Like Flowers in Sand: Episodes 7-8
by missvictrix
The thriller of the previous is slowly being put collectively, and this week, the lacking piece is lastly revealed — a lot because of our hero forcing himself to recall particulars he thought he’d forgotten in his alcohol-induced blackout. However there are different emotions hiding out in a type of blackouts, too…
EPISODES 7-8
The childhood flashbacks on this drama proceed to be so fully touching that they make me really feel tenfold for the characters as they’re within the current day. These flashbacks are about character depth and context — not for merely shoving details in our face like most dramas do — and Like Flowers in Sand is all of the stronger for it.
This week’s flashbacks begin off with when Doo-shik was leaving city and making an attempt to say goodbye, however little Baek-du was too happy-go-lucky to understand what was occurring till too late (these two by no means change!). The second flashback exhibits us our regular child crew, however there’s one other participant on the outskirts. She’s a little bit youthful than them so she feels unnoticed of their world. Because it seems, it’s little Mi-ran, and we see her interacting together with her dad, and be taught that he was the one who taught her methods to spell espresso as “coffe.” It’s little particulars like this, I let you know.
Again within the current, Yoo-kyung has simply come clear to the ever-perceptive Hyun-wook, and he or she tells him the backstory of why they left city twenty years in the past. Her father was as soon as Geosan’s ssireum coach, and was suspected of the homicide of one of many wrestlers after they supposedly fought when the wrestler refused to throw a match. Yoo-kyung tells us her father was freed on lack of proof, however nobody would consider in his innocence, and so they ultimately left city to begin over.
The mirroring between the case with Yoo-kyung’s father and the current one with Choi is all too obvious — but it surely’s not simply mirroring: Yoo-kyung believes that Choi Chil-seung was answerable for the match-fixing scandal prior to now along with the present case. However, as we’ve seen, our cops are having bother stitching the story collectively. They’re getting hotter, but it surely’ll take some extra prodding…
In the meantime, Baek-du is prepared for his championship, however he particularly tells his household to not come. As a result of crew being comprised of unorganized athletes, Baek-du misses the crew bus to the championship location (and nobody notices LOL), and Yoo-kyung truly has to drive him there. Baek-du is having the time of his life on this little highway journey, and overeats with glee on the relaxation cease, claiming he by no means good points weight from consuming. However that spree truly places him over the 80kg weight restrict for his class. And so, he spends the day earlier than the match working the seaside with a tire on his again. And when that’s not exhausting sufficient, the coaches determine he wants to hold Yoo-kyung as a substitute. Cue: extra cute bickering, slapping, and coronary heart to hearts between these two.
It’s exhausting to consider they’ve been separated for 20 years as a result of they know one another so properly — as an illustration, later that night time Baek-du tries to order her non-fish gadgets on the sashimi restaurant they’re at with the crew, figuring out she will’t eat a lot there. That seems to be a superb transfer, as a result of on match day, your entire crew besides Baek-du is down with meals poisoning. It will be tragic if it wasn’t so humorous — Baek-du goes to the match alone, and the crew watches from their hospital beds of their little robes and IVs!
On the match, Baek-du wrestles the very best that he has in years. Spherical after spherical he kilos down his opponents and never solely is the group going wild, however all of the ajusshis again residence are shedding their minds cheering for him. Aww. Why is Baek-du on hearth right now? Is it as a result of the crew isn’t there, as a result of his household isn’t there… or as a result of Yoo-kyung is there? It looks like Yoo-kyung’s recommendation, her religion in him, and her presence on the match all contribute to Baek-du’s renaissance. As a result of when two teammates come over and inform him that Yoo-kyung truly left the sector, Baek-du’s successful streak involves a fast finish.
We minimize to the crew consuming as soon as once more at Jin-su’s mother’s place, and it’s hilarious as she factors out how depressed they’re. However Baek-du is essentially the most depressed of all, when he must be the one rejoicing — his coach reminds him what a feat it’s to complete within the prime 5. Even the surly Jin-su will get up, and pours Baek-du a celebratory glass of beer. It’s the nicest gesture of acknowledgement from his frenemy – and a matter of respect — so Baek-du downs the beer whereas observing his cellphone and the lady who’s left him on learn.
It’s exhausting for me to say something unfavourable about this drama in any respect, but when there’s one factor that’s disappointing me a bit, it’s how Jin-su has been left on the perimeter of the story. For one, his advanced relationship with Baek-du is as attention-grabbing to me as Baek-du and Doo-shik’s relationship; second, rookie actor Lee Jae-joon continues to flooring me on this function. He doesn’t say a lot or do a lot, however his eyes converse volumes in each scene with an depth that communicates way more than is on the floor. Jin-su is such a unbelievable foil for the extra heart-on-his-sleeve-and-foot-in-his-mouth Baek-du that I eat up all their interactions. I additionally firmly consider there may be extra story to mine right here (and who is aware of, possibly it’s coming in our ultimate two weeks).
