Melting Me Softly Episode 12 Recap
Lee finds the lab and walks in with his assistant saying Hwang was here all along.
Hwang stands at gunpoint. He receives a call from Jo to which he responds, “You have my trust. M, 3, 4”. Hwang’s phone is taken away. Lee figures out that his twin has been thawed. He points the gun at Hwang asking who took his twin. Lee remembers Ha Young telling him that he will be done for if he kills Hwang.
At the hospital, the doctors say they can’t treat Dong Chan like a normal person. Dong Chan asks them to call Jo.
Jo receives a call from the hospital.
Mi-ran is short of breath as she runs down the sidewalks. She hails a cab.
(Episode 12: To Die or To Be Mad)
Ha Young receives a call from Lee saying they have moved the twin. He asks her to find Seok Du. Ha Young calls up Dong Chan and learns from the nurse that he is hospitalised.
Ha Young reaches the hospital to see Mi-ran run into Dong Chan’s room.
Meanwhile, Jo administers the medicine and tells Dong Chan that toxins are accumulating in his body. He says that is the reason Dong Chan went into shock. Jo says this medicine is a temporary treatment and the symptoms will return after 48 hours. Jo says the antidote won’t work the second time.
Dong Chan asks if Mi-ran will also have this problem. Jo says she will. He says there has been a variation in LAP and that has turned into toxins. Jo says this was mentioned in Hwang’s notes but they don’t have a permanent solution. He says he needs Hwang’s help in creating the cure, as only Hwang knows the original compound that was injected into them. Dong Chan asks where Hwang is.
Mi-ran rushes in asking if he is okay. Dong Chan asks her if she is fine and she says she is. Dong Chan notices a bruise on her hand and asks what it is. She wonders when she got it. Jo says that it isn’t a bruise. He says it is the variation. Mi-ran asks if it is lethal.
Dong Chan says he needs to see Hwang. Jo says he can’t reach Hwang. He repeats the words Hwang had told him over the phone. Dong Chan immediately tries to go out. Mi-ran stops him saying he needs the rest. Jo says they need to keep an eye on him. He says he will look for Hwang. Dong Chan asks Mi-ran to go home but Mi-ran refuses. Jo says she needs to protect her immune system and asks her to go home.
Dong Chan asks her since when she had the bruise. She says she doesn’t know. He asks her how she doesn’t know there is something on her arm. He tells her to go home. Mi-ran stubbornly refuses.
Ha Young watches the two of them from outside. As Jo comes out, she asks to talk with him. She asks if they are in danger. He says he has to find Hwang. She asks if Hwang is the only person who can cure them. He says he is trying to find a solution. Ha Young asks him where Lee Seok Du is. Jo asks her why she wants to know. She says Dong Chan told her that the real Lee Seok Du is in the capsule. Jo is shocked to hear this. She asks if he believes her now.
In the hospital room, Dong Chan asks Mi-ran to leave. She asks why he insists on sending her away. He says her being here won’t help him because his temperature will rise. She says she will go because he is worried. Dong Chan says he likes holding hands, looking at each other and being happy together. He says he doesn’t want to be sick together. Mi-ran says she will leave and tells him not to get sick again. She says they will video call. He asks if he loves her so much and she says she does. He says he does too.
Mi-ran waits for her bus when the cultural communications professor calls her up regarding the essay. Mi-ran says things are hectic for her now and hangs up. Mi-ran watches other couples talking to each other happily.
Dong Chan tries calling Hwang’s phone but the call doesn’t go through. He remembers the bruise on Mi-ran’s hand.
At home, Mi-ran checks for bruises and finds more on her neck. She looks at Dong Chan’s photo on her phone. She calls up the professor and says she will write the essay. The professor asks what changed her mind. Mi-ran says there is someone she loves and they are in an unusual situation. She says she doesn’t know what will happen to them. She says she wants to write down their story to be remembered.
Later, Mi-ran writes, “At the age of 44, I found my first love. However, this could be my last.” Mi-ran stops writing. Mi-ran lies awake in bed for some time. She gets up and runs out of her house. She takes a few steps on the street but stops when she sees Dong Chan come around the corner.
He walks up to her and asks where she is going. He says he told her to stay at home. She says she told him to stay in the hospital. He asks why she is out and she says she missed him. She asks why he sent her home if he was coming so soon.
