Lee Soon-shin is the Best: Episode 22 Recap

by: Raine

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Oh the agony! Oh the tears! Truths are leaking left and right. Joon-ho is finally starting to see beyond himself and thinking of another person. The same goes for Jung-ae who has been driving me (and I’m sure all of you) crazy for the past ten+ episodes. It’s a kind of transition episode. We’re moving from the contract that used Soon-shin to Soon-shin really going towards her own future herself. And as for the other romances, they’re starting to move a bit.

AGB Nielson Nationwide had this episode coming in at 29.5%.

episode 22 recap

It’s time for mommy showdown number 1,322,456. Yes, we’ve had many supposed mommy showdowns before. Is this one for real?

Well…Jung-ae asks Mi-ryeong why she’s in front of her house and Mi-ryeong walks away.

FAKEOUT!

Sort of. Jung-ae remembers what Bok-man told her about Kyung-sook looking for her daughter and chases after the drunk actress. She demands to know why Mi-ryeong showed up; is it because of Soon-shin? Why would Mi-ryeong need to see Jung-ae’s daughter? Huh?

Mi-ryeong snootily says she doesn’t want to see Soon-shin. The girl is Jung-ae’s child and has nothing to do with her. In fact, the real reason she came was to tell Jung-ae that she doesn’t ever want to see Soon-shin again. The family should live as before.

Jung-ae, armed with the knowledge of the truth and indignity, ferociously agrees: Soon-shin is her child. She raised her. She doesn’t want to see Mi-ryeong again and Mi-ryeong obliges her by walking away.

Hye-shin sees the tail end of the conversation and asks if the other woman is Mi-ryeong. Jung-ae denies it, but Hye-shin ain’t no fool.

I know I’m still furious at Jung-ae, but I do like that her reason is coming back to her and guilt is starting to eat at her. She’s defending Soon-shin and is truly appalled at how Mi-ryeong is throwing her child away. I’m still waiting for an apology from her to Soon-shin, though.

Mi-ryeong drinks and broods like a loser. Hwang enters and takes the liquor bottle from her hand, then sits to inform Mi-ryeong that he hired a guy to tail Reporter Park. Park probably doesn’t yet know about Soon-shin, but Hwang is more worried about Soon-shin’s family. If they keep quiet, Mi-ryeong’s reputation will be safe – should he meet with them? Drunk Mi-ryeong denies having a daughter or ever having had abandoned her. She breaks down though, and wonders if she should apologize to Soon-shin. She didn’t want to be poor so she abandoned her daughter.

Mi-ryeong starts to freak out. She doesn’t know what to do. She abandoned her past to become who she is now.

Yeah, but it’s catching up to you, ain’t it?

Jung-ae tucks a sleeping Soon-shin in and watches her sleep a bit. She wonders if Soono-shin was attached to Mi-ryeong because she is her biological mother.

And, y’know, she was the first to have faith in her…

At breakfast, Granny stares holes into Soon-shin’s face. Yoo-shin calls her on it and Woo-joo wonders if Soon-shin made trouble again. She denies it and Jung-ae looks troubled.

YOU SHOULD BE! LIAR!

Granny confronts Jung-ae about Soon-shin being Chang-hoon’s biological daughter. She couldn’t sleep because she kept wondering who the biological mother is. Jung-ae, however, doesn’t want to talk about it and regrets even telling Granny at all. Soon-shin comes out to leave for work and Granny is unusually doting, unnerving Soon-shin, and me.

Although Mi-ryeong drank a lot the night before, she’s up and ready for the day. She warns Hwang that Reporter Park must be stopped or that’s the end of Hwang.

It’s Yi-jung’s birthday and Dong-hyuk didn’t remember. In fact, he says he’s too busy to remember. Joon-ho coldly says he’s too busy to come home for her birthday dinner.

Okay, I don’t like Yi-jung, but that’s just mean. On both their parts. I know Joon-ho isn’t happy at home and doesn’t much like his sister either, but come on. You’re the oppa.

Yi-jung asks for a new car for her birthday, but Dong-hyuk ACTUALLY has a present for her. He lied! So it’s Joon-ho who needs to shape up. Both Soo-jung and Yi-jung are surprised that Dong-hyuk has a gift for her and therefore remembers her birthday.

Joon-ho leaves for work and when Yi-jung asks for a birthday present he asks, “Why were you born?” earning looks from everyone else. He tells her to reflect on her bad behavior.

