Melting Me Softly- Episode 4 Recap
Dong Chan is at the talent studio. He watches the participants practising. He thinks out loud if people are allowed to dress like this on TV.
As he walks out of the studio, Ha Young calls out his name. She walks up to him and says she is free on Friday. She asks if they can meet and Dong Chan is taken by surprise. She tells him that it took a lot of courage to ask him. Dong Chan says they should meet and asks her to pick the place. She turns around and walks away smiling. Dong Chan smiles as he watches her.
(Episode 4- Some Like It Cold)
At the university, Byung Sim stares at Mi-ran open-mouthed and speechless. She gives him an assessing look and then asks if he has something to tell her.
He attempts to speak but ends up making a fish face as his words are caught in his throat. Mi-ran is creeped out and she walks away.
Later, Byung Sim paces in his office. He says that the girl even has the same voice.
Back home, Mi-ran is happy to see her new laptop and wireless mouse. She checks her mail inbox. She checks for emails from her friend Kyung Ja. Her eyes tear up as she reads the emails from Kyung Ja saying she and Young Sun miss her. Mi-ran says she misses them too.
Byung Sim drinks herbal medicine at his home. Young Sun asks if he isn’t able to keep up with his new girl. Byung Sim says he is hallucinating sometimes. He says he quit women but she doesn’t buy it.
At breakfast, Mi-ran’s mother asks her if she will be able to keep up with the new courses. Mi-ran asks why it is tough to get a job now. Nam Tae says it is because there are fewer jobs that they need people for. He says machines have taken over. Mi-ran smiles saying Nam Tae has become smart. Nam Tae laughs proudly. Her mother tells her that they are doing okay and she needn’t work hard. She tells Mi-ran to live doing what she loves. Mi-ran’s father says they don’t have to pay rent and they don’t have debts anymore so she needn’t work.
Mi-ran says that to them it is 20 years, but for her, it is just a day. She says she feels like she should work and make money. She says she is depressed and losing sleep so she will hunt for jobs. Her parents say that she has slept enough and they all laugh.
Mi-ran goes to her classroom. A boy sets a drink on her desk. He introduces himself as Baek Young Jun, a PE freshman. Mi-ran smiles at him. Baek sits next to his friend and says Mi-ran is his type, as she doesn’t care about fashion. He points at her clothes and make-up from the ’90s. Mi-ran chokes on the drink saying it is bitter.
Byung Sim walks into the class. He introduces himself as Hwang Dong-Hyuk. He spots Mi-ran among the students and his knees give away. He starts trembling and falls. Mi-ran wonders what is wrong with him.
Dong Chan walks up to his desk, earning stares from the rest of the team. One of them walks up to him and asks if he has experience in the field. Dong Chan says he does and asks him if the man is the Director of Variety shows. The man is shocked that Dong Chan doesn’t know him and says Dong Chan must have got in through connections. He introduces himself as Park Wong Soo. He says he is the maker of “One must eat to live”. He says it isn’t easy being the Director of variety shows. Dong Chan learns that Directors are responsible for bringing in funds and bringing in sponsors is their main job. Park says Dong Chan is too handsome to be a director.
Just then, Hyung Gi walks in. He is shocked to see Park talking to Dong Chan. Everyone stands up to greet him. They are shocked to see Hyung Gi greet Dong Chan and use the term, “Senior”. Dong Chan tells him off for not training his employees well. He says that Park has a rotten mentality. Hyung Gi is embarrassed as he apologises.
Later at the Programme Planning Meeting, Hyung Gi yells at his team saying their proposals won’t work. He says it isn’t the ‘90s anymore and even broadcasting stations can go under. Dong Chan interrupts him. He points at Hyung Gi saying the broadcasting stations are not doing well because the one on top hasn’t changed. He says the higher-ups only talk and they break the challenging and experimental spirits.
Dong Chan says they are not taking enough risks and it isn’t enough to survive the competition. He says he saw television like crazy for the past few days and studied the trend. He says he has a few ideas. He says they will set up an observational camera. He says they will send celebrities to an island and make them cook 3 meals a day. The room goes silent. He then says they will make singers wear masks and compete against each other. The team murmurs that these shows already exist. Dong Chan wonders why everyone is so unenthusiastic.
Meanwhile, at the university, Young Jun’s friend Ji Hoon watches Mi-ran as the class goes on.
