While a lot has happened in previous episodes, this week’s airing of Cheese in the Trap feels slightly aimless. For a show beginning to lớn wrap up its run — the final episodes air next week — there was not much phối into motion to reassure viewers of the drama’s end goal. The last scene of episode 14 may have been indicative of the direction of the drama, but even then, it falls flat because of Yoo Jung’s previous absence.
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Yoo Jung’s absence on the show makes sense realistically. After all, a boyfriend who is busy with his internship cannot make time for his girlfriend every day. However, in context of a drama, it leads to discontent with viewers. Cheese in the Trap was billed as a thriller-com — a rom-com with hints of mystery và danger — & without its enigmatic lead, Cheese in the Trap has turned into something without direction.
Even In-ho fans are feeling the brunt of Jung’s absence. Although I love watching In-ho and had no problem with his increased screen presence, it also feels like a shoe-horned attempt to lớn place In-ho as the second lead. In-ho has never had a chance with Seol. She has never once wavered in her platonic feelings towards In-ho; he has never once stirred her heart romantically.
Which is why Seol’s reluctance to lớn put her foot down with In-ho is so grating. Up till now, Seol has never crossed the line with In-ho & their friendship has been enjoyable to watch. But now that In-ho has confessed his feelings towards her, it is Seol’s responsibility khổng lồ adamantly inform him that he has no chance. By not protesting against In-ho’s “one month plea,” Seol is being unfair khổng lồ both In-ho and Jung. After all her character growth so far in standing up for herself, it is frustrating that she cannot vày so for something as important as this.
Of course, blame must also be placed on In-ho for confessing to Seol in the first place. He knows she has never been interested in him, và he knows how much she loves Jung. But out of desperation — or maybe something more — he confesses and puts Seol in an awkward spot. It is unfair of him to lớn expect her lớn be okay with it, even with ‘just being friends’.
In addition to lớn the lack of direction amongst the three main characters, this week’s plot felt lackluster as well. After episodes with the wicked machinations of Young-gon và Min-soo, Sang-chul’s note stealing seems rather … harmless. This is not to excuse his actions, of course, but rather to lưu ý that Jung’s punishment is too cruel for the crime — Jung goes out of his way to lớn sabotage Sang-chul’s future. It is especially hard to lớn take in the fact that Seol accepts Jung’s actions after Sang-chul’s drunken apology to lớn her.
Jung is not a judge; it is not his righteous duty khổng lồ dole punishment as he sees fit. His revenge is exhausting to lớn watch and I find it even worse that Seol has come lớn accept that. However, my opinion is not the sole judgement of Jung, either. By carefully crafting real-life scenarios and giving Jung depth, Cheese in the Trap merely acts as a vehicle of information.
By this, I mean that Cheese in the Trap makes no judgements about Jung’s actions; the drama shows both the good and the bad — all the shades of gray. Cheese in the Trap leaves it up to the viewer to determine what shade of gray they are comfortable with, and it is this ambiguity that makes the show worthwhile, even during slow episodes like these.
What did you think about the lack of Jung? Did it make Cheese in the Trap better or worse?
Note: As this review was based on not reading the webtoon, please refrain from discussing webtoon-related spoilers in the comments.
At this point, Seol has been hugged by some guy in the past three episodes during the interstitial announcing the episode number. Just sayin’.
This is a more emotional episode, as we have khổng lồ give some time to In Ho to resolve his own personal issues, come to terms with his past, and figure out what he wants to do with Seol. I’m so glad there was a lot less school drama to giảm giá with in this episode.
In Ho is back in the piano room furiously playing Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 3. It’s a frenetic piece, no doubt reflecting In Ho’s restless energy. Professor Shim scolds him for using his fists instead of taking care of them, but he’s also proud that In Ho is ready lớn change his life for the better. Chopin’s piece might be too hard, but In Ho is ready to lớn tackle it!
