Man of Honor is officially dead to me. This is my last anything related to it. The writer for this drama must never be allowed to write again. This isn’t aiming high and then failing to reach it. This is just plain incompetence. There is stupid but loveable, and there is plain dreadful and moronic. This drama would be the latter, especially now the only shining quality about it (the adorable interactions of the OTP) has been shelved for the sake of increasingly bizarre plot points.
Luckily I enjoyed the beginning well enough for the delightful chemistry between Park Min Young and Chun Jung Myung, and some LOL moments courtesy of the biggest over-acting performance of the year in Son Chang Min. Now it’s time to move on and say adieu. I’ll be happy for MOH if it reins in the suckitude for the final four episodes even if I won’t be around to see it. And if the writer actually did get a brain lobotomy and has In Woo and Jae In end up together, this drama will surely be the trainwreck standard all future dramas will be held to.
Episode 20 baby recap:
Young Kwang asks what Mr, Hwang means for him to use his future as a guarantee? Mr. Hwang explains that Young Kwang will have to do whatever he says for the rest of his life if he can’t repay the money, such as shining shoes or becoming a loan shark. Seeing PIE dressed like a pimp loan shark was the highlight of this episode. Young Kwang thinks about his beloved Jae In and accepts the offer so Jae In can have the money she needs. Mr. Hwang says In Woo’s dad is coming by tomorrow morning so Jae In must also arrive on time. He will decide then whether to loan her the money.
Young Do informs Jae In that In Woo’s dad is urgently seeking to borrow money from famed loan shark Mr. Hwang, so Jae In needs to go tomorrow morning and get in line. Young Do leaves and acknowledges Young Kwang, who is hiding around the corner. Turns out Young Do was sent by Young Kwang to deliver the message about meeting Mr. Hwang. Young Kwang sneaks away before Jae In can see him.
In Woo’s dad leaves home and purposely ignores In Woo. Mom is upset In Woo has betrayed them, but he loves Jae In and doesn’t want to see his parents hurt someone as weak as her. Jae In is leaving the house to meet Mr. Hwang, but In Woo is all happy to see her. He asks if today is a better day since he confessed his feelings to her and they kissed last night. She considers that teasing from him, but he confirms that he’s serious. In Woo adopts a joking attitude to cheer Jae In up, and reminds her that he’s on her side. She flicks his head away and tells him not to bother her. He teases that they are so affectionate already.
Jae In rushes to Mr. Hwang’s estate and arrives to the surprise of In Woo’s dad. Jae In presents her proposal to borrow money and repay it. In Woo’s dad hilariously tells her to shut up when elders are talking. Jae In asks Mr. Hwang to help her, to protect what her father built. Mr. Hwang informs Jae In that he already has a guarantee for her loan, the life of Kim Young Kwang. Jae In and In Woo’s dad are stunned to learn this. Mr. Hwang apologizes to In Woo’s dad, but this deal he’s doing with Jae In.
Jae In finds Young Kwang at work and kicks him in the shin, yelling that he just signed his life away. Young Kwang considered it carefully and knows what pressure Jae In is under. All he has is himself, and that is all he can do for Jae In. She calls him an idiot, but he’s an idiot for her. She asks if he has considered that she might use the money for her revenge but then not pay it back, leaving Young Kwang holding the ball.
Young Kwang doesn’t care, as long as she can do what she wants. She asks what he wants from her, and all he wants is for her to smile brilliantly like she used to and live the life she wants. Jae In tells him not to regret it, and he promises he won’t.
In Woo’s dad and his cronies watch this scene from the second floor, and In Woo’s dad orders Young Kwang to be beaten to a pulp. Oh rilly? My head, it hurts. He will not let a single person oppose him. Kyung Joo confronts In Chul about what he’s going to do to her brother, but In Chul brushes her off. We see that he still has Young Kwang’s dad’s cellphone in his drawer, the one he picked up the day of the accident.
Kyung Joo begs Jae In to stop what she is doing, because otherwise Young Kwang and even others will be hurt. Team Young Do is informed that the order they just filled for a customer was missing two pieces from the boxes Young Kwang was responsible for, and he orders them to correct it. Young Kwang is told to clean the warehouse alone as punishment. Gangster lackey discusses with In Woo his suspicion that someone on the team is sabotaging Young Kwang. No shit, Sherlock.
