THE SHOW: Healer (Korean Drama)
THE PAIRING: Chae Young-Shin (Park Min-Young) and Seo Jung-Hoo/Healer (Ji Chang-Wook)
THE EPISODE: Episode 8 & 9. Aired December 30th and January 5th, 2014
THE MOMENT: Unexpected kiss in the snow
Some spoilers!
I had so much fun watching this Korean drama when it aired last year. The show built a fascinating, solid story of two very different young adults fighting corruption of the underworld despite the danger and imminent costs, and of course, fall in love along the way. With secret identities, gang fights, a super powerful super-secret political cult, Healer feels like a superhero (with a touch of Spiderman and Superman elements, hehe) and spy story breathed into an emotional, and romantic, drama.
THE LEAD IN
Seo Jung-Hoo, who goes by the code name Healer, is a messenger-for-hire who works in the underworld of Korea. Jung-Hoo has spent his life alone, abandoned by most of his family and friends except for Ahjumma (Korean for aunt/older lady) a computer hijacker who supplies Jung-Hoo with his tech and helps him deliver messages (and fight enemies) by giving him information through his earpiece. Jung-Hoo takes a job to discover the background of a young woman (to find out if she was adopted) and meets his mission, Chae Young-Shin, a spunky young inexperienced reporter who works for a small newspaper.
When he realizes there may be more mysteries surrounding Young-Shin than he first realized, he gets a job at her workplace as a Clark Kent-like reporter, who is adorable, meek and stutters when nervous. They become friends and Jung-Hoo finds his heart being moved by the tenacious girl who decides to report a story of abuse against a powerless woman from a political leader. It’s almost a suicide mission as Young-Shin takes on corrupt politicians who have
It’s almost a suicide mission as Young-Shin takes on corrupt politicians who have waaaay more power than she has. Gangsters make attempts on her life while Healer saves her life a few times (disguised in his hat, glasses, and hood). Young-Shin meets with Healer briefly (after his latest rescue) and tries to find out why he’s helping her. He evades her questions and simply warns her to be more careful; that her life is in jeopardy. He disappears before she gets a chance to truly talk to him.
THE ROMANTIC MOMENT
Young-Shin gets a call from an informer who wants to help her on her investigation of corruption. She goes to meet him at an empty building. When she gets in the elevator, she realizes something is majorly wrong. The elevator starts freaking out. Someone is trying to kill her! Jung-Hoo has already figured out that something’s wrong and races to save her. In an intense scene, the seconds ticking by as the elevator ropes are giving out, Jung-Hoo slides down the elevator shaft. He climbs inside the elevator and covers Young-Shin’s eyes with her own winter hat to keep his identity hidden. (he didn’t have time to grab his usual covert attire) He climbs out of the elevator with her.
He takes her outside to safety and let’s go of her. Young-Shin immediately reaches for her hat, to lift it up, to SEE Healer finally, but hesitates. She knows that Healer’s secret identity is important to him. She doesn’t want him to go yet.
Her voice shaking, Young-Shin yells at Jung-Hoo (instead of thanking him for saving her, lol). She rebukes him for risking his life, especially just for a hired job (she’s figured out by now who hired him to protect her). He could’ve been hurt after all!
Jung-Hoo sees her hands are shaking and compassion stirs in his eyes. He knows she’s had abusive trauma as a child that makes it hard for her to breathe sometimes, and now she almost died in that elevator, alone and terrified.
Young-Shin finally thanks Healer for saving her life again. But she tells him that they both might’ve died in there – what would that have been for?
Jung-Hoo remains silent. Young-Shin asks aloud: Are you still there?
She reaches out to feel if he’s near. He backs up when her hand comes closer.
But she knows he’s still there. She tells him she owes him her life and is frustrated that she doesn’t even have money to repay him.
She whispers: I’m sorry. Thank you.
Jung-Hoo, by now, feels he’s stayed too long. He sets her bag down and starts to walk away.
He stops just as snowflakes start to flutter down.
Inner monologue of Jung-Hoo tells us that his whole life, he never expected anything from people – which kept himself from getting hurt. He never let himself care if people understood him or didn’t get him at all. That was his life.
A change washes over his face as he realizes he doesn’t want to keep living the same way anymore. He’s not the same person who’s always lived in complete isolation. There’s someone who does understand him though she barely knows him. And he cares about her too.
He turns around. He walks back to her, pulling off his gloves. He lifts her white crochet hat a few inches, revealing her lips, her eyes still hidden.
He stares at her intently. His eyes flutter shut as he leans in, slowly. His lips touch hers. They kiss.
Their kiss is but a brief moment. Slowly Jung-Hoo pulls away. He looks at Young-Shin tenderly.
Young-Shin reaches for him, but he moves back slowly, out of her reach. She doesn’t move but keeps her hand out, hoping that he’ll come back to her. She then notices the snow and lifts her hand up to feel it.
By now, Jung-Hoo is gone. Moon-Ho, her co-worker, shows up and grabs her worriedly. He asks her what’s wrong, but she’s still stunned by the kiss. Moon-Ho takes her away while Jung-Hoo watches from a distance.
Jung-Hoo walks confidently back to the building intending to head to the elevator and surveys the scene when his legs just give out. He stumbles and almost falls. His heart is racing and he’s still reeling from that kiss! All of our hearts are squeezing, though! He’s falling in love!!!
What do you think of this romantic moment? Will Young-Shin ever learn of Jung-Hoo’s secret identity? Can a romance truly happen between two people from such different worlds? Comment below with any and all thoughts!
Photos: KBS2
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