Episode 2 of Bride of the Century dipped a toe in the well of love (me loving this drama, I mean), but episode 3 opened the floodgates and it’s full blown love love love now! I watched this episode with a giant grin on my face and everything is clicking like on a perfectly run assembly line. This story is just silly enough to make it fun to laugh at the cliches while still enjoying it. Episode 3 might as well be called “Doo Rim screws up once a day”, but it’s just as apt to be called “Kang Joo is so confused and fascinated by Doo Rim”. It’s not always that a drama should aspire to do more, sometimes it can succeed by aspiring to do something right even if it’s just a collection of cliches. That collection of cliches has become something wonderful to watch here in BotC, with a leading lady that is just so endearing. I’m not the only one who thinks so, all three of the Choi men from the dad to Kang Joo to Kang In are thoroughly charmed and/or intrigued by her. I don’t think country girl Doo Rim would get that reaction from anyone, it’s this weird hybrid she has become while pretending to be Yi Kyung that works to make everyone like her.

This drama milks the substitute princess gaffes but Kang Joo is so clueless about the real Yi Kyung he just thinks Doo Rim’s personality is what Yi Kyung’s real personality is like. Ha, wait til he runs across the real Yi Kyung again and gets frostbite. I like that Doo Rim’s real identity is getting questioned already by Roo Mi, who I thought should have never bought the substitution if she spent more than one minute with Doo Rim. I love how Kang Joo has already changed with just a few interactions with Doo Rim, each time she says something illuminating, you can see that he actually processes it and then goes out and does something if she’s right. He’s also starting to try and keep Doo Rim as his fiancee as opposed to not caring whether she stays or goes, not to mention he initiates all sorts of close encounters and skinship with her any chance he gets despite being known as a cold fish who dislikes physical closeness. Sometimes the heart acts before the mind is ready, and here Kang Joo is already getting a jump start on making his business engagement into a marriage of love.

Episode 3 recap:

Doo Rim pushes Kang Joo out of the way and takes a ripe tomato to the face on his behalf. You see Kang Joo cringe fully expecting to be plastered only to look up in shock that he’s fine and Doo Rim is the one all pulpy. Doo Rim turns to look at him and actually lowers her head like she was the who did something wrong. The disgruntled former employee is dragged out kicking and screaming about how Kang Joo sent her family out on the streets by firing her for a minor infraction. Kang Joo calls Roo Mi to handle it but Doo Rim glares at him angrily before storming off to get cleaned up.

Roo Mi wonders if Doo Rim saved Kang Joo because she wants to preserve her engagement even at the cost of her own person safety? Or was she doing it to show Roo Mi? She hands over a file containing answers for the upcoming interview questions and tells Doo Rim to memorize it even if its all made up. Roo Mi suddenly stares at Doo Rim and thinks she looks off and wonders if it’s because of her make up.

An employee comes by with clothes for Doo Rim to change into and it so happens to be Doo Rim’s friend Oh Jin Joo. Jin Joo of course recognizes Doo Rim and goes to say hi while Doo Rim tries to duck. Roo Mi chastises Jin Joo for not recognizing the fiancee of their department store director. Jin Joo quickly apologizes and walks away looking confused.

Kang Joo’s dad drinks with an older man who is probably the father of his dead first love. He doesn’t blame Kang Joo’s dad and says it’s just her fate, and brings up how she seemed to have a premonition about it. The night before the wedding, she told her dad to water the plant for her in the yard if something were to happen to her. That turned out to be her last words to him. He walks Kang Joo’s dad out and tells him to not come anymore. He asks Kang Joo’s dad to forget her since it’s been thirty years.

Kang Joo and Doo Rim are sitting for a joint interview and spewing totally made up answers to their non-existent love story. Kang Joo waxes romantically about how he met her on a snowy night while Doo Rim fairly sneers at him but then plays along with it. The interviewer is impressed with how romantic Kang Joo is and he turns to Doo Rim and says pointedly that if he can’t win the heart of his fiancee then how can he win the heart of the customers. Doo Rim looks like she’s going to barf at his cheesiness.

