Shin-woo has been remarkably perceptive, and we sense he knows more than he’s letting on. Jeremy, on the other hand, is cheerfully oblivious. He wonders what Shin-woo’s thinking about, and Shin-woo replies that Jeremy should figure it out himself, although he doubts that that’s possible since he’s so dense.
To prove that point, Jeremy brings up how strange Mi-nam is — first, he’s weirdly sensitive and even cried after Tae-kyung left the house. On top of that, he’s too soft and smooth: “It makes me feel bad.” Jeremy sees that Shin-woo doesn’t share his opinion, and comments that he must like Mi-nam. After all, he took care of him the night of the party.
This leads us to a flashback, when Shin-woo had helped Mi-nam out of the party. He’d looked closely at Mi-nyeo’s face, and as he held her, he’d started to sense the truth — that Mi-nyeo is really a girl.
Jeremy: “You must be enjoying hanging around with that girly guy.”
Shin-woo: “I’ll have fun watching for now.”
Jeremy doesn’t get that he means he’s going to enjoy her antics posing as a guy, and shrugs off the comment.
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Mi-nyeo is thrown another hurdle when Sung-chan announces that Mi-nam will be making his stage debut at the Asia Music Festival, which is in two weeks. Hoon-yi and the stylist (who’s a good friend of Hoon-yi and knows the truth) both protest, saying Mi-nam isn’t ready yet, but Sung-chan is eager to strike while the iron’s hot.
Mi-nyeo doesn’t think she can do it, but she is thrust into activity — photo shoots, dance rehearsals.
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Stylist Wang is impressed with Mi-nyeo’s hard work, but Mi-nyeo confides that she’s looking forward to righting everything when her brother returns. She’s wronging everyone by lying now, so she must endure the hardship that comes with it.
The stylist is sympathetic, and they share a nice dramatic moment — only to cap off the scene with the stylist telling Mi-nyeo that she has gone overboard with the stuffing. OF HER PANTS.
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Sung-chan has a webchat with Tae-kyung, who has moved out and is now staying on his own at a hotel. The manager tries to convince Tae-kyung to participate in the Asia Music Festival, and we can tell Tae-kyung’s anger has cooled a little because he grudgingly agrees to consider it.
Sung-chan sends the wrong email, however, and has to rush off to find the right information. He instructs Tae-kyung to sit still and not move. As he leaves, he inadvertently moves his webcam, and a few moments later, it captures a different scene altogether.
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Tae-kyung watches as the stylist bursts into the room with Mi-nam. We know that she has found one of Mi-nyeo’s fake balls (literal and figurative) in the dance studio and is frantic to correct the mistake before someone notices, but to Tae-kyung’s eyes this scene takes on a different slant as the stylist whispers that they’ll be private here and fumbles for Mi-nam’s pants.
Tae-kyung does a spit-take — and just then, the light goes out at a crucial moment as the re-stuffing takes place. When the lights come back on, the stylist prods Mi-nyeo’s chest to check that the bindings are tight. There’s not not much to bind in the first place, “But still, you’re a girl.”
Tae-kyung is incredulous: “She was a girl?”
OH MY GOD.
I LOVE THIS. (More on this later.)
Tae-kyung pushes “record” on his laptop to get the last snippet, as Mi-nyeo says with relief, “Thanks to you, nobody will find out I’m a girl.”
Tae-kyung drives to the studio to “confirm something important,” and walks in on rehearsal where the A.N.JELL guys are practicing with the other dancers. Everyone watches curiously as he beelines for Mi-nyeo, and he stares at her intently.
Suddenly, he grabs her in a hug. And feels the truth for himself.
He says incredulously, “Go Mi-nam… you!”
But he doesn’t get to finish that thought. Sung-chan walks in with a reporter, who starts snapping photos happily. Sung-chan is pleased at the sight of the two members seemingly on good terms (and this also suggests to the others that this was a photo op).
Tae-kyung tries to get the manager alone to tell him his important news, but Sung-chan blows him off. So when Tae-kyung insists they have to kick Mi-nam out of the group, it comes out sounding petty and he is waved aside.
Mi-nyeo is just relieved that nothing weird(er) happened with Tae-kyung, and is instructed by her manager to the second-floor bathroom to avoid showering with the other boys. However, they’re unaware that the downstairs shower is broken, and that the boys are headed upstairs.
Jeremy notices, “Mi-nam really doesn’t wash.” Shin-woo knows the real reason why, but since Jeremy is so endearingly thick, he concludes, “Like Tae-kyung hyung said, he must really be dirty!”
Hoon-yi had been guarding the door, but a phone call makes him wander away, so Mi-nyeo freezes to hear their approach. Thankfully she’s done showering, but now she’s stuck in the locker room, and the boys are all getting nekkid! I LOVE the censoring — laugh-out-loud hilarity, folks! — as everyone’s modesty is preserved with animated clouds.
But what’s an innocent almost-nun to do??? As she does in times of stress, Mi-nyeo appeals to the Mother Superior, who appears (in her imagination) to give her some advice. She reminds Mi-nyeo of the cherubs in religious paintings, which have never given her a sense of shame: “Think of them as cherubs appearing as God made them.”
It is hysterical. (I couldn’t stop laughing.)
It does do the trick, though, since Mi-nyeo is able to peacefully walk toward the exit without shame, as she pictures all the boys as angelic babies.
She snaps out of her reverie when Shin-woo covers her eyes with a towel. Smiling, he tells her: “Since you’re done washing, you can leave. If you’re here, I can’t shower.”
She totally misses the meaning behind that, and she rushes out. She sighs in relief, “Great, I wasn’t found out!”
But she gets the response, “You have been found out.”
Tae-kyung stands facing her, arms akimbo. Coming closer, he announces, “I’ve found you out.”
Uh-oh. Mi-nyeo prays, “Mother Superior, what do I do now?”
COMMENTS
I was thinking we’d get another Coffee Prince with conflicted emotions and attractions and ten episodes of anticipation, but Tae-kyung finds out the truth now?? THIS IS FANTASTIC.
The setup to this drama (crossdressing and romantic comedy) means that there are a few predictable elements that must happen, like someone finding out the truth early, and someone being uncomfortably attracted to Mi-nam. However, what makes this drama strong from a narrative perspective is that it swiftly takes us PAST these cliches, so that instead of dragging out the obvious ending for episodes, we address that point right away and move on. That makes me more excited for what’s to come, since there’s more of an element of surprise.
Aside from that, I again have to point out the great casting for all four idols. Jang Geun-seok has a wonderful sneer, and he really commits to it — I feel like this is the most committed I’ve seen him to a role in a long time.
I also love the manager’s overreliance on English phrases. Oh, it’s hella cheesy but that’s why I love it — he thinks it’s cool but it makes him look silly.
I love Jeremy for his dunderheadedness — how oblivious is he? He’s the first one sensing an inkling of attraction because his body takes note of the signs — Mi-nam’s girlish mannerisms, smooth skin, vaguely feminine ambiance — but his brain is a step behind his body, so he’s the last one to know.
And while Tae-kyung is a great character who I’m sure I will end up rooting for, HOW GREAT IS SHIN-WOO? I like him so much. He’s the Rui that Kim Hyun-joong couldn’t quite be. I have in the past suffered from Second Lead Crush Syndrome, where I felt bad for secondary characters who never got the girl despite treating her better than the hero, and I think Shin-woo will continue this trend. But I think of this in a positive light, because the benefit to a strong conflict like this is that the love triangle actually feels tense and engaging.