Byung Sim quotes Freud and Mi-ran thinks that Byung Sim would exactly look like Dong Hyuk in 20 years. Mi-ran is sleepy as the class is boring. She yawns and Byung Sim notices this. He ends the class and she is surprised. Mi-ran rushes out of the room. Byung Sim tries to follow her but is interrupted by a student asking for the syllabus.
Later on, Hyung Gi says they should hide Dong Chan’s identity. He tells Dong Chan not to be offended if he talks to him casually in front of others. Dong Chan agrees under the condition that he won’t be polite to Hyung Gi when they are alone. Hyung Gi says Dong Chan has never been polite to him.
Hyung Gi says he will be turning 50 soon. Dong Chan says that is why he is uncomfortable talking to him casually. He says he never cared for honorific 20 years ago too. He says he doesn’t like people talking nonsense regardless of their age. Hyung Gi calls him fearless.
Hyung Gi says Dong Chan’s creativity also seems to have frozen along with his brain. Dong Chan gets irritated and starts yelling. Hyung Gi says it took him a lot of courage to say this. He says the world is changing fast and these ideas are old. Dong Chan looks away and says he will work harder. Hyung Gi says Variety Show Director must be ahead in time. Dong Chan cuts him off and speaks in a raised tone. He says he is Ma Dong Chan and he can do anything he sets his mind to.
Just then, Hyung gi receives a call from Mi-ran. He starts shivering and Dong Chan takes the phone from him. He asks Hyun Gi why he was shivering when he did nothing wrong. He takes the call.
Mi-ran says based on the memorandum, she needs a meeting with the broadcasting station. She asks to meet in a week. She says she wants to talk in person with everyone involved in this.
Later, Hyung Gi tells Kim that Mi-ran wants to meet them. He says she mentioned her memorandum. Kim recalls talking to the President 20 years ago.
In a flashback, Kim is on the phone with the President. He says he jumped through hoops to convince Dong Chan to participate in this experiment. He also says that the experiment is solid. He says this will help the President’s political career. Just then, Mi-ran walks into his office. He tells her that he will convince Dong Chan. He says Dong Chan must be getting cold feet because she agreed to do it. Mi-ran asks to sign a memorandum first.
At present, Kim is agitated as he remembers this.
Meanwhile, at the lab, Professor Hwang stands in the corner of the room. Dr Jo asks if Hwang recognises him. He tells Hwang that the experiment was a success and it lasted 20 years. He asks if Hwang remembers the cryonics experiment. Hwang says he wants to cry. (It looks like he doesn’t remember.) Jo says he will make sure Hwang regains his memories.
Later, Dr Jo and the Doctor check Hwang’s brain activity. Hwang tries to eat the strap and he throws away the electrodes. They help him walk with the help of a walker.
Meanwhile, at the station, Hyung Gi is covered in a blanket while Dong Chan sits with a table fan beside him and an ice pack on his head. Hyung Gi complains saying he is cold. Dong Chan tells him to take another blanket because he can’t remove any more clothes. Dong Chan watches the 20-year summary that Hyung gi himself had edited for him.
Dong Chan says Hyung Gi left out the experiment and Dong Chan’s disappearance. Dong Chan says that a black man became the US President. Hyung Gi says Korea had a female President but she is behind bars now. He says Trump is the current US President and he used to run real estate business. Dong Chan says times have changed. He asks who the woman on screen is. Hyung Gi says she is the woman he had an affair with. Dong Chan is annoyed as he asks what contribution she has done to World History. He says he wanted to make the video extraordinary.
Meanwhile, the team discusses Dong Chan not being qualified enough to be a part of their team. One of them says that there is a rumour that Dong Chan is the director who disappeared 20 years ago. The team doesn’t believe this saying he looks too young. The woman is persistent saying a gag order was issued on the subject and all the footage was deleted. She says the man was legendary and a genius planner.
Dong Chan asks Hung Gi what Mi-ran is planning to do. Dong Chan says he has a bad feeling about this and it is making him nervous.
Mi-ran boards the bus and plays Leslie’s music in her walkman.
At the lab, all attempts at regaining Professor Hwang’s memory fails. Hwang behaves in a feminine manner.
We see a montage of Mi-ran and Dong Chan getting used their new environment (drones, high raised buildings etc).
One day, Jo takes Hwang to where the cryosleep chambers are. Hwang stares at the 2 empty capsules. Jo says Hwang has to remember. Hwang runs his hand over the empty capsule.
