The drama continues in this week’s episodes of Mask and I’m every bit as hooked as I was in the beginning. There’s just something about this insane drama that leaves me begging for more. A someone I was talking to earlier this week said, it’s like melodrama crack and I’m a total addict.
Last week we left Seo Eun Ha crying over her mother in the mountains as Min Woo looked on and it seems the sincerity in her feelings has touched his hardened heart. Actually, I’m not even sure it’s right to say Min Woo’s heart is hard, rather it’s just been untouched for so long, it’s forgotten how to truly feel. However the longer Min Woo is around this new, caring Eun Ha, the harder it is for his heart to be unmoved. As he watched Eun Ha take care of her “nanny” he realizes there may be more to his wife than he originally thought and I love that the longer these two are together, the harder it is for Min Woo to pretend like he doesn’t care. I think Min Woo is the type of person who wants to love and be loved. He was raised by a loving mother and his happiest memories are when he was with her, loving her and being loved in return. In his heart, he’s still that loving little kid but time and circumstances have forced him to put that loving nature aside as a means of self-preservation. For twenty years Min Woo has lived in a house where he’s spied on and disregarded by those who should love him and it’s shaped him into the man that he is now.
Lucky for Min Woo, he now has Eun Ha by his side and there’s a lot she can teach him, if he’s willing to learn. I loved the time they spent together in the market, doing nothing extraordinary yet learning so much. Comfortable in her surroundings for the first time since they were married, Eun Ha was able to let her guard down and simply be herself which, in turn, allowed Min Woo to catch a brief glimpse of the woman at his side. Though Min Woo barely recognized this new side of his wife, he was very much touched by it (even if he refuses to admit that truth to anyone, including himself) and he took the lessons he learned that day at the market, to heart. Despite all his protests, the time he and Eun Ha spent at the market proved incredibly beneficial as he was able to use that experience to come up with a plan that not only saved him from Seok Hoon’s schemes but also saved the marketplace merchants. I have to say, I was thoroughly impressed with Min Woo’s plan to combine a shopping mall and the marketplace into one innovative and highly profitable market place. As Min Woo was explaining his plans for the future, I found myself wishing there really was such a place where I could shop. (Oh why don’t I live in the Dramaverse???)
As happy as Eun Ha was over Min Woo’s success, Seok Hoon (and pretty much everyone else in the Choi family) was less than pleased with Min Woo’s victory. This week we got our first good look at the inner workings of this messed up family and things are finally starting to make sense, in terms of how these familial relationships work. Jealousy seems to be the biggest player in this family mess and it’s doing its best to keep each member of this family miserable. Song Seol Hee is jealous of the feelings Choi Doo Hyun still harbors for Min Woo’s late mother. As such she refuses to let the family fortune pass to the son of her husband’s mistress which explains why she takes so much pleasure in seeing Min Woo fail. Choi Mi Yeon has no real hatred of her half-brother but she does hate his wife with unbridled passion because she knows that the real Eun Ha and Seok Hoon were having an affair. Her desire to make Eun Ha’s life miserable is completely understandable and though I hate to see the present Eun Ha suffer, I also take a sick sense of pleasure in watching Mi Yeon spit her venom simply because the lower Eun Ha falls, the easier it will be for Min Woo to scoop her up into his arms and save her. (Yes, I’m a sick and sappy romantic but I can’t help myself. I live for this kind of twisted drama.) Mi Yeon did take me a bit by surprise though, admitting that despite all her mother’s hatred, she has nothing against Min Woo. I’m kind of hoping this will come into play in a good way, later on in this story. If Mi Yeon could learn the truth about Eun Ha and take her side to fight against Seok Hoon, that would be amazing. Unfortunately I don’t really see that happening because Mi Yeon seems to be very torn in her feelings towards her husband. Does she love him? Does she hate him? I’m not sure she can really decide and until she makes up her mind, things are going to be miserable for both herself and pretty much everyone else.
