MaryMeKpop

Life comes with its challenges and difficulties but there are also positive moments. There’s sometimes a ray of light or glimpse of hope that appears at the most unexpected time. To Mok-ha and Ran-joo, they found that hope in each other and they gave each other the motivation to keep swimming in life. 

Castaway Diva Episode 3: Cooler Box vs. Drone

The episode starts off by showing a moment when Mok-ha was still on the deserted island. Things were dim, bleak, and hopeless for Mok-ha and she had reached her limit. She approaches the edge of the cliff and jumps down into the deep sea water. No one will come save her and this is the end of everything. But just when it seems like all hope is lost, Mok-ha discovers something floating right above her. So she swims back up for air and grabs onto the chest cooler nearby. When she arrives back on shore with the cooler, she opens it and is surprised at what she finds inside. Meanwhile, Ran-joo too was in a similar situation after she received surgery for her vocal cords. She’s also close to jumping off the rooftop of the hospital building but she changes her mind at the last second and retreats to safety.

In the present, CEO Lee Seo-joon gives a talk on stage about the rebranding of his entertainment company, RnJ Entertainment which now stands for Rhythm and Joy Entertainment. At the same time that he’s doing that, Ran-joo is busy writing a letter of apology to her fans. She’s not so sure how much longer she can hold out. In a phone call with CEO Lee shortly afterwards, it’s clear that Ran-joo doesn’t have much going for her. The only type of schedules she can get are local events. TV shows are hard to come by. Even the landlords for the semi-basement room that she’s living in has also quit being her fan. Ran-joo doesn’t have any source of income or money flowing in so she has no choice but to accept any rare opportunities that arrive. And that opportunity was none other than her performance at the Deodeok Village Festival which revived her career. She was close to calling it quits and running away but the positive reaction from the crowd and Mok-ha’s appearance in her life changed her mind. She can’t give it up all now. She has to keep going.

After the performance, Bo-geol and Dong-min meet with Manager Park in hopes of recruiting her for their show. But Manager Park isn’t so willing and he declines their request to meet with Ran-joo and to appear on their show. She’s busy having a fan meet and greet with none other than Mok-ha. Mok-ha receives closure on what happened 15 years ago with the fan video contest. Turns out Ran-joo did watch her music video and also showed up to the old Seoul station that they agreed to meet at. Ran-joo still remembers Mok-ha and hasn’t forgotten about her. It’s unfortunate how things unfolded for Mok-ha. She could have been the next big thing who was trained and selected by Ran-joo. Instead, another girl was selected and she transformed into superstar Eun Mo-rae.

Mok-ha bids farewell to Ran-joo after the festival ends. Once Ran-joo leaves, Mok-ha and Woo-hak bicker with each other over the harsh reality. The truth is that Mok-ha could have been in Eun Mo-rae’s spot instead. She should have been the one who showed up at the audition to sing in front of Ran-joo. She should have been selected to be the next superstar. It should have been Mok-ha. But because Ki-ho couldn’t stop Mok-ha’s father from entering the ferry, everything went wrong. Just as the two continue to argue, Ran-joo reappears a few minutes later. Manager Park actually needs to go pick up Eun Mo-rae with the company van so she asks for a ride back to Seoul. Haha.

Woo-hak still isn’t thrilled about how Mok-ha’s chances of stardom were ruined. Since he’s still convinced he’s Ki-ho, he claims that he should have fought harder back then to stop Mok-ha’s dad from getting onto the ferry. At the same time that he’s ranting to Bo-geol, he also accidentally slips the fact that Mok-ha is staying in the room on the rooftop so both brothers stop by. They catch Mok-ha and Ran-joo dancing to one of Ran-joo’s songs together and the situation turns awkward. But Bo-geol formally introduces himself to both Mok-ha and Ran-joo and he leaves just as quickly as he arrived. Mok-ha shares with Ran-joo her story of how she was rescued by both brothers. Life on the deserted island was difficult; she thought of ending it all during her sixth year on the island. But just when she thought of dying, a chest cooler with ramen stashed inside saved her life and gave her motivation to keep living. Then she eventually was discovered by Bo-geol and Woo-hak and then now she’s with Ran-joo.

