That smile on Eun Gi’s face gives me the shivers. Brrrrr. How do you reset something that has already been reset once? Does it go back full circle then? But what happens to all the things that happened during the interim? Everyone keeps wanting Eun Gi to regain her memories, warts and all with what happened in the past, but no one ever stops to wonder if that’s what she wants and if that’s what’s best for her. Episode 16 of Nice Guy shows us first hand that happiness doesn’t always require knowing the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. That would require our lives to be on trial and we are all sworn witnesses. But that isn’t how life works. We operate under limited knowledge all the time, in every facet of what we do. Those who seek to know everything surely find themselves unearthing unnecessarily painful memories that has no bearing on the present. What are memories without feelings attached to it, so those memories bring with it commensurate emotional price to pay.
This episode was stellar and riveting, the taut and tight NG narrative I’ve come to appreciate for its flow and deft touch. Once again we watch things unfold, looking at everyone’s reaction to truly gauge what is happening beyond what is being said. Maru and Eun Gi retrace the path of their relationship so that they can move forward together, a tentative hope for a happy future that is premised on a shaky past. Maru dares to hope, he dares to savor the happiness that he knows is not permanent, and he dares to put his own heart out on the line the way Eun Gi once did. But now the roles will be reversed as Eun Gi wrestles with her own demons and confronts her own failings. At the end of the day, these two people are flawed and wrong as much as they are right. Eun Gi once asked Maru in Aomori to tally up the debt between the two of them, which we now know with certainty can never be tabulated.
Episode 16 recap:
After kissing outside the police station, Maru and Eun Gi take a trip down memory(less) lane and head up the hill towards his old house. She tells him on the way that she remembers who he is to her. He is the man she loved with every fiber of her being, the man she gave everything to. Maru tears up to hear this.
When they arrive outside the door, Eun Gi asks Maru if he remembers what she said to him at this very spot during one rainy night. Flashback to the teary and gutsy confession.
Maru doesn’t say anything so Eun Gi asks again whether he remembers? Maru nods his head. Eun Gi asks what his answer is then? Is it possible, what she asked for, a simple life together with him? Maru is all teary-eyed as he remembers what she said to him.
He leans in and kisses her, which usually means yes when translated to people speak. After the kiss, Eun Gi asks Maru to get married. Not a pretend fiancée, but a real engagement to planning a real wedding. After they get married, she wants to be a real family for Maru, a warm and reliable family. She asks again if they can get married?
Maru looks torn but he says yes, let’s get married. Eun Gi asks to go somewhere else. They hold hands and walk to a wedding dress store, which is closed but they can see wedding dresses on display in the window.
Eun Gi finds them so beautiful and asks if Maru likes it as well. She wants to wear that particular wedding dress for their wedding and plans to start preparing tomorrow. Now that she’s got a wedding dressed picked out, they need to find a location. Maru just nods and agrees sweetly to everything she says.
Eun Gi brings up the honeymoon and Maru asks where she wants to go? Eun Gi asks him where he wants to go, and then segues in having kids and how many he wants and whether he wants boys or girls. She offers to bear him an entire baseball team in children. LOL, getting ahead of yourself, Eun Gi? Then Eun Gi backtracks and says she won’t decide their lives for them and wants to allow their children to choose their own path.
Maru keeps listening and agreeing with her, staring at her with love and sadness in his eyes. Eun Gi wants to ask Secretary Hyun’s help in planning the wedding but then remembers she’s never been married before. She wonders who to ask?
Jae Hee drives off from the police station after witnessing Maru kissing Eun Gi and she heads to a neighborhood joint to drink her sorrows away. A drunk guy goes to pick her up and she rages at him for being a piece of trash and to let her go. She asks how dare he stare at her.
Lawyer Ahn comes to extricate her from the situation and takes her home. Drunk Jae Hee wonders how he knew where to find her, and asks if he’s keeping a surveillance on her? Jae Hee reveals that that she used to work part-time at this restaurant, before she entered Tae San, and she used to come her often with Maru.
Eun Gi and Maru continue to walk hand-in-hand as they head home. Eun Gi brings up where to live after the wedding, at their current house or elsewhere, and wants to buy new household items. Maru finally puts a halt to all her jumping the gun planning and asks that the wedding take place after she regains her memory.
Eun Gi is confused and asks why? Maru brings up the possibility that she may change her mind about marrying him after she regains her memory. A person’s heart can change. What if after she regains her memory, she discovers there is an even more awesome guy waiting for her. Eun Gi assures him that won’t happen. This is usual when drama karma jumps out and goes BOO and screams “Ha, it’s totally going to happen now!”
Maru is firm and says the wedding will wait until she regains her memory. If after she remembers everything she still wants to marry a man like him and have kids with him and live with him, then they will get married. At that time, he will never ever let her go. Never. No matter what others may say, he won’t ever leave her. Maru pulls Eun Gi for a hug to reassure her.
Lawyer Ahn drags Jae Hee’s drunk ass back to her vast but empty mansion that she done stole from Eun Gi. Jae Hee mutters on and on – Eun Gi is a crazy wench for giving up Tae San for Maru, she’s clearly mentally unstable, Han Jae Hee gave up Maru for Tae San and that is totally normal and everyone would agree with her and would do the same thing as her. Jae Hee asks rhetorically what others would do if they were Han Jae Hee or Seo Eun Gi. Any one else would make the same choice as her, right? Lawyer Ahn puts Jae Hee to bed and tries to kiss her but she rebuffs his nasty lips.
Lawyer Ahn asks whether she wants to go back, if she wants to make the same decision as Seo Eun Gi, to give up Tae San for Kang Maru? Lawyer Ahn betrayed the Chairman who trusted him because of his desire for Jae Hee and he’s come so far. He reminds her of the road they have already traveled and asks her to please focus on getting rid of Eun Gi and not on Maru.
Maru is at home washing up and is deep in thought. Eun Gi sits on her bed and her mind flashes back to the bits and pieces from the accident that she’s remembered so far – her looking sad and angry as she drives, veering into another lane, but she still cannot see the face of the other driver.
