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Gyeom’s life may be a melo movie but there’s plenty of things happening behind the scenes. For Gyeom, Joon is that reliable, strong, and caring older brother who he needs and wants in his life. But there’s much more to Joon’s story that even he did not know about.

Melo Movie Episode 7: Thanks for the Adventure Now Go Have a New One

Gyeom reflects on his bond with his brother. Joon was suddenly thrown into the role as Gyeom’s guardian at the young age of 20. He wasn’t expecting it but he did what he had to to take care of Gyeom. He was never the type to be surprised by anything nor did anything make him happy. He was also never greedy for anything in life. Joon was always kind to everyone, especially to little kids. But there were times when he would get lost deep in his thoughts which made it hard for people to understand him. The only things that made him feel any emotion were movies where he would cry a bunch of tears. Once again, Joon was never the type to get surprised by anything – even when he got into a car accident where his car plunged into the river.

So Gyeom goes out to test what really happened that night that Joon got into a car accident. Police claim it was due to the fog and rain but no matter how many times Gyeom goes out to drive his car in the similar conditions that Joon did, it just doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t add up. It’s confusing because there’s no CCTV cameras nearby and the black box on Joon’s car shows that there were no other cars nearby. It seems as if Joon never really wanted to live. Gyeom’s in disbelief at his discovery and he vents his feelings out in his journal.

In the present, Joon shares an update with Gyeom about his health. He’s been skipping his therapy sessions which explains his recent behavior in random tumbles and drowsiness. Gyeom listens to his brother but he doesn’t buy it. Instead, he just proceeds to quietly eat his breakfast. After breakfast, Gyeom sits outside in the front yard to get some fresh air and think through things. Lucky for him, Moo-bi exits her house and drops by to quickly visit. Upon seeing Moo-bi, Gyeom immediately walks over to his girlfriend to give her a hug (omg I wanted to cry during this scene!). They chat for a bit about nicknames for each other and then go on a walk since there’s still some time left until Moo-bi has to go to work.

Joon wakes up to find Jeong-hoo at his house since Gyeom stepped out for a bit. His condition still isn’t the best and he has to sit down before falling. Jeong-hoo checks in on Joon but Joon reassures him that he’s okay. The truth though is that Joon’s physical health is deteriorating and if he doesn’t undergo treatment, he can possibly die. Once Moo-bi arrives at the office, she meets with Joo-Ah to go over the movie script. She also meets with Si-joon to discuss the music for the movie and Moo-bi teases Si-joon about his relationship with Joo-Ah. But Moo-bi herself isn’t safe as Si-joon also knows about her romantic relationship with Gyeom. Though Moo-bi had wanted to keep it a secret from Joo-Ah, Joo-Ah ends up finding out a few seconds later too. Joo-Ah never left the office even though she wasn’t involved in Moo-bi and Si-joon’s meeting and she overheard the part about Moo-bi and Gyeom dating each other. Haha.

Speaking of Gyeom, he stops by Mom’s meat market to confirm the dating rumors between him and Moo-bi. It’s true. They’re dating. Mom’s a bit confused at first because she had just heard from Moo-bi earlier that morning that they weren’t dating but she quickly accepts the news. She interrogates Gyeom for a bit. What’s his weakness? When Gyeom answers that he sometimes has too many thoughts, Mom adds that it’s not a weakness. So Gyeom elaborates that he doesn’t know how to resolve those thoughts. Mom then gives him some helpful advice, saying,

“Good people end up falling sick. Share your thoughts with others from time to time. Try saying mean and pathetic things too. That can help resolve them. Someone might even try to help.”

Joo-Ah hangs around with Si-joon and the two former lovers go out to grab some udon together. Si-joon’s a fast eater and he finishes his food first so Joo-Ah comments that he can leave if he wants. He used to not like waiting for her to finish her food back when they dated. This then prompts Joo-Ah to bring up a bunch of other things that she did with Si-joon in the past that she wasn’t the biggest fan of. Whether it was watching Star Wars or soccer or building legos, she did all of these things because she liked Si-joon. But they’re no longer together, things have changed, and she fell out of love with him. There’s nothing between them now.

Gyeom, Joon, and Jeong-hoo head out for some dinner at a restaurant. On the way out, they encounter Moo-bi so she’s invited to join them since she doesn’t have any friends (and the one friend she did have, Gyeom stole him from her LOL). So the four make their way to a restaurant and Jeong-hoo has a hard time accepting Gyeom and Moo-bi’s relationship (this scene was sooo cute. I repeated it like a dozen times.. it feels like the actors were ad-libbing in the last few seconds of the scene). Meanwhile, Si-joon and Joo-Ah do some reflecting that night. Si-joon watches Joo-Ah’s favorite movie that she mentioned earlier at the udon restaurant.

