One part sad, one part true, and 100% insightful. His words clearly have an effect on Do Sung.
The Chancellor shares a cup of tea with the security guard, who’s quite the tea connoisseur. He’s curious as to how the Chancellor got Sun-Man out of the mountains. She said that he wanted to come out, but because he felt so guilty towards Eun-Hae, he couldn’t. All she did was call him down, and he came.
Sun-Man stands alone on the school’s stage, thinking about his conversation with Eun Hae. She calls him twisted, because he’s breaking up with her so that she can pursue her own dreams of acting rather than working to support Sun-Man. She’s losing so much just by loving him; it’s a twisted version of the Noble Idiot syndrome. It’s also appropriate that they speak of these feelings truthfully while on an empty stage with a set behind them.
Sun-Man returns to reality – and he sees Doo Ri sitting in the front row, watching him. He ignores her, and she begs him to teach her how to shed that “cloak.” Sun-Man tells her to figure it out on her own, and she wonders if he just doesn’t want to teach her, or if he doesn’t know the answer to that as well. She thinks he’s wearing a “cloak” too, and therefore is unable to tap into his true emotions.
He thinks she’s flirting with him. She thinks he’s scared of something. All she wants is to learn acting from him, for the first time in her life. She dramatically grabs him by the t-shirt and begs him to help her. Sun-Man: “You must have been fooled.”
And several rows back, the reporter snaps a picture in that specific angle so it looks like the two were kissing and having an intimate moment.
Do Sung stares off into space, and Jae Hun has to snap him awake to pay for all the drinks and chocolate for Tae Hee. He gives tips to Do Sung on how to cheer a girl up (with chocolates), and how to repay her kindness for giving him a tonic. Jae Hun: “I’m such a great guy – I even take care of my roommate’s love life!”
He turns around and finds Do Sung gone. Do Sung has gone to hide behind one of the aisles because the reporter just arrived. He asks the girl at the counter (who’s also the president of Soo Bin’s fan club) if there’s a cold drink that’s not soda. “What do you mean a ‘cold drink that’s not soda’?” she snaps. “I don’t know such drink – go look for it yourself!” HAHA – yes! Someone has finally rendered the reporter speechless!
Later on, Do Sung sits on the steps, thinking about what to do. The ghost appears behind him and mimics his every movement of frustration. Do Sung decides to call his uncle…but then hangs up right away. To stay or leave?!
Soo Bin goes down to the piano hall and finds Tae Hee sitting there, playing a song by herself and then crying. He sits down next to her; he’s never cried in front of a piano since he was 11. It amazes him that there is someone out there who can still cry because of a song at this age, and he’s a little jealous.
Soo Bin comes up with a little melody that describes Tae Hee – playful and fast, but also strong in tone because she’s also strong and persistent. Tae Hee is impressed – he can come up with melodies describing people off the top of his head?! Soo Bin thought everyone could do that, but he says it so unassumingly that he doesn’t even come off as an arrogant ass. He then plays a little melody describing Sun-Man – it starts out with simple notes, and then gets a little darker when describing his drunken state, and then ends with one very low note – Sun-Man throwing up after hungover. I love that there’s a little cartoon describing the different states of Sun-Man through the melody!
Jae Hun heads back towards the dorms and bumps into Chae Young. She advises him to watch out for Sun-Man, because he has a past. Jae Hun: “Do I have to know a guy’s past?” She links arms with him and wants him to escort her to the piano hall; Soo Bin hasn’t been paying her enough attention, so she wants to make him jealous. How pathetic is this?
Chae Young also knows that Jae Hun is interested in Tae Hee. The thing is, Sun-Man was kicked off the stage 5 years ago because of a girl, and now he’s seducing a student that is possibly Tae Hee. Jae Hun is confused – why on earth do girls make up random rumors!?
They go into the hall, and Chae Young is furious to see Soo Bin and Tae Hee spending quality time together at the piano. She leaves the room, complaining that she hates those innocent looking kind of girls who then make other guys take care of them. They play several guys at once and then pretend they don’t know that they’re doing it. If it’s true that Tae Hee is the student involved with Sun-Man, then it’s obvious who started it. Jae Hun yells at her to stop talking about things they don’t know anything about.
Urgh – she can be so hateful!!
