Who knew that a small and short incident on air could have such lasting effects and impacts? Jung-hoon and Ha-jin continue to find themselves linked to each other in multiple ways and attempt to navigate the complicated situation in all of this together.
Find Me in Your Memory: Episode 2 Recap
Jung-hoon attacks Ha-jin with harsh questions regarding her SNS account of 8.6 million followers. She sure carries a lot of influence as a celebrity, but what’s with the inconsistency in her posts? Supporting one thing and then three months later, withdrawing her support? Why does she keep going back and forth? Ha-jin defends that she does have a reason for her actions, but most important of all, she rather just live simply. She’s a simple person who wants to live a life as simply as counting up to the numbers five or six.
The specific phrase causes Jung-hoon to freeze in his seat and all the memories regarding his first love, Seo-yeon, resurfaces in his mind. Memories of how they first met on the street, of Seo-yeon dancing ballet on stage, of her falling to her death right in front of Jung-hoon. Jung-hoon can’t escape from these memories; It’s as if he’s stuck with them forever.
From Director Choi to Tae-eun to Ha-jin’s team, everyone watches anxious and uncertain as to what’s going on. Technical Director in the control room, Kim Cheol-woong (Lee Seung-joon), barely manages to evade the situation by playing a preview of Ha-jin’s movie in the mean time. Jung-hoon wakes back up after being touched by Ha-jin who had placed her hand on his arm to check in with him. Upon returning to reality, the first thing that Jung-hoon notes to Ha-jin is how Henry David Thoreau was the author of her specific quote which Ha-jin was not aware of. Eventually, the interview is concluded and Ha-jin returns to the waiting room to reunite with her team. Things weren’t that bad.. right?
Except it was. After checking online articles of the mishap, Ha-jin seems to be receiving most of the flack and heat for what happened. Viewers assumed Ha-jin walked off the set after being offended by Jung-hoon’s questions when really the clip of her standing up was only so she could wake Jung-hoon up. While Ha-kyung isn’t so happy with the situation, Ha-jin remains optimistic. She even suggests having a get-together with Jung-hoon later on that day to celebrate the interview, but no one else in the team feels the same way.
Jung-hoon also receives some flack for his actions by Director Choi and Technical Director Kim after the broadcast. In a one-on-one conversation with Director Choi, Jung-hoon reassures her that he is healthy and that his hyperthymesia condition isn’t worsening. Director Choi can’t help but be reminded of the conversation they had two years ago when she first learned about Jung-hoon’s hyperthymesia condition: it’s not that he can remember everything well, it’s rather that he can’t forget anything. This includes past memories that keeps resurfacing and when these past memories come back, the same exact feelings he felt during those times does as well. Fast forward a few years later and Director Choi is concerned that Jung-hoon might make another mistake, but he reassures her that it will never happen again.
Jung-hoon catches up with Tae-eun later on that night. Jung-hoon blames both the alcohol and the specific phrase that Ha-jin mentioned in the interview for his mistake. The phrase caused Jung-hoon to relive memories of him with Seo-yeon and the alcohol on top of that didn’t help either. The two are interrupted by a call from Director Choi who wishes to meet with Jung-hoon despite it being 1AM.
Jung-hoon arrives at a bar restaurant only to find Director Choi and Ha-jin sitting together at a table. OMG, LOL. Director Choi reasons that she brought them together so that they could properly apologize to Ha-jin for the incident earlier that day. Jung-hoon clearly isn’t comfortable around Ha-jin and he cuts short any conversations she attempts to create with him. Even when Director Choi leaves the two behind to go home with her husband (who’s none other than Technical Director Kim), Jung-hoon makes it clear that he doesn’t want to stay alone with Ha-jin. The only thing he takes away from their small chit-chat is that Ha-jin too used to practice ballet just like how Seo-yeon did. Eventually, Jung-hoon accidentally drinking another sip of alcohol for what he assumed was water is the final straw and he attempts to part ways with Ha-jin.
Ha-jin tries to persuade Jung-hoon to stay with her just a little longer. She wants to get to know him better and maybe they can become acquaintances. However, Jung-hoon isn’t interested and it’s obvious that she used Director Choi as a way to get closer to Jung-hoon. She never asked him for consent to become acquainted. The two are eventually interrupted by Ha-kyung who had been searching for Ha-jin and this gives Jung-hoon a reason to leave.
