Summary
We anticipated an awesome couple episodes after last week’s episodes which saw Han Yeo Jin return to the hospital as Kim Yeong Mi. We have to say Episodes 11 and 12 did not disappoint!! This week’s episodes focused on Han Yeo Jin‘s plan to finish this power struggle between her and her brother once and for all, and take back the Han Shin Group throne, all the while save the man she loves, Kim Tae Hyun. Marrying Kim Tae Hyun and making him her legal guardian and her heir is what will make it happen. She only needs Kim Tae Hyun to return with the marriage licence, but with President Go‘s hit-man on him as well as Detective Lee who’s still looking to catch Yong Pal in the act, the task might be a little more difficult than simply going to the Registry Office and bringing it back.
Recap & Thoughts
After hearing her father’s last words before he passed away from Head Nurse, Han Yeo Jin is back at the hospital as Kim Yeong Mi, looking to fight Han Shin Group head on. Kim Yeong Mi/Han Yeo Jin, originally believed to be in a comatose state by the hospital is brought in to look at her brain scans (which we’re assuming Kim Tae Hyun falsified). She is given the diagnosis of Aphasia (language disorder caused by brain damage) and amnesia after Han Yeo Jin denies remembering anything and is unable to speak. Han Do Joon‘s people (who were worried that the Han Shin Electric patient will cause problems at the Shareholder’s General Meeting by wanting to speak to the union and her family members) are satisfied with the situation and leaves her in the hands of Kim Tae Hyun to manage.
Left in Kim Tae Hyun‘s care, the two are free to finally talk after their first time back together since he left her back at the cathedral. He chastises her for coming back to the place. She brushes his concerns aside and even teases him about his Dear John letter that was more like a letter asking for help. He doesn’t deny it, but it doesn’t take away his worries over how dangerous being in the hospital will be for her, despite being happy she’s come back for him. She assures him, telling him she also gained weapons to fight against her brother—ones that can save him.
These weapons Han Yeo Jin talks about lies within the room she was held captive for three years. It seems the message Head Nurse relayed to her back at the cathedral is the fact that her room contains two items that will ensure she gets back what is rightfully hers: the first is her father’s will, and the second is a USB drive containing information on Han Shin Group‘s slush funds. This USB drive is like a royal seal that guarantees the holder power and unconditional support of their command of Han Shin Group. It turns out that the room which she saw as a prison is in fact the King’s room, or in her case, the Queen’s room; and the bed she lay receiving anaesthetics for years is a bed waiting to be turned into the Queen’s throne upon her wakening. Her father’s made sure that this power can only be accessed by Han Yeo Jin as the information within it can only be accessed using her biometric information. Had she died, Han Do Joon would never have been the wiser.
With the intention of going back into her room to retrieve the items, she and Kim Tae Hyun make their way towards the Restricted Area. They get only a little beyond the reception area before they are forced to abort mid-way. Han Do Joon, along with his secretary (who’s finally introduced as Secretary Min) and President Go are on the 12th floor and heading straight for Han Yeo Jin‘s room.
With the restructuring complete, Han Do Joon has made the decision to move forward with announcing Han Yeo Jin‘s death. Kim Tae Hyun is called into Han Yeo Jin‘s room, charged with the task of pronouncing her time of death. He leaves Han Yeo Jin for the moment and reluctantly performs the task, stating hypovolemic shock as cause of death. Han Do Joon moves onto querying the funeral preparations with Secretary Min, which he informs as having arranged to be a simple affair so that he can control the media as much as possible, upon which, President Go interjects. He proposes that the service shouldn’t just be a simple funeral; it should be regarded and prepared as Han Do Joon‘s coronation as well. (President Go has since taken on the title Director of Restructuring from Episode 9 onwards, but we’ll keep referring to him as President Go to prevent confusion.) Liking the way President Go thinks, he’s given the permission to take charge of the service—to Secretary Min‘s displeasure.
President Go has been upsetting Secretary Min more and more the last few episodes. At first it looked like it might have something to do with his disapproval of President Go‘s attempts to get a slice of the Han Shin Group cake, but it’s looking to be more about being made more and more dispensable as Han Do Joon‘s right-hand man. It’s not only a position which President Go is seemingly in the process of taking over, but once he takes over completely, it would mean Secretary Min becomes useless and he’ll go the way Nurse Hwang and the Director went. He’s become very aware that being killed is a real possibility lately.
