Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food: Episode 2

OMG, I literally died of second hand embarrassment!! Props to Son-ye-jin for busting out those moves though, and still coming out looking classy, not an easy feat, I tell you! I have this real bad habit of diving into the duvet as soon as I foresee the above scenario playing out. Only this time it was equal parts embarrassment and equal parts squealing. As soon as Joon-hee turned back and re-entered the office, I just knew where show was taking us. Only this time, I had to force myself to re-watch the scene repeatedly just to ogle at Joon-hee's playful smiles. As a drama, Pretty Noona may be slow moving, and the camera sure likes to linger on many of the shots, but my word, does it make for a delightful watch when the characters all come together.

I love how Jin-ah was equally mortified when she saw that Joon-hee had witnessed her sexy little dance session. And how apt was it that she was dancing to 2ne1's ultra-catchy 'I'm the best' - you hear that, Joon-hee!!? Noona's the best!! That closeted confidence, though - gotta' love it! The cheeky little banter that followed afterwards was cute as hell, too. Joon-hee's a pro when it comes to playful teasing, and the fact that he does it without the tsundere tag seriously makes my day. He's just such a happy chappy when it comes to showing affection.

LOL and did Jin-ah seriously lie to her colleague about the pending workload being almost done, just so she could spend that quality time with Joon-hee!? She's certainly more accepting of his help, that's for sure. And so the teasing continues - seriously, the two could spend an entire episode chasing one another, and I'd still be left with a massive grin plastered over my face! Their natural chemistry is pretty winsome; And I'm always left amused by her reaction to Joon-hee's teasing - part clumsy, part bashful and part filled with false bravado. I'm pretty sure Joon-hee lives for that same reaction, too; he loves getting a rise out of her it seems.

Ruuuun, forrest, ruuuun!! You can totally see Joon-hee smiling away, even though he has his back to the camera.

The next sequence was simply too adorable for words; Joon-hee sending Jin-ah a "got home safely - good night" text message, and her returning his text, getting him feeling all tingly all the way down to his toes (no, really!) was seriously tooth-achingly sweet. I mean it's nothing new in Kdrama land (Weightlifting Fairy comes to mind), but with every new drama relationship, such scenes should be mandatory. Plus, seeing Jung-hae-in's toe action was totally worth it. That feet wiggle, tho!!

I love how Joon-hee's emotional state becomes heightened whenever he's in the driver's seat. The moment his sister gives him an earful re his stint with Jin-ah's ex, concerned that it almost got him into a fight, was pretty funny, coz Joon-he's response was limited to who'd win the fight in the end lol ...him of course. But the steely face he says it with tells us he's a lot more serious about winning (over the ex) than he lets on. He's definitely brimming with confidence, this boy. He may be young (by a few measly years) but he's assured and passionate, which frankly makes him perfect ideal for Jin-ah.

It's a small moment, but look at how his face lights up when Pretty Noona walks through the door! And the way he leaned in for a casual banter was totally sexy. Looks like Jin-ah also has her work cut out though, coz she's having to be on high alert now that her colleague is after Joon-hee as well.

See!! He's all angsty again behind the wheel! I love how frustrated Joon-hee gets over Jin-ah's problems with her ex. His anger, though justifiable, is sometimes misplaced, for he thinks it's Jin-ah who's not making a clean break. When in actuality, it's the ex who's latching on. Maybe it's an age thing, but it's hilarious how his frustration continues on to the next day, and trebles the moment he sees Jin-ah. What's even funnier, is the little game they play way they try to one up each other when in the elevator. Whilst he's there trying too hard his best to make her feel jealous, she refuses to show any sign of being in the slightest bit affected, and remains as stoic as possible. Ha, I love how the two are pros at this! So petty! Jin-ah also, I've noticed, always manages to get the last word in when warring with Joon-hee, and it's great.

I love how when they next bump into each other at the car park, it's Jin-ah's clumsy reaction that leads them to break the ice. And just like that, they're back to being comfortable with each other again.

