Early Access: A Business Proposal E2

E2. Tee hee. This show has a particular brand of nonsensical fluff, that reminds me of retro-ish classic You're Beautiful. Some of the stuff is very tongue-in-cheek; some of the stuff is very silly and logic-lite. And somehow, pretty much all of the stuff adds up to a rollin' ball of a good time.

The first that comes to my mind, this episode, is just how good Kim Se Jeong's comic sensibility is. I would've never guessed, really, from only having seen her in School 2017, and The Uncanny Counter.

Neither show required her to be very comic - even though The Uncanny Counter has its comic book vibe - and so I'm really quite blown away, at how naturally the OTT feels, coming from her.

There are many moments this episode where Kim Se Jeong's required to lean into the OTT big type of reactions, and I find myself giggling at her antics regularly. That's skillz, coz I typically don't jive easily with this sort of funny.

Like I said last episode, I'm liking Ha Ri really well, and that is a huge factor in my confidence that I will enjoy this show.

Ahn Hyo Seop is mostly playing the straight man to Kim Se Jeong's funny woman, with room for his own bits of dorky funny, and that's working out really nicely for me as well. Tae Moo's quizzical reactions to Ha Ri's ridiculous antics works really well, and I find that I'm liking this dynamic really well.

The fact that most of their ridiculous interactions happen under Sung Hoon's mystified-but-knowing nose, just makes it even more amusing, somehow.

Like how Ha Ri blurts out that Tae Moo reminds her of an archaeopteryx. Tae Moo's incredulous expression is already gold, but the fact that Sung Hoon sniggers reflexively, just makes it even better, heh.

The way Tae Moo obsesses about Ha Ri's archaeopteryx remark, the entire episode, works out to be funnier, the longer it gets dragged out. I feel like Tae Moo's inability to get over the archaeopteryx remark, brings out the dork in him, and like I said before, I am all for his inner dork making an appearance.

Perhaps Tae Moo isn't as self-confident as he'd like everyone else to think, if he can't shake the thought that Ha Ri thinks he looks like an archaeopteryx? 😁

I also really like how Show weaves its various threads together. For example, the way Ha Ri follows Hye Ji down to the lobby, because she knows that Min Woo's here to see Hye Ji, makes perfect sense.

And then, the way that evolves into the iconic SlipperGate incident with Tae Moo, feels so seamless as well.

It's a twofer, is what it is, and I like that Show seems so confident, in weaving its various narrative threads together, so that we float quite effortlessly from one plot point to another.

How interesting, though, that Team Leader Yeo appears to think that Min Woo has a romantic interest in Ha Ri. Could she be right, I wonder? After all, Min Woo does return Hye Jin's gift, and he does call Ha Ri later in the episode, to ask her why she hasn't been by the restaurant lately.

On the other hand, he'd given a pretty poor showing on her birthday, when he'd given her tickets to go to a concert, and had told her to go with a guy, and not with Young Seo. That seems like a weird thing to do, if he does actually have feelings for Ha Ri?

Or.. maybe he does have feelings for Ha Ri, and had been hoping that she'd react by inviting him to go to the concert with her..? Hrmm. I'm suddenly very curious about this.

Of course, the main event this episode, is Tae Moo's insistent interest in Ha Ri, and the danger that he might discover that she's actually his employee.

I had to laugh at the way Tae Moo runs after Ha Ri after that slipper slaps him on the head. Again, I feel like this reveals his inner dork, because, if he were as confident as he presents himself to be, why would he be so bothered about someone throwing a slipper at him - or so he thinks?

The fact that he runs and runs and RUNS, to catch hold of the person responsible for the slipper throwing, and demands to know why she'd thrown the slipper, makes me think that he's actually a rather insecure dork on the inside. That possibility is quite delightful to me, at the moment, I gotta say. 😁

Also, there's the thing where Tae Moo de-stresses by cleaning and cooking. Tee hee. That's funny enough on its own, but the fact that he has to do it at Sung Hoon's apartment, makes it even funnier.

I suppose Tae Moo's own house is too organized to provide him with the stress relief that he's looking for? 😁😆

I do find it endearing, though, that Sung Hoon's relationship with Tae Moo, who's his boss, is this close and casual, in private. I wonder if they were friends, before Sung Hoon became Tae Moo's secretary?

The fact that Tae Moo's angry with Ha Ri for deceiving him, rather than with Young Seo, for sending Ha Ri to the blind date in the first place, is definitely kind of weird. But I do think that this gives us an early indication of him being drawn to Ha Ri, even before he's cognizant of it.

The other indication, I think, is how Tae Moo feels so bored and uninspired by all the other blind dates that Gramps sends him on this episode. Muahaha. That's likely because he's already lost his heart to Ha Ri, without his knowledge?

Another big anchor in this show, for me, is Ha Ri's friendship with Young Seo. And, it totally helps that Seol In Ah's comic sensibilities appear to mesh really nicely with Kim Se Jeong's. When they're doing funny scenes together, it really feels like they're on the same wavelength.

For example, I loved that drunken crying scene, where Young Seo and Ha Ri get ridiculously upset over nothing much, while super drunk. Their chemistry and timing works perfectly, to create the silly-funny, and I surprise myself, by being here for it.

Also, I like that their friendship has such a firm foundation, that Ha Ri doesn't even cut ties with Young Seo, for tricking her into meeting Tae Moo. I mean, a weaker friendship would be over and done with, after a stunt a like that, no?

Instead, they squabble for a bit, but come out of it with their friendship intact. I like that.

Young Seo's crush on Sung Hoon is quite cute, and I'm actually quite eager to see how this unfolds.

I mean, she clearly has hearts in her eyes for him, and he's not disinterested, based on the fact that he'd found her endearing at the convenience store. But now he's come to know that she is, in fact, the real Jin Young Seo. Surely that will have some influence over his thoughts about a potential relationship with her?

Chairman Gramps is as cutely entertaining as ever.

I think it's cute that he's so into that drama within a drama, "Be Strong, Geum Hui," the title of which feels like a strong nod to 2005 family drama, "Be Strong, Geum Soon," a 163-episode whopper which had starred Han Hye Jin. That's a nod-wink-nudge to long-time drama fans, for sure.

Also, I find it sweetly endearing of Chairman Gramps, to grumble so gently, that dramas always portray chaebols as being evil, when chaebols are people too. Aw. That's so cute, isn't it?

The drama within a drama is pretty funny too. Instead of the classic kimchi slap, we have pork cutlet slaps, and fried chicken slaps, HA. And, so far anyway, everything they've shown us in Be Strong Geum Hui, is a direct mirror for what's happening with Ha Ri and Tae Moo. Fun!

We end off the episode with Tae Moo proposing a contract relationship, and a falling kiss, both of which are classic tropes of the rom-com genre.

I do love me a good contract relationship, so I have no complaints there.

And even though I don't typically enjoy the falling kiss trope, I have to admit that Show does a good job of creating the situation that results in the falling kiss.

First, we have Tae Moo tripping backwards, because he's taken by surprise when Ha Ri kind of pushes him; then, we have Ha Ri trying to catch him, to prevent him from falling. And then, we have Ha Ri falling down with him, because she's not strong enough to pull him up. It all makes sense, that way.

Which is why, I can't really complain, when Ha Ri lands on him in a compromising position.

Muahaha. Sure, it's tropey, but somehow Show makes it work, and I find myself smirking at the sudden close proximity and unexpected skinship. This will surely continue to muddy the waters of their contractual relationship - and that's what I'm here for. 😋

Next episode notes will be out on: Thursday, 24 Mar 2022!