He heads to lớn the library afterwards, catching Seol waffling outside the building. She knows that Jung isn’t happy with her tutoring In Ho but at the same time she can’t just break her promise to him. However during their study session (over square roots & exponents), In Ho can’t help but notice Seol texting Jung constantly. At first they’re checking lớn see if the other ate, và Jung jokes about how all the 58,000 women in the company went nuts over his bruised face. But when Jung asks what she’s doing, Seol excuses herself to gọi him up and personally say that she’s helping In Ho.
Of course Jung isn’t happy about it but he’s not going to stop her from helping In Ho. He’s quite understanding about that, but In Ho can tell that the study sessions are putting Seol in an awkward spot. He leaves the library without telling her, and heads off to the piano rooms for more practice.
Seol meets with Bora & Eun Taek for lunch, feeling more at ease now that Young Gon isn’t around at school anymore. The seniors all around them are studying furiously for their graduation exams, & Bora suggests Seol take the exam as a second semester junior. After all, she’s so smart she could probably pass it and get it out of the way.
Eun Taek slyly takes a few pictures of Bora looking dễ thương on his phone, and then quickly hurries off because he has “things” to do. Bora thinks it’s weird that he’s always busy & never answering her messages. Seol bets that he’s seeing a girl, but Bora can’t believe it. That’s just because she doesn’t see him as a man yet.
At the over of the day Seol goes khổng lồ the train station and sees In Ho there too. Looks lượt thích he didn’t go home early after their study session. She wonders if something is going on with him as they have an awkwardly quiet ride back home, but In Ho beats her khổng lồ the punch: he doesn’t want to lớn study with her anymore because he has to lớn prepare for his concours. Though Seol wonders if he’s just saying it for her and Jung’s sake, she’s super excited that he’s going to be performing – regardless of how big the competition is. I don’t think In Ho has ever had anyone be that excited for his concours before.
It doesn’t help that all he can think about that night is her. He tries lớn dispel thoughts of her with some push-ups, but that just disturbs In Ha from her sleep too. She relentlessly teases him for liking Seol and possibly needing help in wooing a girl, và also mocks him for losing in the fight against Jung.
The following morning, In Ha catches Seol heading out for her date with Jung. Seol is a little intimidated by the presence of In Ha, và also doesn’t appreciate how In Ha acts lượt thích she knows everything about Jung. She hopes that In Ha could also stop saying that she’s Jung’s girlfriend in public; it could cause issues if people believe her.
In Ha scoffs – just who does Seol think she is? After all she’s known Jung and In Ho for much longer than Seol has. But Seol bites back: “A long relationship is not necessarily a good one. Are your relationships with them good?” In Ha is ready khổng lồ beat the living daylights out of Seol for that impertinent bình luận but before she can land a punch Seol’s nose starts bleeding. “Hey, don’t tell Jung I hurt you okay?” In Ha quickly backtracks. “I didn’t even touch you.”
When Jung reaches the cà phê where he’s supposed khổng lồ meet Seol, he sees her looking almost comical with a piece of tissue stuck up her nose. Likewise he is wearing an oversized scarf lớn hide the bruises on his cheeks. As they chat, Seol reveals that she might be able khổng lồ stop seeing In Ho over his studies, và admits to bumping into In Ha. Jung promises khổng lồ talk to lớn In Ha again about leaving Seol alone. He’s also quite happy that they’re actually being honest with each other now. This new thing called “communication” just rocks, doesn’t it?!
At one point they talk about the graduation exam, and Jung offers to lend her his notes from the previous year for both the finals và graduation exam. Seol is like, “YES PLEASE!” và her enthusiasm bothers Jung. Does Seol… actually like his notes more than him!? Jung refuses lớn give her his notes now, & Seol can’t believe a guy can get so angry over everything so quickly. Jung retorts that she nitpicks và easily gets angry over other things.
And then they realize that they’re actually fighting. Like, couple fighting. Và Seol loooooooves that. & so vì I.
That evening In Ho gets a call from his friend sang trọng Keun. Apparently their boss, Hammer, is out in Seoul looking for him. The big trùm cuối found out that In Ho stole money from Hammer, and so now Hammer is going lớn hunt him down. In Ho worries that he might have khổng lồ leave his entire life behind, but hopes that Hammer can’t track him down in the huge city.
