Early Access: Mad For Each Other E4

E4. The road to mutual acceptance and respect is a long and rocky one, it seems, because even though we get glimmers of progress this episode, in the end, it still feels like Hwi Oh and Min Kyung aren't that much closer to understanding each other, after all.

Watching Min Kyung this episode, the old saying "attack is the best form of defense" seems to be her modus operandi. We've seen that Min Kyung's been very hurt in the past, and is still suffering a lot of mental and emotional wounds as a result. It's very possible that all her attacks on Hwi Oh - and on the world at large - is just her way of trying to protect herself from further hurt. Of course, that doesn't make it ok, but it does give me a way to process it in a way that helps me sympathize with her.

I'm relieved that the car and dog issue isn't dragged out, and Min Kyung really does benefit from Hwi Oh's help, so much so that she starts to look at him with new eyes, a little bit. I mean, he doesn't have to pacify those two boys, because it had been Min Kyung who had lashed out at them and made them cry, but he does anyway, and seems really earnest about it too. I'm glad Min Kyung turns back and then approaches the situation with a more calm, relatively more positive sort of attitude.

That moment when Hwi Oh concedes that she's prettier than average, lands in a surprisingly poignant manner with Min Kyung, which makes me think about whether Min Kyung's bluster is but a cover for her insecurities. After all, she's been hurt very deep and private ways, and I'd believe that that can do serious damage to your self-esteem.

Perhaps, in the same way that she's adopting the "attack is the best form of defense" strategy, she's using the self-praise and bluster as a form of protection too? And therefore, Hwi Oh's concession that she's some level of pretty, even though it's meant to take her down a few pegs from her high horse, touches her. This might be the first positive affirmation that she's had in a long time, after all.

How interesting, that Min Kyung names her new pet "Howhi".. that seems like some kind of mangling of Hwi Oh's name? That said, it's debatable whether this is a deliberate play on his name, and even if it were, it's arguable whether it's a compliment or an insult, isn't it? 😅

I feel bad for Hwi Oh, when he gets a shock seeing how badly hurt his ex-partner is, and then learns that this really is him, doing better than before. I can only imagine how guilty Hwi Oh must feel, and therefore, I can understand why he'd feel such a sense of urgency, to arrest the drug traffickers, even though he's been suspended.

I enjoyed the way Hwi Oh reached out to the crossdressing neighbor for help with his disguise. Again, Hwi Oh comes across without judgment, which I like a lot. I also liked that, instead of feeling like he had to hide his passion, said neighbor got to tap on his crossdressing expertise, to actually help someone. That's got to be a very validating sort of experience, and I love that Hwi Oh gave that to him.

It's too bad that not only is Hwi Oh's personal sting operation a bust, he also gets mistaken for a pervert, by Min Kyung. I think with Min Kyung, it's quite possible that she just freezes up, when she panics. Therefore, I don't think it's that she heard Hwi Oh's protestations and treated him like a pervert anyway; I think she couldn't hear him or see or think straight, once the thought - that she's facing a pervert - took hold.

It makes for noisy bickering hijinks, sure, but underneath it all, there's a sense of sadness pulsing through, that makes me feel sorry for these two people. I'm hoping that, likewise, they'll make more progress soon, in terms of understanding and empathizing with each other.