by: Raine

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Episode 5 rose in ratings, 10.1%. Now that the plotline is settling in, I think the ratings will be a bit better. I’m not sure about them rising yet.

Thanks for all the support for these recaps everyone! This episode, however, drove me a little bonkers. I want to take out both men, or lock them in cages so they can do no more harm and can be used only for me to look at.

“Best Decision” –  Lee Hyun from 8eight instrumental (from the Fashion King OST)

(This episode has sooooo much fashion porn, but I saw the steak and couldn’t help myself. I’m flashing back to my Pasta days. *drool*)

episode 6 recap

We left off with the face off of the male leads. In one corner, Jae-hyuk armed with his poo-poo face. In the other, Young-gul armed with red stilettos?

What will happen?

Well, Young-gul remembers that An-na’s pictures was in Jae-hyuk’s wallet and recalls the writing on the back. “Ah, you’re the eternal love.”

Since poo poo faces aren’t good for fighting, Jae-hyuk resorts to his fists instead, and violently punches Young-gul in the face. Young-gul goes down and scrambles back onto his feet, wincing in pain. They trade words and Young-gul gets in a pretty wicked head butt!

Jae-hyuk has a feral look in his eyes and lunges at Young-gul who stops him with the words, “An-na is sleeping.” Young-gul gets snarky. “Shouldn’t you offer me a refreshment since I took care of her?” His tongue is much  mightier than his fist and it is all Jae-hyuk can do to snarl, “Get out!”

(Nom nom nom. Two hot guys fighting. Nom nom nom.)

Before leaving, Young-gul admires the red stilettos in his hand and slaps them again Jae-hyuk’s chest on his way out.
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‬Jae-hyuk: Tell Ga-young to come to my office by 10 AM tomorrow.

Young-gul: Why?

Jae-hyuk: You don’t’ need to know. Just get out.

Young-gul: When An-na wakes up tomorrow, tell her I’ll call her by 10 o’clock.

HAHAHAHAHA! Young-gul FOR THE WIN!

Young-gul returns to Glasses’ shop.

A total aside: Now we have to cheer, because I finally figured out Glasses’ name: Chil-bok. It’s on a phone later on in the episode. 😀 GO ME!

Anyway, Young-gul returns to CHIL-BOK’S shop where Ga-young is asleep atop cardboard boxes. He notices her beat-up heels and remembers An-na’s. Please tell me he’s hoping to give Ga-young some sexy stilettos in the future. Please, please, please.

Pulling off his shoes, Young-gul lays down beside Ga-young and passes out – he’s still really drunk. The motion wakes Ga-young who is startled by his proximity.

*Cue sexy music in Raine’s mind*

She covers him with her blanket and settles down. Then, nervous, she flips over.

*Record scratch*

This woman needs to know that she has to make moves on Yoo Ah-in Young-gul when she gets the chance…

The next morning, Jae-hyuk is in the living room, stonily reading the paper when An-na awakes and beelines for coffee. When did he get there? He is in a foul mood and warns her prevent actions that can lead to misunderstandings. It was difficult enough to start their relationship again. She needs to be more cautious.

An-na, of course, is perplexed and wonders if his father said anything to him. That shocks Jae-hyuk who asks if she met with his father. She did and when President Jung asked, she told him that they intended to marry.

Although the answer was to be expected, Jae-hyuk looks thoroughly unnerved and rises. She said the right thing, he tells her.

His face says otherwise.

I dunno about you, but they don’t look like a happily engaged couple. Also, aren’t people who are dating supposed to tell each other things, like, “Hey, I’m miserable, give me a hug?”

Back at Chil-bok’s shop, Young-gul is hungover and eating breakfast with Ga-young. When she asks if the woman he was with yesterday was An-na, he giggles like a school girl. Isn’t she attractive? We’re the same age.

