It’s Okay, It’s Love Episode 8 Thoughts

Poem: “Where is there a flower that will bloom without being shaken? …Where is there love that will go on without being shaken?”

 

I’m a bit tired, so sorry ahead of time if some of this makes little sense. 🙂

Before I get into this episode, I have to reiterate the sentiment that this show continues to be amazing. Gong Hyo Jin and Jo In Sung are rocking their characters! They play a couple in love so well, there’s an aura of maturity and comfort about them that I find so refreshing!

Hae Soo is a riot. She cracks me up! She’s so unpredictable and is such a tease! Poor Jae Yeol for getting dragged around by her but it’s hard not to when she’s so cute about it. I love how she exploits her injuries so that he’ll give into her wishes. She knows he loves her and she’s lucky to have such a patient boyfriend. (Aside: Did anyone else chuckle at the way they incorporated Gong Hyo Jin’s real life injury into the show? A trip-and-fall, really? But I’m glad they managed to use it in a humorous manner.)

Although her hot-and-cold attitudes towards intimacy may be frustrating for Jae Yeol to handle, it’s great to see that Hae Soo obviously loves Jae Yeol as well. She doesn’t want him to spend money needlessly (their constant room and hotel switching was hilarious!) and she worries about his safety. When he got injured after his attempt at wake-boarding, her concern was palpable and it was so wonderful that Jae Yeol apologized immediately and promised never to do it again. They are so adorable together.

Regardless of how well intentioned she is, she does tend to forget about Jae Yeol’s feelings and what he’s thinking. She doesn’t completely trust him yet so there’s a part of her that wants to make it seem like she’s not as invested in the relationship as he is, a sort of defense mechanism so that she won’t get hurt, but she doesn’t realize how that hurts Jae Yeol. She kept bringing up his past with other women and even told him about her kiss with Soo Kwang. She didn’t say it directly but he knew that she was Soo Kwang’s first kiss. She even jokingly asked if they should break up causing Jae Yeol to seriously tell her to not say such words so lightly.

Of course, Jae Yeol can only take so much of her teasing, so after she stormed off after a kiss (where they exchanged some of her snow cone ice), he decided to go back to his old motto, “I give back as much as I receive”. Their battle of wills was so hilarious because Hae Soo tried so hard to break him but he stood firm, even in the face of her boo-boos and aeygo, and as a result, he managed to break through her facade.

How cute and funny were these scenes?:

Hae Soo: [shows off injured arm] “This hurts badly too.”

Jae Yeol: [blows on it] “Put your arm down. It will hurt less.”

Hae Soo: “What? You are going to swim in the ocean this late at night?”

Jae Yeol: “Yeah.”

Hae Soo: “Then what do I do alone?”

Jae Yeol: “Sleep.”

He is honest about wanting to sleep with her since it’s the greatest expression of their love. When Hae Soo finally decided to give in to her feelings and not get held back by her fears, she was choosing to trust him completely. I thought it was so sweet of him to pause and ask, “are you okay?”, before taking any further action. Too bad we didn’t get to see how far they went before the credits cut in. *sad puppy*

*Takes mind out of gutter* Annnnnyways, how adorable was it that Jae Yeol introduced Hae Soo to his mom? She’s the first girl he’s every brought back and even mom’s a shipper. I love that he doesn’t feel the need to hide anything about his family from her, believing that she’ll be able to understand his situation and his trust is well placed.

We also get another glimpse into hyung’s childhood and it looks like mom was rather emotionally abusive towards hyung. I know it must have been difficult for her to handle her chaotic family situation with an abusive husband and troublemaker son and all but it was obvious that Jae Beom loved mom a lot. All he wanted was her approval and her love but in return all he got was her disdain and a constant reminder that he’s a disappointment.

Hyung was just released from juvenile detention and he was crouched on the ground eating food from a bowl but mom just screamed at him and wouldn’t even let him eat since the food was prepared for Jae Yeol. He even remembered her birthday and brought her oil (mistaking it for cooking oil) so that she could finally cook him some food but she just kicked him out and even told him to go die. Harsh! Of course he would think that Mom only loved Jang Yeol and after feeling like he was framed for a crime he didn’t commit, he’s lashing out since he sees this as a continuation of that bias. Even if he loves his brother, he’s also jealous and angry of him.

If this flashback wasn’t enough to make my compassion for hyung grow even more, when he told Jo subae that most prisoners are afraid to go out into the real world sealed the deal. People tend to forget that for people who’ve spent most of their lives in prison, that’s all they end up knowing and then when they try to reintegrate themselves into society, people will only see them an ex-convict. It’s very Shawshank Redemption. I just hope Jo sunbae will be able to help hyung heal his wounds so that he can learn to forgive so that once he’s released, he’ll be able to live happily with his mom and younger brother rather than torturing himself and others by seeking a pointless revenge. It’s a lot harder said than done, but it will be the best cure for his current pain.

It also seems like the secret of Jae Yeol’s condition is unraveling as well. Before, every time he interacted with Kang Woo, it was in a situation that made it seem plausible but now he’s answering a call that didn’t even ring right in front of Hae Soo. We also have a follow-up from Jae Yeol’s police report and his first love, which turns out to be the girl from the window scene in episode 4 and the girl who showed up from last ep, is back.

We also have a hint as to what’s the problem with Kang Woo’s fingers in this episode. Hae Soo mentions Lou Gehrig’s Disease aka ALS and it seems like that fits with his symptoms as he was talking to Jae Yeol after a hospital visit. However, although Jae Yeol also seems to have spasms in his hand, I trust writer Noh enough to think that this is a red herring. Jae Yeol may only be suffering from Writer’s Cramp, aka scrivener’s palsy, since he is a writer (duh) but we haven’t heard him coughing or displaying any of the other symptoms of ALS. On the other hand, Kang Woo probably has ALS but he’s only a manifestation and projection of Jae Yeol’s own inner demons; his emotional as well as his physical scars.

Kang Woo will probably soon disappear because he is no longer needed and Hae Soo will take over his place as Jae Yeol’s companion. As she slowly heals his wound, Kang Woo will slowly cease to exist. Through this way, it’ll make it so that Jae Yeol’s unconscious can come to terms with Kang Woo’s disappearance instead of realizing that he was only a figment of Jae Yeol’s imagination. 

Also, most people develop ALS between the ages of 40-70, and I know this is dramaland where anything can happen, but let’s hope Jae Yeol isn’t one of those rare cases because I think he’s experienced enough suffering for a life time. It’s time for his optimism and resilience to be rewarded.

Jae Yeol: “Humans are beautiful and the one who’s harsh is God. He gives us horrendous situations that can’t be handled.”

Jae Yeol: “If I can’t write then I am probably dead, even if I’m alive. Like Hemingway, I also might kill myself”.

Who will end up getting to watch the CCTV video from Jae Yeol’s police report? How will Hae Soo react to finding out that Jae Yeol has been communicating with her mom behind her back? (I hope she doesn’t see that as an act of betrayal)

Soo Kwang needs to get over what’s-her-face fast because she was a real jerk for telling other people about his Tourette’s Syndrome. Poor guy! All he wants is some lovin’. What’s in store for Jo sunbae and his ex-wife?

Let’s just hope the lines from the poem are true. To know happiness, one must know pain. To see the beauty in life, one must experience its darker side. Let’s pray that after these trial and tribulations, Hae Soo, Jae Yeol and everyone else will come out the other side a better, happier person; surrounded by love.

Lastly, let’s enjoy some more screencaps of gorgeous people in a gorgeous location. Jo In Sung is sooooooooo fine! ❤