Man of Honor Episode 14

It’s with a happy heart I give thanks for everything wonderful in my life, and even more thanks for support and love to get me through the not so wonderful things. Dramas are fun diversions, but real life is about the simpliest of things that can’t translate onscreen. Man of Honor is about as far away from my real life, and heck, anyone’s real life as any drama I’ve seen. It doesn’t even try to be sensible even within the context of its outlandish circumstances, but that’s nothing to deride as long as the story remains cohesive.

Episode 14 slowed down once again, but then threw pretty much every big reveal out the door by the end of the episode. Time for round two coming up – Jae In versus her real identity. What’s a girl to do when the man she loves isn’t her half-brother (yay!) but is instead the son of the man who did her wrong (boo!). I’m sure she’ll come around, and until then, Young Kwang got through his moping surprisingly quickly and then chose the right path forward. I always knew I like the guy for a reason.

Episode 14 recap:

Young Kwang makes the devastating connection that the Yoon Jae In he thinks is his half-sister, is instead the daughter of the deceased Chairman Yoon. And his father likely did something terrible to keep Jae In’s identity hidden from the world. Young Kwang falls down on his knees and screams, asking his dad what he did to them.

Young Do announces that today’s assignment will proceed as planned, and Young Kwang will be eliminated for failing to arrive at work. Jae In tries to plead for him, saying an emergency could have happened, so it’s not fair Young Kwang is not getting a chance to explain. Young Do agrees to wait until the end of the work day to hear Young Kwang’s reason. If it’s not acceptable, then Young Kwang is eliminated, and Jae In as well for wasting his time. In Woo tries to protest Jae In getting roped in, but Jae In agrees to stake her chance alongside Young Kwang.

In Woo pulls Jae In aside, worried that she will lose her chance because of Kim Young Kwang. She’s not afraid, she knows he must have a good reason. But what if he’s simply late or his reason isn’t good enough for Young Do? Jae In accepts that possibility, and is fine if she’s eliminated in the end. In Woo asks quietly about her promise to stay by his side and watch over him. Jae In just promised him, yet now she’s risking elimination because of Kim Young Kwang. Jae In just smiles and tells him not worry, she won’t get eliminated because Young Kwang will show up.

Dae Sung takes the three remaining applicants to the warehouse and hands then each a list of the items they must pull from the shelves and bring to the 2nd floor conference room by 2 pm for the buyers. The very OCD Dae Sung hilariously talks between covering his mouth and nose so not to breath in the dusty warehouse air. He tells them that the buyers are important and the products quite valuable. In Woo doesn’t want to do this task, but Jae In stops him. Team Young Do watches on CCTV, betting on whether In Woo will do it or not.

Jae In reminds In Woo that he promised to try his best. In Woo smiles, clenches his fist, and then walks off with a product list. The three of them get to work pulling the items from the shelves. Jae In and lackey find their items, leaving just In Woo frustrated he can’t find anything. When he finally locates one of his items, he’s actually thrilled. Dae Sung and Hong Joo lose money since they both bet In Woo wouldn’t do this task. Hong Joo points out that Young Do once mentioned how In Woo and the others might exceed their expectations and behave in unexpected ways.

Young Do finds out from Hong Joo that Young Kwang and Jae In are newly discovered half-siblings. It happened after Young Kwang’s father died. Young Do realizes the coincidental timing of the discovery. Jae In looks at the clock and notes that the day is half over. Young Kwang remains sitting on the floor of the ceremonial hall. He takes out his phone when Jae In calls. In Woo notices Jae In calling Young Kwang. Young Kwang looks at Jae In’s incoming call and starts to tear up. He finally answers the call.

Jae In frantically asks if everything is fine, she was so worried about him. Young Kwang cries but keeps his voice steady on the phone. Jae In tells him to come by the end of the day otherwise he’ll be eliminated. Young Kwang has to hold the phone away from his ear because he can’t control his crying. He apologizes to Jae In, in more ways than she understands at this very moment. He apologizes for not being able to be by her side right now. Jae In can tell he’s crying, but Young Kwang hangs up without answering.

When Jae In tries to call Young Kwang again, In Woo takes the phone away and tells her it’s work hours and they still have a task to perform. In Woo suggests that Young Kwang is afraid of showing up here because he opposed the Chairman when he tricked him into buying the parka. In Woo asks Jae In to focus, on work and on him. Team Young Do place bets on whether Young Kwang ran away or will be coming back. They wonder where Young Do went all of a sudden.

