Shut Up: Flower Boy Band: Episode 7

1. 24 thoughts on “ Kdrama: Shut Up Flower Boy Band OST ” Keane on April 24, 2013 at 6:19 am said: @tuttiefruttie ~ I don’t hear any bgm on my copy at that segment.
2. “Shut Up Flower Boy Band,” also known as “Shut Up & Let’s Go,” is a 2012 South Korean comedy series directed by Lee Kwon. It is the second series produced by cable channel tvN’s “Oh! Boy” series, after “Flower Boy Ramen Shop.”.

[Album] Various Artists - Shut Up Flower Boy Band OST Various Artists - Descendants of the Sun OST Special VOL.2 [Album] Various Artists - The Jingbirok A Memoir of Imjin War OST Part.2.

I love this show more with every episode. Such genuine reactions and range of emotion between these people. The conflicts and setup aren’t new to anybody who’s seen a drama or a hundred in their lives, but no drama’s ever going to reinvent the wheel. What matters is giving your version of this story truth and depth, no matter how small-seeming the conflict.

Friendships are tested and some denial pops its head up in this episode, but Shut Up does angst in the best possible way. See, angst is a great thing. It’s the lifeblood of dramas. It’s just the crappy dramas that give angst a bad name.

SONG OF THE DAY

Verandah Project – “Train” [ Download ]

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EPISODE 7 RECAP

The kiss. Swoon.

Su-ah returns to her room in a daze, and with some guilt ignores a call from “Seung-hoonie.” If that ain’t the perfect way to characterize her feelings for him: cute, friendly, toothless.

Ji-hyuk goes home in a similar state. It’s worth noting that while they’re both reeling from the kiss, it’s not a cloud of bliss they’re riding; they’re also feeling a heavy dose of confusion, and Ji-hyuk mumbles to himself, “I really don’t know.”

At school, the Strawberry Fields trio (or, as Kyung-jong cheekily calls them, Ddalgi-bat, the prosaic Korean translation) takes their victory walk. They stop in front of (four of) our boys, and Pyo-joo makes a snide comment about the bloody guitar-playing. Maro asks, “Wait, blood? That wasn’t ketchup?” Yes, because smearing ketchup on a guitar makes more sense, genius. Aren’t you the smart one?

Seung-hoon smirks and tells his friends not to bother, tossing out the backhanded insult, “And here I thought you’d actually be a challenge.”

Hyun-soo stays home from school, which prompts the principal to say he’s better off staying at home anyway if he doesn’t care to learn. Guh, I want to slap the principal so badly. He then praises Strawberry Fields for winning the festival, and pointedly asks Ji-hyuk what place he came in. Pyo-joo sneers that they couldn’t even perform properly, and the principal tsks-tsks that he tried to keep them from performing so they wouldn’t humiliate the school. UGH, now I want to shoot him.

The boys worry about Hyun-soo, who isn’t picking up their calls, though they figure he needs his space. Teacher Kim warns that there are people watching them now, so they’d better be careful if they want to stay in school. Ji-hyuk returns that he’s been thinking the same thing, wondering if there’s a point to sticking around this godawful place.

Su-ah’s feeling awkwardness in the wake of the kiss, so when she runs into Ji-hyuk she turns away quickly and runs into a wall. Hee. Later when crossing paths with all our boys, she hurries away without a word.

Kyung-jong and Ha-jin wonder if she’s embarrassed to be seen with them now, aw. Do-il is more observant and says she turned away after seeing Ji-hyuk, and wonders why. Ji-hyuk overcompensates: “Stop jumping down my throat!” HA.

He finds Su-ah on classroom cleanup duty and steps up to help. And by “help” I mean placing his hand over hers as they clean the window together. Rawr. Why is such a simple gesture so hot? I get an added moment of satisfaction when Seung-hoon happens by and sees them, though he leaves quickly.

Su-ah’s feeling shy, but Ji-hyuk takes the refreshingly direct approach, taking her hand in his and telling her to stop running away. She denies that she is, but he reminds her that she was the one who said she wanted to be with him.

She backpedals — she meant she wanted to help him during a rough patch, and pulls her hand away self-consciously. I’m not sure if he takes her words at face value or if he knows she’s lying to herself, but he laughs sardonically: “Was that it? So you felt sorry for me? Fine.”

He leaves, and Su-ah says to herself, “But it’s not because I feel sorry for you…”

It’s frustrating, though I guess I can see how fear and uncertainty are starting to kick in. So when Seung-hoon asks if she wants to grab a snack, she agrees.

He asks why she didn’t pick up the phone yesterday, having waited for her at his celebratory party. She says she fell asleep, but adds, “From now on, don’t wait for me.” She says that they used to live in the same area and it was comfortable hanging out together — but now they’re in different neighborhoods, and she feels like she’s interrupting his studies.

He asks whether she’s saying this because she really doesn’t want to take up his time, or because she feels uncomfortable with him. She goes with the easier excuse, but it backfires because Seung-hoon assures her that he’s happy to spend time with her.

See, missy, that’s what you get for playing the “It’s not you, it’s me” game. She’s going to have to learn to be candid to get what she wants, because her boys are only too willing to accept what she says, not what she means.

