The Blade and the Petal Episode 1

Also known as The Sword and the Flower. You can watch it over at Viki.

We open with Princess Moo Young (played by Kim Ok Bin who can kick some major ass in real life) filling in for the Great Omniscient Voiceover. She explains how she is the princess of Goguryeo and daughter of King Youngnyu who battled with the Sui Empire. But now here come the Tang to cause trouble. 

Youngnyu (played by Kim Young Chul) wants to strengthen his country and prepare slowly for war. Another guy, General Yeon Gaesomun (played by Choi Min Soo) thinks they should strike while the iron's hot. Gaesomun's son, Yeon Chung (played by Uhm "I've Fooled Everyone Into Thinking I Can Act" Tae Woong) is Moo Young's only love. I'm sorry but his wig is awful. 

The camera moves back to show us Moo Young is kneeling in front of the burned out shell of a palace. She repeatedly asks, "Why did Goguryeo fall?"

(I answer, "Because it was part of The King's Dream.")

Flashback to Moo Young and her brother sitting in a carriage that is beginning to look like a pin cushion as arrows rain down on them and their military escort. The Tang are attacking. But enough about that, let's watch some old men talking. King Youngnyu wants to make peace with the surrounding countries including the Tang. Gaesomun doesn't say anything and instead lets other war hawks do the talking for him. 

Alright, back to the action. Somehow Moo Young has gotten in control of the reins and she's driving her carriage like a bat out of hell. I like you already, Moo Young. They're not out of danger yet as the Tang are fast on their heels. Her cousin Jang (played by Ohn Joo Wan) helps fight off the attackers.

Damnit, we're back to the old men talking. Gaesomun finally speaks and recommends they change the prime minister. I don't care! More fighting, less talking! Blah, blah, blah, something about installing a crown prince but the king's son is too wimpy to take on the Tang, blah, blah, blah. 

Whoa, somebody tied the camera to a chariot wheel. Two war chariots side swipe each other ala Ben Hur. The one carrying the Tang warriors careens off the side of a cliff. I assume the shaggy guys in the other chariot are actually on the princess' side. It would be nice if this was made clear to us, Show.

Argh, more talking. Thank goodness a messenger interrupts to inform the king about the attack. The king announces to his court that a survivor was captured so they can question the man about what the Tang are up to.

Aha, just as I suspected, this wasn't the Tang at all. Gaesomun and some of his cronies arranged this attack in an attempt to light a fire under the king and get him moving on this whole war thing. The cronies are worried about being found out if this one guy talks. 

Somewhere it's raining and Uhm Tae Woong's wig still looks awful. He's walking slowly down a crowded street, passing beside Moo Young's entourage which now includes a man kept inside a cage. Yeon Chung finds a place up high and fires a single arrow, killing the prisoner. Moo Young jumps out of the carriage to see what all the yelling is about. She spots the lone archer up on a roof. Grabbing a man's sword, Moo Young dashes into action. You go, girl!

Chung jumps down to grab a piece of cloth to wrap around his face so he won't be recognized. He fights off some soldiers who have caught up with him. Suddenly he's face to masked face with Jang. They fight in tight quarters but Chung eludes him. Next he faces the sword of our princess. Their fight is short with Chung getting injured in the arm before he runs away.

Jang keeps searching and stumbles into a crowded inn where the folks are being entertained by a blindfolded guy who can shoot an arrow through an apple. Jang almost makes the connection but doesn't come up with prisoner killed by arrow + blindfolded man with extraordinary archery skills = this is the guy you're looking for. Just as Jang starts to leave, Chung's wounded arm begins to bleed heavily. Both men slowly reach for their swords when suddenly a young girl whisks Chung away upstairs. Jang leaves it at that. 

Yeon Chung does some moping. I miss Moo Young already.

Thanks goodness, she's in the next scene. She learns the prisoner's death was the result of a very rare poison that's hard to get. Clue number 1. She goes to see her father the king. Moo Young says during the attack some unknown people came to their aide. (That would be the Shaggy Guys in the chariot, Effeminate Man played by Lee Jung Shin, and Chick with a Bow.) The princess asks if her father had sent them. 

The next day Moo Young goes to visit Ahjussi from City Hunter. She's asked So Sa Bun to look into this rare poison. Effeminate Man steps in to proclaim the Yeon clan have been buying up all the ingredients that make this poison.

Moo Young is out shopping when she has another encounter with Yeon Chung. She may not recognize his face but how can she not recognize his terrible wig? Their hands accidentally brush against each other which triggers some truly awful music to play. Dear Lord don't let this be their theme song! 

Suddenly a reckless carriage comes down the narrow street and is heading straight for them. To save her, Chung throws Moo Young up in the air where she defies all laws of gravity by just hanging there. I don't think I'm supposed to laugh at this but how can I not?

