by: Raine

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So we finally get some real confrontation…sort of. In any case, this episode was better than the last. There was some fun family times, which are my favorite part of the show…besides Park Shi-hoo’s smile. *drool*

“Alice” – Every Single Day (from the Cheongdam-dong Alice OST)

episode 13 recap

A very nervous Tommy Hong has interrupted wedding dress shopping to try and intercept the video message In-hwa sent before Psycho-jo sees it. Tommy says he was there for business and came to congratulate Psycho-jo on his wedding. Psycho-jo is, of course, annoyed by his persistence. Se-kyung takes a hint and distracts Psycho-jo by telling him not to get mad so Tommy can snatch the phone.

Tommy leaves Se-kyung rattled and quickly deletes the video message. He interrupts a happy Psycho-jo enjoying his bride-to-be’s beauty to return the phone, giving the excuse that he wants to sponsor the wedding. Se-kyung distracts Tommy again and Tommy sets the phone down and quickly leaves.

Coach Tick confers with Tommy and lies to a concerned Min-hyuk that everything is fine before leaving to meet Tommy. In-hwa overhears and realizes that Coach Tick took care of the video.

Se-kyung also heads to meet Tommy, lying to Psycho-jo that she is heading to the office to do a bit more work. He smiles happily after her, blissfully ignorant.

Is it just me, or is everyone annoyed with Psycho-jo’s image of Se-kyung? It’s like he’s put her on this pedestal so every time she does something bad, I feel worse for him because he’s such an adorable idiot. His perfect little bubble idea of her is going to burst.

Tommy and Coach Tick realize that In-hwa stole the video before Tommy deleted it. Coach Tick knows that In-hwa will try again. Se-kyung joins them and gets updated. Tommy wants to hack her e-mail, but Se-kyung advises against it. The video may be stored elsewhere. Besides, hacking is how one really gets caught.

Suddenly, In-hwa bursts in to Coach Tick’s overacted horror. She tosses the tablet on the tablet and tells Coach Tick to delete the video like she deleted it from Min-hyuk’s phone. Coach Tick falls to her knees, begging to be spared just this once. Tommy asks In-hwa to reconsider and takes the blame.

In-hwa glares down at them, full of arrogance and furious indignation. She knows she’s the one with the power.

Coach Tick begs forgiveness again and In-hwa sneers that it’s the only thing Coach Tick can do, leech like a parasite. It’s how people like “them” survive. She won’t lose everything, she’s just going back to the beginning. Coach Tick isn’t one of “them” because she lived with “them.” In-hwa tells her never to ask for forgiveness. She also says that she’s not taking revenge for ruining her marriage prospect or insulting her family. She’s just bringing judgment down on two gold diggers that don’t know their place. She promises to show them justice.

Oh I see. You want to be god. Well, I bet you sit on the crapper just like everyone else.

Se-kyung stops her with a question. “What justice?” If she’s a gold digger, then what is In-hwa? Didn’t she want Psycho-jo for what he had? How are they different?

Coach Tick tries to stop Se-kyung, but she keeps going. Se-kyung says there was one difference: In-hwa’s business was large and Se-kyung’s was small. In-hwa has money and Se-kyung doesn’t. In-hwa gets an arranged marriage and Se-kyung gets to be called a whore. Only Se-kyung gets criticized.

Before In-hwa can say anything, Se-kyung says that Psycho-jo is only business to In-hwa whereas he is Se-kyung’s entire world. In-hwa lost to Se-kyung.

At this point, Coach Tick tells her to stop, but In-hwa wants to hear Se-kyung out. Se-kyung tells her to show some dignity to show justice; she sent the video anonymously so that it won’t be known that it was she who took her oppa’s wife away. In-hwa didn’t want responsibility and that is not what justice means.

Se-kyung, you rock, but I think you just lit a fire under In-hwa’s already very pissed off ass.

