What did I say in my post about the video preview for episode 13? Ah yes, I said I was not going to jump to conclusions and will watch the episode before deciding whether I need to bust out the knives or the bucket. Ladies (and any gentlemen) – take out your buckets and get ready for some drooling! My Princess episode 13 was wonderful from beginning-to-glorious-end.

This doesn’t negate the fact that the last 4 episodes have been pretty much increasingly awful plot developments wrapped up in uncharacteristic behavior from all parties (except for Hae Young). But suddenly episode 13 hit, and everyone starts to talk, think, and act like rational human beings. I’m going to hope this is the direction for the remaining 3 episodes, because it will surely rescue MP and end the drama on a high note.

I find that watching a drama is much more rewarding when I can see and understand its shortcomings or successes, apart and distinct from whether I like the drama. Critiquing a drama needn’t be perceived as negative, especially if I have provided the basis for my commentary. With MP, which has thus far been a rather bipolar viewing experience, having constructive criticism helps keep me sane when the plot went to crazytown for the sake of the writer’s own whims.

Episode 13 had all the hallmarks of what made an early episode of MP such a compelling drama to watch. It was funny, with an underlying sweetness. It was moving, with a melancholy but not overwrought vibe. It had plot developments that worked within the context of this fantasy world that was still grounded in reality, and people reacted in logical and thoughtful ways (except Yoon Joo, who is clearly so far gone she’s hopeless to rescue from herself). I’m not being too generous with MP when I state that recapping episode 13 was very fulfilling indeed.

Episode 13 Recap:

Seol stops in her step as she spies the cottage, triggering a memory of Hae Young’s father walking out the front door to greet her. Hae Young stares at her quizzically, as he can’t see the imaginary ahjusshi that Seol conjured up from her memory.

Hae Young asks her if she’s fine, and she replies that she is, but wonders what this place is? He smiles and tells her that this is a place filled with memories. Oh Hae Young, you have no idea, my beautiful perfect man. Seol walks into the cottage and sees a picture of boy Hae Young (who apparently has an affinity for bow ties and dressing like a Eton prep student).

Hae Young tells her to be careful, the cottage is filled with dust. Seol opens the closed piano cover and plinks out a single song. Hae Young hears the music and smiles. Seol spies a book of sheet music on the piano and flips it open to find that it is a kid’s book and is covered with princess stickers. She snickers that Hae Young has liked princesses since he was a kid. Oh Seol, you have no idea, my gorgeous, wonderful amazing lady you are.

Hae Young calls her downstairs to eat, and they sit in the living room to chow down. Hae Young made food for his princess, and she laughs that one set of utensils is child-sized. She asks if Hae Young used to come here a lot, and he says on occasion with he was small. They start to eat, and Hae Young amends his list of 5 Rules Seol Must Follow to add a 6th line item.

From this moment on, while Seol is in Park Hae Young’s cottage, she must forget everything going on outside. She can only think about Park Hae Young, look at Park Hae Young, listen to what Park Hae Young says.

After dinner, they are sitting in front of the fire place drinking a warm drink, and totally adorably teasing and bickering. Seol hits Hae Young with her pillow when he does his customary teasing at her expense. Seol ends up falling asleep in Hae Young’s arms (SQUEEEE…..*dies of the cute*), and he lays her down gently on a pillow on the floor.

He looks at her sleeping face, and traces a line gently down her nose to her lips. She stirs, and sleepily asks what he is doing. He tells her to go back to sleep, wondering if he should sing her a lullaby. She mumbles that if P-Kun is not sleeping, then she’ll get up. He tells her to go to sleep, and says to a sleeping Seol that he’s afraid he won’t be able to sleep if he looks into her eyes.

The next morning Hae Young awakens to find himself alone in the living room. He gets up and calls around for Seol. Dude, lady might be in the bathroom, so don’t be in such a rush. But I understand you want to make sure your princess is nearby. Seol comes in from outside, and he teases for her running outside even before she washed up this morning.

He says that he can see her drool marks, and tells her to go wash up. After she scampers off, you can see Hae Young’s face relax in relief, as he genuinely was worried that she had left him. If Seol left you after your night cuddling in front of the fireplace, Hae Young, she would clearly be in need of institutionalization.