Blah, blah, blah, old men talking and cultivating trees, blah, blah, blah.

Yeon Chung finally gets to meet his father Yeon Gaesomun. The writers seem to have fallen asleep. Yo, how about some lines here, people! 

Moo Young can't sleep as she's constantly thinking about how she stuck it to Isaac Newton. Gravity be damned! 

Uh-oh, Gaesomun has been made. He's been summoned to the palace to answer questions concerning the recent assassination attempt.

Nothing is said for twenty minutes. 

Moo Young returns to the marketplace in hopes of running into Chung again. I shudder as that horrible music plays once again. She sees an advertisement for his archery performance and decides to attend. Alas, no one is in the inn when she gets there. Has the show been canceled? Moo Young sits around and waits (and waits and waits and waits) while Chung watches her from above.

At last Chung walks out of the inn as his PR guy announces the show will begin in the town square. Moo Young follows Chung like a groupie while another odd choice of music is played. The crowd watches in delight as a blindfolded Chung shoots more innocent apples. Ah, but now he wants to step up his show and pull a William Tell. All he needs is a brave woman to volunteer for his act. 

You know who that's gonna be.

Heartless City Episode 10

Thank the Kdrama Gods Shi Hyun's kiss finally shuts Soo Min up. Whoa, I forgot this was a cable show. Soo Min takes him back to her room at Club Whorehouse so he can give her some more reasons to shut up. Bow chicka waow waow indeed. The next morning Shi Hyun leaves without saying a word although he does leave some money on the coffee table.

As soon as he leaves, Jin Sook shows up. She sees the tell-tale signs there's been a man in Soo Min's room and Jin Sook assumes it was Ji Hyung Min. Soo Min doesn't correct her. 

Jin Sook gets a call from Safari. She's agreed to do a deal with him. Now all they have to do is work out the details of where to meet so that Doctor's Son doesn't know anything about them. Soo Min overhears part of this conversation.

Jin Sook decides to use Soo Min as her courier to pick up the drugs from Safari.  Soo Min quickly gets in touch with Ji to let him know what's going down. Shi Hyun has been hanging around Club Whorehouse all day and he knows Jin Sook is up to something. 

The next day Soo Min gets dressed up in her Bad Ass Drug Dealin' outfit, heels and all. Per Ji's request, Fat Cop (and only Fat Cop) of the special forces unit keeps tabs on Soo Min's cell phone signal. Ji didn't want anyone else in the unit to know what was going on. Yet right as Fat Cop is getting started, Prosecutor Ahn struts in with the paperwork to show that he's now large and in charge around here. He wants to know what Fat Cop is up to on his laptop.

Soo Min arrives at a zoo. In her backpack are stacks and stacks of won. Ji is already at the zoo to watch over her when suddenly the crowd goes "Oooh!" and blocks his view of her. At least on his cell phone he's got a little map of the zoo and a blip showing Soo Min's location. 

Prosecutor Ahn and the special forces unit load up in their cars and vans and head out with the SWAT team to the zoo. Never mind all the innocent bystanders they could potentially put in the crossfire. Annoying Reporter Cha senses a big story and follows them. Her you can put in the crossfire. 

Min Hong Gi calls Shi Hyun to tell him about the situation and for him not to get involved in this mess. 

With no subtlety at all, Ahn and his stormtroopers prance into the zoo. (I can't help but notice the background extras continue to walk around looking at things. In real life if you saw a bunch of armed men you'd be going, "Holy shit!" and getting the hell out of the way.) Ji tries to talk Ahn out of taking any actions but Ahn is out to prove himself. 

Safari is not happy that Jin Sook isn't doing the exchange personally. He figured Doctor's Son would be right behind Jin Sook and that's when they'd get him. Safari calls Meth Kim, the man with the drugs, to tell him the deal has gone sour. Jin Sook tries to call Soo Min to warn her it's a trap but Soo Min is on the phone with Ji. He orders her to quickly take the battery out of her phone so Ahn can't locate her. 

Just as Soo Min is about to follow orders she gets a call from Shi Hyun. He's the one who tells her it is a trap and she needs to run. Meth Kim spots Ji and he starts to run as well. Ji pauses for a moment then decides to run after Meth Kim. 

Shi Hyun has directed Soo Min into a building. Standing in her way is Eun Soo and her blurry knife. Really, Soo Min is no match for Eun Soo in a fight. Use the backpack! Put them wons to good use! It's up to Shi Hyun (dressed very similar to Soo Min's outfit, minus the heels) to come to her rescue. Thank goodness there's absolutely no one else in this office building.

