Hometown ChaChaCha: Ep 2

Intro:

DuSik is showing a potential unit to HyeJin to set up her clinic. HyeJin asks what other units are available. He says only that one. They then go to find a house for HyeJin. She asks what other homes are available. DuSik says only that one. She says the interior is not her style, and he says it can all be changed, then leaves. They go to sign a deal with the landlord who is Ms. Rawfish. HyeJin questions them and asks if they are working together to scam her. DuSik and Ms. Rawfish explain that this is how they do business in the harbor. HyeJin signs the agreement. While HyeJin is walking away, DuSik follows her and says she owes him 17,000 won. He says that no matter the job, he always works a minimum wage of about 8,000 won. She hands him the money. He says he will start working on her house soon, to change the designs and everything. HyeJin questions if he’s qualified, and he pulls out all his credentials and then walks away.

10min in:

HyeJin is back in Seoul, packing up and telling her friend she is moving. She tells her friend that she is leaving in 2 days. Her friend is visibly upset. They’ve been friends since middle school. HyeJin tries to cheer her up, but she throws a fit and starts to cry. They both sit on the couch crying.

Back in Gongjin (the island), all the elders are watching HyeJin move in. They are all excited and gawking at her.

Later that night, HyeJin calls her dad to tell him the move went okay and to visit once the clinic is open. While unpacking HyeJin puts a family picture on her nightstand. DuSik then shows up to verify her registration. He walks in and starts bragging about what a great job he did on the wallpaper. He then goes over all the ins and outs she needs to know about the place. HyeJin finds out that DuSik is older than her by one year. Before he leaves, she has him where to get a good cup of coffee. He says she knows. HyeJin says she doesn’t want to go back there because the coffee sucks. DuSik tells her to give it another try, then leaves.

20min in:

HyeJin is on a run and goes by her dental office to see if DuSik has completed renovations. She seems very happy with all that he has done so far. DuSik looks tired but then cheerfully says hello to the grandmas. They are drinking gamju (sweet wine) and mention how good it is. The grandmas said there was nothing DuSik cant do except find a wife. DuSik is cutting up soap when a grandma asks why a nice suit was outside. DuSik looks reluctant to talk about it and says he is throwing it out. Another grandma changes the subject to mention that they saw HyeJin jogging earlier that day, and she was basically naked, wearing a crop top and leggings. DuSik tries to defend HyeJin, and the grandmas are confused by this. They all silently just stare at me. He tried to move forward by continuing to sell them the soap.

While HyeJin is doing laundry, she gets a visit from Ms. Yeo (Ms. Rawfish). Ms.Yeo invites her to a elders’ party and tells her it’ll be a great time to get to know her neighbors and advertise her dental office.

HyeJin arrives at the party at the same time as DuSik, who is taking pictures of the event. HyeJin asks him not to take her picture, and he says that he only takes pictures of high-quality subjects. The grandmas see her and call her over. As she is walking away, DuSik snaps a picture of her.

HyeJin sits at the table with the grandmas and tells them they should go see her if their teeth ever bother them. The grandmas start to feed her, implying that she seems too skinny. One of the elders tries to feed her kimchi, but she takes it and puts it down. Ms. Yeo comes over with another neighbor for HyeJin to meet. She’s the owner of a Korean-Chinese restaurant. She jokes around that Ms. Yeo is fussy. Ms. Yeo says she is very nice, and HyeJin can talk to her about anything. HyeJin uses this opening to list off some things that aren't right and to complain, which everyone else finds amusing. Another neighbor couple who runs the hardware store introduces themself and asks HyeJin why she didn't buy anything in the store when she came in. HyeJin says the store didn't have the shampoo brand she buys and says it's probably because it’s pricey and wouldn't be found in the countryside. The couple gets offended and leave. Then basically everyone leaves.ChunJae ( the cafe owner/singer who also goes by Oh Yoon) greets HyeJin and gives her a copy of his album.

HyeJin leaves him and runs into DuSik, who offers her a bowl of soup. HyeJin starts complaining that the environment is unsanitary and too many people are around. DuSik calls her a typical Seoulite and says she should loosen up. HyeJin then gets a call from her bestie MiSeon who is out grocery shopping to make a meal for her boyfriend. While HyeJin goes inside a building to talk to MiSeon, the rest of the village is outside doing karaoke.

Writers Note: Im going to be completely honest. I paused the show and walked away for 2 days because I knew what would happen in the next scene, which gave me extreme anxiety. Ok…here we go.

So someone pressed a button to adjust the karaoke mic, but then it actually turns on a microphone that is in a room with HyeJin. Everyone outside can now hear HyeJin’s conversation with MiSeon. HyeJin is saying she should've stayed in Seoul and that the cafe owner is a washed-up singer who should've left his dreams alone long ago. She comes outside to everyone staring at her, and Oh Yoon runs away as he starts to cry.

