Be Strong Geum Soon somewhere between 36 and 41

Geum Soon still owns me.

Jae Hee finally started to get more interested in Geum Soon. He remembers her and looks for her whenever he drops by in the hair salon. But at the same time he hangs out with Eun Joo and even let her kiss him.

Grandma, after a fight with her Daughter in Law, took He Sung and gone to vegetable selling with him in tow. But of course He Sung walked away while she was making a huge sale and she lost him. Geum Soon, her in laws (except Useless Bro who got offered a job as floor manager because he is good looking and MIL since her leg is in a cast). But as luck have it, Old Doc found He Sung and brought him to the police station (not the one closest to where he found the kid but the one closest to where Geum Soon and her relatives live). The exchanged cards with Geum Soon's FIL.

Bank Bro and Sung Ran do not even speak to each other now but of course MIL went to meet Sung Ran and actually met her and told her how lovely her son Bank Bro is. She is right of course but what she doesn't know - and will probably flip out if she finds out- is that Sung Ran is divorced and mother of an 8 year old boy who lives with his father. Anyway she told Sung Ran to make up with Bank Bro - Bank Bro has no idea.

Geum Soon finally stood up to her MIL (after having a heart to heart with Grandma and thinking how old and fragile her Grandma is) saying that she always critisises her, never appreciates her and refused to baby sit her son, so does it really matter if she behaves respectfully or not? None of them had anything to say to this since she is right.

Oh, and she was about to be fired because she left the hair salon without telling anyone and when the hair stylist (not the bully but the real stylist) asked the reason she didn't want to say. After the Stylist fired her she said she'll tell the reason but only in private. Of course Stylist took her right back after finding out the Geum Soon left because her two year old son was missing and also that she is a widow. Geum Soon told the stylist that she not only wants to learn about the job but she actually needs the job to take better care of ther son. Stylist asked to keep this a secret between them since she doesn't think Mama would react favorably if she finds out. I think Mama, being a single mom herself, would be more understanding but we'll see.

Also before finding the kid, Old Doc approached Real Mom whether they should find her daughter or not and she reacted in a bad way. Throughout their discussion we understand that Old Doc at first said Real Mom that he will accept her daughter but in the end he didn't - his old mother was ill and she couldn't handle it if he brought home a widow with a daughter. So Real Mom said that she has left her daughter and chose to live nicely and she doesn't deserve any kindness now (well, I don't know about the kindness but she didn't do a good thing, at least she knows).

Well on her off day Geum Soon innocently cooked a sweet rice treat for Old Doc, to thank him for finding He Sung. And came across Jae Hee at the elevator. Jae Hee didn't respond when she said hello and he also didn't respond when his two subordinates went in to the elevator at a different floor. Geum Soon said to him that he has something on his white coat and made him looked down. And then she smiled cutely that he actually bowed :) She said to him why he never say hello back when people greeted him - in a very cute way and even though he remained stony throughout the whole jokey period, he started smiling after Geum Soon got off. And the episode ended with Geum Soon entering Old Doc's office while her mother is at the same hospital getting dialysis.

Oh and there is a lot of action now in The Dragon and The Pearl. I don't like the book that much though.

Be Strong Geum Soon 33

Be Strong Geum Soon keeps on being interesting and owning me.

Bank Bro finally finds out from Sung Ran that she is a divorcee with an 8 year old son who actually lives with his father (it is very unusual). And she tells him that he shouldn't take their dating so serious. This conversation happened right after he presented her with couples rings. He has gone into shock after hearing all these new things about her and took the rings back and went home. At night he asked Useless Bro what does a woman mean if she says the relationship is not serious, and Useless Bro replies that she probably just wanted to have some fun. This makes Bank Bro MAD. He actually throws the rings into the loo but doesn't flush and then Useless Bro came and peed and just as he was about to flush Bank Bro told him not to and took the rings out of the loo filled with Uselss Bro's pee. EEWWWWWWWWWWWWW. I can't even say that this dedication impressed me. I simply thought Bank Bro is a stupid man and I hope that he will not give those rings to Sung Ran. Sung Ran thinks that Bank Bro's feelings have changed after he heard her circumstances. But Bank Bro is just mad because Sung Ran doesn't take him seriously. Yes he minded that she is a divorcee with a child living with her ex husband but he was more hurt that she treated her relationship with Bank Bro as unimportant. Now this is a big misunderstanding.