Shi Hyun tells Soo Min he'll decoy the cops away so she can escape. He gives her a stern warning to not dabble in the criminal world again. Heading down the stairs Shi Hyun runs into Meth Kim but before either one can react much they must dash away as Ji and the SWAT team are entering the building. Seriously, why is there no one else in this building? Are we still at the zoo? Why would a zoo have such a large (empty) office complex? 

Ha! Meth Kim takes Annoying Cha hostage with his blurry knife. Do with her what you will, Meth Kim. Darn it, Ji comes in time to save her and slap the cuffs on Meth Kim. Kim tells Ji Doctor's Son was just here and Ji starts to run after his nemesis. Gah, he stops though to comfort Annoying Cha.

Shi Hyun (with Meth Kim's briefcase of drugs) is heading back up the stairs when he spots Safari run by. Are we in a library now? Where the hell is this being filmed? Doctor's Son plays hide and seek with Safari amongst the bookshelves. They try to stab each other with their blurry knives. They appear to be evenly matched. Then they both get disarmed and are reduced to hand to hand combat. For a moment Doctor's Son has the upper hand. That is until Safari pulls out a handgun. Why didn't you use that before, Safari? 

Before Safari can use it, Ji jumps out with his own gun and orders the criminal to freeze. Ji can't see Shi Hyun who is standing behind some shelves. Safari surrenders his gun to Ji. He slowly unzips his jacket to show he isn't armed and also to reach into an inner pocket and pull out his trump card: a policeman's identification card. Safari claims to be a narcotics officer. 

Because criminals would never get a fake ID made.

Heartless City Episode 9

Worried about Shi Hyun, Director Min sends in the troops to Safari's location. Part of this task force is Ji Hyung Min who now gets his own one-against-many in a narrow hallway scene. Eun Soo is walking too slow and so she doesn't get to slit Shi Hyun's throat before Safari gets word about the police and orders everyone to scram.

Shi Hyun carries the wounded Kim Hyun Soo out to his car with Ji hot on their heels. A running Ji wisely takes a shortcut and leaps in front of the car. Shi Hyun flips the lights on bright so the cop can't see his face, then he guns it. Is Ji going to be hit by a car again? Oh thank goodness, at least this time he jumps out of the way as Shi Hyun speeds away.

Safely back at Shi Hyun's basement hideaway, he has a flashback to his time in prison when he helped Hyun Soo beat up a rival gang. Two action scenes already and we're not even ten minutes into the episode. That's how it's done, people.

Back at headquarters, Min Hong Gi can see how Fat Cop (Yang) just isn't holding the special forces together like Ji did. Min plans to speak with the police commissioner about getting Hyung Min reinstated.

Ji meets with Soo Min at her old apartment. He asks her to slap the handcuffs on him. No, we're not entering Fifty Shades of Grey territory. He's going to teach her how to escape if she's ever caught by other cops because Ji won't be able to officially help her. (Of course this will only help if she's handcuffed with her hands in front of her. If her hands are cuffed behind her back, she's screwed.)

Doctor's Son and his cohorts are still desperately looking for a reliable source of drugs. Meanwhile Safari is having his own troubles in the form of that nerdy bossman's son. Does he have a name? Do I care? I'm gonna call him The Nerd. The Nerd reminds Safari he's only got that fifteen days to get rid of Doctor's Son or else Pusan's gonna get rid of Safari. 

[Ah, DramaFever. Must your video playback get all squirrelly on me?]

Safari meets secretly with Lee Jin Sook under the guise of working out a deal. Safari has the source for the drugs while Jin Sook has the distribution connections. However, Jin Sook won't agree to anything until she gets to meet the big man, Chairman Jo.

Jin Sook returns to her club/whorehouse - heck, I'm just going to call it Club Whorehouse. Shi Hyun is waiting in the wings for her and looks like he wants to ask where she's been but in the end he decides to leave her alone for now. As he's leaving the building he runs into Soo Min. They have a brief and uninteresting encounter before he leaves.

(I hate to say this considering they've not really had much screen time together, but Jung Kyung Ho and Nam Gyu Ri simply have no chemistry between them.)

Ji goes back to the prison to speak with Scale about the source of all the drugs. Scale warns that if Ji continues to dig deep, his life as well as the lives of everyone around him will be in danger. Ji reveals that he knows Scale's source was Pusan and he's going to get them all. After the visit Scale calls The Nerd but Four-eyes is too busy playing games on his phone to answer.

Min is in his office digging through a drawer when he finds an old book of poems he had stashed away. Hidden within the pages of the book is a picture of Jin Sook. This inspires him to go visit her with a basket of fruit. Jin Sook's bodyguard attempts to oppose Min. Without even breaking a sweat and using only one hand, Min brings the big guy down to his knees. Gasp and swoon, I do love a man who knows how to use his hands.