Choco asks her unni if anything is wrong and Eun Gi lies that she’s fine. Choco knows how hard it’s been for Eun Gi and her oppa and assures her that things are only going to keep getting better. Eun Gi thanks Choco for her encouragement and remembers the doctor telling her that the memories are painful but she needs to have the courage to face them.
Eun Gi asks to use Choco’s laptop and she searches for news articles about her accident. In reading it, the newspaper only identify the other injured part as Mr. K. Choco is nervous and asks why she’s reading up on the accident? Eun Gi explains the doctor’s order for her to dig up her painful memories. She wonders out loud who Mr. K is? Was he severely injured? Did he died? Choco remains mum this entire time.
Maru is sitting at his desk working when Jae Gil reveals he knows about Maru’s medical condition. Jae Gil asks if Maru wants to die? Ehhhh, the answer would be yes. Maru tries to bluff but Jae Gil reveals he met with Maru’s doctor who was also his respected sunbae in medical school. So the cat is out of the bag and poor Jae Gil is truly torn up.
Maru tries to shush him but Jae Gil wants to wake the girls up because he plans on telling them. Maru begs him not to and assures him that he’s not dead yet. WHAT? That’s the point, Maru, you are not dead and Jae Gil wants to help. What’s the point of saying anything if you were already dead? Jae Gil wants him in the hospital immediately!
The bro talk moves to a restaurant and Maru says his doctor is prone to exaggerating and he lies that Choco and Eun Gi are not that important to him that he’ll risk putting off the surgery for them. Liar liar, pants with no socks on fire! Jae Gil tells him to shut up, clearly not buying his ridiculous excuses. Maru then suggests that the surgery could go wrong, he could die on the operating table, or end up losing his memory, and that would just be so unfair to himself.
Jae Gil asks why he keeps on thinking the worst case scenario and Maru ruefully notes that his life is just that shitty in terms of luck. Maru smiles and says that Seo Eun Gi, who he has been waiting for, finally returned to his life. Now they live together, eat together, go to work together. If something happened to him during surgery, everyone will just be sad.
Maru pleads with Jae Gil to allow him to delay the surgery for just a while longer. He wants to enjoy this wonderful time together just a bit more. Afterwards when he goes for the surgery, at least he’ll go happy. Jae Gil cries and Maru begs him to not cry anymore otherwise the girls will notice something is weird. Jae Gil calls him a lunatic and we see Maru’s eyes are all red-rimmed as well.
Eun Gi lays in bed and can’t sleep, so she thinks about what breakfast she’ll cook for Maru tomorrow. She vows that she will recover all her memories, so just wait awhile longer for her and not run away. We see Maru sleeping in his bed.
The next morning, Eun Gi and Choco are in the kitchen facing a bucket of squirming eel as Eun Gi plans on making eel soup for Maru. LOL, eel is supposed to increase male virility, and I’m just dying that kisses-on-the-brain Eun Gi chose this dish to make for her man. The girls stare at the eels and vow they can do it – cook it, that is. Jae Gil looks at them so happy and bites back his tears and says Maru is so lucky.
Jae Gil grabs a squirming eel and chases the screeching Eun Gi and Choco around the kitchen. Maru lays in bed and voiceovers – I can hear it, my friend, my sister, my lover, I can hear their laughter.
Jae Gil, Choco, and Eun Gi collectively prepare breakfast. Jae Gil chides Choco on not slicing the green onions correctly. Eun Gi sneaks away and goes to kiss a sleeping Maru on the cheek.
Maru opens his eyes after Eun Gi’s sneak kiss and continues his voiceover – They are the most magical and beautiful dream in the dream world I created. I am so afraid of this dream shattering so I don’t care to wake up. Giving me such a happy morning, I am so thankful. I will never want for anything else, I will never covet anything else, because right now I am truly very happy. *sobs, someone gimme a tissue*
Jae Shik pays a visit to Jae Hee at her house, after picking up Eun Seok at school and bringing him home. What kind of school is this, releasing a child to a non-verified adult! He asks for dinner and Jae Hee purposely tells the ahjumma to take all the food away. LOL, I love the snippy interaction between these two siblings.
Jae Shik grouses but concedes he stabbed Jae Hee in the back, though he asks her to just let it go. Jae Hee tells him she’s thinking of way to get rid of him. Jae Shik says he’s still her brother, and if she didn’t backstab him first, he wouldn’t be taking revenge against her. She tells him to get out! Jae Shik suddenly asks if she also wants Maru dead? Does she want Maru to disappear from this world?
Jae Shik heads to Maru’s house and Choco feeds him the food prepared earlier, though he complains about the lack of alcohol and the taste of the food. He sees Jae Gil and Choco together and tells Jae Gil to take care of Choco for the rest of her life. If Maru isn’t around anymore, he wants Choco to go with Jae Gil. Choco asks why her brother wouldn’t be around? Jae Shik says people can’t be around forever and will leave or die. He tells Choco and Jae Gil to just get married already.
At work, Jae Hee calls someone on the phone and then discusses with lawyer Ahn that she’s put in place a plan to get rid of Eun Gi without getting their hands dirty. Lawyer Ahn has heard that Eun Gi and Maru are planning to get married soon, and if she is found incompetent to handle her own finances, he will handle it for her as her husband. This is clearly a good back up plan for Team Eun Gi.
Jae Hee rushes to see Maru in his office and asks if he is really marrying Eun Gi? Maru says yes. Jae Hee asks why he didn’t ask the parents (i.e. her as Eun Gi’s stepmother) for permission or notification first? Maru says they could have married first and then release the news, though he wonders how word got out they are planning to get married. Jae Hee asks if his ultimate plan is to marry Eun Gi? What would Eun Gi do if Jae Hee told her everything about her past relationship with Maru? Maru offers to take a picture of him kissing Jae Hee and releasing it to the public, that’ll be even faster, no? He isn’t scared, because Eun Gi is the present whereas Jae Hee is the past.
Jae Hee asks him to cancel the wedding and reconsider. She wants him to buck up and think about why he’s getting married. There must be a different choice for him. Maru gets all up in Jae Hee’s face and lays it out for Jae Hee noona – he’s getting married for one reason only, which is that he needs Eun Gi, and without Eun Gi, he cannot live for even one more day. Maru then smirks and asks if his reason is good enough for the Chairman? Jae Hee starts to cry as digests what he just said.
