[Drama Recap] Love Rain Episode 20 *FINAL*

Here we recap and discuss episode 20 of Love Rain.  Caution, spoilers below.  Don’t read if you don’t want to know what happens.

Sorry this recap is so late!  A lord of hell was on the loose and needed to be slain repeatedly or else all of creation would be in peril.

At their old college, Yoon Hee admits to In Ha that she got scared and wanted to a few things just in case something happened to her eyes after the surgery.  If that does happen, In Ha offers to be her eyes and asks once again if she’ll allow him to be by her side.  However, Yoon Hee doesn’t think it’s fair to In Ha because she knows that what he wants is more than friendship.

The sun has now set, and the kids are still where we left them.  Ha Na tells Joon that she’ll definitely go to him when the time finally comes that she doesn’t need to be by her mom’s side again.  Joon says that he’ll be waiting and turns to go back into the car, but Ha Na stops him.  She says that she doesn’t want to say goodbye and asks him to just stay with her without thinking about her romantically.  Don’t be greedy now Ha Na.  No having your cake and eating it too.  He turns back to her and reminds her that they’re not breaking up and the two stare into each other’s eyes.

Later, Joon shows up for lunch at the Kim house and hands Yoon Hee a huge bouquet of Baby’s Breaths.  Ha Na scoffs at them and asks him where’s her’s.  Hah.  As Yoon Hee goes to put them in water, Joon explains to a glaring Ha Na that he normally doesn’t give girls flowers.  However, he pulls out a smaller bouquet of flowers that he personally picked from the garden that Ha Na planted, which appeases her anger.  As they start to sit down to eat, the kids surprise Yoon Hee by telling her that In Ha will be joining them as well.

During lunch, Yoon Hee tells everyone that she wants to delay the surgery because she wants to go back to the US and visit her uncles and relatives as well.  In Ha isn’t comfortable with her going alone, and Yoon Hee says that she’ll be taking Ha Na with her.  Ha Na doesn’t seem surprised by this request and just nods in agreement.  She then says that Joon wants to take pictures of the two of them, just like his dad asked him to before.  Despite Yoon Hee’s objections that they should at least finish eating first, Joon starts taking pictures anyway since they look more natural this way.

After the meal, In Ha hands Yoon Hee an umbrella necklace that he had been preparing for their wedding.  Hah.  Yoon Hee seems touched by the gesture, but says she can’t accept this now since it’s not something that friends would give each other.  In Ha sighs and tells her that he’s not taking it back so she can do with it what she wants before turning and walking out the door.

When Yoon Hee goes back outside, smiles at how happy Joon and Ha Na look and decides to go back inside to let them have some time alone.  She then overhears Joon telling Ha Na that he’s leaving for New York in a month.  When Ha Na says that she wants to be with him every day until he leaves, Joon suggests that they go travelling.  He’s surprised that she actually accepts and asks her where she wants to go.

Later that night, Yoon Hee asks Ha Na about Joon going to New York.  She asks her daughter if she’s not going with Joon because of her, but Ha Na assures her mom that she wants to be by her side.  Yoon Hee then asks if they’re breaking up because of this, but Ha Na says that they’re not breaking up and not to worry about it.  Right now, Ha Na wants her mom to be happy and so she doesn’t want to leave either.  However, Yoon Hee doesn’t quite believe her daughter and stays up late thinking about it.  She also tries on In Ha’s necklace and thinks about her offer to be her eyes.

The next morning, Ha Na finds a note that her Mom has made her escape and is going to the US alone so she can have the surgery done there.  In her note, she apologizes for doing this and asks Ha Na to apologize to In Ha for doing this to him again.  Hah.  When Ha Na gets to the airport, In Ha has beaten her there and tells her that her mom already left.  As Ha Na calls Joon to tell him about this, we hear a voiceover of Yoon Hee telling her that she thinks that she met In Ha thirty years ago just so that she and Joon could be together now.