Min also begs Jin Sook to stop seeing Safari and to get out of the business. Jin Sook refuses and takes her frustrations out by stabbing an apple with a blurry knife. 

Ji finally changes his shirt and pays a visit to the crooked Prosecutor Ahn. Ji figures Doctor's Son must have given Ahn a bribe to let Jin Sook out of prison. Ahn gets all antsy in the pantsy. After this little pow-wow, Ji has a coffee break with Jung Yeon, a woman he knows from the prosecution department. She's been looking into Scale's construction company, the front for his money laundering. Very awkwardly Jung Yeon changes the subject to Cha Hyo Joo and how the reporter seems to be very into Ji. Since Cha is the daughter of Congressman Cha Myung Suk, Ji would be very smart to get with her.

Did Cha set you up to this, Jung Yeon? Because speak of the devil here's that annoying woman now. Cha takes a drink of Ji's coffee (without his permission!) and starts going on about how it will make him piss all night long. What the hell is wrong with you, woman? Ji tries to escape (can you blame him?) but Cha dangles the fact she's got some inside dirt on the construction company. Only she won't tell him anything unless they go out for a drink.

Soo Min is out at the bar having a drink with her friend Joo Young, the prostitute Shi Hyun is using to keep Prosecutor Ahn in line. (Of course Soo Min doesn't know about this but you just know somewhere down the line this will all collide.) Joo Young gets a text from Ahn so she has to make her excuses and leave quickly. Such is the life of a prostitute. 

Soo Min is alone at the bar when Ji and Reporter Cha come in. Ji has to act like he doesn't know Soo Min. She looks upset like he's cheating on his dead girlfriend. I'm upset simply because he's with that annoying woman. Soo Min stomps out angrily. The only information Cha has is that the construction company may be bought by a man with black hair. Well doesn't that just narrow down the suspects.

Cha gets sloppy drunk again. In fact she looks like she's drooling as Ji has to drive her home. After dumping her in her bed, Cha make a half-serious offer for him to stay. Once again Ji makes tracks for the door. Back at the apartment Soo Min grills him on what he was doing with that woman. Ji answers that there's nothing between them, not that he needs to explain himself to Soo Min.

Jin Sook mulls over what to do about Safari. She decides to drop in on Soo Min so they can have a drink and girl talk. Jin Sook asks if Soo Min is seeing anyone and Soo Min responds with how there's someone she's interested in but he doesn't see her as a woman. Hmm, are we talking about Ji or Shi Hyun? 

Ji's dad, Prosecutor Ji, seems to be working with Ahn to get some kind of control of the special forces unit.

The next day Soo Min can't find anyone to hang out with her so she calls Shi Hyun. At first he doesn't answer her call but after a moment of thinking about it he calls her back. Girlfriend, fix your hair if you're going to go out with him. You look a mess. Anyway he agrees to meet her for some Frank beer. She's dressed like a milk maid. I'm still not feeling anything between these two.

Soo Min keeps pestering him to tell her his name. When he makes a lame joke of it, she decides to list him as Mr. Gangster on her phone since he was always hurt when he came to her store. Soo Min acts like a total goof ball. The kind you're embarrassed to be seen in public with. Shi Hyun pulls her in for a kiss. I think he does it simply to shut her up.

A Hundred Year's Inheritance (Abridged) Episode 50

First and most importantly as the series comes to an end I would like to give a great big thanks to the Inheritance Team over at Viki who did such a great (and free!) job providing subs to this makjang. However I continue my hatred of Pop Tarts and their inconvenient ads coming up all the time in the middle of the most important scenes.

And now the conclusion of Stupid Girl and Her Inability To Do Anything.

Chae Won continues to care for the comatose Se Yoon, giving him a pep talk and shaving his face. As she carries the toiletries away she doesn't see the single tear escape Se Yoon's closed eye.

Choon Hee and Clingy Mom continue to bond over Se Yoon and to mend their fences. Choon Hee asks her unni to come back to Seoul but Clingy Mom feels she would do better repenting here at the orphanage where it all started. 

Chul Goo, still at the hospital where Hong Joo had her ultrasound, just happens to be walking past Se Yoon's hospital room when he hears a distraught Chae Won crying out. Chul Goo rushes in to see what the problem is. I think Se Yoon is having a seizure. Either that or someone put a quarter in the bed. 

After Se Yoon is treated, Chul Goo sticks around to comfort Chae Won and tell her about the baby. He finds the courage to go home and finally break it to EMIL that she's going to be a grandmother. EMIL calls Hong Joo both to accuse the girl of lying about Chul Goo being the father and to demand back all the money they paid her to divorce him. Hong Joo simply hangs up on EMIL. That's my girl.

