MaryMeKpop

Love is in the air on everyone’s favorite holiday: Christmas! While Jin-mi and Min-hyuk attempt to navigate the next level of their relationship, our two brothers attempt to navigate their rivalry over Seung-ah who’s giving both guys mixed signals.

Dae Jang-geum is Watching Episode 11: Silent Night, the Night We Confess our Love

• 

• 

Seung-ah knits a red muffler safely in her own apartment. She then receives a text in her work group chat from Manager Lee who reminds everyone about the gift exchanging event they’ll be having at work the next day. Seung-ah motivates herself to work hard on the muffler in the case that San-hae chooses it. However, Seung-ah is also reminded of Jung-sik and his confession that occurred the night before. That night before he left to go back home, Jung-sik confessed to Seung-ah and added that he’ll be waiting for her response to his confession on Christmas. He too sends her a text to remind her.

It’s Christmas Eve! At the office, all the employees place their gifts under the tree. Won Bin ends up confronting San-hae about his assumptions that Seung-ah and San-hae are a couple which San-hae adamantly denies. Won Bin dismisses San-hae’s claims and adds that he is against Seung-ah and San-hae’s romance with each other. Speaking of Seung-ah, she is forced to change back into her regular clothes after dressing up at work as Santa Claus just like Manager Lee. Lol.

Won Bin and Manager Lee devise a plan to prevent Seung-ah and San-hae from picking each other’s gifts. Instead, they both hope that their gifts will be picked up respectively by their crushes. With that, the two join the others and begin the Secret Santa event. After playing a game of rock-paper-scissors, they all decide on the order to pick gifts. Manager Lee’s plan is ruined when one of the male employees chooses San-hae’s gift. Things only get worse when Seung-ah chooses someone else’s gift. With both plans having failed, Won Bin and Manager Lee decide to come up with another plan. Manager Lee has to swap gifts with the other employees so that she can somehow obtain San-hae’s gift or so that he’ll get her gift.

Jin-mi and Jung-sik set up the Christmas tree at home. Both are in a good mood because of their romantic relationships. Jin-mi is dating Min-hyuk while Jung-sik plans on meeting with Seung-ah on Christmas. However, things are peaceful between them for only so long before the two break out into another fight. Haha. Back at the office, it hits lunch time so our team heads out for lunch. Since San-hae’s gift wasn’t chosen by Seung-ah, he’s unable to grab lunch with her that day. Though San-hae feels a little down and disappointed that he can’t have lunch with Seung-ah at a top steak restaurant, he makes the most of his time.

However, it turns out that Seung-ah had switched gifts with the guy who originally chose San-hae’s gift so she’s able to join San-hae for lunch. YAAAAY! She arrives at the same restaurant as San-hae and sits across from him as they order their food. They discuss about the Secret Santa event and ponder over the gift that Seung-ah had chosen originally before exchanging it. It was a voucher for a cafe, but since she had exchanged gifts, she’s not so sure what the voucher was for.

It turns out the voucher was from Won Bin and he had organized a blind date in the dark at the cafe. Unlike what he and Manager Lee originally planned, she ends up obtaining his voucher after a series of gift exchanges and swaps. Since they’re together at the cafe anyways, they spend time together and participate in the games that Won Bin had planned. Hahaha. Back at the restaurant, Seung-ah and San-hae enjoy their steaks. While eating, Seung-ah receives another text from Jung-sik reminding her about their date the next day. Reading the text as well as eating the steak reminds Seung-ah of Jung-sik and she notes to San-hae how different Jung-sik is from San-hae. He misunderstands Seung-ah’s words and assumes Seung-ah was comparing them both, but Seung-ah was just simply commenting that Jung-sik and San-hae are charming in their own ways. Haha.

• 

• 

While eating, Seung-ah suggests that they take a photo together as proof that they utilized the vouchers from the gift. In the process of doing so, Seung-ah accidentally burns her hand from the hot sizzling plate which San-hae quickly grabs and treats. San-hae holding Seung-ah’s hand reminds her of when Jung-sik would hold her hand in the past which causes her to giggle and share the story with San-hae. San-hae merely brushes it off, but he begins to get paranoid (and I am too). Eventually, the two pay for their food using the vouchers and exit. Seung-ah receives another text from Jung-sik asking if she plans on going to their meet-up the next night.

At home, Jung-sik ponders over what to give Seung-ah as a gift. Jin-mi advises him to give her something simple and sensible that best represents his character and personality. With that, she leaves to meet up with Min-hyuk. For his cooking show and livestream, Jung-sik decides to make some strawberry pie for the holidays. He shows his viewers the ingredients needed for the dessert as well as how to prepare and bake the dish. Of course, he daydreams about Seung-ah in the process and what baking with her would have been like. Eventually, he wakes up from his daydreaming and returns to reality to finish baking the pie.

