Early Access: Mad For Each Other E3

E3. Last episode, I was ready and eager to find out more about Min Kyung's backstory, and this episode, Show delivers.

It's quite startling to realize that Min Kyung had once been a perfectly normal, happy person, working in an office, and in what had appeared to be a steady relationship. It must have been devastating, for everything to come crumbling down in one fell swoop.

In terms of what had caused the breakdown of Min Kyung's mental health, I don't think it's just the shock of learning that her boyfriend is actually a married man who's nothing without his rich wife; it's how, in their eyes - the wife, the boyfriend, and arguably onlookers too -  everything is manipulated to seem like she'd somehow known, deep down, that he was married, and had dated him anyway. The accusations are pretty insidious, because they make her question herself, and I think that's essentially how she began to lose trust in herself.

Layered on top of that, is the shock of how nasty her heretofore perfect boyfriend turned out to be. It's quite ghastly, the way he turns on her once she makes it clear that she's done with him. The way he verbally abuses her; and threatens her with intimate videos that he'd secretly taken of her; the way he physically threatens her, by pulling her hair and driving dangerously; he's literally coming across like a completely different person. I think that this, too, would have contributed to Min Kyung to losing trust in her own judgment. After all, she'd thought all along, that he was wonderful, sweet and loving, and she'd been proven completely wrong.

Gah. It's actually really quite disturbing to think about. This reminds me of cases that we see in the news, of spurned lovers turning violent and killing their former lovers. Shudder.

As an aside, it was rather disconcerting to see Kim Nam Hee play the not-so-perfect boyfriend, after loving him as the Hero Swordsman in Sweet Home. He's definitely quite versatile, since I fully believed him in both roles, and also, felt conflicted about seeing him be nasty, heh.

It's sad, honestly, that Min Kyung can't seem to shake her past. Even though that ex-colleague had been polite, she starts gossiping about Min Kyung the moment Min Kyung leaves the restaurant, so much so that Min Kyung can literally read her lips, and know what she's saying. That's pretty awful.

I can imagine how someone could overthink all this, and spiral into a perpetually anxious state, like Min Kyung has. We don't know if there is more to Min Kyung's story, but this is enough to give us an idea of what she's been dealing with.

Context is everything, and now that we know what both Hwi Oh and Min Kyung have been through individually, I feel sorry for them both. It's too bad that they are at odds with each other, and can't seem to see the other person's pain, because they're too overwhelmed by their own.

I will say, though, that Min Kyung's been more antagonistic than Hwi Oh, in the way she's been accusing him of stuff, and actively provoking him by doing things like recording "evidence" of him supposedly blackmailing her. It's enough to drive anyone up the wall, not least someone who's struggling to work through anger issues. 😝

At the same time, knowing what we now know about Min Kyung's anxiety, and what she's experienced with Nasty Two-Timing Boyfriend, it's also understandable why she'd be hypersensitive around Hwi Oh, particularly since he's given to raising his voice when he's perplexed.

There is that moment, though, when Hwi Oh thinks back to what his detective friend said about Min Kyung being well-known for making all sorts of reports, and wonders to himself what had happened to Min Kyung, that she would behave like this. Although it's a casual remark, it does feel like the first spark of empathy to come.

Most of the time, I find Hwi Oh quite reasonable, even though he's given to raising his voice and speaking roughly. And he's decent, at heart. Even though he doesn't want to go on patrol with the ahjummas, he does show up in the end, and he does guide them like they ask. That's pretty decent of him, isn't it?

Plus, I like how he vindicates Crossdressing Neighbor, who gets mistaken by the ahjumma patrol, for the flasher that they're hunting down. Even though the ahjummas express discomfort and want to report him to the police, I like how Hwi Oh is so matter-of-fact as he reminds them that Crossdressing Neighbor has done nothing illegal, nor has he hurt anybody, by using makeup and wearing a dress.

I did feel bad for Min Kyung when Hwi Oh declines to help her, because she really does seem very distressed as she begs him to help her find her dog, but I suppose I can't exactly blame Hwi Oh for his choice, either. After all, he doesn't have to help her look for her dog, and also, it's true that up to this point, Min Kyung's been pretty aggressive towards him. I wish he'd have more compassion for her, because I feel for anyone who's worried about a missing pet, but it is true that he has a choice, and it is also true that it's quite possible that the dog will be found soon enough, without his intervention.

Min Kyung deciding to (or perhaps just threatening to?) take it out on Hwi Oh's car, is not the direction in which I was hoping we would go. This feels like the beginning of an unhealthy spiral, and neither Hwi Oh nor Min Kyung needs that. I hope both the dog and the car will be ok! 😬😅