Joon proposes to Gyeom that they go on a trip. Gyeom’s a bit surprised by the idea but he happily abides and the two brothers take a drive in his red car. Joon also engages in a bunch of other activities such as spending time with Sang-sik, Si-joon, and Joo-Ah at Sang-sik’s bar and watching movies with Gyeom, Moo-bi, and the crew. At one point during the movie, Gyeom peeks at his brother and notices that Joon is actually showing emotions. He’s smiling while watching the movie which Gyeom isn’t so sure how to feel about. Gyeom chats with Moo-bi on the phone while she’s driving to scout a location for her movie. She shares how proud she is of him for taking care of Joon. It’s no easy feat. If Gyeom ever needs someone to vent to or talk to, he can go to her. She’ll be there for him.

That night, Gyeom and Joon have a heart-to-heart talk inside the house (oh noooo, it’s this scene! I already finished the drama so I know what this scene is about. I’m going to cryyy). Gyeom’s observation of Joon’s strange behavior continues so he confronts his brother about it. Why does Joon suddenly want to go on a trip and do all these other things? It’s not like him at all. Joon argues that it’s because he’s never done them before so he finally wants to try but Gyeom feels like it’s odd that he seems to be rushing and cramming everything all at once. The whistling sound of the tea kettle interrupts the tension between the two for a few seconds and Gyeom goes over to pour some tea into their mugs. But the peace is short-lived. Joon admits that he’s preparing Gyeom just in case. Just in case he passes away and leaves early. This frustrates Gyeom. He did so much to take care of Joon after his accident and now his brother is preparing him for his death? Once again, Joon is doing all of this for Gyeom’s sake and Gyeom is tired of it. The hot water from the tea spills onto Gyeom’s hand but all he can think about is his brother. He finally musters the courage to ask the question that had been plaguing him this entire time,

“Have you ever wanted to die? Or should I put it this way? Have you ever wanted to live?”

Joon answers that yes, he does want to live. But Gyeom doesn’t buy it. Joon can do whatever he wants. He can live if he wants. He can die if he wants. But for Gyeom? He’s going to do whatever he can to keep his brother alive. He can’t go on without his brother. When Moo-bi arrives home later that night in the pouring rain, she finds Gyeom standing outside alone on the street waiting for her. She steps outside of the car and although Gyeom is already soaking wet, she takes her umbrella and uses it to cover the both of them as they walk to their houses. The painful night concludes.

A couple of mornings later, Jeong-hoo helps Gyeom pack some of Joon’s belongings before they head out to visit him at the hospital. Gyeom takes a brief break to read Joon’s journal entry after originally mistaking the journal to be his. Joon writes,

“I thought I had no such thing as a will of my own. But, Gyeom, you used to call out to me when you were crying as if it had always been the two of us against the world. I think that was the day. For the first time ever, I had something called a will of my own. And I chose you, Gyeom.

The responsibility would weigh on me at times. But I never regretted it once. You were the only thing that kept me going. You gave me many surprising moments and many moments of happiness. I often got angry without you knowing. There were a lot of things that I liked and wanted to do. And I did have a friend who I clicked with very well.

Gyeom, sometimes my life made me feel like I was in water. I was unable to tell if I was sinking or floating. I was just at a loss. And the foolish mistake I made back then.. was the one thing I wanted to hide from you. There’s only one reason I open my eyes every morning.

I really do want to live again now, Gyeom.”

Joon’s journal entry rewinds to the time when Gyeom was still a young child. Joon’s only reason for living was for Gyeom. He worked endlessly to make ends meet and he was known as Gyeom’s brother. Everything that he did, he did for his little brother. Whether it was watching movies or teaching Gyeom how to ride a bike or being there for Gyeom when he got beat up at school, Joon was always there for Gyeom. They only had each other. When Joon woke up at the hospital after his car accident, grown-up Gyeom was sitting in front of him. But for a split second, Joon imagined that it was little Gyeom who was the one sitting next to his side at the hospital and shedding tears for him. To Joon, Gyeom will always be his little brother.

Gyeom cries upon reading his brother’s journal entry. There’s a photo of Joon with Gyeom at Gyeom’s high school graduation sitting on Joon’s desk and we’re shown the exact memory of how this photo came about. Times were much simpler and happier back then. With tears in his eyes, Gyeom stares at his brother’s funeral portrait lying on top of the casket. Joon never got to keep his promise that he’d get discharged soon while Gyeom never got to keep his promise that he and his brother would get to go on a trip together.

My Thoughts:

I remembered bawling my eyes out when I watched this episode the first time around. Re-watching the episode for this recap wasn’t any easier and I had to take constant breaks in between to gather my emotions and stop myself from crying. For obvious reasons, this was probably one of the most difficult episodes from a drama that I’ve recapped in a long time. The title of this episode alone made me want to cry and it already hinted that the episode was going to be a devastating and heartbreaking one. And sure enough, it was.