What's great though, is that they've not forgotten to address the elephant in the room, which is Jin-ah's inability to say no to her ex (according to Joon-hee). I like that he doesn't just hold in his frustrations, but rather let's Jin-ah in on them. He's annoyed, and he let's her know as such. I was actually pleasantly surprised by how mature(ish) of a direction their conversation took. The two clearly have their own views on dating and what it means to love the person next to you, but that doesn't mean they both have to agree on the same view. And whilst the conversation could have easily turned into a scenario where Joon-hee was the one being schooled, it seemed that both had a valid point to make, even though it was Joon-hee who ended up raising the white flag. It was right for him to apologise, because he did come across a little cocky if not patronising towards the end - Jin-ah totally caught onto that sarcastic tone of his. But even then, I found it hilarious that his apology, whilst seemingly sincere, almost carried with it a half-assed *sorrynotsorry* solution to it. He's definitely holding on to his pettiness qualms, that's for sure. And something tells me that this won't be the end of it.

Having calmed down from their real talk, I love how Jin-ah took the initiative to give an half assed apology herself for ruining his plans with that thirsty colleague of hers Kang Se-yong. LOL, and here I thought that she'd be willing to let it go, yunno, be the better person. But the fact that she brought it up again was golden, coz it shows just how well she saw through Joon-hee's game. She even stressed on his use of words when he invited her to tag along join them. The difference between "let's go together" Vs "do you want to come along?" - how. friggin. relatable. Semantics, people, but it sure does evoke a lot of different feelings! 

But then, hold on people, BUT THEN, he more than makes up for it by stressing that noona is "preetier", and he does so without even a batting an eye-lid!! Boy, that was smooth! Lol, even Jin-ah didn't know what to do with herself. 

But there's also nothing quite like a long walk in the rain to resolve any hard feelings that may remain. The rain sequence was beautifully shot with the use of a classic motif  - a red umbrella, making for a pretty aesthetic amidst the night colours; it was made all the more sweeter because of Joon-hee's genius idea to purchase just the one so that they could share the same space, with him holding her close next to him. And although the scene carried on for some stretch of time, I love how it elegantly portrayed the two enjoying each other's company without any feelings of awkwardness. The close contact was as sensual as it was playful. Jin-ah clearly didn't mind the fact that he had his arm wrapped around her, and he didn't hesitate one bit to keep it there. If anything, the length of the shot allowed viewers to relish in their moment of intimacy, as both continued down a path of their own.

It's a small tidbit, but I also loved how the walk home captured the two in the same frame, side by side and in unison, without anything between them, as opposed to when they were sitting at the table in the restaurant, visually separated by the window panel.

Equally adorable was how unwilling they both were to part ways, but it was done so subtly and almost non-verbally - the dragging of the feet, the prolonged goodbye, and the classic kdrama turnaround. And this time, it was Jin-ah's turn.

The final scene of the episode was so satisfying, both from a character front and a romantic one. First of all, I love that Jin-ah can hold her own, without the need to depend on anybody. She settles things in her own way and in her own time, which is actually something I can respect. But I can also see how that would prove frustrating for some, especially if they prefer to settle things right away, like Joon-hee, whose patience runs a little thin. Irrespective of where they stand with regards to dealing with issues, I love that when it comes down to it, Joon-hee will always stand by Jin-ah, and will tackle the issue head on the moment he sees anyone disrespect her. When her ex forcefully grabs hold of her hand, Joon-hee's face hardens immediately, and it is only then that he decides to step in, being the man that he is. Ah, as cheesy as it sounds, I think my heart did several somersaults in that one moment. What I love though is that not only did he raise his voice, but he also then proceeded to grab the ex by the tie, knocking out the brother in the process. Brilliant. Just brilliant.

And just for the record, that slap around the head was totally deserved, and so friggin' satifying to watch. I think I might have replayed it, along with Joon-hee's moment of heroism, at least a dozen times!

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