Mischievous Kiss Ep 8: Emotional Transition

Today, I will talk about one of the many love triangles in our lovely drama: from Bong Joon Gu’s one-sided love for Oh Ha Ni, to Ha Ni’s mixed feelings and thoughts about Baek Seung Jo, to Seung Jo’s inability to remain apathetic towards Ha Ni.

I love how these episodes seem to be concentrating on Joon Gu’s feelings towards Ha Ni now. It’s refreshing to be reminded of another equally enthusiastic character in the pursuit of love~ His love for Ha Ni is very much like Ha Ni’s love for Seung Jo in the beginning of the series. However, Joon Gu’s love now seems to play more on our emotions of pity, portraying a sort of melancholy love. Perhaps this is because we know that whatever Joon Gu does, Ha Ni will never return his feelings at the same degree as him. Perhaps this is also because Joon Gu suddenly realizes how powerless and incapable he is, that Ha Ni will never give him the same look as she gives Seung Jo. Why would she when the intelligent, handsome man that she’s so desperately trying to woo is finally starting to show some interest in her? Maybe this is also why Joon Gu has somewhat distanced himself from Ha Ni, changing from the clueless, enthusiastic, love-sick teenager who trails behind his girl obediently into a man who has a spark of determination in his eye to become the person Ha Ni can depend upon for life. I don’t know whether or not to advise him to give up already or to keep on trying, but since he has decided to keep on trying to gain Ha Ni’s favor, go for it! Joon Gu fighting! (Even though I want to see Seung Jo and Ha Ni together >.>)

Ha Ni, girl, I think someone needs to get her feelings for Seung Jo straightened out! If you wait too long, I think someone (or some people) will steal him away from you. What happened to our love-sick main actress? Why is she so down in the dumps? Don’t give up just because another smarter and prettier girl shows up in the middle of nowhere! You’ve still got a chance. For one thing, you’ve known Seung Jo for a longer time than she has (you’ve basically lived with him for months!). Surely that has to give you some self-confidence, eh? Sadly, no matter how hard she tries, we all know that she won’t be able to forget Seung Jo. Her head might be telling her one thing, but her heart is definitely telling her the opposite. I especially love the scene in the cafeteria where she announced her dying love for Seung Jo (is it just me, or did Seung Jo look really pained when Ha Ni said they were going to be strangers from that day on?). Even though Ha Ni was speaking her mind, her heart was in a lot of pain, which was even more personified with the rain. Rain definitely greatly influences the audience’s emotions, and after all Ha Ni has gone through, it’s perfect at the end of this scene. Sort of like a final good-bye to her feelings (except we know that they are still lingering…and maybe not so deep down).

And as for Seung Jo’s feelings towards Ha Ni? Well, let’s just say that there’s definitely more improvement than from the apathetic and cold attitude in the beginning. I guess after he’s gotten a taste of his old, uneventful life, Seung Jo kind of misses the crazy, spontaneous ruckus around the house that is now missing because Ha Ni’s gone. Maybe this is also why he smiles more (I counted! He smiled like 3 times throughout the whole episode! I think he’s broken some records in that area) at school only whenever Ha Ni’s around (take that Yoon He Ra! He only smiles for Ha Ni.). His smile’s cute. He should definitely show it more often. (Ha Ni, you can do it! You’re nearly there! Look, that smile is just for you~)

Mischievous Kiss Ep 7: Heart-felt emotions

Before I get started, I just wanted to say…THANK YOU for all your support and love! I’m really touched and motivated to become even better now! I really appreciate it. Keep on coming back for more recaps~ (This is what happens when I get too happy and I can’t focus on blogging. Is this a good thing? Bad thing? Well, I have no idea. You guys decide ^^).