At a restaurant, Kim, Hyung Gi and Dong Chan wait nervously. A determined Mi-ran walks in. Kim and Hyung gi immediately get up. Dong Chan slowly follows suit. Mi-ran walks in and sits at the head of the table. The three of them take their seats. Mi-ran slides the memorandum across the table.
Dong Chan reads the memorandum and glares at Kim. Mi-ran says she turned 44 years old this year. Hyung Gi says he turned 48 and earns a stare from everyone. He reads the memorandum and cups his mouth in shock.
Kim apologises for Mi-ran’s situation. Mi-ran says they can’t end this with an apology and asks for compensation. She brings out her calculator. She says she was paid 6500 dollars back in 1999. Hyung Gi says it was 5000. Dong Chan says he paid 1500 with his own money. She says if it is 5000 dollars for 24 hours then per hour cost is 200 dollars. She calculates it to be 1752000 dollars in a year and starts calculating it for 20 years. She is confused, as the calculator doesn’t answer. Dong Chan takes the calculator from her and calculates. Hyung Gi pulls out his phone and does the same.
All are shocked when the figure works out to 35,040,000 dollars. She says this is excluding the market price, which has doubled now. Dong Chan works out the compensation amount as 70,000,000 dollars. Mi-rann tells them that they owe her money.
Kim tries to explain that it is a huge amount of money. Hyung Gi says that even their broadcasting station isn’t worth that much. Kim tells him off as Dong Chan asks if the station is broke.
Mi-ran says money can’t compensate for the years she lost. She says she would have had a family now. Dong Chan lowers the temperature to 18°. Kim asks for some time so that they can come up with a measure. Both Dong Chan and Mi-ran glare at Kim when he asks them to look at it from another perspective. He says the world is a better place now and they are 20 years younger to their peers. He says they can enjoy their life.
Mi-ran asks Kim and Hyung Gi to try and get frozen for 20 years. She feels hot and Dong Chan pours her a glass of cold water.
Once outside, Kim is a nervous wreck. He says Mi-ran is a lunatic and asks Hung-gi why he asked her to participate in the experiment. Hyung-Gi says it was because no sane person would. Kim wonders what to do. Hyung-Gi suggests telling the truth at court.
Dong Chan and Mi-ran come out. He offers to drive her home despite her refusing his offer. He puts the key in the car and opens it.
At the traffic light, people are amazed that Dong Chan’s car is still on the road and is in running condition. Mi-ran says Leslie would be alive if she wasn’t frozen for 20 years. Dong Chan says that doesn’t make sense. She says Leslie was to visit Korea weeks after the experiment and he had promised to allow her to meet him in person. She says she would have made Leslie find a desire to live if she had met him then. She says she would have given him the will to live and he wouldn’t have taken his life in vain.
Dong Chan says he is speechless. He says they should assume she died in a car accident if she wasn’t frozen. She gets angry. He reminds her that she could have died in these 20 years if she wasn’t frozen. She says she could’ve also won a lottery. He disagrees saying they should consider death as a possibility. She says she could’ve married Leslie or a cool man. Dong Chan laughs in disbelief. He says she is more likely to meet a strange man. She asks if he is referring to the ridiculous Byung sim.
Dong Chan says there aren’t that many cool guys out there and says her chances of meeting them are slim. Just then, his car breaks down in the middle of the road. He asks Mi-ran to get down and take a taxi.
Byun Sim is at his home imagining a scenario where he calls out to Mi-ran as the class gets over.
She wears a pleasant smile as she walks towards him. She greets him saying her mother has spoken a lot to him. Then she says Go Mi-ran is her mother. She says her mother Mi-ran passed away when she was 11 years old. She says Mi-ran died an instant death. She says Mi-ran’s last words were, “The only love I had in my life was Hwang Byung Sim”. Byung Sim breaks into tears. He then asks how her mother spoke the last words when she died instantly. She starts coughing as the room starts to smoke.
Young Sun’s voice cuts through the scene asking Byun Sim if he forgot the herbal medicine on the stove. Byung Sim sits on the couch deep in thought.
Elsewhere, Kyun Ja reads the email from Mi-ran. She immediately calls up Young Sun saying Mi-ran wants to meet. Both of them are nervous as they talk.
Mi-ran is in her room when Nam Tae brings her some bread that he baked. She eats it saying it is tasty. He also gives her a hand warmer because she was in the cold all this time. She thanks him. He wishes her a good night and goes away. She is happy when she sees a response from Kyun Ja asking to meet now.