Han Do Joon is giving Secretary Min signs of his fate lately too. After he learns of Lee Chae Young’s past and confirming with his secretary that he knew about it, he starts to think about the way he’s been handling his secretary. This past which the secretary knew and hid from Han Do Joon has to do with Lee Chae Young‘s lover before she was arranged by her father to marry him. It turns out that before her father was pressured by Han Do Joon‘s father to marry her off to him, she was in love with a man from an ordinary family that owned a small company. She was obviously against this and reveals that she didn’t care to be a chaebol’s wife (so she’s not money hungry). Not only was she in love with him, she was also carrying his child at the time. After she was arranged to marry him, the actions of Lee Chae Young‘s father somehow caused the bankruptcy of her lover’s household. Following that, her lover committed suicide, which led to her aborting their child. This secret was kept by Secretary Min from Han Do Joon under the order of Han Do Joon‘s father. The learning of this huge secret has Han Do Joon wonder whether he has been mistreating Secretary Min, in other words, Han Do Joon believes he’s been too lax with him (at least that’s how we interpret the chairman’s words).
Secretary Min certainly believe his shelf life is coming to an end as the exchange with Han Do Joon has him flash back to a conversation between Han Do Joon and President Go talking about burying all the workers who worked on the pyramid along with the pyramid’s secrets once construction is complete. After kneeling and explaining he was ordered absolute silence by Han Do Joon‘s father, Secretary Min is offered Han Do Joon‘s understanding over the situation, accepting that it couldn’t be helped. Secretary Min is let off, but he knows slowly he’s on his way out, which sets up Han Yeo Jin‘s poaching of Secretary Min and serve her goals of bringing down her brother.
The announcing of Han Yeo Jin‘s passing at the press conference is normally performed by Secretary Min; however, Han Do Joon seemed to have passed this task on to President Go, which has Secretary Min standing at the back of the room watching the former construction company president deliver the announcement and field the media queries. To make matters worse, his subordinate brings his attention to the funeral seating plan which has him sit right at the back of the room, seemingly an indication of the order of importance.
The seating plan, as all funeral preparations were passed on to President Go to handle, it looks to be President Go‘s doing. Han Do Joon may not have been personally drawing up the plan, but the way Han Do Joon and President Go have been working so closely recently, it can be taken that Han Do Joon approved the seating plan which really is his ranking. Secretary Min is on his way out and he is not happy!
Han Yeo Jin, who’s gone to the press conference in a face mask and hat, notes Secretary Min‘s annoyance and sees this as the perfect moment to poach the Han Do Joon‘s secretary, make her existence known and use him to gain access to her room on the 12th floor to take back what’s hers and save Kim Tae Hyun all at the same time. Firstly, a text message to catch Secretary Min‘s attention is sent to Han Do Joon‘s secure phone, a phone which only a few family members know about and which Secretary Min keeps with him. "Give me a good funeral, Do Joon" she texts. Secretary Min doesn’t dismiss the message as a prank, but he doesn’t act on it immediately either. During her funeral, Han Yeo Jin sends Secretary Min another text: "Do Joon, when people find out that I’m alive and well, will the world be turned upside down?" This time it gets him to act.
He and his colleague goes off to verify the body at the morgue. Finding that the body isn’t Han Yeo Jin, he brings in Head Nurse for questioning (Head Nurse is who verified the body as Han Yeo Jin), asking her why she confirmed the body to be Han Yeo Jin‘s when it wasn’t. Head Nurse tell him that it was under Chief Surgeon Lee‘s orders to swap the body. She was just doing what she was told by him. The answer seem to get her off being questioned further. They leave after giving her a warning about something happening to her should they find out she was lying about this. And so, Secretary Min goes off and orders Kim Tae Hyun to operate on Chief Surgeon Lee to bring him back to life for questioning. Kim Tae Hyun isn’t too keen on listening to the order, but when Secretary Min threatens him with Kim Tae Hyun‘s sister, he is more willing.
Saving Chief Surgeon Lee, although it appears as if Kim Tae Hyun was nonchalant and unwilling to perform the operation, it appears to be an act. In a previous scene, it was he who requested Head Nurse to help him save Chief Surgeon Lee. Saving the chief appears to be a part of Kim Tae Hyun‘s plans. How saving him fits into helping him or Han Yeo Jin isn’t clear, though. Maybe he just wanted to save him. (There’s also every possibility that Chief Surgeon Lee needs to be saved because the writers needs to use the character later in the story and this was the way to do it.)
