Looking back at my original impression of Nice Guy, I was fascinated by Maru, intrigued by Jae Hee, and not sure quite what to make of Eun Gi. Flash forward eight episodes and my impressions of the three leads have completely changed. I’m beyond obsessed with Eun Gi, find Maru somewhat interesting but if he fell off a cliff I wouldn’t miss his presence, and Jae Hee is about as interesting to me as watching a snake slithering through paint. Lee Kyung Hee has done a good job of writing Jae Hee, who I find one-dimensional and easy to understand. She’s selfish and self-absorbed, sees herself always as the victim and never as the perpetrator, and has no qualms about stepping on anyone to get what she wants. Her tiny flicker of a conscience strikes me as fleeting and pointless. Maru has turned out to be all bark and no bite, his revenge half-baked and really just a front for getting Jae Hee back into his world, though thank god it wasn’t actually to win her back into his arms, because the thought literally makes me retch. But Maru has a redeeming quality which is that he knew when to stop and when to self-reflect, to own up to his own weaknesses and failures, to understand that choosing wrong doesn’t mean he needs to finish the journey, he can always stop and turn back. It’s Eun Gi that touches my heart, with the same impossible to explain gut reaction akin to my love for Kang Kyung Joon in Big. Her broken childhood has shaped a girl who is still unpolished and awkward, but she is like that frog trying to jump out of the well even if its pointless. I love her spirit even if she’s confused and letting the first taste of inexplicable love overwhelm her. Her rawness illuminates all this potential to be more than she is, and hopefully the drama won’t waste it with the rest of the narrative.
I freaking LOVE the look on both Maru and Eun Gi’s face. I have a feeling both of them are suicidal. I read some purported leaked script pages for episode 9 at the beach and this is what goes down. Maru comes clean about everything – his former love for Jae Hee, wanting to use Eun Gi as his stepping stone to get revenge, how it wasn’t revenge he was after but wanting to bring Jae Hee back to his world of the lesser-haves. He claims not to have any feelings for Jae Hee anymore but Eun Gi doesn’t believe him. Maru asks if he was at the beach house and overheard his conversation with Jae Hee, telling Eun Gi that he saw her drive away outside. Maru tells Eun Gi that she must’ve left after hearing the first part of what he said, but he went to the beach house to tell Jae Hee that he was done with her forever and he didn’t care what happened to her anymore. Maru tells Eun Gi that he regrets using her her, he really regrets it.
Eun Gi asks Maru if he really killed someone. Maru looks her in the eye but does not explain. Eun Gi stares directly at him and he remains silent but unflinching, and then she smiles and says he never needs to explain about it again and she’ll never ask him about it again. She knows he has a reason he cannot explain, but she trusts him. Eun Gi makes Maru pinky swear with her that he will fulfill her one wish if she can get through to him. She then repeats her confession to him in the rain, which contains her upmost wish. Eun Gi gets a call from Joon Ha that the Chairman collapsed so she rushes back. Maru tells her to hurry and he’ll follow her shortly. Eun Gi turns back and gives him a kiss. They smile and she makes a joke that she’ll meet up with him afterwards and then they two depressed people can go kill themselves. Maru takes the joke and says sure. Eun Gi drives off back to see her sick dad. Okay, that’s the spoilers on DC I read, but I have no confirmation of its veracity. We’ll find out in a few hours.
I love new and bitchier Jae Hee’s look. Her power woman primary color suits are stunning on her and make no bones that she’s HBIC and running the show at Tae San.
New Eun Gi is beyond adorable, and coupled with how hot new Maru looks, I’m hoping the drama gets them snuggling soon and let physical attraction take care of the rest of business. See? I always have easy answers to difficult situations.
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Omg Koala. I love this show so much beyong reason I feel like I'm on crack too. Thank you for the synopsis and spoilers!! I keep refreshing your site everyday for a tidbit of NG news.
Thank You Thank you for all the spoilers I am hooked on NG.
koala, have you checked out the newest podcast of dramabeans? I actually love their take on Nice Guy, especially their understanding of EG. I actually don't find JH one dimensional and I don't find EG completely innocent either. I guess that's because these two actresses' great performances? Anyway.
