the last episode of season 7) today for the first time in a couple of years, and as always I bawl at the end when Niles finally tells Daphne he loves her. Even though the quality of the show’s writing definitely took a bad turn after this whole development (although to be honest I think it started as early as after season 4), I can’t help but still be happy that they got their HEA. Even at the expense of a few good laughs; they are just so adorable together. Probably one of the most dynamic, funny and loveable TV couples ever, even if their relationship should have stayed platonic. Plus, Niles is the best TV comic character. EVER.

This video sums up Niles and Daphne’s relationship very well:

And for even more laughs—some bloopers:

Finally, one of my favourite performances in Frasier:

Well, at least now I’ll be able to watch the rest of the the Frasier eps I haven’t seen in sequence, thank you very much Channel 9 for screwing up the schedule all those years…

Money aside, I spent my Australia Day listening to the audio of We Can Be Heroes and cleaning my room and organising my visual diaries. I’ve accumulated eleven ...]]> So by some divine providence we are blessed today with both Chinese New Year and Australia Day. Let it be known this may only happen once in a hundred years. Now you might be thinking (or rather, I might be thinking too deeply) how do you go about celebrating both? Which holds more precedence over the other? The answer isn’t all that clear-cut to me, although one friend on Facebook promptly replied it’s all in the “red and gold envelope, baby!” True. Money is a very nice incentive for well, anything. I haven’t had lucky money since I turned 18, but today mum presented me with a red envelope! :D And in it was … a $20 note, that is, in American dollars. So that’s about $30 Australian. Not that I’m going to use it since I’ve never even seen an American $20 note. I’m glad to say that I think Australia’s note system works better, at least with the colours and the texture of each note’s design. And don’t forget those ‘windows’!

Money aside, I spent my Australia Day listening to the audio of We Can Be Heroes and cleaning my room and organising my visual diaries. I’ve accumulated eleven A3 journals this holiday just to paste in inspirational material, hee! Yes, very fitting indeed. Would it have been more fitting to go out and watch Australia again? Maybe. Not. Although I did find out in the Herald that ACMI was letting people go into the Setting the Scene exhibition for FREE today. FREE(!!!!!!). I paid $10! And it wasn’t even that fantastic to begin with. Anyway, for the REAL (albeit satirical) Australia, you seriously have to watch We Can Be Heroes (now that’s playing with stereotypes):

If you had a naked Chinese man and a naked Aborginal man, they would be exactly the same except the naked Chinese man would have a slightly smaller penis.

Oh Chris Lilley, why you so awesome?

Australia Day at Dunt with Daniel and Nathan, and don’t miss Ja’mie’s rendition of our national anthem—Advance Australia Fair:

Chinese New Year was a slightly more eventful affair. Last night, watched the annual Spring Festival Gala on CCTV (that is, China Central Television, essentially the Communist Party’s puppet station) up to the point when my eyes couldn’t stay open anymore. It was a much better effort from last year’s dismal performance. The stage was friggin’ ENORMOUS. Obviously the set designers have taken a cue from the epic scale of the Beijing Olympics Ceremonies, but I’m impressed with the way they utilised the actual small space to make it look endless with light projection and perspective in the background graphics:

The most bizarre performance I saw was one with Jay Chou, with this amazing little kid, and finally a surprise entrance from Song Zuying:

Dinner tonight at Footscray (probably one of the better Chinese restaurants, if that’s possible) with my folks and my aunt.

Anyhow, thoughts on my nationality colliding with my ethnicity aside, it’s been a busy week for me. I’m still having weekly driving lessons (and my growing frustration at not being able to park properly is inversely proportionate to my instructor’s patience with me—amazing! Dad would have combusted out of fury the first time round…) , and I have a new client who has the potential to make me big(ger), and really expand my portfolio. I’m beside myself with anxiety but I am excited that I’ll be able to be flex my creative muscle since I’ve been whining about having nothing to do for so long (no excuses on my part though).

I went to Laura’s house last night and we watched the Doctor Who Christmas Special, The Next Doctor, on the ABC (not the first time for me though, hehe) and afterwards Slumdog Millionaire, which I liked, but I wasn’t that “affected” by the story as the media/Golden Globe hype may suggest. Don’t think I’m a cold, heartless bitch though—it’s just another one of those rags-to-riches, Cinderella-esque fanfare types, and well, really, they get kind of old, not to mention the image portraying Mumbai is sort of feeding the preconceived notions of unsuspecting, ignorant viewers. But the protagonist is kind of amusing what with his vacuous expression 60% of the time. And I liked the originality of the plot that explained “how” he proved he wasn’t cheating in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. You’ve got to watch the film to see. ;D The soundtrack was pretty ace, and the editing was superlative too. The ending is rather Bollywood-esque as well which is sweet. :)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

We get the world premiere of the newest Wallace and Gromit film, A Matter of Loaf and Death tonight. Have waited so long for this moment! xD

(OK, I had to get that shot in. It felt really good.)

Oh well. There’s always the movie, which incidentally is the HOLY SPECIAL EDITION. LULZ. That’s EPIC WIN already. But the movie doesn’t have Julie Newmar (aka Catwoman), whose seductive manner and beautiful figure is greatly envied by me. Her costume is actually one of my favourites; even though it’s really quite simple, and well, figure-hugging (wouldn’t work with me, that’s for sure), the tactile texture of the fabric—it’s all shimmery like ...]]> Have I mentioned how much I adore the 60s Batman series? There is not enough love for it. And I do love me some camp kitsch. Sure, it takes the mickey out of the Golden/Silver Age comics (but even they were camp), but hey, this is the Swinging Sixties we’re talking about here. Who ever cared for darkness and angst? It’s the era of free-loving and psychedelia! Even the Bats ain’t safe. I wish a DVD box set would be released but no, DC are too damn proud to even consider it, and Fox are well, just being difficult. DAMN YOU EXECS, I WOULD TOTALLY BUY IT! As would many others, I’m sure! I’ve managed to find several episodes on YouTube and other video-sharing sites, but it’s just not enough.

