Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-ju - ep8: The wind is blowing

Weightlifting fairy and her chingus forevs,

crying and blubbering, till night evening wears.

karaoking into the night with "fantastic baby"

boom shakalaka-ing their troubles away. 

Along comes joon-hyung, her bff and more,

bunk-bed snuggles, and cuddles galore.

Wishing her well, even if it kills him,

wanting to prove his love is not a whim.

He gazes from afar, with adoration in his eyes

yielding to her strength, wherever her heart lies.

I think it would be fair to say that Joon-hyung is officially a gonner, and has been so for quite some time now. Perhaps he doesn't always realise it, but his love for Bok-ju has nearly always been beyond that of friendship, and in this ep, he actively shows it as such, boldly stepping into her life and making his presence felt. 

Joon-hyung is a mixed bag of emotions when it comes to Bok-ju, and I love how vulnerable he makes himself when he's with her. He may behave like a muppet at times, but he also feels deeply apologetic and regretful when things go pear shaped, blaming himself for Bok-ju's plight, even if it wasn't a direct consequence of his own actions. I love the moment he rehearses how to apologise to Bok-ju - it shows his sincerity and childlike innocence, wanting to protect that which is dear to him. In this case, his friendship with Bok-ju. Over the recent eps, his friendship with Bok-ju has grown to a level of affection that he's now afraid of losing. His fear is made all the more palpable knowing that his feelings (whether it be that of love or friendship) - until recently, far outweigh that of Bok-ju's, who's still caught up in the growing pains of her first crush. 

I love this expression on Joon-hyung's face (major props to Nam joon-hyuk for playing him this way) which shows childlike vulnerability the moment Bok-ju casually mentions going their separate ways to avoid misunderstandings. It shows just how attached he's gotten to her, to the point where losing her would simply break him. But it's also testament to Bok-ju's growing affections that though she said what she said, she doesn't actually mean it. Her affections, though still caught up on Jae-yi, are also there for Joon-hyung in equal measure - she just hasn't come to realise it yet, nor does she display it as openly as Joon-hyung does. Long gone are the days when she'd tell him to get lost or walk away from him. She now notices him in front of her, and takes into account how he's feeling, treading carefully in the way she counteracts in their conversations. And I love that. It shows she's willing to meet him half way when the need arises, allowing him to let go of some of that fear as he visibly relaxes. 

And how about those bed cuddles huh!? Seeing some hugs between friends is always heartwarming, but what we're seeing from Joon-hyung's end ain't quite as innocent at that. Though Bok-ju isn't as affected by the closeness as Joon-hyung is, at least not in the romantic sense, she doesn't outright embrace him either - her hands stay up kind of like a barrier, and her discomfort mainly stems from it being too cold to stay in such a position. Joon-hyung however, not only snuggles up to her, but is unwilling to let go. He remains in that position clearly enjoying the closeness, the type of closeness that you long for as lovers. The position of his arms/hands, far from being pally pally, are those of a boyfriend wanting to cuddle his girl. And rather than break away from her, he'd enjoy nothing more than someone walking in on them, misunderstanding their relationship status - yep, he definitely treats her like his girl.  

How much did I LOVE the girls bonding session this episode! They were killing it with their moves, and made up like the best chums that they are. The feels brought about by the trio is just so true to life, and more so in the way that they patched up. I love their youthful spirit, and how they were willing to just forgive and forget, choosing to live in the moment by singing their hearts out instead - Team Bok-ju, *SWAG*

Joon-hyung kills me everytime he looks at Bok-ju with those puppy dog eyes. And they become so much more heartfelt when Bok-ju reaches out to him. I love the moment when Bok-ju confides in Joon-hyung first about calling it quits with Jae-yi and the weight clinic. He's tuned into her emotions well enough to know that she'd been crying, and goes directly to console her, no questions asked. For Joon-hyung, Bok-ju comes first, period.

The problems faced by Bok-ju may seem trivial for the more grownup, but for her, it's akin to the world coming crashing down on her. And I like that Joon-hyng, who's clearly a lot more mature beyond his years in terms of handling of emotions and having already experienced first love, is able to support Bok-ju through that hurdle without being obnoxious about it. He not only becomes her pillar, but also listens to her growing pains with attentive ears, offering words of encouragement where he can.

Since Joon-hyung has already experienced the pangs of first love, he's wise enough to know that time will take care of it all, eventually, but it kills me to think that he's having to suffer the same fate twice as he waits for Bok-ju to catch up with him. The way he stares at her whilst she's busy looking ahead - arrghh! At this point, we're left screaming: just look up Bok-ju, the dude who's worthy of your love is standing right beside ya, and has been from the very beginning!!!
 

The moment Joon-hyung asks Bok-ju on a date - ooooh it's totally a date, Joon-hyung!! I refuse to see it any other way. You may have Bok-ju fooled with all that "give and take" crap you came out with, Joon-hyung, but not us!! We're totally onto you now!

As Bok-ju waits for Joon-hyung to show up at the cinema, I love how the camera pans round to show the couple atmosphere of the place - read the signs Bok-ju!! It's great coz she refuses to budge from the place no matter how late he is, and grown increasingly angry at the thought that he's stood her up - girl, you're already treating him like your boyfriend!! LOL at that line of abuse she hurls at him whilst playing trigger happy - love it!

Joon-hyung finally appears after ditching Shi-ho - he slowly approaches Bok-ju, scared for his life LOL. I love how much he fears Bok-ju's wrath. His little heart crosses get me every time. And it's sweet how he'd rather take a beating from her than tell her that he was with Shi-ho. He's tentative around her the way a boyfriend is, not a chingu. Oh, and where can I find a guy who's attentive enough to protect you from fishcake skewers!? A-dorable. Apparently, the cart ahjumma thinks so too, and compliments them on being a happily married couple! *squeals*

I love how Joon-hyung quietly giggles to himself getting all bashful at the compliment, whilst Bok-ju stands there denying it, mortified at the prospect. Lol, match made in heaven, these two.

Damn those feels!
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