While Kim Tae Hyun operates on Chief Surgeon Lee, Han Yeo Jin continues with her plans to gain access to her room and reclaim Han Shin Group. She sends Secretary Min another text message. This time she orders him to have her passport delivered to the airport, telling him that if he doesn’t he will also die by Han Do Joon‘s hands. (This is true on both fronts: he’ll die for missing on the fact that Han Yeo Jin is still alive, and secondly, if he doesn’t switch sides now and choose to remain loyal to Han Do Joon, he will also die.)
Thinking she’s currently at the airport, Secretary Min orders all the guards off the 12th floor to head for the airport to bring her back, leaving the floor free for Han Yeo Jin to head for her room unobstructed. It also allows the second part of Han Yeo Jin‘s plan to be executed by Kim Tae Hyun. The plan involves Kim Tae Hyun leaving the hospital and retrieving the passport so that he could take it to the Registry Office to obtain a marriage licence which would have Han Yeo Jin and Kim Tae Hyun as husband and wife. The marriage isn’t just for the sake of love, but it is an important strategic move to ensure her plan to reclaim Han Shin Group as her own (or at the very least have the Group in the hands of someone she wishes for it to be in, and that someone being Kim Tae Hyun) and it isn’t thwarted by Han Do Joon‘s claim over being her legal guardian again.
Just after sending the text to Secretary Min, Han Yeo Jin meets Kim Tae Hyun on the roof of the hospital. With the guards off the floor, she moves onto having Kim Tae Hyun leave the hospital. He asks for his phone, which she then type a text message to Lee Chae Young, asking her to help him leave. She waits for Lee Chae Young‘s confirmation before handing the phone back to him.
Kim Tae Hyun seeing what she had requested of Lee Chae Young, refuses to go along with Han Yeo Jin‘s request. He will not leave her at the hospital on her own. She tells him that wanting him to leave is not only because the hospital is dangerous, but there is actually something she needs him to do for her and it’s something that he must do for her on the outside. Again, he doesn’t believe her. Han Yeo Jin assures him she’s telling the truth, telling him that it’s also something that only he can do. He submits and lets her request the favour. "Will you…" she begins, pausing as if worried the favour she’s asking is too much, "marry me?" she completes. Kim Tae Hyun, surprised by the favour, isn’t given time the chance to respond, though, as Han Yeo Jin expands on her request: "Marry me and become my heir and legal guardian, then protect me from Han Do Joon‘s hands." Without much of a hesitation and not being one bit bothered by the reason behind the marriage proposal, Kim Tae Hyun accepts. Han Yeo Jin worried he’s not quite thought it through, tells him not to answer so easily and to think more carefully before accepting. She is given a kiss in response. He’s thought it through and he accepts.
What a way to have the couple marry! The writers managed to get a marriage proposal into the story and have it serve a vital role in bringing down Han Do Joon. We like it a lot!
Kim Tae Hyun moves to escape from the hospital to carry out Han Yeo Jin‘s plans. He is briefly stopped by a guard stationed at the basement, but he is taken down by a couple of ordinary-looking hospital visitors (who are apparently undercover guards for Kim Tae Hyun), allowing him to pass the guard and into Lee Chae Young‘s car. While Kim Tae Hyun is off in his mission to retrieve the passport, Han Yeo Jin head for her room. As she makes her way there, she sends yet another text to Secretary Min to come to his room: "If everyone is at the airport, come to my room," surprising the secretary who watches her arrive at the entrance of her room in the CCTV footage in his car.
Han Yeo Jin enters the room apprehensively, affected by the past events that took place in the room. She almost buckles under the fear, but Kim Tae Hyun‘s words "if you can’t walk to the throne, you can’t sit on the throne" pushes her forward. She reaches the bed which she once lay for three years. Turning around to face one of the glass screens which once displayed her medical information and vitals, the screen seems to detect her presence as it prompts her for a scan of her hand. Upon receiving the handprint and recognising it, the screen flicks on to display stock data, and health and standings of the Han Shin Group. As the same time, the bed raises to become a chair. Recalling her father referring to the king’s seat as being the seat she should be sitting on, Han Yeo Jin lowers herself into the seat. The metal frame around her bed that once monitored motion then raises above her to scan her body. She is the owner of the room and the seat. A video of her father flicks on ahead and begins to play.