Hyun-soo’s little sister asks about Ji-hyukie oppa, wanting to see him. Hyun-soo tells her he probably won’t come around anymore, “Because I ruined everything.” Oof.

Ruefully, he tells her that in the old days, whenever he and Ji-hyuk were on the same team for anything, they always won. But at some point, Ji-hyuk stopped coming out to the neighborhood so Hyun-soo went to Ji-hyuk’s house, and found him playing guitar with Byung-hee.

Hyun-soo: “I was so envious of them that I started learning the guitar too… but Ji-hyuk could play anything. I’d have to stay up all night to practice something that he could do the first time, like it was nothing. I wanted to become as good a player as Byung-hee, so I’d be a friend Ji-hyuk would be proud of. But I ruined it all.”

Oh, tears. It’s what killed me about the moment after the festival when Hyun-soo asked about Ji-hyuk — like he was afraid Ji-hyuk was angry at him, and how it hurt when the boys told him he’d left early.

Little Sis asks, “So are the oppas mad at you?” Hyun-soo nods, and she pats him on the back like a little grown-up, telling him it’s okay. He hugs her, and blinks away tears.

Strangely, though, on their walk home a gaggle of schoolgirls squeals and tells Hyun-soo, “Oppa, you’re sooooo cool!”

Hyun-soo’s still absent at school the next day, which his friends note with dismay. Ji-hyuk goes home that night and addresses Byung-hee’s guitar as though it’s his friend, sighing, “I really don’t know. Byung-hee, what would you have done?” Feeling grim, he starts to write his notice of intent to drop out of “this damned school.”

The reason for Hyun-soo’s sudden local fame is explained when Seung-hoon’s music-executive sister is informed of their festival website suddenly attracting attention. The reason: Eye Candy’s performance clip, highlighted by Ji-hyuk and Hyun-soo’s emotional hug.

Noona shrewdly gives the instruction to have the footage spread further — along with Strawberry Fields’ clip.

One of Ha-jin’s many admirers drops by school to find him, because the number he gave her doesn’t work. He asks if she’s here to argue over a being given a fake number, but she’s totally willing to buy that it was a silly mistake. He tells her coolly that he’d done it on purpose, so shoo, shuddering over clingy women.

Kyung-jong actually takes him to task, calling him a rude bastard and warning him not to play around with people’s feelings. Aw, you adorable cutie.

At the pool hall, the pesky Dongnae rival gang finds Ji-hyuk, and cackles over Eye Candy’s embarrassing showing. When the others arrive, Gang Leader keeps laughing… until he sees Do-il, aka Mob Boss’s son. He backs down immediately, bowing and calling him Prince Majesty.

Gang Leader tells Do-il his festival performance was awesome, but hilariously, the gang’s flattery is so overdone that it’s not quite clear whether they’re kissing ass or being mocking. Ji-hyuk’s in no mood to fight, though, and sends the gang away.

Do-il wonders what to do about Hyun-soo, calling Ji-hyuk out for passively saying that everybody needs more time. He challenges him for really meaning that Hyun-soo should spend more time blaming himself. Ji-hyuk counters, asking if he should just coddle him then, and tell him it’s not his fault because they would’ve lost anyway.

Ha-jin chimes in, siding with Ji-hyuk. He says they’re all pissed off at Hyun-soo for messing up the performance; they’re just not saying so. Kyung-jong aligns himself with the more sympathetic Do-il and gets in Ha-jin’s face, growling, “Is that all you can say about a friend?”

Ji-hyuk yells at them to stop arguing, since they can’t fill up a bottle that’s already overturned. Do-il fires back, “Is that something a leader should say?” He tells the other two to cut it out, then leaves with a disapproving sigh.

Ji-hyuk sits in the practice room that night, calling Hyun-soo to no avail, and his frustration boils over. He starts kicking stands over, tearing the soundproofing from the walls, and grabs a drum to throw… and is stopped short by the sight of Byung-hee’s composition notebook.

He sinks to the floor and wonders, “Is this the end?”

Seung-hoon comes up to Su-ah as she walks home, and she teases that after spending ten years together, it’s about time they got sick of each other. He takes it seriously, asking if she’s tired of him, and says, “I like you. I didn’t want us to confine each other with words of girlfriend and boyfriend, but now I want to be your boyfriend. Officially.”

He tells her to think it over, just as Ji-hyuk comes up the street, seeing them chatting cozily. He glares.

Eye Candy’s popularity spreads, though the boys remain oblivious to it. They trudge through school, looking all doom-and-gloom, enough so that Teacher Kim stops them to tell them that life isn’t over because of one bad performance, and that mistakes are no big deal. He asks, “Is this all you guys amount to?” Ji-hyuk retorts, “Yeah, it is. What did you expect from us?”

Teacher Kim finds students huddled around a computer, watching the Eye Candy performance and oohing over how cool Hyun-soo is. He gets a glimpse of the screen after sending the kids off, and adorably smiles with pride.