In Ha decides to pay a surprise visit to Hye Jung.  She tells him that she’s not to blame for Yoon Hee’s sudden departure and she’s not changing her mind about Joon and Ha Na so he can just leave.  However, In Ha’s there to say “goodbye” to her.  Orly?  Joon finds out about this and goes to his dad’s studio to find him packing up his belongings.  We cut back to an incredulous Hye Jung asking him if he’s really leaving his life in Korea to follow Yoon Hee.  He tells her though that he’s doing this for her so she can finally move on with her life.  Sure let’s go with that.  Back at the studio, In Ha tells Joon to take care of his mom and apologizes for not being able to make him and Hye Jung happy.  He tells Joon not to worry about him and Yoon Hee and that he wants him to be together with Ha Na.

In Ha then goes and gets a painting that he did as a gift for Joon.  Likewise, Joon has a gift for In Ha: the pictures he took of him and Yoon Hee with Ha Na.  Joon tells his father that he always hated him, but he still also loved and missed him.  The two Suh men stare at each other for a while In Ha eventually sticks out his hand for Joon.  After Joon leaves, In Ha looks through the pictures, stopping to smile at one where once again he and Yoon Hee are under a yellow umbrella.  They really do love that yellow umbrella…

When Joon gets back to the cafe, he opens his painting his dad gave him and is surprised to see that he’s painted Ha Na leaving on Joon’s back just like the moment that he first saw them.  It’s actually a pretty good painting except the lips are way way too pink.  He brings the painting to Ha Na’s house to show her and the two of them put it up on the mantle next to the painting of Yoon Hee.  Joon suggests that they go see her mom together when she finishes up her semester, but Ha Na says that she needs to say her “goodbyes” as well first before that happens.  When she mentions that she’s going to have to move out, Joon tells her that she should move back into the cafe.  He also mentions that he doesn’t want to leave her alone so he’s not going to New York anymore.  Really?  You JUST introduced that plot point basically 30 minutes ago in real life time and you’re rending it moot already?  Ha Na doesn’t care about that though and just smiles at him and takes his hand.

And cue the time lapse.  A year later, we cut to Ha Na at the airport and hear a voiceover of Joon saying how the ordinary lives that they wanted so badly are now starting.  Ha Na is swearing at how much of a jerk Joon is and starts walking with her luggage.  Back at the cafe, Sun Ho is surprised that Joon is there, thinking that he was going to go pick her up.  Joon’s more interested in the fact that his best friend is texting his girlfriend.  Hah.

We cut back to Ha Na and see her happily greeting Hye Jung.  Er…what?  Hye Jung is oddly calm about it and is amazed that she’d take the bus and walk here instead of taking a taxi.  She goes out to the mini garden that Hye Jung has and says that she wanted them well while Ha Na was in the US.  Hye Jung isn’t going psycho anymore, so that’s a plus, but she hasn’t quite accepted Ha Na fully yet and tells her not to use the plants as an excuse to keep visiting.  She asks about Yoon Hee’s surgery and seems legitimately glad that it went well.  Ha Na then asks Hye Jung if she can have dinner here tonight right as Joon walks in.  When Joon says they should eat out, Hye Jung asks if they had a fight but says that they can have dinner at home tonight.

During dinner, Hye Jung comments that it seems awkward between the two of them and then asks Ha Na why she was in the US for 2 months instead of 2 weeks like she said.  Ha Na says that she had to take care of some work for plants that Tae Sung’s resort exported and that he even visited her a few times.  Hah.  Joon asks her how many times, but Ha Na stays silent.  Hye Jung asks if they really fought over something so trivial and asks them to look at the other’s point of view.

After Hye Jung leaves, Ha Na apologizes to Joon but he pettily just walks away.  Since Joon doesn’t want to help her, Ha Na has to take her luggage herself up to her room and mutters to herself that even though Joon says that they’re not going to separate again, but this is the fourth time already.  Joon sneaks up behind her and corrects her that it’s actually the fifth.  Ha Na tells Joon that Tae Sung doesn’t like her anymore and she was working so much that she didn’t even get to see her mom that often.  That’s not what Joon’s mad about though; he’s mad that she kept delaying her return and ended up staying the whole summer there.  Eventually, Joon admits that he missed her and the two kiss and make up.

