Melting Me Softly – Episode 2 Recap
(Episode 2- Resurrection)
A police search party with sniffer dogs comb through the outskirts of the city.
Dong Chan’s family rush into the police station and his mother desperately asks Hyung Gi what happened. The cop Baek Young Tak asks her to calm down. Dong Chan’s mother passes out. Amidst the commotion, Hyung Gi gestures to his assistant to keep quiet.
At the broadcasting station, Kim is flustered. He tells Hyung Gi they won’t be just fired, but they’ll be ostracised if word about the cryonics experiment leaks out. Hyung Gi breaks down in tears. Kim sees the tapes of the footage on the table. He tells Hyung Gi to do as he says.
Kim tells Hyung Gi to maintain that he hadn’t met Dong Chan that day. Kim tells Hyung Gi to say he was editing videos all night and Kim is his alibi. He says Dong Chan planned and proceeded with the project all by himself. Hyung Gi seems uncomfortable throughout this and he tries to object saying it doesn’t make sense. Kim says they make up things for a living.
Hyung Gi says they already submitted a budget proposal. Kim counters saying Dong Chan did that on his own. He then asks who else knows about the project. Hyung Gi mentions Ha-Young and Jin. Kim says Ha-Young will be a problem and thinks hard. He remembers Ha Young’s mother is in the hospital.
At the hospital’s parking lot, Ha Young and Kim talk in the car. Teary-eyed, she asks him what happened to Dong Chan. Kim says everything regarding the project disappeared. He says Hwang died and his assistant is missing.
Ha-Young says she wants to find Dong Chan and asks where the laboratory is. Kim says there is no point. He says the CEO ordered them to bury the case. He says the main anchor for 9 o’clock news will get replaced. She stops crying and looks up at him.
At the broadcasting station, Ha Young takes over as anchor for TBO 9 o’clock news. The others comment that this is nonsense and wonder how Ha-Young became a news anchor. A man says that it is the CEO’s orders. The woman says Ha Young looks fine for a woman whose boyfriend is missing. She calls Ha Young cold-hearted. Kim walks in just then.
Moving over tot other news, Ha Young says Ma Dong Chan is now missing for 50 days and there are no clues regarding this incident. She adds that the police are having a hard time investigating. She hesitates when the Dong Chan’s footage comes on screen but she continues to read the news.
The news is on at Mi-Ran’s home. Her family is devastated and no one is listening to the news. Nam-Tae spots Mi-ran in the footage on the news regarding Dong Chan. He whispers, “Mi-ran”.
In a flashback, older boys bully Nam Tae. Mi-Ran interferes asking if they are the ones bullying her brother. One of the bullies tries to hit her but she tackles him. She holds out a spray can when others run towards her. She tells them she works for “Infinite Experiment Paradise”. She says this spray will melt their hair and asks if she should spray it on their hair.
Later, Mi-ran piggybacks Nam-Tae home. She asks if he is injured and comments that he is growing up fast. Nam-Tae says he won’t grow up anymore if she doesn’t want him to. Mi-Ran says he has to grow up fast. Nam-Tae asks if the spray melts hair and she says it doesn’t. He is happy she fooled the bullies. Mi-Ran tells Nam Tae that she will always be by his side. She tells him to become a baker since he loves bread. She asks him to bake bread for her and he promises to do so.
Nam Tae sits outside his house calling out for Mi Ran repeatedly, but she doesn’t come. He remembers Mi-ran giving him a whistle. She tells him to blow it if anyone bullies him. She says she will come running.
At present, it is night as Na-Tae takes out his whistle and blows it. He starts to cry.
Ha Young is alone at the broadcasting station. She turns around as she hears Dong Chan call her name. She sees that there is no one there.
In a flashback, Ha Young turns around as someone calls her name. She is star-struck when Dong Chan walks up to her. He introduces himself. She stutters as she tells him her name. He says he is back from fieldwork and his hands are dirty so they can’t shake hands. He thanks her for being their programmes commentator.
At present, Ha Young looks at the empty place where that conversation took place.
She remembers Dong Chan teaching her the difference between news reading and commentary. He notices that Ha Young seems lost and is looking at him all this while. She looks away and he asks if she listened to what he said. She says she did and he continues with his instructions. Later, she finds him asleep at his desk. She walks forward to wake him up and talk but finds herself gazing at his sleeping form. As Ha Young turns around to walk away, Dong Chan asks her to go out with him. She smiles in embarrassment.
