Flames of Desire Episode 13

This is how a dead-drunk MinJae looks like. How come he’s still cute?

Sibling rivalries. Secret Meetings. Forbidden love.

This episode is much, much better. Our beloved angst is so back!

Episode 13

Gangster Leader (Hwang DoJin) orders InKi to lie low for a while. For the time being, there will be no movies, no projects, no media interviews, no nothing! InKi is furious. Just when she’s resolved to start anew and focus on her career, he suddenly wants her to rest?

Gangster Leader meets all-time favorite Scheming Wife. Gangster Leader promises to take care of Scheming Wife’s problem (InKi), so as long as she’ll help  him out with his construction business. It’s a fair enough bargain and Scheming Wife agrees. And they live happily ever after… sorry that’s for another story.

Ae-ri is being suspicious. Intuition tells her that there’s “something” between NaYoung and DukSong. She  sets them up for a meeting just to test her theory.

Unsurprisingly, NaYoung, acts all friendly and  nice.  DukSong, on the other hand, feels jumpy and awkward. But then, NaYoung won’t be the oh-so-great femme fatale if she can’t handle situations like this. She readily masks DukSong’s obvious unease with smooth talks and sweet smiles, which made Ae-ri wonder if she had it wrong. She really did assume they knew each other from before. The more DukSong stayed, the more he gets nervous and so, he resigns to leave at full tilt.

And what follows next is the most unruffled, smile-filled word banter in television history. With all those wide, forced and humorless smiles, I have a feeling these girls will suffer from severe facial stretch marks. Haha!

NaYoung passively remarks that Ae-ri’s being too immature. Ae-ri confidently retorts that she already knew what NaYoung really was since the very beginning. Ae-ri: “Who are you really?” And NaYoung cheerily answers she’s just a blacksmith’s daughter. But Ae-ri isn’t convinced. Nope, there are lots of dirty trash in her past.

NaYoung: Then what about you are you clean?

Ae-ri: Can I be  worse than you?

NaYoung: The only sin I have is being poor. Having been born under a penniless father, I’ve always lived in poverty. You don’t know anything about that right, Nam Ae-ri?  No. There were probably times when you were curious about what it’ll be like being poor. You probably wanted to see what poverty was like.

Note: Calling your elder sister-in-law by her first name is a sign of disrespect!

Ae-ri laughs and NaYoung continues her piece. Unlike her, Ae-ri had a fortunate life. She studied in the best university, she came from a very influential family and men chases after her like bees. But then, those were in the past now. Ae-ri threatens that she won’t stop until she knows everything, so NaYoung better be careful. NaYoung isn’t a bit affected. Go on then. She has nothing to hide. Yeah, right!

NaYoung wins this round.

Is it only me or DukSong really gets funnier every time I see him? It seems they’re building him up to be the comic relief though. Like a child who nearly got caught, DukSong expresses his relief. He thought Ae-ri caught up with what’s going on.

He then tries to earn NaYoung’s favor by pretending he really did love her in the past. It broke his heart when he saw her crying the day his father insulted her. NaYoung looks at him with disgust.  She wasn’t crying bcoz of him. She was crying bcoz God let him live. Haha! She warns him to be always on guard. She swears that if he ruins her life again, she’ll kill him using her bare hands.

NaYoung cuts the crap and tells him to organize a party for YoungMin. She wants to build connections for her husband. DukSong plays hard to get and says organizing a party will cost a lot of money. NaYoung tells him to pay for it first. If her husband becomes President then she’ll pay him 10 times the amount.

DukSong can’t belive it! Once again, he’s been scammed… by a woman. Why does he always end up being duped anyways? Haha!

Atlantic Ocean’s shipyard will be constructed at Ulsan. A problem arises when the local residents strongly refuse to vacate the land. YoungDae proposes that they pay the residents with enormous compensation to resolve the issue. YoungJun differs. They need to take proper measures and persuade the residents. YoungMin decided to go to Ulsan and deal with the problem himself. But YoungJun insists on handling the situation instead. With a heavy heart, YoungMin consents.

YoungDae had a bad feeling about this. Surely, the President will get angry that YoungMin handed-over his responsibilities to YoungJun. Deep inside, YoungMin wants to resolve the issue with his own strength. Lawyer Hong tries to convince YoungJun to step aside this one time.  But YoungJun is resolute. If he won’t help, YoungMin will be targeted by others.

President thanks NaYoung for a job well done. If not for her, he couldn’t have gotten rid of that woman (InSook). NaYoung sheds some crocodile tears. In truth, she’s lacking. Sometimes, she even thinks that YoungMin might have lived better with InSook. President holds her hands and assures she’s already the best wife for YoungMin. She must only remember to raise MinJae well for the future of Atlantic Ocean.

NaYoung finds MinJae secretly reading articles from his laptop. And basing upon his reactions, NaYoung concludes he’s keeping secrets from her again. In the end, MinJae confesses that YoungShik asks him to help out in his Academy. And MinJae is very much interested. It’s not like he has something to do anyways. He’ll get to learn business and help uncle at the same time. But NaYoung is so against it. Why would MinJae associate himself with someone who isn’t even acknowledged by the family.

This gets MinJae riled up. He already gave up doing things that he wants just for her.  NaYoung angrily rejoins that people doesn’t succeed just becoz they do what they want. MinJae argues that it’s not a matter of success, but doing things he love. He begs that even for once, Mom let him live. After saying those words, MinJae realizes the weight of his words. He immediately says sorry. He just can’t express his feelings well.