In Woo asks In Chul who the mole is on Team Young Do but In Chul won’t say. In Woo warns In Chul to stop stirring things up between his dad and Jae In. In Chul tells In Woo to stop challenging him, and the two cousins have a staredown. After In Woo walks away, In Chul vows to show him what he can do. In Woo finds Young Kwang down in the warehouse, coming to check on him so Jae In doesn’t get worried. Young Kwang confirms In Woo is serious about Jae In.
Suddenly they hear a noise and discover they are locked in and someone set off smoke bombs. What is this shit?! Everyone in the building is evacuated. Jae In finds out Young Kwang is in the warehouse and she rushes to find him. In Woo suddenly finds himself face to face with the man who abducted him as a child. He starts twitching and the dude beats him up.
Young Kwang runs around and is confronted with gangster lackey holding a stick and appearing to attack him. But Young Kwang turns around and punches the real culprit who was standing behind him. Gangster lackey is pleased Young Kwang trusted him.
They look down and see the fallen man as Gil Dong, the chubby dude on the team. Young Do, Dae Sung, and Hong Joo arrive and confirm that Gil Dong was the mole all along. Jae In runs down to the basement and passes by the dude who beat In Woo up, who she recognizes as the same man who abducted her early on in the drama. She finds beaten up In Woo.
In Woo is taken to the hospital where his dad is pissed someone dared to do this to his sonny boy. He orders surveillance camera footage of the warehouse. In Chul smirks. Team Young Do is told this smoke bomb incident is being deemed a mishap. Gil Dong cries to Young Do and apologizes, explaining that he never wanted to betray the team. He just says that he has family and refuses to explain any more. Young Do fires Gil Dong from the team.
In Chul gets Gil Dong to take all the blame, and is here to get Young Kwang fired for beating up In Woo down in the basement which was captured on CCTV. Gil Dong speaks up and says it can’t be Young Kwang because he had Young Kwang under surveillance the entire time. Young Kwang asks to see the tapes, but In Chul says this concerns the future of Team Young Do. If Young Kwang is dismissed, then everything will be fine. Young Do refuses to do as he’s told.
Hong Joo meets with Jae In and bitches out In Chul. Young Do informs Young Kwang that he cannot be eliminated. Young Kwang doesn’t want to risk the team, but Young Do reminds him that he dared to stand up to In Woo’s dad in the past. Where did that Young Kwang go? Probably where all the sanity in this drama went. In the crapper. Young Do schools Young Kwang on the art of endurance, saying it will get easier. He wants Young Kwang to face his obstacles head on rather than run away. I would love for Young Kwang to run away, such as running away with me, which is what I’m doing right after I write the last word for this recap.
Jae In goes to see In Woo at the hospital. As she is getting up to leave, he grabs her hand and asks her to stay awhile longer. He’s really hurting right now. Jae In stands there allowing him to hold her hand. She thinks back to everything happening around her.
She goes to Geodae and looks through the shrubs for her discarded key necklace. A nice security guard found it and gives it back to Jae In. She finds out he’s worked for the company for 20 years, and hears that her dad treated the employees so well. Young Kwang’s mom finds Grandma outside waiting for the kids, but Grandma appears to have gone a little daft because she’s waiting for Jae In, talking as if Jae In still lives with them. This alarms Mom. I’m too numb to be alarmed anymore.
Kwang tells In Chul that he won’t quit the team. He doesn’t believe the team that increased sales by 30% for this company will be eliminated. Young Kwang informs In Chul that someone saw him at the scene of his father’s accident. He vows to show In Chul what retribution is like. Kyung Joo watches this confrontation and smiles at her brother, while looking worriedly at In Chul.
Jae In goes to see Mr. Hwang and rejects his loan that is predicated on Young Kwang’s life. If she bets on his life, she might never be able to smile again. She asks that Young Kwang’s life be returned to him. Mr. Hwang laughs. Jae In stands before Young Do and confirms she has decided and will have no regrets. They go inside a broadcast booth. Team Young Do reads the statement Jae In is preparing to read today.