We then cut to a depressed-looking Cho Shoo as he stumbles into the cafe.  He complains about whether he’ll ever get his big break as a photographer, and In Sung finally makes reappearance and says that he will since he learned from the best.  Cho Soo sadly agrees that he learned to be the biggest jerk from the best jerk.  Hah.  He asks them if he’s really suited to do this and In Sung and the stylist start to play a fast version of SNSD’s “Oh!” on the piano.  LOL.  Mi Ho wanders in at this point and asks Cho Soo why he’s not getting ready and drags him away.

After Mi Ho finishes her photo-shoot with Joon, she tells him that he won’t be able to take her picture for a while so he should take as much as he can today.  Joon asks her what she’s talking about and she tells them that she’s going to Paris for a year for a fashion show.  Cho Soo complains that they’ve gotten close now and that she promised to help him.  She tells him to just come with her to Paris, but Joon interrupts and asks why she didn’t tell him.  Mi Ho just sadly says that she wanted to surprise him and as they finish the photo shoot, we see a tear run down her face.  Once they finish, Joon smiles at her and tells her that she was his best model.  Aww.

Out in the yard, Ha Na is busy gardening when she overhears Sun Ho talking on the phone about an arranged marriage.  She sits him down at one of the tables outside and tells him to think of her as a listening wall.  Sun Ho smiles at her and comments that that phrase sounds familiar.  He tells her that he went on a blind date with a girl that he knew since elementary school, and that it was more like a reunion than a blind date.  Ha Na excited says that it must be fate, but Sun Ho says that the girl has someone that she likes.  She tells him that one-sided loves are bad and mentions how Sun Ho told her that he had a crush on a girl before this too.  Hah.  He says that it hurts him to see her like this, and Ha Na immediately tells him that he definitely can’t go out with the girl then because he always wants to help out a girl in need.

Sun Ho then turns around and asks her if she’s going to get married to Joon.  Ha Na isn’t so sure that they can, but Sun Ho says that it’s not a problem.  He tells her to tell Joon that she’s sick of dating and that they should just get married.  When he says that he doesn’t want to be hut anymore, Ha Na is confused, but Sun Ho just tells her it was nothing.

The next morning, Ha Na sleepily wanders out her room and asks Joon where her coffee is.  As we see the two of them happily spending time together, we hear Joon’s voiceover saying that they still felt some fear and guilt in the corner of their hearts.

Later, Ha Na meets Joon in a cafe and apologizes for being late.  Ha Na tells Joon that she wants to go for a bike ride, but Joon doesn’t want to go out in the sun.  She complains that he used to want to go with her, but he says that he just did that because they just started their relationship.  When he asks why Ha Na doesn’t want to go with him to the opera anymore, Ha Na turns his excuse back around on him.  As they’re sitting, Ha Na sees a baby and starts making faces at it.  Joon just rolls his eyes at her and she asks him why he hates babies so much.  Joon replies simply that he only likes people who can talk.  Hah, I’m with you on that one.

As they’re out on their date, Ha Na gets bored waiting for Joon to pick out clothes.  As she sits down to wait for him, Joon shows up with a pair of heels and puts it on her, saying that they look good on her.  After they leave, Ha Na is admiring her new shoes and Joon asks her if she’s worried about the saying that a girl will walk away from a guy if he buys her shoes.  Ha Na jokes that it doesn’t matter to her since she’s the one walking away.  Hah.  He asks her what they should do after eating, and Ha Na says she’s bored now of ordinary and wants to do something special.  She wants to do something like seeing Diamond Snow or Morning Fog again.  Joon smiles at her and asks her if she wants to go back to Hokkaido.

Their happy meal is interrupted, however, by a call from Hye Jung and then rush back to check on her. She sits them on the couch and asks Ha Na if she’s still living in the studio with Joon.  Apparently, someone asked her about it, and Ha Na tells her that she’ll move out if it’s an issue even though Joon doesn’t live there.  Hye Jung then surprises both by telling them that they should just get married already.  Ha Na seems happy about the prospect, but Joon looks freaked out lol.  Later, Ha Na watches from the second floor as Joon sits below thinking things over.