Again to our predominant plot, these six ounces of beer have a deadly affect on our pleasant hero. He’s bumbling in a matter of minutes (however first, extra kudos from Jin-su!), and fortunately, this results in a telling encounter with Yoo-kyung. As in, Baek-du’s screaming “Doo-shik-ah!” by means of the city but once more, till they discover a quiet place to hang around. As ever, their backwards and forwards is cute. Drunk Baek-du is much more foolish than the sober one, and he scolds Yoo-kyung for ignoring his texts, after which brazenly asks for her to reward his efficiency on the match. In the meantime, Yoo-kyung offers him a tough time, but additionally holds him up when he begins to wobble, and tells him higher than ending in fourth place was seeing him really get pleasure from his sport once more.
Throughout this change, Baek-du begins to get hearts in his eyes, and he crops a kiss on Yoo-kyung, who’s completely shocked but additionally doesn’t draw back. And doesn’t suppose to slap him together with her requisite slap till a number of seconds later.
The subsequent morning Baek-du has a hand print on his brow and doesn’t bear in mind something — something! He runs to the gymnasium to satisfy up with Yoo-kyung and so they principally reenact half of the dialog they’d final night time, thus proving it’s prefer it didn’t even occur to Baek-du. As for Yoo-kyung, she’s mortified over the entire thing, and undoubtedly extra in contact together with her ~emotions~ if her response to his ramyun invitation is any indication!
With all of the cuteness and humor (I imply, Baek-du shopping for ice pops for his hyungs along with his prize cash was comedic gold), we will’t neglect the explanation why Yoo-kyung left the match. The captain had referred to as her with an necessary discovering, and it’s the puzzle piece that begins to place all the pieces collectively. Yoo-kyung goes straight to Ran’s Coffe, and Mi-ran performs it straight. “Howdy Doo-shik unnie,” she says.
Seems, Mi-ran is the daughter of the wrestler who died twenty years in the past, whose homicide was blamed on Yoo-kyung’s father. It comes out that Choi Chil-seung, when he got here to Geosan, got here to speak to Mi-ran and knew who she was. However what’s actually occurring? Mi-ran as a personality has at all times been a bit glassy, so it’s exhausting to know what she’s hiding precisely, however she is aware of in regards to the investigation and that each Yoo-kyung and Hyun-wook are cops.
Hyun-wook’s senses have at all times been up round Mi-ran, and after staking out her cafe, he follows her and her large mysterious black bag round. In the meantime, Yoo-kyung is for certain there’s one thing that occurred the night time of Choi Chil-seung’s demise that they’re lacking, and he or she convinces Baek-du to attempt to bear in mind what occurred the night time he was drunk. No, not final night time, she warns, however the night time when he interacted with Choi.
Right here we hit in all probability one of many drama’s biggest scenes — Baek-du is in the midst of the highway, speaking to himself greater than regular, and reenacting the night time he fell within the highway and tried to offer Choi his $40 change. Whereas we’re watching Baek-du appear like a madman throwing himself on the pavement, Seok-hee and his companion have pulled up of their cop automotive and so they’re watching the entire thing. Their commentary is hysterical — from the “He have to be scorching that’s why he’s laying down on the street,” to the “Is he searching for a profession change?” to Seok-hee ultimately denying that he even is aware of who Baek-du is (LOL!). However the loopy pays off, and Baek-du is ready to bear in mind a vital element of that night time: there was somebody within the passenger seat with Choi.
Baek-du might need run off screaming in horror and embarrassment when he lastly remembered kissing Yoo-kyung (“We don’t have that type of relationship!” he sputters), however when he remembers this necessary clue, he runs at prime velocity to the gymnasium to inform Yoo-kyung. However earlier than he can get out what he desires to say in between heaving for breath — “That night time… within the automotive” — Mi-ran walks in. “You noticed me? You mentioned you didn’t bear in mind,” she says plainly. BOOM!
Mi-ran is such a wild card that I’m not fairly positive the place this reveal will go, however I adore it as a reveal that’s been hinted at obliquely all alongside. In a narrative that has handled all of its characters fairly evenly and with out assigning villainy, I believe and hope that this situation will go the identical approach. On the very least, the flashback to Mi-ran’s childhood assures me that the drama cares about her as a personality — prefer it does all of its gamers — so I’m curious to see the place they take us from right here.
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