Doo Rim locks eyes with Jin Joo who is watching from the audience and still looking confused. The interview ends and the producer asks if Doo Rim can play the piano since Yi Kyung is an accomplished pianist and they want to incorporate this into the show. Doo Rim looks stricken and Jin Joo sees this and confirms that it really is Doo Rim up there.

Doo Rim asks for some water since she’s thirsty after the interview and Jin Joo offers to go get it. Doo Rim sits in front of the piano and is about to be forced to play when Jin Joo dumps water all over her and piano and thus extricates her from the problem.

Doo Rim finds Jin Joo in the department store back room and the two friends happily greet each other. Doo Rim explains the whole substitute princess backstory to Jin Joo, who naturally wonders why they look identical and whether there is a lost twins connection between them? Doo Rim snarls that Jin Joo has watched too many dramas and she was born from the love between her mom and dad. Jin Joo then remembers reading in a book saying everyone has a doppleganger out there in the world. Doo Rim gets Jin Joo to keep her secret and what are good girlfriends for because Jin Joo readily agrees.

When Doo Rim leaves the department store, she sees the angry ex-employee outside holding a protest placard. She walks up and asks why she smoked at work? The girl says she only did it once and worked hard for the three years she worked here. She’s the sole breadwinner in the family and it’s been so hard that she made a mistake and smoked once to relieve the stress. Doo Rim cries to hear a similar hardworking girl story and hands her some money. Kang Joo walks up and asks what she is doing?

Doo Rim says nothing and is dragged off to Kang Joo’s office for a lecture. She asks him to reconsider the firing but he says the company doesn’t run a charity. It’s not like adopting a motherless kitten, and she should stop trying to help every pitiful person she runs across. Doo Rim calls him a heartless spoiled bastard who has no clue what it’s like to have no parental support. She knows he was angry when she got hit with the tomato because he was worried about it causing a scene or ruining the interview later, but not worried about her well being.

She calls him a disgusting person for being selfish. All he has is being swaddled head to toe in name brands and underneath he’s nothing! She walks out leaving him fuming and speechless. As usual. But once she leaves his office, she totally remembers she can’t be mean to him and slaps herself a few times for mouthing off. Again.

Kang Joo’s dad comes home and walks right past his wife who is waiting for him outside. Oof, cold. The two family retainers run off to gossip about how Kang Joo’s dad leaves the house once a year on this day likely to visit his dead ex-wife. They quickly stop talking when Kang Joo’s mom walks by and gives them an icy glare.

She tends to Kang Joo’s dad and gives him his medication and asks him not to leave the house alone anymore since his health isn’t the way it used to be. She can’t stop him from missing her but he shouldn’t go alone. He assures her that he’ll not do it again.

Doo Rim comes home and Yi Hyun asks if the interview went well? She wonders why he is home early and notices his injured hand. She quickly frets over it and he assures her it’s fine, he got hurt at the construction site. She quickly goes to make dinner for them and then puts food in Yi Hyun’s bowl for him to eat. Doo Rim asks if there is any news from Yi Kyung and he assures her that people are looking.

Kang Joo tries to sleep that night but is totally unable to forget his dressing down by Doo Rim earlier and ends up flopping around.

Yi Hyun is trying to knot his tie with his injured hand and Doo Rim knocks to come in and offer her assistance. She puts on his tie and asks if she can go out today to do something.

The two moms are meeting to discuss the kids wedding plans. Kang Joo’s mom wants it as early as possible since Kang Joo’s dad had surgery for his illness but he could fall ill again at anytime. She asks President Ma to pick a date that suits them and let her know. President Ma does not look happy about this at all.