Also watching the performance clip on repeat is Kim Ye-rim, the starlet whose driver almost ran Hyun-soo over. After she records a brief message for a TV broadcast, she adds a few comments: See, she’s been listening to rock music these days, and would like to recommend this really great song…

Deo-mi asks Su-ah for Ji-hyuk’s number, because this girl in her art class saw that video and is totally head over heels for him now. Deo-mi scoffs, wondering what’s wrong with that friend — Seung-hoon she gets, but that scruffy Ji-hyuk?

Ji-hyuk finally gets tired of his fruitless phone calls and decides to go to Hyun-soo in person. Thank you. Do-il and Woo-kyung follow and they find Kyung-jong outside, having thought the same thing. Aw, they’re simpatico.

Hyun-soo’s lying in bed — as he has for the past few days — when his friends come in and join him. Literally. They climb in bed and on top of him, tickling him and breaking the gloom in one fell swoop. Aw, I just luff them so much. I’m not the only one crying, am I?

Mom proposes a samgyupsal party, and to cap it all off, Ha-jin also drops by. Kyung-jong stiffens a bit, still peevish, and Hyun-soo wonders if they’re having a couple spat. Ji-hyuk says that when those two boys are apart, he feels uneasy — so he drags Ha-jin up to sit next to Kyung-jong. Kyung-jong inches away, but Ha-jin shoves food in his mouth and breaks the ice.

By now the clip has spread so widely that a bunch of schoolgirls on a bus recognize the boys walking down the street. I love that the band is totally oblivious; they continue on their way, missing the screams and waving hands.

Su-ah gets a call from the lawyer alerting her to a letter her father has left for her. In her eagerness to get it, she runs out of the convenience store and leaves behind the mp3 player with Seung-hoon’s song on it. She realizes this belatedly while crying over Dad’s letter, and runs out to retrieve it.

After dinner, Woo-kyung clings drunkenly to Ji-hyuk while Do-il silently walks alongside them. I’m pretty sure she’s exaggerating to angle for a piggyback ride, but instead Ji-hyuk slings an arm around her for support. He asks what Do-il thinks about dropping out of that school, since people just call them gangsters and deadbeats anyway.

Do-il replies that doing that would be giving up, and that after graduation their rivals are going to head off into their own untouchable world: “Then, even if we want to beat them, we won’t be able to see them.”

Su-ah runs into them, and Woo-kyung starts to roll up her sleeves to give the Jungsang Two-Timer a piece of her mind. I have to admit I get a bit of satisfaction in Su-ah’s reaction to the two of them looking cozy — hey, you forfeited! — even though I don’t really hate her for her knee-jerk reaction. The jealousy is just that necessary in-between stage in prompting some development.

Ji-hyuk pulls Woo-kyung back and the friends continue on their way, leaving Su-ah to go hers. But almost immediately Ji-hyuk foists Woo-kyung off on Do-il and makes an excuse to leave, dashing off after Su-ah. Disappointed, Woo-kyung shakes off Do-il’s arm, not so drunk after all.

Su-ah finds the store empty and starts digging in the trash for her lost player. Ji-hyuk pulls her away, asking if it’s because it’s Seung-hoon’s song.

She says no: “It’s because it’s your voice.” She’d realized it at the festival, and asks why he didn’t tell her he’d sung the guide track. He unzips his jacket to wipe her dirty hands on his shirt, and tells her to stop searching: “I’ll sing it for you.”

Do-il sits with a despondent Woo-kyung, who sighs, “Su-ah’s really pretty, isn’t she?” She calls her a heroine out of a manhwa, and Do-il concedes that she has that general look. She says that even she can see how pretty Su-ah is, and that all the guys prefer that princessy type over her own loudmouthed personality.

Do-il tells her she’s plenty womanly. Woo-kyung laughs, hearing it as mere flattery, though she thanks him for his loyalty.

On his rooftop, Ji-hyuk prepares his guitar and calls Su-ah, since he’s too embarrassed to sing it to her face. She listens from her room as he starts to play, but then comes out to watch from her rooftop.

Pyo-joo discovers the viral Eye Candy video, and his consternation puts a huge grin on my face. The other guys aren’t as worried, but Seung-hoon frowns to hear that Eye Candy’s logging ten times the views they are.

The principal asks for a report on the demerit project, and this time Teacher Kim questions the thinking behind a teacher trying actively to expel his students. What’s really so wrong with those boys?

The principal turns on Teacher Kim, saying he’s just like his students, and says he’s disappointed to see that he’s not “settling” into his new position here. Uh-oh.

Teacher Kim agrees that he’s not, and rips up the demerit notebook. Yay! Although now I worry for you…

Even the rival Dongnae gang watches the Eye Candy clip, suddenly proud of “our Ji-hyuk” and the representation from their neighborhood. The leader barks at his boys… then sneaks a look for himself. He figures it’s better for Eye Candy to get famous, over those Jungsang bastards.

The momentum builds online until netizens nationwide are arguing that Eye Candy are the true winners of the competition. Deo-mi wonders how they can possibly evoke a hotter reaction than Strawberry Fields, and decides, “Junk food has a way of bewitching people.” Ugh, Deo-mi, you dummy.