It’s Ran-joo’s turn to share her story to Mok-ha and she confesses about her vocal nodules. She got surgery without anyone knowing and her vocals no longer sounded the same. Unable to sing, Ran-joo lost not only her voice but also her fans and her career went down the drain. She too thought of ending everything but she encountered her own chest cooler – Mok-ha – who gave her the motivation to keep going. So with that, the two celebrate their new beginnings with each other by drinking some Deodeok wine. Haha.

Ki-ho’s dad meets with Dae-woong who is now an insurance agent. Ki-ho’s dad is interested in buying some life insurance since he’s still adamant that Ki-ho is alive. There’s still hope for Ki-ho given that Mok-ha was just recently found alive after 15 years. Plus, with Mok-ha still alive, that means that Ki-ho must know and he’ll eventually look after Mok-ha. Dae-woong panics after his meeting with Ki-ho’s dad and he calls his wife, Young-joo (aww, Dae-woong and Young-joo got married!), to discuss what they should do next. They contemplate on contacting Ki-ho or Mok-ha to notify them about Ki-ho’s dad. Hmm, interesting.

The next morning, Ran-joo wakes up to find herself on the couch in Bo-geol and Woo-hak’s parents’ house. Wait, what exactly happened? Why is Mok-ha referring to her as her mentor/sunbae? So with that, Ran-joo rewinds to the night before when she and Mok-ha had a little too much to drink. They video called CEO Lee and introduced Mok-ha to the guy, they had a role playing session where Mok-ha won a Grammy award and thanked Ran-joo as her mentor/sunbae, and they also sang about chest coolers. It was a wild, wild night that even Bo-geol and Woo-hak couldn’t escape from. Embarrassed, Ran-joo goes out to the rooftop to scold herself for her actions and behavior. It’s then that she also receives a phone call from CEO Lee who questions her about her comments from the night before. Setting up an audition for Mok-ha? Was she serious about that?

Bo-geol isn’t the biggest fan of all of Ran-joo and Mok-ha’s shenanigans but he’ll put up with it for now. He, Mok-ha, and Woo-hak make their way up to the rooftop to where Ran-joo is conversing with CEO Lee about Mok-ha’s audition. She pleads for him to make some time to listen to Mok-ha’s singing; she made a promise to Mok-ha while she was drunk and she’s certain that CEO Lee won’t regret it. So CEO Lee makes some time in his schedule to fit Mok-ha’s audition. Mok-ha, Woo-hak, and Bo-geol hide from Ran-joo after overhearing her phone conversation with CEO Lee. 15 years ago, Mok-ha felt like Ran-joo lacked any concerns or worries or gloominess. Fast forward to the present and it’s obvious things have changed. What exactly caused these changes?

Ran-joo celebrates news of Mok-ha’s audition with some cake. She hypes up CEO Lee to Mok-ha and is confident that the audition will go well. Mok-ha is in tears at how much Ran-joo believes in her. Why would Ran-joo go to these lengths for her? Meanwhile, Ki-ho’s father’s search for his son continues. He learns from Yong-gu and Jae-sik that Mok-ha had recently visited with Woo-hak and he’s handed Woo-hak’s business card. He now knows where Woo-hak (and Bo-geol) works. Speaking of work, Manager Park is brought in to talk with Main PD Hong and Bo-geol about their show. They still wish to cast Ran-joo as a guest but Manager Park is hesitant and reluctant. He goes as far as to claim that he visited Ran-joo’s house earlier that morning to persuade her to join but she wouldn’t budge. This comment in particular sticks out to Bo-geol but he doesn’t say anything back. Manager Park’s determination to keep Ran-joo away from the popular TV show is in large part due to CEO Lee who wants to keep Ran-joo hidden and away from the spotlight. He wants his agency to himself and he requests that Manager Park hold out for six more months until Ran-joo’s contract expires.