Again, I’m in awe of how the drama was able to transition from the ending of episode 6 to prepare us for the heaviness, pain, and heartbreak that was episode 7. The conversation scene between the two brothers at the end of episode 6 already gave you a bad feeling and then this episode followed it up by showing Joon’s perspective and side of view of his life. For Gyeom, he thought his brother didn’t feel emotions. He thought that his brother wasn’t surprised by anything nor was he greedy. Nor did anything make him happy. But as we read in Joon’s journal entry, he did feel emotions. He did feel things. He did have feelings. As brothers, Joon and Gyeom thought they knew each other. They only had each other. They grew up close. They grew up together. And yet, there were sides to each other that they either misunderstood or had no idea existed. It just goes to show that you never truly know someone even if you think you do. There’s no time limit to learning something new about someone who you’ve been with your entire life. There’s also flexibility in growing as a person and developing new feelings or emotions with every experience that you endure. Joon and Gyeom had limited perceptions of each other based on their experiences when they were younger which were perpetuated while growing up. It wasn’t until Joon’s car accident that Joon and Gyeom were both forced to confront these perceptions and learned new things about each other. They were wrong in their assumptions about how the other person felt but they were right about the sincerity and pureness of their brotherhood and how they did things for each other’s sake.

Joon and Gyeom’s love for each other became overwhelming and got to the point where it started to become a burden. For Joon, he didn’t have much of an identity outside of being Gyeom’s older brother. It was always just him and his brother and he had to take care of Gyeom at a young age. It then made sense that even after his car accident, he wanted to prepare Gyeom for his death. He raised Gyeom and taught him many things growing up and was there for him at any chance he could be. And then now that Gyeom was all grown up and had matured, he wanted to prepare his brother for the moment when he would no longer be alive. For Joon, he just kept on doing things for Gyeom because that was his primary role so it came naturally to him and he never thought much about it. He also didn’t know that Gyeom felt bothered by his actions. Gyeom’s frustrations stemmed from always feeling like he was the reason for everything that Joon did. He felt as if Joon didn’t do much else outside of him. Gyeom was always the center of Joon’s world and that was exhausting for him. And Gyeom’s frustration with Joon wasn’t out of cruelty or hatred. Rather, it was out of care and love for his brother. Gyeom wanted Joon to do things for himself for once. Joon took care of Gyeom growing up so Gyeom wanted to pay it back and take care of him. He also took care of his brother out of the kindness of his heart. But it was also due to his fear of living a life without his brother so he did whatever he had to do to keep his brother alive even if he himself was struggling in the process.

The conversation between them in the kitchen was such an eye-opening and heartbreaking one, especially the question where Gyeom asked Joon if he ever really wanted to live rather than if he wanted to die. How heartbreaking and scary it must have been for Gyeom to finally ask the question considering that he had been picking up hints more recently and then did his own experiments to see what really happened on the night of Joon’s accident. It was like Gyeom always knew there was something there and he had a strange and bad feeling about it but he was in denial. He suppressed these bad thoughts because to acknowledge them and continue to think about them meant that they were true and he refused to believe that his brother wanted to hurt himself. So he kept these thoughts to himself until he no longer could hold it in. It must have also been painful and devastating for Joon who tried so hard for so long to hide his pain from his younger brother until he no longer could.

This episode was so good because the drama did such a wonderful job in not only sharing Joon’s story but also showing Gyeom’s point of view in all of this. I loved that we got to see him receive support from both Moo-bi and Mom in the process. For Gyeom, this was new for him and he wasn’t sure how to process it. He was also never the type to ask for help or never knew if it was okay for him to accept someone’s help. But during his conversation with Mom, she told him to share his thoughts with others once in a while so that he didn’t hold it all inside. I found the advice itself to be meaningful and the scene was such a simple but delicate and beautiful one. But there was just also something about Mom – who didn’t know Gyeom that well yet other than that he was dating Moo-bi – indirectly letting him know that she was there for him. She didn’t explicitly say it but her advice was something that Gyeom had never been told before. To hear such a statement during such a challenging and difficult moment in his life must have meant a lot to him. The same thing could be said for Moo-bi and her support for Gyeom. For some reason, I was so close to crying in the beginning of the episode when Gyeom walked straight to Moo-bi to give her a hug. He was going through a difficult time so he went straight to his safe place: Moo-bi. In episode four, she showed him that he could rely on her through rough times and it was beautiful to see him reach out for her help once again through this episode. Whether it was spending time together or through words of affirmation when Moo-bi told Gyeom how proud she was of him for taking care of his brother, Moo-bi really was Gyeom’s rock in all of this.

Lastly, the other part that I really enjoyed about this episode was the brief but sweet scene of Gyeom, Moo-bi, Jeong-hoo, and Joon all going out to grab some dinner. All these characters obviously interact in one way or another but it was nice to see the four of them together. It gave such a home-y, cozy, and warm feeling. For these characters who grew up lonely and isolated, it was heart-warming and comforting to see them spend precious time together and find family in one another.