Her father greets her, asking if she slept well. He tell her he’s glad she’s found her way back to her room as it means that she has the ability to be the owner of the room and Han Shin Group. He apologises to her for the method he used to keep her alive, for not being able to do anything about Han Do Joon and protect her before he left her.
He moves on to tell her about her love, Choi Sung Hoon. He had known about the two of them had been seeing each other. He was worried, but because he trusted her good judgement, he was willing to wait for her. He tells that there were reports of suspicious activity. He found out that Choi Sung Hoon and Han Do Joon was working together and they were planning to frame her for providing information to the Dae Joon Group about a new project Han Shin Group was working on. Choi Sung Hoon approached her intentionally. He was working for Han Do Joon to remove her from the Board of Directors. He reveals that what led to Choi Sung Hoon‘s death was because he wanted both her and the secret information, resulting in Han Do Joon to order both her and Choi Sung Hoon to be killed.
The revelation has her scream, not believing the truth of the situation, but seems to calm down by the time she hears about the USB drive which was stored in a small compartment on the right of her chair. His father tells her the drive would ensure that no one would dare challenge her—not the Han Shin Presidents or Government officials—because contained inside are detailed records of Han Shin Group‘s slush funds and how it was used to fund lobbying activities in their political endeavours. He tells her that the one with this information can become the real owner of the Han Shin Group (and remain unchallenged). This is the reason why Han Do Joon will do (is doing) his best to find it. He assures her that he will never be able to have it because he’s not the heir to the Han Shin Group. Her father ends his recording telling her that, although everyone thought otherwise, he truly love her mother and that’s why he was able to protect Han Shin, that he loved her and to please protect Han Shin.
Secretary Min arrives shortly after. He approaches her and announces his presence: he is at her command he says. Fear is apparent on him but he shows no respect towards her, rudely asking what she plans to do, now that she’s a rat in her own trap. She ignores his remark and orders him to kneel before her like a Queen ordering her subject. He doesn’t immediately comply, finding no reason worthy of doing so. However, when she shows him the USB drive explaining it’s the item Han Do Joon‘s been searching desperately, the secret ledger, he drops to his knees, ready to have him order his men at the airport to hand over the passport which Man Sik‘s turned up to pick up.
As the call comes in asking whether the passport should be handed over, Secretary Min attempts to make a deal with her to pass over the USB with the secret ledger, suggesting the ledger be an exchange for the passport. Han Yeo Jin reprimands him for being cheeky, but in the end throws him the item he so wants; and the passport is approved to be passed over to Man Sik at the airport and into Kim Tae Hyun‘s hands.
USB in his hands, Secretary Min acknowledges her as chairwoman and pledges to serve her well—at least that’s what he says. After hearing Han Yeo Jin‘s plans to show up at her own funeral and ordering him to invite all the powerful people: Prosecutor General, Police Commissioner, National Tax Commissioner and the First Minister, her plans are all relayed back to Han Do Joon. The USB drive is even handed over to him.
Somehow, it looks to be a part of Han Yeo Jin‘s plan (despite the writers trying to make it look otherwise). Either she expected to be betrayed or this is how she wanted Secretary Min to handle the situation. She also seems to not care about using the secret ledger to reclaim and hold onto her position. She’s relying on Kim Tae Hyun and her marriage to him (and probably the criminal acts which will probably have him locked up). We have a sneaking suspicion that even if Han Do Joon got his hands on the USB, he wouldn’t be able to access it or use it based on how their father mentioned that Han Do Joon could never have it because he isn’t the heir to the Group.
So, with the passport in Kim Tae Hyun‘s possession, the last part of Han Yeo Jin‘s plans is to have him come back with the marriage licence and have him become her legal guardian and heir to the Group. (It seems that to obtain a marriage licence all that is required is the partner’s passport!) He is to go to the Registry Office and make the application for the licence at 9 a.m. on the day of her funeral and then come back and show up shortly after she makes her appearance at the service at 10 a.m. It’s already a tight schedule without the addition of Detective Lee who’s still after him.
