If I am to describe this episode in one sentence, it’s like watching a fireworks show. Although fireworks might not be everyone’s favourite thing to look at, it can be a beautiful, uplifting and precious experience for those who love such thing. Gaaaahhh I’m just at loss for words right now and truth to be told, I wish I can live in this episode forever. That’s how good it is to me and I think I’m having emotional and mental breakdown at the moment. Pardon the squeeing and spazzing but you’ll understand why I’m behaving like this after you have watched the episode!

[Episode 8]

The three of them: Secretary Ahn, Do-hyun, and Ri-jin, went around the living room in circles, with Do-hyun trying to escape from Ri-jin’s grab and Secretary Ahn trying to break those two kids off. Do-hyun pulled his hand away, screaming that he’s in pain! Secretary Ahn and Ri-jin both thought that Se-gi had taken over Do-hyun’s body but that’s not the case! Secretary Ahn was surprised since that was the first time he saw his boss getting angry at someone and reminded Ri-jin to be careful since the other alters could appear if Do-hyun’s under stress or had his blood pressure raised. Ri-jin thought that it would be good for him to show his real emotions more and Do-hyun grew more annoyed at them. They screamed in unison, again: Shin Se-gi?

“I am Cha Do-hyun!”

Pffffft that line is sure going to be the most memorable one for Do-hyun!

They got back to the real business, with Do-hyun handing over the records pertaining to his condition: from the alters’ behaviour pattern, records of Dr. Seok and other psychiatrists’ treatment, to Do-hyun’s own daily journal, for the past 11 years. Well, that was no different from having an extensive course of DID for Ri-jin! But then, Do-hyun assured her that she didn’t have to read them all. Haaaa~ that’s a relief then. Ri-jin asked about her place to stay and soon learned that she had to stay beside Do-hyun 24/7 as stated in the contract, so she had to stay in the same house as him. It was to assure that the alters would be under control if they appear and Ri-jin cried out, “Am I some kind of human talisman?” LOL I’m sure that’s a direct reference to MoonSun, writer-nim! That’s not all, as she was even required to disguise herself as needed to watch over Do-hyun outside the house.

And Do-hyun’s face?

Priceless. He’s sure getting his revenge over his twisted arm earlier!

Do-hyun walked Secretary Ahn to his car while Ri-jin’s cries (“What kind of contract is this?? Isn’t it a slave contract?!”) could be heard from inside of the house, confirming that she’s going through the contract at the moment. The two guys chuckled but the secretary asked the million dollar question: did Do-hyun have the confidence to go through with the contract until the end? Secretary Ahn realized that Do-hyun used to keep everything to himself while showing his best behaviour but today, it was the first time in his 11 years of serving under his young master that he could see Do-hyun becoming irritated. He could see how Ri-jin affected him in the best way so he told Do-hyun not to lose her. Awwwww Cupid/Alfred/ Secretary Ahn, I love you!

The door opened and closed..and Do-hyun called out Ri-jin, who was trying to make her escape but got caught in the act. Oopsie! She tried to run away while mumbling about the contract but Do-hyun already grabbed her backpack, refusing to let her go. Ri-jin thought that he’s changed into Se-gi but nope, he’s still the real Do-hyun! The sudden outburst of his bad boy image sure made Ri-jin confused but Do-hyun wasn’t going to let her abandon him after signing the contract. Do-hyun told her to check her bank account and Ri-jin’s eyed almost popped out at the amount. She accused him of bragging about his wealth but he made another irresistible offer: if she disguised herself as his secretary, the payment would be doubled. Yeah, you’re totally a rom-com heroine, Ri-jin! She rejected the offer but then gave in when Do-hyun promised to make it triple the initial amount. LOL! Ri-jin apologized and made the excuse that her legs went numb after hearing the amount of money involved. Do-hyun told her, “I said that you can’t take back your word once you agreed to it. I won’t send you away. Even if you’re a ball thrown into my castle by mistake, I won’t throw you out.”