The next day EMIL and Chul Goo are reading in the paper how Hong Joo's corporate family has merged with EMIL's old company and now Hong Joo is the new CEO of the company. EMIL totally changes her tune and declares Chul Goo must get back together with Hong Joo for the sake of the baby.   

Se Yoon finally wakes up. Now it's time to move on to the next crisis. 

Hong Joo drops by the not-at-all-that-bad apartment to see Chul Goo and the family and spread her benevolence (and pregnant belly) everywhere. She invites the clan to move back into their old home which she bought. She even offers Joo Ri and Chul Goo jobs. Notice she didn't offer one to EMIL.

Se Yoon is inundated with visitors, including Dick Dad who finally gives his blessing for Chae Won and Se Yoon to get married. Chae Won starts to hand Se Yoon a glass of water but he drops it. Everyone looks startled. While normally I would point out the guy just came out of a coma so it wouldn't be unusual he couldn't hold a glass of water, instead I'll say this is the next crisis I was just talking about.

Oh no, and here comes Dr. Doom to just casually mention that yeah, Se Yoon may have some nerve damage and never walk again. Or maybe not.

Now that Dick Dad has given his permission, Chae Won is all for them getting married. Hold up, girlfriend. Now it's Se Yoon and his hangup with being paralyzed that has put a stop to any wedding plans. 

EMIL is happy to be moving back into the old homestead. She asks Hong Joo if Mrs. Park is back as well only to be told that Hong Joo sent the prison matron away. After all, why would they need her when they've got EMIL to do all the cooking and cleaning? [Insert big wide grin here.]

Se Yoon begins his physical rehabilitation. 

Chae Won drops by his hospital room only to find it empty. A nurse tells her that Se Yoon is planning to leave on a trip. Down in the lobby Chae Won runs into EMIL who has just been to see her therapist. Since EMIL feels she's being treated rotten by her DIL, she thinks she understands Chae Won more now and makes a kind of, sort of, almost apology for being such a bitch all this time. 

Chae Won returns home to find no sign of any of her large family. She gets a call from one of her uncles saying that their very important shipment of noodles to a banquet were spoiled and there's food poisoning everywhere. Chae Won dashes off to see about this new crisis.

When she gets to the banqueting hall its to find just about the entire cast is there dressed in their Sunday best. It's a surprise wedding! For the third time in this drama Chae Won wears a bridal gown. (Is this a Kdrama record?) Happy music plays as both of Se Yoon's mothers help push his wheelchair down the aisle. When Chae Won makes her walk up the aisle and joins him, Se Yoon surprises everyone (except the audience) by standing up. 

Flashforward to the 101st Anniversary of the noodle factory. The family is cooking up a storm for their customers. Grandpa's voiceover from the Great Noodle Factory In The Sky talks about how great noodles are. Noodles, damnit! It's all about the noodles!

The End

A Hundred Year's Inheritance (Abridged) Episode 49

My long, strange journey is about to end. There hasn't been an extension, right? I hope not. I have other dramas to watch.

Chae Won is at the airport, calling Se Yoon's cell phone and leaving a voice mail asking him to call her back as soon as he hears this. It'll be awhile, honey; he's in cardiac arrest. 

Clingy Mom returns home late and Dick Dad asks where she's been. When he hears she's been out giving Chae Won a plane ticket for Se Yoon's flight, Dick Dad gets hot under his Polo shirt collar. Clingy Mom, probably tired of hearing all his negativity, says they should just go ahead and end their marriage. Right in the middle of their argument they get the call from the hospital about their (not) son. Clingy Mom immediately calls Chae Won with the news.

Clingy Mom and Dick Dad accost the nearest doctor with news about Se Yoon. With the usual bedside manner DramaDoctors have, this guy tells them Se Yoon was revived from his cardiac arrest but now he's got a blood clot and even with surgery about 60% of patients like this end up dying. Thanks alot, Dr. Doom. Chae Won and her luggage arrive to cry outside of the operating room.

Someone must have called Choon Hee and told her about her son. Her husband is driving her to the hospital. He blames himself for the accident since he's the one who told Se Yoon where to find Choon Hee. (You'd think after 49 episodes I would have learned his character's name, but nah....)

Chul Goo's new job is to drive drunk people safely home. It just so happens this night he'd dropping off a guy who lives right next door to Chul Goo's old house. For old time's sake Chul Goo can't resist checking the mansion out and is curious to see the lights in his former bedroom are on. Has someone already bought the place and moved in?

Oh well. Chul Goo starts walking away, never seeing the car pulling up in front of the old house. You know who it is. I know who it is. We all know who it is. It's Hong Joo (and Coco - with an orange tail?) Welcome back mighty pregnant Hong Joo. And there's the prison matron, Mrs. Park, to welcome her to the house. 