Young Do sits at the noodle restaurant and enjoys a bowl of noodles prepared by Young Kwang’s mom. He digs in heartily and gobbles down the entire bowl in seconds, asking for another serving. Young Do ends up wolfing down bowl after bowl, to the shock and stares of Mom and everyone else in the restaurant. After five bowls, he finally stops and compliments Mom on the noodles. He then calls mom “hyung-so-nim” (which means elder brother’s wife), and introduces himself as the friend of her husband.

Mom expresses surprise since she’s never heard him mentioned before. When asked why he’s visiting today, Young Do cuts to the chase and asks if Yoon Jae In is the daughter of her husband? He asks her to tell him the truth. Mom takes offense that a stranger is asking about their family affairs, telling him to leave but never answering his question. Young Do can tell she’s nervous and upset by his question, so he bows and takes his leave, promising to come and visit another time.

Young Do leaves the restaurant and calls Hong Joo, asking her to place a missing persons report with the police looking for Kim Young Kwang. When Hong Joo calls the cops, she identifies herself as Young Kwang’s wife and finds out they can track his cell signal. Young Do tracks Young Kwang to the batting cages. Young Do calls each of Young Kwang’s at bats balls that fail to land a base hit. Young Kwang gets fed up and walks out of the batting cage. When Young Do presses if he’s completed the code left by his dad, Young Kwang confesses that his dad has always been his idol and source of hope, but he’s worried he will think differently of him if he continues this test.

Young Do asks if Young Kwang is planning to run away then? Young Do notes that two people are going to be eliminated then, explaining that Jae In staked her chance on Young Kwang coming back. Young Do yells that Young Kwang’s dad left a code before he died, and Jae In asked for another chance for Young Kwang, why did these two people do this? It’s because they believe in Young Kwang. Young Do trusts Young Kwang to come back after finding out the truth. Real trust is staking it all on someone. He leaves Young Kwang pondering what he just said.

The remaining applicants have finished assembling the wares just in time. Dae Sung confirms it’s all here, and gives them 10 minutes to move it all to the 2nd floor conference room. In Woo is pissed, but Jae In accepts the order on everyone’s behalf. They push, pull, and basically shove everything upstairs. In Chul gets a call that the applicants are headed to the 2nd floor conference room. In Woo’s dad arrives at work and In Chul maneuvers him into stopping at the 2nd floor. In Woo’s dad sees In Woo hard at work on his task and is pleased Young Do is really putting the applicants to work.

Hong Doo is heading the meeting with the buyers. Jae In moves the items into the room and it accidentally tumbles onto one of the customers. As they are picking things up, both notice the other looks familiar. Turns out the guy was the drunken dude at the noraebang that was giving Young Kwang’s mom a hard time and Jae In ended up defending her honor. Oooops. Jae In calls him “the pervert ahjusshi”! Hong Joo is upset and reminds Jae In that this man is an important company customer.

Jae In goes to apologize, but the guy is still pissed. As Jae In tries to walk out, she trips onto the guy and pulls off his toupee. He’s even more pissed, leaving Jae In to try to put it back on his head. He pushes Jae In off and she lands on In Woo, who gets pissed and moves to teach that guy a lesson. Lackey cries that he’s quit the fighting profession and tries to break up the fight. Right then In Woo’s dad walks into the conference room to witness this debacle.

Dae Sung screams at the three applicants for destroying their mission and insulting the company’s important customers. Jae In wants to take full responsibility herself. Jae In is called out to meet with In Woo’s dad in person. In Woo offers to go with Jae In, but she takes responsibility for her own actions. Jae In apologizes to all three buyers for causing the embarrassment. Jae In is told to make the other 2 Chinese buyers happy with her apology otherwise they will refuse to do business with Geodae.

Jae In stands there, with In Woo’s dad telling her to apologize otherwise she will cause the company losses. Jae In takes a piece of paper and writes something and places it before the 2 Chinese buyers. She reminds them that a pebble won’t disrupt a lake, a breeze won’t rustle a tree. She does apologize for her bad behavior, but asks them that refusing to do business because of this small incident is not the gentleman’s way. The 2 Chinese buyers accept her apology, which is a very famous Lao Zi proverb that “those who know don’t need to explain, those who explain don’t mean it”. They are happy to do business with Geodae, and wish Jae In luck in entering the company.