Oh well. There’s always the movie, which incidentally is the HOLY SPECIAL EDITION. LULZ. That’s EPIC WIN already. But the movie doesn’t have Julie Newmar (aka Catwoman), whose seductive manner and beautiful figure is greatly envied by me. Her costume is actually one of my favourites; even though it’s really quite simple, and well, figure-hugging (wouldn’t work with me, that’s for sure), the tactile texture of the fabric—it’s all shimmery like velvet—shows off the felinity of the character. Very naughty.

And who can forget the hilarious “chemistry” between Batman and Catwoman:

Riddler’s obviously got other kinks apart from puzzles:

Ledger!Joker’s deliberately repressed this side of his personality—CAMP!JOKER, complete with watermelon red suit and pinstripes!:

After sifting through the contents of all these books (and that alone took me three days straight), it took me about an hour to write up a draft of the introduction, and then another two just to spruce it up. In between I watched Blade Runner and a few episodes of ye olde Batman: The Animated Series, after what feels like the zillionth time. *coughs* Yep, I am a bad influence on myself. Just as well I’m not writing my essay exclusively on television itself—I’d be glued to the box if I was! Then again, I do intend to add in a short paragraph or two on The Chaser guys’ antics and the blandness that is Mediawatch.

Oh, I love Alfred so dearly. He is such a great supporting character. There is that perpetually dry, acerbic wit and the stiff British upper-lip thing that entirely endears me to him. Plus, the man has gone through so much shit, what with Bruce being entirely insane and all. And he hardly gets any ...]]> We have progress on the design theory essay front! See below. (Alright so it’s not much at all, but it’s a good start, methinks. Three days before it’s due. Meh.)

After sifting through the contents of all these books (and that alone took me three days straight), it took me about an hour to write up a draft of the introduction, and then another two just to spruce it up. In between I watched Blade Runner and a few episodes of ye olde Batman: The Animated Series, after what feels like the zillionth time. *coughs* Yep, I am a bad influence on myself. Just as well I’m not writing my essay exclusively on television itself—I’d be glued to the box if I was! Then again, I do intend to add in a short paragraph or two on The Chaser guys’ antics and the blandness that is Mediawatch.

Oh, I love Alfred so dearly. He is such a great supporting character. There is that perpetually dry, acerbic wit and the stiff British upper-lip thing that entirely endears me to him. Plus, the man has gone through so much shit, what with Bruce being entirely insane and all. And he hardly gets any credit for it. Alfred, you da man!

[re: Bruce's supposed sighting of leprechauns]
Bruce: You think I’m crazy don’t you?
Alfred: In what sense, Master Bruce?

Hehe.

If Negus feels so strongly about the Logies, he should give his own ones up to charity or go and get them smelted in exchange for boiled sweets at Sovereign Hill.

Meanwhile I ought to be working on my indie label logo design; do you know how hard this crap is? It’s always the simplest things that are actually the hardest. I’ll have to remember that every time I think something is easy. And I nearly got bailed into a free-pitching deal. NO SIR.

Also learnt to parallel park today. It doesn’t seem so bad (when there are no cars on either side of you, duh) but my coordinating skills have gone down the drain these couple of years past; I need to visualise everything — through pictures and demonstration. Geez. Ten times longer to learn.

I’ve nearly finished watching Good Night and Good Luck. It took me three years to finally get my hands on it, and that’s three years after I got the soundtrack, lolz. It’s Dianne Reeves, come on! The film is sooo good; I love it. The cast is perfect. George Clooney is beyond perfect. The use of black and white is just so perfect; not only does it just accentuate the level of heavy smoking amongst everyone (making me feel rather sorry for them, come the day cancer arrives on their ...]]> I bought Hustle: Series One on DVD from JB Hifi today. I dunno why — I didn’t even plan to, although I do love that show to bits (Marc Warren, squee!). I just went to Highpoint to see if the newest Classic Drama DVD was out in the newsagents yet (alas, Vanity Fair remains), and then I went into JB to check out their Electronica/Dance collection, as research for my electronic design project. Lo and behold, the biggest array of BBC series on SALE. SALE, I SAY. I wanted to buy all of them, but I made do with one. *sighs* Must save my money for design books. It’s so hard…

I’ve nearly finished watching Good Night and Good Luck. It took me three years to finally get my hands on it, and that’s three years after I got the soundtrack, lolz. It’s Dianne Reeves, come on! The film is sooo good; I love it. The cast is perfect. George Clooney is beyond perfect. The use of black and white is just so perfect; not only does it just accentuate the level of heavy smoking amongst everyone (making me feel rather sorry for them, come the day cancer arrives on their doorstep), it mutes all other distractions of colour and wholly focuses on the intensity of movement and expression and dialogue. Seems rather fitting to watch it now that all eyes are on the only successful ‘Communist’ state to date… and the prevalence of that wondrous thing called HYPOCRISY.

Which reminds me, I must finish reading The Good German so I can ogle Mr Clooney in black and white tones again. You know, I started it last April, and I’m still not done! I mean, where’s the logic in that

Anyhoo, add on two more typography projects to my current load and you have one happy Jen.

Please note my dripping sarcasm in that previous line.