As Jae Hee leaves Maru’s office, she passes Eun Gi in the hallway. She asks why Eun Gi is here since she handed Tae San to Jae Hee already. Eun Gi says she can still show up here. Jae Hee asks if she’s really marrying Maru? Does she really know what kind of man he is? Eun Gi says yes, she’s seen all of him clearly. Jae Hee suggests she learn even more about him first. Joon Ha comes and grabs Eun Gi for a meeting.
Eun Gi and Maru sit with Joon Ha, who apologizes for needing them to get married so that Eun Gi is not declared incompetent and lost her right to manage Tae San. Eun Gi doesn’t mind, she likes this. Maru tells Eun Gi to just follow the script they prepared. Eun Gi suddenly asks Joon Ha who the other driver was in her accident a year ago? Maru turns and stares at her while Joon Ha asks why she is asking now? Is she curious?
Eun Gi admits she’s curious and she also feels bad for that person. Joon Ha lies that it was a female driver and she’s fully recovered and moved to the US now. She recovered and was discharged earlier than Eun Gi. She’s living well and has been compensated. Joon Ha wants Eun Gi not to worry.
Afterwards, Eun Gi is in the bathroom and asks Secretary Hyun to investigate more about that accident, revealing that her flashes of memory show that the other driver was a man. Dun dun dun!
Jae Gil accompanies Choco to a singing audition. While waiting for her, he thinks back to Maru’s plea to keep his illness a secret for a bit longer. He suddenly enters the audition and offers to play the keyboard and accompany Choco. She does great during the audition and Jae Gil voiceovers that Maru is very exhausted right now and they need to work hard to become his strength.
Secretary Hyun discusses with Joon Ha about Eun Gi’s suspicions. Secretary Hyun finally learns that the other driver was Kang Maru and knows Eun Gi would be devastated if she found out. Joon Ha insists this needs to be kept from Eun Gi no matter what and they need to all stick to the story that the other person emigrated to the US.
Eun Gi is in her office and gets an envelope containing her accident report. She reads it and sees the name of Kang Maru as the other driver. She flashes back to her memories of the accident and this time she finally sees the face of the other driver, and it’s a sad smiling Maru. Eun Gi collapses on the ground and remembers everyone trying to keep the truth from her – Choco, Joon Ha, Maru.
Eun Gi is sitting silently at her desk when Maru comes to collect her for the meeting. He asks if she’s ready and she confirms it. Maru tells her not to be nervous and just follow what she memorized. During the walk to the meeting, she flashes back to her conversation with Maru at the beach when he reveals that he approached her because of Jae Hee.
Maru puts his hand on Eun Gi’s shoulder and she flashes back to when he also put his hand on her shoulder at the beach before he broke her heart. Eun Gi steels herself and turns to smile at Maru.
At the meeting, Eun Gi is being grilled by the Board member about the allegation that she embezzelled money from the company and on whether she is competent to handle company affairs. Eun Gi stands up and admits that she’s suffered memory loss since the accident which is why she needed Maru to assist her. If the Board doesn’t think she can run Tae San now, she’ll step aside. But she believes she can do it and asks for another chance.
During Eun Gi’s speech, Maru stares at her in shock, clearly knowing that she deviated from their script. I think Maru suspects Eun Gi may have regained her memory and is doing things her own way now.
After the meeting, Maru compliments Eun Gi on doing well and showing everyone that this is the real Seo Eun Gi. She thanks him, revealing that everyone else is yelling at her but he’s the only one who says she did well. He asks what she wants as a reward and it can be anything cuz he has lots of money. She asks for flowers, a bag, sangyeopsal (pork belly), and a kiss.
Maru goes to pick out the presents she requested, happily shopping for each item. We see Eun Gi visiting her dad’s altar, apologizing for coming so late.
Eun Gi flashes back to her childhood where her dad tearfully tells her to buck up. He doesn’t need a son because she’s all he needs. To become the owner of Tae San she cannot be weak. She must smile even when she is sad. If she wants to cry she’ll have to wait until she’s alone. She can never let another person see her weakness. That is the only way for the female head of Tae San to live. From now on, she is not a woman anymore! Even though her mother betrayed him, she will never do it. She is the only person in the world he trusts.
Eun Gi cries and tells her dad that she was wrong. She wasn’t able to come back because of Kang Maru, and for that she was wrong.
Maru waits at the park for Eun Gi, with all the presents laid out on the park bench. He waits and waits while Eun Gi sits before her dad’s picture and mopes.
Eun Gi finally shows up and Maru welcomes her with a smile. He asks if she saw the person she went to see? Eun Gi nods. He shows her the three presents he got her and asks if she likes it. Eun Gi looks and says its all really pretty and just her style. Maru smiles in relief while Eun Gi thanks him.
Maru says there is the fourth present now and then leans in to kiss Eun Gi. She closes her eyes and sinks into the kiss. During the kiss, Eun Gi suddenly opens her eyes.
Thoughts of Mine:
We’re at the 16th episode for Nice Guy already and normally this is when a lot of K-dramas wrap up. Yet in NG we’re actually still riding the crescendo to the top with the peak nowhere near in sight. Eun Gi has regained all her lost memories and she’s hiding it from everyone. She feels guilty towards her dead father, and her feelings towards Maru are clearly now longer love love happy unicorns and rainbows anymore. But I was waiting for this to come even knowing its going to end the happy times between the cute little family unit of Eun Gi, Maru, Jae Gil, and Choco. It’s not fair for Eun Gi to find happiness at the price of her past, and its not going to last for Maru if he can only be with a Eun Gi that doesn’t even realize the full extent of her feelings for Maru, both the love and the anger. These two are so screwed up but they can’t let go of their messed up past unless they confront it. Whatever Eun Gi has in mind, I’m sure Maru is ready and waiting for it. He clearly has a strong hunch that she regained her memory and is just hiding it. He knows her better than she knows herself, and in that conference room when she delivered that speech, you can see his eyes widen and the realization sink it. His pretense with her may be long over, and his heart is genuinely hers now, so this is the time for them to deal with the fallout of his earlier behavior towards her. After the meeting, everything Maru said to Eun Gi and did for Eun Gi was with complete understanding of the truth behind what she is asking for. He knows that she’s remembered and he’ll go along with her pretense because he’ll do anything she wants.