At present, Ha Young cries alone in the broadcasting studio.
Meanwhile, officer Baek goes to the abandoned laboratory. He speaks into the phone saying the last call was made to Professor Hwang. He says there are no records in the hospital regarding Hwang. Baek has no idea that there is a secret basement in the building with the replica of the entire lab.
Hwang is in the hospital bed in the basement and the 6 cryo chambers are in the huge room next to his. Dong Chan and Mi-ran are still in cryosleep.
At their home, Dong Chan’s parents grieve the loss of their son.
In a flashback, Dong Chan’s family is out for dinner to celebrate his father Ma Pil Gu’s 59th birthday. Dong Shik is playing the piano along with the orchestra. The singer isn’t talented and everyone struggles to keep a straight face. Dong Chan’s mother asks Dong Chan to go on a blind date with the congressman’s daughter. Dong Chan asks if she wants a doctor as her daughter-in-law. She says children take after their mother’s brain so genes are important. She says Dong Chan only inherited his looks from his father (Kim Won-Hae). Dong Chan’s parents start arguing. Dong Chan asks them to stop but to his surprise, suddenly they are smiling and warm towards each other.
Dong Chan’s mother says she doesn’t approve of Ha Young as she grew up deprived. She says Ha Young might have a victim mentality. She asks Dong Chan to find someone smart. Dong Chan says she shouldn’t judge Ha Young by her poverty. He says Ha Young’s mother is sick so this is not the time to talk about marriage. He says that if he ever gets married, it will be with Ha Young. Dong Chan’s mother tells him to freeze to death. His sister tells her mother to stop saying things like that. His father says no one freezes to death nowadays. They sit through the orchestra after dinner.
When asked, Dong Chan tells his father that he likes Ha Young because she is pure and honest. His mother says Dong Chan will become an old bachelor once he turns 33 next year. She tells him to go on a blind date to not miss his prime age. Dong Chan changes the topic and his father joins in but his mother is persistent. Dong Chan says they will seriously talk about marriage when he completes his next project.
Later on, his family dances in pairs to slow music on the yacht. Dong Chan watches them as he stands alone. He then sees fireworks that fill the sky. He throws a paper rocket out of the yacht.
Meanwhile, Nam Tae and Mi-ran are camping on the river bank with their parents. Nam-Tae is excited seeing the fireworks. Mi-ran says they can go on the boat when she earns a lot of money. Just then Nam tae notices a tug on the fishing line. Their parents and Ha Young wind the fishing rod and they cheer saying Nam Tae caught the fish. They are happy as they enjoy a simple meal cooked on the stove.
At present, Mi-Ran’s mother is grief-stricken as she prays in the temple. She faints and falls.
One day, Mi-Ran’s parents receive an envelope that says, “At 4532 hours, 18 minutes, and 23 seconds. Go Mi-ran is alive.” They start crying as the envelope has photos of Mi-ran in the cryosleep chamber. There is a letter attached asking them to keep this a secret as it may put Mi-ran in danger.
Year 2000
Mi-Ran’s friends are at their graduation. Later on, they see old photos and miss Mi-Ran’s presence. They recall Mi-ran discussing what they will be doing in 20 years. One of them says she wants to be a ballerina while the other says she wants to be married. Mi-Ran says she wants to be a landlord owning a five-storey building. she says she will open a bakery on the first floor for her brother and her parents will live on the second floor. She says she will live on the third floor and her brother will live on the fourth floor. She says she will rent out the fifth floor to a kind person.
Mi-Ran’s friends remember her as a naive and pure person as she didn’t want to use the five-storey building to earn money. Just then, Byung Sim walks up to them in his military uniform and asks if they have heard from Mi-Ran. He starts drinking. He then starts howling that Mi-ran left Korea because he gave her beautiful memories and then hurt her. Mi-ran’s friends find him weird. They say Mi-ran left without saying anything. They say she probably fell in love with Dong-chan and they both ran away. They wonder if she got pregnant. Byung Sim stops crying. They blame Byung Sim for everything.