Jung-hoon believes he’s free after making his stance clear with Ha-jin the night before. However, he’s awakened to news by Il-kwon of dating news between him and Ha-jin. While Jung-hoon explains that the photos taken of them the night before means nothing, Ha-jin’s story claims otherwise. It turns out that she confirmed her relationship with Jung-hoon to reporters and stated that they were romantically involved with each other.
Of course, the news spreads quickly and Jung-hoon is swarmed by journalists and his colleagues at the news station. Everyone attempts to receive more information and details from Jung-hoon, but he makes it clear to all his colleagues that contrary to the articles, he and Ha-jin are not dating. Jung-hoon explains to Director Choi that he would put out an article to deny the dating news, but that would make him look bad. However Jung-hoon chooses to do it, Director Choi warns Jung-hoon that their news station shouldn’t be affected at all.
Thanks to Il-kwon, Jung-hoon receives Ha-jin’s personal phone number and gets in contact with her to discuss about the dating news. However, Ha-jin takes advantage of the phone call and uses it as an opportunity to show off their relationship. While preparing for a street interview with ‘Section TV’, Ha-jin puts Jung-hoon on speaker so that the host and fans of hers can clearly hear him. Eventually, Jung-hoon falls into the pressure and pretends to cheer Ha-jin on before the phone call ends. He’s so done with everyone LOL.
Back in his office, Tae-eun catches up on the news article revealing Ha-jin’s relationship with Jung-hoon. In a conversation with one of the nurses, she follows up about Ha-jin’s consultation with Tae-eun and whether Jung-hoon is aware of Ha-jin’s medical condition. Tae-eun warns for the nurse to not speak about it. Later on that day, Tae-eun briefly meets with his dad who requests for the test results from Jung-hoon’s check-up. However, Tae-eun doesn’t have anything for his dad since Jung-hoon has yet to complete his tests.
The rivalry between Ha-jin and Go Yura hasn’t ended just quite yet. While visiting a shop to try on some sponsored clothes, Ha-jin encounters Yura at the same spot. However, this time, Ha-jin doesn’t back down and she sets things straight with Yura. Ha-jin returns to the van while Ha-kyung takes care of the situation with Yura. Ha-kyung reminds Ha-jin not to post anything on social media or to take any phone calls from reporters.
Jung-hoon is fed up with all the talk regarding the dating news so he meets up late at night with Ha-jin to talk about it. They meet up in Jung-hoon’s car near the river and discuss the situation. Ha-jin admits that she’s interested in Jung-hoon and would like to start seeing him, but she’s rejected by Jung-hoon. He’s still not over his first love so he doesn’t want to see Ha-jin or anyone else at the moment. The two eventually agree to keep the dating news going for now to help promote Ha-jin’s movie for the next two weeks. When the two weeks expire, they’ll release an article about their break-up and things will end. Jung-hoon also adds that it’ll be best if they aren’t seen too often with each other since they’ll be releasing break-up articles in two weeks anyways, but right as he says that, journalists capture photos of the two in Jung-hoon’s car. The two speed away to escape from the journalists. Yikes!
During the car ride, it begins to snow and Jung-hoon is suddenly reminded of the moment he witnessed Seo-yeon drop to her death right in front of him. He was also driving in the snow on that night. He recalls getting out of his car, frantically walking over to Seo-yeon, and holding her in his arms as he calls out her name. It’s too much for Jung-hoon to process in the present and he requests for Ha-jin to leave after stopping the car. However, Ha-jin refuses so Jung-hoon himself steps out of the car to catch a breath.
Ha-jin chases after him and assumes he’s just playing around with her. Just because she expressed interest in him doesn’t mean he can treat her however he likes. Jung-hoon denies her accusations, but doesn’t clarify any further. Ha-jin adds that her feelings for him began back in the studio on the day of their interview. It was the look that he gave her after she touched his arm. It was the pain evident in his eyes as he stared back at her; the silence that echoed throughout the studio that spoke volumes about his emotions. Ha-jin repeats another phrase similar to the same one that Seo-yeon mentioned to Jung-hoon back when they were still together years ago: we say more things in silence than the words we say out loud.
Upon hearing her voice the phrase, Jung-hoon’s piercing and painful eyes shoot at Ha-jin and Ha-jin can’t help but notice that he’s giving her the same exact look that he did back in the studio. While all of this is going on, Doctor Tae-eun reflects on his consultation with Ha-jin years ago. During their appointment, she had expressed depressing and suicidal feelings to him.. words of wishing that she could just disappear as if she never existed.