Seol runs out of the bathroom with her face wet, asking for a towel since the bathroom had none. Hae Young holds up the towel, but instead of giving it to her, he grabs her by the shoulder and wipes her face for her. Okay, this bipolar drama is giving me serious mental problems, which I guess I’ll have to deal way in the future, but for now, the cute is back in such full force I am shaking from the sugar shock. SO. AWESOME. IS. HAE YOUNG.

He gently wipes her face, and tells her to close her eyes, and wipes it even more thoroughly. He tells her that she resembles a human being again after cleaning up. Seol sits between Hae Young’s legs as he ties her hair back with the strawberry hairband. He asks her where she got this, and she says that it was a gift from her father’s friend. Both realize that Seol must be getting more of her childhood memories back now.

Hae Young gently brushes away the wisps of hair around her face, and Seol giggles from the ticklish. He gets up to get coffee and Seol’s phone rings. He reminds her not to pick up the phone if it’s from an unlisted number. Seol tells Hae Young that she left messages for people who might’ve known her dad, so she has to answer all calls because it could be someone returning her message.

She answers the phone, and to no one’s surprise, it’s Hae Young’s dad on the line, and he identifies himself as the son of Grandpa. He tells Seol to meet with him, but he can’t come back to Korea. He asks Grandpa to relent and allow him to return to Korea, and only Seol can convince Grandpa. He wants to come back and reveal the truth.

Seol asks Hae Young’s dad whether her father died because of him? He says that he will tell her when he sees her. Seol begs him to tell her right now, and he wearily tells her that he didn’t kill her father. What happened was an accident, which is why he took her away. He hangs up the phone, and Seol turns around and sees a scene from her childhood.

Hae Young’s father walks outside the cottage, and her childhood self walks up and enters the cottage with him. Little Seol is stroking the satchel and crying about her father. Hae Young’s dad walks up to her, and she asks why her father isn’t here yet, and when he is coming. Little Seol cries, saying that she’s slept ten nights now, and ten more nights, and still her father is not here.

Hae Young’s father tells little Seol that her father is dead, and won’t ever be coming. Little Seol claps her hands over her ears and cries for her dad, saying that it’s a lie that her dad isn’t coming. Jung Woo goes to see Grandpa, and informs him that the satchel they have all seen is a fake. Jung Woo has the real satchel in his possession. Grandpa wants to know why Jung Woo lied.

Jung Woo says that Seol is his student, and he knows her very well. Once Jung Woo realized that Dan had the real satchel, he worried that it could be used to disrupt Seol’s claim to her royal heritage. He lied to lure out the person orchestrating this entire situation. Jung Woo asks Grandpa to trust him, and allow him to handle everything. He will make sure Seol gets the real satchel and comes back to the palace.

Seol is standing outside the cottage, and calls Yoon Joo. Hae Young comes back with coffee, calling for his Seol. This time no one answers, and he realizes immediately that she is gone. Seol drags her suitcase down the country road, and she flashes back to all her memories with Hae Young. The phone rings and it’s Hae Young, of course. She answers, and he’s frantic, asking where she is and why she left without telling him.

She tells him that she won’t go back, she has decided to throw Park Hae Young away. She tearfully tells him that what Dan said about his father was true. Hae Young tells her to come back, they will find the truth together. She says that she can’t, if she did, she feels so apologetic to her father. She can’t see Hae Young now, and she hangs up the phone. Hae Young’s face falls, and the poor guy is stifling his tears. Secretary Oh drives up to Seol and picks up the princess.

Jung Woo flashes back to Yoon Joo telling him that she wished for Grandpa to just collapse from shock. Yoon Joo comes in, and Jung Woo tells her that he just met with Grandpa. He told Grandpa that the satchel was fake, and that he has the real satchel. He switched them. Yoon Joo’s face freezes, and she asks why he would do that. He tells her that because she trusts him, which is why it was easy for him to stab her in the back. Ouch, Yoon Joo, I would feel sorry for you, but the emotion sorry runs away screaming when it sees your face.

Jung Woo asks Yoon Joo to stop going down this wrong road now. Yoon Joo refuses, because Jung Woo has always ended up understanding her decisions in the past. He curtly tells her that he won’t be doing that. He wants her to resign her position at the Royal Foundation, or she will have to take responsibility for the fake satchel. If she resigns, then her conspiring with Dan to destroy the royal restoration can remain a secret, and Jung Woo can still protect her.

Yoon Joo gets a text that Seol has gone to see Grandpa, and she cuts Jung Woo short. He tells her that he won’t wait too long for her answer. Grandpa is meeting with Seol and tells her to be brave and don’t let people harm her. Yoon Joo rushes up and asks to barge into the meeting, but Secretary Oh refuses to let her in.