Nice buddy. Nice. You lose the points you earned for the awesome headbutt and the snark

Anywho, he thinks it’s destiny that An-na showed up at Dongdaemoon. Ga-young wards off the unpleasant topic by bringing up another: how is he going to deal with the debt on his factory? How long is he going to stay at Chil-bok’s store? What’s his plan?

Ga-young has got him pinned and he retorts that he doesn’t have to tell his employee what his plans are.

Uh, especially if you, uh, y’know, don’t have any.

Does this woman know him or what? He’s got skills but no vision.

Young-gul turns it back on her and asks about her discussion with Jae-hyuk? How will she get an order without any plan? He thinks he’s being clever, turning the question back on her. But he’s not, ’cause she has a plan.

She hands over a sketchbook, which Young-gul looks over with moon-y eyes. He has visions of runway shows and possibility – she brought him hope for the future. And Yoo Ah-in has brought me barrels of laughter! My stomach hurts so much right now from that ridiculously idiotic face he’s making!

*Ahem* The further along this show gets, the crazier these recaps get.

So they’re a good business pair with complimentary strengths. I still don’t really see the romance between them. Just a one-sided crush on her part. And a whole lot of panting after An-na on his.

(Bright…bright…pink…bright! Okay, I own this color. Yes, I’m serious. No, you may not laugh.)

Young-gul wastes no time in dressing Ga-young up to meet Jae-hyuk for their “10 AM” appointment. He gets a bit handsy, undoing her top button, opening her collar and fixing her hair. It makes her extremely flustered, but I bet Young-gul is just imaging the effect it’ll have on Jae-hyuk…and taking a look-see for himself.

Now that we finally get some fashion, let me just say that pink jacket makes me twitch. Love the color, but so much of it at one time is overwhelming. Ah! My eyes!

At J Fashion, she runs into An-na, who doesn’t recognize her, but gives her the requisite female lead glare of doom. Ga-young adorably shrinks away.

She meets a cranky, brusque Jae-hyuk who stares her down. She clutches awkwardly at her collar. He wonders if she designed the clothes, but Chil-bok ahjussi did.

With a smirk, Jae-hyuk comments that Young-gul must be desperate to send her on time. He brings himself back on track; he wants her to personally help him out.

He offers Ga-young a workspace, personnel and materials to create samples for him. He can’t formally hire her, but she would get paid for the samples, whether or not they are accepted.

Ga-young thanks him, but doesn’t want to lose her designs that way – he would pay for the samples and keep the designs. He is incredulous that she would turn down the opportunity he’s giving her, especially when she hasn’t even shown him her designs. She has no factory from which to produce her own designs.

What kind of nerve does she have? She only wants him to pay her debt? Is that what she learned from Kang Young-gul? Fine. Let’s see the confidence. He wants the business license and the bank account faxed to him.

He oh-so-sexily stalks back to his desk as she thanks him and leaves him pouting.

Holy guacamole, does this late twenty-something know how to pitch a hissy fit or what? I understand that he wants something in return for lending the money (besides her attention), but it’s not just a demand he can make. It’s a deal to be worked out. Poor ickle chaebol has to learn to play nice with others.

Back at Chil-bok’s shop, Young-gul is surprised that Jae-hyuk, “that jerk”, will give them the money without seeing her designs. Does he like her?

It’s not that, Ga-young says naively. They’ll get the design fee and the sample fees if they are accepted, then they’ll get more funds.

They also need a business license…and a name.

Young-gul sets to thinking and I’m imagining Winnie the Pooh tapping his chin with a honey covered paw muttering, “Think, think.”

He comes up with Young Young Apparel and she looks pleased that it’s a combination of their names. But he, unwilling to admit it, says he got it from Na Hoon-ah, a Korean trot singer from back in the day – she is crestfallen.

I can’t tell if he likes her, or he’s just so immature that he can’t ever admit to being nice…or wrong.

Then he asks if Ga-young saw An-na. She peevishly answers “no”. Heh. Heh.

When will they get the money?

NOW!