Doo Rim goes to the hotel where she ran into the money stealing ahjumma and tries to get her contact information but gets nowhere. As she’s heading home, she passes by a bakery sponsored cake eating contest and participates to win the grand prize. The person who eats the whole cake the fastest wins. Doo Rim digs in with relish and gets cake cream smeared all over her face.

In the middle of the competition, Kang Joo’s mom happens to drive by and she spots Doo Rim shoving cake in her face. Doo Rim wins the contest after she tosses her fork asides and just grabs the cake with her hands. She spots Kang Joo’s moms staring at her in the audience and grabs the cake plate to smear even more cream on her face to obscure her features. Kang Joo walks over since he notices his mom and helps her leave. He spots the MC holding Doo Rim’s arm up in victory and on her arm is the very lucky bracelet that Kang Joo asked her to take off but she wouldn’t.

Doo Rim gets her prize and cleans herself up and is about to head home when she freaks out to see Kang Joo waiting for her in the building lobby. He asks if she’s crazy and what the hell is she doing? He screams about what would happen if his mother recognized her? A cake eating contest? He has never seen a person’s personality change as much as hers. He notices her tatty clothes as well and Doo Rim explains it all away as a woman stressing before getting married and finding ways to relieve stress. She promises not to do anything like that again. Roo Mi runs up to remind Kang Joo of his next meeting and is shocked to see Doo Rim dressed like Doo Rim and not Yi Kyung.

Later in the car, Kang Joo asks Roo Mi if it’s true that woman get stressed before marriage and act out? Roo Mi thinks its possible since it is stressful to be the daughter-in-law of Taeyang Group. Kang Joo brings up the cake eating contest but that doesn’t make sense to Roo Mi since Yi Kyung doesn’t like sweets. She asks if Kang Joo knows anything about his fiancee? Kang Joo knows she likes cats but Roo Mi refutes that as well by bringing up how Yi Kyung is allergic to animals and used to be envious that Roo Mi had a dog. Kang Joo says Roo Mi is mistaken, he saw Doo Rim cuddling with a cat and adopting it to take home.

Roo Mi goes to grill Jin Joo about why she thought Doo Rim was someone else the other day. Jin Joo says it was totally her mistake and the two girls look nothing alike. Roo Mi doesn’t look like she buys that story but then thinks maybe Yi Kyung really is super stressed about marrying into the family.

Halmoni calls Doo Rim to thank her for getting a new TV that is super awesome. Doo Rim tells her to watch her favorite shows on it and assures halmoni that she is eating well and sleeping well.

President Ma comes home and chews out Doo Rim for embarrassing them big time! She tells Yi Hyun to check the search engines and the number one search result is cake eating Jang Yi Kyung. Ha! President Ma goes to Doo Rim’s room to throw her clothes on the bed and yells at her some more for embarrassing Yi Kyung’s name. She tells Doo Rim to get rid of the ugly clothes and the cat immediately before storming out! Poor Doo Rim cries and takes the kitty out to comfort each other.

Yi Hyun asks him mom to forgive Doo Rim and she must have a reason for what she did. President Ma chews out Yi Hyun for taking Doo Rim’s side and asks what he’ll do if the engagement is broken over this? Would he behave this way if Yi Kyung was his real sister? Oooh, birth secret number one is here! Yi Hyun’s eyes widen and he leaves the room. Yi Hyun storms back to his room and looks totally torn up.

Doo Rim takes the kitten to Jin Joo and asks her to raise it for the time being and she’ll pick it up when she goes home. Jin Joo wants to know Choi Kang Joo is like? He’s considered Korea’s top romantic bachelor so Jin Joo is curious what he’s like in private? Doo Rim says he does exude a noble rich aura but that doesn’t matter when he’s rude and heartless. She knows why Jang Yi Kyung has chosen to take off. Jin Joo corrects Doo Rim and says Kang Joo got the fired employee a new job at a supermarket and also helped her find a new rental housing.