Seol asks Grandpa whether his son killed her father? Grandpa asks if Seol regained her memory, and he honestly tells her that his son did not kill her father. But that doesn’t matter, because his son conspired to cause her father to wander around running away. He tells Seol that the car accident was just an accident, and it was Grandpa’s car at that.

Seol asks whether everyone is being sacrificed for Grandpa’s selfish desire to restore the monarchy? Grandpa denies that it is his personal validation, but the royal restoration was a task that he was given which he cannot refuse. Seol calls bullshit on Grandpa, saying that the royal restoration is Grandpa’s way of atoning for his guilty conscience.

She orders Grandpa to give up the royal restoration. Grandpa gets up to stop Seol from leaving, getting on his knees to beg Seol to rescind her command. Grandpa then collapses as Secretary Oh and Yoon Joo come in. Yoon Joo’s look of pure evil restrained glee at the near dead Grandpa curdles my toes.

 

The President gets word that Grandpa collapses, and he orders that the princess must be on the side of the Blue House when Grandpa dies. The President insists that Lee Seol is the real princess, because even if she isn’t, it’s too late now and the public must believe that she is the real princess. The President runs into the opposition leader, who is gloating about all the recent troubles surrounding the royal restoration.The opposition leader snerks that the President must be secretly happy with the turn of events. If Grandpa dies, then the President will be free from the influence of the Dae Han Group.

At the hospital, Yoon Joo asks to talk with Seol. Just then Hae Young runs in and sees both ladies in the hallway. Yoon Joo tries to talk with him, and Hae Young just gives her a cursory glance before walking right past her and talking with Seol. Ahahaha, that was so perfectly done, Hae Young. I might’ve added a bitch slap or three for good measure as you walked past her, but that’s just me.

Hae Young tells Seol to wait for him to come out. She refuses to look him in the eye, while Yoon Joo shoots darts at them. Seol refuses to talk with Yoon Joo in private, and tells her to spit it out now. Yoon Joo congratulates Seol on her doing – Grandpa is pretty weak, but this is the first time he has ever collapsed before. Yoon Joo asks whether Seol is worried that she can’t be the princess if Grandpa dies?

Seol stares at this inhuman piece of shit standing before her, and calls Yoon Joo a bad woman. She repeats it again, how can Yoon Joo say something like this! Yoon Joo smirks at Seol, who has unshed tears in her eyes. Jung Woo comes up and asks Seol how Grandpa is doing. Seol confesses that he is still under observation. Yoon Joo asks to speak with Jung Woo.

Secretary Oh tells Hae Young that the princess must have found something out. In the list of people who called, Hae Young’s dad might’ve been on the list. Seol got the list, and perhaps she talked with Hae Young’s dad already. Hae Young realizes that she likely knows about the complicated history.

Yoon Joo tells Jung Woo that the miracle she prayed for has occurred. The miracle I am praying for is for the earth beneath Yoon Joo’s feet to open up and swallow her whole. She’s not sure what happened (i.e. she didn’t hear Seol tells Grandpa to stop the royal restoration), but she knows that it’s not related to the fake satchel, and that Yoon Joo now has bought herself some more time.

She tells Jung Woo to return to satchel to her. She invokes the law, telling him that it’s stealing. He tells her to bring it, invoke the law. He asks her one final time, to stop meddling with the royal restoration. She asks him to stop, and he asks her to stop. What’s sad is that Jung Woo thwarting Yoon Joo is not because he really wants to help Seol (which is does), but more out of his desire to protect Yoon Joo from doing more harm. He’s trying to protect her from her own evil self. Oh Jung Woo, stop wasting your time and let her get her ass kicked.

Yoon Joo meets with Dan, who complains about being stuck in a hotel and not being able to answer her mom’s calls. Yoon Joo tells Dan that she has wired money to Dan, and tells Dan to leave. Dan is not stupid, and realizes that Yoon Joo is setting her up to take the fall. Dan refuses to do what Yoon Joo is asking now, because everything she did was ordered by Yoon Joo. These two bitches have a stare down at the café, Dan seething and Yoon Joo cool as a cucumber.

Hae Young finds Seol, and asks whether the call she took at the cottage was from his father. Her silence answers his question. He tells her that he left messages for his own father, who obviously doesn’t want to talk with Hae Young. He tells her that even if everything is true, and because of it he can’t be with her, he wants her to know that no matter what, he is always by her side. He will continue to do what he thinks is right.

