What is the exact price one has to pay to find out about a piece of truth? His whole fortune, his soul, or his sense of comfort? Truth is often disturbing and uncomfortable, thus driving most people to hide it, instead of tarnishing their images with the ugly thing that is the truth. Do-hyun is not really thinking of the price right now, but most importantly, the way he has to go through the entangled web of lies concocted by his spider-like family members. However, will he be able to bring the truth to light in the end and face his inner pain, or will he get stuck in the sticky web forever, unable to escape his fears?

[Episode 14]

 

Ri-on was looking for Do-hyun when he went out and overheard Do-hyun’s confession, thus he also heard Do-hyun’s discovery of his legal mother’s photo and admitted that the photo belonged to him. Meanwhile, Madam Shin’s people were getting nearer to finding out about the child’s location, as they were in the middle of tracking down the person who brought the child out of the house on the day of the fire. As expected, Do-hyun’s intention of finding out the truth didn’t sit well with Chairman Seo, and Madam Shin didn’t make her feel any better by insisting that she called Do-hyun back, before things got any worse; for him and for them.

Do-hyun demanded to know how the photo was in Ri-on’s possession in the first place (look at the fire in his eyes!), and Ri-on admitted into digging out Seungjin family’s history for his mystery novel. That wasn’t enough of an explanation for Do-hyun and they had a private talk inside Ri-on’s car, with Ri-jin snooping around trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. Ri-on only spoke half of the truth he knew, saying that he had gave up on the subject and wished for Do-hyun to treat the issue like it never happened. Do-hyun was not done talking, but a third party arrived to break up their conversation.

It’s Daddy Oh, pulling the boys’ ears while chiding them for playing among themselves instead of helping the family to prepare for the New Year’s dinner, and Do-hyun should lend a hand too, since he’s there as a family, not as a guest on that night! Off the two reluctant boys – Ri-on and Do-hyun – went to peel some onions (with Do-hyun’s doing a terrible job at that, shaking off the skin from his hand like an amateur) and Do-hyun continued to ask Ri-on about the relationship between the novel The Basement Child and Seungjin, because he was also terrified of the basement. They stared into each other’s eyes…before their foreman of the day came to check on their work. Heeee!

Auntie Ferry Cha and Uncle Omega continued to do their labour, the next one being transporting the chicken to the kitchen, with curious Do-hyun wondering if the basement story was based on Ri-jin and Ri-on’s experience. They got into the serious mode again…before Foreman Oh appeared like a ghost, asking whether they’re shooting some kind of melodrama there instead of doing their work. Ngeeee you don’t know anything, Daddy Oh! Wood chopping session followed afterwards with Do-hyun inquiring about Ri-on’s real feelings towards Ri-jin since they weren’t real siblings..and Daddy Oh interrupted them again, smashing their heads against each other while criticizing their work.

I’m not even sorry for these two.

Ri-on also had enough of those pestering question and thought that he’s being persistence, just like Yo-na. Did Do-hyun really like him?

Yeah, Ri-on..I think this ahjumma likes you.

Ssangri’s closed for business and the whole family, including Do-hyun, gathered around the dining table to wish the viewers a happy and prosperous year. I’m not joking, because they really did it! So cute~ Daddy Oh praised Do-hyun (he’s still calling him Ferry) for his good work and thought that he should replace Ri-on as the family’s son. HA! Daddy Oh then brought out his wallet and gave some money to Do-hyun. Do-hyun said that the work was nothing, but Daddy Oh insisted that he accept it, since it was from daddy. The look in Do-hyun’s eyes was enough to explain how touched he was at the thought! They wanted to take some pictures and argued about the selfie stick (according to Ri-on, it was a fishing rod. Pffft!), but Ri-jin suggested that they use her phone and borrowed Do-hyun’s line:

“Remember! 19 January 2015, the moment we were happy together.”

What about me? Why am I out here?

Said Rina.