Dong Chan and Ha Young meet for lunch. Dong Chan says this feels like 20 years ago. He says she said she was scared if he would turn cold like ice after the experiment. He says she is the one who turned cold. He says he knows he spent his 20 years different from her. She asks if she still looks like a woman to her. Dong Chan says she does.
Mi-ran waits at the restaurant. Her friends recognise her and they run towards her. They are shocked to see her look the same as she did 20 years ago. They hug each other and cheer in joy. Mi-ran says she was busy in the US so she was unable to contact them. Mi-ran says she isn’t married. Kyun Ja says she is divorced. Kyun Ja says Mi-ran won’t believe who Young Sun is married to. Young Sun says Mi-ran doesn’t want to know as she herself can’t believe it.
They ask her why she disappeared suddenly but Mi-ran remains silent with a smile. They comment that Mi-ran hasn’t aged at all and ask if she had some secret procedure. They ask if it is stem cell therapy. Mi-ran smiles saying she is grateful her friends are doing well. She says she has to use the restroom and walks away. They wonder what she is hiding from them. They wonder if she was frozen and then they put it off saying it can’t be.
Dong Sik plays the piano in an empty room. His daughter calls up her mother and says her class is over. She says her dad is playing the piano and is crying. Her mother says it must be because Dong Chan is back after 20 years.
Dong Chan’s mother manages the restaurant while Dong Sik’s wife works in the kitchen. Dong Chan’s mother looks at Dong Ju flirting with men at the cash counter.
After playing the piano, Dong Sik falls. His daughter rushes to him and asks if he is all right. He says he often falls like this after playing the piano with his full energy. He says he has low blood pressure. She asks him to quit playing as surviving is more important. She asks him to act like the Director that he is. She asks him to calm down and join her in five minutes. She walks out.
Hyung Gi rushes into Kim’s office. This time Kim is almost in tears. They see an article published on Dong Chan reappearing after 20 years looking just the same.
At the restaurant, Ha Young hands Dong Chan her phone. He reads the article that has listed many theories including alien abduction. Ha-young says the journalist specialises in mysteries. Dong Chan says he might put someone in danger if people find out he is alive. She asks him what is wrong.
Kyung Ja is on the phone with Young-Sun. She says the missing director is back and this has something to do with Mi-ran. She says her hunches are always right. Young Sun says she is thankful Mi-ran is alive. Byung Sim is by the bookshelf wondering why Mi-ran showed up in his unconscious mind.
Dong Chan’s family looks at the article. His mother is angry at the station. Dong Ju says it is not her brother but someone else. Dong Chan’s mother says she will go to the broadcasting station but Dong Sik’s daughter stops her. She says Dong Chan becoming a celebrity won’t hurt them.
Dong Chan is at the lab. He is happy to hear that Hwang is awake. Jo tells him that going into each capsule is sponsored and it costs a fortune. Dong Chan asks who sponsored Mi-ran’s and his capsule. Jo tells him that they were sponsored by Johnson McCarthy Foundation. Dong Chan comments that in the end, Hwang couldn’t achieve this without foreign capital. He says Johnson McCarthy Foundation has sponsored it for 20 years.
Dong Chan then asks if his body temperature of 31.5°C is caused after the experiment. Jo confirms it saying the critical point is 33°C.
At the police station’s storage room, Dong Chan goes through his missing person file. He sees a picture of Professor Johnson’s murderer. He is told that this person is the prime suspect in Johnson’s murder. He says the man must be 55 years old now. Detective Baek says Hwang witnessed Johnson’s murder. He says Hwang got into an accident when he was on his way to make a statement to a CIA agent. He says this suspect might be the person who caused Hwang’s car to explode.
Dong Chan asks why the CIA stopped the investigation. Baek says the suspect became a Russian Senator. Dong Chan wonders if this man isn’t the person whom they are looking for.
Meanwhile, a person reports to the CEO of Unsung Group, Lee Seok Do that Hwang may still be alive. The man also tells him about Dong Chan’s reappearance. He says Dong Chan looks the same. Lee asks the man to check if Hwang is alive. He also asks him to do a background check on Dong Chan. He says they should get rid of Hwang if he is still alive. Lee asks if people still think the Russian Senator is the one who killed Hwang. He smiles as the man says they do.