That hope is dashed when the following morning on the university campus, In Ho sees both Seol & Hammer and quý phái Keun. In Ho grabs Seol, who’s suffering from stomach pains, & quickly drags her behind a wall lớn hide. He covers her mouth so that she can’t yell at him loudly, và waits for Hammer and thanh lịch Keun to lớn pass by. Unfortunately he also prevents her from breathing properly and Seol faints from the pain in her stomach.
Worried sick, In Ho carries her on piggyback all the way to the hospital, where she’s given an IV and diagnosed with stress-related gastritis. He hesitates in holding her hand, but before he can do anything her family rushes in. Seol groggily wakes up & her family makes her stay the night lớn rest. She will also điện thoại tư vấn Jung a little later so he can come to lớn see her that night.
Feeling a little unneeded, In Ho quietly leaves the hospital sick with worry. If Hammer knew about him being at the university, then only time would tell before they knew he was at Hong Noodle. In Ho then goes lớn meet Hammer in the hopes of nipping it in the bud, but he’s greeted with a few kicks khổng lồ the gut.
Hammer wants his money back, with interest. So that’s 10 million won in one week. Or In Ho can go back khổng lồ Busan with him and extort money from local businesses khổng lồ get the money back. In Ho refuses lớn go back; he is not a gangster, so he will find a way khổng lồ pay back the 10 million. But if he doesn’t vị it in a week, Hammer will drag him back to lớn Busan anyways.
In Ho quickly goes through his apartment looking for the spare cash that he hid around. But he doesn’t have anything close lớn 10 million won.
Seol texts Jung that she’s in the hospital after her family leaves, & he quickly rushes out of work lớn go khổng lồ her. However a senior at work hands him a presentation that they need him to reviews before their next meeting, which is in one hour. Gah – work problems! But Jung gets there, eventually & later in the evening. He heard from Joon that In Ho brought her there. At first Seol worries that Jung is going khổng lồ be mad, but he’s actually just grateful that at least In Ho was there to take care of her. He also feels terrible that he’s not around her more often lớn take care of her.
To ảo diệu for their guilty feelings, Jung tells her to move over in her tiny hospital bed. They’re going khổng lồ snuggle for the night. And Jung promises that he won’t let her go through anymore stress and will always be by her side. Aw.
The following morning Seol is discharged, and In Ho is outside waiting for her with some medicine that supposedly her dad got for her. He then heads off in the opposite direction instead of going to lớn school with her. When Seol gets on campus, Eun Taek & Bora are there lớn greet her and check up on her. Eun Taek’s mom even made her date tea so that she can drink to lớn ease the gastritis. Bora half expects something as well but Eun Taek’s got nothing for her. On đứng đầu of that he heads off first because he’s “busy.” Ooooh, something’s up & Seol bets it’s because Bora rejected his confession.
But Bora’s reasoning is that she doesn’t want lớn date him because she’s afraid they’ll break up. & if they break up she’d never be able to see him again. This girl… nothing’s even started yet & she’s afraid of the over already! But that’s how much Bora values her relationship with him.
Sang Chul catches Seol studying with Jung’s notes và loudly asks for a copy of them. Seol doesn’t really want khổng lồ give him a copy because they’re not even really hers, but quý phái Chul tries lớn peer pressure her into doing it by asking the rest of the seniors if they want a copy too. Of course everyone wants Jung’s notes – it’s lượt thích gold lớn them. Lịch sự Chul tries lớn make it seem like she owes it lớn her seniors & tries to bribe her with a piece of sausage.
The next few days are filled with all the seniors – including da Young – giving her gifts và trying to be really nice to her so that she’d repay the favor with Jung’s notes. Bora thinks that everyone is going a little overboard, và it is considering all of them were vilifying her during the Son Min Soo incident just months before. Jung later tells Seol that he hopes she won’t chia sẻ the notes with the others. After all, they’ve done nothing khổng lồ deserve those notes & it’ll just be her loss in the kết thúc if she gives it lớn them.