Seol honestly tells Hae Young that Grandpa confessed that the person who caused her father’s death was NOT Hae Young’s father. If Hae Young wants to stand by her side, then he needs to help her not be the princess anymore. She tells Hae Young that it doesn’t matter if his dad only threatened her father into running away his entire life, since her father ended up dead anyways. Seol walks away from Hae Young, and he doesn’t stop her.

Yoon Joo watches as Secretary Oh is massaging Grandpa, who looks pretty half-dead to me. Poor Grandpa, you might be an old codger, but I think you meant well even if you were all fixated on something motivated by your own crushing guilt and incompetence. Yoon Joo notices her father’s suit jacket has a ripped button. Grandpa awakens, and Secretary Oh asks Yoon Joo to watch over him as he goes to get a doctor.

Yoon Joo, if you snuff his life, you are officially the veriest scum of the earth. Grandpa asks her where the princess is. Yoon Joo says that it’s a blessing that Grandpa is awake, and informs him that the princess has left. Grandpa says that the princess cannot be allowed to leave.

Seol is walking down the street, and Jung Woo finds her to tell her Grandpa woke up. She doesn’t want to see him lest he passes out again, and for once I’m in agreement. Seol pipes up that she has a new memory about the satchel, though it can’t be definitive evidence. Jung Woo smiles and says that remembering is better than nothing.

Seol says that the satchel was definitely hers, and she had it when she arrived at the orphanage. Seol confesses that as much as she wants to torment Dan for what she did, in the end, Dan is her sister, she is family to Seol. Seol tells Jung Woo that she is headed back to the guest house to be with her mom. She leaves, and Jung Woo watches her walk away.

Seol and her mom have a tearfully happy reunion at the guest house. Mom was worried since she couldn’t reach Seol. Mom worries that Seol doesn’t look well, and Seol worries that her mom was besieged by reporters. Mom wishes just for her Seol to have a little bit of happiness in life. Mom tells Seol that the mistaken news reports appear to have bothered Dan, who is stayed somewhere else, claiming to need time alone.

Seol’s mom was actually packing to head out for a meeting, and Seol tells her to just go. It looks like Seol’s mom was bringing clothes to Dan, and Seol realizes it as well. Mom meets with Dan and asks why she would tell such a lie. Because she is a lying liar who lies, Mom. Why bother asking why? It’s like asking scorpions why they like to sting people to death.

Dan tells her mom that she just wanted to find out the truth, she could actually be the princess, you know? Which is when Mom calls out her bullshit. Apparently Dan has been in touch with her BIRTH PARENTS this entire time, and Mom knew it. Mom tells her that it’s clear Dan can’t be the princess, so why would she lie? She says that the Dan she knew would never do that.

Mom tells Dan that she has always been proud of her. Dan says that she’s always done everything right whereas Seol keeps getting into trouble. By working so hard and succeeding, she wanted more love from her mother as a reward, except Mom continued to love both daughters the same. O.M.F.G. – are you on crazy pills, Dan!?! You wanted your mom to play favorites based on success factor? I’m headdesking over here from the insanity that is your modus operandi, you insecure skinny twat!

Dan tells Mom that because Mom didn’t reward her for doing the right thing, now Mom can’t punish her for doing the wrong thing. Oh, that is exactly the same reasoning and logic my five year old used on me yesterday. You are so wise beyond your years, Dan. Mom tells her that she loves them both, but this time Dan did something that Mom can’t just forgive. She asks Dan to please change her behavior and self-reflect.

Yoon Joo meets with Jung Woo, and tells him that the miracle she wishes for didn’t happen. Jung Woo, like a normal human being, tells Yoon Joo that what she wished for isn’t a f-ing miracle, and won’t be happening in the future. Yoon Joo asks Jung Woo to go somewhere with her to pick out clothes. She is picking out a suit for her father, because she noticed that his suit was frayed when he was taking care of Grandpa at the hospital.

Jung Woo asks if Yoon Joo is picking out an outfit for her dad to wear to apologize to Grandpa once the truth is revealed about what Yoon Joo has done. She claims that it won’t ever come out, she will make sure it stays a secret forever. She tells Jung Woo that she will show him how a secret is kept forever, and what happens to a person who reveals a secret. Oh no no no bitch, did you just threaten the one sane human being who is trying to help you?