When I say Jae Hee is one-dimensional, I don't mean she's cackling evil and only has one side of her. I mean that she is governed ultimately by one corollary - "What is best for Jae Hee's world". I find that makes her one-dimensional because I can guess what she'll do. She bends and sways but ultimately its to serve her basic needs of attaining security and material comfort, both things she grew up without. But that's my take on her, and despite her having perhaps conflicted feelings from time to time, she's down one path and that is governing her actions. Whereas Maru and Eun Gi actually change, they are still people with the ability to absorb new impacts and take new directions, however it might be implausible or difficult.
Completely agree with your take, Koala. Jae Hee operates in survival mode and she will eliminate anything and anyone that threatens that. Time and time again, she is given an out, to choose the right way but she doesn't because she is so afraid to live back in the slums. She is selfish and only cares about herself (and maybe, Eun Suk by extension).
Ahhhh...I hope that spoilers about the rest of their beach conversation is true. What an honest convo and a breakthrough for Maru!
But still, I'm biting my nails waiting for the next eps. What happened to make Maru so cold to Eun Gi later? Like you said, it's probably his way of protecting her but for once I just want Maru to stop this hero complex and stop being a noble idiot. Go take Eun Gi away from it all, she doesn't care about Tae San anyway, so why not take her somewhere far far away, assume a new identity and make beautiful EunMa babies?
Of course, this will not happen as we're still halfway through the drama but a fangirl can fantasize, right?
omg!!! Maru is just getting hotter and sexier!! this drama is so addicting! jae hee is such a female dog and evil and selfish but she is playing her character well because we all hate her! lol
Those purported "leaked script pages" for episode 9 sound like something straight of someone's imagination. They don't even match the 8-minute preview for the episode, which showed MR & EG's last moment on the beach, when EG gets the message about her father passing away, and the tunnel scene as seen in the still. If it appeared on DC, it couldn't have stayed for very long, because anybody who saw the 8-minute preview would have known it was BS.
Dude, chill out. No one said it was definitely true. Take it for what its worth and have fun. If its true, then cool. If not, then oh wells. That's the amusement in liking a drama and getting all excited about whatever little bits come along.
You do a lot of hard work compiling news and spoilers, bringing them to your visitors' attention, and I know part of that involves screening what's out there for reliability. I'm just pointing out this one's clearly false, and doesn't match the summary you gave for the long previews (which weren't leaked, but are officially released by KBS, available on purchase).
I found it amusing, and perhaps there are bits that are true while others are embellished? Either way, it was entertaining and I thought I'd share it. If it involved Eun Gi jumping Maru on the beach, then I'd skip that fanfiction and keep it for my own dirty mind. :-)
Hi Koala,
I know you might not want to share where you get all the leaked information for Nice guy from but is there anyway I can get a hold of it?
I love your take on Eun-Gi and am equally obsessed with her. I just love how, in spite of the world constantly beating her down, she is honest and direct with her emotions (unlike just about everyone else in the drama). She has perhaps the most reason out of all of them to be emotionally stunted (ok, except maybe Jae Hee, but her sympathy train has long since left the station for me since she is so mind-bogglingly egocentric that I just can't summon the nerve to care much about her), and yet she's braver when it comes to her heart than anybody. Is she naive? Sure. Is she self-destructive? Absolutely. But she's refreshingly, endearingly gutsy and I just love that.
I am so curious to see what the amnesia does to her character. I really don't want to see her with a personality transplant since she's the heart and soul of the story as far as I'm concerned, but I've got to respect the writer's forward momentum!
U hope the story will run as ur posting. it will be great.
oh..... today is wednesday. can't wait to see eps 9.
While I love Eun Gi and am completely rooting for her, I'm much more intrigued by Jae Hee. I don't even hate the character anymore, I completely pity her. What happened in her childhood to make her so manipulative, so pathetic and desperate for attention that she'd injure herself. If they don't go back and show the viewers more of her past, I will be really upset.
As for Maru, I want to root for him but he makes it really hard. I only seem to find his character interesting or appealing when he's opening up to someone, which is almost never. The last two episodes made me at least not want to smack him around.