Oh Yoon is sitting on a dock when DuSik approaches and tries to cheer him up. DuSik invites him for a drink, but he declines, saying he has to feed his daughter, Juri, who didn't come to the party.

HyeJin is at home, posting a job position at her clinic and contemplating if she should just leave. DuSik arrives to drop off a package for her. At the same time, he gives her an earful about how she thinks she's better than other people. HyeJin then goes inside but her doorbell rings again and MiSeon is standing there.

MiSeon took a taxi after taking the groceries to her boyfriend’s, only to find another woman standing there half-naked in his clothes. She and the mistress both start beating the boyfriend.

MiSeon says she will work for HyeJin at the dental clinic if she gets room and board and a 10% raise... HyeJin is so excited about this.

40min in:

It was the first day of the dental clinic opening, but nobody showed up. The friends are walking around the neighborhood, and MiSeon notices everyone is passive-aggressive toward HyeJin. DuSik sees all of this.

At home, HyeJin tells her, and MiSeon calls her a con artist instead of a friend. MiSeon tells her to pack up everything and head back to Seoul. HyeJin then abruptly leaves the house to go on a jog.

On her jog, HyeJin passes DuSik, who’s riding his bike. DuSik turns around to talk to her, but she ignores him. DuSik keeps talking and suggests that she wears a running outfit that is less revealing. He asks her to compromise a little bit with the townspeople, and he says everyone will take time to adjust. He then asked if she had given out rice cakes since she moved in…she hadn’t.

The next day, HyeJin passes out rice cakes, but nobody really wants them. She runs into the kids who have a pet hedgehog. They ask her to take care of it as they bought it, but their parents won't let it live with them. The girl's parents said no, but the boy is waiting to get first place at a math competition to ask. HyeJin declines and walks away when the girl loudly whispers that she knew HyeJin would say no because her mom said HyeJin’s heart is ice cold.

HyeJin now has a hedgehog.

Oh Yoon cancels his performance at the cafe as he is not feeling good. At this time, his daughter also tells him that the customers don't finish their coffee because it's not good. DuSik empties a trash can for him, which is filled with used tissues and an album/mixtape he threw away.

DuSik goes to the dental office the next day and tells HyeJin to go with him. He brings HyeJin to a neighborhood meeting. He tells HyeJin to go in and apologize, then starts to walk away. HyeJin grabs DuSik’s arm, which makes him smile, and asks him to stay. DuSik says he has stuff to do and not to run away, or he will hunt her down.

HyeJin reluctantly walks in as the neighborhood is complaining about her. DuSik then comes in behind her with a box claiming that HyeJin sent him to get snacks for the meeting as an apology. At the end of the session, they give HyeJin a round of applause for providing the snacks. Oh Yoon is still reluctant to make eye contact with her.

On the walk home, HyeJin says thank you to DuSik. DuSik asks to see her hand and hands her a bill for the snacks.

1 hour in:

The neighborhood is out doing a town clean-up while MiSeon and HyeJin are sleeping in bed. Ms. Yeo goes to get her but is turned away. DuSik then shows up and rings the doorbell repeatedly. She pretends to be sick, but DuSik calls her bluff. He hands her a vest to put on.

After cleaning up HyeJin, who looks very tired, is sitting in the dental office with MiSeon when a client comes in. They both look at him confusingly until they realize it’s a customer. MiSeon and HyeJin both dance around excitingly. Two more customers then come in.

DuSik is at the cafe when the customer calls and reports that HyeJin is a good dentist. Oh Yoon walks in and tells DuSik that he can leave. DuSik tells OhYoon that he digitally uploaded the album he threw away. Yoon says that he will move past his music career and focus on ensuring his daughter achieves his dreams. DuSik says he will teach him how to make a good cup of coffee.

Patients are flowing in at the dental office, and MiSeon wonders what made all the clients come suddenly. That’s when HyeJin realizes it was probably DuSik. HyeJin thinks back on what DuSik said the night after the incident, and she decides to go pay Yoon a visit.

HyeJin tells Yoon that she listened to his album. She says that the song he talks about the most isn’t a good song. She then says that another song of his is more her style. She says the melody was beautiful, and the lyrics spoke to her. This makes Yoon smile brightly. HyeJin then goes on to apologize. This gives Yoon the pep in his step back. He goes inside to play his album in the cafe.

HyeJin heads to the mudflats to look for DuSik. DuSik is there reading a book called “Walden.” HyeJin climbs the rocks in her nice outfit to get to him. DuSik lends his hand to help her the rest of the way. She then slips and lands in his arms.

Flashback: we see a young boy walking with his grandpa on the beach, bringing back fish. The young boy and his family cross paths with another family who is there on vacation. Yes, the little family is HyeJin and her parents. Yes, the little boy is DuSik. As they are walking away, the grandpa suggests that he and the little boy take a photo together as well. We see that DuSik keeps that photo framed in his home.