And on with the recap~

Oh Ha Ni and Baek Seung Jo are off to college…and Seung Jo is getting hit on by Yoon He Ra, a beautiful, intelligent, and athletic girl–basically everything he sees in a girl…or, maybe everything he thought he saw in a girl? Anyways, Ha Ni certainly thinks the former (yet we all know it’s the latter, right?). Perhaps this is also why she is unable to let go of Seung Jo and move on and instead chooses to stalk him around campus and join in a tennis club even though she has never played the sport before. Despite the fact that she is basically the…club’s clown and runs around picking up the loose tennis balls, I really have to admire this girl’s determination and loyalty to Seung Jo. Ha Ni perseveres even though Seung Jo has never properly returned her feelings (he actually plays with them in pretty cruel ways). Maybe you guys see an unwanted clingy wanna-be girlfriend, but I know that I’ll never be able to pursue a crush like this (the public humiliation of having a love letter GRADED like an essay would’ve been too much for me to handle–refer back to episode…1?).

And I doubt He Ra would be able to persist as long as Ha Ni in her “quest to get Seung Jo’s affections.” Sure, a pretty and smart girl would probably have more efficient methods of winning a guy’s heart, but where is the fun in that? Besides, the only way she looks good is if she stands next to Ha Ni, and that’s where you’ll find that she’s prettier, smarter, better at tennis, and seems to be more in sync with Seung Jo (seems like a put down to Ha Ni, eh?). But that’s only on a first glance. If you look deeper, I think you’ll find that only Ha Ni will eagerly sacrifice her time to work a part-time job in order to get enough money to buy Seung Jo a present, that only Ha Ni can smile every day and try to make the people around her happier and live a more exciting life even after being put down by Seung Jo on a daily basis.

I guess this is why I love Ha Ni’s character so much (she definitely has more depth than her ISWAK counterpart) and perhaps this is why I always feel sad when I see her cry. I can’t say that I can relate to her situation, but I do feel the pain that she experiences (albeit at a smaller intensity). And I’m glad to admit that I actually did shed a few tears when she was leaving the Baeks’ house, something that I don’t think I could ever do for Ariel Lin even if she cries a whole ocean for me. Some quick notes about what made me cry in this scene: the music was absolutely fantastic–beautiful instrumental with a melancholy twist, and the fact that the singer seems to be pouring her soul out while singing this song; the mom’s personality reminds of Ha Ni, so it was like a double-whammy of sadness for me; also, since when do guys, especially middle-aged dads, get watery eyes and hug their best friends?

Anyways, Ha Ni doesn’t have it all bad. She’s definitely making a huge impact on Seung Jo’s life, giving it more excitement and fun. Even when he found out that she was leaving, I got the sense that Seung Jo was already missing her and was not that thrilled at the thought of having to return to that boring, uneventful lifestyle he had before. So, Seung Jo, my good man, can you really let Ha Ni go this easily? Are you sure you won’t regret this in the future? Because if she leaves now, she might as well be gone for good.

And even if things don’t work out well with Seung Jo, Ha Ni still has Bong Joon Gu, even though she sometimes gets annoyed at his persistence and constantly puts her on the spot. At first, I thought he was there just for comic relief with his futile, one-sided obsession for Ha Ni, like his counterpart in ISWAK. However, his character also has a lot of depth. Like Ha Ni, he genuinely cares for someone who is unable to return his feelings. He’s committed to literally sacrificing his life in order to ensure Ha Ni’s safety and well-being…and happiness (how many men have you come across like that in your lifetime, huh, especially to someone who can’t return his feelings?)! It’s amazing that Ha Ni still hasn’t fallen for him.

Random pictures from the episode

I have a few more pictures that I’d like to share with you all, but I have no idea how to incorporate them into this blog post. So, I have decided to just put them here. Enjoy~

Cute~ I think this picture most accurately represents the relationship between the mom and Ha Ni. Gotta love them 🙂

LOVE~ This reminds me so much of Romeo and Juliet! 😀

Mischievous Kiss Ep 6: Ha Ni Fighting!

For some reason, this episode seemed to have showed basically all of the old and new hardships in Oh Ha Ni’s life. It always saddens me to see Ha Ni depressed and on the verge of crying. But that’s OK! She got into Parang University, right? Ha Ni can do whatever she sets her mind to! G-Oh Ha Ni! Fighting! You can do it!