Geum Soon is being treated very bad at work by a girl and she even pushed her and caused her some minor injuries. The injuries were minor but certainly painful and Jae Hee witnessed all these without being seen. He was concerned about Geum Soon and even went as far as taking an oinment from the first aid case. But he was not able to give it to her since she only came back -from the pharmacy to get herself medicine- and Mama and Eun Joo were right there. Eun Joo slowly crawls her way into Jae Hee's life by cooking special food to Mama - who has got a cold - and spending their date at Jae Hee's house eating these with Mama and Jae Hee.

But at home her stepmother just returned from another dialysis session and she is a person who actually has to eat special food etc. When Eun Joo told Jae Hee that she felt more at home at his house than at her own house - due to the stepmother situation, not because she is a bad person but because her father remarried just one year after her mother died and this second marriage seems a much much more successful one- and Jae Hee told her that after living with her for 10 years shouldn't she feel like a family? She got upset and said Jae Hee is blaming her like everyone else does. I dislike Eun Joo more and more with each episode.

And the worst thing is that Old Doctor now actively follows Geum Soon. I just know that he will talk to her and make her life miserable. Is finding her mother better than learning that she lived a luxury life with another daughter and didn't look for her? What about her current situation? Her health is not good and she needs a kidney. Aaaarrrhh this is complicated.

Poor Geum Soon also has to hear her MIL's comments about Sung Ran (a magazine interviewed her and Useless Bro brought it to the house to show his family what kind of a woman Bank Bro is dating since he actually saw them outside the Bank). MIL kept commenting how smart and succesfull Sung Ran is not to mention her father being a retired school master. Geum Soon couldn't help but feel bad :( 

Be Strong Geum Soon 30, Villain - End, The Dragon and The Pearl

Last night was yet another great Geum Soon nights. I actually cried (usual for me) and laughed out loud (very unusual) and actually rewatched the said scene and laughed again (almost never happens). Kang Ji Hwan, I'm this close to liking you because you are such a good good actor. Geum Soon takes the job in the hair salon and actually Jae Hee's Mama (from hereon will be referred to as Mama) likes her since she is very hard working and genuinely interested in the profession. But her co workers are all bitches who hate her since she got this job by being insistent (in their words "begging") and on her first day she made them all clean the windows really well. Now no one speaks to her at work. But I have faith in Geum Soon to win them all because she is truly nice.

Meanwhile Real Mom is in a bad state and Old Doc actually contacted a prosecutor friend of his to find Geum Soon (I think it is for her kidney) at least Real Mom had the decency to ask him not to contact her daughter especially this time. The prosecutor even brought Old Doc Geum Soon's photo!

Also Jae Hee starts to respond to Geum Soon's charms. Not that he is in love with her or anything (yet) but he started to see that she is an honest, kind hearted and cheerful woman who actually wanted to pay him back for not suing her for the accident. He reluctantly agrees on the arrangement since she simply would not give up but he requests her to deposit the money to his account (avoid seeing her). But he often visits the hair salon and they often meet :) 

In the scenes that made me cry first the Useless Bro actually took Bank Bro's card without permission and signed to an acting school (the first instalment is 1400 USD - I love it that Korean money values, social concerns etc. are very similar to ours) and when everyone found out about it he tried to argue his way by saying he is not loved enough and this usually works but this time it made him kicked out of the house. He came across Geum Soon on the way and asked her to loan him her only money 3 USD. And he told her he blames her for his brother's death. And Geum Soon unexpectedly - for him that is- agrees and tells him that she has to live with this her whole life and now she needs to take care of her son and be a good mother. I was in tears by then and when she went to a quiet place shouting to her dead husband, complaining about the girls at saloon made me cry even more.

Grandma now looks after Hi Sung with the approval of Daughter in Law (the father is still absent) and her daughter Geum Ah is kind of into Useless Bro (they met only once yet). Daughter in Law complained to Grandma when drunk - she usually makes her point very clear but her words were more precise and more hurtful in her inabriated state.