It’s time for Mok-ha’s audition so Mok-ha and Ran-joo head to RnJ’s headquarters to prepare. Upon arriving, they find that the old RJ logo has been switched to the new one. They also discover that CEO Lee won’t actually have time for the audition after all. He cuts straight to the point and turns down Mok-ha’s audition. In a private conversation with Ran-joo (that Mok-ha can still hear from not too far away), CEO Lee uses Mok-ha’s age as an excuse. In the entertainment industry, Mok-ha would be considered too old to be a singer. Instead, she can be Ran-joo’s manager but Ran-joo disagrees. She’s upset and frustrated at CEO Lee’s suggestion. Mok-ha imagines herself drowning in a sea of water just like she did 9 years ago. In her message to Ki-ho, she notes,

Ki-ho, have you heard of the term ‘truth bomb’? They coined it while I was stranded. It means to attack someone with the truth. I didn’t get it at first but I totally do now. Swearing or shouting at someone doesn’t bring them down. It’s stating the facts. The truth. I can’t even argue since they’re right. I have no choice but to just take it.

I finally understand why Ran-joo’s fallen so much. She’s been assaulted with the truth for the past 15 years. But you know what? Why does that obnoxious man only say things that dispirit her? Does he hate her? Or.. he’s afraid.

And just like she did 9 years ago, Mok-ha swims up to the surface for air after she notices a chest cooler floating above her. Ran-joo and CEO Lee continue to go at it with each other but Mok-ha intervenes to accept the opportunity. She’ll become Ran-joo’s manager. So with that, CEO Lee leaves for his meeting and Mok-ha stays behind with Ran-joo to share some of her observations. CEO Lee is terrified of Ran-joo and the fact that she could become successful in selling 20 million albums. That’s what he’s afraid of which is why he neglected her the entire time.

Woo-hak and Bo-geol wait outside the RnJ headquarters for both ladies – Woo-hak for Mok-ha and Bo-geol for Ran-joo. But it’s only Mok-ha who exits the building and she recruits both brothers to help her. When they return home, they add up all the sales from Ran-joo’s albums. She’s close to hitting her 20 million mark and needs to sell about 87,000 albums left to get half of RnJ Entertainment’s shares. The caveat is that she only has six months left until her contract expires. But Ran-joo is confident she can get it done and in a confrontation with CEO Lee in front of his investors, she exposes the truth about him. She’ll sell her 20 million albums so that half of the shares will eventually go to her. As for Mok-ha? Her position as Ran-joo’s manager officially starts that day. Her dreams of auditioning and becoming a singer will come true once Ran-joo succeeds with her 20 million album sales.

So Mok-ha books her first gig for Ran-joo as a manager and it’s none other than Bo-geol’s variety show, ‘Heyday Again.’ Yaaaay! While Ran-joo and Mok-ha discuss what song to sing on the show, Ran-joo suggests that they go with ‘That Night.’ Similar to the village festival, Mok-ha can sing the song for Ran-joo and maybe it’ll help her be one step closer to finding Ki-ho. The song lyrics were from an interaction that middle schooler Ki-ho had with Ran-joo back when Mok-ha had gone missing. He pleaded for Ran-joo to treat Mok-ha well and to give her a hug and to listen out to her if she and Mok-ha were to ever meet. That was his way of hoping to ever find Mok-ha. And so Ran-joo wrote ‘That Night’ after this interaction with Ki-ho. It only seems fitting that Mok-ha sings it when Ran-joo appears on ‘Heyday Again.’

And so Mok-ha practices singing the song while sitting outside on the rooftop of the house. Both Woo-hak and Bo-geol watch as Mok-ha sings her heart out. Scenes of young Ki-ho visiting the different locations that he and Mok-ha visited for her music video are shown on the screen and we also catch a glimpse of Mok-ha waiting for Ki-ho at the old Seoul Station with the compass on the ground. Just like Ki-ho waited for her all these years, she now anxiously waits for him.