Su-ah counters that they’re not junk food — they have the ability to warm people’s hearts, and Ji-hyuk’s voice is plenty addicting. Deo-mi asks incredulously, “Are you taking their side? Traitor.” Lordy, she is such a tool. I see her purpose as a fairly effective exposition fairy, so her value to this drama isn’t entirely nil. But that’s all I’ll concede.

The boys resume rehearsal, although they wonder what they’re practicing for now. Ji-hyuk tells them it’s not like they ever practiced to put out an album or perform on TV: “Let’s just play together for fun, like we used to.”

They start playing, but Woo-kyung comes tearing in with the exciting news that their video has been logging massive views — over 50,000 compared to Strawberry Fields, who have less than 5,000. Fans are demanding them be announced the winners, accusing the festival of unfair judging. The guys don’t react and Ji-hyuk shrugs it off, asking, “So what?”

Woo-kyung adds that even more shocking is that Kim Ye-rim, who must be feeling guilty for injuring Hyun-soo’s finger, gave an interview saying that she’s a fan. Kyung-jong: “She gives the illness, then the medicine, huh?”

Ji-hyuk remains even-keel, saying that none of this really matters anyway since it changes nothing for them. It’s just chatter. He’s interrupted by a phone call, which he answers with a mere “Yes, I understand.”

He tells his friends in a calm voice that totally belies the message that it was HR Entertainment asking him to come in tomorrow. They guys prod him to explain, and Ji-hyuk continues with his fakeout: “They mentioned something… about a contract.”

They erupt into cheers, and later that night, Ji-hyuk rips up his dropout letter, all fired up again.

The next day the boys head over to the swanky HR Entertainment offices, which happens to be home to Kim Ye-rim. They’re greeted by Seung-hoon’s sister, who says she only asked for Ji-hyuk and Hyun-soo. Ji-hyuk tells her that if they’re going to talk contracts, they all should be present.

She doesn’t object, and starts with her proposal. HR is planning to form a new band, with Ji-hyuk as the vocalist and Hyun-soo on guitar. The other members will be selected via audition process.

The boys register this, understanding that the other three are considered dead weight. Noona tells them pleasantly that the contract conditions are good (for the two members) — and, well, it’s better for the others to wise up and give up that empty hope now, so they can look to their own futures.

Hyun-soo growls, “So you’re telling us to abandon our friends.” She says with mock surprise, “Did you think you could stick together forever? No band like that exists.” She names groups that all broke up, like the Beatles and Oasis. Yes, and that is why nobody should bother to try again, ever, because the volatile Gallagher bros couldn’t get along.

Ji-hyuk asks, “What if I don’t want to?” She offers to give them time to think it over. He tells her there’s no need, and rips the contract up in front of her, letting the pieces fall on her desk.

COMMENTS

I don’t think it surprises anybody that Ji-hyuk immediately rejected the offer, and it looks like Hyun-soo feels the same. We’re not dealing with a brand-new tale here, so what I like isn’t that Shut Up is telling a groundbreaking new story, but how it tells it in a fully realized, interesting way and with fleshed-out characters. I’m impressed with how well the elements fit together, how the developments spring out of the setups in natural ways, without necessarily feeling like the strings are being pulled by an invisible mastermind. It just flows.

For instance, Hyun-soo’s feelings of inadequacy lead him to practice extra-hard and insist on performing injured, which leads to viral popularity, which leads to a contract offer. Meanwhile he withdraws from his friends, fearing that they hate him now, and nobody wants to make the first step despite being miserable all around with the group fractured. It’s a fantastic lesson for our boys in seeing what happens when they abandon each other, giving them a taste of that unhappiness so that when they’re tested, there’s no hesitation. This group has just experienced momentary disbandment and they’re not going to choose it again.

(It doesn’t preclude that the quartet won’t be tested in other ways, though, which has me nervous for the future. But that’s the future.)

Ji-hyuk initially takes up the mantle of leader because he’s Byung-hee’s No. 2, the solid guitarist and vocalist. He has his moments of faltering, hanging back rather than actively trying to fix things — in that sense, Do-il feels like he’s got more natural leadership skills. But like it or not, Ji-hyuk’s a real leader now, which means it’s time to put on his big boy pants and lead. Great way to step it up for him.

I love that the boys ended up losing the battle of the bands, but ended up ahead precisely because of it. If they hadn’t had any mistakes and played perfectly, I’m sure they would have gotten a new fan following, and the song is pretty rockin’. But what’s really winning people over is the emotional beat — seeing Hyun-soo rock out despite bleeding all over his guitar, and Ji-hyuk forcing him to stop. Plus seeing that they were bypassed for that boring jazzy band. People like good songs, but it’s the raw emotion that tugs their hearts.

This reinforces the underlying theme that the series has been incorporating all along, that our heroes may lose the little battles, but they’ll win the war. I knew that they were going to lose the first showdown at school because there’s no way the underdogs would beat the champions in their first clash. But because this drama has made its characters so real and three-dimensional, I desperately wanted them to win that practice room anyway, even though I was pretty convinced there was no way they could. It wouldn’t have made sense.