In Woo is pleased that Jae In resolved the situation successfully. But then he loses his smile when he hears Jae In is meeting with his dad still. In Woo’s dad asks Jae In if it’s hard taking care of In Woo. He’s curious that Jae In understands Chinese philosophy texts, noting that kids these days don’t pay attention to these things. When In Woo’s dad asks if Jae In knows another famous proverb “those who know they have enough are the truly wealthy”, she smiles and says she used that proverb in the first test.

In Woo’s dad asks her for her full name, which is when In Woo walks into the dining room. Before he can approach them, Jae In reveals her full name to In Woo’s dad. He’s taken aback and has to asks a few times. He asks her what her dad’s name is, and Jae In gives the name of Young Kwang’s dad. In Woo’s dad realizes who Jae In really is, and he has to quietly grip his thighs to maintain his self-control. In Woo can only watch in horror.

In Woo’s dad goes to see In Chul and slaps the guy around a few times first. He accuses In Chul of stabbing him in the back, with that child Yoon Jae In! He asks why In Chul installed that child here? Suddenly In Woo runs in and absolves In Chul of any duplicity, saying that he ordered In Chul not to reveal Jae In’s identity to him. He just wants to protect her, and not let her get hurt. His dad asks if he knows what Jae In’s existence will do to their place at the company. In Woo reveals that Jae In doesn’t know who she really is. In Woo’s dad screams for In Chul to bring him Jae In’s entire file.

The Chairman’s minions go to Team Young Do and demands Jae In’s files. His team refuses to comply, as they only take orders from Young Do. Before they start tussling, Young Do returns and offers to hand them photocopies of Jae In’s files. In Woo’s dad is pissed that Young Do would refuse to hand over her original file. When In Woo’s dad wants to rush to confront Young Do, In Chul reminds him to not make a big deal now, otherwise it would arouse suspicions. They should allow Jae In to remain where she is for now.

In Woo sees Jae In in the lobby, continually trying to call Young Kwang but getting only his voicemail. He grabs the phone from her hand, and then quietly asks her if the two of them can run away, run somewhere no one knows who they are. Jae In reminds In Woo that she is just here to help him, nothing more. In Woo asks if he really has no attraction for her. Or does she like “that guy” so much? Even if they are siblings, they clearly are struggling with their feelings for each other. Even if they are confused, others can see it clearly. Like right now, Jae In is worried about Young Kwang right in front of In Woo.

Jae In wants her phone back, but In Woo asks her to be honest with him. Jae In’s eyes fill with tears, explaining that Young Kwang’s broken because of her. He’s fallen into a difficult place because of his feelings for her. In Woo throws Jae In’s phone on the ground, saying that something that is broken should be thrown away just like that. He kicks the phone away and tells Jae In not to have feelings for something broken. Which is when Young Kwang arrives and picks up Jae In’s phone.

Jae In smiles through her tears, happy that he’s finally arrived. He tells her that he came back because otherwise she’d be eliminated alongside him. He strokes her on the head, asking her to wait for him while he goes to speak with Young Do. In Woo can only watch but do nothing. When Jae In moves to follow Young Kwang, In Woo grabs her arm for a moment but lets her go because it’s clear where her heart lies. Young Kwang walks into Team Young Do headquarters. and goes to meet with Young Do.

Young Do asks for an acceptable reason from Young Kwang, and he’s here with that. He takes out the code left by his father, which is not a code, but is instead an answer. He tells Young Do that he has found Jae In’s real birth father, and he knows why his father left the code. Young Kwang wants to return Jae In to her rightful place. Young Do reminds Young Kwang that doing this will mean going up against Chairman Seo, and it’s a hard and difficult road. Young Kwang knows but he will do it, because that is the only way he can obtain forgiveness for his father. Young Do accepts Young Kwang’s explanation for his absence today.

In Woo’s dad looks at Jae In’s file and thinks back to all the recent encounters with her. In Chul is standing in his office deep in thought when Kyung Joo asks him what’s on his mind? In Chul flashes back to seeing Jae In’s mom more lucid than she let on, and he wonders just where he should begin now? Jae In’s mom is struggling with her rehab and collapses because she’s pushing herself too hard. The prosecutor asks her to take it slower, but she needs to walk so that she can stand before In Woo’s dad and let him know that he won’t get away with what he is doing. Good for you, mom!