Doo Rim goes home and Yi Hyun asks if she gave the kitten to her friend? He brings up today being the Monster showcase and shows her the email he got from Kang In inviting her. Doo Rim lights up to see that.

Kang Joo calls Doo Rim and goes straight to voicemail. Roo Mi walks in and he assumes that she was the one who put the cake eating contest video online. She tries to act all hurt he is accusing her of doing it but Kang Joo reveals he talked to the bakery already. Roo Mi then admits she did it, and she did it to get her own place back (as his fiancee). Kang Joo gives her a disgusted look and tells her that it’s time she looked for another job. At another company. Booyah! Kang Joo calls President Ma and finds out that Doo Rim went to attend the Monster showcase.

Yi Hyun has taken Doo Rim and he buys her a street snack for her to try. He watches as Doo Rim excitedly bites down and calls him oppa to thank him for taking her out to cheer her up. She feels bad because she keeps creating trouble wherever she goes. He tells her she can do whatever she wants today and he’ll take responsibility for her. He wipes a crumb from her mouth and she teases him that he’s got more on his mouth. They laugh as the snow comes down.

Kang Joo watches them from a distance and notes that she’s very happy when she’s with her oppa (as opposed to upset whenever she’s around him). He grumbles that she is also very good at aegyo as well which is totally not her. He walks over and asks how she feels to be the number search term online. Yi Hyun tries to explain that she did it because she was in such a down mood. Doo Rim just blurts out that she’s sorry, she’s super super sorry. Kang Joo asks Yi Hyun to step aside so they can talk privately and Doo Rim grabs her oppa’s sleeve for him to stay.

Kang Joo walks off and when Doo Rim asks where he is going, he says they are here might as well go to the showcase. Kang Joo and Doo Rim walk into the showcase and she’s all cowed with her head lowered. He wonders where her usual ball busting attitude went? Isn’t she best at always arguing with him and putting him in his place? Doo Rim tries to argue that she doesn’t talk back to him but shuts up when he turns to glare at her. She knows he got the fired employee another job and wants to apologize for what she said. Kang Joo claims it’s not because of her.

The two Monster fangirls recognize Doo Rim and go up to greet her. Doo Rim has to insist that it’s not her and the two fangirls apologize. She notices Yi Hyun in the back and goes to talk with him. Kang Joo looks over and sees them whispering into each other’s ear. Doo Rim starts walking back to Kang Joo when the lights all turn off because the performance is about to start. She falls down while trying to walk in the dark and Kang Joo notices and immediately makes a beeline for her. He pulls her up and takes her outside but she calls “oppa” thinking Yi Hyun saved her.

Kang Joo asks if she’s planning to spend the rest of her life with her oppa? They are still holding hands and she quickly pulls her hand out of his. He asks if she faked this to get him interested? He starts stepping closer to her and she tells him to stay away unless he wants blood spurting out of both his nostrils. Kang Joo leans in and gets a headbutt for his flirtation. He yells at her for giving thanks this way when he saved her from being trampled. Yi Hyun comes out and asks if they are alright since both are cringing from the headbutt.

Kang Joo and Doo Rim stand next to each other to watch the show. She’s all excited and into it while he turns to sneer at her from time to time. The show ends and the groupmates come out to make a statement that Kang In is going public with his romance with Leann of another girl group. Kang In takes the mic and introduces his beloved older brother Kang Joo who is here with his fiancee Yi Kyung. He points them out and the audience cheers. Kang In reveals that he is really touched because in his three years this is the first time his family members have come to watch him perform.

The crowd chants for the couple to kiss and Kang Joo smiles before putting his hand around Doo Rim and leaning in for a kiss. Yi Hyun stares as well, looking a little upset. Kang Joo pulls back from the kiss and gives Doo Rim a look that is best described as a cat who just got cream and knows you can’t punish it. Heh. Doo Rim wonders why he really kissed her and if Kang Joo has a dual personality?