I thought it telling that Eun Gi asked Maru for a slew of presents and then a kiss. Remember that old Eun Gi only wanted one thing from him – a future that had nothing but him and her creating a simple family together. She wants nothing material from him, and yet she asks now for things that he can buy. Remember the first time Eun Gi tried to end things with him after that lunch with her dad and Jae Hee, he told her a handshake is a pretty weak break up gesture and to let him know when and where and he’ll give her a break up kiss. They never ended up doing it since Aomori happened, and that kiss on the bridge was not the break up kiss because Eun Gi never asked for it. But now she specifically asked for a kiss from Maru, and he knows and she knows what it means. They are both going to play games with each other, she to use him for whatever plan she has in mind, and him to allow her to use him without letting on that he knows. It’s so sad because Maru would give her a kidney if she needed one, and she wouldn’t ever need to play him to get him to do her bidding. But this time Eun Gi is reeling from the absorption of so many painful memories that perhaps her only outlet is to convince herself that she needs to play Maru as payback for him playing her.
I love how this drama continues to do such a brilliant job of bringing in previous moments and weaving it seamlessly into the present. The way Eun Gi snuck a kiss on sleeping Maru like he snuck a kiss on her once. The way he waited for her at the park and she arrived so late, like the way she waited for him on the bridge in Aomori and he arrived so late. The way they revisited the most raw and open confession in their relationship and tried to start over from that moment and move on. How every gesture from Maru after Eun Gi regained her memories triggered the painful version of it from before. Of course, that final kiss in the park was a complete redo of their Aomori kiss, except this time the played person that is Maru knows full well what is happening and still willingly invests himself in this relationship game. It’s like he’s finally free to express his true feelings because he knows that Eun Gi knows, so he’s not taking advantage of a memory-less Eun Gi who thinks he’s the world’s nicest guy. Jae Hee continues to elicit not a shred of emotion from me and its starting to look like the drama antagonists for this final stretch will be lawyer Ahn and likely Jae Shik. If Jae Shik ends up killing Maru for whatever reason because of Jae Hee (though not because she wants it), I will have to concede Lee Kyung Hee laid her foundation with that character, but it will send chills up my spine. Its almost like all the machinations have come to a point where everyone must pay a price, and the price is much too high to swallow.
yay! Thank you for the recap! Did you see Kim Jong Kook’s new MV yet?
Song Joong ki <3
https://koalasplayground.com/2012/10/28/teaser-for-new-kim-jong-kook-single-mv-starring-song-joong-ki/
Koala!!!! You are fast! Thanks for this recap!
I’m sick right now and watching Ep 16 (without subs) made my brain hurt, my heart hurt even more. This does not bode well for our OTP. (And my emotional well-being) *sigh*
I’m planning to pull a Eun Gi and have selective amnesia for now. Pretend that the story ended with their kissy face in front of the police station. That’s what I’m going to do.
I know what you mean… I took super long to get through Episode 16. I stopped midway for the longest time, where they were having the warm and fuzzy scene in the home, and I pretended it ended there. I think that works though, because there are awesomely sweet scenes in Episode 15 and 16, and still a nice kind of ending point without it getting depressing 🙂
Thank you for the recaps Ms. Koala. I’m not looking forward to the angst. I may just skip out on watching the rest play out and just read the recaps. Then view the finale! Yep, that sounds like a plan.
Thank you for a very speedy recap!
Cant believe 16 episodes have passed and only 4 (??!) are left. This show is shaping up to be one of the better dramas of the year, but all depends on the ending! Im actually kinda scared for what is to come! Please Maru and Eun Gi come out alive!
I feel like next weeks episode will break my heart!!!! Uh oh… Thank you Ms. K! I feel like Maru shi will not die but he will get injured from protecting Eun Gi and then he’ll be in surgery after the surgery he will loose his memory of Eun Gi. Then they will meet somewhere in Aomori by the castle where they first kiss hopefully Maru shi will remember and they will live happily ever after! With little Maru and Eun Gi. I hope the ending of this will not be an open ended one. Either tragic or happy. We need closure! We can’t be left wondering or making our own end for them. Thank you Ms. K!!!! No extention please!!!!
I totally agree. I think everything will be reverse. Maru is going to lose his memory some how and Eun Gi will some how have help him regain his memory. The cycle of reverse rows.
haha i was thinking if she has already posted it she must be reeally into it. And i was right! off to read your amazing recap ! 🙂
Thank you for the recap. But oh my gosh, do you really think that Maru figured it out already — about Eungi having regained her memories? I totally didn’t get that impression. It’ll be interesting to watch how things will play out.
Any further word on the possible extension?
I didn’t get that either, but I really, really hope you’re right Ms. Koala. I don’t want Maru going into this unsuspecting, wide-open vunerable.
I cried on and off throughout this entire episode. Bittersweet. Poignant.
Thanks, Ms. K! Awesome as always.
Τĥªηк•♥☺♥•γōυ… You for the fast recap ms koala!i hope NG won’t be extended,20 ep are enough,so i will remember it for a long time,like lie to me :-).i think i need boxes of tissues in the last 4 episodes. It’s going to break my hearts,
surely.
I’m…. so heartbroken… and a bit traumatized…. play with my heart why don’t you, writer-nim
Here we go, now the real battle begins . . .
Thanks for the recap! I’ve read comments in a few other places and I’m actually surprised some people DIDN’T expect EG to use MR to get revenge, or to be so cold and calculating. I mean, the girl has been lied to by about everyone at this point about something, and she already had a pretty bad attitude before the memory loss. Yeah, she still loves MR, but at this point I totally understand her doubting his love. She hasn’t had the opportunity the viewers have had; she doesn’t know all the stuff we know. And MR was eventually going to get a dose of his own medicine.
That being said, I feel really bad for Maru, because he IS going to let her do whatever she wants because he truly loves her. I do think he, at the very least, knows something is up with her.