I’m going to smack his pretty face. What a jerk. I hope Soon-shin makes him be nice to his sister.

At work, Joon-ho peeks into a practice room and sees Soon-shin practicing. He grins and approaches her to scold her in teh only way he knows how to communicate with her. When he taps her shoulder, it turns out to be a different trainee.

Aw, he misses her. But she needs time away from you and the whole deception and broken dream. I want them together, but, it cannot be…yet…

In his office, Joon-ho checks out all of Soon-shin’s exercise photos and wonders why she doesn’t contact him, although he’s not REALLY curious. Despite how much you supported her, you know why she’s not fond of you right now.

Joon-ho goes to the restaurant and is literally blocked by Mr. Waiter playing defense for Soon-shin. He asks Joon-ho to come another time as per Young-hoon’s instructions: do not let Joon-ho in the restaurant. Joon-ho tries to push past him, but is stopped by Young-hoon who ushers him outside for a lecture.

Young-hoon asks if he’s trying to make a contract with Soon-shin and Joon-ho immediately latches onto that as a hope: does she want to make another contract.

Pfffft. He is such a fool.

Young-hoon warns Joon-ho not to bother Soon-shin who has nothing to do with him anymore. Joon-ho declares he’s not done with her yet and Young-hoon figures it out: Do you like her? Young-hoon tells him not to shake her up just because of his feelings and leaves Joon-ho outside, being an emotional idiot.

Hye-shin is buying some sweets for Woo-joo and sexy baker Jin-wook’s assistant is ringing her up. Jin-wook can’t have that and shoves his assistant away to ring her up himself. She compliments his baking and he flirts like an adorable idiot. His assistant makes faces behind him. Hehe.

Jin-wook brings her two trays of ‘on-the-house’ pastries, one tray of which is shaped like hearts. He denies that they mean he likes her as a woman…they mean he likes her as a customer. He puts two trays of sweets into a bag for her as she tries to refuse. It’s too much. His assistant thinks so, too.

When she leaves, Jin-wook scolds himself for making heart-shaped bread. When his assistant asks if he likes her, Jin-wook immediately agrees and then comes to his senses and denies it with a fierce look on his face. Assistant thinks he does and Jin-wook slaps the offending mouth four times for uttering…the truth? And for calling her ahjumma. Hehe.

Assistant wonders where all of Jin-wook’s charisma went. He had so much…in jail. He rags on him a bit more until Jin-wook threatens to show him what kind of charisma he has. A fearful assistant suggests he keep making heart-shaped bread. Then he runs away. Heh.

When Hye-shin comes home, a preoccupied Granny asks her if she’s heard anything about Soon-shin’s real mother. Hye-shin is confused so Granny tells her to forget it.

This is pissing me off. They need to stop keeping secrets.

Hye-shin goes digging around Jung-ae’s closet and finds the bag with the red scarf. She is immediately caught by Jung-ae. Hye-shin works up the courage to ask if the woman from last night,  Mi-ryeong, and Soon-shin have a relationship. They have to – Jung-ae has been acting too strangely. Hye-shin ventures to ask if Soon-shin is Chang-hoon’s daughter. Jung-ae denies it and Hye-shin freaks out. Then why won’t Jung-ae tell her who Soon-shin’s parents are? Why is she so obsessed with the red scarf?

A stunned Jung-ae admits that Soon-shin is Chang-hoon and Mi-ryeong’s child. SHOCK.

Mi-ryeong is on set and not doing a great job. The director gives the cast and crew a ten minute break during which she receives an invitation from Soo-jung to come over for dinner that night. Soo-jung doesn’t give Mi-ryeong a chance to refuse.

Yi-jung comes in to show off the ugliest dress ever. Apparently Soo-jung bought it for her birthday. Yi-jung worries that her father’s birthday present is a ticket back to the U.S.

It’s not. We see what it is next scene: Dong-hyuk invites Chan-woo for dinner that night, which he is obliged to accept.

Aw, daddy is trying. I don’t like them forcing Chan-woo, but I like daddy thinking about his child.

Joon-ho is spying over the gates of Soon-shin’s house and gets caught by the resident guard dog: Jin-wook. He pulls Joon-ho away from the gate who explains that he’s not being creepy. He’s there to see someone who lives there. Jin-wook wants to know who he wants to see and he and Joon-ho get a little confrontational. Then Soon-shin come out and Joon-ho runs over to her. When Jin-wook asks if she knows him, Soon-shin pointedly glances away from Joon-ho and says, “No.” HA! Jin-wook revels in the minor victory and stops Joon-ho from following her, threatening to beat Joon-ho up if he hangs around.