She keeps going and says that In-hwa had everything and still lost and now she’s being a sore loser. In-hwa’s lip curls. She says that the difference between her and Se-kyung is that whether she wins or not, her life will not change. But Se-kyung will now lose her “whole world.”

On that happy note, In-hwa leaves and smirks in her car. Who’s up for pulling out her hair? Any takers?

Coach Tick berates Se-kyung for standing up to In-hwa. Instead she should’ve begged. But Se-kyung says that begging will make In-hwa want to destroy her more. She’ll play with her and then tell everyone. Nothing will change. Coach Tick thinks that is better than ending like this. Then she blames Se-kyung for everything. Everything went wrong when she came.

Se-kyung is left with Tommy who looks at Se-kyung with pity. They relocate (why?) and he brings her water.

Wait, why is he suddenly being nice? Are we getting our ever-supportive second lead NOW? In episode 13? Talk about character inconsistency.

Anyway, he asks Se-kyung if she wants to tell Psycho-jo everything before In-hwa does. But how will she explain telling him now? It will just be her trying to tell Psycho-jo before In-hwa. Se-kyung thinks that if In-hwa tells him, he’ll be shocked, but until he faces her he’ll have time to come to make up his mind: spare her or kill her.

Tommy is incredulous that she’ll just wait for the verdict. But she says that she is taking responsibility for her actions, no matter what his decision is and his reasons are. She asks Tommy if he regrets joining her. He says he’s not someone to think of the “what ifs.” She wonders why he doesn’t? Isn’t he afraid of what’s going to happen?

He replies that he is afraid, but her phone rings before he can say anything too cheesy. It’s Psycho-jo wondering if she is still working. They chat a minute and she smiles as Tommy watches her. When they hang up, Tommy tells her to call him immediately if anything happens.

He is going to be the overly concerned second lead…hooray…

Coach Tick heads home and glances over her luxurious living room, knowing she probably won’t see it for very much longer. Then it’s brooding time for Tommy, pouting time for In-hwa and wallowing time for Se-kyung.

Se-kyung’s mom, sister and Ah-jung are gushing over the newspaper. Her father is not happy about the news and quickly leaves.

Daddy Cha happily remembers being beside his son at the party and then goes into Ho-min’s bakery where Se-kyung’s dad works. Se-kyung’s dad is surprised to see Daddy Cha, but they sit down for a talk anyway.

OMG! Daddy friendship!

Daddy Cha hesitantly, but sincerely, apologizes for ruining the meeting and Se-kyung’s dad apologizes as well. Daddy Cha admits to liking Se-kyung, the first person to help him get closer to his son. He bows his head and asks a favor: will Se-kyung’s dad accept Psycho-jo? Daddy Cha just got his son back and doesn’t want to lose him.

Awwww!

Daddy Cha says that Se-kyung’s dad’s issue was the family so if he fixes that, what else is there to contest?

Good point!

Chairman Robert gives Se-kyung a painting and Psycho-jo suggests that hang it in their room when they get married. He notices that she seems worried. He thinks it’s because of her father and promises to get his approval like she got his father’s approval.

Both of them get called out and leave to their meeting. They are surprised to see each other in front of a noraebang. They are even more surprised to see their fathers singing together in the noraebang!

The fathers avoid the questioning and Se-kyung’s dad invites Cha Seobang (Cha son-in-law, EEEEH!) to sing.

I know I’m not excited about the pairing at all with all the lies and imagined personalities, but I love happy family stuff.

The fathers call each other in-laws and Psycho-jo sings with Se-kyung’s father while Se-kyung sits with Daddy Cha. He sits with her and tells her that he knew her father before and that he was jealous of him drinking with his son-in-law. Daddy Cha didn’t think this day would come in his life. Everyone looks happy but deceitful Se-kyung who can only thank Daddy Cha. He thanks her in return.

Daddy Cha and Psycho-jo awkwardly sing “My Way” together and get scolded by Se-kyung’s dad to do a better job. Psycho-jo pauses to watch his dad sing, thinking it’s the first time he’s seen his father sing. (He’s not too bad!) Then Daddy Cha watches his son sing and thinks he’s handsome.