Hahahahaha why do I think that this scene is purely ad-lib?

Secretary Ahn reported the latest news to Chairman Seo since she already found out about it and he would watch over Do-hyun himself so that the secret could be kept. He couldn’t hide his curiosity, wondering if she already found out about Do-hyun’s condition. She didn’t really confirm it but only told the secretary to stay on Do-hyun’s side, even if Madam Shin ask him to be her person. As for Ki-joon, he recalled his conversation with Dr. Seok earlier, describing Do-hyun’s different look in his eyes and how his cousin’s face changed when he mentioned the doctor’s name. He was really sure that there’s something wrong with Do-hyun: was it related to drugs or alcohol? Dr. Seok didn’t tell him anything except that Do-hyun was only one of his students, but Ki-joon thought that everything, including Secretary Ahn’s frequent meetings with Dr. Seok, Ri-jin’s sudden leave for the overseas (he still thought that Do-hyun was dating her), and Do-hyun’s potential match with another chaebol family, proved that Do-hyun had some skills. Ummmm maybe you’re the one with too much free time to stalk another person?

Or maybe Ki-joon should pay more attention to his fiancee and the call the got after that was right on time: a friend asked if there’s any problem between him and Chae-yeon, because his so-called fiancee went around gatecrashing someone else’s blind date. He told her to apologize to the girl with a brand name handbag but Chae-yeon wasn’t going to back out that easily, asking why should she do that. He got worked up, accusing her of looking at Do-hyun with differently after realizing that the guy would be the potential heir of Seungjin, to the point of disturbing his potential marriage meeting but got ignored by Do-hyun. Chae-yeon argued that she was only trying to save the girl from being tricked by Do-hyun, who already had another girl, but Ki-joon only wanted her to follow his lead and become his perfect fiancee. Except that she’s not going to make their engagement official in the nearest future, because she would be the one who decided her own engagement day. Way to go, girl!

Do-hyun started the study session about his other personalities by briefing Ri-jin about them and told her not to be taken aback when they appeared and to stay calm. She didn’t have the chance to meet the other two personalities: Yo-na and Nana, but Do-hyun himself didn’t have much info on Nana since she was the latest alter to make her appearance. He hesitated a bit when he described Yo-na and Ri-jin assumed that the alter won’t be easy to be dealt with. Ohhh yes. Do-hyun also told her the people around him who shouldn’t be made aware of his condition and if he happened to show his symptoms in front of them, Ri-jin should devise a plan to avoid them, while staying close to him. He suddenly recalled Secretary Ahn’s question when his eyes met Ri-jin’s: would he be able to avoid any attachment to Ri-jin? (Of course not! Do not continue to live in denial, Do-hyun!)

Ri-jin was distracted by a picture of Chae-yeon and she started to tease Do-hyun, thinking that it’s possible for him not to fall for a beauty like Chae-yeon. He didn’t say anything and the door bell rang. Ohhhh did someone summon her? Because it was Chae-yeon, who was determined to find out who was the woman in his heart at the moment: was it the lady called Oh Ri-jin, the potential chaebol girl, or was he waiting for her to abandon Ki-joon? Ri-jin was utterly surprised that her own name came out and Do-hyun suddenly called her to come out when she was eavesdropping to their loud conversation. She did come out and managed to avoid Chae-yeon’s slap, which ended up on Do-hyun’s face. Ahhhh. Ri-jin offered to be his drinking buddy but Do-hyun declared that their study session was over before going back in.

The Oh family had their breakfast glumly except for Ri-on (who’s stuffing his mouth with as much food as possible) and the parents were feeling down now that their daughter was thousand miles away from them. They grew more upset when Ri-on didn’t even look sad to send his baby sister away but he thought that they’re too attached for them to be sad over the six-month separation. He walked away from the table as Mama Ji eyed him suspiciously. Ri-on went to his room and opened the photos of him and Ri-jin on his laptop. One of those was taken on the first day they met each other but ended up with Ri-on pushing Ri-jin away and little Ri-jin, clearly with some spunk in her since childhood, headbutted little Ri-on in retaliation.

