Y’all know what my number one favorite trope is? Well, it’s forced cohabitation, it’s when the OTP are forced to stay together for whatever reason and sleep in the same room/house. Apparently, it’s Moon Young’s favorite too because she’s been looking for any reason she can find to stay with Kang Tae. Let’s talk about episode 5 and see if she gets what she wants.
Any Shelter in a Storm
Kang Tae picks up Moon Young and takes her into town to a little No Tell Hotel. My understanding is that due to a lot of the multigenerational homes, Korea has a lot of little “love hotels,” where couples can have some alone time. The only thing is, these two aren’t a couple. Yet. Jung Sang Hoon guest stars as the hotel clerk, and he’s so freaking adorable! He’s totally loving the show as Moon Young literally backs Kang Tae against the wall while asking if he likes her. Oops! No one brought a wallet, so they can’t stay at the hotel. Now, what are they supposed to do?
Do Zombies Feel Warmth?
Kang Tae takes Moon Young back to his room, and they have an interesting discussion about her book, Zombie Boy. Kang Tae says the zombie wanted more than food; he wanted warmth. Moon Young disagrees; she says he’s a zombie, and it was all about the food because he has no emotions. Then she tells him to feed her before she eats him. This reminded me of the movie Warm Bodies. A zombie starts to become human again because he feels love. It’s basically the whole nature versus nurture argument; are we who we are because we were born that way?
Ghosts
We’ve had a few hints of paranormal activity at the hospital, such as the lights flickering during Kang Tae’s shift. It’s an otherwise quiet night and the orderly is dozing against the nurse station when we hear humming and see a figure pass by. She’s humming “Oh My Darling, Clementine” which isn’t really something that I find scary. The orderly tells Ju Ri about it and she tells him that the story one of the patients told the other day was probably true since she was a shaman.
Busted Pipes and Good Actors
Moon Young prepares to bed down for the night, even though Kang Tae hasn’t agreed to let her stay. He’s left his brother downstairs, and now Jae Su comes up the steps wanting to hang out. Kang Tae does not want him to see Moon Young is there. He slams the door to keep Jae Su out and sends him back downstairs. He goes down and tells them that the pipes are busted, and Sang Tae has to sleep with Jae Su. When he goes back up, Moon Young has locked him out and is trying to convince him to allow her to stay the night. We have a cute little Romeo and Juliet moment with them talking through the window. He relents, and they set up their beds on the floor. As they are about to go to sleep, Kang Tae opens up about how he has to be a good actor to try to keep his brother calm, so he smiles even when he’s hurting. He’s starting to open up to her little by little. He tries so hard to make things stable and comfortable for his brother, even at his own expense (just like the mom in the book.)
A Restless Night for Everyone
During the night, a lot is going on. Sang Tae is wide awake and watching television very loudly, so Jae Su can’t sleep. The hospital is in an uproar as Moon Young’s father goes into distress. No one can see the ghost choking him… Kang Tae wasn’t thinking things through and allowed Moon Young to place her bed next to his. Sure, there is about a foot or two between them, but all it takes is a little rolling around, and Moon Young goes in for the snuggle. He ends up moving her bed to another part of the room. Needless to say, no one has slept well, and tensions are high.
The Boy is Mine
When Ju Ri returns home from her night shift, she takes milk upstairs. She’s all bright and bubbly until she sees Moon Young standing there in Kang Tae’s clothes. Ju Ri tries to make it sound like Kang Tae lives there because he likes her, but Moon Young counters trying to act like she’s been intimate with Kang Tae. There is a big power struggle here between the two women. This can only end in one way, hair grabbing! Kang Tae yells out at Moon Young and breaks the girls apart. Oh man, now things are really complicated. Moon Young is all upset because he only called out her name, so she thinks he is taking Ju Ri’s side.
The Real Reason I’m Upset
Sang Tae is very upset that Kang Tae lied about the pipes. Kang Tae is very apologetic and he’s bracing for punishment from his brother. Except it all goes sideways as Sang Tae asks why Moon Young was in Kang Tae’s clothes. Oh my gosh, what is happening? Is he going to be upset about this? Yes and No. He’s not pleased that Kang Tae let her borrow such cheap clothes; he should have loaned her Sang Tae’s since they are nicer. Kang Tae is flabbergasted and says next time (Next Time!) he will give her Sang Tae’s clothes. Speaking of clothes, Ju Ri is mad because Kang Tae let Moon Young wear the clothes they bought together. She’s really upset because he only yelled at Moon Young. He only seemed to care about Moon Young and he even spoke casually to her while he is still formal with Ju Ri. It’s hilarious how the two women saw the same situation.
Moon Young, You Are Our Only Hope
So the horrible sexist book reviewer is suing the company and they end up taking huge losses. Not only that, but it seems that they owe money all over the place because of bookkeeping issues. With no other choice, Moon Young’s agent and his trusty sidekick have to figure out how to survive. They show up at the castle and move in with Moon Young. She’s got bigger plans though and those plans involve Kang Tae and Sang Tae.
Another Commission
Sang Tae is working on his mural for the stairwell when the Director comes by and smears paint all over the empty space. He’s trying to force the seemingly stuck Sang Tae to find a place to begin painting. All he does is make Sang Tae very angry. I’m with Sang Tae on this one, he’s an artist, and he was plotting in his head on what to do. It was really rude for the director to mess with his canvas. While he is working on his project, he’s approached by Moon Young who asks him to come back to her house. I knew something was up when she bought the caricature he drew of her. I also noticed that she stared at his drawings at the house for a long time. So when she hands him a contract to draw for her, I wasn’t too surprised. I feel like Moon Young treats Sang Tae differently than everyone else. She’s manipulative, don’t get me wrong, but she treats him respectfully. I feel like he is the only person that she sincerely respects.
Rapunzel and the Cursed Castle
We end this episode by bringing the previous relationship between Moon Young and Kang Tae out into the open. She tells him she has his brother and he says he knows where she lives because he’s been there before. She’s known who he is, but she didn’t realize he has recognized her too. She’s the person he cared so much for when he was younger. As he goes to get his brother, Moon Young tells Sang Tae a story of a girl trapped in a house. She meets a prince and falls in love, but her mother has told her she can’t be around people. So when he comes back to apologize to her for running away earlier in the day, she spurns him. She was all excited and happy and her mother stopped her on her way out to meet him. He, of course, doesn’t know this and he thinks that it’s because he ran away and was a coward.
My Thoughts
There is a lot to unpack in this episode. First, the OST is killing it. The music is just perfect for this drama. Second, I’m loving the way they keep including real fairytales into the story (I consider Romeo and Juliet to be a fairy tale too.) The mix of fantasy and reality is really working for me. We all know that he’s going to end up moving in with her because she’s gotten Sang Tae to sign a contract. I love, love, love that she’s convinced Sang Tae to be an illustrator for her next book. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with this collaboration. Something tells me that the creepy castle on the hill may turn into a happier place.
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