Se-kyung looks depressed.

Daddy Cha and Psycho-jo drive home together and Daddy Cha invites Se-kyung for a meal. Aw. Then he hums “My Way” while Psycho-jo smiles. He shoots Se-kyung a text with the invite. She tells her father about it. He asks her if she can do this. They (I think the Cha’s and rich people) are lonelier than them and Se-kyung will have to bring warmth into their home. Her dad thinks she’ll do just fine. But she remembers In-hwa’s threat: you’ll lose your whole world.

Se-kyung is just waiting for the bomb to explode.

Tommy calls her, impatient to hear if anything bad happened. He is relieved to hear that she was with Psycho-jo and his father. Then he scolds her for making him wait and worry all day. His life is at stake, too. He asks what happened and she tells him about the noraebang and that it was Psycho-jo’s first time going with his father. They were awkward, but Daddy Cha seemed really happy. He also approved of the marriage and asked her father to approve of Seung-jo. She also tells Tommy about dinner.

Tommy wonders if she’s crying and she says that she’s not because that would make her a real bitch. They hang up and Tommy looks depressed.

Se-kyung meets Coach Tick and asks how Psycho-jo was once she left him back in Paris. Coach Tick wonders if Se-kyung is going to leave him, but that’s not the case. Then she says that Se-kyung knows Psycho-jo came back to Korea for revenge. But it’ll be different with Se-kyung because he now knows revenge is pointless. However, he will find something because he has to survive.

Se-kyung wonders what Coach Tick is going to do and she says she might use Se-kyung’s way, which I’m assuming is confessing. Does that make Coach Tick Se-kyung’s coach? Is she back to being a regular ol’ tick?

The Tick reminds Se-kyung that Psycho-jo has a friend, Dong-wook. He’ll know what Psycho-jo was like when Coach Tick left him.

The Tick goes to talk to her husband and In-hwa notices. Min-hyuk knows something has been going on and asks her to tell him. Slowly, oh-so-slowly, she asks if he loves her. He thinks that’s sudden and laughs awkwardly. Then she hesitates to tell him the truth, which gives In-hwa the opportunity to barge in and stop the confession with a bitchy glare.

In-hwa asks her to come outside a moment and the Tick looks completely deflated. The women meet in the hall. In-hwa thinks the Tick is arrogant for trying to confess and apologize. She can’t do it because it’s not a part of In-hwa’s plan. The Tick points out that In-hwa sent the video. With a smirk, In-hwa admits Se-kyung was right, it was cowardly, and thanks the Tick for deleting it. Now she doesn’t have to get her hands dirty and can be herself, “Shin In-hwa.”

The Tick replies, “You mean the same Shin In-hwa who only focuses on business?”

Heh. Nice.

If the Tick tells it’ll affect In-hwa’s business. In-hwa walks up to the Tick as though she’s going to say something, then walks away.

Min-hyuk shows up, curious as to what that was about. The Tick lies that it was about the wedding. Min-hyuk is curious about what she was going to say before and the Tick tells herself that she can’t let In-hwa manipulate her – she has to tell her husband the truth.

He thinks she’s been weird because he didn’t say he loves her. He says that of course he loves her and hugs her, saying it again sweetly. So she should trust him and tell him what’s wrong. He doesn’t want to see her have a hard time. With tears in her eyes, she agrees.

Aw, I want things between them to work out well.

Se-kyung plans to meet Dong-wook the next day.

In-hwa goes to visit Daddy Cha with her tablet of doom. He watches the video with a hardened expression. In-hwa says she hesitated to show it to him. Her family can take care of the Tick, but Daddy Cha shouldn’t let Se-kyung be his daughter-in-law because it will damage Psycho-jo’s reputation. In-hwa couldn’t let it go.