It was late into the night and the family was slowly getting drunk after emptying their glasses of beer, except for Do-hyun. Mama Ji and Ri-on tried to make Do-hyun drink some, since Daddy Oh was getting upset (although Do-hyun insisted that he got bad drinking habits), but suddenly, drunk Ri-jin stood up..and told them to quit pestering her man. Pwahahahahaha! Is that a ‘coming out’ from her? Everyone was surprised except for Do-hyun (he’s amused. VERY), and Ri-jin gulped down the glass of beer in front of her man. The leading lady passed out after showcasing a blockbuster scene in front of her family..

..followed by a melodrama of the boys trying to tear her into pieces trying to show who’s more qualified to carry Ri-jin to her room. Of course Do-hyun lost to Ri-on (because he’s not yet a boyfriend of Ri-jin), but he managed to tuck Ri-jin in bed, while Ri-on was sending daggers through his eyes at him.

HAHAHAHAHA! Someone please make a melo edit out of these two’s scenes!

The two guys went to Ri-on’s room since Do-hyun’s sleeping over for the night, and Ri-on didn’t really want to talk when Do-hyun called him.

Do-hyun: Thank you. Because of you, Oh Ri-on, I got to meet nice people, a good friend, and a good person.

Ri-on: If the person you’re referring to as a good friend is me, then your judgement is wrong. Because I’m not a good friend to you. If a bad friend is okay for you, then I will do it, the friend thing.

Awwwww yeah, the bromance lives on! I hope Yo-na won’t appear in the middle of the night and jumped on Ri-on’s bed!

Ri-jin woke up later and she could recall all the things she said in front of her family, and more importantly, Do-hyun was there too! Huuuu~ She went for a rambling session with Rina and the dog could only whine in respond when she was being hugged by Ri-jin. Ri-on knew that she would be there and off thy went for a midnight sweet potatoes treat. Do-hyun stirred up awake to find Ri-on gone and he went out to find the siblings talking about Ri-jin’s nightmare. Ri-on interpreted it as the two of them: him being the blurry boy and the shadow she was afraid of being a tube man, because she used to be afraid of that thing.

Someone approached Do-hyun from the back and it was Mama Ji, who called him to the kitchen. She served him some noodles (anchovy soup noodle?) and Do-hyun dug in, after telling her to talk to him comfortably. Mama Ji asked about Do-hyun’s job and he explained that he was fired from his workplace because he made his superior mad. She also wondered what he thought about Ri-jin and of course, Do-hyun said that Ri-jin was cute. Hehehehe! He also expressed how envious he was at the twins because he grew up without any siblings, and Mama Ji offered to show him her kids’ childhood photos.

Ri-jin wondered why she couldn’t seem to recall most of the memories from her childhood although she was of the same age as Ri-on, and Ri-on said that she got hurt from the fire that broke out in their house years ago. She thought that it was probably why she could understand Do-hyun’s feelings, but she was lucky that her family was there to help her, unlike Do-hyun’s family, who hid everything from him. Ri-on seemed uncomfortable at the mention of the matter, and Ri-jin mentioned that the wound won’t simply go away just because they hid the past. However, she didn’t forget everything, because she remembered on day: the day she became Ri-on’s twin.

Little Ri-on pushed little Ri-jin when they first met not because he hated her, but he wanted to tell that he would only accept her as his sister if she became a strong girl. Ri-on realized that Ri-jin knew it all, that they were in act not related at all, but Ri-jin avoid answering the question and went to the kitchen to see whether their mother had prepared some noodles to cure their hangover.

Do-hyun and Mama Ji went through the photos of young Ri-on and Ri-jin, but Ri-jin’s photo stirred a memory inside Do-hyun’s mind, where he could heard a child’s voice asking his name. The headache was only there for a split second, and the twins entered the kitchen, lured by the smell of the noodles. Ri-jin hid behind Ri-on upon realizing that Do-hyun was also there, and Do-hyun’s reaction was GOLD.

HE KNEW YOUR SECRET, RI-JIN!

The twins acted cute around Mama Ji, asking for their share of noodles and she went to make some for them. Ri-jin hesitated to leave and only looked at Do-hyun before walking away (she’s still embarrassed!), while Do-hyun held the photo of little Ri-jin taken on the day she became a part of Oh Family…before sneaking the photo into his pocket. Eyyyyy you naughty boy, Do-hyun!