That evening at the restaurant, Seol tries khổng lồ get some information from In Ho on what he did that day. (He had just gone to the bank to see if he could get a credit loan, but without a proper job he is exactly the type of person a ngân hàng would never give money or a credit thẻ to.) In Ho shrugs off her questions, and then gets a điện thoại tư vấn from Hammer. He quickly goes outside to take it, only lớn find a nasty surprise that lịch sự Keun and Hammer are just across the street.
In Ho warns them not to hurt anyone, but Hammer points out that he didn’t even go inside yet. He did see In Ha though, & commented on how pretty she was. At this moment Seol comes outside looking for In Ho and he quickly pushes her back inside the store. When he turns around, Hammer is gone. The threat is looming ever closer.
When he gets home, In Ho confronts his sister about spending his emergency fund. She used it for shopping (what else?) and adds that she has no more money on the credit cards that Jung gave her khổng lồ withdraw some cash. He’s soon left with no choice and goes lớn the last person he wants lớn see about money: Mr. Yoo.
In Ho can barely start lớn make his request for money when Mr. Yoo also comes down on him for being this careless. He also disapproves over how In Ho still resents Jung after everything the family has done for him. In Ho points out that only Mr. Yoo apologized for what happened lớn his hand, not Jung, so he doesn’t see why he needs to forgive Jung just yet.
It’s clear that Mr. Yoo is starting khổng lồ become frustrated over In Ho & In Ha’s lifestyles, và In Ho can see how similar father và son can be. He gets up to lớn leave; he already feels bad asking for more from Mr. Yoo when he left In Ha behind for them lớn take care of, so he won’t ask for more if it means listening khổng lồ Mr. Yoo’s speech. In Ho is practically left with nothing now. He’s got a huge debt to lớn repay with no easy way to do it, while other people his age are dating or enjoying a night out with friends. Everyone else is having an easier life than he is.
The following morning, Seol resolves khổng lồ make one copy for sang Chul. She will take pity & help them just this once, even though Jung advised her not to. When she reaches the copy center though she overhears da Young and Sang Chul complaining about how they have lớn suck up khổng lồ her just to get some notes. It’s not lượt thích Seol did a lot of work khổng lồ get the notes in the first place. Domain authority Young even scoffs, “Who would be her friend if it weren’t for those notes and exams?” Well, since they’re all such ungrateful spoiled brats Seol walks off without making even a copy.
During the day domain authority Young & others try to lớn be nice và ask her lớn lunch as well, but Seol shuts them all down. Da Young then sends sang trọng Chul lớn try to get the notes, & he practically demands them from Seol. She finally cracks: “These notes are my personal belongings. Why bởi they need lớn be passed around khổng lồ everyone? Is it so wrong if I don’t show them khổng lồ everyone? If you’re really my senior, stop whining và act like a senior.”
All valid points. Sadly all her seniors are in denial. They really won’t survive long in the real world if they think they can get away with not doing any work. Bora drags Seol away before things get worse & she gets beat up by lịch sự Chul.
Later that evening, Mr. Yoo stops by Jung’s to drop off an invitation khổng lồ a launch tiệc nhỏ for one of the company’s biggest clients. He adds that he sent In Ho away with bad feelings after In Ho tried khổng lồ ask for some more money, và comments on how Jung doesn’t know anything that’s going on in In Ho’s life. & Jung was supposed khổng lồ help deal with In Ho & In Ha’s futures.
So Jung goes khổng lồ see In Ho and asks him point blank if he needs 10 million won. Of course he has his ways of finding out. However the price would be that In Ho must never see Seol again. In Ho hates that Jung would use such an opportunity lớn get rid of him, but Jung replies that In Ho was the one who created that opportunity. (Ehm… I beg to differ since hindsight is 20/20 và I don’t think In Ho really meant to create such an opportunity.) In Ho is ready for another fight, but Jung makes him think carefully. Right now, just who is the threat lớn Seol’s safety? Wouldn’t it be better if In Ho takes the money & tries khổng lồ restart his life somewhere else?
