Lee Soon-shin is the Best: Episode 4 Recap

by: Raine

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This episode was all about Chang-hoon and I really liked seeing this side of him. And that’s all I have to say…for now…*sob*

AGB Nielson Nationwide had this episode coming in at 25.2%. Poor daddy.

episode 4 recap

I lied. There wasn’t a showdown. Chang-hoon just took his daughter by the shoulders and led her away from the fast approaching Mi-ryeong.

I really wish there had been a showdown. Oh well.

Instead, Chang-hoon and Soon-shin relocate to a park bench where he wonders why she kept everything a secret. When asked how much the debt is, Soon-shin promises to take care of it herself. She also asks her father to keep it a secret from her mother to prevent her disappointment.

In his office, Joon-ho watches Yeon-ah’s make-up CF on a billboard outside and remembers her challenge of making Soon-shin into a star. If he can’t do that, then he doesn’t have ability. If he can, Yeon-ah will go to him.

He sees Soon-shin outside meeting with her father. When In-sung comes in, Joon-ho has him send two managers to check out Soon-shin’s potential.

Mi-ryeong storms in to talk about the rumors. Joon-ho has no idea what she’s talking about and she demands to know why he hasn’t already taken care of it. He asks what the rumor is, but she can’t even say it; she just wants it taken care of.

Okay…

He asks In-sung to collect all rumors on her so he can take care of it and then tells her to calm down.

Hwang waits in front of her house and when she arrives, she greets him with a cold glare. He asks how there are rumors going around and she’s surprised he’s heard them, too. He won’t say how he heard, but he’s trying to take care of the situation.

He follows her inside, wanting to settle the rumor issue because he feels guilty and ashamed.

Well, uh, you should.

Mi-ryeong smirks and he wonders if she suspects him. He denies it and asks if she met anyone who knows about her past (i.e. Chang-hoon.) She walks upstairs and he acts like he doesn’t know who spread the rumors.

maybe he didn’t, but he sure got the reporter started, didn’t he.

Jin-wook, the baker, is being all hot and setting up his baked goods. Yeah, he makes it look hot. Woo-joo’s cellphone rings and he answers it. Woo-joo’s father immediately assumes the worst, demanding who it is and then hangs up.

Woo-joo’s dad calls Hye-shin who explains the situation but the man still blows the entire thing up. She fights with him and says they’re now strangers and not to worry about them. When has he ever cared about his daughter?

Hye-shin turns and sees her father standing right behind her, having heard enough to realize that something is seriously wrong. She admits to divorcing with her head hung low. She promises to explain everything when she’s ready. Then, she leaves to get Woo-joo’s phone and Chang-hoon is stunned with the second dose of huge news for the night.

Hye-shin visits the bakery and has her first encounter with the sexy baker. Jin-wook says that “her guy” was in a hurry. She crankily demands why he answered the phone and he replies that it was noisy.

Jin-wook is sassy. I like that. He’s also sexy. I really like that. I think Hye-shin will come to my side sometime before 46 more episodes finish.

She gives him a reward and leaves, but he doesn’t want it. He can’t figure out what to call her, ahjumma or agassi, as he chases after her to give the money back.

Aw, she still looks young and  pretty.

He chooses to call ahjumma out the door and half the women outside turn around…haha!

At the house, Hye-shin and Woo-joo’s things have arrive from Hong Kong. Yoo-shin pitches a fit about having to share a room with Soon-shin since Hye-shin won’t get her own house. When Hye-shin comes home, Yoo-shin nags her to get a house because her husband’s rich. Chang-hoon struggles to listen to it but Yoo-shin won’t stop, calling Hye-shin a princess.

Hey princess, stop bitching will ya?

Finally, Chang-hoon pulls the daddy card and tells her to shut it.

Granny comes and Yoo-shin declares that she won’t share a room with Soon-shin and storms upstairs, leaving everyone confused and Hye-shin and Chang-hoon extra hurt.

In their room, Hye-shin and Woo-joo unpack. Hye-shin is close to tears and her daughter asks after her worriedly as the tears begin to fall.