He went through their photos during their high school years. Ri-on was the popular dude and Ri-jin was nursing a crush on a fellow schoolmate. Although they spent their days bickering and teasing each other, Ri-on knew when to launch his protective brother mode when he accidentally saw Ri-jin’s crush kissing another girl in the library. Perhaps, that was the moment he started to develop his feelings towards Ri-jin. His memory lane session was interrupted when Mama Ji barged in, accusing him of watching porn because of the posters she found in his room before. She apologized when it turned out to be that Ri-on was only looking at his photos with Ri-jin while he walked out, wearing his dorky sad face.

Daddy Oh joined his wife in Ri-on’s room (and did not forget to compliment those ‘nice’ posters LMAO) and saw the photo on the laptop. His expression changed slightly and he followed Mama Ji to the kitchen, wondering if Ri-on had any feelings for Ri-jin. He was also worried about their family history being known to other people and ended up getting scolded by his wife. So shady!

Do-hyun and Secretary Ahn were discussing about Writer Omega when Ri-jin entered the kitchen. Although there was only 1% possibility for them to meet Omega at a book club event, Do-hyun thought that he should give it a try. Secretary Ahn told him a clue about how the writer looked like from their most reliable source: fan club president Ri-on, who described himself as a Won Bin lookalike. That was enough for Ri-jin to spray the coffee out her mouth straight at Do-hyun’s face. HAHAHAHAHA! Secretary Ahn stifled a laugh while Ri-jin apologized profusely, wiping off the coffee from Do-hyun’s face and clothes.

Do-hyun was ready to find the Won Bin lookalike but it seemed that Secretary Ahn won’t be able to accompany him, so he was thinking of sending Ri-jin there with him. That was the last thing she would do and she stomped off, but Secretary Ahn wondered loudly what would happen if Ferry suddenly appeared. He’s sure enjoying his time teasing those two and playing Cupid! Ri-jin changed her mind, but she also had one condition, that was to have a one-hour daily consultation with Do-hyun. It was not a treatment session but rather her way of being friends with him. Do-hyun didn’t say anything at first but soon gave in to Ri-jin. The happiest person after Ri-jin had to be Cupid Ahn, who’s all smiles looking at his OTP.

Just like what Chairman Seo predicted, Secretary Ahn was summoned by Madam Shin, who wanted to know if he’s spying on Do-hyun for the old woman Chairman Seo. He denied it but she won’t let it go if he was found out betraying Do-hyun. Nononono don’t make Cupid Ahn a bad person, rich ladies! Ri-on played with the family dog Rina, talking to it about Ri-jin, while Mama Ji observed her son. I’m sure she had sensed that Ri-on’s crushing on Ri-jin! He received a call from his editor, telling him not to go to the book club because he had a bad feeling about it, but Ri-on’s interest perked up when ID Ent was mentioned, knowing that the company was under Seungjin Group..

The book club event included a horror fanfic narration session, in which Do-hyun participated and enjoyed his first time attending such event.

Ri-jin, meanwhile, was taking her disguise onto a whole new level of ninja, hiding her face behind a thin scarf. HAHAHAHA!

Do-hyun was curious why would she take extreme measures to hide her face and she explained that she also had her own secret she wanted to keep from others just like him. She looked around and assuming that it was safe, she took off the scarf. Suddenly, Ri-on arrived at the venue and that was enough for Ri-jin to be panic, since she was supposed to be in the US! Do-hyun helped to hid her with his coat while they tried to sneak out of the cafe, but Ri-on noticed Do-hyun. He had to distract Ri-on for Ri-jin to make her escape and posed as Ferry-lite. Pwahahahahaha!