After the concert, Doo Rim gets a signed poster from Kang In and takes a picture with him. Leann comes by asking to take a picture and gets really close with Doo Rim asking to call her unni. Doo Rim thanks Kang In for today because she had a great time. Kang In thanks Doo Rim for kissing with Kang Joo for the crowd. Kang In and Leann wonder if this was her first kiss with Kang Joo? Kang In isn’t terribly surprised since Kang Joo is very fastidious and doesn’t like being touched, but he warms Doo Rim not to trust Kang Joo anyways since all men are beasts. Kang Joo walks up and tells Kang In to call home more often before barking at Doo Rim to leave. After they leave, Leann feels like Doo Rim is totally different then when they ran into Yi Kyung that first time.

Leann had tried to be overly familiar with Kang Joo so called him older-brother-sir and Kang Joo finds her just as weird as he finds Kang In. Doo Rim sees nothing wrong with Leann who she finds cute and very pretty. She’s quite envious and Kang Joo looks her up and down and says she has reason to be envious since Leann’s figure is something that a stick thin elementary school figure can only aspire to. Doo Rim is insulted that he would speak of it so openly even if its the truth. Plus looks don’t matter as much as what’s on the inside. Kang Joo says that is the excuse ugly girls tell themselves and says all Doo Rim has that is big is her big head. She tells him to go find a girl with big hands and feet, even better if she has big nostrils that he can shove a coin in. Kang Joo warns her to behave after he took care of the cake eating video and she promises to create any more messes.

Doo Rim goes home and President Ma is much nicer and apologizes for flying off the handle earlier. She is just too upset with Yi Kyung missing. Doo Rim understand but asks what will happen if Yi Kyung doesn’t come back by the time the wedding rolls around? President Ma asks what Doo Rim suggests they do at that time? Doo Rim is taken aback and President Ma says she was just thinking out loud.

President Ma runs into Yi Hyun and asks him if tomorrow is “the day”? She apologizes for not spending it by his side but he tells her that he’ll handle it alone since she must have a lot of her mind lately.

Kang Joo thinks back to Doo Rim headbutting him in the stairwell of the showcase and wonders how she dares to do that to Choi Kang Joo. She can’t be from the moon, can she? Doo Rim gets a flower delivery in the morning and sees it’s a happy birthday bouquet for Yi Hyun. She wonders why he didn’t tell her otherwise she would have made him seaweed soup.

Doo Rim gets a call from Kang Joo’s mom and heads over to the family compound to join in some cooking. The housekeeper likes Doo Rim a lot so prods her to have Kang Joo’s mom try the vegetables Doo Rim made. Kang Joo’s mom tries it and says it’s good and Doo Rim reveals she put only a bit of salt knowing that Kang Joo’s dad eats a low sodium diet. Kang Joo’s mom is still very angry about the cake eating video but at Kang Joo’s request she’ll let it slide this time. Doo Rim promises to never misbehave again.

Doo Rim brings Kang Joo’s dad his medicine and notices a painting of his on the table and compliments him. He says this is nothing compared to her, and then giggles about her cake eating prowess in three minutes flat. Doo Rim is so mortified but Kang Joo’s dad says there is nothing wrong with eating food and he’ll not chastise her even if his wife called her here to berate her. Doo Rim notices a baduk board and asks if Kang Joo’s dad plays.

Kang Joo’s dad and Doo Rim are both covered with ink spots all over their face as they are playing a baduk piece flicking game. Doo Rim notices Kang Joo’s dad was trying to cheat and calls him out on it. Kang Joo’s mom and the housekeeper walk in and he tells them to be quiet so he can concentrate. He fails so Doo Rim goes to draw on him as punishment and he happily takes it. Everyone laughs as he gets another ink dot on his face and Doo Rim suggests they take a picture together.

