Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-ju - ep9: The merits of a one-sided love

The feels this ep spoke volumes about Kim Bok-ju's insecurities as a woman, as well as emphasising the status she holds in Joon-hyung's life. He's shown time and time again the lengths he would go to to protect her. And as his desire to protect her grows, so do the feels! It's a long one this time, coz the feels are just so damn good!

There was SO much to love about this ep that I can't even...! The moment Bok-ju is caught in her own lies after being spotted by Jae-yi. No matter

Duh!

how fast Joon-hyung tried to get there in time, it seems Bok-ju was destined to get caught. I love how true to life these moments are, coz whilst Bok-ju realises that it was wrong of her to lie, the fact of the matter is, is that she still did. And the consequences is something she is going to have to bear, no matter how much pain it brings to her. And I believe this is the very thing Joon-hyung wants to protect her from. Though she outed the lie herself, I like how Joon-hyung continued to protect her dignity by not tattling to his brother that he's the guy she has a crush on. Family matters, but for Joon-hyung, friendship is of equal importance. And I love that subtle reprimanding way he spoke to his brother - almost like he was rolling his eyes at every turn at how dimwitted his brother was for not noticing.

I love the moment he ditches his mate's blind date party to look for Bok-ju instead. He was super thrilled when she called, and didn't hesitate one bit to meet her up. Gah! The way he stares at her at the bus stop, tho! It's amazing how much time he's willing to spend with Bok-ju to help her get out of her funk. It's like everything else is put on the back-burner when Bok-ju is concerned. After some merry moments at the arcade (where he pretty much gets his ass kicked in every game), he offers to take Bok-ju out for a drink. Well, it was either that, or getting K.O'd by her, and after witnessing her strength earlier, I'd say he made a wise decision, LOL!

As adorable as Joon-hyung is becoming in his growing affections for Bok-ju, I love that he's still the kid who enjoys pulling on her pigtails. In a sombre moment, Bok-ju wishes she could vanish into smoke, only for Joon-hyung to retort that she's too heavy for it!! LOL aaah, don't you just wish you could throttle him! But the thing is, it's that very humour of his which helps Bok-ju get out of her funk, and he knows it. Anything to make her behave like her normal self again. Talk about friendship goals, and more!

The moment she gets drunk is friggin priceless. The feels are definitely there, simmering away under the surface, but it's Joon-hyung's sense of humour and anti-chivalry which makes it golden! I love how the feels don't get in the way of their youthful spirit, because it's more realistic like that. But the fact that he's willing to go through all of this in the first place, already makes him a winner in my book.

And I love how this show balances out, what could have easily been, overly cliched moments. She's cold, but he aint going to freeze to death for her by giving up his coat (something I've always wondered about all other kdrama heroes!). So what does he do instead? He covers her up with a flippin newspaper so that she ends up looking like a real hobo! LOL, I dare anyone to watch this and not laugh. And as kind/cruel his gesture was, it was also very Joon-hyung like who knows when to keep it real, and when to have a little fun at Bok-ju's expense.

In the next moment, we see his head dropping awfully close to Bok-ju's, in a moment which looks like he's about to kiss her. And I totally thought that was where the show was heading (I should have known better), when in the next instant, the camera quickly pans to a close up of his face showing him dozing off - omg, this is killing me!!

But as good as this show is at subverting expectations, I also love how natural Joon-hyung is in showing his affections. True, he has to drag her butt home, and rest up on a bench before continuing, but the moment her head falls in his lap, the way he holds her hand, and gently caresses her hair was both beautiful and understated in the way it brought out the feels. When it comes to Joon-hyung, it's not about the grand gestures, but just his being there with her, and ensuring she gets home safely is where the feels are at.