Byung Sim imagines a pregnant Mi-ran and Dong Chan (in a cowboy outfit) in an aircraft. They hold hands and Mi-ran says she is leaving Korea because her first love hurt her a lot. Dong Chan says they will go to Arizona. He says they can ride camels grow cacti and eat buffalos. Mi-ran says she is vegetarian and his face falls. He changes it to grilled cactus. She calls him strange and says she likes that about him. She quotes Freud, “The human soul and body can be separated”. She says though her body is with Dong Chan, her heart will be with her ex-boyfriend. Dong Chan immediately agrees to have just her body. She glares at him. Dong Chan says he will be happy with half her heart but she is free to take all that is his. Mi-ran takes her hand away saying she doesn’t like an easy guy.
At present, Byung Sim starts crying calling out Mi-ran’s name. The friends are sick of him.
Dong Chan’s parents hand out flyers in a desperate attempt to find Dong-chan.
Mi-ran’s family moves out of their house. Nam Tae writes in his notebook, “Mi-ran I miss you.”
A few years later, a grown-up Nam Tae writes in his book, “Mi-ran, I made soboro buns today.”
Dong Tae’s parents are now older and they look dishevelled but still hand out flyers.
At the police station, Dong Chan’s missing person case is put in storage.
(Year 2019)
At the broadcasting studio, CEO Kim yells at Hyung Gi (Lim Won-Hee) for getting the lowest rating twice this year.
Ha Young (Yoon Se-Ah) reads today’s news at the broadcasting station. She reads the news about a woman who gave birth to a son using the eggs she froze in 2003 at the age of 27 after being diagnosed with leukaemia. She says the egg holds a record for being frozen for the longest time in history. She says cryonics, which was a hypothesis, seems to be coming true now.
At the “Future Bio-Technology Forum” in Seoul, the speaker says cryopreservation experimentation is not in the distant future. He says the USA, Russia and South Korea have preserved around 600 people in capsules all around the world. Dr Jo (Lee Moo-Saeng ) is present at the meet. He sees a warning sign on his tablet back in the basement lab. Dr Jo leaves the conference and checks his tablet to find Hwang missing from his bed.
At the lab, Hwang stumbles through the room and heads to panel hidden in the wall. He opens it and takes three vials out. He mixes the substances and loads it in a syringe. He walks over to the capsules. Hwang goes to the controls and starts the thawing process. Their temperatures increase and stop at 31.5°C.
Jo is held up by an officer for speeding.
At the lab, Dong Chan and Mi-ran’s capsule slide open. Hwang gives administers the injection on both of them. Hwang loses consciousness soon after.
Jo calls up Professor Yoon and says Professor Hwang has woken up.
Meanwhile, Mi-ran gasps for breath as she wakes up. She stumbles out of her capsule calling out for help. She passes out a few minutes later.
After some time, Dong Chan wakes up gasping.
Later, Dong Chan stumbles through a busy intersection in the city looking exhausted. He passes out on the street.
Mi-ran wakes up.
Later, Jo reaches the lab. He runs into the lab to find the empty vials and 2 empty capsules. He notices the professor passed out by the capsule. He runs over to Hwang.
Dong Chan is taken to the hospital. His vitals are normal except for his body temperature, which is 31.5°C.
Mi-ran is exhausted as she walks into the city. She boards the bus and pays 50 cents with trembling hands. The driver tells her that the bus fares rose. She finds a seat and closes her eyes.
At the hospital, Dong Chan tells the doctors that he has to go and complete the shooting. He then passes out. They wonder how someone can be alive with a body temperature of 31.5°C. Dong Chan wakes up and says Korea’s Biotechnology is at stake now. He says he has to go. He again passes out before he can give Hyun Gi’s contact number. He wakes up again and says, “TBO, Variety Department, Son Hyung” before passing out again.
At TBO, Hyung Gi is giving his team an earful for the dismal ratings. His assistant comes with a call from the hospital. He takes the call when he hears Dong Chan’s name.
Dong Chan calls Hyung Gi a jerk for wrapping up without his consent. He threatens to kill Hyung Gi when Hyung Ki asks if this is a joke. Dong Chan asks for Hwang and Mi-ran. He yells asking why they finished shooting.
Meanwhile, Dong Chan’s family rush to the hospital.