MinJae: To me, the world is too small. In my eyes, I only see  a small world. I want to see other things. The world I don’t know about and have never seen.

NaYoung asks if he sees those things in YoungShik. Yes. He sees a dark and twisted world when he’s with him.

MinJae: But I still want to see that. I want to love and feel the sadness of losing someone I love.

Fine! NaYoung gives up. He can live the way he wants. He can be friends  with everybody. He can even date. But she will never, ever accept Baek InKi. MinJae is confused. Why is Mom setting limitations now? Mom answers bcoz InKi’s a woman who kept on blaming the world.

The local residents are in full-blast protest against the shipyad construction. Before the angry crowd, YoungJun introduces himself as Project Director. For some stroke of luck, JungSook is there, who served as spokesperson for the group. She isn’t particularly good in giving speeches but somehow her words made sense.

Actually, they are not protesting bcoz they want to raise the compensation fee. It’s just that the residents practically lived their whole lives there. They only know how to  catch fish and sell those fishes for a living. How can they live on after giving up a life’s work? Basically they are scared. They are afraid of going somewhere they’ve never been to and doing work they don’t know how. How can they separate from long-time neighbor’s and live among strangers?

MinJae is out for a drinking escapade. Knowing that Mom won’t like his drunken state, MinJae went to InSook’s and sober up a bit before going home. InSook rather find his behavior normal. At his age, he could already drink with friends and date many girls. And MinJae readily agrees. If only his Mom was like her… If only, she was his mom instead. Hearing those wishful declarations, InSook gets emotional. Imagine the happiness she felt. MinJae passes out. And InSook lovingly covers him.

YoungMin admits that he had vasectomy bcoz he hated NaYoung before. He thought that by not giving her a baby, he could have her revenge. NaYoung smiles. So that was it? Did he think she was lying when she told him she can’t have a baby? The doctor had it wrong. She could never have a baby. She doesn’t want to talk about it anymore. They are past the age of clinging unto love. But YoungMin is decided. He wants to know if she really loved him at all. NaYoung drops the topic and orders YoungMin to go to Ulsan and take care of the problem.

It’s past midnight and MinJae isn’t home. NaYoung gets worried and goes out to look for her beloved son.

InSook sends the sobered-up-but-not-yet-fully-clearheaded MinJae home.

Alas! NaYoung sees them and hides. And yes, she did get a clear-view of InSook.

President furiously tells YoungMin to go to Ulsan. As an ultimatum: he can’t return until the problem is solved!

MinJae happily tells Mom that Dad already gave his consent. It’s official. He’ll be working at YoungShik’s. NaYoung is unusually lost in lala-land. She keeps on thinking about InSook.

Gangster Leader assures Scheming Wife that the problem is solved. InKi will be sent off to Hawaii tomorrow and they won’t be hearing from her for 6 months. And Scheming Wife is much ready to compensate.

YoungShik acquaints MinJae for the job at hand. But MinJae is not even listening. His mind is wandering somewhere. YoungShik construes MinJae really wants to see InKi. MinJae didn’t bother to argue. He likes her very much, but he doesn’t want to disappoint Mom.YoungShik gives some advice. If he was in MinJae’s shoes, he’ll certainly choose InKi.

MinJae calls InKi, but in sheer panic, he ends the call right after hearing a woman’s voice. He really is naive in every freakin’ sense of the word. Instinct tells InKi that it was MinJae and so she calls back. She was so sure that she even stake her life on it. That’s rather extreme, neh? MinJae is having a hard time deciding on whether to take her call or not. Just when he finally pressed the accept button, the line was cut.

InKi is apparently depressed. It’s not MinJae after all. She comes out of her room and plans to fulfill her promise (jumping off the roof). JinSook is worried. Why not just obey Gangster Leader and go to Hawaii? InKi won’t be deterred. This is all NaYoung’s fault! She could never bow down to her.

JinSook tells InKi to stop acting naive, it’s not like she likes MinJae that much. Her remark triggers a full-swing fury. For years, InKi dated men bcoz of filthy reasons… but it’s different for MinJae.

InKi: He is pure. He doesn’t care about my past. He just like the “me” who’s in front of him.

The phone rings. It’s MinJae. Thank goodness, she won’t be jumping off roofs anymore!

The world turned upside down and Ae-ri’s so freakin’ nice. She gives MiJin the department store shares, praises NaYoung’s cabbage kimchi and massage Mother-in-law’s back. Eh? It’s either (1)Ae-ri got selective amnesia, (2) she already lost her mind or (3) it’s just her way of presumptuously begging for forgiveness. And since this is FoD, reason no. 3 is more likely to apply. Using her own blackmailing tehnique, Ae-ri manages to convince Mother-in-law to tell her some of NaYoung’s secrets.

Obviously, her efforts proves fruitful as she manages to know some things: NaYoung never went to college and her first job was at a sewing academy.

Ae-ri wins this round.

MinJae waits for InKi at the train station. InKi’s nowhere to be found and he starts to panic.  A train passes by and then he receives a call. It’s from InKi. He can’t hear her clearly bcoz of the loud noise.

And like those cliché dramatic scenes we love so much …

…after the train pass, we see InKi standing right across MinJae.