In a drama with lazier execution, the predictability could have killed the dramatic tension, but it speaks to how well this drama has built up the conflicts that I was still on edge to see how it would play out. It’s why I was extra tense during the rock festival, because I felt that now with one loss under their belts, there was a chance they’d win this one. Except then Hyun-soo got injured, handicapping their odds again, sending them back to underdog nation.

Yet it’s the loss that propels them forward. It’s significant that they don’t gain popularity merely by looking cool onstage, or because people sympathize with the bloody guy — it’s that the band’s reaction to setback allows their strength of character to emerge. Strawberry Fields plays perfectly, they win, whatever. Eye Candy messes up, struggles, and falters, but it’s their response to that challenge that shows everyone what they’re made of — and what they’re made of is heart and grit. And a whole lotta awesome.

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Shut Up: Flower Boy Band: Episode 8

This show breaks my heart, in the best way. The boys face their first brush with success, and it tests their loyalty, one by one. Our major relationships encounter some crossroads as well, as Su-ah makes a decision and Ji-hyuk finally confronts the question he’s been too scared to face about Su-ah: is liking her the same as betraying his bestie Byung-hee?

SONG OF THE DAY

Hot Potato – “고백” (Confession) — in honor of Kim C’s cameo [ Download ]

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EPISODE 8 RECAP

Seung-hoon’s noona at HR Entertainment offers them the contract—for Ji-hyuk and Hyun-soo—and tells them to think it over. Ji-hyuk says it’s not necessary, and rips it up in her face. Kyung-jong can barely hide his smile. Aw.

They get up to walk out, and she tells them she’ll be here when they change their minds. “Think carefully, whether you’re doing music because you want friends, or if you have friends because you want to make music.”

Er… how ’bout you have both, lady? Not everyone’s gotta be a hermitty genius who gave up bromance for rock. Once they’re gone, she makes a call to someone saying that she’s got a band worth seeing. Hm.

They trudge back to their basement, where Woo-kyung is on pins and needles, ready to celebrate their new success. They tell her what happened, Kyung-jong happily reliving Ji-hyuk’s loyalty…

But Woo-kyung turns it around on them, asking if they’re really Ji-hyuk’s friends. She asks what the big deal is to be separated now, when they really should be scrambling to help any one of them get up out of this basement.

She actually says the words, “You’re blocking Ji-hyuk’s path,” and Ji-hyuk grits through his teeth for her to stop and walks out. Hyun-soo sighs, and I’m thinking he’s not entirely on Ji-hyuk’s wavelength on this. Urg, I’m scared he’s going to cut loose and take the deal.

While Hyun-soo sleeps, his mom comes in and finds the HR Ent contract sitting pristinely on his desk. Oh noes! Don’t do it, Hyun-soo! She tells his dad excitedly, and Hyun-soo sighs, clearly thinking about signing it.

Ji-hyuk walks home and Su-ah catches up to him and calls out his name. He doesn’t turn around so she runs up, winding up to throw an egg at his head… I hope that’s hard-boiled… But he turns around just in time to catch her egg-handed.

She erupts into hiccups immediately, and tries to cover it up by casually offering him an egg. He takes it, and then cracks it on her head. Hee. She frowns that she’s always the victim, but he says hey, at least her hiccups went away.

Ha, that is the very definition of the Korean saying, to give the illness and then the medicine. He smiles and says he was having a crap day, but she just made it better. In her room, she smiles at her bag of eggs, and then sees Seung-hoon’s notebook. She puts it in her bag, clearly having made some sort of decision about it.

At school, Eye Candy continues to music-video-strut down the halls because pretty people just walk in slow motion, don’t you know. The girls squeal in delight, and one decides bravely that she should ask for their autographs before they become too famous.

So her friend launches her into their path, where Hyun-soo gives her an icy stare, and then Ha-jin stops to coo over her and make sure she’s okay. Ha. So true to form. Strawberry Fields looks on jealously.

The rumor of their HR Ent contract has spread throughout school, and Pyo-joo asks if Seung-hoon’s sister would really betray them, as if brotherly loyalty would mean anything to her. Seung-hoon just sighs and walks away.

But the contract continues to loom over Eye Candy’s heads, and things finally come to a head between Ha-jin and Hyun-soo, who still haven’t quite smoothed things over fully since the festival.

Ha-jin says that if someone hadn’t messed up their concert, she would’ve witnessed his awesome bass skills. Hyun-soo gets the implication loud and clear: it’s all his fault. Ha-jin asks if he’s not really dying to sign the contract and go be famous, and Hyun-soo speaks frankly that of course he does—is that so wrong?

What’s great is that you can see plainly both sides of the argument and why they’re both right. But it kills me that the group is getting fractured more and more by the day. Ji-hyuk tries to stop them, and finally Do-il gets fed up and stalks off silently.

Su-ah comes to Seung-hoon’s practice room, his notebook and mp3 player in hand. She sits down at the piano and starts tinkering away, and suddenly Seung-hoon appears behind her, wrapping his arms around her to play the song for her.