Chang-hoon sits down in his room tiredly and Jung-ae notices his mood. She says it must be difficult for adult children to share rooms. She suggests he earn more money for a bigger house and smiles thinking about Soon-shin practicing lines. She also wants to live with Hye-shin’s husband in a huge house together. Chang-hoon looks even more down and his wife goes to make him sour plum soup to make him feel better.

If you only knew…

In-sung delivers his report on Mi-ryeong’s rumors to Joon-ho. They say that her education and her resume is fake. Her family history is fake and she grew up in an orphanage. She also had a child in her wild youth.

This news doesn’t sit well Joon-ho who immediately calls for a meeting with the reporter spreading the rumors.

In the cafe, the two managers not-so-stealthily watch and photograph Soon-shin serve all while pretending not to be not-so-stealthily watching and photographing her. She starts to catch on and she asks Mr. Waiter what they’re doing. He reminds her about rule number 2 and she sullenly walks away.

Then the two managers call her over with big smiles. They claim terrible eyesight and ask her to loudly read some tongue twisters out loud, which totally twist her tongue. She sucks at them.

I suck at them, too. Guess I won’t ever be an actress…

They urge her to read even faster and even louder. When she finally gets annoyed and says “forget it” they look disappointed.

Yoo-shin heads to the clinic to get refunds on her treatments and to cancel the other treatments. Of course, she wants a refund on a free treatment and on a coupon, which she can’t have. The receptionist says that she can exchange it for a different treatment, but Yoo-shin doesn’t want that either. She doesn’t like the doctor, which shocks the receptionist because he’s the most popular doctor in the hospital.

And then she spots him, Chan-woo, down the hall and runs away, but not before grabbing and donning a face mask and sunglasses. She sits in a line of women wearing face masks and sunglasses reading magazines. Chan-woo searches the line for her and almost finds her, but is called away by the receptionist.

Yoo-shin heads to work where he subordinate hands her a report and then notices how completely awesome her skin looks today. Did she get any treatments? Although pleased, Yoo-shin denies it and then secretly glows.

I see more visits for skin care in her future.

She gets a call from Chan-woo about the refund. She denies it and he bets that she’s embarrassed. Then he asks how Soon-shin is. when Yoo-shin doesn’t know what he’s talking about, he wisely realizes that Soon-shin hasn’t told her and quickly hangs up.

I really enjoy them together. He makes her a total blustering idiot, which she totally needs. I just like that each sister gets a love story and that they all connect nicely. I want more sexy baker…and sexy Jo Jung-seok…singing sexily….wow, I know. I know. I need to stop.

Moving on.

Jung-ae visits Gil-ja’s restaurant on her way to bring Soon-shin some snacks at the acting academy. She brought some for Gil-ja’s family, but Gil-ja doesn’t thank her. Instead, she tells her not to bother a student at school, trying to protect Jung-ae from heartache. She also tells her to stop spending money on other families and save it for herself.

Aw, Gil-ja, so sweet worrying, but this ain’t how you go about keeping a secret.

Gil-ja asks Jung-ae to sell the pastries to her and not to expect too much from Soon-shin. Jung-ae is insulted by this and my heart breaks for her. She says buying pastries like this is nothing because they already got the deposit, which makes Gil-ja explode.

What deposit? she demands, which shocks the the hell out of Jung-ae. Gil-ja can’t keep it in any longer and tells Jung-ae that she’s been conned.

Jung-ae goes to the cafe and sees that it’s true: Soon-shin is working to pay of the debt. Her mother’s face falls as she watches Soon-shin work. Gil-ja told her everything. Chan-mi recommended her at work and Soon-shin is probably terrified all alone.

After work, Soon-shin comes home to find her mother sitting despondently at the table. Jung-ae asks how the academy was and what she learned. Soon-shin fakes a lesson and gets hit. Jung-ae demands to know how long Soon-shin plans to hide the secret and then takes all the blame on herself, saying she was too greedy.

Soon-shin disagrees as her mother apologizes while crying. Soon-shin thinks that her uselessness is the problem. When her father comes in, she storms away.