Daddy Cha thanks In-hwa and she says it’s because they’re business partners. He asks her for a favor: bury the video. She is shocked. He pleads as Psycho-jo’s father; Psycho-jo won’t be able to stand it and he’ll fall apart. Everything will be destroyed.

Wow, that’s faith in your son. But, we all know how emotionally strong Psycho-jo is. One of Freud’s hysterical, weeping, fainting women is more stable than he is.

Daddy Cha says that his relationship with his son and that with GN Fashion will be destroyed. In-hwa is a business person and knows that GN and Royal group need Artemis’ help. What good is starting a feud with him?

In-hwa is so shocked by his response that she dramatically collapses against a wall. She fears that Daddy Cha will let Se-kyung in.

Daddy Cha is angry on behalf of his son who is currently driving Se-kyung to dinner at his house. Se-kyung is nervous although she is more comfortable with Daddy Cha now.

The dinner proceeds with Daddy Cha glaring at Se-kyung. Then Psycho-jo presents the date that Se-kyung’s father got for them. It’s soon and Psycho-jo would marry now if he could.

Psycho-jo notices that the “shack” he used to play in as a kid is still there and Daddy Cha offers to show Se-kyung around.

Ooooh, shit is going to go down!

It’s a brightly lit room full of lego everything. Psycho-jo wouldn’t let his dad throw anything away or he’d disappear. He would come home late with all of the legos in his arms after searching all of the trash bins. Daddy Cha says it was love deprivation and that he was looking for a place he loved in his home. The doctor told him to tell his son he loved him every day. Daddy Cha told the doctor to go to hell because he couldn’t do something like that.

He turns to Se-kyung and asks her if she can do that for him every day and embrace him for the rest of her life and she says that she can. Then he asks if she can bury the truth about the video. She is shocked and he yells that he wants to kick her out. His son falls for it every time because he’s a fool. It drives Daddy Cha nuts that Psycho-jo will never throw her away, he’d rather die. He’d want to believe it’s not true.

As Daddy Cha goes on, he begins to look more and more defeated. Se-kyung begins to cry as Daddy Cha tells her to never reveal the truth to grant her own peace of mind. He will ruin her if she does. She tells him that she knows and that she will pay for her sins for the rest of her life.

Daddy Cha looks at her tearful face with a mix of pity and disgust.

In-hwa stews in her office, then explodes, shoving all of her stuff off of the desk. She remembers Se-kyung saying that In-hwa lost to her and Daddy Cha asking her to bury it.

Daddy Cha asks Psycho-jo to stay the night without Se-kyung. She tells Psycho-jo to do as his father says and takes her leave. Then Daddy Cha invites him for a drink. Psycho-jo smiles and tells his father why he likes Se-kyung. She has more than them and is more giving. He likes her. His father looks broken-hearted and drinks. Psycho-jo asks his father to take care of her.

He already did, kiddo. He already did.

Se-kyung tells Tommy about In-hwa and Daddy Cha and that she can really become a daughter-in-law of Royal Group; and she can keep her promise to him. It’s all up to her now.

Tommy asks if she wants to go to Paris now. Why with everything “working out?” She wonders. Tommy says he’ll pay for the cost. She is still confused and he tells her that she is no longer motivated by desire, despair and anger. On the rich side of the world, she has to see herself as a tool. Is she doing that right now? She is sincere about everything right now. If it goes wrong, what will happen to her?

Se-kyung bows her head and then asks if he’s scared she’ll fail. He sighs as she quotes from a magazine, “I don’t think about failing, it’s pointless anyway.” It was something he said back in 2009. She say she’s like him, she doesn’t think about failing.

She leaves him impressed and worried. He slumps against his desk, worrying about failing for the first time.

I have no idea what I think about what she should do. Well, yes I do. I think secrets are poison and that the truth will only make Psycho-jo stronger. He’s learned a lot, even if it was from a selfishly-motivated Se-kyung. He also has his father now. That will provide incredible stability. It will also make her feel better. That’s my two cents, for what it’s worth.