Now comes the scene that got me laugh out loud. Jae Hee came to visit his Mama at the saloon and with Eun Joo they sit at Mama's office asking Geum Soon to bring them green tea (only Mama and Jae Hee asked for tea). Here Mama finds out that Geum Soon knows her son but Jae Hee doesn't explain and tells Mama that they only said hi to each other (I think he knows that if Mama knows Geum Soon is the one who fractured her precious son's little finger she'll be mad at Geum Soon). Anyway Geum Soon brings in two cups of steaming green tea. Gives one to Mama and as she was about to give Jae Hee the next somehow the thing fells on Jae Hee's lap burning his sensitive parts. He was hillarious in that scene trying not scream but making awful faces and asking for ICE QUICK and next we see him long sitting in the office wearing thin pajamas and holding an ice bag on his sensitive parts. Kang Ji Hwan - thanks man.


I also finished Villain yesterday and I have liked it even more towards the end. Great book, very good messages.
I have started a Historical Harlequin novel called The Dragon and The Pearl, this one came with very good recommendations -dangermouise at lj- and it is not bad but so far all about the UST and I want to read some action.  But if I know my Harlequin - and I do- we will be in for a treat soon.

Be Strong Geum Soon 25

Geum Soon is such a nice person. She tries very hard and I like her more and more each episode. But I kind of felt asleep during episode 5 last night.

Now Geum Soon found a job at Jae Hee's mothers hair dresser saloon (actually Jae Hee and his omma were all for Geum Soon who tried really heard while Eun Joo didn't want to hire her saying that she is too old to start) with her MIL finally accepting to take care of her boy. But of course the woman fell in the bathroom and her foot had to be in a cast for a month. So Geum Soon decided to use almost all of the money she earned from distributing health products to her Aunt in Law to stop her from yapping so much while Geum Soon's Grandma takes care of her child while she works. Well at least it is cheaper than the creche. And I think it is better for the 2 year old to be with Grandma rather than creche.

Meanwhile Eun Joo and Jae Hee are going on their agreed dates (10 dates before Jae Hee makes his decision) and they seem to be enjoying themselves - while I, of course ship Jae Hee with Geum Soon. If only I could be attracted to Kang Ji Hwan, who is actually a great actor. Meanwhile Useless Bro tries to get into a modelling career and Bank Bro and Architect Lady are getting very close. They are on the brink of truly dating - they held hands and everything!-.

But the true bomb of this period in the series is that the Real Omma collapsed since her body started to reject the kidney transplant. They are going to put a catheter and she will have to do dialysis. But coming to the bomb Old Doctor actually had Geum Soon's name & birthdate on a paper. I think he will try to contact her and request her kidney. You know I try not to judge people but if I were Geum Soon, it will be very hard for me to give my kidney to the mom who abondaned me. I would give it but still I wouldn't be happy about it.

Meanwhile I stopped reading Nana and concentrate on Villain which turned out to be very good. Great novel and I'll seek more from Shuichi Yoshida.

And Stephen King listening is also not going bad. I plan on getting off the shuttle bus at an earlier stop and listen to it while I walk. It is too hot really but I brought by wide brimmed hat and 50 sunblock for this. Let's see whether this will work or not.

Battle Los Angeles, One Day, Be Strong Geum Soon until 23, The Beautiful and Damned - End, Villain, 22/11/1963, Nana

Ok I realised I have not been writing for sometime so here is what I watched and read meanwhile

Batlle Los Angeles I loved it. This is suprising since was is my least fave cinema genre, the film was cheesy and predictable, the dialogues were silly but I could definitely see what was going on and the actors were all very good.

One Day I have been wanting to watch this for sometime and now that I finally did I can say that the best part of the film was remembering the book. I also didn't like the fact that they have omitted Emma's affair with her boss who is married. Emma was not a saint and this made the whole story so much beautiful and real. The two leads were also not bad but not so good that I'd want to purchase this one.