And as far as humour goes, the end always justifies the means! So naturally, when Joon-hyung gets this evil glint in his eye as he spots a shopping mart across the road, you just know that what he's thinking is going to be characteristically Joon-hyung, and lo and behold, he's out shopping with none other than Bok-ju dumped in his cart. Lol, was this your genius plan!? *dies laughing*

How awkward was that lunch date tho!? What I loved bout this moment is how worried Joon-hyung was for Bok-ju, so much so that his eyes remained glued on her the entire time. He was attentive to every shift in her expression whenever she grew uncomfortable at the sight of Jae-yi and his doc friend being close. It was clearly causing her a lot of pain to even just be there, let alone witness their close relationship, and Joon-hyung did whatever he could to make it at least bearable for her. I love that this included feeding Bok-ju and generally behaving the way Jae-yi was with doc - which is totally being all lovey dovey (Yeh, Jae-yi's oblivious to a lot of things it seems!)

I love that his way of consoling her is pretty much taking her out on a date though. And it's so Joon-hyung like to turn it into a game of "we go if you lose", coz let's face it, whenever they play ka-wi ba-wi bo, she's always on the losing end, making it a win-win for him in any situation! So it's sweet that for him, winning is all about making Bok-ju happy.

Which leads us to their drive to the beach, which was a real heart warmer of a sequence, mainly because it gave them that much needed alone time to get to know one another a little more, and open up about their personal grievances. I like that this connection of theirs has been growing naturally. Neither of them will say anything unless they really mean it, and when they do open up to one another, you know it's because they're ready to reveal that part of themselves, making their relationship all the more sincere.

I love how the beach took them away from the hustle and bustle of their personal lives; and the way the camera prettily captured the entire scenic route was beautifully done, and so apt for a couple who are equally beautiful. It's nice that even though Joon-hyung knows that Bok-ju and his bro would never happen (as does she), he still gives her enough space to wallow in despair, and will remain quiet when she's in a more reflective mood, lending her an ear until she's spoken her mind. Only when she becomes listless does he take charge of the mood, doing whatever he can to raise her spirits. That's the beauty of their relationship - they're not calculating in a give or take kind of way, rather they are happy to do whatever they can to make the other happy, and when that doesn't work, just being there for the other person, and matching their mood, is what keeps their relationship strong.

Lol before driving off, there's this funny moment when Joon-hyung oh so cooly remarks how "oppa has no reverse" before proceeding to...reverse. I love how slyly Joon-hyung got in to refer to himself as oppa. An oppa who sweetly puts on the seat-belt for her too! See what I mean about the understated moments? Something like putting on a seat-belt would have been a major heart stopping moment in any other drama, but here, it's just another kind gesture which nods to their growing relationship.

 
Another thing I love about this drama is how their conversations feel so organic. They seemingly talk about "real" things, things which are very much central to their lives, be it about sport, their families, school, or their personal struggles. I love that Joon-hyung is always sincere in asking Bok-ju about how she feels, never forgetting what's important. When the topic moves to weightlifting, and Bok-ju relates how proud she feels as a weightlifter, adding that such women are cool, but not pretty, I genuinely love and appreciate how Joon-hyung questions what the difference is between the two, because to him, a woman who lifts weights and is cool, is also pretty - the two for him are synonymous, period. He sits there looking confused as ever, even as Bok-ju tries to break it down for him, because whilst for her being a weightlifter and a woman are two different things, for Joon-hyung it's simply a case of finding a guy who'll accept you for who you are. Because one thing's for certain, if there's anyone who loves Bok-ju for the way she is, it's Joon-hyung.

Though I appreciate Joon-hyung's stance of what makes a woman beautiful, I also sympathise with Bok-ju's view too. At this point in time, Bok-ju is struggling with a part of herself which has her confused as to whether or not weightlifting is the end all or be it all, especially since it fuels her insecurities as being a woman. Her low sense of self-esteem is a result of her not being able to marry the idea of weightlifting to her perception of what makes a woman. Which is rather sad, because it leads her to think that she's lacking in some way, which Joon-hyung is quick to hotly deny by saying "even if it's just me..", which she completely waves off coz she's too busy getting distracted by the blasted seagulls, LOL.  
 