Hehe, guard puppy baker boy!

Joon-ho follows Soon-shin who is heading to the mineral spring…up the mountain that he had a hard time climbing. YES! He gets her to stop and she asks why he’s there. He says he was on the way to have sundaeguk from last time and stopped to see her. He wonders if she watched the video and she pretends to be too busy to watch.

Yeah, she’s still not happy with you. Keep trying. I like watching you try and her shutting you down. As long as it doesn’t last forever.

Joon-ho invites her for sundaeguk, saying he has a horrible sense of direction and doesn’t remember where it is. Aw, puppy! Keep trying! She tells him to look it up on the internet and leaves him, even when he tells her he doesn’t want to eat alone. AWWW!

I totally get her, but it still is so sad. I like this kinda torture, though!

He decides he’s thirsty for mineral water and bolts up the steps past her. I wonder how long that is going to last.

Not very long. Hehe. I love his continued wimpiness. He is exhausted and even hangs on a random hiker to ask if the spring is far. While he’s being pathetic, Soon-shin passes him. Breathlessly, he calls for her to stop and she does. He says he saw a sundaeguk place on the way up and wants to go there. She refuses and he offers rice wine. She says she doesn’t want to and leaves him. He mutters that she is mean and all she has to do is plug in the USB.

I love that he mutters and complains about her behavior, but he truly does understand her and he’s choosing to follow her and win her over again. He’s going outside of himself to help another person. He has wallowed too long in his ‘revenge’ and self-pity. This is really good for him. He sees how much she loved acting and is hurting for her because she had to quit.

Mi-ryeong shows up at Yi-jung’s for dinner and is informed it is Yi-jung’s birthday. Two seconds later, Yi-jung and Soo-jung are floored by Chan-woo’s arrival with Dong-hyuk. Introductions are made, Yi-jung looks all dazzed and Chan-woo is super awwkard while Soo-jung flips out over his arrival.

Dinner is a magnificent affair. Mi-ryeong indulges in wine and Chan-woo tries not to run away when Soo-jung says that he and Yi-jung look good together. Mi-ryeong catches the drift right quick and wryly comments that she feels out of place. Soo-jung ignores the comment and instead notes that Mi-ryeong looks very ill. That’s why she invited her for dinner. A person needs someone to eat with – it reduces stress.

That is true. Mi-ryeong is alone save for her ahjumma housekeeper and that shifty Hwang fellow.

Hye-shin calls Yoo-shin to get chicken on the way home and Yoo-shin flips out. She checks out her appearance in a storefront and notices her short shorts. She remembers Gil-ja ahjummas lecture and buys conservative clothing before going to buy the chicken. She’s adorable as she faces Gil-ja, hoping to make a good impression. She tries to help Gil-ja with a tray of dishes, but Gil-ja won’t relinquish it and the tray crashes to the ground. Yoo-shin gets yelled at…again.

Bok-man tells Gil-ja to stop yelling and Yoo-shin shyly, embarrassedly, orders chicken. Gil-ja continues to scold her for doing things she’s never done before. Bok-man has her sit and she overhears Gil-ja and Bok-man talking about Chan-woo eating at his boss’s house. Gil-ja says that all Chan-woo needs is to get married to a woman who will stay home and take care of him. That incenses career woman Yoo-shin who says not all women are like that.

And then…Gil-ja makes fun of her “outdated” skirt and tells her to dress like a career woman. HAHAHAHA! The ahjumma is making fun of the ahjumma skirt. When Chan-mi comes in, Gil-ja points out the skirt and they both make fun of her. So Yoo-shin leaves without the chicken and in an angry huff. She wonders why she’s doing this for Chan-woo.

Aw, poor kid is trying! But it’s so much fun to watch her get a piece of hers.

Mi-ryeong is drinking a lot and Soo-jung worries after her, telling her to get married  and have a family so she won’t be lonely. Yi-jung says that Mi-ryeong is too old to have a baby, but Soo-jung cites awesome modern medicine. Mi-ryeong thinks about her 25-year-old child that she’s been trying to forget. Soo-jung thinks a child will solve all her problems and proposes adoption.

