What’s Going on With Yoon-bok?

Dare to Love Me Episode 9 brings us back to the funeral where Yoon-bok finds his sister who wakes and immediately bursts into tears. She tells him their mother never forgot him and he shares his pain too. They continue talking at the memorial site where Yoon-bok asks her to stop apologizing for the past.

At home, Hong-do is still thinking about Yoon-bok and his sudden back hug. She debates whether she should have gone to the memorial but as she runs out, she finds Yoon-bok on the street. He admits it’s been tough and asks her to stick around.

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At the police station, Yoon-bok resigns from his work but is shocked to see his sister working there. She says she’ll take over the Gamjjok case, that she’s a pretty good police officer, careful not to reveal her real role.

At home, Yoon-bok presents his resume to Hong-hak, finally ready to pursue a dream. He’d like to become an apprentice, so Hong-hak starts by changing his outfit. And his reading list. He tries to emulate Hong-hak, even suffering through spicy cup noodles.

Hong-do listens in as Hong-hak scolds Yoon-bok for his drawings, but jumps in, defending his choice to have a guy showing with his clothes on. Before she leaves, he puts a scarf around her neck that she continues to wear throughout the day. And now she’s wondering what it all means – does he like her? Perhaps he’s just being nice.

At the Village, Leader Shin can’t stop thinking of Yoon-bok either. He calls in Yoon-ah for a report, learning he’s now living with his sister. Separately, Yoon-ah confesses to Yeojudaek that Yoon-bok is acting a little strangely.

At the bus stop, Yoon-bok waits for Hong-do but claims he’s there to draw. Since he’s there, Hong-do invites him to join them for dinner and he jumps at the chance. At the table with Hong-hak too, Yoon-bok makes sure she gets her share, even going as far as loosening a perilla leaf for her. When he offers her a fork of fruit, she starts to believe he’s interested. Until he hand-feeds Hong-hak who delights in the politeness of his new student.

At Seongsan restaurant, Jun-ho offers Yi-bok something soothing for her cough, a remedy her mother used to make. She feels nostalgic as the two sit together, he assisting her then as both a servant and friend. But he was beaten when she fell ill as a child, so less of a happy memory for him. Later, alone, Jun-ho examines a fan, repairing it.

At the village, Leader Shin shouts at Camille for disrupting the residents. He invites her to stay at his house to reduce the commotion – but also to give up at any time and simply go home. She’s secretly pleased with her new home.

At the village shoe shop, Camille discovers a leather sandal called pichohye that’s a somewhat forgotten design from several centuries ago. She buys it, taking it home to reconsider the design, adding new pretty details. Off to find wifi so she can post her creation, she finds it near Chilbok’s room, making him nervous. But as soon as the post goes live, she heads back home.

Villagers admire Camille’s sandal design and flock to the shoe store to buy them, delighting the owner. Afterwards, he meets Camille to thank her, pleased she’s saved a tradition. They agree to collaborate on more designs.

While in Seoul, Hong-do obsesses over whether Yoon-bok likes her or not. She goes to have a reading to help her figure out Yoon-bok’s intent. But instead finds her former colleague who was tossed from the company for copying Hong-do’s design. Her boyfriend, Hong-do’s ex, dumped her as well, saying something similar to what he’d said to Hong-do back then. With a bit of girl talk, they agree that Yoon-bok must like Hong-do.

At home, she overhears Hong-hak claiming Yoon-bok must like his teacher, but Yoon-bok doesn’t think so – it’s about respect. However, it’s actually a conversation about their webtoon. The comment about respect sends Hong-do to quietly cry in her bed. And Yoon-bok suddenly realizes he must have misled Hong-do.

The next day, Yoon-bok tries to catch Hong-do before work but misses her. Returning home, he overhears a call between Yi-bok and the detective noting that Seongsan Hall seems to be linked to the Gamjjok case.

Franky presents Camille’s collaboration plan to the Cultural Heritage Administrator, who’s happy to hear that profits will be donated to support cultural heritage. They consider locations for a popup store, landing on Seongsan Restaurant. At the restaurant, as Hong-do takes photos outside, Franky is stunned to see a handsome Yoon-bok walking through the gate, quickly offering him a modelling gig with Camille.

While at the restaurant, Yoon-bok, Yi-bok and Hong-do all run into each other but Hong-do can’t wait to escape the awkwardness. She makes an excuse and hustles Franky away, who immediately correlates Yoon-bok to the scarf Hong-do had thrilled over.

Yi-bok wonders if her brother wants to talk to her for relationship advice, but it’s actually about the Gamjjok case. He shares that Gamjjok may be linked to the fire that killed their father and suggests she watch for people with a burn scar. Afterwards, she scans the kitchen for suspects. Jun-ho’s arm is covered with his typical suit jacket.

In a restaurant, Yoon-ah checks the comments on Hong-hak’s webtoon, Strong Woman Oh Yoon-ah and he’s relieved to see a positive response, with comments on his righteousness. When a guy is about to hit his girlfriend, Hong-hak steps in but before he can finish his sentence he’s punched in the face. Just then, Yoon-ah returns from the restroom and knocks the guy out. He’s pleased when Yoon-ah applauds his courage even when obviously outgunned.

Still at work, Hong-do once again dodges Yoon-bok, responding that he shouldn’t pick her up from the office as she’s still busy. He visits her with a treat but finds her asleep at her desk. Sitting down, he thinks of their previous meet-ups where he’d pretended that he wasn’t affected by her. She wakes to find him resting beside her. And before she can escape, he confesses and kisses her.

Epilogue: working on the webtoon, Yoon-bok and Hong-hak argue about the meaning of a kiss, Yoon-bok insisting it’s only for couples considering marriage.

The Episode Review

While Hong-do isn’t sure what to think about Yoon-bok, the perilla leaf incident, in particular, gives her pause. There’s a cultural belief that unsticking someone’s perilla leaf is only for people in a close or intimate relationship. Fun fact, in Korea, a guy wouldn’t want a mutually close friend to unstick his girlfriend’s leaf. So with that, among other signals, there’s reason for Hong-do to believe. And by the end, she’s proven right as Yoon-bok finally confesses.

Now that Yoon-bok has been offered an opportunity to model, does that mean they could both go to Paris if given the opportunity? As things are starting to come together in the Village, it’s looking like Camille just may pull off her fashion show. Just imagine the rumpus it would cause to have Yoon-bok model in the village… go on, think about it.  He causes a stir just walking around. However, he’s begun his dream now too as a webtoon artist. Would it be possible to manage both? In the era of the side hustle, why not?

Meanwhile, Yoon-bok thinks it’s suspicious that his sister says she’s a police officer. He doesn’t know half the story with her detective status. But he accepts it and we can only presume she doesn’t explain because she doesn’t want him to worry. In short, she’s still keeping secrets. After a lifetime of them, that’s sure to come back to bite.

Even though the love story is coming together, there’s still more to round out over the next few episodes. Who’s pleased with the progress? 

Think Hong-do and Yoon-bok can find a future? Let us know in the comments below.  

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