She stops and tells him that he sure has a way of stealing her thunder, and he just says he thought she wanted to hear that song. She points out that this is exactly his problem—he doesn’t consider what the other person wants, and just DOES.

Seung-hoon doesn’t get it: “Isn’t that more convenient?” Because of course, pampered rich boy doesn’t understand why a girl wouldn’t just want things to be easier. Sigh.

She gives him back his class notes and the mp3 player, which she says she lost, but has replaced with money from her part-time job. She tells him that she didn’t realize how much she had been accepting from him without thinking about it, and adds that she won’t be accepting anything from him anymore. “Because I can’t accept your heart.”

Oh thank GAWD. I really thought she might ride the wishy-washy two-timing train for a while longer. He asks, “Is it because you’ve found someone else you like?” She pauses… “I think I have.” Wow, I didn’t expect her to say that. I like her even more.

Do-il tells Ji-hyuk to stop thinking of them and just sign the contract. Ji-hyuk sighs, running his hand along one of the pool tables, recalling Byung-hee. He says so what—he’d get up on stage to sing, and Hyun-soo would play guitar… but who would play the drums?

“I can’t sing unless YOU play the drums, you ass.” Pfft. I’m laughing and crying at the same time.

Do-il smiles, and Ji-hyuk says that if they want to show Byung-hee’s music to the world, they’ll need that witch, but no matter what, “We run together.” He calls the band for a meeting.

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Ji-hyuk announces that they will get a five-member contract out of “that witch.” She’s never really seen a true performance from them, so they’ll show her what they’re really made of, and if she still says no, then they’ll have tried their best and can give up cleanly.

Suddenly a strange man pops up, “You’re gonna give up that easily? Hey, do you have any booze around here?” The boys jump back in shock. OMG, it’s Kim C!! Kim C’s back on my tv? Oh happy day.

They ask who the weirdo ajusshi is, and then Do-il does a double take: “Isn’t that… Rock Kim?” They stare dumbfounded, rubbing their eyes, and Rock Kim scoffs, “Have you seen a ghost?”

He says that he heard they were the neighborhood punks so he came to check them out, but they look on the verge of breaking up. “There’s no fun, no booze… I’m outta here.” He says they should call him when they break up and want to sell off their instruments—he’ll get them a good deal.

They stand there bewildered, wondering if they just hallucinated, musing that there’s no way Rock Kim would be in Korea. Hey, I’m as surprised as you are. I thought Kim C was in Germany. They wonder if maybe it was just some guy that looks like him.

Ji-hyuk says it doesn’t matter, ’cause if they don’t want to end up selling their instruments like the man said, then they have to work their asses off, do or die. Hyun-soo and Ha-jin look over at each other… and break into smiles. Yay!

Ji-hyuk throws his fist in the center, and they join in. Kyung-jong throws in his other hand too, “This one’s Byung-hee’s.” Urrrrumph. I’m not crying!

Ji-hyuk: “Shut up, and run!” And run they do, each logging in more practice time than ever.

Meanwhile the HR Witch fields a call from a music program PD who wants to feature Eye Candy, but she says it’s still early and they’re not hurrying to put them out there too soon. Hm, why are you acting like their agent when you’re not their agent?

At school, Teacher Kim overhears Pyo-joo and Maro griping about Eye Candy, calling them the poor kids, and Teach gets all huffy. They treat him like a bug, so he yells at them not to disrespect a teacher, and brings Pyo-joo down to the ground.

That of course causes a giant fuss, with students taking pictures and Pyo-joo just laughing. Ji-hyuk runs up and holds Teach back, but I think the damage is already done. Argh. Just when he was turning around to be a good person, too! Is he gonna lose his job over this?

Seung-hoon storms into noona’s office to ask why Eye Candy, and she just breezes that she’s planning to make something out of them, and besides, it’s not like she can sign Little Bro, not with Dad looming over them with his big plans.

He blows up at her, asking why them, but that just makes her want to sign Eye Candy even more, guessing that Seung-hoon sees something in them too. He says that they’re just kids playing around with instruments, but she sees the appeal in that—they know how to have fun, which in itself is a talent. She leaves him fuming.

Eye Candy practice their hearts out, feeling ready to go find that witch and show her what they’ve got. No need though, ’cause she comes walking right into their basement, having heard them play already.

She says they’ll take it slow and offers to put out their single. The boys cheer, and Do-il asks to be sure—is she acknowledging their skill, on drums, bass, and keyboard? She smiles.

Flashback to her office, where Rock Kim sits watching their festival performance. So he’s the sunbae she called after all. He tells her not to split them up, and she’s shocked that he’s figured that out already.

He points to his head, “You may have this, but you’re a little lacking here,” and points to his heart. “There are times when the heart wins out over the head.”

Back with the boys, she answers that they can go ahead and consider it an acknowledgment of their talents.

They go back to rejoicing, only to have Noona’s assistant remind them to show up with their parents, since minors can’t sign contracts without their parents’ permission. That brings them back down to earth pretty damn fast.

It’s clearly a bigger issue for some of our boys, like Do-il and Ji-hyuk, who look at each other and sigh.