Young-gul sits in his factory, doling out the cash to the people who took care of it during his long “absence”. The president during that time says that desperate times can make people do crazy things. He wants to apologize to Young-gul’s “girlfriend” for “everything”.

How about jumping off a cliff? Long walk off a short pier? Sic an angry, badass Jae-hyuk in ninja mode on him?

(Hehehehe, I love you, Bong Sook!)

At a Chinese restaurant, the three ahjumma seamstresses who previously worked for Young-gul are dolling up to meet him again.

Now by dolling up I mean they are turning themselves into an ahjumma freak show of red lipstick and mounds of eyeshadow in order to see their handsome, sexy boss. They wonder if they should call Ga-young “madam” and cackle, disturbing another customer who is…

…none other that looney Bong Sook shoveling jjajangmyun into her mouth and looking like a rabid beast.

*cackle* The woman looks certifiable.

Young-gul pops in and is attacked by the ahjummas, or as he calls them, the “noonim”. They all missed each other SO much. The noonim fuss over his cut-up face and ask if he’s worked out his problems with Tae-san.

He suggests they eat.

But then Bong Sook gets a good look at him and begins to growl…and foam at the mouth…and grow fangs.

ATTACK! She grabs his lapels and asks how he will take responsibility for her. She was deported because of him. The noonim try to stop her and it becomes an all-out ahjumma fight. Poor Young-gul tries to stop it and gets flung aside.

Dude, you do NOT get in the middle of a hair-pulling, face-smacking, wig-removing ahjumma fight.

Wait, wig-removing? Yes, you read correctly. Bong Sook was wearing a wig.

Now, the wigless Bong Sook sits calmly before Young-gul as the noonim munch on lunch. She explains that she illegally immigrated to the US, learned the ropes, met Ga-young, then Young-gul. Because of the whole situation, she got deported and lost all of her money. It’s hard to get a job in Korea because of her age. She even tried to kill herself…but it’s also really hard to die.

She starts crying and the noonim drool jjajangmyun as they stare at her.

BWAHAHAHA!

Bong Sook asks if he’s hiring and the noonim glare at him. He awkwardly agrees to hire her and she graciously accepts. Then, she asks after Ga-young who walks in a second later.

They spot each other and after gaping, run and cling to each other happily. The noonim are confused and mutter, “Madam?”

The theme music starts playing (so catchy!) as the new sign goes up Young Young Apparel and the factory gets cleaned up. Bong Sook pretends to oversee, but gets told off by the ahjummas.

To distract her, Young-gul grabs her into a huddle and asks if she can take in Ga-young, but she can’t.

Way to try and pawn off the woman you should be caring about most. What happened to your heart?

(OMG, so much pretty.)

Ga-young moves back into her old living quarters, looking over new kitchenware with a huge grin. She’s so pretty when she smiles. Too bad the boys don’t give her much opportunity for smiling.

A package from Ga-young arrives for Jae-hyuk and he rips it open eagerly. It’s a sketchbook of her designs, which he peruses with pleasure.

Young-gul is glancing through her sketches as well, but he’s making mysterious phone. “Do you want to die? Remember what I told you last time? Let’s start it.”

Whatever it is, don’t do it. Creepy music + a smirk = something that Young-gul should NOT be doing. I have a feeling it’s thievery. I will have your heart if you hurt her.

An-na presents her new theme to the board and keeps glancing at Jae-hyuk for reassurance and support, but he’s barely paying attention. Design Director Kim tears into her, calling her work boring and her talent stunted by her extreme desire to please. He thinks the whole concept needs to be revamped for the next showcase and looks to Jae-hyuk for approval. He’s sure it will be changed and calls an end to the meeting.

Way to be supportive, jerkface. Why is he so hot? It would be easier to hate him if Lee Je-hoon wasn’t soooooooooooooooooo gorgeous. Or if his character wasn’t so adorably infatuated with Ga-young.