Dong Chan checks her bruise. She pulls her hand away and says she is fine. She holds his hand and asks to go out for drinks.
At the outdoor bar, Mi-ran drinks as Dong Chan watches. She asks why there are so many things she can’t do. She says she can’t hold the man she likes as much as she wants. She says her life is unfair. She says this is the first time. She looks up and asks him why he came into her life. She asks why he made her love him. She says she was told she will get lucky in 20 years and meet the man she was destined to be with. She says she finally met him but she is going to die.
Dong Chan asks her who said she is going to die. Mi-ran says they will die from the side effect. Mi-ran gets up and walks away.
Dong Chan catches up to her and says they are not going to die like this. He says he will drink with her. He says he will spend a whole day just holding her. He says he will even take her to Africa where it is hot. He says he will do all this with her. Mi-ran breaks down into tears and he hugs her.
Dr Jo finds the CCTV broken. Dong Chan joins him and they figure out that Hwang has been abducted. Dong Chan says Lee needs Hwang to get to Seok Du. He says Hwang should be safe for now. Jo asks if that person is coming on the flight. Dong Chan says that person is needed to protect Seok Du. He says he is coming. Jo tells Dong Chan that Ha Young asked for Seok Du’s location. Dong Chan finds it odd. He asks if Jo told her.
Elsewhere, Seok Du sleeps on the hospital bed.
Lee Hyeong Du is drinking. He is concerned that Seok Du is alive. He wonders if they contacted Jung Woo.
Ha Young comes to meet him. Lee asks her to find out what Dong Chan is scheming. She asks if he is ordering her right now. She says she is powerful and she has information regarding him that could attract everyone’s attention. Lee says Dong Chan is her weakness.
He says Dong Chan will die without Hwang who is in Lee’s custody. After that, her offer will go out of the window.
Dong Chan meets Lee Jung Woo at the airport. As they drive down, Jung Woo asks how his father is doing. Dong Chan says Seok Du is hanging on, but they have to hurry. Baek calls up Dong Chan and says he is driving right behind them. Baek says they tracked Lee but he didn’t lead them to Hwang. He says his men saw Ha Young meeting Lee.
Dong Chan drives faster and notices a car tailing him. He tells Baek that they are being followed just as expected. He asks Jung Woo to hold tight as he floors it. The car following him does the same and catches up to him. Baek’s drives up next to Dong Chan’s car. Dong Chan hits the brakes and the other two cars drive away.
Baek overtakes the tailing car and swerves in front of them cutting them off. Dong Chan’s car drives past them.
Jung Woo walks into his father’s room. Jo says Seok Du is ready for the transfusion. The doctor says Seok Du would’ve been in grave danger if Jung Woo hadn’t come on time.
Dong Chan is about to leave the hospital when he notices a bruise on his hand. He calls up Mi-ran and asks her not to come to work today.
Dong Chan barges into Lee’s office. He says Lee has to strike a deal with him but can’t accept that he abducted Hwang. He makes Lee an offer. He says he will give him Seok Du in exchange for Hwang.
Later, Dong Chan calls up Jo and tells him that Lee won’t hurt Hwang. Hyung Gi calls Dong Chan saying Go Go 99 is going to air and they need him here for the final editing process. Dong Chan says he is busy. Hyung Gi asks how he can tell the Chief that he is busy with something else other than work. Dong Chan says he is on the way.
Dong Chan walks into work to see Mi-ran speaking with Ji Hoon. He sits down and overhears Ji Hoon asking Mi-ran out to dinner. Mi-ran politely declines. Ji Hoon says Mi-ran seems down and he will brighten her mood.
Dong Chan tells them off for not working. He tells Ji-Hoon that he told him not to socialize with others. Ji Hoon explains that they were friends before he joined work. He asks Dong Chan not to get the wrong idea. Dong Chan asks who told him they could be friends. Mi-ran says Ji Hoon is her friend’s son. Dong Chan immediately tells Ji Hoon to treat Mi-ran with respect. He says Ji Hoon shouldn’t be friends with his mother’s friends. He then asks how he plans to brighten Mi-ran’s mood. Ji Hoon says he doesn’t know why Dong Chan is angry. Dong Chan goes silent.