Be Strong Geum Soon Geum Soon and her troubles are on going but this time she is slightly more savy. Finally she met with Jae Hee and of course it was not a good meeting. He hated her on sight and she didn't like him since he prevented her work (of distributing health products) Eun Jae actually kicked her out. Her mother in law is not talking to her again but this time it is because Geum Soon started working - with good intentions since she has to be a mother and a father to her son so she needs to start as early as she possibly can, no? But her Mother in Law thinks she should wait a year so Wee Sung can go to creshe. The problem is that Mother in Law's health is fragile (and to give her credit, she is not faking it, she is indeed of a weaker disposition) and cannot look at the baby. Anway Geum Soon refuses to give in to her and continues to work.
Meanwhile Geum Soon's mother - who is living in luxury with her doctor husband - started to show symptoms of kidney disease again but hides it from her husband. Jae Hee is the husband's student. Real Mother's elder stepdaughter is in love with Jae Hee but her father doesn't want her to get involved. The reasons are that Jae Hee doesn't know who his father is and more importantly, he doesn't have a heart. Well we think he says the truth since when Geum Soon accidentally bumped him at the hospital parking lot with her scooter he not only pressed charges but also made her wait at the police station until she receives the fake medical report saying that it will take six weeks for him to heal. The thing is that it will take four weeks for his little finger to heal but he asked his doctor friend to say six since this is the time limit which will keep Geum Soon in jail. The policeman took pity on her and made her wait at the actual station all night while trying to locate Jae Hee. Jae Hee actually went to work next morning and when he found out that his colleague acted upon his request he goes mad. He says that doctors should have ethics and conscience and that the colleague should have refused his request. Now that his conscience is disturbed he goes to the police station and withdraws his complaint and also doesn't ask for monetary compensation since got treated at the hospital for free. Meanwhile Geum Soon first tried to call Father in Law when in Police Station but her Mother in Law has answered the phone so she kind of froze and couldn't speak. Then she called her grandma and told her to look after her kid for the night. She told the grandma that she was very tired and she needed sleep. Geum Soon is very nice, she didn't want her elderly Grandma to worry about her. But her in laws returned the same night and when they couldn't find her in the house, they assumed that she went to Grandma. They were a bit upset that she didn't call them and tell them that she'll spend the night at Grandma. So imagine Geum Soon's suprise when she finally walked to her house and found her in laws there worried sick (they called Grandma in the morning and now she is worried sick too) and at the end of episode 22 (if I remember correctly, I always got the episode numbers mixed up) everyone is looking at Geum Soon waiting for an explanation on where she spend the night.

I have finished The Beautiful and Damned and it was such a good novel. Yes it is not even as good as The Great Gatsby but still it is better than a lot of others. The book situation got a little bit complicated now.

Currently readin Suichi Yoshida's Villain and loving it. Also reading Nana by Emile Zola and not really loving it since the book is a cheap copy full of errors. And to top these of I'm listeing to Stephen King's 22/11/1963 because a colleague has lent it to me (I think the only reason he did that is he is listening to it now and wanted to discuss it as he reads it along). For whatever reason I enjoy it very much and listen to it while I do chores but sometimes I just sit and listen to it which is bad because I have to read Nana for the book club!
Also my social life went a bit nuts since I went to a wedding on Wednesday, a bbq party on Friday and a hen night on Saturday. This is too much for a not so social woman as I. 

Be Strong Geum Soon 12-13-14

Oh last night Geum  Soon made me cry cry cry. After she has been thrown out by her in laws, she tried to find jobs but  no one would give her a job and then she fell asleep on a park bench, then saw her deceased husband in her dream telling her to wake up. Meanwhile someone stole her carry all. And then she made a wise decision and went back to her in laws. After hearing her out (and after lying to her grandma who came to Seoul to check on her - but she told the Bank Bro that she was going to come to Seoul anyway and wanted to drop by - Bank Bro lied to Grandma and told her that Geum Soon was out and that she is doing well), oh what was I saying, after hearing her out the father in law - supported by Bank Bro, take her in, MIL shouts and tells her to leave but Geum Soon wouldn't. And finally the nasty in laws see the light and Geum Soon starts to live with them. One episode later Geum Soon has a baby boy - who is the darling of her in laws- and her Grandma, Auntie and Cousin moved to Seoul trying get away from creditors (her Uncle put the family in considerable debt).  Geum Soon also finds a job selling health care products.