We now cut to Chang Mo’s cafe where asking Dong Wook why In Ha hasn’t contacted either of them in a while.  Dong Wook tells him that he worries too much and that no news is good news.  He heard that Yoon Hee’s surgery went well though and that they look good together.  He then asks Chang Mo how Hye Jung is doing, but Chang Mo gets flustered and asks why he would know about her.  Dong Wook comments that Chang Mo has always acted funny when it came to Hye Jung and the two old friends just laugh it off and give a toast to how some things never change.

Tae Sung, who now has a ridiculous looking haircut, is talking to Ha Na about wanting her to go back to the US to finish the project.  Ha Na says she’ll think about it, and he asks if she’s going back because something happened to her mom.  He’s worried that Joon won’t like it if she stays away from him again, but Ha Na says that she’s leaving again to give him time to think.  Tae Sung then mentions that their friend from Japan is getting married, and Ha Na is surprised that he’s the first one of them to do so.  Things turn a bit awkward though when Tae Sung says that he always figured that the two of them would be the first to get married and say that things don’t always turn out the way they plan.

When Ha Na gets back to the cafe, she sees Joon working and drapes herself over him, asking if he wants her to make him dinner tonight.  So, so jealous.  Joon refuses the offer though and says that he’s busy and just came by to see her face.  Ha Na wanted to tell him something though, and is sad to see him go.  Later that night, she’s lying in bed when she gets a text from Joon to come down to the garden.  Incoming cheesy proposal.

When Ha Na walks downstairs, she’s surprised to see candles on all the tables.  She walks outside and sees more of them outside on the pathway.  Joon walks out of his little house on the back and motions for her to sit on the bench.  Smiling in anticipation, Ha Na slowly makes her way over and is joined by Joon.  He puts up a slideshow of the pictures he took of Ha Na when they saw Diamond Snow together and tells her that he’s been in love with her ever since.  He then jokingly says that she was so beautiful back then and wonders what happened since then.  As they go through more pictures that he’s taken of her, he comments on his real feelings back during the times he took them.

Once the slideshow ends, Joon stands her up and tells her that he wants to see her change as a person and asks her if she feels the same way.  He doesn’t even get down on one knee and asks if she’ll marry him.  Ha Na is so moved by this that she can’t even say yes and can only nod her head.  The two happily smile and embrace each other.

Later, they’re sitting in the garden again and Joon tells Ha Na that he got inspiration for his proposal from looking at his dad’s postcards.  He admits that he didn’t want to get married at first, but changed his mind after he understood his father and met a certain someone.  Even though he wanted to see her in the US, his pride wouldn’t allow him to just break off everything to see his girlfriend.  However, it’s okay for him to say he’s going to see his wife.  Hah.  If I was dating Yoona, pride be damned.  Ha Na then tells him that he can come with her then this time.  As the two of them laugh and have fun with each other, we hear a voiceover of In Ha saying how he and Yoon Hee talk about them every day and wonder what kind of future they’ll be making from now on.

Holy shit.  Yoona in a wedding dress.  We see Ha Na running to the garden with Joon close behind her.  While watering the plants, she pouts and him and says they would’ve withered if they didn’t get water.  Joon is annoyed with her and says that she should’ve just come earlier, and that it’ll be her fault if they’re late.  Ha Na says that he’s the one who didn’t water them in the first place and it’s not like they can start without them anyway.  This is true…  As they walk out, Joon points to his cheek and asks for a kiss, which Ha Na is more than happy to comply with.  As she goes in, Joon turns his head and they kiss on the lips.  The two smile at each other and run back to their car.