After Man Sik helped Kim Tae Hyun retrieve the passport, Man Sik was forced to betray him after being tricked by the police. In order to receive probation, he ratted Kim Tae Hyun out and had planned to lead the police to him. He convinced Kim Tae Hyun to go to another warehouse full of injured gangsters with the intention of handing Kim Tae Hyun over to the police when they showed up after the surgeries. It is only after Kim Tae Hyun‘s gesture of leaving all the money he earned operating on their latest group of gangsters that Man Sik decides against setting him up. He tells Kim Tae Hyun what he had done and tells him to get out of the warehouse before the police arrives to catch him in the act and take him in.
The police turning up at the warehouse to catch Kim Tae Hyun actually saves him this time round, though. Had it not been the case, he would most likely have been killed by President Go‘s hit-man. From the time Kim Tae Hyun left the hospital to head to the airport, President Go‘s hit-man has been trailing his movements. After Han Do Joon received the secret ledger from Secretary Min, President Go was ordered to dispose of Kim Tae Hyun. The time when Detective Lee turned up, Kim Tae Hyun was chased up to the roof by the hit-man with no where to go but down. Detective Lee‘s arrival came just the right time to stop Kim Tae Hyun from ending up falling over the roof to the ground below. Instead, Detective Lee ends up falling off the roof when the hit-man (who was down on his knees with the detectives gun pointed towards him) overpowers him during their fight and he is sent over the edge. Kim Tae Hyun, who had decided to take the opportunity to escape during the fight between the hit-man and the detective, freezes in his tracks upon hearing the falling. The doctor within him won’t let him just let the detective die, but the hit-man who’s got his eyes on him now has Kim Tae Hyun wrestle with whether to go to the detective’s aid or continue to run. Fortunately back-up arrives and the hit-man is scared off from continuing his chase, and Kim Tae Hyun is able to quickly perform a minor operation on the detective, draw the police to him before running off.
The next morning, the day of the funeral, Detective Lee, who appears to have recovered well, is back after Kim Tae Hyun. This time, the detective does not miss, turning up at the Registry Office as Kim Tae Hyun is in the middle of filling out the marriage licence form. He’s hand-cuffed and dragged out to the detective car’s. It looks like Kim Tae Hyun is heading straight for the police station, no chance of carrying out Han Yeo Jin‘s plans. But then, Gangster Doo Chul calls the detective to come to Kim Tae Hyun‘s rescue. He’s caught President Go‘s hit-man, a huge catch, he tells the detective. He urges the detective to let Kim Tae Hyun go because the real killer is the man he’s caught, not Kim Tae Hyun who saves people. He adds that not only has he caught a big one, the people behind the hit-man are even bigger catches. Doo Chul assures that Detective Lee‘s rank will rise by two after this. To add even more, the killer is the same one who threw him off the roof and he’s even got a confession from him. All the detective needs to do is take the hit-man in, he says. Detective Lee is sceptical, but then when he stops his car to check the boot of his car (presumably, Doo Chul told the detective to do so), there the hit-man is, a red bow tied around his backside with an accompanying note from Doo Chul: "Present". (It won’t be long before Detective Lee starts investigating President Go and Han Do Joon now!)
Meanwhile, Han Yeo Jin‘s making her way into the funeral hall. She’s arrives in her wheelchair, sporting a new look: long hair is gone, replaced by a mid-length bob; dressed in a grey-black patterned suit, hat and glasses; and looking every bit the part of a powerful chairwoman. She is accompanied by Lee Chae Young, who eventually chose to side with her after seemingly recognising Han Yeo Jin had something up her sleeve the previous night, and is placing her chips on Han Yeo Jin as the winning side. They are initially stopped at the entrance, but is later let in when Secretary Min‘s subordinate permits them entrance. Inside the funeral, Lee Chae Young brings her down the aisle towards the front. Mid-way, Han Yeo Jin orders Lee Chae Young to stop, wanting to walk up to the front on her own two feet. Slowly she walks past President Go, past her brother, who watches her with curiosity: seemingly unable to be entirely sure whether this woman is Han Yeo Jin or not. Arriving at the altar, Han Yeo Jin sheds her hat and then her glasses. Finally, she turns around, standing in front of the large framed photo of herself who was supposed to be dead.
