These next two episodes were quite the emotional roller coaster, with plenty of ups and downs, but ultimately, that ride of crazy led us to some pretty sweet moments. Moments in which invoked all sorts of warm-fuzzies and a whole lotta happy Zombie squealing!
I have to say, there’s something truly wonderful about the way Bok Joo and Joon Hyung’s relationship has developed over the course of this drama. It’s been a very natural progression, moving from acquaintances, to friends, to something more and it’s been such a treat to watch! It’s not everyday a drama couple naturally finds their way to each other, without some wacky outside force slapping them together, which is probably why I love these next two episodes as much as I do. But before I can get to all the adorable confessions and other such squeal-inducing moments, we first have to talk our way through Bok Joo’s slump.
We knew, at the end of the last episode, that Bok Joo was heading to a pretty dark place. After taking such an emotional blow, and disappearing like she did, we knew we were going to have to endure some pretty painful moments as Bok Joo tried to make sense of life. It made sense for Bok Joo to want to take a break from weightlifting, when it had become such a source of heart-break for her. And I’m not just talking about having Jae Yi show up at the weightlifting competition, though that was certainly a big part of it. No, Coach Choi’s dismissal and the feelings of betrayal that came with it played just as big of a part in Bok Joo’s falling into a slump. There’s just no way someone like Bok Joo could have handled this situation any differently. Bok Joo is such a warm, accepting, trusting individual, who loves the people in her life with every fiber of her being. She blindly puts so much faith and trust into the people she loves that she can’t help but feel betrayed when they don’t live up to her expectations. I’m not saying this is a bad thing (because honestly, I’m the exact same way) I’m just saying that because she’s so willing to love people, she also opens herself up to being hurt. That’s why Coach Choi being fired for something like embezzlement hits Bok Joo as hard as it does. Bok Joo just can’t believe her beloved Coach would do anything so shady and as such, she feels as if she’s been utterly betrayed. Of course we know that’s not why Coach Choi took the money and I’m sure that eventually, Bok Joo will come to know the truth as well, but until then, Bok Joo is going to suffer from Coach Choi’s supposed betrayal.
While we’re on the subject of Coach Choi, can we just take a second to talk about her uh… relationship??? with Uncle? I know Coach is having a hard time dealing with life and all, and I know she and Uncle have had a couple of hilarious run-ins in the past, but agreeing to date him and then regretting it every second afterwards takes things to a whole new level of crazy! I honestly don’t know why she ever agreed to date Uncle, other than she was so plastered, she could no longer think straight. Maybe deep down, she’s really desperate for love and affection, and all of that came out while she was drinking. Maybe there’s a part of her that kinda likes Uncle and that part just kinda took over when she was drunk? I’m not really sure, but what I do know is that she can’t keep pretending to enjoy her time with Uncle when her heart is with another man. I know that things with the Professor are complicated, especially since he has an ex-wife he doesn’t seem to be able to really let go of, but surely her frustration with the Professor wouldn’t drive her to date a man she doesn’t really care for… Would it? It’s not like her relationship with Uncle would cause the Professor to feel any sort of jealousy. (I honestly don’t think he would feel anything at all if he found out Coach and Uncle were dating.) So really, this messed up relationship she has with Uncle is nothing more than a product of bad drinking habits. If that’s really the case, she needs to step up and tell Uncle how she really feels and not drag this painful relationship out any longer. Not only for the sake of her own sanity but for Uncle’s sake as well. I think he really does like Coach and if that’s the case, it would be much kinder of her to let him go now than to let things progress and force him to suffer the pain of a broken heart.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Joon Hyung has finally come to acknowledge his feelings for Bok Joo and OH MY GIDDY FLIPPING AUNT! The look on his face when he finally realized that all of his feelings for Bok Joo had developed into something more than childhood friends was absolutely priceless! His smile… UGH! I melt every time I see it! Apart from that beautiful smile, I really love the way Joon Hyung doesn’t fight his feelings for Bok Joo. Rather than trying to deny how he feels, he accepts them for what they are and doesn’t waste any time in acting on them. What makes these moments of realization and action even better is the fact that Joon Hyung never changes the way he acts around Bok Joo. He’s still the same funny, supportive, sometimes annoying but always adorable punk that he’s always been. Rather than trying to change who he is in some desperate attempt to make himself more appealing to Bok Joo, he simply remains by her side as himself and I think that’s fantastic. Sure, he may have been a bit more obvious and open with his flirting but Bok Joo, being Bok Joo couldn’t see the difference. At least not until he flat-out told her that he liked her. *squee*
That confession and kiss in the warehouse may have been wonderful but I think Bok Joo’s return confession and kisses were even better. Being caught off-guard by Joon Hyung’s confession made their first kiss a bit awkward. Which, as we all know, is pretty standard for dramas and nothing I’m complaining about. It makes sense for that kiss to be weird because honestly, up to that point, Bok Joo had never considered Joon Hyung as anything more than a friend. However, that confession and kiss changed things for Bok Joo. For the first time in her life, Bok Joo was presented with the idea that someone found her attractive and, as wonderful as that fact was, it was a very difficult thing for the poor girl to wrap her head around. A part of me wanted to laugh when Bok Joo asked Joon Hyung why he liked her and another part of me wanted to cry. She really has spent her entire life believing that no man could ever find her lovable and that just breaks my heart. My sole consolation lies in the fact that Joon Hyung has willingly taken on the challenge of proving to Bok Joo that she’s someone who deserves to be loved and ya know what? Something tells me he’s going to do a very good job. *happy sigh*
With Bok Joo returning to weightlifting and her relationship with Joon Hyung off to an adorably sweet start, things are definitely starting to look up. Of course we still have to find a way to get Coach Choi reinstated, and we need to find a way to get Sun Ok back in school, and Jae Yi needs to stop being such a dope and finally get his feelings sorted, and there’s still the matter of Joon Hyung’s trauma, and Shi Ho’s dangerous downward spiral to deal with but we’re getting there. It’s all about taking those baby steps and with 4 more episodes ahead of us, there’s more than enough time for all of these things to get worked out before the end. The question is, when it’s all said and done, how many of these characters are going to find their happy endings? I’m betting they all will, but what do you think? Let me know in the comments below!
You can catch up on all of my Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo reviews here: