Soundtrack #2: Episodes 5-6 (Closing)
by solstices
Soundtrack #2 reaches its coda as our ex-lovers start anew, rekindling the emotions they’ve harbored for one another all this time. If their love is to final, although, they’ll must work by what drove them aside within the first place — or their relationship might develop discordant yet again.
EPISODES 5-6
From the very second they reconnected by that first piano lesson, each Hyun-seo and Soo-ho have been circling round one another, instinctively drawn into one another’s orbits. It’s straightforward to hunt the familiarity of an previous flame, simply because it’s straightforward to fall again into previous habits, and our finale week encapsulates this for higher and for worse.
However first — again to the kiss! One factor results in one other, and earlier than they understand it, Hyun-seo is waking up in Soo-ho’s arms. Sadly for our reunited lovebirds, they don’t get to take pleasure in their morning cuddles for lengthy. A shock go to by Hyun-seo’s bestie KIM JIN-KYUNG (Jeon Hye-jin) sends the 2 scrambling away from bed, culminating in a hilariously clumsy escape by our bumbling CEO.
Conserving according to their knack for not speaking about troublesome matters, Hyun-seo and Soo-ho don’t speak about their night time collectively or what it means for his or her relationship. They do, nonetheless, share a late-night telephone name identical to romantic sweethearts would; Soo-ho cajoles Hyun-seo into staying on the road on the pretext of needing to listen to her voice to go to sleep, and she or he rambles on about numerous composers till he drifts off right into a peaceable slumber.
Now that Hyun-seo’s acknowledged her lingering emotions for Soo-ho, there’s the matter of letting Ok down straightforward. Ok is fast to learn the room, and when Hyun-seo tries to convey up the subject over dinner, he asks her to delay her reply until they wrap up the challenge. He could also be nursing an unrequited crush, however reasonably than fall into dejection, his considerate nature shines by when he amends his lyrics. Now not is he pouring out his one-sided emotions; as a substitute, he’s written a tune expressing our exes’ hopes of beginning over.
True to his phrase, Ok bows out gracefully after a profitable filming. Recognizing that he’d doubtlessly make issues awkward as a 3rd wheel, he declines the invitation to their after-party. It’s time for him to return to the States, and he has just a few final issues to settle first. Ok bids his challenge companions a heartfelt goodbye, thanking them for his or her time collectively, and so they half on good phrases with a promise to keep up a correspondence.
In the meantime, Soo-ho’s been anxious about Hyun-seo’s proximity to Ok. Possibly she’s grown keen on him? Maybe she reciprocates his emotions? As an alternative of voicing his worries and clearing the air along with her, although, Soo-ho stews in his ideas alone. It’s solely when he stumbles upon behind-the-scenes footage of Hyun-seo turning Ok down, by accident captured on a conveniently-forgotten digicam left rolling at simply the proper angle, that he snaps out of his self-induced funk.
The subsequent day, within the midst of their piano lesson, Soo-ho lastly takes the route of direct communication and asks Hyun-seo what they’re. His blunt strategy prompts honesty from her — she admits she’d been afraid to fall for him once more, and that she’s nonetheless terrified, however she’s fallen again in love anyway. Soo-ho smiles, and Hyun-seo can’t maintain again anymore. Surging ahead, she kisses him.
As a time skip, we’re handled to a cute montage of our reconciled couple, however a storm is brewing on the horizon. Our lovebirds are nonetheless at vastly totally different factors of their lives; Hyun-seo’s nonetheless doing deliveries and making ready to open her restaurant, all whereas Soo-ho’s treating her to advantageous eating price a whole lot.
All of it involves a head when Soo-ho pays a 12 months’s price of her hire with out consulting her upfront, since he knew she’d refuse if he requested. To Soo-ho, it’s a sort shock to ease his girlfriend’s monetary burden; to Hyun-seo, it’s one more debt that she owes.
She makes an attempt to keep away from a confrontation, however Soo-ho chases after her to insist that they speak it out. Hyun-seo factors out what I’m pondering — that he ought to’ve communicated earlier, then, as a substitute of going behind her again. Each their insecurities rise to the floor, widening the rift between them. Hyun-seo feels responsible at all times being on the receiving finish, whereas Soo-ho needs her to rely on him now that he isn’t poor anymore.
In a heart-to-heart with Jin-kyung, Hyun-seo blames her inferiority complicated. She will be able to’t settle for assist, as a result of it makes her really feel small. I can’t assist however sympathize along with her — Soo-ho continuously tries to do issues for Hyun-seo, out of affection and goodwill, however he goes about it in ways in which strip her company away. Soo-ho acts on what he thinks is greatest for her, reasonably than making an attempt to empathize with Hyun-seo’s perspective and work by issues along with her. Unknowingly and unintentionally, he’s stoking the flames of Hyun-seo’s insecurity.
But Hyun-seo isn’t innocent, both. The primary causes for his or her preliminary breakup have been misunderstandings stemming from a scarcity of communication, and even in spite of everything these years aside, neither has discovered from their errors. As soon as once more, Hyun-seo is insisting on shouldering her troubles alone, shutting Soo-ho out within the course of. He can’t assist if she received’t enable him to. Realizing they want time aside, they determine to take a break, however the distance quickly solidifies right into a breakup.
Within the wake of their second parting, Hyun-seo arrives at an epiphany. She’s been taking child steps, venturing out of her consolation zone by asking for assist and searching for recommendation, and it’s taught her one very essential lesson. All this time, she hadn’t actually identified herself, or liked herself.
With that, Hyun-seo writes Soo-ho a heartfelt electronic mail admitting her want for introspection and self-discovery. She’ll be embarking on a solo journey to Santiago for some soul-searching, simply as he had all these years in the past. To that, Soo-ho replies by deleting her electronic mail and chucking his Santiago souvenirs within the trash. Sigh. These two and their delight!
Hyun-seo heads to the airport, however her bag strap snaps and she will be able to’t rise up as a result of her backpack is simply too heavy. Then, somebody helps her up. It’s Soo-ho, and he provides to hold a bag for her. Smiling, Hyun-seo accepts, and so they stroll hand-in-hand in direction of their new chapter collectively.
Properly, I just like the poetic symbolism of the ending, I simply don’t like how we bought there. The ultimate scene properly encapsulated Hyun-seo’s core difficulty; she’s been unable to choose herself again up from her stumbles, as a result of she’s at all times carrying an excessive amount of weight on her shoulders. As for Soo-ho, he’s learnt to do issues along with her, reasonably than for her. As an alternative of merely taking Hyun-seo’s luggage, Soo-ho asks first, leaving the selection in her arms. When Hyun-seo accepts, it’s a acutely aware resolution to depend on him and permit him to handle her burdens collectively along with her.
Nonetheless, each of them wanted the time and house other than one another to develop as people in their very own proper, but we by no means noticed them present process that journey. All through each their separation and reconciliation, they have been hung up on one another, as a substitute of studying to forge their very own id. Soo-ho might have achieved profession success, however he was very a lot motivated by the will to show himself to Hyun-seo. As for Hyun-seo, she’s so fixated on letting go and transferring on — whether or not it’s Soo-ho, or piano — that she’s been refusing herself the correct closure that she wants, and denying others communication consequently.
That’s why the ultimate reconciliation doesn’t really feel fairly earned, as a result of we by no means bought to see them candidly work by their crossed wires. Hyun-seo wanted to construct her self-worth again up unbiased of Soo-ho, but he’s becoming a member of her on a visit that was meant to be for herself. There’s little question that Soo-ho loves her and cares deeply for her, however there’s a line between supporting somebody and smothering them, and I’m not fairly positive he’s acknowledged that.
When Ok steered paring down the tune’s instrumentals to replicate the straightforward sincerity of beginning over, I believed it was a hopeful signal for our ex-lovers’ trajectory. Alas, it was to not be. Relatively than reevaluating their internalized beliefs and reconverging at a degree the place they may meet within the center, they glossed over the basic conflicts of their relationship and someway arrived at a brand new degree of self-growth with out demonstrating that they’ve gone by that course of. It’s why I’m not completely optimistic that the third time would be the appeal — it appears possible that they’ll fall again into the identical patterns but once more, retreading their errors as a substitute of beginning anew.
Nonetheless, other than my grievances with the conclusion, Soundtrack #2 was a lighthearted and enjoyable watch whereas the cuteness lasted. Poignantly filmed and underscored with honest melodies, the drama delivered candy supportive friendships, crackling couple chemistry, and real moments of heat and luxury.
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