So, This Is Love

[jenny]

She quickly states “They still haven’t come to their sense even after the IMF fiasco.” Do any of you posters know what she talking about? What is IMF?

I started watching K dramas during the "IMF era," in 1997. I was only 16, but from what I remember, the IMF is the International Monetary Fund. This was when Asia's economy was in trouble. I just remember hearing a news story about a Japanese CEO and his wife driving their car into a river because they were ruined. And the characters in "Ties That Bind" would sit around their short little dinner table talking about the IMF.

I think that was the IMF era, I may be wrong though. Thanks for the summaries, Miles! STIL was such a happy drama (happy drama? )!

[Lucy]

Thanks, GC! you are in fact a very good moderator! Lucy

[Miles Dyson]

Episode 11

Family A & B

It's late at night & Joon-bum Cha & Hoon-sook Park are still trapped in an elevator at the Hansuh Building project. Hoon-sook is sleeping while Joon-bum is reminisce about his past. He's at a diner & his girlfriend is bugging him to fix her high-heel shoes. Joon-bum is still too tired from his exams to even care or keeps his eyes open.

His annoyed girlfriend ask to borrow his shoes so she can walk across the street have a shop repair her high-heels. The girlfriends puts his shoes on & walks across the street. Then the feeble-minded & doomed girlfriend accidently leaves one shoe in the street while trying to beat a mack truck.

Then she does something even more brainless: She's debating whether to save Joon-bum shoe or flee from the mack truck. While still trying decided what to do, the mack truck hits & kills her. Joon-bum wakes up with a flashlight being pointed it has tearful face. The maintenance worker found & freed them from the elevator.
Hoon-sook's mother, Keum-nan Park, is still waiting her in the dark at home for her arrival.

Next we Joon-bum & Hoon-sook eating at a diner. Hoon-sook is eating like a 2 week starved pig, giving Joon-bum pause to watch. She speaks while eating. This also makes him laugh. He didn't think she loved Korean food anymore since she lived in the US for so long. She, it just the opposite because she missed traditional style food.

They laugh & talk. Joon-bum then drops her little far from her house. Hoon-sook starts running home, then stops & turns around to say thank you to Joon-bum for buying her food. Hoon-sook is still penniless because he left her pocket-book in a taxi in episode 9.

Hoon-sook sneaks quietly inside at home. She's happy she avoided her mother. When enters her dark bedroom she finds her mother, Keum-nan, sitting down giving her the evil-eye look. These are the exact words... & it's brutal!

Hoon-sook, "Mom"

Keum-nan, "Is this how you lived?"

Hoon-sook, "Something happened at the site."

Keum-nan, "You just do whatever pleases you? Going out late at night, meeting any guy & sleeping around?"

Hoon-sook, "Mom."[never completely looks her eye all at all]

[She's still ticked that her daughter had a one-night stand in the US & became pregnant with a girl. Hoon-sook gave birth in the US & returned home without telling the parents anything. The mom think she turning into a slut]

Keum-nan, "Is this how I taught you? Was I that ignorant of my own daughter?"

Hoon-sook, "I've done nothing wrong. I didn't have Han-bi [baby daughter] without thinking about it. I'm not that foolish, Han-bi is my responsibility."

Keum-nan slaps her in the face!!!!

Keum-nan, "How can you even mention the world ‘responsibility'?!........ I had no idea that you'd disappoint me like this."

Keum-nan walks away angry. Hoon-sook starts to cry. Keum-nan stands behind the door about to cry herself.

Family B

Mother Cha opens the door for Joon-bum. It's past 4am. Mother returns to the floor [how come they don't have beds? I Know they money] & accidently wakes up husband, jn. jn wants to now why she's making a ruckus. She tells him that Joon-bum just returned home from work

jn "They're killing him at work" [funny]

The conversation proceeds she lets him now that she has job working nights. She says never mind & go back to sleep. Jung-nan wanting sex says...

"Let's see how well you work at night." [hahaha old but still want some].

Mother Cha says she has to use the bathroom [to avoid sex]. He's upset & wonders why they got married. [It was funny but from watching more of this episode it's possible a serious problem could arise. He might fool around with Mrs. Park episodes from now.]

Family A. [The Parks]

Two hours later, Keum-nan is making breakfast. Hoon-sook walks in & explains to her mother what happened last night. Her mother doesn't want to turn around or even acKeum-nanowledge an apology even after Hoon-sook explained what happened.

Hoon-sook, ".... & you don't have to worry about me making the same mistake again. I won't mess up my life over a man. Have faith in me."

Hoon-sook decides to walk to say hi & by to Han-bi before she leaves. Mother tells her sit down & eat before she goes to work.

Family A [Keum-nan's sister, Oh-bok]

Young-ah is trying to persuade her mother, Oh-bok, to forget about planning the 70th birthday party for their grandmother. Grandmother told Young-ah to do this is in eps. 10. Oh-bok explains what's going on.

Grandmother doesn't want a birthday because no one will show up. Except the 3 people that's already living with Grandmother now, us. She is lonely because her husband died when Oh-bok was 5.

Oh-bok promised her mother at that time she was going to throw her a massive party when grandmother turned 60. Sadly, Oh-bok forgot because at that time she was going through a divorce with Young-ah's & Yun-ah's father. Now she's trying to make up for it. Oh-bok is about to cry & Young-ah gives her a hug. Grandmother walks in & let them be alone, unaware of what they are talking about.