He follows her to her room and tells her that it’s all okay. It’s not her fault or her mother’s fault. It’s the conman’s fault. Soon-shin tells him not to waste his time consoling her. She’s a fool and she knows it. Only a fool would be conned by a man like that. She feels sorry for him and tells him that he should’ve only had two daughters.

Chang-hoon is hurt by her words and by her pain. He doesn’t care if she was conned – to him she’s awesome. She tells him to stop lying. She also wonders if he told Jung-ae because he didn’t think Soon-shin could do it herself.

Aw, this kid is really down on herself.

Before he can tell her that he didn’t, she leaves sobbing.

Chan-mi yells at her mom for spilling the beans and I want to beat her for telling her family in the first place. You can’t expect a mother not to tell another mother. Chan-woo comes in and asks where Soon-shin works so he can go comfort her. His father, Bok-man, thinks it’s a great idea but Gil-ja doesn’t and they start fussing.

Chang-hoon goes to comfort his wife making me why I didn’t like him in the first place. He’s in this episode so much, I’m getting suspicious.

Jung-ae immediately says they need to pay back the debt right away because the interest is so high. She asks him to get a loan from his company, which he agrees to. Then she starts in on herself, calling herself stupid and reckless. Chang-hoon comforts her and laughs as she gets down on herself.

He tells her they lived well until now and takes her hands. He tells her she’s lived well and is a great mother. The kids are grown and it’s their to watch over them. Jung-ae still hopes the kids will live well and Chang-hoon jokes that he used to always be able to make her smile. When did she get so stingy? He sticks his tongue out at her and finally makes her laugh.

Aw, daddy! Don’t be likeable!

Chang-hoon promises to make her smile every day, touches her face and pulls her to him for a hug.

Awwww.

Soo-jung has baked cookies and offers Joon-ho one. But he’s come to ask her about Mi-ryeong. Didn’t they go to the same university (according to In-sung’s earlier report, it was Myeong Moon Women’s University). Soo-jung says that everyone knows she’s from Ewha.

Not knowing much about Korean education, I googled these. I got that Ewha is actually a university. But Myeong Moon…the only thing I found is a link to a reverand… In any case, Soo-jung’s comment throws Joon-ho for a loop.

Dong-hyuk comes in and scold’s Joon-ho for screwing up the date with Chairman Choi’s daughter and Soo-jung yells at him, too. Dong-hyuk says that the girl got ill after meeting him. Joon-ho ungracefully bows out of the conversation by grabbing his stomach and running off to the bathroom.

Soo-jung asks her husband if Choi’s daughter is the “wide-faced” one who needs to fix her face before going on dates. Her husband yells at her, telling her it’s her fault that their son is like this.

Chairman Choi calls and they make plans to meet the next day. Dong-hyuk asks after the daughter and apologizes, lying that Joon-ho feels bad.

Granny and Chang-hoon are gardening and having a good time. He jokes about not being around to help her and she tells him to shove it.

I also really dislike that joke.

Soon-shin leaves without greeting them and Granny comments on her rudeness.

Granny and Chang-hoon head inside and they run into Hye-shin and Woo-joo who are heading off to school. He tells Hye-shin to talk when she’s ready. He’ll wait until she’s ready.

Aw, you know all this nice daddy time is leading up to what I don’t want to think about.

At work, Soon-shin keeps sighing and it’s really bugging Mr. Waiter. He tells Young-hoon that’s “it” has finally started: Soon-shin is falling in love with him. Mr. Waiter bemoans his popularity. He doesn’t know why all newcomers are like that and he wishes she wouldn’t be attracted to him. Young-hoon listens with mild amusement.

Soon-shin takes a short break to text her father that she’s sorry, but she doesn’t have the guts to send it.

But she doesn’t have to, her father has come across the new bakery and goes in looking for a cake.

Yay! More Jin-wook. Heh…I don’t know why I find him so attractive.

Chang-hoon adorably chooses a cake and then texts Soon-shin to invite her on a father/daughter date, which she happily agrees to. He will pick her up at work later.

I have a bad, bad feeling. Go away. Go away bad feeling.