Jin-mi spends some time with Min-hyuk at their entertainment agency’s building. However, since Jin-mi’s nose bleeds when she’s around him, she warns him to stay at least a few feet away from her just in case. However, Min-hyuk finds it difficult to do since he worries for her every time her nose bleeds. The two eventually create their own set of dating rules as well as love language for each other so as to not make it obvious that they’re dating. If they were discovered to be dating, they would get into deep trouble for it by their company. Of course, since the two are also at the convenience store, they have some food together with Jin-mi’s special recipe. Min-hyuk is so happy and in love with Jin-mi he unexpectedly gives her a kiss on the cheeks despite Jin-mi’s warning for him to tell her ahead of time when he’s going to physically touch her. Jin-mi pouts and complains, lol.

It’s Christmas! Jung-sik prepares for his date with Seung-ah at a cafe and brings with him the pie and wine that he made for Seung-ah. Jin-mi herself is busy spending time with Min-hyuk on the special day while San-hae stays behind at home by himself. However, seeing both of his siblings out and about inspires him to contact Seung-ah and invite her for the movie date that they originally were supposed to go on. Seung-ah unfortunately declines the movie date with San-hae as she already has plans to meet with Jung-sik that night at 9PM.

So while Seung-ah waits for Jung-sik at the cafe, Jung-sik makes his way to the cafe. On the way there, he bumps into a man while crossing the street, but the crosswalk light suddenly turns red. Jung-sik eventually gets hit by a truck (NOOOO not THE truck) and is rushed to the hospital. Upon learning the news, Seung-ah also rushes over to the hospital to check up on Jung-sik. Thankfully, he isn’t too hurt and he wakes up to a frightened and tearful Seung-ah by his side. San-hae also makes his way to the hospital to visit his brother, but he quickly hides after finding Seung-ah there first. He listens in on their conversation carefully as Jung-sik and Seung-ah talk to each other.

Seeing Seung-ah worry over Jung-sik causes Jung-sik to assume Seung-ah likes him. He brings up his confession to her once again and kindly asks for her response to his feelings. Does he like her or not? How does she feel about him? Seung-ah hesitates as she gathers her thoughts to speak her mind. San-hae stands not too far away in anticipation of what Seung-ah will say.

• 

• 

The ending poem for the episode recites:

The night of confession, the night of eavesdropping, the night of deep sorrow. When your face and eyes feel somewhat unfamiliar, what should I do then? What should you do then?

My Thoughts:

I don’t even know why I’m SO scared that Seung-ah and San-hae might not end up together. Maybe it’s just that the drama has slowly been giving Seung-ah and Jung-sik a lot more time and interactions with each other the last few episodes so I’m frightened that she might actually have suffered a change of heart and have fallen for Jung-sik. I don’t know. I’m just being super paranoid right now because I so desperately want San-hae and Seung-ah to end up together and maybe they will end up together, but I’m just being doubtful and paranoid. Gaaah, watching that ending scene killed me because Seung-ah was with Jung-sik rather than San-hae. Granted, she should be with him since he got injured and things could have possibly been worse, but still! I really hope Seung-ah doesn’t forget that a whole San-hae exists as well.

• 

• 

I’m not even angry over the fact that Jung-sik got run over the Truck of Doom. It’s so common in K-Dramaland nowadays that I’m more surprised when the character doesn’t show up in a drama. Similar to the burglar in the last episode, the truck in this episode was used as a plot device to test Seung-ah’s feelings for San-hae and to tease viewers into not knowing who Seung-ah was going to choose. I sort of hate the drama for putting me through this agony and pain and suffering. The drama has been pushing and pulling us with this love triangle (purposely) and has actually been devoting a lot more time into it than I originally thought. I never expected it to take up so much time in the latter half of the drama or for it to be dragged out this long. I kind of have a feeling that the drama ran out of ideas and didn’t know what to do so it decided to just focus on the love triangle and place it as the primary plot which is unfortunate. There could have been other things the drama could have chosen to focus on, but it went down a direction that I think anyone would have been fine without. I don’t think any of us even wanted to see a love triangle unfold on the show so watching it only made things worse. Oh drama, why did thou do this to us?

The hilarious antic in this episode was the Secret Santa gift which was fun and entertaining (and a little confusing with all the gift swaps and exchanges). Manager Lee and Won Bin remain comedic and entertaining all throughout and I think we were more than aware that they were eventually going to somehow get each other’s gift. Still, as expected as this, it was still fun watching them enjoy their date in the dark at the cafe. The two will probably end up as a couple by the next episode and that will be totally fine (they match each other anyways).

• 

• 

Now I’m dying to watch the next (and last) episode to see what Seung-ah’s response to Jung-sik is and to see who she ends up with. I shouldn’t even be this invested and SCARED of the love triangle, but I am and I hate it. I desperately want Seung-ah and San-hae to be together, and I’m totally going to be so disappointed in the drama if it pulls a ‘Reply’ on us and gives us something else. If this happens, I’ll be so angry I won’t know what I’ll do or how I’ll feel (please, can we just have a drama where the couple set up to be the primary couple at the beginning is actually the main couple by the end?). ‘Dae Jang-geum is Watching’ has been an enjoyable (and interesting) watch so far and I hope the last episode doesn’t diminish the original satisfaction and love I had for it this entire time.

Bonus: Extra screenshots~

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•