He went outside and called Secretary Ahn, wishing his loyal man a happy new year. Secretary Ahn was actually at Do-hyun’s house since he was worried that Do-hyun couldn’t be reached earlier, and he grew even more worried that Do-hyun ended up at Ri-jin’s house because of Yo-na. Do-hyun assured him that he didn’t have to come over or worry about him, because he’s very comfortable and warm at the moment. AWWWW. He also shared how happy he was to receive his first ever pocket money in his entire life. Argh please let him live like this forever! He was also informed that there was a witness from the fire incident, because there was a garden party on that day to celebrate his father’s inauguration as Seungjin’s Chairman and the witness was among the workers who went there as assistants for the party.

Do-hyun ended the call and heard something behind him before calling out, “Oh Ri-jin, what are you doing there?” Oops, someone’s caught red-handed trying to snoop around! He managed to catch her, deciding that it’s the day for them to make up, and Ri-jin wondered cautiously if he didn’t really mean ‘making out’. Do-hyun was totally pulling a Se-gi’s act there, borrowing the line “If you’re curious, why don’t you follow me?” and dangling the keys to the basement in front of Ri-jin.

They went to the basement and this time, Do-hyun was the one who put the stopper to prevent them from being locked inside just like before. She hesitated at first, but decided to face him and admitted to her mistakes before apologizing.

Do-hyun: Each time you’re feeling troubled or curious, the person you want to talk with, the person you wish to be able to hear you..can’t I be that person? When you’re afraid of the basement but you have to go there, the person you want to go there with, when there’s such thing you want to avoid, can’t I do it together with you? Me too, just like you, have two bad memories of the basement: one was the memory from my childhood I am searching for right now, and the other one..(implying the failed kiss attempt they had there) […] No matter what it takes, I want to face everything together with you. The bad memories I have, too..I want to get rid of them by making good memories with you, Oh Ri-jin.

THAT WAS A DIRECT CONFESSION, RIGHT?! Ri-jin smiled at him, and she expressed her agreement to do so, together with him. AWWWW YESSSS! He moved closer towards her and leaned in, this time without any hesitation..and they sealed their confession with a kiss.

WAIT, they kissed TWO times!

I have too much feels for these two.

The basement dream appeared again and this time, Do-hyun noticed that the roles were reversed: little Do-hyun was the one leaving when the clock struck 12, and the child was the one holding onto him, pleading for him not to go and play with her. He also realized that the child was a girl, who showed little Do-hyun something after he agreed to stay a little longer. It was the photo of Min Seo-yeon and the girl introduced Seo-yeon as her mother, who promised to bring her out if she held on for three months there. Little Do-hyun remarked that the mother won’t be able to come and the girl insisted that her mother would come, but little Do-hyun told her that the mother was dead.

Do-hyun woke up from the dream and he was in the wine cellar at Seungjin mansion, hugging the teddy bear from before. A little girl picked up the bear he threw on the floor and Do-hyun asked her who she was. She introduced the name as Nana, but that was her teddy’s name. The girl also showed her drawing of Nana and she was about to tell Do-hyun her name, when the dream scene changed into the dark basement once again.

Someone opened the door to the basement and little Do-hyun started to beg for mercy at his father, Jun-pyo. He promised not to come to the basement again, but Jun-pyo wasn’t going to hit him. Little Do-hyun pleaded for his father to stop hitting the girl and he was willing to get hit in the girl’s stead. The girl started to apologize too, and little Do-hyun hugged the girl to protect her from his own father. The grown-up Do-hyun could only cry at the sight of those pitiful kids in his dream.

Ri-jin went to Ri-on’s room to wake the guys up for breakfast, but she found out from Ri-on (who’s sleeping like a cranky frog) that Do-hyun had left without saying goodbye. Dr. Seok joined them for breakfast (he was invited because he lived alone; his family lived overseas while he stayed behind to earn money for them) and he was curious about who Ferry was when Mama Ji thought that the guy must had been upset that the twins ate sweet potatoes without him.