As Doo Rim is washing dishes with the housekeeper, she wonders what Kang Joo was like as a kid? The housekeeper reveals he was once very talkative and sweet but after he was kidnapped when he was eight years old, he changed and became withdrawn and stopped trusting people. The person who kidnapped him was his tutor and a noona he really loved. After he was rescued, he was sick for many days and afterwards he didn’t like people getting close. The only friend he had after that was Roo Mi. But the housekeeper still thinks its weird how Kang Joo escaped back then but he never talks about the incident. She warns Doo Rim to never mention the incident as well.

Kang Joo’s dad is chuckling over how likable Doo Rim as Yi Kyung is. His wife tells him to not get too attached to Yi Kyung because…..and then she cuts herself off and says that liking someone is a disease and he’ll spoil her. Kang Joo’s dad says Doo Rim as Yi Kyung is like a gem that can be polished and they can help her.

Roo Mi is looking at the showcase kissing stills of Kang Joo and Doo Rim when Kang In comes by and gives her a present he picked up from one of his overseas trips. She knows he came to see her and she asks if she can do whatever she wants with the present? Roo Mi gives the present to Jin Joo right in front of Kang In who takes it back and keeps calling Roo Mi. She suddenly collapses.

Doo Rim is shopping for a tie birthday present for Yi Hyun when Kang Joo spots her and walks over to tell her this isn’t his style. LOL. Doo Rim says the tie isn’t meant for him, it’s for Yi Hyun since it’s his birthday. She is throwing a party for him tonight at home and asks if Kang Joo is coming? He says he’s busy and she figured as much but felt obligated to invite him.

Kang Joo is walking away when Kang In walks up to him and yells at him for working someone to the brink of death. Kang Joo sits besides Roo Mi who is resting in the department store health center bit is trying to get up and go back to work, believing that only by working herself to the ground will Kang Joo not kick her out of the company. She saw Kang Joo kissing at the showcase and that spurred her to keep on working. Kang Joo takes back what he said and she doesn’t have to leave anymore.

Kang Joo walks out to tell the waiting Doo Rim that Roo Mi is just overworked and needs to rest. She asks if he’s not headed to a dinner engagement and hears he cancelled it. She asks if it’s because of Roo Mi? He tells her to go prepare for the party since her brother is so important to her.

Kang In goes in to check on Roo Mi and keep her company. She wonders if he’ll get kicked out of the group for staying here. He manages to get her to crack a smile but she says there is nothing to smile about after Kang Joo got engaged. Kang In puts the flower present on Roo Mi’s hair and she allows him. Doo Rim comes in bringing porridge for Roo Mi who refuses to accept it from Doo Rim. Kang In encourages Roo Mi to accept it and she takes it and throws it in the trash. What a bitch! Kang In asks Doo Rim to forgive Roo Mi who is clearly overwrought.

Doo Rim finds out from Jin Joo that rumors are circulating at the company that Kang Joo fought with Roo Mi because he found out Roo Mi posted the cake eating video online. Doo Rim is pissed, she doesn’t care if Roo MI and Kang Joo are hooking up or breaking up, just don’t bother her about it. Jin Joo corrects her, it’s part of Doo Rim’s job as the substitute to make sure Yi Kyung marries Kang Joo since that is what the Jang family wants. Doo Rim wonders if they will make her pay the money back if the engagement is blown? Doo Rim then points out that Roo Mi seems to have something going on with both brothers. She saw Kang In pinning a hair accessory in Roo Mi and it seemed less than platonic.

Doo Rim goes home and makes a birthday dinner for Yi Hyun but can’t reach him by phone. She gets a call from President Ma and says Yi Hyun isn’t home yet. She prepared a birthday dinner for Yi Hyun but he’s not picking up his phone. President Ma tells Doo Rim to take care of Yi Hyun and she’ll be back when she’s done with her work.

The camera pulls back and we see that President Ma is with Yi Kyung, clearly well aware of where her missing daughter was hiding all along. Yi Kyung wonders if oppa is alright but her mom tells her that now is not the time to be worried about Yi Hyun.