In his room, Dong Chan is still on phone demanding Hyung Gi to write a letter of apology. He asks Hyung Gi to come over with the camera. His family comes near him and they are rooted to the spot seeing that he hasn’t aged. Dong Chan looks at his father and says, “Father…” before passing out. The man (Man Dong Shik) responds, “Brother!.” Dong Chan’s mother passes out seeing this. Dong Shik and Dong Ju run to help her. (Dong Chan didn’t recognise his brother and mistook him for his father.) Dong Shik also passes out.
Meanwhile, Hyung Gi calls up Kim saying they are in trouble as Dong Chan is alive. Kim is playing golf and he is shocked to hear this. He runs away.
Mi-ran knocks on the door to her house. The knob comes off. She walks in to find the house bare.
The neighbour tells her that the people who lived here earned a lot of money. She says they bought the building to rebuild it. Mi-ran wonders if her family got kicked out because they couldn’t pay rent. She takes out her phone and the charge is dead.
She takes it to the shop and they say they don’t make chargers for this model anymore. She says it is a new model and she got it just 3 months back. The salespersons wonder how she has been using this phone till now.
Mi-ran goes to the police station asking them to help locate her family. She says they vanished into thin air. She says she last saw them the day before. They find her weird but they ask her for the address.
Jo stands beside Hwang’s bed. Hwang is asleep. Jo calls up someone and says in English, “The frozen humans are back to life.”
At the police station, they ask for Mi-ran’s ID card. She empties her bag and the officers are confused when they see her stuff that belongs in the ’90s. They see her ID and are shocked that she is 42 years old. They find Mi-ran’s mothers information on the system and call her number. They get no response. Mi-ran leaves a voicemail asking where they are. She asks them not to worry even though they got kicked out. she says she is there for them and earns weird looks from the officers. She cries saying she is at the police station. She asks her mother not to worry as she hasn’t done anything wrong. She hangs up.
Mi-ran’s mother picks up her phone and wonders who called her up. She hears Mi-ran’s voice message. She wails and cries as she hears Mi-ran’s voice. Mi-ran’s father and Nam-Tae run towards her. Her father cries and Nam Tae says, “Mi-ran”.
At the police station, Mi-ran’s family is told she left just now to see her friends.
Mi-ran gets into the cab and it pulls away.
Her family hail a cab.
Meanwhile, Kim and Hyung Gi run through the corridor wondering if anyone else knows that Dong Chan is alive. Kim says they should make sure the Dong Chan doesn’t talk to the press.
The entire floor is buzzing when they find out that Dong Chan is 52 years old. Dong Chan wakes up and asks his mother why she aged overnight. He looks at his brother Dong Shik and asks, “Father, you became young.” Dong Shik starts crying. Dong Chan is shocked when another woman calls him, “Brother”. They ask him how he remained young. Slowly it dawns on him that it is not his father but his brother Dong Shik. The woman says she is Dong chan’s little sister Dong Jul.
Dong Chan asks what date it is. Just then, Hyung Gi comes in and cries loudly seeing Dong Chan. Dong Chan doesn’t recognise him. he is shocked when he learns that it is Hyung Gi.
Mi-ran sits on the school bench. A student sitting beside her takes a call with Bluetooth headset. She doesn’t understand how he did it. After he leaves, she notices the year 2019 on the banner. It dawns on her that the current year is 2019.
Dong Chan moves everyone out of the way and runs out to the lobby. He notices the year 2019 on the advertisements all over the hospital. He realises he has missed 20 years.
Image courtesy – TVN
Review
This episode didn’t have much content concerning the plot.
The first half of the episode was flashbacks from the lead characters’ lives. I guess it will have significance in the later episodes. For instance, Mi-ran wanted to be a landlord and her brother to be a baker. Dong Chan mentioned he wanted his partner to be pure and honest. It looks like Mi-ran suits these characters more than Ha Young.
The scene at the hospital and the plane scene were hilarious.
Everything surrounding Hwang is a mystery. It seems like there is a conspiracy behind the experiment. Someone informed Mi-ran’s family that she is alive. I wonder why Dong Chan’s family was excluded.
We haven’t seen much of the characters in the present day in the first couple of episodes. Only the flashback was emphasised. This episode seemed lengthy compared to the previous one. So far, the serious elements of the plots are more appealing than the comedy. It would be great to see the complications due to the cryosleep, more of the lead characters and more of the plot in the upcoming episodes.
-Soul Sword-
Melting Me Softly Episode 3 Recap
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