Chairman Seo was having her breakfast by herself, looking lonelier than ever, when Madam Shin joined her at the dining table. She wasn’t going to become her company but she continued to persuade the chairman into reinstating Do-hyun. Young-pyo’s family came for a visit together with Chae-yeon, and Madam Shin remarked that the fiancee didn’t look too happy. She headed towards the wine cellar, but not before reminding Madam Yoon not to make herself throw a glass of wine at her, because she’s going to bring out the most expensive wine for their precious guests. Heh, her snide remarks are always fun..and Chairman Seo seemed to enjoy it a little too!

Madam Shim was suprised to find Do-hyun sitting there in the cellar…oh wait, was that him, really? He was indeed Do-hyun, but the memories he discovered made him confront his mother about the child. She tried to feign ignorance but Do-hyun, with tears in his eyes, listed everything he knew: the one abused by his father was not him but the child, and his mother just stood there as a witness to everything without doing anything to help the pitiful child, plus making him into a helpless witness. He demanded to know why his mother lied and vowed to find the child so that he could atone for his sins, and he’s willing to sell the whole Seungjin if that would be enough to compensate for the scar she had because of them. He won’t believe his mother anymore, as he was more confident with the memories he would eventually recover.

Young-pyo inquired about Do-hyun’s status for now since he heard about Do-hyun staying in the country, but Chairman Seo had decided to send Do-hyun back to the US since she deemed him unfit to be a part of the company for the time being. Do-hyun barged into the room, asking his grandma directly about what happened in their family 21 years ago. He ignored her order to go out and vowed to find out about everything that had happened, including Chairman Seo’s role in the whole secret. Young-pyo himself wasn’t really sure about what happened back then, but he’s truly enjoying the show that was about to unravel in front of them.

Madam Shin was still in the basement but she’s not letting Do-hyun to act carelessly this time, especially after what she had endured and sacrificed to make him the true owner of Seungjin. She called the person she hired to find the child and received the good news (for her): they had managed to track down the child and sent her photo to Madam Shin. She was shocked to see that the child was no other than Ri-jin, whom she recognized as the new secretary working with Do-hyun. Thinking that Ri-jin approached Do-hyun with ulterior motive, she ordered for Ri-jin to be caught and brought to her, using any necessary method including knocking her into unconsciousness.

Ri-jin talked about what she experienced when she went to Seungjin mansion with Dr. Seok, and she thought that the memory could be Do-hyun’s memory she mistook as her own. Although she would feel the fear when she entered any basement other than the one at her house, what she felt there was different and she was confused. Ri-jin mused that she didn’t really have any difficult or uncomfortable memories from her childhood, but she couldn’t help but to wonder about the memory she had from that particular basement. Dr. Seok noted that humans could always block any unhappy memories to lead a happy life, but the bad memories could come back when the wound from the past made a comeback.

He told Ri-jin to bring Do-hyun along with him to somewhere so that they could determine whether Do-hyun and Ri-jin did share the same memories. Dr. Seok took his leave (driving his cute car!) and Ri-jin was just about to walk inside when a car reached the compound and a few men appeared. She tried to escape when the man didn’t tell her who wished to see her, but she ended up being dragged into the car. Ri-on saw what happened and drove his car to chase after those men but he lost them.

Do-hyun was in front of his confrontation mirror in the bathroom when he received a call from Ri-on, asking whether he was involved in kidnapping Ri-jin. That was a news for Do-hyun but Ri-on gave him a warning: he won’t let him off if what happened to Ri-jin was because of Do-hyun. Do-hyun still had the tracking device in Ri-jin’s phone planted when she was his personal doctor and the device brought him to a villa. Ri-jin was unconscious and held captive inside a room, and Do-hyun fought against the men. The kicks and punches he received triggered his own defense mechanism, and Se-gi was trying to go out since Do-hyun won’t be able to handle the situation. Although Do-hyun wanted to hold to his consciousness and manage the matter on his own, Se-gi offered to take care of it, so he didn’t have to suffer. Do-hyun was barely holding on to himself when one of the thugs hit his head.

