I NEED ROMANCE 3, EPISODE 12

Last episode, we saw Wan pour his heart out to Joo Yeon. Does it work? Hardly. Instead he takes it all back, and she runs off to be alone. I told you: I have never seen that go well. Despite how close they are in their relationship, that didn't need to happen. She likes Kang, she's heartbroken, and that is not the time to move in. You need to give her time and space; lend an ear in case she wants to vent, and a shoulder to cry on.

Kang, the world's worst boyfriend, shows up at their place and Joo Wan admonishes him to "love her like the whole world knows she's loved." Kang, after prying her location out of Wan, goes to her, apologizes, and tells her it seems he's not that great a boyfriend. Kang says he gets butterflies, and admits he likes her. He almost seems like a decent guy here, and found that I liked him here in spite of myself. Their grins and his confession about being a bad boyfriend make me think that he truly reflects on his behavior and maybe listened to Wan's words, as well. I think the problem with Joo Yeon and Kang is they speak from a guarded place, they never really speak from the heart when they talk to each other, which is fine for a sunbae-hoobae relationship, but not between two lovers.

Min Jung's boyfriend Min Seok apparently only figures out she's pregnant after they fight. We learn that they were not using protection, that they were using ovulation days to figure out when it was safe. Which is why she has the kid in the first place.  She's determined to have this baby without his involvement. Which appears to be a moot point. In their final encounter this episode, we learn he can't bring himself to marry, and doesn't like kids either. So all he can offer is money. Defeated, he goes home alone. Min Jung breaks down and weeps. But why? I guess she has feelings for him? She was resolved to cut him out of the equation before and to even keep him in the dark about it. I hadn't quite expected him to be like this. He seemed like a great guy. I know he didn't want to get married and I just figured he had commitment issues. I didn't expect him to bail.   

Joo Wan is back to his playful self, though we do see him consumed with jealousy when she's out for much of the night with Kang. And even after patching things up with Kang, she still goes to Joo Wan for comfort. He apparently is the easiest guy to talk to and offers guidance in the toughest of times. It would bother him to no end if he heard her talk about him as a brother, nothing more. Joo Wan is her closest confidant, and he counsels her about everything from work to dating. We are finally treated to a love scene between Joo Yeon and Wan, but it's just a tease, revealed to be a daydream of what he wants to happen. She opens up to him about what she did to Se Ryung and says it feels like she won, but it doesn't feel good. He reassures her, telling her she did the right thing, probably because she feels bad about it. His offer of support comes with a hug just as Kang shows up. The two men exchange glares and we close with Joo Yeon's embarrassed grin. Joo Wan is important to Joo Yeon, a necessary part of her day-to-day life. I wonder what would happen if she were forced to choose between Kang and Wan. Wan tried to force it that last episode, and the results as seen in this episode were not pretty.

Hee Jae and Woo Young share a moment that serves to give some backstory to Hee Jae.  While waiting for Woo Young to swing by and give her a ride to work, she bumps into her ex, who tells her that he wasn't important to her, only the exam results were. At a coffee shop, Hee Jae reveals to Wooyoung that merchandising is just a job she found. She didn't really have any dreams. Woo Young tells her that her relationship was worth it because she invested time and energy into it, which most people don't do--that's why he doesn't date much. Essentially Woo Young thinks her ex is a jerk who doesn't deserve much consideration, and I'd have to agree.  I only saw her insistence that he take the civil service exam as a push to actually do it and take the plunge, not that he'd need a great job and a lot of earning potential. Nothing guarantees that unless you're already rich and/or you know someone. However, Wooyoung's advice to hate him is strange. Does hating someone really open you up to anything new? I would argue that disregard is better.

Se Ryung finds her house of cards crashing to the ground in this episode.  Joo Yeon is made the director of the New Brand Department. At a celebration, Se Ryung announces her intention to leave, claiming she's involved with a new project overseas. Of course it's a ruse; Se Ryung just wants Joo Yeon to beg. The two rivals meet and Joo Yeon crushes her with the "news" they've found a new and better style director. This is amusing, because it's a gamble--they had not actually found a replacement, yet. She's acting on inside information that Kang has supplied. Still, for the moment, Se Ryung is beaten. There would be no defeat if she han't hatch these elaborate plots in the first place as what? Revenge? She just can't seem to play nice with others, especially when Kang and Joo Yeon are concerned. What does concern me is her conversations with one of her hoobaes. It almost seems like she's taking her under her wing and teaching her the "benefits" of being vicious and deceptive. It's like a serpent teaching its child how to best inject its venom, and it's disturbing.  

And the rumors have started. "Kang dated Se Ryung, and showed favoritism in backing the select shop idea." It seems that the rumors are fairly easy to brush off, despite the foreshadowing in the previous episode. It doesn't seem that there are all that many rumors you could start about Kang. All of the New Brand Team have things to gossip about, from Min Jung's baby to Woo Young and Hee Jae's romance to Joo Yeon living with another man. But none of these are particularly damning, and they're not exactly unknown. Is the worst over, or is there more to come?

While I still didn't see much romance, this was definitely watchable. The charming, playful moments between Joo Yeon and Joo Wan are too precious. Their relationship is moving despite the absence of romantic intentions on Joo Yeon's part. I'd still like to see them as a couple, but I still get a charge out of where they are now. I have to imagine that it will be a gradual thing, not a romantic gesture or a bolt from the blue, that will make Joo Yeon realize that her "ideal type" is Wan.

I Need Romance 3 can be found on tvN on Mondays and Tuesdays, but you can also catch it on DramaFever.

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