Yun-ah, the young sister, walks out of her bedroom & greets grandmom. Grandmom scold Yun-ah for laughing at her sister hugging the mom. Grandmom opens the bag of laundry, picks up a red thongs [racy underwear], & ask grandmom asks Yun-ah what is that. [Funny moment]. Grandmom hits her in the back.... & then hits granddaughter again for....

Yun-ah, "Can you give me allowance?"

Grandmother, "For what?"

Yun-ah, " To buy your birthday present."

"Smack"

"You want money from me to buy me a gift?" [funny]

Too complicated to explain but it opens the door for a big birthday bash in the future episode for grandmom.

Family A [The Parks]

Byung-doo asks if she remembers Jung-nam Cha?

Keum-nan" Of course, he's your boyhood friend & your 1st business partner"

Byung-doo, "& your 1st love"

[Whoa. Flashback]

Jung-nam Cha & Keum-nan at a restaurant in their pre-teen years. Jung-nam loves Keum-nan. [end of flashback]

Jung-nam Cha works for the water bureau. Keum-nan's [grand]mother taught him when he was a kid about 30 or 40 years ago. Byung-doo wants to invite him for [grand]mother's party. They make contact after years of not speaking to each. Not out of anger or anything. They just grew apart.

Keum-nan & Byung-doo are unaware that their daughter, Hoon-sook, now works with Jung-nam Cha's son, Joon-bum Cha. They are also unaware that their niece, Young-ah, is in love & dating Jung-nam's youngest son, Ki-bum Cha. To make a long story short they all will be going to a Grandmom's party without realizing they are already connected.

Family A & B

At the company, Joon-bum is sitting down happy about last night's event. I think it's the first time he's hung with a lady since his girlfriend died years ago. His stupid colleague, Han Jong-kyu, comes by & cracks wise how everyone about "what happened last night". Han is spreading rumors leading others to believe that Joon-bum & Hoon-sook were intimate on the elevator.

Joon-bum doesn't Han spread rumors that obviously aren't true. While Han is still joking with Joon-bum, Hoon-sook sneaks by to listen only hear Han speaking & seeing Joon-bum laughing.

Now Hoon-sook believes she's the company's tramp. Back at the office, Joon-bum's secretary, Eun-ji Jung gives hers the that, ‘I can't believe you're a tramp' look. Then another guys laughs & says he knows's what happened last night. Hoon-sook is uncomfortable, ashamed, & angry.

[Miles Dyson]

Family A & B

Ki-bum races upstairs to Grandmother's apartment to meet her & his girlfriend Young'ah. On the way up the steps he encounters her sister, Yung-ah, & shouts....

Ki-bum Cha "My sister-in law!!!"

Yun-ah "Who are you calling your sister-in-law" She tries to run down the steps but he grabs her arm.

Ki-bum Cha"You WILL BE my sister-in-law! How did the exams go?"

Yun-ah "So, so."

Ki-bum Cha "I sense hostility. What is it?"

Yun-ah "Why is your father being mean to my sister?"

Ki-bum Cha "Oh my, you'd scratch me with your nails if I were mean to her after marriage."

She gives if him a look of ‘damn right I would'.

He pulls out his wallets & she smiles. He hands her some big cash.

She takes it.

Ki-bum Cha, "Maybe I'm giving you too much."

Yun-ah, "This isn't enough for bribes."

Ki-bum Cha, "Call me your brother-in-law, then I can give you more." [funny]

"Okay,...... Brother-In-Law." Turns away while doing this. [funny]

Ki-bum laughs [He appears to be at his happiest when he's with Young-ah & his family].

He pinches her cheeks rough & says "You catch on fast!"

Yun-ah, "What the heck."

He hands her more cash

Yun-ah, "Everyone's home! Thank you, Ki-bum!"

both depart happy.

He's in the apartment. It's a funny & too long to type.

He decides to toast grandmother at birthday. To make her happy & himself happy he'll say call Young-ah his wife! Of course this a problem because their not even engaged first. I believe Ki-bum really wants to marry Young-ah. Grandmother accepts his offer.


Joon-bum walks with Han & she gives them the cold shouldler with the evil look of not wanting to be bothered. Joon-bum doesn't know what's going on. They go outside & she tells him not to spread rumors & lies. Joon-bum is doesn't know now what's she talking about. Hoon-sook apologizes if he hasn't done nothing wrong but she's still angry. She leaves & he's in pursuit.

Joon-bum, "Let me give you a ride, We're heading the same way."

Hoon-sook, "It's okay, I'll take the subway."

Joon-bum, "I'll give you a ride to the station. It's a long walk."

Hoon-sook, "I can take a cab. And let me tell you something. I really don't like rumors. Don't blow this elevator thing out o proportion."

Joon-bum, "I'm blowing it out of proportion?"

Hoon-sook, "If not, good. I didn't think it'd be good to have false rumors when we have to work together. I'm sorry I had to tell you this."

She walks away.

He's stunned.

The End.

Notes:

Ki-bum Cha loves Young-ah & her family because they make him feel special & loves him for who he is. He doesn't appear to be at all miserable at home but he's found a purpose & is appreciated more at his girlfriend's house.

Joon-bum & Hoon-sook have along way to go before they start dating.

Keum-nan, Oh-bok, & a 3rd lady are sisters. Oh-bok could be her last name. I'm not sure. These summaries are killer but I have this long so readers can who is who & what's going on. It'll be shorter next but still informative.