Yi Kyung flashes back to her nightmare meeting with the Choi family ghost who warns Yi Kyung that she’s dead if she marries Choi Kang Joo. President Ma then goes to see the fortune teller to ask if the rumors are true about the family? Does the first wife of the first son always die? The fortune teller says just because something isn’t visible doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. He confirms the rumor is true and that the family knows about it.

Yi Kyung spies on the front door and sees Doo Rim leaving the house. She figures Doo Rim is running off to find her oppa. President Ma tells her daughter that this is their secret and will go to the grave with them.

Thoughts of Mine:

Whut? President Ma is in on the Yi Kyung runaway bride scheme? She always looked so pinchy and pissed, it could either be she knew more than she was letting on, or she genuinely was upset that she couldn’t sell Yi Kyung in exchange for the Choi family coffers. I don’t know whether to be impressed that she has maternal instincts and would devise a plan to both save Yi Kyung from falling victim to the ghost curse and still marry into the Choi family. Of course this plan is totally ridiculous and half-baked. What happens if Doo Rim marries Kang Joo and dies like the curse predicts? She dies in the guise of Jang Yi Kyung, so it’s not like the real Yi Kyung can swan back and reclaim her identity. Or does President Choi intend to say “oops, sorry for the first one, but since she’s dead, here’s the real Yi Kyung and you guys get a second crack at having a bride for Kang Joo!” I do love how stupid all the machinations are in this drama because I don’t need to seriously analyze it and can sit back and enjoy. I also think whatever Kang Joo’s mom has cooking up her sleeve, likely picking Yi Kyung as the sacrificial first bride so that Kang Joo can marry Roo Mi as the second bride, is a totally lame plan.

My sole relief in seeing her thwarted comes from Kang Joo’s dad being smart and nice, and clearly not under his wife’s thumb. It’ll be interesting to get the full back story of how his first love died. The ghost continues to be awesome and scary when she needs to be, and I wish she could go scare the pants off Roo Mi as well. I can’t decide which of the two rich bitches I dislike more, passive-aggressive and aggrieved Roo Mi or self-absorbed and petulant Yi Kyung. If I were the ghost, I would off those two to save all the men of the world from marrying them down the road. I also know these two are going to be an annoyance pestilence to bother Kang Joo and Doo RIm down the road, and I want nothing to bother my darling OTPs from continuing their priceless bantering and bickering with each other. Who else was a bit confused on the Kang In-Roo Mi bits? He likes her? Poor Leann, I doubt she knows her idol boyfriend carries a torch for his childhood noona. That felt rather abruptly dropped on us the way Kang In just swanned by to gift a present to Roo Mi.

I also found Kang Joo’s friendship with Roo Mi strange as well. It’s not like he particularly enjoys talking to her or sees her as a platonic confident, he seems to just accept she’s part of his life. That also makes Roo Mi’s feelings for Kang Joo all the more pathetic since he’s evidenced zero interest in her, and she seems to be taking it out on Yi Kyung without any basis if Yi Kyung didn’t steal Kang Joo away. It’s like two chipmunks fighting but there is no nut around to fight over. Doo Rim is just too adorable though, and with her around it’s easy to not get too annoyed by the whiny entitled princesses like Roo Mi and Yi Kyung and just enjoy watching how Doo Rim keeps pushing all of Kang Joo’s buttons and leaving him totally off-balance. I love how Kang Joo keeps trying to figure her out and she continues to defy all his logical expectations. What makes this OTP fun is how their interactions are never colored by one emotion and flows with the circumstances. They can bicker if they don’t see eye to eye, but then the next minute they are sharing ideas and thoughts that reveal more to each other. This is the hallmark of a great romantic journey where conflict is merely the spark that leads to mutual exploration. This drama just works, don’t ask me how or why.

Click here to watch Bride of the Century.