Su-ah waits on her rooftop for Ji-hyuk to come home, giggling when she sees him down below. She runs up to him outside his door, hands him a banana milk, and then cracks an egg on his head.

She giggles, “It’s revenge!” and sticks out her tongue before running away. How cute are you? He goes running after her.

Sung Joon

He chases her down into the street, where they run smack dab into Do-il, Woo-kyung, Ha-jin, and Kyung-jong, on their way to throw a party. Woo-kyung makes her disappointment clear, and Ha-jin adds insult to injury by noting that they look just like they were in the middle of a round of catch-me-if-you-can.

Ji-hyuk comes up with a lame excuse about her needing to borrow something, and tells Su-ah to go home. Kyung-jong invites her along, since she’s Byung-hee’s muse, but Ji-hyuk grumbles, sighing at that tired use of “Byung-hee’s muse.” Aw. She clearly hears it as I’m sick and tired of you, which is so not what he’s saying.

They awkwardly part ways, leaving Su-ah alone in the street. Woo-kyung trails behind and Do-il waits for her, of course, letting her vent. She sighs that Ji-hyuk was smiling—he never smiles like that when he’s with her.

Do-il says it’s probably just ’cause they’re neighbors and they’re friendly, but Woo-kyung knows better and says it makes her nervous.

Su-ah stands outside on her rooftop, listening to the happy ruckus coming from Ji-hyuk’s room, feeling lonelier than ever.

At school, the video of Teacher Kim’s unfortunate outburst spreads, and Kyung-jong admits to feeling kinda sad about it. Ha-jin: “Do you want him following us around for the rest of our lives?” Kyung-jong: “No, not that… but still…” The conversation shifts to parents, and Do-il asks Ji-hyuk if he called his mom. No answer, just an exit. Ruh-roh.

Teacher Kim gets his ass handed to him by the principal, with Pyo-joo and Maro snickering behind him, no less. He begs to keep his job, and the principal says he can, but he’ll have to take a six-month leave. Poor Teacher Grumpypants.

It’s contract-signing time for the boys, as they each show up with their parents. Haha, the array of family members is truly comical. Hyun-soo shows up with his nightclub-singer parents, whom we’ve met before.

Ye-rim sees him come in and grabs his hand, asking if he’s okay now, if he can still play guitar. He treats her as icily as ever, and she apologizes again for that night.

Ha-jin shows up with his gaggle of noonas in tow, (this time his real ones, not the sugar-mamma kind), and Kyung-jong comes with his embarrassingly loud mommy.

Do-il and Ji-hyuk trail behind, no parents in sight. They ask each other if anyone will show. Shoulder shrugs all around. But the next to enter is a scary-looking mob boss with two henchmen on either side of him, so I guess Do-il’s dad is a rather supportive mobster daddy after all.

It’s even funnier when they all get into a room together, like they’re competing for most embarrassing parent of the year. Each of the boys takes his turn cringing. It’s a hilarious mess of “My baby’s a born singer,” and “My baby needs skincare,” and “Mo~m, just sign it and go home!” Pffft.

But it’s also really sweet, ’cause sure they’re embarrassing, but they’re all really supportive and loving, except for Do-il’s dad who kind of talks about him like an underling proposing a business deal rather than a son. But hey, he showed up and pushed his gangster weight around.

Through all the hubbub, Ji-hyuk hangs back in the corner, totally alone. Gah, somebody hug him, please.

It doesn’t look like anyone’s gonna show, but then the assistant walks in and hands over Ji-hyuk’s contract, signed by Mom and delivered via lawyer. Aw, puppy. Well, at least she signed.

But the meeting gets cut short with a news bomb: Seung-hoon’s name gets splashed all over the internet as the mysterious “genius songwriter” Ryu. Guess he’s figured out ways to circumvent Noona after all.

The school buzzes with the news, and when Noona calls, Seung-hoon says she might be afraid of Daddy, but he’s not. “From now on, I’m not going to hide the things that I want to have, and want to do.”

Pyo-joo and Maro walk in, just as surprised as everyone else. They ask eagerly if this means he’ll debut now, and wonder what they should do to prepare. But Seung-hoon cuts them off, “I debut alone.”

Oh dayum. And herein lies the difference between Ji-hyuk and Seung-hoon. His friends gape, asking what they are, what Strawberry Fields is, then. Seung-hoon: “A high school memory.” He lays it out plainly, that his future road isn’t one they can share. Pyo-joo fumes, and Maro smirks, “How like you,” disappointed but hardly surprised.

Su-ah sits in a café, mulling over the news that Eye Candy signed contracts, which Ji-hyuk never told her. She thinks back to his dismissal the other night, when he said he was sick and tired of her being called Byung-hee’s muse. Aw, if you only knew why.

The boys celebrate their success over chicken in their basement, and talk turns to Seung-hoon. Kyung-jong says that Su-ah must be happy since they’re dating, and Ji-hyuk oh-so-casually mentions that she denied it in front of all of them.

But they all agree that was probably bullshit, which annoys him enough to get up and leave. Heh.