Drunk Mi-ryeong now inserts her foot into her mouth. She tells Soo-jung she doesn’t deserve to talk about children. Yi-jung became the way she is (spoiled) because of Soo-jung’s over protection. Soo-jung is always cleaning up Yi-jung’s messes so why should she talk to Mi-ryeong about children. Soo-jung is shocked and asks if she’s drunk. Mi-ryeong says that she is and that’s why she can be honest. She even asks Dong-hyuk if kids are the best thing that ever happened to him. She tells them to be honest, they’re showing off their family to make her jealous. But why should she be jealous? She rises to leave, ready to fall over. Dong-hyuk walks her outside.

He asks her if something bad happened to her today.

Uh, yeah. Her daughter came back and she is seriously jealous of the family she couldn’t have.

Mi-ryeong starts to cry that life is hard and asks why these bad things are happening to her. Dong-hyuk watches her with pity and then hands her off to Hwang who shows up to retrieve the drunk, sobbing actress.

Joon-ho comes home just after Mi-ryeong leaves and catches his father watching Mi-ryeong leave. When he goes inside, Chan-woo is beginning his leave from the very awkward situation. Joon-ho and Chan-woo meet with some surprise and Chan-woo says his girlfriend wants to meet him and he has to leave. He hurries away, leaving everyone surprised and full of their own thoughts.

Joon-ho chases after him, thinking that his girlfriend is Soon-shin. Why did Chan-woo comes if he has a girlfriend? He gives him advice: be clear about his romantic position. Chan-woo says he’s not interested in Yi-jung, but Joon-ho points out that he’s talking about Soon-shin, which throws Chan-woo off. Don’t hurt her feelings, he warns and walks away, wondering why Soon-shin likes “that bastard”. Chan-woo is left stunned.

Hwang walks Mi-ryeong to the sofa and wonders if she can handle her busy schedule the next day. Yeon-ah calls and immediately can tell Mi-ryeong is drunk off her ass. She reminds her “mom” about their interview the next day. She calls Yeon-ah “daughter” and laughs mirthlessly. Then passes out. Hwang tells her to call tomorrow and watches the hopeless actress with concern.

Hye-shin brings up Soon-shin’s issue, but Jung-ae doesn’t want to talk about it. She says she’s even uncomfortable seeing Soon-shin so she can only imagine that Jung-ae must be very uncomfortable.

Guh, hidden truths. Annnnnnoooooyyyyyyying.

Jung-ae says it’s not Soon-shin’s fault and that she’s realized she did something she shouldn’t have to her; she was too cruel. When she found out she hated her, then she felt bad for her and then she was scared that Mi-ryeong would take Soon-shin away. Hye-shin sobs that her mother should’ve told her that so she could’ve helped her bear it.  She apologizes for not realizing something was wrong with her mom, but Jung-ae says it was her fault for being immature. She hated Soon-shin getting close to Mi-ryeong and was scared she’d find out the truth. She forces Hye-shin to promise to take the secret to the grave and to not be mean to Soon-shin.

Guh, SECRETS! RAWR!

The interview with Mi-ryeong and Yeon-ah is at the restaurant Soon-shin works at. Hwang tried to change the location, but Mi-ryeong said it was okay. Probably because she wanted to see Soon-shin. The interviewer says that they look like mother and daughter and Mi-ryeong compliments Yeon-ah as the best daughter. Then she stares at Soon-shin as the interviewer asks if she ever wanted a real daughter. The verbal answer is “no”; the real answer is “yes”. She keeps staring at Soon-shin.

The interview keeps going, but Mi-ryeong zones out. The interviewer calls for a break and takes a phone call. Yeon-ah beckons Soon-shin over to ask if she’s still clinging to something. When Soon-shin responds with confusion, Yeon-ah just orders waters and medicine for “her mom”.

When Soon-shin leaves, Yeon-ah says that people like her don’t’ have pride – she is still working here after the bet. She pities her and wonders why she lives like that.

Soon-shin returns with the warm water and Yeon-ah complains about the “warm water”. Soon-shin can feel the attitude dripping from Yeon-ah’s tone and attitude and asks if she wants “hot water” instead. Yeon-ah picks up on her attitude and wonders if she has something against her. Soon-shin suggests that it is Yeon-ah who has something against her. Does she have something to say?

Mi-ryeong tries to stop Yeon-ah, but she wants to be a bitch. She asks Soon-shin if she has any pride. Why is she still hanging around here? Soon-shin rolls her eyes and scoffs. Then she lays it down in the badass Soon-shin style I loved at the beginning, “You’re the one who made a bet over a person and played her. Aren’t you supposed to feel sorry for me. I’m the one who should be upset?”