As I mentioned before, Ha Ni showed her viewers a different…emotion…than her usual sweet, happy-go-lucky expression. Because of this drastic change, I was surprised at how depressed I felt upon seeing Ha Ni all down in the dumps. It kind of made me feel like all the joy in the drama was sucked out because she was depressed and sulking; I nearly cried just seeing her try to hold back the tears. And that’s when I realize that Ha Ni plays a very crucial role in keeping the atmosphere bright and dandy (as if that wasn’t obvious before). Jung So Min is an amazing actress. Keep up the good work!

But her little wedding fantasy and the graduation were a different story. She returned to normal, to the Ha Ni that we all know and love with her wild imaginations and accident-prone personality. I never thought I’d be so glad to just see her smiling again. But, then again, she was at her dream wedding with Baek Seung Jo, so how could she not be happy? And besides, they both looked pretty good together in front of the alter if I do say so myself ^^

And now, for some more comparisons to the Taiwanese version It Started with a Kiss (this will probably be the last time I’ll be comparing Mischievous Kiss to ISWAK because, honestly speaking, I gave up on watching ISWAK at right about this point. I truly tried so hard to watch it, but it didn’t work out. So, from here on out, I won’t have anymore insight on the story’s plotline).

First of all, I loved the way Mischievous Kiss portrayed the relationship between Ha Ni and her two best friends, Jung Joo Ri and Dok Go Min Ah. I personally loved this scene because it fitted so well into the drama, both in terms of the authenticity of the emotions and the probability that something similar would happen in reality. I could definitely imagine myself in the same position as Joo Ri (and I have been there, especially since most of my friends got into some Ivy League college and I didn’t) and in Ha Ni/Min Ah’s position trying to comfort a depressed friend. In that sense, I really enjoyed their little group bonding in the classroom at the dead of night 🙂 Sadly, I don’t think I can say the same thing for Yuan Xiang Qin and her group of friends though. Last time I remembered, her friends were the kind of friends that bugs you non-stop 24/7 and helps spread gossips and rumors about you because they’re too shocked and surprised to keep their voices down. I don’t recall a group bonding like the one in Mischievous Kiss, but even if it did happen, it wouldn’t have been as genuine, emotion-wise.

At the end of the episode, a new character was introduced to the drama: Yoon He Ra, the college girl who has a crush on Seung Jo. I have to say, Lee Si Young is definitely a lot prettier than Tiffany Xu, her counterpart in ISWAK, DEFINITELY (don’t try to argue because you know it’s true). So, if the Seung Jo character starts falling head over heels for He Ra (which we all know is impossible at his current…emotional situation), I would actually sort of believe that versus Jiang Zhi Shu falling for Pei Zi Yu. Well, showdown between two girls for a flower boy. Let’s see how this goes, shall we?

Random Corner–Yellow feels like going on a tangent! ^^

^ This scene is from Ha Ni’s failed attempt to run away. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I really love the light effect. Top two pictures: here, Ha Ni is asking Seung Jo for permission to continue staying at his place. The dark lighting on his face gives him an air of mischief, an almost sinister feeling because, I have to admit, he does have the power to accept or reject Ha Ni, and if he does reject her, there’s nothing she can do. And, of course, Ha Ni here looks like a sweet little angel in the light, waiting for Seung Jo to pass judgment on her. Bottom two pictures: Here, Seung Jo has already told her that she is allowed to stay, and doesn’t his face look so angelical now that he’s made the right decision (aka: the decision the audience wants to see)? He’s even smiling because he’s satisfied with his decision ^^ Ha Ni, on the other hand, now as that dark lighting that was on Seung Jo’s face…even though it’s not as strong in intensity compared to Seung Jo’s lighting. Anyways, I can’t help but wonder if Ha Ni is plotting something here because the dark lighting and that smile/holding-back-the-laughter face. Although we know Ha Ni won’t try anything sinister, you can’t help wondering. Tis amazing, the magic of light, and this is by far one of the most amazing ones I’ve come across.

Highlight from the episode:

(Honestly, I just wanted to include this picture somewhere ^^)