We see a person identical to CEO Lee, lying asleep in the cryosleep chamber at the lab.
At the station, Dong Chan tells Baek about the experiment and Hwang being alive. He says he needs Baek’s help. Baek asks if Dong Chan is alive. Dong Chan thinks for a moment and asks for Baek’s phone.
Mi-ran is having a snack at the university when she receives a call from Dong Chan. He asks if she got home safely that day. she says he abandoned her. He asks her if she feels sick. She says she aches all over. Dong Chan apologises. He tells her not to get a fever and asks her to be careful. He asks her to call him right away if she feels sick or has a fever. He says they should talk again in person and hangs up.
Mi-ran wonders what is with him. She realises he told her to call but he doesn’t own a phone.
Dong Chan tells Baek that there was another subject in the same experiment. Dong Chan’s eyes widen in shock as he sees something in the file.
Mi-ran walks towards the job fair on their campus. Byung Sim follows her. He passes out as a baseball hit him squarely on his face. Mi-ran submits her resume and says she is joining late because of something personal. He notes that she was a participant in Dong Chan’s program in 1999. He comments that she is 44 years old but wants to get a job as a new recruit. Her smile fades.
Later, Mi-ran sits on a bench. The man had asked her what was she doing without even getting married or having a job. She throws a tantrum and loses it screaming that she was frozen in a freezer. Baek Young Jun and Hwang Ji Hoon look at her from far and comment she is cute.
Hyung Gi’s team discuss if their station should cover Dong Chan’s story. Hyung Gi shoos them away. Dong Chan walks up to Hyung Gi and asks why he didn’t look for him when Dong Chan disappeared. He also asks why they didn’t tell the police about the experiment. Dong Chan holds Hyung gi by his collar and asks him for the reason.
Hyung gi points at the CCTV camera and says Dong Chan will lose his job if he hits Hyung Gi on camera. Dong Chan doesn’t let go. Hyung Gi apologises saying he had no choice. Dong Chan pushes him away.
Ha Young who is walking past on the top floor watches the two and overhears their conversation. Dong Chan asks about the video footage. He also asks about Jin, the floor Director.
Hyung Gi says he was just an assistant director back then and he had no power. He says he just followed orders. Hyung Gi is in tears. He says the project was shut down as soon as Dong Chan disappeared. Dong Chan says that right now Hyung Gi is just a chief who still has no power. Hyung Gi says it is tormenting for him too. Dong Chan asks how Hyung Gi could do this to him when they worked together for so many years. He says Hyung Gi doesn’t deserve to be called a human being.
Ha Young is uncomfortable as she hears this and tears well up in her eyes.
Dong Chan starts to walk away when he notices Mi-ran walking towards him. She asks Dong Chan if he can get her a job. Ha-young looks at them conversing. Mi-ran says she wants the job here at the broadcasting station. Dong Chan looks worried as Mi-ran smiles at him.
Image Courtesy- TVN
Review
This episode was a pleasant watch and it had everything right about it. It was good to see the leads taking up most of the screen space in this episode.
The scenes with Dong Chan in the office were hilarious, especially when he treats Hyung Gi as his subordinate. He goes around behaving like an authoritative figure despite having no authority in reality. Dong Chan sure is a genius planner. He came out with new ideas in just 3 days. He is ahead of his time, but it was his bad luck that time got ahead of him while he remained frozen.
Dong Chan is smart when it comes to investigating. He wasted no time in bringing himself up to date regarding the experiment and Hwang’s accident.
It was good that Dong Chan confronted Hyung Gi as to why they didn’t look for him. It was sad to see that he assumed they would’ve told the police about the experiment. Kim, Hyung Gi and Ha Young don’t seem to have even a tiny bit of conscience for what they did 20 years ago. They don’t even have an ounce of concern for what happened to Dong Chan.
I wonder why Byung Sim has changed his name. His imaginative scenarios are interesting though they are far-fetched.
Signing a memorandum was a smart move from Mi-ran. Kim deserved what came out of it. Mi-ran interacting with the people around her and the scenes where she felt out of place was were well made.
The scenes showing how Mi Ran and Dong Chan stand out from the rest of the people were well made (‘90s car, clothes, makeup, walkman etc.).
The touch of humour in this episode was just right. It looks like the plot has picked up speed. The preview for the next week’s episodes shows a lot of promise and it looks interesting.
-By Soul Sword-
Melting Me Softly Episode 5 Recap
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