(They’re even sitting far apart during such a vital convo…)

Anyway, Jae-hyuk calls An-na to his office, but instead of offering comfort as a good boyfriend/fiance should, he hands her Ga-young’s notebook and asks for her opinion. An-na is completely affronted. he asks her opinion on the work, but An-na knows that this is just formality. He’s decided to use this designer.

Annoyed, he tells her that it’s good to fill something lacking (her work) and they can’t afford to fail again. She’s SO appreciative that he thinks of her and stomps out. Jae-hyuk looks a little troubled by her reaction, then calls to have his assistant check up on Ga-young.

…

I understand his desire to succeed and that you must do what you must in business, but he can approach An-na in a much more intimate way. It doesn’t change the outcome of the business, but it will help their relationship tenfold. However, he is passed feeling like she’s his lover. She is only that in his mind. Although she is a bit too frail for my liking, he still fails to consider her feelings and they fail to discuss anything between them.

Secrets are always a time bomb and since we’re in dramaland, it’s an atomic bomb.

Jae-hyuk is such an emotional moron and it’s driving me bonkers. This is where Ga-young comes in, in my opinion. Although she deals with him because of money, something he understands, she does it for passion, something he does not understand. She’ll show him how to concern himself with money and be human alllll at the same time. Too bad it comes at An-na’s expense. Or perhaps it’s a good thing because she’s kinda getting on my nerves.

Speaking of her breaking down, now that I’m off my tangent, An-na goes to her office with the scary neon chairs and has breakdown #2.

(What is he wearing on his feet? And the ahjummas are so funny:))

Over lunch, the seamstress ahjummas, Bong Sook and Ga-young are listening to Young-gul try to haggle for some fabric. However, he owes a debt to this person and they refuse.

Then he and Ga-young start in on some major married couple bickering. She wants expensive fabrics to make the samples or else they won’t come out right. He tells her to make them with cheap fabric just to show Jae-hyuk the gist. She wnats the best, though, and he asks her if she thinks that he shits paychecks.

BWAHAHAHA.

Bong Sook thinks he’s pretty funny, too.

Young-gul tells her to go to Jae-hyuk to get fabric but she’s embarassed. He can’t go ’cause he and Jae-hyuk hate each other.

You have Choi An-na, Ga-young points out with lasers shooting out of her eyes.

Forget it! he cries, spitting jjajangmyun all over the ahjummas.

GROSS! But funny. Hehehehe.

Jae-hyuk shows up, glancing around with disdain and everyone stares at him in surprise. He, Young-gul and Ga-young meet in  the back office where Jae-hyuk mentions that he came just in time. How can they get anything done in a place like this with people who aren’t doing anything?

Young-gul is furious and tells him that it’s not the environment that makes clothes, but people like the woman out in the work area who haven’t taken a day off in their lives save to give birth.

Go Young-gul! I’m seriously bouncing from side to side here. I see both mens’ points but they need different execution plans.

Why is Jae-hyuk checking up on them? It’s not cool. The head seamstress brings in drinks and fawns over Jae-hyuk’s smile of thanks. I fawn, too. Until, that is, he looks above drinking the beverage provided.

Although Ga-young thinks she can produce the samples, Jae-hyuk does not. He asks Ga-young to leave and on her way out, she trips over the ahjummas listening at the door.

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

But no, no fight. At least not a fist fight.

Jae-hyuk TELLS Young-gul he is going to have Ga-young work at J Fashion. Young-gul is miffed that Jae-hyuk is taking his employee. But Jae-hyuk says it’s that or to give back the money. All Young-gul can do is to make sure Ga-young gets full coverage and insurance and extra salary. Jae-hyuk smirks in victory.

(How do they both look so hot when they’re mad? Not fair…)

At An-na’s, Jae-hyuk makes her dinner as an apology, but she’s not happy to see him in her apartment.

I know I should pay attention to the scene, but the food looks so delicious and he made steak, my favorite food. Steak and wine. *drool*

He eats as she glowers. Then he proposes they live together. She made a good impression on his father, he casually mentions. But she isn’t impressed. She wants him to acknowledge her, not his father.