Poor Chul Goo - yes, at this moment I can feel sorry for him - comes home from work to a house of wailing women feeling sorry for themselves and each other. Cheer up, Chul Goo brought you some KFC!

Chae Won, Choon Hee and Clingy Mom are allowed to see Se Yoon in post-op. Another doctor tells the weeping women that while the surgery was successful, Se Yoon must be carefully observed as he might have brain damage. Only time will tell. 

Choon Hee and Clingy Mom comfort each other in their darkest hour. Dick Dad finally climbs down off his high horse and apologizes to Chae Won for being such a dick. 

Music video interlude.

EMIL is complaining of acid reflux so Chul Goo insists she go to the hospital. Is that a smart car he's driving? Anyway, Chul Goo learns about Se Yoon being here as a result of a car accident. Up in Se Yoon's private room, Dr. Doom gives even more bad news to the family that if Se Yoon is in a coma for longer than four months then his chances of survival drop to 15 percent. 

More scenes of weeping.

A mysterious woman with big sunglasses and a big hat hires Chul Goo to drive her. Without saying a word she gives him a note telling him what her destination is. Finally she speaks and Chul Goo recognizes her voice. He pulls into that handy lane on the highway that's just for dramas. Since she's the customer and he's the hired help, Hong Joo gets to order him around to her heart's content. She demands he take her out to eat. It's not until he's helping her out of the car that he realizes she's mighty pregnant.

Inside the small restaurant (say, isn't that the same restaurant where Choon Hee's been working since she's divorced her husband?) Chul Goo still can't believe he's the father. After all, he was drunk and it was only one time. Yes, Chul Goo, as well as all you teenagers out there, it can take only one time. 

Chae Won offers to stay with Se Yoon for the night so Choon Hee can go home and get some rest. Around her neck on a chain Chae Won wears the ring she was supposed to put on Se Yoon's finger if she hadn't have run off on their wedding day.

After hearing about her former stalking victim's condition, Joo Ri dashes over to the hospital to see him. The two women are civil to each other and Chae Won allows Joo Ri to visit with the boyfriend in a coma they both love. 

Time passes. Clingy Mom appears to have gone back to the orphanage to work. Se Yoon is still in a coma. Chae Won still refuses to wear a hair net while she makes noodles. Clingy Mom prays to the Virgin Mary (although at the beginning of the show she was praying to Buddha. Make up your mind, woman.) Hong Joo continues to enjoy bossing Chul Goo around and makes him go with her for an ultrasound.

It's been a month since the accident. Dr. Doom comes into the room to give Chae Won his doom and gloom diagnosis that Se Yoon is now a vegetable and will probably never wake up. Thanks alot, Doc.

Heartless City Episode 8

To keep up their act, Ji Hyung Min and Yoon Soo Min are stuck alone in a room together. Might as well get some work done. Ji shows her the video of Kim Hyun Soo so she'll know who the guy is and what he looks like. Since they need to make this look good, Ji estimates they should stay in the room at least two hours. He tries to fit on the short bed (his feet are dangling off the end) and take a nap. Soo Min is bored out of her skull. (Hey, his mini-iPad is right there on the table. I'm sure he's got Angry Birds on it or something.)

Instead of playing Minesweeper, Soo Min climbs up on the bed with Ji and implies she'd rather have him be her first sexual encounter rather than some unknown customer. Ji quickly makes tracks out of the room.

Jin Sook expects Soo Min to live full time at the whorehouse now. Soo Min packs up one piece of luggage and says a sad goodbye to the place she once shared with Gyung Mi. 

Jin Sook sends her numerous goons out on a mission. That mission is to find Hyun Soo and beat the ever-livin' crap out of him. Yet the next time we see him, Hyun Soo stands alone while all the goons and their big sticks litter the floor. He knows these guys were sent by Jin Sook so he goes to her office to return the favor. At the same time Shi Hyun is told about the attack and he races to avert any more bloodshed. Hyun Soo pulls his blurry knife on Jin Sook (I don't know why knife blades are blurred out while every other weapon is in full technicolor glory) yet surprisingly he's the big man and apologizes for trying to have her knocked off.

Safari meets with his boss, Pusan/Chairman Jo (who never ever seems to leave that dining room. He probably sleeps in that chair.) Safari gets down on his knees before Pusan. With just a look, one of Pusan's guards wraps a wire around Safari's throat and starts to pull. The bossman continues his dinner. After several agonizing moments, Pusan announces he's going to give Safari another chance. The minion lets go of the wire only to have some little nerdy guy in glasses grab it and start pulling again. Who's this new character? Ack, it's the bossman's son.

Understandably, Jin Sook fires all the goons who failed to kick Hyun Soo's ass. Don't ask for a letter of recommendation from her and don't let the door hit you on the way out. Jin Sook receives a phone call from Safari. He tries to lay all the blame for what happened on Nang Mahn, the guy with the beard. 