Meanwhile Seol goes khổng lồ the restaurant lớn find her mother making kimchi. She sends Seol with a huge container of fresh kimchi to lớn deliver to lớn In Ho. He had not come in lớn work today (nor had he gone khổng lồ school), & her mom is concerned that no one is looking after him. Seol grudgingly goes over, only to find his apartment empty. In Ho sees her outside his house & at first tries khổng lồ avoid her, but when he sees her carrying the heavy container he quickly goes over.
Seol checks in on him but he wordlessly takes the kimchi back to his apartment and shuts her out. Oh the angst! How could In Ho just leave her behind? He grabs a scarf and then runs after Seol. Tying it around her neck, he thanks her & her mom, & tells her to stay warm. That really only makes Seol worry about him more.
The following day Bora calls up Eun Taek khổng lồ hang out, but he’s too busy for her. So she grabs Seol along và they decide khổng lồ roam around campus looking for him. Turns out, Eun Taek’s got a gig as a model! & boy does he look good with his long legs and long coat. Bora is suddenly seeing him in a different light, và is uncomfortable seeing another woman (Eun Taek’s quái dị Lee Mona) fixing his hair & his clothes.
Seol quickly runs over and interrupts the shoot, greeting Eun Taek with a wave. He awkwardly tries to lớn shoo them away while Mona introduces herself lớn the friends. She’s not at all bothered that his friends showed up, but Eun Taek seems really embarrassed & encourages them to leave.
In Ho also goes to lớn the campus khổng lồ practice Chopin that day, only his mind really isn’t in the piece. He plays in a rushed and messy manner, enough lớn make Professor Shim send him out. If In Ho is too distracted with the other things going on in his life then he should just leave and khuyễn mãi giảm giá with them instead of trying khổng lồ practice. So In Ho leaves. And he mopes. & when he heads trang chủ on the train he nearly misses his stop. Thankfully Seol snapped him awake by pulling him out of the train.
As they walk trang chủ together, Seol keeps asking questions about what he’s doing. She thinks he’s got some money issues since he asked to lớn be paid in advance. In Ho brushes off her concern, but Seol can’t help but worry about him. Whether he needs money or not, he’s someone that she views is a good person. He’s someone that her family would most definitely rally behind and support. So if there’s something wrong and bothering him, she hopes that he could tell her about it. After all, wasn’t he the one who said never lớn keep all the problems bottled up inside? Yeah In Ho – tell her what’s going on!
And he hugs her.
Comments
Man, Seol is such a lucky lady. I’m glad that she’s pushing for more communication with the men in her life. She has gotten lớn a point with Jung where once again they’re quite comfortable talking to each other about what’s going on. Even if the topics may displease Jung (like In Ho, inept classmates, or In Ha) at least he listens và doesn’t hold it against Seol. But now Seol needs to force In Ho to lớn communicate as well. In Ho is in a bit of a different situation, not knowing who khổng lồ turn lớn when he needs money và at risk of returning lớn a dangerous life, so it makes sense why he doesn’t want to tell Seol everything. But at the same time, if he could make his intentions clearer and also communicate better with Jung, maybe there is hope yet that he will resolve his issues & get the money he needs without causing more resentment & misunderstandings.
Mona’s entrance into the drama is quite interesting, as in the comics Mona is a designer who is also Seol’s high school friend. But here, she seems khổng lồ be a much older & experienced designer. I wonder how she’ll factor into this drama aside from being Eun Taek’s new boss. I’m hoping that she carves out a minor but interesting role in the last three episodes, considering that we even took the time lớn learn her name.
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I really enjoyed the light moments in the drama – from Seol’s date with Jung khổng lồ Eun Taek and Bora’s petty fights. It was a nice break from all the tension at the school. But I was also glad that In Ho got his turn in having an emotionally heavy episode. After the fight last week where Jung finally revealed what happened in the past, it’s only natural for In Ho to lớn have his turn in coming khổng lồ terms with the past.