Yeon-ah is insulted rather than feeling guilty but it goes no further because the reporter returns. Yeon-ah pretends to only be asking Soon-shin for medicine for Mi-ryeong and despite Mi-ryeong’s protests, Soon-shin goes to get it.

After the interview, Yeon-ah leaves first after fawning over her “mother”. Mi-ryeong calls Hwang to pick her up and takes out her script to review while she waits. But she feels very ill and when Soon-shin comes back with the medicine she quickly leaves, in pain and very confused. She forgets the script and Soon-shin goes out to bring it to her. Only she finds Mi-ryeong doubled over in paid. She calls a taxi to take them to the hospital, fretting over and encouraging Mi-ryeong the whole time.

Soon-shin stands worriedly over the bed as the doctors check Mi-ryeong. When Mi-ryeong rolls over and sees Soon-shin, she yells at her to leave. A shocked and hurt Soon-shin leaves, passing Hwang and Yeon-ah on the way out, feeling hurt and injusticed – again.

Yeon-ah sits by Mi-ryeong’s bed, worried. She postponed her filming because she was so frightened for her surrogate mother. But the mother is thinking about Soon-shin.

Soon-shin  tries to gether her thoughts outside and then realizes she still has Mi-ryeong’s script. She says that she has no self-respect and leaves the script on the bench, but she can’t do that to Mi-ryeong even though Mi-ryeong has been horrible ot her.

Mi-ryeong knows it and is having some serious emotional turmoil in the hospital bed. She sends Yeon-ah on a bogus errand and then escapes to find Soon-shin, who she meets coming back into the lobby to return the script.

Comments:

I forgot how much I missed badass Soon-shin until she came back against Yeon-ah. That was what made Joon-ho take notice of her before, her awesome attitude that took no crap. I liked seeing her come back. This Soon-shin was what got Joon-ho to start standing up to Yeon-ah in the first place. So maybe he can start to make some changes in himself in his life because of this. Also, I hope she keeps it for herself so she won’t get bullied and pushed around anymore.

And I’ll say it again, if you put this much Mi-ryeong in an episode, make me like her first. I pity her, um, not at all. I do like the mother/daughter relationship she forged with Yeon-ah – two lonely souls coming together. But then, with Soon-shin in the picture, it will make for bio daughter versus fake daughter battle fodder. I.E. another reason for Yeon-ah to hate Soon-shin. She “stole” Joon-ho and her “mother”. But if Mi-ryeong was for real about Yeon-ah, she won’t drop the girl like a hot potato…or will she? The woman hasn’t exactly proven herself mother of the year. That said, I’m not sure what she’ll do about Soon-shin. Probably try to make some connection and then chicken out. I mean she DID abandon a helpless baby for money and fame…

I’m glad to see Jung-ae realize what she’s done. Unfortunately she’s making another bad decision in regards to keeping the truth from Soon-shin, but it’s a drama. Whatcha gonna do? I still want her to apologize to Soon-shin so she’s not carrying the weight of guilt around. And her family treats her like all the strife was her fault. It wasn’t.

I like that we finally are getting some meat to Young-hoon’s character. He obviously likes soon-shin and is protecting her. He’s no longer the perpetually smiling support, but is actually going out on a limb to help her. Still,  I want even more to him.

Sexy baker Jin-wook and Hye-shin are so cute and awkward. Especially him. I can’t wait for his prison time to come into play. And his assistant, I wonder if they were in jail together Is the assistant a less-hot satori-speaking version of Kim Bum’s Gook-soo? And I like that he caters to Hye-shin. She needs it after being used and abused by her asshole ex.

Yoo-shin. Let me count the ways, the oh-so-many ways, that I love her character finally putting out for someone else. She’s trying with Chan-woo’s mother, the insufferable, loud-mouthed, gossiping Gil-ja. I hate Gil-ja’s bias, but it’s just one more retarded mom we have to deal with. And right now, I like seeing Yoo-shin work a little.

Speaking of, Joon-ho working for Soon-shin’s affections and trust and her dream, I LOVE IT! I want some more groveling. It needs to happen. He needs to learn what it’s like to try on someone else’s behalf purely for their sake and she needs to feel someone doing that for her. She’s been neglected, put down and used her whole life. She needs to be shown care free from any guise. Although Joon-ho was sincere before, he had the weight of the bet hanging over him. Now it’s  a pure intention and I hope it eventually shows. For now, I LOVE THE GROVELING!

Episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22

Character introductions.