The entire hall stands up in shock, not believing the woman who they were attending the funeral service for is alive in front of their eyes. Han Do Joon tries to act oblivious, asking her what had happened. Han Yeo Jin has none of it and calls him out immediately: "Are you surprised because the person you killed came back alive?" He continues to deny his involvement in anything and even tries to accuse Han Yeo Jin of trying something. After Han Yeo Jin retorts that it’s he who caused all of this, that he was the one who announced a perfectly fine person dead, Han Do Joon moves to put the blame on Kim Tae Hyun, turning around to face President Go, asking who it was who pronounced his sister dead. On cue, President Go supplies Kim Tae Hyun‘s name. Han Do Joon then uses her frailty to try whisk her away from the guests.
Han Yeo Jin stands her ground, requesting from the Police Commissioner protective custody for herself under the reasoning that Han Do Joon‘s been keeping her captive illegally for the past three years so that he could manage the company the way he wanted with decisions she didn’t approve. The Commissioner advises her to file for a restraining order in that case. Han Do Joon interrupts, using her mental instability to control the situation again. He tells everyone that the whole time he was worried about it affecting the company stock prices and that was why he kept her condition a secret. Han Do Joon quickly moves in to show a psychiatrist’s report from Han Shin Medical Center to demonstrate the criticality of her condition, as if to try to have the Commissioner act on the spot and according to his wishes instead of granting Han Yeo Jin‘s request for an independent assessment to be taken outside of Han Shin Medical Center. As the Commissioner takes a look at the report, Han Do Joon explains its contents aloud: paranoia from being mentally deranged and because of this there is a big concern of suicide attempts; and therefore she needs protection and treatment immediately. He moves to use his status as the legal guardian and openness to allow her to talk and meet with whoever she wishes: any meetings she wishes to have with lawyers and government officials won’t be prevented. He also assures that he will follow doctor’s recommendations. (Sounds like Han Do Joon‘s going to make it go back to the way it was: probably induced medical conditions to justify his actions! Geez!) He ends his speech with a threat. He first hopes the Commissioner won’t contribute to her mental instability before the threat is made, bringing up the relationship he had with his father, most likely referring to the secret ledger he now has, which no doubt will have the Commissioner do what Han Do Joon wants.
Han Yeo Jin needs Kim Tae Hyun right now. He needs to turn up with the marriage licence so Han Do Joon can be removed from being her legal guardian and can no longer make decisions for her. We don’t see any reasons for Kim Tae Hyun not to make it. With President Go‘s hit-man taken care of and Detective Lee allowing him to obtain the marriage licence, he should arrive. With Detective Lee with him, he might even get a police escort to arrive quickly. But then there are still a lot of episodes left. Yong Pal has been confirmed to extend to 18 episodes so there still room to have things go wrong.
We worry. Anything can happen on the road. There was this random shot of Han Shin Electric bus slotted in between the last few scenes of Episode 12. We wonder what part this bus plays. Han Shin Electric has been mentioned a lot and it is related to the deceased employee, Kim Yeong Mi, so it could either help Han Yeo Jin or go against her. We hope it’s the former and not the latter. Crosses fingers nothing happens to Kim Tae Hyun on his way back!
Final Words
These couple episodes were really Han Yeo Jin-centric and they turned out to be just as good as the Kim Tae Hyun-centric ones which we’ve been seeing for the last 10 episodes. She’s turned out to be quite the strong, commanding, authoritative character. We could see a bit of this character with the way she spoke to Kim Tae Hyun when she first woke up, but it’s not until these two episodes we saw just how much she can be. She really does have that Chairwoman feel about her, that alligator personality that can stand up and fight against the other alligators which she once described herself to be to Kim Tae Hyun. She also has that queen dowager feel to her, too. When she was talking to Secretary Min in her room, she felt exactly like a queen dowager talking to her subject. We find her interesting because of the contrasting sides in her. She’s sweet and loving, talks softly around Kim Tae Hyun, but around business people, she’s so steely! It makes us quite interested to see how she and Kim Tae Hyun will gel when she becomes the Han Shin Group chairwoman.
We’re really loving this couple. When we started watching Yong Pal, we worried how the romance arc was going to work in the series. So many dramas which start off with great action end up letting the romance arc eventually take over and the story weakens. But with Yong Pal, it’s working together with the main story so fantastically.