Seok Hoon is obviously only interested in two things, the demise of Min Woo and the takeover of SJ Group. Seok Hoon is one seriously sick and twisted individual and if I were Eun Ha I’d cut all ties with him immediately. It know Eun Ha feels bound to Seok Hoon, as he’s the one responsible for putting her in her current situation but he’s not the only person who can help her out. In fact, Seok Hoon will never help Eun Ha and the quicker she learns that, the better off she’ll be. If she’d only find the courage to confess everything to Min Woo, she’d be a lot safer than she is now. Of course telling her husband she’s not really the person he thinks she is could spell her doom but I don’t think Min Woo would react as irrationally as one might suppose. He and Eun Ha are at this interesting place in their relationship where they’re beginning to soften in their feelings towards each other but they haven’t reached any significant relationship milestones. There’s still quite a bit of hesitation and mistrust between them and it would be beneficial to Eun Ha to tell Min Woo the truth and get him on her side as Ji Sook. Together they could fight off Seok Hoon and the rest of the crazies in their world and fall in love naturally in the process. However that would be much too easy of a road for this drama to take which means Min Woo and Eun Ha will continue to develop feelings for each other and it won’t be until after Min Woo feels he can trust his wife completely that he learns the truth and is so hurt by the lies she’s told that he leaves her. Ugh. My heart breaks just thinking about this but what can we do? There is hope though as my theories are just that, theories. There’s always the possibility better things are to come. Right?
While I don’t hold out much hope for happiness for anyone in this story I do hope that things between Min Woo and Eun Ha continue to progress positively. I’m having so much fun watching these two together, I really don’t want it to end. The more time they spend together, the more they’re able to see the person behind the mask and it’s that real person hi.ding that draws these two together. *sigh* (Isn’t that wonderful?) I want these two to find the love and happiness they crave in each other and I want them to overcome all of the obstacles that stand in their way. I want them to be victorious in this insane jealousy-filled, power battle and I want them to live happily ever after. Because I am a sap and dang it! I want my OTP to be happy!
But enough of my whining. Now it’s time for you to tell me what you thought of these two episodes. Are you happy with the way things are evolving between Min Woo and Eun Ha? Do you think Seok Hoon is going to leave Eun Ha’s family alone as long as she behaves? With the failure of his plans to sabotage the deal with the mayor, what do you think Seok Hoon’s next move will be? Do you really think Ji Hyuk is going to leave Eun Ha be or will he continue to dig for the truth? When do you think these money lenders are going to come into play? Do you think they have a bigger part to play in this story than simply being Ji Hyuk’s employer? Are brighter days in store for Eun Ha’s real family or will they fall victim to more of Seok Hoon’s schemes? There’s so much more we could discuss so be sure to let me know what you’re thinking by leaving me a comment below!
You can catch up on all my reviews of Mask here:
I LOVE this drama. I’m impatiently waiting for each episode. I squealed with joy when Min Woo carried his sleeping wife to their bed. It was such a sweet moment. He had begun to see her as a real person at that moment and responded in a kind way. It gave me hope. Then he steps in to protect her at the shop and gets beaten with a stick, and it’s nice to see his protective side again. When she was so upset that she lost her wedding ring in the stream because it was a gift from him he seemed truly stunned that she valued it in that way and he rescues her again as she nearly washes downstream. The final scene where he is concerned enough for her to keep her close to his skin brought little tears to my eyes. They so desperately need each other but are surrounded by so many wackos that the don’t know if it’s safe to let their guard down. I am hoping for a kiss soon…not a wide-eyed Park Shin Hye kiss, but a serious one that means they’re connecting on an adult level. But this IS a Kdrama so I might be asking for too much here.
I’m hoping the two of them are able to create a united front soon. If they wait too long, I’m afraid someone is going to get seriously hurt and I don’t want that to happen. There’s been enough suffering already for each member of our newlywed pair. I’m also hoping that JiSook’s brother will become an ally. He’s trying very hard to grow up and take care of his family. Once he figures out how badly his sister is being used by the family, he’ll try to step in.
Bring it on!! I’m waiting….