I love how there was a slight tremble to his voice when he put himself out there though, coz it seemed like he was ready to pour his heart out, even if he was still on the nervous scale. And then when she casually fobbed his feelings off for the seagulls, the poor guy couldn't even make eye contact with the girl!! His quick fire question round, which basically went like this: Ya, seagull or me, pick one - had me rolling on the floor laughing!! She totally trampled over his doting heart!! That was cold man, Bok-ju! Ha!

Their date at the beach was peppered with so much cute that I honestly didn't know what to do with myself by the end - the fact that he proceeded to do everything that she had always dreamed of doing with her future boyfriend perfectly captured the position he would happily 

take up in her life.

I love how she naturally reaches for his arm to use as a pillow, while he has to do a double take. Within seconds though, he uses the opportunity to snuggle up closer to her, teasing her in his usual boyish manner. You know when he's affected by the close proximity, coz he uses humour to hide the awkwardness, while Bok-ju's just lying there, blissfully unaware lol.  Girl, your feelings have some catching up to do!! It's a small detail, but I appreciate it all the more for it. I like how he keeps his arm outstretched, even after she gets up. It's like he's keeping the spot open for her, which I super love!
 

It's nice how she uses the moment to get to know Joon-hyung better though, marking how unfair it is that she doesn't know half as much about him as he does her. Taking up on the cue, Joon-hyung relates to her one of his childhood memories/secrets - turns out he used to secretly send her chocolates! Sweet as pie this one is!! And always has been since childhood it seems, Bok-ju, you lucky girl, you!



I love how he relates his childhood memories to her with sweet nostalgia. And the way he recalls how he remembers her, particularly her persona, is beautiful, coz he literally looks at her like she was his hero. During their childhood, she was the one who always looked out for him, who defended him, and who was always cheerful and strong no matter what - and it seems he grew strength from that, especially since he was abandoned at that age. Is it a wonder then that he finds her beautiful inside out?


And I just adore how tender he looks the moment they reminisce on the past, bringing them to their present encounter, coz even though she finds his secret a little weak and pushes for something a lot deeper, it seems he was more than ready to divulge in his next secret, having already built up to the moment. His only hesitation came from the way she would look at him in the next moment , and it was heart wrenching to see his eyes turn vulnerable and childlike in that instant, as though he'd just revealed a part of himself that he'd vowed to keep a secret forever. Being abandoned at such a young age clearly left a huge scar on Joon-hyung, and the moment he revealed all to Bok-ju, it was as though a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders (no pun intended!). He event injects some humour into it, not wanting to make out as though it's such a huge deal, when clearly it still affects him deeply, and he knows it. But it's heartwarming to see that even amidst all that, his primary focus is to console Bok-ju and to let her know, through his own experience of abandonment, that time heals all, and that she too will learn to move on from it. Takes one helluva selfless person to do that. And I was proud of him the moment he decided to open his heart Bok-ju, and still make it about her. That's love right there.

His love doesn't stop there though, because right before her weightlifting match, Joon-hyung makes sure to find Bok-ju to relay to her some words of encouragement. And I LOVE the conviction with which he relays it all to her: you won't make a mistake, you've worked hard for it, and you've got a stronger mentality than anyone else. Arrrgh, I friggin love this guy!! Talk about sky rocketing the girl's confidence! There's so much to love about what he said and the way he said it. I nearly died when he uttered with confidence just how much he believed in her abilities, and how he'll become her strength.

And just when you think the emotional tide is over, the episode knocks you in the gut in its final moments when Jae-yi walks in to cheer Bok-ju on during her weightlifting match. He meant well coming in to see her holding a bouquet of flowers, but for Bok-ju, it's her worst fear having the person she loves look on at her when she feels most ugly - red faced, bulging body parts, and veins showing. You can practically read the mortification on her face, as she stands there, utterly humiliated, and ashamed of standing on a stage she normally takes pride it. And what magnifies her heartbreak in that moment is when Joon-hyung walks in, grasping the situation, and it dawns on him with pained realisation just how Bok-ju must be feeling seeing his brother there in the audience.

My heart ached for Bok-ju this episode, but Joon-hyung made it all better!

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