Dong Chan brings Mi-ran into the editing room. He notices that her other hand also has bruises. He reminds her he told her to stay home. She holds his hand and sees the bruises on him. Hyung Gi walks in and Dong Chan grabs his hand away. Hyung Gi asks if they are working. Dong Chan says they are. Hyung Gi asks why they were holding hands but Dong Chan maintains that they were working. Hyung Gi walks out.
Later, Hyung Gi asks Dong Chan why he is so busy these days. Dong Chan doesn’t answer. Hyung Gi says he tracked the IP address of the person who wrote the article about Mi-ran. Dong Chan commends him and asks if Ha Young is in her office. Hyung Gi is upset. Dong Chan asks if Kim is in his office. Hyung Gi gives up and says he is.
Dong Chan runs into Ha Young on the way. She is startled but asks him why he was late to work today. He asks her why she wants to know. He then asks her what she did that night. She asks what he is talking about.
Kim is on the phone with a person who says Lee is bothered by Dong Chan. The person asks Kim to send Dong Chan on an overseas project. Kim says Dong Chan can’t be told to do things. Dong Chan walks in and Kim hangs up. Dong Chan asks if he was talking about him. Dong Chan says he doesn’t have time and has to differentiate his friends from enemies.
He asks if Kim knows who Lee Hyeong Du is. Kim says he doesn’t. Dong Chan fills Kim in on how the real Seok Du is in the capsule. Dong Chan tells Kim to find a different sponsor to become a politician because Lee is rotten. Dong Chan tells him that Lee abducted Hwang. Kim gives him a blank look.
Dong Chan asks if Kim doesn’t know anything. Kim asks what he means by twins and says he doesn’t understand anything. Dong Chan walks out.
Ha Young is her office wondering if Dong Chan suspects her.
Meanwhile, Mi-ran is working. Ji Hoon tells her she looks unwell. He says she must have been through a lot and apologises. She asks him what is this about. He explains this is about his father. She says he needn’t apologise. Ji Hoon asks her to think of him separately from his father. She asks him not to worry. She then receives a call from Young-Sun.
Mi-ran meets Young Sun at the cafe. Young Sun says she shouldn’t date Ji Hoon. She says men in their 20s’ are full of passion. He says they don’t care about a woman’s age. She says as adults they should talk him out of it if a naive boy like Ji Hoon shows interest.
Mi-ran says that Young Sun thinks of Ji Hoon who has lived for 20 years as a kid and she who has lived for 24 years as an adult. Young-sun says Mi-ran is right. Mi-ran says Young Sun has changed a lot and she has grown up. Mi-ran says she is in love and Young Sun asks if she is dating. Mi-ran says she is.
Hyung Gi receives a message stating that the IP address is from a Cafe. Hyung Gi goes into the cafe and sees Mi-ran speaking with Young-Sun. He asks why Mi-ran is here. Mi-ran says it is Young Sun’s cafe. Hyung Gi runs out of the cafe.
Dong Chan comes to his desk and finds both Ji Hoon and Mi-ran gone. He calls Mi-ran but doesn’t get a response. He searches for her all over the place. He sees Mi-ran walking into the office. Dong Chan take her to the side and asks her to follow him. She asks him where they are going. He grabs her hand and asks her to follow him.
Hyung Gi watches them from far. He is shocked.
Meanwhile, Jo is in his lab trying to figure out what M 3 4 means. Dong Chan and Mi-ran walk in. Mi-ran tells Jo that Dong Chan has the bruises too. She tells him to cure Dong Chan first as they have no time.
Later, Dong Chan is in his car. He remembers Jo saying the symptoms will return after 48 hours.
Ha Young walks into her office and is shocked to see Dong Chan sitting there. She asks if he is unwell. He asks her why she met Lee Hyeong Du. He asks why she wants to know where Lee Seok Du is. He asks why she hasn’t covered the case yet. Ha Young is unable to respond. He tells her not to do anything shameful. He asks her to stop.
As he is about to leave, Ha Young says he should know how it feels to have aged while the person you love is shining brightly. She says he should know how it feels to be rejected for being old and worn out and yet be passionately in love with that person. Ha Young says he needs to feel that pain. She asks him to leave.
Dong Chan says he needs to find Hwang and asks her to help him.
Hyung Gi meets Kim in his office. Kim says he was told something he shouldn’t have heard. Hyung Gi says he is in the same situation.
