“Fated to Love You” Episode 9 recap

This is the best photo shoot ever.

Side dish: If the shots showdown between Gun and Daniel ever included Mi Young, they should consider the Threesome Sweetness Shooter. Try the recipe here, and see if you start cackling like Gun, or seeing cute snails with glasses.

Episode Recap

After marrying out of duty, Lee Gun (Jang Hyuk) and Kim Mi Young (Jang Na Ra) appear to be entering the honeymoon phase of their relationship. Gun must fight the urge to jump his wife in bed. The couple are giddy when they take leave of each other in the morning, and giggly while eating lunches prepared by Mi Young as self portraits in food. They then have a grand time helping out at the new Seoul restaurant of Mi Young’s mother, which Gun helped finance.

Gun also has ample opportunity to hang out with his rival for Mi Young’s attentions, Daniel (Choi Jin Hyuk), now his business collaborator. They have their photo taken while signing the contract, then another photo shoot for an ad campaign that involves Mi Young. In both cases, Gun and Daniel take pot shots at each other. The men manage to bond over business and while drinking shots, but come to an impasse in regards to Mi Young.

Meanwhile, Gun’s ex-girlfriend, Kang Se Ra (Wang Ji Won) is having the worst time, what with her mother showing up, and publicly slapping her. Se Ra arranges to meet with Mi Young to challenge the idea of raising a child without love between the parents. While leaving Mi Young, Se Ra accidentally runs into Daniel who fails to notice the distinct mark on her shoulder that may identify her as Daniel’s long lost sister. She is then whisked away by her unsympathetic mother back to New York to resume the lead ballet position that her mother helped bring about.

In spite of the lovey dovey relationship between Gun and Mi Young, Gun still proceeds with divorce papers. Mi Young has the impending divorce in mind when she reluctantly attends Gun’s charity auction. Gun’s stepmother attempts to humiliate Mi Young by submitting the mug with her hand painted portrait of her baby as an auction item. Gun and Daniel drive up the price of the cup until Gun places the winning bid of ₩30,000,000. The gesture prompts Mi Young to abruptly leave.

Gun catches up to Mi Young and she explains her fear that she has started hoping for a future with Gun that will never happen. Gun stops to ask if she had ever considered his feelings for her, which have grown. The entire situation of Gun being nice while arranging the end of their marriage confuses Mi Young. Instead of addressing her concerns, Gun shuts down the discussion with a passionate kiss.

Comments

Only 만: I felt real envy for Mi Young for the first time this episode: I think that photo shoot would have made my life.

Junggugeo Kaenada 중국어 캐나다: That photo shoot was quite yummy, though I did wonder how such a bubble gum photo shoot would serve a corporation. How will consumers regard a CEO with a top knot holding heart-shaped balloons?

만: I ignored that aspect entirely in favour of speculating why Choi Jin Hyuk looks better in a fake photo shoot than he does in real ones. So cute, and yet so many bad photos.

중국어 캐나다: It is a mystery.

만: But I agree with you, the photo shoot was entirely ridiculous.

중국어 캐나다: Other than the photo shoot, I am not sure I enjoyed the honeymoon phase interactions between Gun and Mi Young. I considered them premature. And then, Gun goes ahead with the divorce documents, which confuses everyone from the lawyer to his secretary, to Mi Young. And, me, too.

만: Yes, and they’re baiting us with the fact that Gun changed something in them and we don’t know what.

중국어 캐나다: We do learn in this episode how Se Ra suddenly got the prima ballerina position. Apparently, her mother worked hard to make it happen. I was surprised at the mother’s professional ambitions, because you would think that she would want her daughter to marry a chaebol like Gun.

만: You know, I was just thinking this drama lacked an evil mother, so I’m glad one appeared; it felt wrong, somehow, not to have one. But, I’ll take a shot and guess that her crazy mom projected her ballerina dreams onto her, and probably has enough money of her own. I felt bad for Se Ra in her encounter with Mi Young; it seemed like she was genuinely worried about Gun. But, I was also intrigued by Se Ra’s scar. Are we meant to believe she’s Daniel’s sister?

중국어 캐나다: Of course. K-drama land is a small world where everyone is connected. In all likelihood, Se Ra is Daniel’s long lost sister.

만: I guess that’s fate, too. But, enough about sibling love; what about that kiss?

중국어 캐나다: It was the kind of kiss you dislike, and I can see why. He basically forced himself on her. Actually, Mi Young is fading in my estimation. I am tired of her passive and tentative approach to everything. She does not even respond to her sexual urges nor Gun’s. And, she doesn’t notice that Daniel obviously has feelings for her?

만: I’m with her on that last one; I’ve never noticed anything like that in my life. But, for the rest, I’m with you. The only time I applauded her was when she bluntly told Gun she was beginning to like him and that they should stop. Though, that said, we haven’t seen her reaction to Gun’s forceful kiss yet.

중국어 캐나다: Speaking of forceful, I enjoyed Mi Young’s friend, Ji Yeon coming on to Gun’s half-brother, Yong. She saw something young and delicious, and she went straight for it. So refreshing and entertaining.

만: Indeed. Can we combine her with Mi Young and produce an entertaining lead character who isn’t shy around members of the opposite sex?

중국어 캐나다: Maybe, K-drama writers are afraid that a aggressive cougar does not make for a relatable nor likable female lead. They are wrong, at least for my taste.

To stay positive, I would also like to highlight Daniel’s pink suit at the charity auction. He looked very good in that suit; definitely better than Gun’s auction outfit and hair. Actually, Gun’s hair has been 1989 awful throughout this episode.

만: Yes, it was flat, but occasionally cute. Much like this episode.

중국어 캐나다: Well, hopefully episode 10 will blow some enthusiasm back into us.

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Fated to Love You (운명처럼 널 사랑해)

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