Jae-hyuk gets PISSED, finally snapping after all that secret keeping. He is doing all of this for her, to tell her to succeed.

Um, then how about just say, “I want you to succeed. Why don’t we try this?”

An-na, stiff as a board, says she understands and he snaps at her to stop being so arrogant. Then he stalks out, leaving her to have breakdown #3.

Seriously people, all these bottled up emotions and not talking to each other is really annoying. Jae-hyuk is a big baby. She has too much pride. Get over yourselves. Jae-hyuk, you’re not being as helpful as you think you are. An-na, you need therapy. No, I’m serious. It really does help. Go find a shrink.

As he waits for the elevator, Jae-hyuk contemplates returning to her, but doesn’t, thwarted by his pride. At least he considered the right option…*smack*

Young-gul starts production on Ga-young’s designs at Chil-bok’s place, probably with cheaper materials.

Wait. A. Second. Isn’t Jae-hyuk ALSO using these designs. What the heck is going on? I’m confused. I’m not very good at unraveling this plotline…Does she know he’s doing this? Is he stealing her stuff?

Ga-young gets dolled up to go see Jae-hyuk and rudely wakes Young-gul up, asking for lunch money. He grudgingly gives it to her.

I don’t get him. Sometimes he cares. sometimes he’s stealing from her and not caring. He really is a hustler. You’re using her again, Young-gul. I guess you really didn’t completely learn. I give up trying to figure you out.

When Ga-young turns to leave, Young-gul tells her to steal some fabrics from Jae-hyuk’s storage room.

What? WHAT? Okay, I said no more commentary. *deep breath*

Tae-san calls for a meeting. Ruh-roh. He calls for Ga-young but she’s gone. Young-gul decides to use the fabric the people left behind to make something for Tae-san.

Ga-young goes to J Fashion and meets assistant Kim who tells her to stop making his life difficult. He warned her away from Jae-hyuk in the U.S. But she’s just working. Kim says Choi An-na started that way.

Ga-young STILL doesn’t get it. Girl, Jae-hyuk is totally into you. Kim knows it. Everyone knows it.

Anyway, Kim warns her against dating Jae-hyuk and then takes her to meet him. He’s eating at a fancy restaurant, sitting there like a king reading the paper. SHOW OFF! He asks Assistant Kim to help her with anything she needs personally and to give her security. Then, they call Ga-young over and Jae-hyuk gives her a once over and merely says, “Work hard.” Then he sends her on her merry way, smiling gayly after her.

OMG. He has it so bad. Why is he so cute when he’s with her and so despicable with An-na? But then I remember he’s also using her to piss of Young-gul. Everyone is playing with poor Ga-young.

Okay, stopping. I said I would stop the commentary…but it’s like an addiction.

Young-gul is working ahjummas hard on something gold and gaudy. Bong Sook brings in this teeny red polka dot number for…what reason?

Well, it’s to meet with Tae-san and present Young-gul’s plan. Tae-san will be the Fashion King and hang around beautiful models with banging bods at amazing locations around the world and bump elbows with famous people at extravagant parties. The loan shark is lost in visions of women and tells Young-gul that he sure knows how to spin a dream.

Young-gul calls Bong Sook in, dressed in her teeny dress and a wig and carting in a disgusting gold suit. Il-gook is smitten.

The suit is the first of Tae-san’s new fashion brand, Yellow Great Mountain, named thus after “Hwang Tae-san”. Bong Sook helps him try it on and I’m not sure if he actually likes it or just likes that something was made exclusively for him.

Jae-hyuk is trying to convince someone, in the MOST ADORABLE ENGLISH, to support a second launching, which will for sure be better than the first.

Ack! I hate him in this episode and then he goes and speaks such cute English. There really is this irresistible appeal of a foreign guy speaking your native language. Shall I go to him and try to speak Korean?