So true. That flashback scene with a young EG and her father was an important reminder of what her childhood was like and what a skewed view on life and emotions she was raised with. A view she seemed to accept for herself until MR shows up in her life, and according to everything she remembers and understands right now, that didn’t turn out so well for her.
thanks for recap
good episode as the table changed to other players and i want both maru and ej to end up happily.
nice thought and great conclusion.. after read your thought.. and I feel more ease to except what would Eun Gi wants from Maru.. Maru is indeed a Nice Guy from now on..
thank you so much KOALA..
i am not feeling the direction of this story. its just going in circles. round and round we go.
thank you madam K for this fast recap…my heart is breaking already….am so afraid of how this story will finally end….wahhhhhhhhhhh am so in love with this drama….sniff sniff… I wish M won’t die and that he just live with EG happily ever after….and make those whole baseball team cute babies…am dreading the final 2 weeks of this drama yet am so excited….
do you know how precious your recap for me.. it makes me ease. you said that MR knows she regain all of her memories and jusy let himself to used. so, no more revenge in the future.. your recap really calm my heart. but, this is the most heartbreaking episode. i never expect that i’ll cry. really cry and sob and i think this will be more painful when EG know MR is sick amd have posibility to be amnesia, vegetable, and the worst (which i pray wholeheartedly won’t happen) he’ll die.
once again, thank you Ms.Koala.. >.<
Oh god I ha the same feeling like you, miss koala recap kinda calm my heart a bit, I didn’t have any thought that maru might know that eg remembers already, and being maru he might just allow her to do whatever to him now because well he Loves her too much.
Can’t wait for next week but I think I should prepare my heart with a shield for a heartbreaking ending…’sobs’ thank you for the recaps I will be reading it until another Wednesday comes…..
OMOOOOO!!! First thing in the morning and i can already read this! YAY! Thanks Koala bear! ^__^
There’s no way he doesn’t know she has her memories back. He might have even been the one to send the envelope. I do think a lot of this could have been avoided if people were more honest with her to begin with. Hottie lawyer especially shouldn’t have repeatedly lied about things. Maru basically was as truthful as he could be without flat out telling her everything.
It’s understandable she’s angry and now distrusts nearly everyone, Maru just has to unfortunately get the majority of the blame. There is a lot of blame to go around and she’s not completely innocent in what happened either. Though when she reveals she knows everything he’s going to just smile and be fine with it obviously, which is the saddest thing.
I really hope she gets past it without the help of magical hemotoma to make her forgive and forget everything. Given her impulsive nature I’m not sure that will happen though.
when someone angry, feel loss, heart broken, and there is so much pain in their heart, some people can’t think with a clear mind. They need someone who they can blame for and cause their pain. In this case, unfortunately that person is MR .
I bet you’re right, mel. It would be completely in character for Maru to send her that police report after watching Joonha lie to Eungi right in front of him. As painful as it will be, Maru wants her to remember because that’s the best thing for Eungi which shows just how much he truly loves her…like sacrificially loves her; putting her needs above his own.
Seriously. Cry me a river. This show, these characters, are killing me.
I already accept to whatever journey they take us. I know she will against JH annd MR when she regain her memory loss. From the the start I did’t find EG is someone who has tolerance and compassion with others. But it’s fine and makes sense based on her past and what she has been went through. She was pretty much a mess up character who desperately looking for someone to lean on. MR’s behaviour for using her bring her pain, though we can argued she was pretty much at fault as well. But went she meet MR and after pasca accident, i find her positive attitude come out and this amnesia let us know what kind of person EG was in the past and let EG had that happy moment with MR without thinking her pain. and now she has to face the truth and go with it. Can’t wait to see how she handle this situation.
Maybe I’m the only one, in my eyes, MR naturally a nice guy even from the start. but sometimes his nature always makes him doing the wrong thing and make a wrong decision in his life due to the people’s problem he love and care, but hurting the other people. And he end up come out like being a bad guy.
thanks for the recap… can’t wait! what will happen next? why? why no preview for ep 17..making me feel like dying predicting the possibilities of what will happen in NG next ep .. It is going to be a heartbreaking moment till ep 19 I guess..Anyhow please, please ……Happy ending!!!!!
And During this amnesia thing, we can finally see actually JH love MR and still love him. But her ambition overshadow her love for him, and always thinking no matter what she did, MR’s love for her wouldn’t dissapear. She didn’t expected one day MR could actually left her, anD makes her look vulnerable. I find her situation really heartbreaking now. She didn’t find happiness at all after achieving his goal. And now she has to worried that something she has to fight for will leave her one day. I find her pitiful. I love it finally LKH didn’t make her one dimensional character like I have been worried all along. she still in pretty much in grey area. LKH dragged out EG amnesia thing on purpose, to make us saw the real inncocent EG, witnessing EG and MR happy moment without thinking their real situation and pretty much offering their happy moments before the storm. Give MR a chance to be with EG and treat her, yea and makes him can express his true feeling. as a proof MR actually has a geniune feeling towards EG even before accident.
Ps: Am I the only one who find their first kiss initially is not fake at all, the way he look at her at first is a sign for me. despite we witnessing his cold stare in the end.
Thanks for the recap. I am glad you think Maru knows – that means he is readying himself to be pounced on any second, which completely breaks my heart.
Sooooo not happy right now.
Poor EG, who hasn’t really doesn’t know the whole truth, now suspects everything Maru has done, is doing and will do for her. The same lady who barged into his hospital room looking for what he wanted out of her is back. That EG is the saddest lady ever, and I can feel how her heart hurts. Poor poor thing!
I cried when JG was crying at the restaurant with Maru. I am crying now thinking about it. How much that pair has gone through together over the years! Between whatever happened with JG’s father, sick Choco, Maru going to jail, Maru gigoloing, getting in the accident, then conning folks out of their retirement money. Despite all that, JG still loves and believes in Maru. I hope JG gets a chance to testify to EG about what a good guy MR really is.
What IS Jae-sik anyway? On the one hand, he’s playing cupid then, he actually is warning Choco/JG to look out for themselves, while planning on killing Maru. His moral compass is so screwed up, I have no idea what he will do next? Donate an organ for Eun Gi?
And that look from EG at the end. Chills, I tell you, chills. I gotta go drink some hot chocolate with marshmellows to feel better about the world!!