In the computer room, Doo Ri hunts Byeong Gun down. He knows a lot about musicals, right? She wants to know about Sun-Man’s past. Ok then – does she want to know the stuff that’s on the internet, or the other side of the story? Byeong Gun has crazy connections with people who are in the arts and culture industry, or will be in the industry (thanks to his family’s high status). He quickly texts someone he knows for the full story…
Back in the day, Sunwoo Young was a musical prodigy, and everything he did led to sold out shows. He was dating Park Eun Hae, who came from the drama department. Both were equally talented, but he got more popular than she did. Rumor had it she was holding him back. (Byeong Gun then asks if Doo Ri likes Sun-Man, and she says she does. He’s surprised to hear that she’s serious, because they’re a teacher and student!) So Sun-Man dumped Eun Hae because he felt pressured when she gave up her acting dreams to make money for him, since he was broke. Then he got the lead role in a Broadway play after auditioning, but he didn’t go…
In the restroom, Prof. Yang approaches the Chancellor, who’s washing her hands. She wants to talk off the record: she thinks Sun-Man is having a thing with a student. The Chancellor doesn’t believe it for a second. But if Prof. Yang thinks it’s a big issue, the Chancellor will speak to Sun-Man about it. She also reminds Prof. Yang that tomorrow is Eun Hae’s death anniversary, so Sun-Man will be going to her grave. She asks Prof. Yang the favor to sub for him tomorrow. Prof. Yang can’t deny this request; especially since it appears that she had favored Eun Hae as a student.
Meanwhile Sun-Man sees Do Sung trying to leave the school. Yang’s assistants try to convince him to just take a year off, or if he has no money, to just work in the summer. But Do Sung wants to leave; if he leaves, all his records would be eliminated right? Sun-Man barges in. There could only be three reasons why Do Sung wants to leave so badly: 1) he’s a wanted fugitive; 2) he was scouted by an agency who then told him to leave school; or 3) Do Sung is just giving up.
He doesn’t really wait for Do Sung’s answer, and just informs the assistants that Myung Hwan will be teaching his 9am class tomorrow (even though he hasn’treally told Myung Hwan face to face yet. Ha!)
That evening some students are practicing dances, Soo Bin is trying to compose a new song, some students are doing CGI work, Jae Hun is practicing how to spin outside, Chang Jin finishes his training and wishes his poster of Chae Young good night, and Do Sung takes out his Hades mask. When he puts it on, he can hear the screams for Hades. But he reminds himself that Hades is dead, and the screams die down. As if tamping down his dreams, he repeats to himself that he’s dead.
Suddenly we’re in a flashback, where Sun-Man is auditioning for his role on Broadway. Oh Man Suk singing! (The song is “Springtime” from the play “The Organ in My Heart.”) [download partly edited episode rip]
Eun Hae contacts Sun-Man that she wants to meet him at a cafe at 6. She will wait all night if she has to, because they really need to talk. Sun-Man thinks she’s just being clingy, and reminds her that he’s going to New York. He hangs up on her, with no confirmation on whether he’ll meet her or not.
She waits all night, and after his celebration with some musical producers, Sun-Man decides to finally head over and meet her. She spots him from across the street. Excitedly, she runs out… and right into an oncoming car. Sun-Man yells for her too late, and she tumbles onto the car and down on the street. He waits in the hospital, his shirt bloodied, and the doctor informs him he did all he could, but she died. Because she was 4 months pregnant (!!!!!!) she sustained greater injuries.
AGHHHHHHHHH – Sun-Man just inadvertently caused the death of his lover and baby!!!!!!!
Jae Hun goes running at the “steps of friendship” to complete his rounds honestly, except this time he senses a spirit near him. He turns around, and he sees the ghost!! The ghost smiles, then points to somewhere far in the distance. Jae Hun tries to shoo it away, but the ghost insists on pointing at that location. So Jae Hun looks – and there’s nothing but trees. Jae Hun turns back, and the ghost is gone!! But, curious, he goes to check out that area. It’s a full moon… and he’s walking into the Forbidden Forest…
He hears some whimpers, and… it’s Lord Voldemort! Kidding – it’s Sun-Man, totally drunk.