The memories started to flood into his mind, and Do-hyun could see clearly the face of the girl who was there with him in the basement. It was little Ri-jin. The clock struck eleven and little Do-hyun realized that it was time for him to go out of the basement. Little Ri-jin pleaded for him not to leave and stay a little longer to play with her, echoing the lines said when Ri-jin had the nightmare. The girl also said that she felt safe when little Do-hyun was there, and the moment resembled a chunk of Do-hyun’s dream before. Little Do-hyun was cautious since she could get into trouble if his father found out about their meeting, and he promised to come again tomorrow.

“Remember, every night at 10 PM, our promised time.”

Do-hyun repeated the line, the familiar line, the line which seemed cheesy when Se-gi first uttered it out loud..the line.

The door to the basement opened and Jun-pyo appeared in front of the terrified kids, with little Ri-jin pleading for her to be forgiven and saved, just like how she pleaded when she was kidnapped. Little Do-hyun tried to use his own body to shield Ri-jin but his father grabbed his collar, tearing the boy apart from the girl.

Se-gi’s memories slowly seeped through Do-hyun’s mind, including his warnings and offers to bear the pain for Do-hyun. His eyes were full of sorrow, and Ri-jin’s plead for Do-hyun not to leave her by herself echoed in his head..

[END of Episode 14]

Just like how Ri-on’s soul left his body after Yo-na’s kiss attack, I felt empty after writing the recap. I couldn’t bring myself to write down any of my thoughts, because I couldn’t think of anything at that moment. The first half of the episode was so sweet and happy it almost felt like a dream for the characters, and the second half is the epitome of pain and heartache. All the warm and shining smiles were replaced with rain, thunderstorms, and typhoons of tears and bated breath…especially for the big boy Do-hyun. Oh, Do-hyun…oh, Do-hyun! What do I do with you, you pitiful man? You sweet but wounded man!

Is it too early for Do-hyun to find out about Ri-jin being the mysterious child he has been searching for all this while? Not really, because to me, if we’re to look at the big picture, the secret is not only about Ri-jin and her mother, Seo-yeon, but it also involves the other family members of Seungjin. We still have so many questions, especially about the people who have passed away and those who are still alive but refuse to open their mouths. It’s probably going to be one hell of a journey for Do-hyun, not only to bring together his shattered self, but also to solve the big puzzle about the secret of his family.

The scene in which Se-gi tried to jump out left me wondering: was he trying to defeat Do-hyun by torturing him with the painful memories, or was he finally giving up the memories to be shared with Do-hyun, after realizing that Do-hyun will be able to handle the truth? I really, really hope that it’s the latter, because to see Se-gi respecting Do-hyun’s decision to face the issue himself will help immensely with the integration of Se-gi into Do-hyun. Do-hyun’s already channeling Se-gi in various aspects, especially in his way of pursuing the secret and also expressing his emotions, but still controlling his mental state during those moments. My biggest wish is to witness Se-gi to become Do-hyun, and Do-hyun living his life to the fullest in his alters’ stead.

But then, another question appears: how will Do-hyun cope with the newly found piece of information in his lost memories? Do-hyun’s eyes were full of sorrow but void of his soul after he realized that Ri-jin was the abused girl, the daughter of his legal mother. If he was so enraged after finding out that the child was the one being abused instead of him, then he would be full of wrath to know that the child was, after all, Ri-jin; the person he cherishes the most at the moment, and the person he wants to protect the most from any harm. He can go to crazy length to avenge her if he wants to, and that makes me curious about his defense mechanism this time. Will he create another alter, who is a mix of him and Se-gi, but with the sole purpose of destroying his own family and finding out the truth for him? Will it be Mr. X? Mr. X, where are you??!

Nana finally made her appearance, and her existence is mind-boggling. She doesn’t seem to have the need to use Do-hyun’s body but she tends to take over him when his mind is at its weakest state, that is after dreaming about his past with little Ri-jin. Is the alter Do-hyun’s manifestation of Ri-jin’s image in his head? I can’t e sure of anything yet, but one thing I know: Nana is the teddy, not the alter.

I think I’ll have to go and talk to the swans again, just to organize my thoughts. Yeah, I just realized that I can talk to swans, and I am a swan whisperer.

(God this drama is slowly turning me into an unstable, impatient, bipolar, insomniac messy girl)

Thanks for the comments! ❤