Su-ah comes home to find Seung-hoon waiting for her. He says that he rushed things and that he’ll wait for her. She tells him not to. Good girl.

But he’s not about to take no for an answer (grar) and takes her hand: “I’m not going to back down now.”

Suddenly Ji-hyuk calls out, “Let go of that hand.” Su-ah pulls her hand away. Seung-hoon tells Ji-hyuk to go home, while Su-ah tells Seung-hoon to go home.

But Ji-hyuk’s already in a foul mood and he spits out, “This is why school’s lined with rumors. You’re running around stuck together, and still, you’re gonna say that there’s nothing between you two?”

Oh, foot in mouth, buddy.

That pisses her off royally, so she fires back, “What’s it to you whether or not we date? I’m plenty tired these days without either of you, so you can both leave me alone.”

While all this has been going on, Woo-kyung has arrived just behind Ji-hyuk, and she calls out to him now. Seung-hoon sees her and laughs, as he turns to go.

Woo-kyung follows Ji-hyuk upstairs and says “Not her.” She says it’s not the first time she’s dealt with some other girl being by his side, but this one’s different: “She’s the girl that Byung-hee liked!”

She asks if he can tell the other guys about her. He can’t answer. She warns him to end it. Aw, I get that it’s not the most kosher of girlfriend choices, but it’s not like Byung-hee had anything but a totally one-sided fantasy crush on the girl. Clearly, this is more about dealing with the fact that Byung-hee’s gone than it is about moving in on his girl.

Teacher Kim fills his evenings with a new part-time job as a designated driver, and gets called to pick up Rock Kim… who recognizes him immediately as Kim Soo-bo, a drummer who used to play at the same clubs he did back in the day. Awwww, yeah! Teach rocks out? Nice.

This time it’s Ji-hyuk’s turn to wait for Su-ah on his rooftop, calling her over and over again, to no avail. He tries to sleep but can’t do that either, and ends up running like crazy to her restaurant, and waiting there until close.

She finally comes out after what seems like an eternity, and he trails after her, asking if she’s mad. She gives him the silent treatment, so he asks peevishly why she isn’t answering her phone.

Su-ah: “You told me not to go anywhere! You made it so that I wouldn’t go anywhere and now you’re sick of me?”

He tries to explain that, but she just says he’s always doing whatever he feels like: “So now I’m not going to be swayed by you anymore.”

She whirls around to go but he stops her, turning her back to face him. Ji-hyuk: “I don’t know how things will turn out either! Whether this is right… my head is upside-down and backwards… I’m going crazy! I’m going crazy… because I like you.”

COMMENTS

Yay, good for you for confessing your feelings. Because as much as we see the drama from Ji-hyuk’s point of view, Su-ah has no cause to believe he’s anything other than a big ol’ playboy flirt, given his actions. Yeah, Seung-hoon’s always around, but so is Woo-kyung, not to mention the groups of screaming girls left and right. He certainly needs to do more to win her, especially now that she’s turned Seung-hoon down. (My one massive gripe is that the result of her being very clear in rejecting him is that he just becomes more dogged. Hello, message! How many ways can a girl say no before you become creepy?)

The question of her being Byung-hee’s muse is an interesting one, I think, not because he’s got some claim to her from beyond the grave, but because it makes Ji-hyuk face the fact that Byung-hee’s gone. The boys sort of function with that heart-wrenching thing they do, like including Byung-hee in group fist-bumps, as if he’s still there. They have to, and it fuels them in a positive way to live out his dream and put his music out in the world.

But it’s going to cause a problem when they find out that Ji-hyuk’s in love with Byung-hee’s muse – like he’s saying that Byung-hee is gone even though they’re acting like Byung-hee is with them, every day. It already breaks my heart knowing the clash that’ll come of it, which is why I get his conflict, and love where they’re going with it, much more than the traditional Seung-hoon/Woo-kyung love square.

I really like all the ways the boys’ loyalty gets tested, whether it’s bloody concerts or contracts for fame and fortune. It says so much about Ji-hyuk that he never considers signing alone as an option, compared to Seung-hoon, who actively sheds his bandmates even though no one is asking him to. I like the range of conflict within Eye Candy too, and I don’t fault Hyun-soo for being tempted to sign without them, though I’m severely relieved he never got a chance to. His ups and downs with Ha-jin always keep me on edge in a good way, because I never know how far one of them will go in blaming the other or spitting out something hateful that they can’t take back.

The Do-il/Ji-hyuk friendship has also been one of my favorite developments so far, and though it’s a subtler one with fewer fireworks, I like how they support each other quietly. They’re both taciturn guys anyway, so I like that their friendship is one of silent knowing looks, like being the odd ones out when it comes time for embarrassing parent meetings, or sharing a memory of Byung-hee. That’s why it kills me when Ji-hyuk tells him directly in so many words that he can’t sing unless Do-il plays the drums, to make it clear he’s not going anywhere without him.

I don’t know if Rock Kim will be hanging around for more episodes, or if Teacher Kim’s rock past means the guru mantle has been passed to him, but either way I’m excited for the prospect of a mentor for these guys. Bring on the rock guru hijinks, karate-kid-style!

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