An-na shows up, all smiles, and he apologizes. She tells him she thought about his words and that he was right. She was too sensitive and that the designs he showed her were really good. Jae-hyuk asks if An-na wants to work with this designer. She would be an assistant to An-na, since the collection is An-na’s.

This would be so much better if they were both sincere and shared a few more PERSONAL words. Didn’t he bring her over to BE with her. Not just to work with her?

Anyway, they go to meet Ga-young and An-na sees him smiling genuinely to himself. She thinks his suggestion of living together is a good idea. Was he serious? Only if she wants to, he replies and walks off.

An-na, the harder to try to hold on, the further he slips away to the woman who is working in her new work space…

…Ga-young! An-na recalls meeting her in New York. Ga-young is to report directly to An-na who is to guide the young one. He awkwardly encourages them to do their best with a stiff fist pump and leaves.

Wow, you’re trying too hard. Oh, and thanks for the recipe for disaster.

An-na goes to look at Ga-young’s work and Ga-young looks like she wants to melt under An-na’s scathing glare. How old is Ga-young? 21. Whose idea was this collaboration? Jae-hyuk’s. You still working with Young-gul? Yup.

An-na tells her to keep up the good work and stalks away for breakdown #4.

I totally understand this one. It’s hard to see someone so much younger than you who is leaps and bounds ahead of you talent wise. But you get over it. I did.

Madam Jo meets with Rich Lady mommy who wants the Dragon Lady to “take care” of An-na and get her out of her son’s life. Dragon lady explains that it’s Ga-young who Rich Lady mommy has to worry about now: Jae-hyuk came to find her personally, gave her a ride home. But it seems like Rich Lady mommy doesn’t get it.

In the bathroom, Dragon Lady bitches about Rich Lady not listening and then out pops Ga-young from a stall. What is she doing here? Why, she’s working.

Ruh-roh. This show really has it out for Ga-young.

Jae-hyuk primps himself to go see Ga-young, who isn’t in the work room.

At Young Young Apparel, Young-gul is checking up on the work on Ga-young’s difficult pattern. He tells the party on the other line to keep hush hush about the production.

Grrrrrrrrr.

Someone comes in and he thinks it’s Ga-young, but is ecstatic to find it’s An-na. She lights up to be so happily received.

It’s a world of difference when someone is happy to see you.

Our brave heroine, Lee Ga-young pushes a cart alone, in a large warehouse full of bolts of cloth, ready to steal for Young-gul.

Cue the super sleuth music.

What might happen when she’s alone? Will a masked Jason appear? Perhaps MadDino and her army of rabbits? A legion of stormtroopers? Angry pygmies in search of female lead flesh?

Whatever it is, she’s unaware of it as she searches for the fabrics she needs.

And then she does it. She climbs atop a ROLLING cart to reach a top shelf. She reaches, standing on her tip toes. The cart slides. Her eyes widen. She FALLS…

…right into Jae-hyuk’s arms.

Remind me to get chased by angry pygmies.

 Comments:

Wow, this recap is almost 4,500 words and took 5 hours. Please excuse me if I can’t get it out the same day. I’m working hard to bring you my best!

I don’t know what I think or feel because every scene just makes me more confused/furious/squee-ish.

I know I want all romances, but I can have ’em because its 20 episodes and we need something to fill the time. I love An-na with Young-gul and Ga-young with Jae-hyuk. I want to see how they have Young-gul come to like Ga-young. He’ll probably appreciate her when she isn’t there, after all the bickering like a married couple. As business partners they work. She the creative and he the business.

I totally understand An-na intellectually, but she is seriously bringing it on herself and it’s driving me bonkers. It’s hard to come out with your emotions, but if you’re going to marry someone, you need to just DO IT.

Jae-hyuk relies on looks, stony exterior, fists and no talking at all. Grow up quick. But the show is going to rely on Ga-young to help him with that.

Young-gul, you hustling, betraying rat. I’m so not happy with you. I think he genuinely cares for Ga-young…he just cares for himself more.

Episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

Character introductions.

Fashion King Episode 6 Screencaps.