Young Kwang wonders why she is doing this, but Hong Joo says this is her way rather than borrowing money based on someone’s life. Jae In starts her speech, which stops In Woo’s dad in his tracks. Jae In announces that she is giving her 50% share in the company to all the employees of Geodae. Young Do smiles to hear this. Young Kwang rushes into the broadcast booth, standing there and stares at Jae In.
Thanks! 🙂
I still love it for the sake of Park Min-Young……..
Agreed….but the writing is truly horrible. 🙁 They had such great actors, this drama had potential.
Ockoala- Thanks for sticking through and recapping most of this series :)!
Well, I think the writer of this drama lost its brain half way through. I just don’t understand where this drama is heading, they’re like running in circles.
sooo true! I dunno if anythng is actually happening in dis drama for the last 3-4 episodes, amean am reading it and at the end, am like what was i reading?
Dear koala, thank you for this recap. Honestly i defected a few eps ago because i thought it was going completely nowhere. I could bear, like you, something wacky and entertaining, but here it’s just nonsensical and gratuitous “n’importe quoi”. To be true, i will just stalk the net for the kisses between In Woo ( my crush ) and… whoever they put in front of him. If more viewers could abandon this sinking ship and use their tickets for Me Too flower, i would believe in justice again.
oh Koala.. YOU. ARE. FREAKING. HILARIIOUS!
I’ve stopped watching this drama a while back and just read your recaps which I thought were more entertaining.lolz. It was fun while it lasted. Thanks for your hard work!
OC Koala,
Thank you for the recap. I know it must have been laborious due to the current nature of the drama. I got to the point where I could miss an ep or two, and or just speed to the scenes I wanted to watch, and that is how I knew it was a drama that had lost its captivation in my drama book.
I will stick it out until the end though, as I am hopeful that the love storyline with In Woo will stop, that daddy evil will get payback, that In Chul will have some humanity like he did towards the beggining with Jae In before he is completely over to the dark side, and that they don’t make Gramma senile. Seriously.
Anyhow, thank you for having stuck it out this far. I know Softy quit last episode, so I’m glad I could at least read your quick recap.
What is on your drama radar? (aside from Me Too Flower-I plan on checking that one out since you’ve been recapping it)
its not that bad you know, compared some other dramas..e.g. paradise ranch was much much worse. besides i love the ‘gangster’ guy, he’s funny! 🙂
Bwahahahahaha, I am sorry for your pain, but the ranting was entertaining in the extreme.
As to heroine ended up with the second lead, that was the case in the makers’ previous, Baker King, so you never know 🙂
I haven’t actually watched this episode yet, so I won’t comment much, other than to say “Thanks!” for sticking with these recaps as long as you did! I still love PIE and PMY as an OTP, and separately, and they’re still acting their butts off even in the middle of all the insanity, bless their hearts! I wish them better luck on their next projectss
I feel your pain Ms. Koala. I watched the first episode for PIE. I loved him in What’s up fox and Cinderella’s sister. I thought might as well give this show a try, but I couldn’t get past the first episode. There were few weeks when this show was airing that there was nothing else to watch in k-dramaland. I thought let’s give it a try again. I kept forward some of the parts. I knew this show was not a keeper if I had to make myself watch just so I have something to see. As soon as Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, I dropped this show ASAP. I command you for dedication with this show as long as you did. I knew you didn’t like this show for awhile from your tone.
p.s. I started watching me, too flower because of you Ms. koala. Thank you.
Thanks for making the MOH recaps ockoala unnie. Yes, I’ve never gone beyond ep9 really. This really went downhill non-stop. Sigh.
Hehe, this is what I wrote about this drama even before it started:
“The reunion of the PD and the writer from Baker King Kim Tak Gu. A regular reader of this blog would know of my utter disdain for that drama, and if you did not, well, you should. I thought perhaps Baker King may be an anomaly, but looking at Kang Eun Kyung’s past dramas, now I see that she and I just don’t get along. All the dramas that I’ve seen by her, which include Powerful Opponents, Hello God, Good Person, Glass Slippers, Hotelier, Ghost, and White Night 3.98, I spent swearing off the writer wondering, “Who wrote this crap?!” And now that I know they’re all written by one person, and that one person is penning Man of Honor, I’m going to avoid it like the plague. But hey, if this your thing, don’t let me stop you from watching… what will surely be utter crap.”