Speaking of which, Nang Mahn is somewhere running and hiding for his life as Safari's people are hunting him down. He makes a call to Hyun Soo and begs for help. Hyun Soo is with Shi Hyun and they appear to be drinking milk out of their wine glasses. Hyun Soo is all set to ride to the rescue but Shi Hyun stops him. It's probably too late.

And it is. Nang Mahn's body is being dragged away when Hyun Soo (at Shi Hyun's suggestion) calls the old man's cell phone. Safari answers it and warns Soo that he's next. 

Jin Sook meets Safari. He warns her that the bossman is after Doctor's Son and if she's so intent on saving Shi Hyun as well as her self then she should tell Safari where Hyun Soo is. Jin Sook simply replies she'll think about it.

When Jin Sook returns to her office it is to find Shi Hyun there waiting for her. He tells her about Nang Mahn being dead and lays it out point by point, just as it happened, that Safari did this in order to regain Jin Sook's trust so they could make a deal. He begs her not to follow through with the deal while she tries to get Shi Hyun to see this is the only way to save his life.

Shi Hyun calls Safari to try and convince him to let Jin Sook alone. Safari says this business is basically like a roach motel: you can get in but there's no way out. Not for him, not for Jin Sook, and not for Doctor's Son. This will only end with Shi Hyun's death.

Shi Hyun meets with that crooked Prosecutor Ahn in an attempt to learn where Meth Kim is being held. Meth Kim is a pretty popular guy right now as Ji is also looking for his whereabouts. Continuing his obsession with Doctor's Son, Ji figures Meth Kim is the only one who can finger the guy. Ji learns Meth is being held in a hospital. 

Safari and Eun Soo are arriving at the hospital. Doctor's Son in his baseball cap disguise is running up the stairs of the hospital. Safari gets to the room first and orders Meth to leave with them. Shi Hyun sees them all taking the elevator down. He runs back down the stairs for a couple of floors, then goes to stand outside the elevator he thinks they'll be coming out of. Pulling out his own blurry knife, Shi Hyun prepares himself to attack as soon as the doors open.

Only instead of Meth Kim and Safari, it is Ji Hyung Min in this particular elevator. The two men look each other right in the face, yet (sigh of relief) Ji doesn't recognize Shi Hyun at all. 

Meth Kim leads Safari straight to Hyun Soo. Safari then contacts Shi Hyun and tells him the only way to save Hyun Soo's life is to give himself up.  Shi Hyun agonizes over whether to sacrifice his friend or not. His head says one thing while his heart says another.

In the end he drives alone over to Safari's stronghold. He expects Safari to let Hyun Soo go now but Safari is a bastard after all. You can't expect a bastard to hold up his end of the deal. Shi Hyun takes out his (blurred) curved knife as Safari's goons surround and attack him. A couple of times it looks like he's about to be overwhelmed but Shi Hyun rallies back. Safari pulls out his baton thingy and slugs Shi Hyun from behind.

As he's down on the floor in incredible pain, Shi Hyun flashes back to his childhood when Safari was about the only father figure he had in his life. Safari also seems unable to forget their past relationship and sends Eun Soo in to do the actual deed. Funny, but her knife didn't look blurred out to me.

Heartless City Episode 7

Ji Hyung Min gets a copy of the security video tape showing Kim Hyun Soo meeting with prisoner Park Eun Hye. Ji meets with Eun Hye, showing her he has the tape and asking who her visitor is. Eun Hye starts the crying act and claims she has no idea who the man was. He offered her money to make the hit. That's the way life is here on The Rock. 

Jung Shi Hyun drops by Hyun Soo's odd apartment. Hyun Soo is working out and I can't help but notice he does have nice legs. Anyway, Shi Hyun simply says he knows Hyun Soo ordered the hit on Lee Jin Sook and to not do it again. (That's it? That's all you're going to do?) Hyun Soo explains that he wanted her dead because he feels Jin Sook is the one who alerted Safari to the fact they were at the hotel. He blames Jin Sook for his near-mortal attack and murder of his Miss Right Now girlfriend. Shi Hyun tries to throw his friend off the track by pointing out it could also have been Nang Mahn who ratted them all out.

Jin Sook takes Yoon Soo Min out to a very nice restaurant for dinner. Soo Min tells the story of how her mother abandoned her at a zoo. (Is this just a story or is this the truth?) Jin Sook gets a call and soon after makes her excuses that she has to go. But she makes the promise to Soo Min that she still has a long ways to go to pay off her debt and for Soo Min to think of her as a sister. It looks like Soo Min is already succumbing to the Dark Side.