Unable to deny the eerie comparisons between Ha-jin and Seo-yeon, Jung-hoon questions if Ha-jin knows someone by the name of Jung Seo-yeon, but Ha-jin doesn’t recognize the name. However, as we will see, Ha-jin was affiliated with Seo-yeon in a way: they were best friends back in high school. In Ha-jin’s patient folder that Tae-eun has hidden back at home is a photo of Ha-jin with Seo-yeon taken back when they were in high school.
My Thoughts:
WHAT IS GOING ON?! WHAT IS HAPPENING?! That’s my only reaction in all of this. LOL. I can’t comprehend what is going because there’s so much that’s happening and not happening all at once.
This episode was a REALLY interesting follow-up to the first episode. While the first episode did a wonderful job in introducing to viewers the lives of our leads Ha-jin and Jung-hoon, this second episode felt a little empty. It primarily focused on the dating news between Ha-jin and Jung-hoon and I’m not sure if there’s going to be more to all of this time spent focusing on a pretty much non-existent relationship. Why did the episode focus so much of its time on the dating scandal when there’s a lot more content that the drama could have focused on (e.g.: Jung-hoon’s relationship with Seo-yeon)? There was just a lot of back and forth going on between Jung-hoon and Ha-jin in this episode, and that’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy watching the funny antics that happened between the two, but I hope that there’s more to all of this than just the jokes and fun.
Episode two fell a little flat to me after what was a great premiere episode and I’m hoping there’s more to come out of this whole dating thing. In a way, I wished episode two would have followed a similar format and routine as episode one: giving us hilarious and funny scenes involving our characters but also hinting to us of Ha-jin and Jung-hoon’s backstory. Sure, now that Ha-jin and Jung-hoon are in a fake relationship, I assume they’re going to eventually and actually fall in love with each other during the two weeks that they are “together”, but why did we have to watch an entire episode of just that? The remaining five minutes of this episode was packed with so much content (new content as well) and it would have been great if we got all of this throughout the second half than all at once at the ending. I can’t seem to quite understand why the episode was primarily focused on the dating relationship when episode one gave us great insight on Jung-hoon’s hyperthymesia condition and life as well as Ha-jin’s struggle as a celebrity. Maybe there is more to what we saw in this episode and the drama is needed an entire episode to build up on something bigger and better? Hopefully? *crosses finger*
Despite my disappointment with this second episode, it was interesting to see that there’s some kind of connection between Ha-jin and Seo-yeon (I mean, there has to be after all the eerie similarities between the two) and that Ha-jin herself suffers from a condition. What that specifically is is yet to be known, but now we understand that there is a reason for why Ha-jin keeps repeating similar phrases that Seo-yeon did to Jung-hoon back when she was alive. It seems like Ha-jin has memory loss, but it’s difficult to pinpoint why she doesn’t remember Seo-yeon but unknowingly and unconsciously does remember similar phrases and quotes that Seo-yeon also said. There is more to Ha-jin than just the pretty, popular, and honest celebrity and I’m excited to see what her particular backstory is, especially in relation to Seo-yeon.
The drama has continuously emphasized the scenes with Seo-yeon, especially the scene of her falling to her death in front of Jung-hoon. Upon rewatching the scene of her falling, I’m not sure if her falling was an act of suicide or if she was pushed by someone out the window. We don’t know too much about her other than that she danced ballet (just like Ha-jin) and that she was Jung-hoon’s first love who he clearly is still not over yet. I wonder if his inability to move on from Seo-yeon is actually because he still does love her and only want her or if it’s because he literally can’t move on: his past memories of them together keeps resurfacing in his mind every time and there’s no way of escaping from those horrid nightmares.
It was also nice to see that Tae-eun will be playing a much bigger role in all of this than what we saw in episode one. He is well aware of Ha-jin’s life and her condition (which could explain for why she followed him on social media possibly — they knew each other because of her consultation) and he serves as Jung-hoon’s doctor. He knows things about the both of them that they both don’t know about each other so it’ll be interesting to see how that unfolds later on throughout the drama.
I no longer watch the previews for upcoming episodes (because it kills me to wait another whole week until the next episode is released) so I hope the next episode will continue to feed us with hints about Seo-yeon’s involvement in both Jung-hoon and Ha-jin’s life. She seems to be the connecting link to Jung-hoon and Ha-jin at this point. Though she is no longer present, her heavy absence can be clearly felt.
Extra screenshots from the episode~
MaryMeKpop 