Back at the dorms, Do Sung is quietly taking out his belongings to his uncle and the van. He’s made two trips already, and the uncle worries that Do Sung will get caught if he makes one more trip for more stuff. That’s when he hears Jae Hun calling for him, dragging along a drunk Sun-Man. His uncle tries to get him to run to the car, but after a moment’s indecision, Do Sung goes to help Jae Hun.
The nurse’s office being closed, Jae Hun had no choice but to drag Sun-Man to their dorm room, and dump him on his bed. (Jae Hun has one cute doggie pillow.) That’s when Jae Hun realizes that Do Sung’s stuff are all packed – is his roomie running away because of debt?
Suddenly Sun-Man stands up, looking dark. “I killed her…so don’t start with me! I killed two people… I’m a serial killer…” Um – that’s kinda freaky, having a teacher suddenly say all this. But then Sun-Man starts wanting to throw up. Hehe! Do Sung gets saddled with cleaning out the bucket in the bathroom. He also has to call his uncle – maybe they should leave tomorrow?
That night, Sun-Man sleeps on Jae Hun’s bed, Jae Hun on Do Sung’s bed, and Do Sung on the floor in the middle. He lies awake, and hears Sun-Man ask for water. Sun-Man doesn’t remember his name, but when Do Sung introduces himself as a musical student, he mumbles that Do Sung is unlucky to have him as a teacher. Do Sung quickly assures him it’s not true. Even though Sun-Man didn’t want them to take notes, he takes them after class. His favorite lesson? The one about feeling real emotions, and how the world may be fake, but on the stage you have to make it real.
Sun-Man’s already fallen asleep again, but Jae Hun’s eyes are open, listening.
The next morning, Byeong Gun calls Doo Ri down early. He shows her an article on the phone…
The news has spread – the photo of Sun-Man and Doo Ri in the auditorium has become headline news. All the students are abuzz, discussing it, and even Chae Young is curious over the identity of this 19-year old student. Sun-Man reads the article in his office; he’s in deep shit.
COMMENTS
First off – I think this drama is carrying out the teacher-student controversy that You’ve Fallen for Me had in a better manner. The one in You’ve Fallen For Me was a weak setup, and it lead to a fast conclusion (where Song Chang Ui‘s character quits the school to protect Park Shin Hye). However here, the whole incident was based on a misinterpreted photo, and there are no mixed signals between teacher and student. Sun-Man clearly does not like Doo Ri; Doo Ri clearly likes him, but isn’t really pursuing him. The consequences (I hope) will be dealt in a more satisfying and complex manner. I can see Sun-Man denying it, but I can also see him not, and dealing with the problem his own way. (I didn’t watch the preview for the next episodes, so I’m just assuming away!)
Plus, the characters are facing a formidable opponent in the form of a relentless journalist acting outside of all the other characters’ motives.
I’m satisfied with the way they’ve handled Sun-Man’s backstory because he holds enough guilt and anger to make him the bitter, jaded star he is today. He has enough experience to properly teach his students how to emote from a real place, so the students really are lucky to have him. Despite his abrasiveness, it’s obvious each student wants to learn from him. I do think Doo Ri’s desire to learn is definitely clouded with the fact that she thinks she likes Sun-Man. I think all she really craves is attention and comfort from an older father figure, because her father was never around; therefore, Sun-Man acted in a caring way in episode 6, which made her think that it was love.
As for Chae Young, her thoughts about that “innocent girl who beguiles all men” are thoughts that we as viewers usually would have about a character. She must encounter a lot of those kinds of girls in the film industry to make her hate them, and that indicates that she’s not “that kind” of girl. She just beguiles men and knows it. It’s a little sad to see her as such a cynical woman, but it’s also very hateful of her to spread unnecessary rumors. At least it doesn’t work on Jae Hun; that provides some relief because there’s hope for avoiding unnecessary misunderstandings.
On to the mini stories: in episode 7, Yang Soo Jung visits Sun-Man’s home in the mountains, only to run into some bee hives. She screams through the front door and then calls out for Sun-Man. A figure rises from the bed under the covers; Sun-Man stumbles out of bed, sees her, and cries out “Yang Soo Jung-ahjumma!!” Hehe. For episode 8, Jae Hun works at a gas station, and while working he memorizes some English words. Meanwhile Do Sung is in an English class as well, but instead of paying attention he composes a new song.
Onward ho!
BONUS - Jang Jae Hun in Ep 08
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