Final Thoughts

Well not quite the ending I expected, but hey happy endings all around right?  Well minus Sun Ho and Mi Ho, but hey minor details.  Personally, I thought the episodes at the end with Hye Jung going crazy about not being able to accept Ha Na were unnecessary and not particularly climactic.  In my mind, rather than that, they should’ve had In Ha and Yoon Hee’s wedding storyline run parallel to her deteriorating condition.  In Ha still would’ve called it off anyway and he still would’ve followed Yoon Hee when she ran off to the US in the middle of the night.  Joon and Ha Na would still end up together as well as they find out about the sacrifice that their parents made.  It also makes Hye Jung’s change in attitude regarding Ha Na less severe after the 1 year time jump.  To me, this would’ve been a much more satisfying experience rather than having the story drag like it seemed to for the last few episodes.

I especially did not like that they retracted the whole New York job offer thing for Joon.  In real world time, it was introduced at the end of the last episode and killed off not even 30 minutes later.  That whole scene of theirs at the seaside was definitely unnecessary and didn’t add anything to the story.  All it showed really was that Ha Na really wanted to be with Joon and her mom, which uh is kind of one of the central conflicts in the drama anyway.  It’s fine and all that they want to think about their parents, but your parents already made the sacrifice for you two already by splitting up.  If you’re going to say that it’s not right for you to be together, now that you’ve thought things over and are able to be together, couldn’t you have done that in your earlier soul-searching?  I guess the whole grass-is-green thing comes into play, as does wanting what you can’t have, but still. As least they didn’t flip flop every episode like the characters in “Fashion King”.

What I thought was done very well though was the music and cinematography.  Each OST fit the mood of the scene very well, and I especially enjoyed SNSD’s Tiffany’s song “Because it’s You”.  For me, the soundtrack is a key point in getting me sucked into the drama world and it’s not a coincidence that the dramas that rank highest on my list are also those with the songs that I enjoyed the most.

As I stated in a prior recap, one of the things I was interested in going into the drama was to see how Yoona had progressed as an actress.  I hadn’t seen her prior works where her abilities were raked over the coals so I was curious to see if she’d hold back the rest of the more established actors and actresses.  Based on what I saw though, it seems she made a pretty big leap forward in that regard.  She really couldn’t do much with her role as the wallflower Yoon Hee in the past arc, but I especially enjoyed her portrayal of Ha Na in the present day arc.  Granted, I half feel like she was pretty much being her normal self in most of it, but she showed her range in acting during the more emotional scenes.  I definitely fell in love with her character’s personality and that might be one of the reasons that I was so drawn in by the drama.  Well that and she was ridiculously pretty, especially in the last few episodes, but uh yeah let’s go with the sparkling personality.

The rest of the cast did a remarkable job as well.  Really wish we’d gotten more of Son Eun Seo, but I liked her a lot as past-arc Hye Jung.  Even though I absolutely hated current-arc Hye Jung, I thought that Yu Hye Ri did well by her character. I thought Seo In Guk was a much better Chang Mo than Jeon Sul, if only because the Jeon Sul character was superfluous.  At least both of Kim Shi Hoo’s characters played important roles (past-arc Dong Wook and current-arc Sun Ho).  I especially enjoyed watching Jung Jin Young and Lee Mi Sook’s portrayals of current-arc In Ha and Yoon Hee.  These are definitely two acting veterans who showed the young ones how things should be done.

I thought that this drama did a good job developing the storyline as well as the characters.  Except for the last few episodes, I thought it went at a good pace and you see a good logical progression of Joon and Ha Na’s relationship.  Joon, of course, was the character to change the most as he went from a cold playboy trying to seduce a model with cheesy pickup lines to someone who, uh, seduced a girl with a cheesy proposal?  Okay, maybe he hasn’t changed THAT much, but you definitely see the progress in his relationship with In Ha and Hye Jung because of his interactions with Ha Na.

All in all, I thought that this drama definitely did not deserve the poor ratings that it received, especially when you consider the abomination that was “Fashion King” was getting almost double.  Yes their theme of history repeating itself got kind of annoying at times, but it still provided amusing comparisons for the little things that did differ.  Their continual use of the “love means never having to say you’re sorry” line got on my nerves as well, but as a whole, I still liked this drama.  It definitely served as a calming reprieve from the craziness of “King 2 Hearts“, whose recaps I swear I’ll finish soon.