Exhibition of Fireworks 8-9: We have the happy, the not so happy, and the freaking miserable

[rosdrise]

Today we return to the most awkward dinner party EVER.

Na Ra is making the best of the situation and impressing In Jae's mom with her mad tomato-peeling skills.



Mi Rae is bitter that she doesn't possess the knowledge that putting a tomato in hot water makes it easier to peel. PWNED!







In the next room over, In Jae is suppressing his desire to punch Seung Woo.






I don't know how he resists.

Seung Woo thinks the womenfolk should hurry up, cause a man's gotta eat.



Everyone "enjoys" their meal and then Seung Woo asked Mi Rae to dance.







In Jae finally can't take it anymore and shoots to his feet. Na Ra covers for him and suggests that they dance.







Luckily, his mom is happily oblivious to the daggers her son is currently staring at the other couple because she is BLITZED.



...and harrassing the help.



Seung Woo takes her inside to lay down, giving In Jae the chance to pull Mi Rae away to talk. Na Ra tries to stop him but he's not even close to listening.





In Jae confronts Mi Rae about her being a bitch, but she keeps cool.





Seung Woo breaks the party up (though Na Ra tries to stop him as well, with no success) and pulls Mi Rae away to talk to her. He wants the truth: "Is the man she is in love with dead?"



OOoo!!! I know who it is!



So, I'm guessing she's off the Christmas card list?

In Jae is waiting for her outside the coffee shop, and she continues to try to blow him off. That doesn't last long though.



Could you resist the puppy dog eyes? DOUBT IT.





This time, In Jae doesn't see her or run after her.





So she's free to wallow in her misery for a while.

But then she gets proactive! YAY! She's been sitting on the sidelines too long this episode.

Na Ra goes over to Mi Rae house to tell her to give up on In Jae because society (and his mom) will never accept them as a couple.





Mi Rae doesn't give two shakes what Na Ra thinks.









GOOD TALK!

She had to have known it wasn't going to work. She only went because she felt the desire to do something. You can hardly blame her for that, but is heartbreaking to watch. Basically any semblance of hope she had in steadily crumbling into nothing.





I was so waiting for her to slam on the accelerator and plown them down in a fit of rage and frustration. That would have been AWESOME. Alas, Na Ra is not a psychopath like me.

The fresh, happy couple decide to drive to work together. I want to be happy for them, because they've both wanted this for so long and Mi Rae has the capacity to be cool, but I just CAN'T. In any other drama this could have been an OTP, I mean, unrequited childhood love? COME ON.



Then Mi Rae starts pulling crap. She doesn't want In Jae to see Na Ra even if they are just friends. Ugh.

In Jae doesn't look pleased, but he doesn't say 'no.' Instead he changes the topic to hiding their relationship from his coworkers. Whatever.



In Jae doesn't say anything to Na Ra when they first see each other at work. And while she does look at him, she doesn't approach him either.



But you can SO TELL he wants to talk to her. Kang Ji Hwan is awesome at doing that whole 'longing' look.





He makes her let him help her carry boxes, because he's starving for some Na Ra interaction, despite her protests. Then Mi Rae shows up (OF COURSE) and says he as to help her.

Which means going on a lunch date.



They talk about their trials and tribulations, blah blah blah. I don't care because they are boring together.






Awww, so in love. What.Ever.

OH! The best part of their date is that high school kid totally catches them together eating lunch and sends a picture to Na Ra.





And then suggests to her that he could go kick their asses because he knows Tae Kwon Do. Nice.




Na Ra awesomely gives him the go ahead, but there doesn't appear to be any actual ass-kicking. Boo.

Seung Woo and Na Ra run into each other so she can harrass him about giving up on Mi Rae.





ZING!



Seung Woo tells Na Ra that he is not pursuing Mi Rae, because he's not cuckoo-crazy like she was, but then totally loses it in the bathroom.





Can't bring myself to care about his troubles.

FaceStory (LOL) is having a makeup competition within the company for a new spokesmodel. Na Ra is the only one left without a partner, so she recruits In Jae (hmm, I thought he was suppossed to stay away from her. heh heh). She doesn't want to win because she doesn't want her face to be seen by the public (her cover might get blown).







Both are pleased with the results (I think it's a little severe tbh) and Na Ra asks him to join her for dinner.

During dinner, Na Ra announces that she is ending their 'date-mate partnership' because In Jae has found a relationship.





But in the car ride home Na Ra can't hold back her feelings any longer. She tells In Jae he should break up with Mi Rae, that it will never work between them, and that she loves him.



RAIN SCENE! Seriously, it was POURING on them.





Then he walks away from her. *bawls*

... and goes home to Mi Rae.






Na Ra isn't doing as well as the loving couple.



That's why you don't sit in a car, soaking wet, for hours after you've been turned down by the man you love. The body can't handle it!

While Na Ra is out sick her parents decide to visit her work place. They ask for "Na Ra" not knowing that she has been using her sister "Na Kyung's" identity. Mi Rae asks if they are mistaken, but her mom says "No, Na Ra works here, Na Kyung is her younger sister". So Mi Rae goes to investigate and calls Na Ra's phone, Na Kyung answers it and informs her that the number belongs to Na Ra. Mi Rae checks the employee records and sees that Na Ra's age is 30.

Click. Click. Click. Everything falls into place.



Girl is PIIIIIISSED.

So now she starts her scheming. She is determined to embarrass Na Ra to the fullest extent. Na Ra ends up being one of the finalists for the modeling competition and she sways the votes in her favor.





In Jae congratulates Na Ra on her win, but she is less than thrilled.





She wants to resign from her position before the announcement is made, but Mi Rae won't let her.







Because she is steadily turning into a super bitch.





Seung Woo tells Na Ra she doesn't have to show up to the announcement for fear of public humiliation, but she mans up and is prepared to accept her punishment.





Too bad Mi Rae goes crying to In Jae's mom (the VP) about how she found out about Na Ra's true identity.





Bwah. I loled at that.

VP is not amused though and fires Na Ra when she sees her in the hallway.



HARSH.

In Jae moves to go after Na Ra when she flees the building. Mi Rae tries to derail that but he pushes past her.







Too slow!

Because Na Ra is awesome, she left behind gifts for her coworkers. They are touched and send In Jae to go return Na Ra's belongings to her.





He find her eventually and apologizes for all the crap she has endured.



And tries to cheer her up, much to her amusement.





Na Ra says she's giving up on men because they are all pigs (okay, my words, but she said basically the same thing) and is going to focus on her career (yes! Life does not revolve around men. Let's see how long that lasts).

In Jae decides for some reason to tell her that he would want to date her, you know, if he wasn't in love with another woman.



BECAUSE I'M SURE THAT'S WHAT SHE WANTED TO HEAR.

Luckily, she tells him to shut up. Thank you.



And they say their goodbyes.







In Jae returns home to Mi Rae who is stewing over the fact that he went to meet Na Ra. Confidence issues, much?







AND THEN GUESS WHAT?!



Momma totally caught them! They don't know that now she knows their dirty, dirty faux-cesty secret. She is not happy, AT ALL.


ETA: MUSIC! All that angst got you down? Check out Kibun Joujou from mihimaru GT. It's fun, happy hip-pop. It's also the random song I recognized when I played that drum game on Jen's DS.