She tells Jung Woo to bring her the real satchel, and Jung Woo sadly realizes that Yoon Joo won’t be grabbing the lifeline he is dangling before here. He tells her that he is disappointed in her response, and that she threw away her final chance to do the right thing. He walks away from her purposefully.

The lady in waiting and Gun are reading a recipe book and discussing what the princess likes to eat. They both agree the princess likes Korean food, because she is the princess of Korea. The lady in waiting says that as long as its meat, the princess likes it. Gun blurts out that it’s just like her, as long as it’s a man, she’ll like it. Hur, good one, Gun. The lady in waiting gets all affronted, but then decides to play along and teasingly tells Gun to meet her tonight by the fountain for an unforgettable night.

Dan is sneaking away, suitcase in hand, when Hae Young stops her. He tells her that she has been prohibited from leaving the country. Hae Young tells her that she will pay for what she did, even though Seol doesn’t want to punish Dan. Dan retorts that she has messed up the royal restoration and gotten some money in the process, she doesn’t regret what she did.

Hae Young tells her that her assets have been frozen (nice one), and she should stop dreaming about moving abroad to live a good life or becoming a prosecutor. He warns her not to contact Yoon Joo, or to try to leave the country. Dan FINALLY understands how deep the shit she is in. And I love how utterly ruthless and cold Hae Young is to this selfish person who would hurt his Seol.

Seol is cleaning the guest house, and she pauses for a minute when she notices the room that Hae Young stayed in. Hae Young walks up to the guest house, and he sees Seol feeding the dogs outside, just like how they first ran into each other outside the guest house at the end of episode 1.

Seol turns around and see him, and Hae Young walks up to her, asking to talk. She declines, saying that she is busy. She turns and goes into the house. Hae Young walks up to the house and pounds on the door, asking her to open up. He starts to talk to her through the door. He knows that she is standing on the other side of the door, because she wants to hear his voice, she wants to see him. He tells her to just open the door.

Seol walks up the stairs, but stops when Hae Young says that normally he’s not a patient man, but today he wants to change that about himself. He tells her not to waste her effort, and he keeps knocking on the door, asking her to open it. Seol sits down on the stairs, and Hae Young hunkers down for the long haul.

Night has fallen, and Seol is still on the stairs inside, and Hae Young is still standing outside the door. He walks up to the door and begins to talk to Seol again. He tells her that if he considers what his father did, and how that hurts Seol, he really shouldn’t be here. It’s the most polite and kind gesture he can do, to leave her alone.

But he can’t do that today. In the past, he would constantly pick on her, be mean to her, cause her confusion, that is all too much fun to do. He can’t give that up. He doesn’t want to stop causing her heart to race. His life is too easy, he has never had to give anything up before. He concedes that he is a bad guy like she calls him, but he just misses her.

Hae Young starts to cry, telling her that he misses her 24 hours a day, what can he do? He wants to see her now, he wants to see her now so much he feels like he is going to die. (OPEN THE DOOR WOMAN!!! – if you don’t open that door, Seol, imma going to smack some sense into you). What should be do, he asks Seol? (my answer? – KICK THAT DOOR DOWN, HAE YOUNG).

Seol sits on the steps and cries. Hae Young tells her “Lee Seol, I love you.” Oh My God, this confession was worth the torture that was the last 4 episodes of MP, so worth it I decree. He says “This P-Kun loves you”, which is when the door opens. Seol walks out and looks at Hae Young.

She says “My feelings for P-Kun….”, and she is cut off by a kiss that is everything a drama kiss should be – tender and deep, passionate with longing, and utterly in-the-moment. SWOON.

Thoughts of Mine:

Who here has any problems if Seol and Hae Young kiss, kiss some more, and the drama ends with them in bed for the next three episodes? You? Nope, I have zero problems with the drama not wrapping up any of the other loose ends. Frankly, as much as this episode returned to sanity, all the non-Seol-Hae-Young-moments are still boring and dull. I can’t be faulted for almost losing my marbles since the last four episodes were focused on those boring and dull plot points, on top of which the writer turned everyone stupid on how they behaved with respect to those issues.

Alas, *claps happily like a trained seal*, this episode everyone’s light bulb went off, and we’re back in business, MP. First things first – Grandpa. I actually felt bad for him today, because he’s sacrificed so much for the royal restoration that he’s really a broken empty man, even before his collapse. For the greater good, he has given up his personal good, and it’s something he can never get back. I don’t mind Grandpa not getting called to task for his behavior. I think the near-death moment will hopefully be his wake-up call.