They settled down in a corner of the cafe, with Do-hyun explaining that he’s there to meet Omega. Ri-on looked proud of himself when Do-hyun was looking for a Won Bin lookalike since the writer was rumoured to be one, but he couldn’t find any in the crowd. LOL way to flatten someone’s ego, sir! Ri-on showed his enthusiasm in Omega’s work, citing his novels about mysterious twins and children in the basement as his favourites. Do-hyun thought that they were already published and was curious about the basement children. Ri-on told him about a little girl who was afraid of the basement and explored it with her cousin brother. Although the cousin brother was also afraid, he was curious about why they were afraid of the basement. That was enough of a trigger for Do-hyun as he recalled the basement nightmare he had and he almost passed out because of the headache he experienced.

Ri-on went to fetch a glass of water for Do-hyun and Ri-jin sneaked in, telling Do-hyun to calm down while holding his hand. She carried him to the car but Ri-on saw them together; luckily (for now), he failed to catch up with them. Ri-jin kept talking to Do-hyun, who’s clutching his head in pain, to make him stay alert, but he soon lost consciousness. She continued to call his name, until he jolted up awake…

..and told her to stop calling him, in a totally girlish manner, complete with a girly death glare.

 

Ri-jin’s face was totally spot on (and an appropriate reaction) because the girl inhabiting Do-hyun’s body couldn’t stop blabbering about how annoying and noisy Ri-jin was and even criticized her teeth but found a liking in her hairpin. Ahahahaha poor Ri-jin! Say hello to the sassy Ahn Yo-na, everyone! Ri-jin recalled Do-hyun’s briefing about Yo-na: Yo-sub’s younger twin sister with the nickname Pain Manager. Dr. Seok gave her the nickname because the alter would take over the body if Do-hyun experienced a great torture in order for her to get rid of the pain. She was considered the most dangerous alter by Do-hyun, simply because she’s a 17-year old with no interest in studying but cared a lot about romance, plus she was also an active sasaeng fan. Is she a product of Do-hyun taking the meaning of ‘unleash your inner fangirl’ a little too literal?

 

Yo-na took away Ri-jin’s hairpin and wore it on ‘her’ hair and squealing that it was cute, but she was upset to have Do-hyun’s face (“Huh, this ahjusshi’s face is so annoying! I should go to a plastic surgeon!”) and his pores. Kekekekeke! She couldn’t stop complaining like a real teenager but relegated herself to a meek girl, because she was hungry. Do-hyun had already warned Ri-jin that Yo-na was a troublemaker everywhere she went and Ri-jin shouldn’t lose her at any cost. Right at that moment, Yo-na saw her biases and jumped out of the car, running freely in her imaginary school uniform.

 

Ri-jin had to run after her but she couldn’t catch up with the fast Yo-na. There’s an event with the group Rocking (cameo by the members of LU:KUS) and the MC remarked that the group had quite a number of male fans among the screaming fangirls. Well there’s another one, as Yo-na ran straight towards the crowd, pushing her way violently through the fangirls to stand in front of her biases. She shouted excitedly and jumped up and down like an energizer bunny, but I feel sorry for her since she looked like a weird ahjusshi fan. Hehehehehe! Still, she was called to be on the stage and Yo-na couldn’t contain his excitement. That was until Ri-jin threw a shoe at her, telling her to get down from the stage.

 

No one should stop a fangirl from meeting her oppas and Yo-na’s temper flared when Ri-jin dragged her from the stage. Unable to contain her anger, she grabbed a handful of Ri-jin’s hair, picking up a fight with the lady. At least she chose her match well, because Ri-jin won’t let herself lost in a fight. The catfight ensued in front of the large crowd and cameras were everywhere, recording the intense fight between an ahjusshi and an aggressive lady. Uh-oh! Yo-na managed to pull Ri-jin down onto the ground and made her escape, while Ri-jin tried to tell people not to take any picture. Yo-na’s reign ended when he hit a lamp pole and passed out.

And these two poor souls ended up at the subway station like a homeless couple. Pfffffft.