“I gotta go drink some hot chocolate with marshmellows to feel better about the world!!”
Me too!!!!
He has no morals if money is involved. If JH paid him enough not to kill Maru or protect Maru he’d take that option. If he was paid more to kill Maru, he’d do that. He does feel guilty about it though, hence why he went to Choco. Of course he wouldn’t actually manage to kill him because he fails at everything. He’d probably just bring EG and Maru closer together.
I want gift #4 too! Lol
NO!!!!! I can’t stand watching the rest 4 episode…..
I really want to end this story when Maru says ” My Friend, My sister, My love, I can hear they laughter”. THE END. HAPPILY EVER AFTER.
someone hold me!
what is this twisted cycle of life, love and revenge? where did all the unicorns go? did jae hee/ahn … I mean Voldemort suck all life out of them?!?
I just want to hear, see the patter-patter of little eunma feet… with both parents healthy and in love, jae hee punished, jae shik finally having his moral compass straightened out, ahn reaching his final destination (a place that is thought to be hotter than an oven), a cute ending for choco and jae gil, joon ha finding happiness… is that too much to ask?!?!
here’s hoping to a happy ending!
thank you for the recap Ms. Koala! 🙂
HUG! We WILL get through this.
I agree with those who think he’s the one who left the envelope. There’s a cutaway scene, when Eun-Gi asks her secretary about the accident, where Maru’s shown from the back, and the way the camera lingered on it, his hand, his face… I think he made up his mind right there and then to “tell” Eun-Gi the truth about the accident and leave his fate, and theirs, in her hands. Neither Jae-Hee nor Lawyer Ahn know that Eun-Gi’s looking to learn more about the accident at the moment, Joon-Ha and Secretary Hyun made a pact to hide it from her, that only leaves Maru as the only one who knew exactly what she wanted to know and has a “motive” to hasten her recovery, ie., if Judgment Day is imminent, then let it happen now than torment Eun-Gi even further and prolong his own agony about when she’s going to recover her full memory.
honestly this is where I truly got why EG was so suicidal… ugh the messed up parenting issues EG’s weighed down by… T-T a mom who supposedly betrayed her dad and the dad who tore her identity as a human and a woman from her, demanding her to simply be a conglomerate-managing machine… who’s words “I don’t trust anyone; I trust only you” tears into her, binding her down. Fighting your parents is one of the hardest things to do, because they’ll forever be part of you, unshakable… and we see how she never outright dismissed her dad– even when he kicked her out of the house, her first order to joonha was to look after her dad. He’s someone that disappointed her when he had the affair with JH and caused her mom to leave, but he can’t ever be the person she truly hates. A person like that, whose expectations she had staked her entire life on, up until MR’s entrance… to realized that you have “failed” him… of course she’d get pushed to the brink and hate MR, to the point of wanting to take him with her to death/destruction… when that flashback of her dad was shown… my heart just cracked in two for her…
I made a comment earlier on why I thought that flashback scene with young EG and her father was so important, but you have very eloquently expanded on that. How could a child come out of that unscathed?
Sigh…. if KMR must die’then at least let the 2of them procreate the smartest and cutest kid in class first. Otherwise its just a waste of smart genes.
I totally agree! :)) god, when will they sleep together???
if you guys want that to happen, then someone needs to fly to korea, whack eun gi in the head and make her lose her memory again LOL….and then that will create a higher chance of them sleeping together because this is due to the fact that memory-less eun gi mention she wanted to have freaken 9-10 children? and i’m pretty sure she’s determine to have that many kids with him…now with the cold normal-self eun gi, she kind of hate maru’s guts right now so she probably wouldn’t do that kind of stuff with maru before he dies hahah…
this is just a sidetrack, nothing serious lol
Why is she blaming Maru for not being able to go to her father when he died? I mean, wasn’t she the one who went back to Maru (after getting away) and changed lanes when she saw him in the tunnel? She was the one who wanted them both to get in an accident!
Anyway about the envelope, it would really be great if it was Maru who sent it. But I also have a feeling that it could be Jae Hee, after that scene in the hallway with Eun Gi when she asked her if she wanted to know more about him…
Honestly? Guilt. She feels so guilty about “betraying” her father for a man that she now feels wasn’t even worth it. And it’s probably much easier to put all the blame on MR, someone who used and hurt her, than to put it all on herself. The fact is she really shouldn’t feel guilty at all, his death had nothing to do with her. Her father is one of the reasons EG is the way she is, is the reason she never trusted anyone. EG is probably doubting MR’s love and actions at the moment anyways, so all of those emotions combined don’t really help her see him as a “nice guy” right now. And if Jae Hee was the one who placed the envelope there, she did the dumbest thing possible. She could have just as easily placed a picture of her and MR there, that would have been more affective if the goal was for EG to see MR as the guy he truly is.
Why is she blaming Maru for not being able to go to her father when he died?
I rewatched the end again to look for the clues Koala pointed out.
It was only then I realized how doubly anguished EG is once her memories return.
The very FIRST emotional hurdle EG has to clear is to mourn her father. As far as her brain is concerned, she lost him moments ago, not over a year ago. Shock,guilt,anger, [put other 7 stages of grief here] consume her thinking now. There are so many things she has to process before even being able to assess her feelings for Maru.
Because I am an optimist, I am hoping that she is smart enough to dig deeper to find out more about Maru and his motives – because the truth is NOT that he used her to get back at JH. He only thought about it. All the mean things he said at the beach were to push her away.
Next, I hope she spends enough time away from him that she misses him.
Her heart accepted him before the accident, once she gets to a calmer place emotionally, I think she will end up there again.
This is my fervent hope.
This drama is pretty unpredictable.. if Jae Shik eds up killing Maru, I would jut say he is crazy stupid! If he intends to help his sister for whatever new found sympathy, he should try to bring him back, not kill him..
And can anyone tell me why would Eun Gi be mad at Maru? She knew everything before the accident and still liked Maru, so how did the situation change? This time he is also helping her!
From what I see,Eun Gi anger to Maru came when her father died.She thought it is her fault because left the house for Maru.Although we all know her father died because of Jae Hee and Ann.