Ha Young calls Lee and asks him to give Hwang in exchange for Seok Du. Lee asks if Dong Chan told her to do this. She says she will report Hwang’s disappearance if he doesn’t let Hwang go. Lee puts the phone against a recording.
In the recording, Ha Young’s voice says that she wants Ko Mi-ran to be put back in the capsule again and that is her deal.
Ha Young is shocked that Lee has recorded her conversation. Lee says he will release the recording to the press.
Dong Chan is waiting for Jin when he recalls Ha Young’s words saying he must go through the same pain. Jin brings Dong Chan a flash drive and says he has attached a photo along with the time stamp. Dong Chan thanks him.
In the editing room, Dong Chan plugs in the flash drive. He is startled when Hyung Gi walks in and hides the drive. Hyung Gi asks what he was watching. Dong Chan says it isn’t anything. Hyung Gi says the article was written by Mi-ran’s friend Young-Sun. Dong Chan asks him to leave. Hyung Gi asks if he isn’t thinking much into it because his girlfriend will get hurt. He says he knows Dong Chan is dating Mi-ran. Dong Chan tells Hyung Gi not to tell Mi-ran that Young Sun wrote the post. He tells him not to tell his girlfriend Kyun Ja about it too. Hyung Gi is flustered. Dong Chan says he knows about Kyun Ja and him. He walks hastily out of the room.
Hyung Gi meets Kyun Ja and tells her that Dong Chan knows about them. He also tells her that Mi-ran and Dong Chan are dating. She says if they have a baby, it’ll be an ice baby. He tells her that Young Sun was the one who wrote the article about Mi-ran. He says she should know what kind of a person her friend is. Just then, she receives a call from Young-Sun. She takes the call and calls Young Sun a witch. She says she shouldn’t have done that to her friend and hangs up. Young Sun is puzzled and wonders what it was about. Just then, staff from TBO comes up her. She thanks her for the job as she didn’t like the people at TBO. One woman asks the girl to log out of the account. The girl says it isn’t her account anyways.
Ha Young recalls telling Lee Hyeong Du to find Dr Jo. She tells Lee that Jo knows where Seok Du is.
She remembers Dong Chan asking her for help.
Ha Young calls up Dong Chan and tells him that Jo is in danger. She says Hyeong Du knows that Jo doesn’t have police protection anymore. Dong Chan asks how Lee knew about that. Ha Young says she told him.
Dong Chan calls up Baek and asks him to go to Jo’s lab. He seems worried.
Mi-ran is with Jo in his lab. A thug walks in the corridor. He is about to enter the lab but he runs away hearing Baek’s voice. Baek puts some officers on duty. Mi-ran receives a message from Dong Chan asking her to stay in the lab along with Jo. He says they don’t know what symptoms might show.
Mi-ran picks up Hwang’s notes and she notices the word Maito Magick written there. Jo says you have my trust. Something strikes him and he says M, 3, 4. It looks like Jo has figured what Hwang tried to say. Jo says Maito Magic number 34.
Byung Sim comes back home and tells Young Sun he moved out of Mi-ran’s house. He says he will stay here till he finds a new place. Young Sun asks him to get out. Just then, Ji Hoon walks in.
They sit at the table. Young Sun tells them that both of them have the same taste in women. She says she is embarrassed. Byung Sim says he gave up on Mi-ran because it is more important to be Ji Hoon’s father. Ji Hoon asks if he can date Mi-ran now.
Young Sun objects saying Mi-ran is her friend. Ji Hoon says it is better than dating a friend’s mom. Young Sun says Mi-ran has a boyfriend.
At the lab, Jo and Mi-ran are smiling as Dong Chan enters the lab. Jo is smiling as he asks them to go home. He says he will stay up all night and finish it.
Dong Chan walks Mi-ran home. He wishes her sweet dreams and says he will pick her up in the morning. Mi-ran says her father wants to drop her tomorrow. Dong Chan agrees. He says that once they solve things one by one, they will be able to live like normal people. He says they should take the reagent, find Hwang and get their temperature to normal. He leans in and kisses her on the cheek. They stand there holding hands.
Mi-ran comes home and recalls her conversation with Jo. Jo says the antidote hasn’t gone through a clinical trial. He says one person should take the injection first. Mi-ran says she will take it. She asks Jo to give it to Dong Chan if she turns out fine.