 

Do-hyun regained his consciousness and Ri-jin was relieved since she was thinking of taking him to the hospital if he didn’t wake up after 30 minutes. The car was towed and she was afraid of losing Do-hyun again, so she chose to take him to the subway station since it was cold outside. Do-hyun apologized for the troubles he caused but Ri-jin admitted that she wasn’t much of a help too. He didn’t think so, as he could possibly ended up in a worse place if not for her. Ri-jin asked him what kind of torture he experienced earlier for Yo-na to appear; was it because of something Ri-on told him, or was it because of Chae-yeon? She took back her question when Do-hyun remained silent and decided to ask Se-gi later, because he would surely answer her questions.

 

It might be possible that Do-hyun was suddenly jealous of Se-gi, because he asked Ri-jin to have a drink with him, being his drinking buddy. She remembered that those were the two things he didn’t really fancy: drinks and friends, but he wanted to start the so-called consultation on that day. So off they went to a shop and Do-hyun finished his first glass of beer with ease. She wondered how a good drinker like him could have restrained himself, but Se-gi and Ferry’s habits might have affected him a bit (since both alters were heavy drinkers). Do-hyun started off the consultation hour with his explanation about what happened the night before with Chae-yeon. He admitted that Chae-yeon was his first love (causing Ri-jin to take an awkward swing of beer) and thought that she treated him well because she liked him, but it was only because he was Ki-joon’s second cousin.

 

He said that he had moved on from his first love but Ri-jin could see that it wasn’t the case for him. Do-hyun’s condition made him feel that it was impossible to love or hold anyone close to his heart, because he might harm them. He also admitted that Chae-yeon made him remember that when the right time came by, he might be able to love someone even if it’s not Chae-yeon. Ri-jin couldn’t ask any question afterwards but found it unfair that he considered their private talk earlier was part of the consultation hour. Do-hyun then took her hand to look at her watch before declaring:

29 January 2015, 10 PM: the first consultation hour starts.

Sounds familiar, right? Because Ri-jin was totally reminded of Se-gi’s lines but it was still Do-hyun in front of him. She thought that she was already drunk and Do-hyun asked her: was she secretly hoping that Se-gi would appear? Ri-jin found it funny that he’s jealous of his own self but Do-hyun refused to admit so. Admit it, you’re jealous of him!

They headed out to walk back home, with Ri-jin wishing that it would snow. Do-hyun had another thing he’s curious about: what was the real reason for Ri-jin to stay beside him? Was is curiosity, or was she waiting for Se-gi? She remarked that he’s got almost nonexistent confidence for him to ask the question, but she still answered it.

Ri-jin: To put it simply, it might be because of Yo-sub. People always say “Help me!” when they face any difficulties, asking other people for help. But it wasn’t the case for Yo-sub. Instead of “Help me”, the message he left for me was “Kill me.” I hear his plea for me to kill him as his way of asking for help. Also, it was because of Cha Do-hyun. When I was swayed from my decision back then, you held onto me, saying that you couldn’t throw back the ball that had entered your castle. You’re so cool at that moment, Mr. Cha.

 

She knew it back then that he needed her when he said that line, so that made her feel good. When asked whether she was scared of his alters, she didn’t find them that terrifying, even thought it could be a little difficult, especially after being mauled by Yo-na. Ri-jin wanted to console him and wanted Do-hyun to send out the “help me” signal instead of “kill me”, because all his personalities had to be alive inside him, for him to become a more amazing man with the name Cha Do-hyun.

 

Do-hyun planted a surprise kiss on her lips and as if he knew what Ri-jin was thinking at that moment, he assured her that he was still Cha Do-hyun. He leaned in for another kiss, but Se-gi’s warning appeared on his mind. He stopped to think about it for a moment…but he leaned in, this time for a proper kiss with his saviour, Ri-jin.

[END of Episode 8]

I’m sorry but this is too much for my heart and my feelings, and my everything! I can’t stop grinning because I am that happy for these two people. I can’t churn proper words to describe these two except for squeals and screams right now, so let me collect my thoughts first before I write anything about DoRi couple.