Its from my perspective 🙂
jusst feel like this..
you know that the guy who you adore so much use you to getting closer with her ex(in this case, she is the one who ruin your life). but you still love him because you wish there is a bit sincerity in his actions, but, he reveal that he never sincere to you (although all of us knwo he already fallen for her, but feel guilt) you sstill hope, but he assuring you that he never ever love you, it’s really a cruel thing for you. and then, you got a news that your father passed away prematurely. you lost your last moment with your father because a man who used you for his own benefit. how’s you feel?
Oh dear you sumup everything nicely. So agree with you.
I totally agree with you. Very well said 🙂
When I see the scene with the board directors, I can see Maru face.Only Maru knows hoe Eun Gi before so I bet he know Eun Gi memories already came back.
And I can see how Eun Gi differs after she remembers back.
OMG.I just hope for happy ending.Thats all.
thanks so much for the fast recaps koala sis!
*sobs, someone gimme a tissue* here are more tissues for you… i think we are gonna need much till the ending. *sobs*
*sighs* every time i look into Maru’s eyes all i see is his sadness and regret mixed with happiness that you can only get with the feeling of bliss for being with the person you love. i can see resignation in his eyes. resigned to his fate, his death. he can do something of his illness but he chose not to because he deem it punishment for all his wrongs before. *sighs* this kid should first forgive himself so that others can forgive him too.
Nonski, you got me crying. Again. Your words about Maru…that’s it…perfectly captured. *reaches for shared tissue box* My insides are all twisted up inside.
Goodness. I rarely comment and this is my THIRD time commenting on this thread. Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful insights. You make the show all the richer.
thank you for the recap koala..this drama really consume me.I love how Eun gi talked about their future life (marriage).can’t wait for next week.is it 20 ep or 18 ep?
20…still not sure but they were talking about an extension…wondering whether confirmed or not…
ep15 ending kiss scene made me feel so happy and peaceful, but in this episode the ending kiss scene made me cry so much.. I can really feel the anger, sadness, regret and everything from MR and EG..
I also think that MR has kind of realize that EG had regain her memory, just look at his expression when EG talk in the meeting..
And now he’s really just letting her do whatever she wants with him.. this is so heartbreaking.. *sob
i dont know what to do know. feel like what must i do in this loong week to see the next ep.
well before this ep. i always hope that maru didn’t hurt eun gi heart. but in this ep and for now on i really hope that eun gi will forgive maru and didn’t hurting him. i hope eun gi will realize that maru that she know now is the maru who turly love her.
Actually this show is going great so far … I do believe that at this point for maru to have any chance of happiness he has do eradicate the memory and love he had for Jae Hee, and this is the process and course that the should would take to get rid of her … the surgery should do the trick … as I see it Maru does know that things aren’t right and that her memory is back … but he is letting her have her own form of revenge on him because he has to know what the pain is like … that he inflected when they broke up by the beach and she has to be able to move on by exacting revenge … This is such a beautiful show that I would hate to see it have an unhappy ending … Simply because the cast and crew has done such a stellar performance and that hard work has to manifest it self in an unbelievable ending … where they is poetic justice for Jae Hee and her minion Kim Tae Hoon … Although I believe true justice is when her dog (Kim Tae Hoon) turns on her and she is left standing all alone … ha ha ha … BTW … The kiss in the end was the deal breaker … truly a deep kiss reflecting the past kiss by the bridge … and Kim Tae Hoo although his character sucks … is super sexy … He needs to be cast in a lead role … Maru and Eun Gi keep fighting … You guys are good kissers …
“Liar liar, pants with no socks on fire!” — LOL
Damn, I love reading your recaps it makes me think in a different perspective! I never really thought of it that way. However, I’m still confused if Eun-gi really remembers everything or just parts that they show to us?
I found this post in tumblr (I went looking for more Nice Guy after I read the amazing recaps by Ms. Koala)and I think it explains nicely what has happened in the last couple of episodes. It’s worth checking out…
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/my-mind-is-conjuring-up-stuff
Thank you for that link, I cried reading it, because there seem so much truth in it. So much pain’sobs but the time has finally come and he just have to let it all fall back into place…
Thank you so much for sharing! It was just perfect.
I cried. Poor Maru. Poor EG. Poor Choco. Poor JG.
Read the link too and it was piercing, moving and poetic! Totally moved.
Thank you for this. Beautifully expressed. Ack…I’m crying again.
*sobs.. my heart break into pieces again. now, i just have to shield my heart for the next episode. earlier, i never tought about the ending.. as long as i can see them together in borrowef time, i’m happy.. but now, i really want them have a happy ending. if it won’t happen, i already have my own ending script.
Wait, if she remembers most of her memories by now, doesn’t it also mean that she remembers accepting Maru despite everything she has found out about him or am I missing something? Or after that conversation at the beach before her attempted suicide she’d finally given up on him?
Yes, I think she believed MR lied to her after the cruel word he said before she left the beach that day so that the last impression before she lost her memory and with everyone kept quiet and even lie to her when she had amnesia I understand why she didn’t tell anyone and it seems she doesn’t trust anyone at all and decided to use MR like he used her in the past.
Yes. I’m pretty sure the fact that she accepted him despite who he was coupled with the guilt she felt at being with him when her father died is one of the reasons she’s so angry right now. Plus, everyone (I’m including MR in this because he could have been a bit more open instead of staying quiet at times or lying about their first kiss) has lied to her in some way. Her using him now really isn’t that surprising, even MR has most likely expected this reaction when she retained her memories.
I have only ONE thing to say, and that is: Maru is absolutely the sweetest possible guy. He’s the kind of guy who really knows how to love, indulge, humour and totally embrace the girl of his life. The girl who has him will be the luckiest, happiest girl ever in the whole wide world! If EG continues to recognise and value this gem of a guy as she has intuitively done so from the very beginning, Maru and EG WILL be together right to the end and happily ever after!
This is why the show is so awesome.
When he was a bad guy, at least as far as his intentions, EG fell in love with him and entrusted her life to him based her nothing, or like you said, her intuition. She was soooo happy with him.