Jae In stands outside the Geodae offices until Young Kwang joins her. He reveals that they both escaped elimination, which is a great relief for her. Young Kwang pulls Jae In in for a hug, telling her not to worry about him anymore. He thinks in his mind that he will put everything back where it rightfully belongs, so she needs to wait for him. In Woo’s dad decides that it’s too dangerous to leave Jae In be.

Mom, Grandma, and Jin Joo sit down to sample Mom’s new spicy beef soup at the restaurant. Young Kwang and Jae In arrive at the restaurant and sit down to sample the new dish as well. Grandma gives her bowl to Jae In, and Young Kwang is dazed just staring at her until his mom snaps him out of it. Everyone sits down to eat when they hear a phone ringing. It’s neither Young Kwang nor Jin Joo’s phones, until Grandma brings over a package which arrived for Jae In.

She opens the box and it’s a phone from In Woo. He happily sends her a video which shows the restaurant he will be taking her for dinner tomorrow. He ends the call with a kiss. Okay, lovesick Romeo In Woo is pretty adorable. In Woo talks to the phone, confessing that he’s really serious and sincere about her. He just wants to take her and run away somewhere so father can never find them.

Mom finally joins the family at the table to eat. Everyone is joking and eating when suddenly the door opens and the minions march in, followed by In Woo’s dad. Everyone stands up in shock. Young Kwang steels himself, walking over to demand to know why In Woo’s dad is here at his house. In Woo’s dad derides this place as a piece of garbage, and then has Young Kwang dragged aside.

He then walks straight up to Jae In and asks her if she remembers him as her uncle. He grabs her for a hug, acting all happy that he found her, and sad she was so close but he never knew. His pretend tears are so hilarious! Ahahaha, this drama is crazy, but amusing.

Thoughts of Mine:

I just have to first discuss how In Woo’s dad is like in a completely different world, drama, universe from the rest of the denizens of MoH land (or any human being for that matter). He’s so outlandish, over-the-top, and insane, I’m seriously wondering how he managed to run a company for 17 years. Some bad guys are secretly bad, and even the openly bad ones tend to be selectively evil only when called upon. I’m baffled by why the writer chose to make him such a rage machine. Unless perhaps he has a mental condition of his own, which might explain why In Woo is suffering from one. One has uncontrollable rages, the other sudden panic attacks. Who knows? I like to hope the writers explain him better, because so far he remains just a megalomaniac anda sociopath. I tend to laugh AT him whenever he shows up now, which rather negates any tension from his position as the villain of this piece.

I’m continuing to enjoy the evolution of In Woo from repressed cocky overcompensating asshole to lovesick swain and protector of Jae In. It’s not a stretch by any means, but sadly I see no hope for him other than some sympathy from Jae In. It’s not like he’s a better pick for her than Young Kwang either. In a direct comparison, he’s totally the crappier choice, since his package comes equipped with psycho father, mental illness, and bitch mother. But it’s all moot because Jae In likes Young Kwang, and really their personalities are just such a perfect fit it’s impossible to argue for the alterna-pairing in this drama. But I genuine am liking In Woo’s storyline, which doesn’t need a romantic satisfaction to underscore him finding his own way in life. I think his desire to protect Jae In will lead to his desire to do the right thing, and ultimately make him discover he’s a stronger man than he ever imagined.

Young Kwang’s journey from shock to acceptance may seem really fast in this episode, but it was prompted by him being forced to move forward rather than stand still. By Young Do, and by his love for Jae In, Young Kwang knew what the right thing to do was and he started down that path. I was pleased and relieved, and actually thrilled when the drama threw a left hook and had In Woo’s dad reveal Jae In’s birth secret at the end of the episode. Time to shake things up a bit is what I said, and the drama sure did that. I think the episode as a whole was pretty boring (and predictable), but I continue to love MoH even if it’s hard to explain the hook this drama has for me. It’s not quite a guilty pleasure, but more like a comfortable friend. I look forward to each week’s new episodes while not terribly worried what will happen. All in all, it’s the only K-drama I’m adoring at the moment, and that makes it my sweet little baby I want to take good care of.