Psycho-jo tucks Daddy Cha in and daddy says he was too harsh. That’s why his mother left. She hated him, not Psycho-jo. Daddy Cha apologizes and they both begin to cry. Then Psycho-jo heads into his childhood room full of paintings, an easel and posters. He settles on the bed and texts Se-kyung with a picture of himself before going to sleep…in all of his clothes and with his lights on…

The Tick brings the briefing to Min-hyuk who is about to meet with Artemis. She reminds him that his father has high expectations. She leaves and goes to meet Tommy Hong who tells her everything about Daddy Cha and In-hwa and Daddy Cha asking her to bury it. The business pressure is a lot on In-hwa, but she also absolutely doesn’t want Se-kyung to marry Psycho-jo.

In-hwa sets her name plate back on her desk, looking evilly determined and tells Min-hyuk she’ll meet with Artemis. Tommy gets a call informing him of this and neither he nor the Tick look very happy. The Tick remembers what In-hwa said in the hall: she’s not doing this for business.

And this is a strange reaction but: HOORAY! I’m SICK of this lame-o video storyline.

The Tick says that they failed. They overlooked the fact that In-hwa is a woman (ie prideful).

Se-kyung meets with Dong-wook who congratulates her on her wedding date. He thanks her for everything she’s done for Psycho-jo and his father. She then asks how Psycho-jo was when he was abandoned by his Paris lover.

Psycho-jo is checking out the press photo of him, Psycho-jo, Chariman Robert and Daddy Cha. Secretary Moon teases him about it and then announces that In-hwa is there. He goes to meet her and apologizes formally for the broken marriage talk. She says it’s nothing, it was only between families. She’s only there to talk about real estate.

LIAR! LIAR!

They sit so she can explain the video. As Dong-wook explains what happened with Psycho-jo, In-hwa plays the video for Psycho-jo who freezes and watches with a blank expression.

Dong-wook tells Se-kyung that Psycho-jo didn’t tell him when the Tick left him. He didn’t face reality because he couldn’t live if he admitted it to himself.

“What is this?” Psycho-jo asks In-hwa. “There are two people here that look like the people that I know.”

 Comments:

Okay, so obviously Psycho-jo goes into denial, which Se-kyung is going to fret about.

Have ya’ll noticed that this show is all about little “meetings.” Nothing seems to naturally happen anymore. Everyone phone calls and then goes to a meeting to talk about secrets and stuff. There are hardly any regular activities.  Se-kyung meets with Tommy and then the Tick meets with him and then In-hwa meets with all of them…

In-hwa is doing this to save her pride and for petty revenge. This whole show has been about pride and revenge. It could’ve been cool, but everything was just so surface. And now they treat Psycho-jo as a totally incompetent nutter who won’t be able to handle this news. I can see how they set up for it. But a man that damaged usually doesn’t function too well in other parts of his life. He’s obviously a successful businessman. So while we all know he’s a loon, a loon doesn’t really function that well in ANY part of his life…

I really don’t care what Se-kyung doesn’t. She goes back and forth and up and down every four seconds. I’d prefer to be 100% wench than this wishy washy mess. I’ll admit, she is clever. So why didn’t she clever her way into a smart plan?

And Psycho-jo. He’s put Se-kyung on this mile high pedestal. He set himself up. I think if she even farts in front of him and ruins her image of perfection he’d be disappointed. So imagine the fallout from seeing the video. He’ll go bonkers, like everyone said. I just hope that he’s grown enough throughout the show to get over it. Not that any character in this show has had great development, but I can hope and pray for a little something, can’t I?

Well, off to 14 where I bet he’ll be in denial and then they break up. I just hope the family relations stay good. That’s the only solid part of the whole show. I really appreciated how mature the fathers were after the fight. Those are REAL men, men who can admit their wrongdoings.

Episodes 11, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 (final)

Character introductions.

Cheongdam-dong Alice Episode 13 Screencaps.