For the past whatever, he has acted selflessly, lovingly and honestly towards her. He is a good guy to the core. But NOW, EG suspects him of the worst possible motives. She is sooo miserable with him.
I was listening to Song Joong ki`s new ost over and over again and I realized…in the end of it, he says `even in the afterlife, its you`.. don`t you guys think that might project the ending of this drama..that`ll he will die. I recall MR saying the purpose in his life is EG and now that EG is going to use him, take revenge, and ultimately leave him…there`s no purpose in living now. He knows that if he doesn`t take the surgery he`ll die because his life has been bad luck…so he uses the time left alive to still be with EG whether she uses him or not. That`s why this drama is called NICE GUY. I am 100% sure MR was the one who gave her the envelope and opens the eyes of EG to the true MR. MR won`t tell her the truth about him helping her and etc. because that would just bring more stress on EG. He will just disappear for EG hence being the ulimate NICE GUY
The thing that MOST frustrates me is how MR has noone to really help him 🙁 MR worked his BUTT off to help EG go through the rough times but what about his BRAIN DAMAGE 🙁 Now that EG left he can`t lean on her and he doesn`t wana CHOCO to know because she would overreact…it`s sad..he`s stranded alone in the island. He is truly the nice guy..doing things for his own will and not expecting anything back
I feel bad for Maru but that isn’t exactly true. He has his best friend, a guy that wept over just knowing MR has suffered; Jae Gil. And this is one complaint I have with the drama. While it’s a sweet notion that MR’s whole life seems to be EG now and getting EG where she belongs, he needs to find his own dreams again, outside of EG and his love for her.
i totally agree… he needs to forgive himself… desperately
I think Eungi is going to use him like he used her. But later on she’ll find out that he’s dying because of her; because she drove the car into him. And she’ll realize that he did truly love her. Oh the heart pain… can it stop already?!
I think that is so true….EG doesn`t have any solid proof that MR really loves EG.. If Jae Gil is smart enough he`ll have to tell EG that MR is really suffering because of her…That fact that Mr didn`t move away from the incoming care proves that MR wants to be with EG whether it`s afterlife or now. JAE GIL PLEASE TELL EG!!
please let’s NOT have the hematoma be the “proof” of his love to her!!! (nothing personal against what you said) but honestly, ALL those things he did for her, he would have done with or without the hematoma… I don’t know what role the writer intends the hematoma to play, but I hope that it’s more the symbol of Maru’s guilt (not just what he perceives of himself, but also him being guilty of doing something wrong like that)– the thing that disables him from having happiness that should last… as much as the hematoma threatens to take his life at any moment (and thus any chance at happiness), so does the threat of EG’s recovery of her memories without willing to forgive Maru EVER
so in that case… if this IS indeed the function of this hematoma, then it should be safely resolved (removed) along with Maru’s forgiveness from EunGi and from himself… (i hope!!)
I think you just made an awesome point. How MR’s hematoma is a symbol of his guilt and not forgiving himself. Looking at it from that viewpoint, perhaps this whole “let me enjoy this happiness as long as I can” is more of an excuse. Maybe he thinks EG won’t forgive him anyways so he won’t have her and doesn’t really deserve to live anyways.
It’s all tied with him forgiving himself and also finding his own path. He can love EG all he wants with all of his heart (and I truly believe he does), but he needs to find his purpose in life again.
true true..but MR then that also leads to a possibility in which EG might not be with MR till the end…If he finds his own path and purpose of his life which is NOT EG then his wouldn`t need EG by his side anymore…And maybe that is true, MR thinks EG won`t forgive him so he took the time to enjoy the happiness and then he sent the envelope to EG for her to regain her memory. If you see this epsiode again, it seems like MR said Good job, that is SEG..i think he meant good job in returning your memory back. And from then on, even when he gave her his presents, his face looked sad full of tears..:( Maroo is ready to take all the shit from EG and then let her go by dying…. But the problem is that the brain problem was kind of EG fault so if MR dies without EG knowing then that would just make EG a B*TCH in this drama and hopefully that isn`t trueé.
I don’t think he should give up on EG. I think he should fight for her love and her forgiveness, just as she needs to find out he has a hematoma from their accident. However, for someone’s life to revolve entirely around another person is not really a good thing, maybe in drama-land it’s seen as romantic. I just know he needs to have his own goals and ambitions outside of loving EG. I want him to live in the end, but I’d rather him have some sort of goal (like how he wanted to be a doctor) bc there is a chance EG WON’T end up with him. You never know. The fact is MR, EG and Jae Hee are individuals that have made awful decisions and now they are suffering the consequences of each and every one.
I think you are so on the money about Maru knowing that she has regained her memory. My thoughts are that she will dump him to get revenge and then finds out about his illness but is too late cos he dies in surgery. She regrets and is totally devastated as she remembers how in love she was with him and she realised that he loved her too. …the twist is that he’s alive. He instucted Choco and Jae gil to tell her he died so that she will move on with her life. The thing is she can’t (the theme of this drama) and one day they bump into each other….
I don’t know what the ending maybe..but I learned that Korean drama ending is something you can’t predict..its all up to the writers…but some of the drama that sad ending is the most memorable for me..eg: I am sorry I love you,Bad Guy…Fashion King.(which I think the story line is weak and the characters are annoying)Lots of drama addicts love ‘The Princess man’ which not one that I love..but I love MCW here in NG..THank Ockoala for you awesome recaps
when we looked back on the writer’s drama scenario. sorry i love you, a love to kill, etc, I think that it will be the sad ending drama.
but I’m really hope that it will not happen. Althougt maru will get paralysis, it’s be better than he died.
i think it will be good, if maru get paralysis and eun gi will treat him well as he did for her before.
And finally they rise their child together. hehehhehe…
Am I weird for wanting a weird twist like Maru losing his most recent(painful) memories and only remembering his life wih Jae Hee? It would be nice to see him all happy and innocent again. And I want Jae Hee to get another chance. (Idk I tend to pity evil characters more than other people)
But that’s just me.
me too!!! Actually, i want Maru to lose all his memories after getting a surgery then Eun Gi has to take care of him. And as of Jae Hee, i want her to just live a simple life with Eunsok. 🙂
koala who do you think sent in eun gi’s accident history? 😮