For us, the couple works because she’s not made to continue to be in the background where Kim Tae Hyun continues to be the character to save the day. No. She’s made to take the rein. She does the planning and the strategising. When Han Yeo Jin is this Han Shin Group Chairwoman personality, the steely aura she gives off actually overpowers Kim Tae Hyun a little, like she’s the one that wears the pants. But then Kim Tae Hyun is also very steely, especially during times when he’s performing his operations, saving warehouse full of gangsters; and staving off hit-men, detectives, and Han Shin Group presidents. We just love that it’s not one way where the guy is doing all the planning, executing and saving. In Yong Pal, both Han Yeo Jin and Kim Tae Hyun have the ability to do it, which we suppose is what makes them such a great match. They are able to help each other equally.
Lee Chae Young and Kim Tae Hyun. We find this relationship quite interesting. Kim Tae Hyun appears to have played a part in having Lee Chae Young decide to side with Han Yeo Jin. For Lee Chae Young to make the decision to stand on Han Yeo Jin‘s side, it wasn’t Han Yeo Jin‘s granting of freedom from Han Do Joon nor was it the granting of letting her family off the hook that had her settle; it was Kim Tae Hyun.
During Lee Chae Young‘s meeting with Han Yeo Jin the night before the funeral when she found out Han Yeo Jin was alive, their discussion has them talk about Secretary Min having betrayed her as well as how Lee Chae Young reckons that Han Yeo Jin would be better off on her side (which she disagrees as she’d most likely be held captive at Han Shin Hotel or some mental institution in the country). The discussion then leads to Han Yeo Jin and Lee Chae Young talking about the side Lee Chae Young wishes to stand. Han Yeo Jin had mentioned that if she doesn’t want to stand on her side she should stand far away; however, she would still (as already mentioned) grant her freedom from Han Do Joon as well as letting her family off the hook. This has Lee Chae Young query Han Yeo Jin what she’d do if she shouted and told everyone where she was. Han Yeo Jin‘s response, she doesn’t believe her to do something so low. If she was, she wouldn’t have come to her secretly without Han Do Joon. And this is when Lee Chae Young suddenly asks about her relationship with Kim Tae Hyun.
"What’s your relationship with Kim Tae Hyeon?" Lee Chae Young asks. Han Yeo Jin eyes widen ever so slightly, surprised Kim Tae Hyun had come up during a time where they were effectively negotiating what it took for her to stay on her side. She moves her gaze which was previously direct and meeting Lee Chae Young‘s to anywhere else but Lee Chae Young‘s. "He’s just a retainer I bought," she responds in a firm, neutral tone. Lee Chae Young, in a tone that’s inquiring as well as hopeful, asks her to confirm her answer again, "Really? Is that all?" Han Yeo Jin confirms, rhetorically asking her what else there would be. Lee Chae Young appears to believe Han Yeo Jin‘s words and breathes a sigh of relief. She decides to stand on Han Yeo Jin‘s side and agrees to do whatever Han Yeo Jin wants her to do. In exchange for her complete support and allowing Han Yeo Jin use her however she wants, she stakes her claim, “Instead, I’ll take Kim Tae Hyun“. Han Yeo Jin, having already stated there was nothing between them, is forced to agree to her claim: "If you want," she says, attempting to be nonchalant about it.
So very interesting. Does she really like Kim Tae Hyun or is she just obsessing over him like he’s her favourite toy? Lee Chae Young once described Kim Tae Hyun to her husband as exactly that: a toy she really liked. Watching them together, we suppose it can be seen as such. It’s like she likes keeping him around because it riles her husband up. Maybe somehow she figured out that Han Yeo Jin is together with Kim Tae Hyun and is doing the same thing to her. But then in the scene where she came to pick up Kim Tae Hyun to help him go to the airport to pick up Han Yeo Jin‘s passport, she told him that she intended to get a divorce from her husband because of him. Thinking that he might be heading to the airport to escape to the U.S. where his sister is, she told him that she was going to follow him there soon if that’s where he was escaping to. She even said that she had made checks to see if there was anyone he liked and having found no one. We’ll be interested to see where this goes—whether she’s using it against Han Yeo Jin or whether she really likes him.
Again, really love this week’s episodes, really love Han Yeo Jin in these ones. We can’t wait to see her in her alligator world, taking on the other alligators. We hope Kim Tae Hyun stays safe and returns. We don’t think we can take seeing him hurt!
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