When you initially shared that you were enjoying this drama, I wondered whether I might have been too harsh on her. Glad to know that I wasn’t just being a meanie after all. Thanks for holding on for this long and taking it for the team!
This drama is so stupid, even the word stupid is insulted to be used to describe it. I want my 20 hours back! Wish I listened to you.
Ms Koala, I give you a lot of credit for sticking it out this far – and wish it could have turned out better for you and the viewers who really wanted to love it.
I, myself, also could not get past episode one of this one. Just something about it and also, my current drought of just not connecting with any modern dramas – neither in tw/c world or the kdrama world. I watch a few episodes at best and end up just dropping it. OG was the furthest I got but then that one started to bore me a little – that normally is my favorite style/genre. I think BBJX did me in… all I can watch are period pieces at the moment. Moreover… what is going on with the wide variety of kdramas, tw/c dramas – just sucking in their script this year. 🙁
I’m going to check out M2F when it largely finishes it’s run. Sounds like it’s really good from reading the recaps. I’m glad that it turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
Back to MOH, I still like the OTP – such a cute pairing – sigh… yet another awesome onscreen couple getting the shaft by the script.
Thank you, ockoala, for this recaps and your past recaps of MoH!! I know I will definitely miss reading them as you write them beautifully and recapping the highlight of each episode with fairness (either joy, sorrow, love, angst or boredom of the story developments)!
Thank you so much!! ^^
Woaaahh… thanks for the recap ockoala… I think that is what you call the best solution, rather than let all her company share fall into In woo dads, its better to give it away to all employee who work there for their entire life and that seems fair. As she dont have the obligation for the company anymore she can continue her life and being nurse again, she can start her life again, being everything that she always wanted in life. I think what this is all about, that all of this is nothing for her, the company or the money, she just want her life back, and that make sense..
i give up seeing this drama!
Oh… How could Jae In with In Woo?
The OTp is the only think that makes this drama good. Sadly I am watching good drama’s right now and this mess will not make me happy.
Koala I have a question is it possible for you to recap Brain it’s on Mondays and is so good!The cast and storyline is just awesome too.
well in overall thanks a lot Koala! 😀 u’ve been writing awesome recaps(n wid pics) and we’ll miss ya! In case of MOH, i agree wid everybody else! It’s sucking big time since ep 19. I loved it so much before n now i feel shattered! I already hated the fact that thers no more baseball and all that Jae In being a nurse, and now she’s being some rebellious woman!?!? Thats so NOT her! Well but i’m still gonna stick till the end coz i love CJM (whom u all refer as PIE) :”) i just wish that Jae In n In woo’s relationship wont last. If Young Gwang n Jae In wont be together at last, I am gonna HATE this drama coz i’ve been hooked up with it for so long, and wasting my tym watching 24 eps just for a crappy ending! We want Young Gwang and Jae In!!!!!!!!!!! <3 i just hope she becomes a nurse again!
Ps : i HATE jae in's new look!
I am dizzy just reading the recap, what more if i actually watched the episode?
thanks for sticking to this drama as far as this… but i understand why you have to drop it..
I have not seen the last two episodes. waiting for subs. that being said, I do like this drama. It has lost momentum and I really wondered at it going past 16 episodes, but I’m holding out hope the writer hasn’t completely lost it and puts jae in and young kwang together. I will watch to the end.
Thanks Captain for another entertaining recap. LOL at your side comment/question to the part where Young Kwang got locked in the warehouse.
I’m sorry to learn this will be the last recap for this drama. But it’s okay. You’ve given us so much already. I’ll look forward to your next year’s k-drama recaps. Thanks again! 😀
oh, koala….you lasted longer than I did, but this recap was a joy. 😎 Thanks!
Thanks for the final recap. 3/4ths of the way in and it’s like I’m watching “Lie To Me” all over again. How can good things go soooo bad?!