Soo Min returns to her apartment only to find Ji already there and anxious to debrief her. Soo Min jumps all over him about how it was her new BFF Jin Sook who actually got her out of prison, not him. Was he going to do anything to free her? Was he ever worried about how things were going for her inside the Iron Bar Hotel? Ji tries to remind her of who she is and what her purpose is but Soo Min orders him to leave.

Jin Sook had been called to meet with Shi Hyun so he can personally welcome her back to the outside. Shi Hyun again asks her to leave the business and to  severe her ties with Safari as well as Safari was the one who framed her. Jin Sook refuses both requests.

Safari is worried because he knows he's in trouble with the big man for killing Kang without authorization.

Jin Sook has her boys beat up the security guard from the prison. She wants the security tape of Eun Hye's visitor. At first the guard claims all the tapes were erased so he doesn't have anything to give her. With the threat of more beatings, the guard sings like a canary. He doesn't know who the person was who ordered him to erase the tape (Shi Hyun) but he does know that it was Detective Ji Hyung Min who has it. 

Ji's team isn't having any luck identifying Hyun Soo from the low-resolution recording.  He shows the video to Director Min and asks if Min recognizes the fellow in the picture. Min acts like he's never seen him before but that night quickly arranges a meeting with Shi Hyun.

Shi Hyun is having business problems. Drug business problems. Tired of all the in-fighting and not getting their shipments, some of the distributors are breaking off and going to other sources. One in particular is someone named Gol Mang. Doctor's Son plans to use Gol Mang as an example to the other drug dealers. Kim asks why Shi Hyun is covering for Hyun Soo? Has he forgotten Hyun Soo is a criminal they're trying to take down? 

Ji goes to meet with Scale, Korea's answer to Joe Pesci, and asks if he recognizes the bloke in the security tape. As Scale talks to the officer, we see in flashbacks that Shi Hyun (tipped off by Kim) has gotten to him first. Shi Hyun tells his former boss to say he doesn't know Hyun Soo when Ji shows him the tape. But instead, Scale fully co-operates with Ji and tells him Hyun Soo's name, rank and serial number.

Soo Min goes to Jin Sook to ask for a job. Big Sister tells Soo Min to forget about it and to go back to school; she'll pay for college. Soo Min claims that she once worked at a bar before and she's even been to second base! (That's nothing to brag about. Second base in Korea is a hug.) Jin Sook tells her to go home.

As Soo Min is walking down the hallway she's mistaken to be a new girl and is sent into a room for her assignment. It doesn't go well and her customer is about to smash her face in when Jin Sook calmly comes to the rescue. Back in her office Jin Sook gives Soo Min the Hooker Talk ("It's a shit life and it doesn't get any better. The end.") Soo Min gives her the Orphan Talk ("Waah, I'm an orphan. Feel sorry for me. Waah!") Jin Sook gives in and promises to make Soo Min the best damn whore there is.

That female reporter, Cha, makes moves on our Ji Hyung Min. Grrrr. Thank goodness Jin Sook calls him and interrupts this atrocious not-date. 

Gol Mang (which must be Korean for "Dang Fool") meets with his Thai suppliers. Just as the deal is sealed with a handshake, a nameless minion is stabbed by Shi Hyun (in a really, really - I can't emphasize this enough - really bad disguise.) 

Action Fight Scene! [Please note Shi Hyun slices and dices but does not kill any of his opponents.]

Slightly wounded in the fight, Shi Hyun once again for the umpteenth time stops by the corner market to pick up some band-aids. Soo Min just happens to be walking by and recognizes him from all the other times he's come into the store to get medical supplies. She goes running after him and just invites herself right into his car. (Who the hell does that?) Poor Shi Hyun can't get rid of this chatty Cathy who even orders him to drive her to her destination.

It's time to go to work, though, and Soo Min gets dressed for her first customer. Wow, I've talked about dangerous shoes before but these have actual spikes coming out of them! 

Ji comes to Jin Sook's club/whorehouse for their meeting. She wants to see the security tape he has on his mini-iPad. (At least I hope that's a mini-iPad and not his phone, cause that would be a big ass phone.) Jin Sook says she doesn't recognize Hyun Soo but since Scale has already talked, Ji calls her out for lying. 

Jin Sook calls in a present for Ji, one of her new girls. I'll give you three guesses as to who the new girl is and the first two don't count. Jin Sook has given Soo Min her first order and it is to make Ji fall for her. Ji agrees to go along with it so Jin Sook won't get suspicious.

Jin Sook tells Shi Hyun that she's seen the tape and knows it was Soo who tried to have her killed. Shi Hyun counters with knowing that Soo's Miss Right Now was one of Jin Sook's girls and was with Soo under Jin Sook's orders. Shi Hyun tries to broker a peace treaty between his two besties. Jin Sook warns that Ji already knows Hyun Soo's identity.