In-sung delivers the manager’s evaluations of Soon-shin, but Joon-ho is focused on meeting the reporter who is writing the bad reports of Mi-ryeong. The reporter is avoiding him, but Joon-ho orders him found immediately.

When In-sung leaves, Joon-ho calls Mi-ryeong to confirm that the rumors aren’t true. She doesn’t answer at first and then asks if he’s doubting her. He tells her to forget it, but I have another bad feeling that they are true.

She’s a liar McLiarface.

Joon-ho waits outside a swanky restaurant where the reporter’s boss has just finished a meal with…Choi Yeon-ah. She’s settled everything with him. The boss will treat everything as though it hadn’t happened and says Reporter Park tends to be very ambitious.

You sneaky, sneaky bitch! You’re trying to one up him, aren’t you? I bet you spread the rumors so you could quash them!

She sends him off and Joon-ho look dejected while she smiles gloatingly. He asks what this was all about and she says that if she’d left it up to him, the entire situation would’ve blown up. She says the boss wouldn’t listen to Joon-ho who is a fledgling, just as she expected.

Yeon-ah tells him not to feel to hurt because she’s better than him in such things. She tells him to tell Mi-ryeong that he solved it. He angrily asks if she finds him funny and she says he has a strange way of thanking her.

Wow, she enjoys stepping on him. No wonder he has no confidence. She steps on him. Yoo-shin steps on Soon-shin. Bitches, the lot of them!

Joon-ho goes back to his office where In-sung is overjoyed that everything is settled. Joon-ho glares at him and then spots the manager’s evaluation of Soon-shin, which is awful. She gets low marks in everything, 0s and 1s out of 10. But Joon-ho says it’s perfect. This is the standard he needs to stand up to arrogant, horrible, mean, worthless Yeon-ah.

In-sung is baffled when Joon-ho orders a contract drawn up and swears that he’ll show Yeon-ah. The poor assistant offers to bring his seemingly delusional boss a glass of ice water. He thinks Joon-ho’s a little nuts because of everything going on with Mi-ryeong.

Joon-ho heads down to the cafe and spots Soon-shin’s poster. He rips it off the door, not wanting his name and the bad likeness of him in public. He calls to and then is ignored by Soon-shin. He almost crashes into the door and then approaches her. He musters up some courage and asks if she’s ever thought of being an actress. She turns slowly and glares at him.

She’s heard this one before, huh?

Then she sees the crumpled poster in his hand and thinks he’s making fun of her. He has no idea why she’s pissed and thinks it’s because she doesn’t know who he is.

Well, she actually doesn’t, which is keeping us, the audience, on tenterhooks.

She doesn’t care to know and he tries to hand her his card, but she slaps the case shut and walks away.

@#$%#^#$%@#$ Foiled again! If this had been 16 episodes, she would’ve found out by like episode 2. Show, you tease. You tease. You better be delivering some satisfaction soon.

Mi-ryeong is drinking and Hwang tries to stop her, saying that everything is over. She says it won’t end, not even if she dies. She wonders who told and Hwang denies it.

I tend to believe him. That’s too easy for us to figure out.

She kicks him out and Hwang tries to calm himself.

Soon-shin hangs up the ripped and crumpled poster back on the door and remembers Joon-ho’s question: Have you ever thought of becoming an actress? She huffs angrily at the memory.

Young-hoon invites Soon-shin out to drink with the staff; it will also be her welcome party. She is confused and Mr. Waiter immediately thinks it’s because she’s so happy to be with him. She hesitantly says that she has a prior engagement and Mr. Waiter storms over to call her disobedient.

You just want your imagination to stroke your ego.

Young-hoon asks if she’s going on a date and Soon-shin agrees. Mr. Waiter scoffs, thinking she’s a two timer.

On his way to meet Soon-shin, Chang-hoon gets a call from Mi-ryeong to meet. He meets her at the fancy club/spa where Dong-hyuk is also a member. Dong-hyuk is, oh-so-coincidentally, playing pool with some colleagues/friends. He excuses himself to go to the bathroom and happens to see Mi-ryeong meeting Chang-hoon.

I wonder if he also knows Chang-hoon or is suspicious that she is meeting yet another man and being a skank.