The next day, Dong Chan calls up Jo and he learns that Mi-ran already took the injection. Dong Chan rushes to the lab to see Mi-ran lying on the bed taking the medicine. Mi-ran smiles slightly as he looks at her. Jo says it has been two hours since the injection. He says the medicine seems to be working. Dong Chan asks her why she took the antidote first. She says she wanted to take it before him. He asks her why she wants to do everything first.
Later, Dong Chan lies in the bed beside her as he also gets the injection.
Jo looks at them and says he has been watching them for 20 years and he isn’t surprised that they are dating.
Mi-ran says they were destined to be together. She holds out her hand and Dong Chan takes it. Jo says this medicine is just an antidote. He says their temperatures won’t return to normal with this.
The next day both of them come to work. They check each other’s hand for bruises and are happy to see the bruises gone. Hyung Gi sees this and goes the other way.
In the meeting, Hyung Gi says this will be a historic moment as GO GO 99 will be aired soon. He wonders where Dong Chan is. Park says Dong Chan is in the editing room. Hyung Gi urges everyone to be extra careful if they are dating colleagues. He says people will make fun of them. The whole team looks at Mi-ran. Mi-ran is embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Dong Chan finishes his work in the editing room.
After the meeting, Ji Hoon asks if she is dating Dong Chan. She says she is. Ji Hoon says he will wait for her as he is still young. He tells her not to draw a line. He says they are only 4 years apart.
In his office, Kim tells Hyung Gi that they will watch the pilot episode of GO GO 99 in the lobby with all the employees. They say the show is bound to do well. Hyung Gi says Dong Chan is in the editing room for days.
Dong Chan sends the file over to the broadcasting room and walks out.
Ha Young, Mi-ran, Ji Hoon and the staff watch it in the lobby. The show goes well for some time but it is interrupted suddenly. The recording with Lee Seok Du’s wife starts playing followed by Jo’s car explosion. Dong Chan’s voice follows, “What happened to her on that night of 2019.”
The people in the broadcasting room decide to let it play.
The footage from the 1999 experiment starts playing. Dong Chan’s voice asks what happened that night before they were thawed. The next footage shows the empty lab. It shows a man walking into the lab. Dong Chan’s voice asks if both incidents are connected.
Kim recognises the man who is walking into the empty lab.
Dong Chan’s voice says it is Lee Hyeong Du, Seok Du’s twin brother.
Everyone in the lobby is shocked. Ha Young watches the telecast quietly.
Hyeong Du is shocked to see this.
The footage which follows is of the real Seok Du on the hospital bed. He says he is the real Seok Du.
Dong Chan receives a call as he walks out of TBO. He doesn’t take the call but walks out with a smile.
Image Courtesy- TVN
Review
The series has always been inconsistent with its content. Some episodes are good but many miss the mark. This episode lacked continuity between scenes and many scenes were abrupt or unnecessary.
The romance in this episode seemed repetitive and bland though the chemistry between the leads is good.
Ha Young is a better antagonist than Lee Hyeong Du. She has gotten a lot done since the beginning of the series than Lee. I wonder why the characters aren’t giving much thought to how dangerous she can be. She isn’t just a normal jilted girlfriend.
It is ironic how Ha Young says that Dong Chan rejected her because she is old. Oddly, Dong Chan didn’t correct her saying that it was due to her betrayal (which she has done again).
It looks like Young Sun didn’t write the article. i doubt she is smart enough to hack into somoene’s IP address.I wonder if that TBO girl/staff wrote it under Ha Young’s orders.
The cars scene and the final scene were a good watch. But despite that, the scenes which were supposed to the turning points or plot twists failed to leave an impact.
For instance, the scene where Jo finds the antidote and the perfect timing where the thug runs away hearing Baek’s voice was too cinematic even for a fantasy series.
Also, Ha Young has always made it clear that she will do anything to keep Dong Chan. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that she wants Mi-ran out of the picture.
Dong Chan was tipped off By Baek that Ha Young is meeting with Lee Hyeong Du. I wonder why Dong Chan went to Ha Young and asked her for help. He doesn’t seem to react even after learning that Ha Young betrayed him a second time around.
It was earlier shown that Mi-ran is again in the cryonic capsule. I wonder if Ha Young succeeded in her plan or if it is due to some complication that Jo/Hwang/Dong Chan decide to put her back in for her safety.
-By Soul Sword-
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