I had just watched ep.4 of “Padam, Padam” where the writing is bordering on brilliant with acting to match (Kim Bum has finally found the role of his life – he was made for this drama!) and then watched this last ep of MOH. **sigh**
PMY announced that she’s taking a long break after this wraps up – girl’s gonna need a rest after this turkey – but am sure her BF will cheer her up!
I know the story line went derail, but I’ll stay for the sake of the great performance of the cast. But strange, the viewer rating for this episode shot up, do we see things differently from the KOreans?
Koala, can’t you just say BATCHA !!! and hang on for 4 more eps. I love you recaps since I don’t
understand Korean. It takes a while for the subs to appear so your recaps are really appreciated. Thanks so much for all your work. You’re good.
I earnestly hope Ms Ockola can stand and do recapitulate for all die -hard fans of MOH drama.
I know what captain think the damage is opposite to what you expect before.
You adore the love-chemistry between OTP.
But the writer just push the opposite to the viewers.
It is ridiculous to watch something you don’t want to see.
But just to watch the OTP is enough for me and all die-hard fans.
I am vowed in the very beginning to see the whole drama no matter what I see is worthwhile or not. So I will not give up and stand still to the end to see what the writer wants us to get ultimately. This is a drama to cheer all of us to fight with hopes. I do believe this comes true in the end.
I’m too numbed to be alarmed anymore…
LOL..I really laughed our loud….since that is also what I feel with this drama….sigh..anyway..
thanks a lot, Koala…I enjoyed reading all your witty recaps….
bye MOH…wish you have lived with that title…
Dear Koala,
You have the patience of Buddha for putting up with MOH despite you hating it. That doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate your recaps. 😀 I still wait for them and read up everything you write.
Your patience for this drama must be too high to continue with it even after finding M2F. You’re the best Koala ever!
dear koala unnie
thanks alot for your recaps still want to continue the rest 4 episodes but I respect your choice.
with you that was abeautiful journey and I will miss this so much.
fightinggggggggggggggggggggggg
Thank you Miss Koala for recapping this drama throughout its downhill spiral. Really appreciate your heartfelt commentary all this while. This is the reason why we fans love reading your recaps (which are sometimes way better than watching the real thing!)
Anyway I gather from what I learnt this week about “The Difference Between Makjang and Soonjung” (thank you Flower Boys!) that MOH is definitely deep rooted in Makjang territory now. Whereas thankfully M2F veers more toward Soonjung (minus the witch parts).
Hope you’ll get some reprieve from watching MOH by switching to something else more enjoyable. Strongly recommend Brain which got me hooked after watching 1 ep… Shin Ha Kyun is my current ahjushi crush! (sorry flower boys)
Cheers! 🙂
Thanks for holding up until now Ms. Koala, you really are a trooper. I’m going to stick to it, even if it kills me because of my incurable case of must-finish-what-I-started syndrome.
I loved this drama untill about ep 15, when I gradually realized how much this drama sucks.
First of all, the drama is a total mess. The necklace with the fairy beggar dude? What’s the point of that? What about jae ins nurse dream or young kwangs baseball career? And when jae in goes through that evil revenge girl phase, I’m pretty sure she forgot her mom is still alive, she barely visited her. And there needs to be more youngkwang and jae in scenes, cuz at one point I forgot jae in and youngkwang are in love. But just for the same of knowing what happens, I will watch this drama till the very end. The ending better be good. JAE IN MUST END UP WITH YOUNGKWANGGG and Inwoo can find is own girl..
AGREEE!!!!
so you’re not going to recap the rest of the epsT_T
this is so important to me cuz the subs are like the speed of a snail ….. \
u are so much better then them and now u tell me ur not going to continue T^T
by the way u did an AWESOOOMMME JOB =)
ah, you were right to give up on this drama. here was next to no romance. it was almost like lee min ho told park min young that she couldn’t kiss a guy or hold hands or anything. while thatks fine and understandable in a normal relationship, they’re both actors and do kissing scenes. I was quite disappointed as the two leads had such great chemistry initially. oh, well.
I sow the ending :)) they remembered the nurse dream, the baseball dream, even the promise that Yoon Jae in made as a girl to marry the player if he became the home run king. Of course he works hard and finally he hits the ball :)) In Wo takes pictures with YJI mom. And that it.
I hope PMY learned her lesson for the future.