Eight episodes have already aired and I think there are enough clues to start analysing Do-hyun’s alters. There’s definitely a fixed pattern for each of the alters and they become dominant when the main persona Do-hyun undergoes any undesirable condition. So far, we have Se-gi when he feels harmed, Ferry when excited, Yo-sub when depressed, and Yo-na when tortured. Even their respective names hold insightful clues to their personalities: Se-gi’s New Century or Strong, New Energy; Ferry’s free spirit; Yo-sub and his nickname (seob-seob = disappointed); Yo-na, possibly derived from Jonah Complex.

Reading excerpts of The Minds of Billy Milligan made me appreciate more of the drama’s focus on DID. Of course, it’s still bound to the dramatic realms of kdramas but to see a portrayal of the disorder comes alive is perhaps another way of promoting awareness regarding the illness. It’s not really an illness per se, but there are probably many Do-hyuns around the world who are still struggling to find someone who will come to understand them.

As much as I am happy with the OTP’s progress, Se-gi’s warning reminds me that he’s still living inside Do-hyun at that moment, and he might have started sharpening his knife and planning his counterattack on Do-hyun. He seems to be capable of doing things worse than wrecking the whole house, so there’s the risk Do-hyun has taken in order to express himself better. I like that he doesn’t back down this time, proving that he’s growing stronger with each moment he spends with Ri-jin. To see him opening up to Ri-jin is also heartwarming, not only because she’s his doctor, but he also tells her his darkest secret, both of the mind and the heart. Heeeeyyyyy I’m already choking with all the butterflies from my stomach! This is so cheesy~!

And Ri-on…was that story a way for Ri-on to test Do-hyun? If that’s the case, then it’s possible for Ri-on to know more than what we assumed before. He might have caught on the relationship between their family and Seungjin, and the reason he’s trying to dig up the secrets of the rich family is possibly because of Ri-jin. Finding the lost memories of her through the family secrets, it might be a torture for both Do-hyun, Ri-jin, and even Ri-on too. Ah, the suffering part is on the way since we’re approaching the ninth episode! Time flies by real quick these days…

Chae-yeon might appear as a crazy woman who is not over a man but at least she’s trying to find out Do-hyun’s real feelings, although her way of doing so is questionable. She seems to be sure that Do-hyun liked her, but I am wondering about her own feelings: why does she want to know his heart but at the same time, she refuses to show her own? What drives her to be so focused on Do-hyun? Is it because of her greed, or she just realized that Ki-joon doesn’t really love her? So many questions, but it proves that I am intrigued by her.

Let me squee-watch again the whole episode while waiting for episode 9! Weeeeeeeee~

EDIT: More coherent thoughts after getting a proper sleep.

I suddenly have this question lingering on my mind (a totally random one): will Ri-jin consider it if it wasn’t Do-hyun? Let’s say that Ki-joon is the one who makes the same request. Will she accept it? I think she will consider it, because she’s just a lady with a heart of gold. Her instinct to help another person is strong and I have no doubt that she will help others just like what she is doing for Do-hyun, but he appeals to her for a few reasons, just like what she stated in episodes 7 and 8. Well, her feelings also play an important part there, but it can’t be denied that this lady is a helpful doctor, who is willing to sacrifice her time to cure her patients.

And that is just one of the countless reasons to love the cool Ri-jin. The spunky, sweet, and cool Ri-jin.

Also, only Mr. X is yet to make his existence known since Nana is a personality that has appeared, and it’s worth guessing whether the alter will be harmful or helpful to Do-hyun. I can’t help but to think of Billy Milligan’s alter Teacher, who led and became a mixture of the other alters put together. In other words, if Mr, X is indeed similar to Teacher, then he is like another version of Do-hyun, but with complete awareness about the other alters’ actions and thoughts. The question remains for now: will his existence become a help or a danger to Do-hyun? Or is he going to be the alter who will lead Do-hyun towards the path regaining his memories of the past and facing his own fears? What do you think?

So many theories but that’s part of the fun watching this drama!