Chang-hoon wonders how she got his number. They make small talk. She asks about his mother and bets she’s still finicky.

They really did know each other, huh?

She wants some more to drink and he can tell she’s already had some. He wants to leave soon because he has a prior appointment. He says she hasn’t changed, but that he really has to leave. Mi-ryeong thinks it’s because he feels uncomfortable.

At home, Granny notes that Jung-ae scowling so much for someone who was so recently happy. Granny says just meeting a good husband is a good life.

Ack, there you go again. Stop mentioning him. Bad things will happen. Like what the show was billed for. You know, the dad…I can’t say it…I can’t…

Jung-ae says her life is good. Strong working husband, grown children. Granny thinks that he doesn’t look good and wonders what it is. In any case, he has an appointment so will be back late.

Back to Mi-ryeong who tells Chang-hoon to at least raise a drink that she’s poured because it’s an honor. Finally, she gets to the point and asks if he met any reporters. He’d super confused and she says that someone leaked her past. He’s the only one who knew and he should clean it up if he leaked it.

Surprised, he says her real name, “Kyeong-sook.” She asks rudely who that is. He tells her that he doesn’t have time to listen to this. He has to keep his appointment.

She stops him by calling his name and he angrily asks what shames her so much that she needs to hide it. What is she so afraid to lose? What she’s really curious about is her daghter and about how she’s living. Or is she?

This makes her furious. (Really pretty cello solo at this part!) The reaction makes him realize he doesn’t want to be around her anymore and he leaves yelling. She’s huffing and puffing and really worked up. She runs after him and stops him by the arm. She demands to know if it was him who told.

He pushes her aside to cross the street and she chases blindly after him. A car speeds towards her and Chang-hoon pushes her out of the way, getting hit in her stead.

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! YOU WHINY @$#%@#^$%^&#$%@#$%@#$^#$%^#$%^@#$% You got him killed!!!!! YOU!!!!!!

And then…and then…Soon-shin is calling her daddy who is late for their date….

…no…

…*sob*…

Comments:

When I was watching this the first time, I just knew that he was kicking the bucket this episode. Or, the bucket kicked him. The bucket named selfish Song Mi-ryeong.

I know. I know. It’s not REALLY her fault. And I know the catalyst for Soon-shin becoming a top star is this death. But I got attached…*WAH*

There were just so many unfulfilled promises, and too much daddy time for it not to happen. But this really does make each character really reel from the death. Especially Soon-shin who is going to take the blame on herself I bet.

I’m really not liking Mi-ryeong’s character at all. She seems like a catalyst character rather than standing on her own. I hope they develop her more.

I also only like seeing Yoo-shin when she’s with Chan-woo and getting pwned. She really needs to realize her attitude isn’t cool. She’s not malicious like Yeon-ah though. Or maybe I just have this huge Yoo In-nah thing. Or I know that she and IU are close. I dunno. But I’m looking forward to her development. I don’t know why I’m not SUPREMELY annoyed with Yoo-shin’s attitude. Maybe ’cause I see her as redeemable. But Yeon-ah, that kind of cruelty is NOT cool.

This episode also emphasized the insecurities of our mains. Joon-ho is just constantly trying to prove himself to his father and Yeon-ah. I love seeing him bumble because it’s funny, but I hate the cause of it. Picking away at a person is inhumane. The same thing happens to Soon-shin. She copes differently than the blustering arrogance of Joon-ho. She tries hard to please, stay out of the way and smiles her way through things. Only with Joon-ho does she allow herself to defend herself. I think that’s good. She doesn’t feel he’s important in her life, which is how it needs to be. That’s the best way for him to be able to affect her. From the outside in. The people who hurt her most are those on the inside.

Let’s bring her out of herself and away from that insecurity!

Lastly, I love the family drama setup. Why didn’t I start sooner? I love seeing different families and three different love lines for the sisters. I love seeing the parents’ friendships. I also like the slower development of the individual storylines. We get some juicy stuff.

I anticipate angst and tears next episode. I got my tissue box out. *sob*

Episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Character introductions.

Lee Soon-shin is the Best: Episode 4 Screencaps.