In the Mother's end, she makes peace with her elder step daughter and they send her away to London to attend a course on make-up (they insisted that she stay but she actually decided that this will be her career). So we know that Kang Jung Hwan is Jae Hee and a student of Geum Soon's Mother's Husband (I'll just call him Old Doctor). Step daughter likes Jae Hee but apparently Jae Hee is a bit of a playboy so Old Doctor doesn't want his daughter to date him. Jae Hee's mom owns a posh hair dresser saloon - which is currently not doing very well.

At the end of the episode Useless Bro returns from Military service and while drunk enters Geum Soon and the baby's room and lies down next to Geum Soon. It was hillarious because Geum Soon first thought that he is a burglar - since his arm was in her neck, he passed out at that position- after beggin the "burglar" not to hurt her baby and telling him where all her valuables are, she realised that the burglar is not responding and his arm is not moving. These observations gave her courage and she starts to hit the now "pervert"  while screaming. :) I needed that sort of a relief after all these tears.

Spiderman 1, Spiderman 2, Modern Family Season 1, Be Strong Geum Soon 7-12

Spiderman is a great film. One to watch again and again and enjoy. This is the film that made me like Toby Maguire.
Spiderman 2 is just as good. No matter how many times I watch it, I still love it the same (maybe even more).

Due to a communication accident I have found myself loaned Modern Family Season 1 and Season 2 - I like the show but not that much of a fan of it. Gave Season 1 a try and I find it nice to be able to watch one after the other. It is more fun that way. Hawaii portion really made me miss Hawaii.

Meanwhile I have watched 6 more episodes of Geum Soon and it is getting better although poor Geum Soon is really suffering.

Geum Soon and Jeung Wan got married despite the opposition of Mother in Law. She also insulted Geum Soon at every opportunity. Well to cut a long story short during these 6 episodes Jeung Wan died at a car crash - he was coming to Seoul because Geum Soon got lost and called him. It is not actually to find Geum Soon but more of an opportunity to see her. When dying his last thoughts were of Geum Soon. The family is crushed when they have found this. Bank Bro and Dad went to the hospital and just as the doctor (Kang Ji Hwan) came out of the operation room telling them Jeung Wan couldn't make it.

Grandma sold her house to finance the wedding (well Geum Soon's part of it) and gave some to this invisible uncle (who didn't attend Geum Soon's wedding either) and moved to the aunt in law's house.

And now comes the worse thing: her in laws kicked Geum Soon out. At night, in the winter. Her father in law put a rather thin envelope of money in her shocked hand and they cut all the ties saying that the marriage was not registered anyway (it was only three days after the marriage Jeung Wan died).  How can one kick a pregnant woman, who became a widow after three days of marriage out in the cold. Furthermore despite not being stupid, Geum Soon is rather naive. She was sheltered by her Grandma (they never even told her that her mother left her, she thinks her mother is dead - she has no picture of her mom), living in a small with only high school education.

Now she is in Seoul, she cannot go back to her grandma - who is living with her uncle's wife and daughter and their economic situation is not very bright either - they were the ones who rented the room to Jeung Wan.  Her in laws didn't let her in despite her crying and banging the door  - to be fair Bank Bro wanted to take her in the house but Mom, Dad and Serseri Bro didn't want her. Mom never really liked her and according to her Geum Soon caused her son's death. She hates her and shouted her and kicked her out. I try not to judge people but I find it hard not to be angry with them. I felt my heart feeling cold as poor Geum Soon went to a jimjilbang, then in the morning had to lie to Grandma that her in laws are treating her nicely. And to top it all her wallet was stolen and we left her as she sat by the road, opened her carryall and take her photo with Jeung Wan out and look at it in tears.

Stupid in laws, but I know, I simply know that Geum Soon will forgive them. She is that kindhearted.

Bookclub told me to start Nana - I actually feel terrible as I further read The Beautiful and Damned since the characters are going through a bad period now -and I'm really into it.