I know some of you suspected that Secretary Oh was the big bad, and I’m glad to report that it doesn’t look that way. I’m glad the death of Seol’s father was fully cleared up – Grandpa’s car mowed him down, and it really was just an accident. Hae Young’s father is being punished because his threats to Seol’s father caused him to run away from Grandpa, which resulted in his death. In a court of law, I don’t think we could hold Hae Young’s dad responsible as the proximate cause of Seol’s dad’s death, but in a court of moral judgment, Grandpa clearly has rendered his verdict. Exile for his son.

I love how Seol and Hae Young get all the facts finally, and still they both struggle with how to reconcile that with their feelings. I’ll get to all the Seol-Hae Young stuff in a bit, but let’s talk about the two serpents first. I love how the Dan issue gets resolved so easily all around. Jung Woo switching the satchels called the bluff on Yoon Joo (not that anyone believed Dan was the princess in the first place), and Mom also threw in the nail on the coffin when she revealed that Dan has been keeping in touch with her real parents (which begs the question why Dan doesn’t go back to them).

This satchel detour is perhaps my biggest gripe with the story – it exists to shoehorn Dan into the story, and to create a machination for Yoon Joo to, well, create. But as an obstacle for Seol, it’s pointless and so easy to disprove. Seeing the President and the opposition leader make their obligatory appearance in this episode just reminds me that THOSE TWO are the genuine threats to Seol, not Yoon Joo.

Which again begs the truth – the writer didn’t know how to craft a compelling and real second female lead who could challenge Seol, so Yoon Joo turned into a shrewish one-track mind insecure envious caricature of a person. All Yoon Joo does is say mean things and create not interesting or really dangerous threats to Seol. She screwed with the press conference, big whoop. She coached Dan into spreading lies, no one believed Dan. She prays for Grandpa to collapse, oh please.

See why I’ve been so frustrated for the last few episodes? What makes it worse is that in order to substantiate this version of Yoon Joo, the writer has to keep her going down the path to hell rather than for her to call it quits, since she appears sane and smart enough to know when to cut her losses. Her rejection of Jung Woo’s multiple attempts to dig her out of the hole she created was totally moronic, but if this is the version of Yoon Joo the writer insists on shoving down our throats, so be it.

Jung Woo is such a great guy. It’s really hard to stress how few rom-coms have a well-written second lead, who also doesn’t make me weep for his plight when he gets shafted by the heroine. I adore everything about Jung Woo, absolutely everything, even his attempts to talk some sense into Yoon Joo time and again. I love how he still cares for her, even as he has already let her go romantically. It’s truly Yoon Joo’s loss that she threw away the most meaningful thing she had in her life, Jung Woo, to pursue a pipe dream that was never hers to begin with.

It’s fitting that all the things Yoon Joo wanted, Seol gets without having to do anything other than be herself. That is because Seol just warms the air around her, and it’s totally understandable how Hae Young could fall madly in love with her. By the way, I’m still laughing at how Hae Young pretty much treated Yoon Joo like the poop she has become, and blatantly ignored her at the hospital. High-five, Hae Young!

So episode 13 was bookended by utterly perfect and romantic developments between Hae Young and Seol. What I liked about the separation in the middle of this episode was that it made sense, to me and to both of them. Hae Young let Seol walk away from him because he knew she needed space, but then he also remained true to himself and went looking for her later because he was stifling from the need to be with her. See how compelling a wonderfully plotted separation-reunion can be? As opposed to an OTP not being together for reasons that defy the brain or the heart.

I can wax on and on about how romantic their night in the cottage was, or how heart-pumping Hae Young’s declaration and kiss at the end of the episode was. But you really have to watch it yourself. Well, okay, I can’t help myself, gotta squeal a little here – when he held her in front of the fireplace, when he gently dried her face, when he tied her hair back, when he sobbed against the door that he felt like dying when he couldn’t be with here – Park Hae Young has officially become the leading man to beat in 2011. All romantic leads better be prepared to bring it, cuz the boy has set the bar HIGH.

Watching episode 13, I felt like a thirsty desert traveler who has found an oasis and quenched her thirst. MP remains a fluffy light-weight rom-com, but at least today it rescued itself from descending further into stupid pointlessness. Today, Hae Young and Seol kissed, and the universe came back into alignment again.