Do You Like Brahms? – Episode 14 Recap & Review

A Tempo, In Time

Following the YouTube issue last episode, Do You Like Brahms returns for episode 14 and Professor Yoo caught in the firing line. Passing off Joon-Young’s performance as his own, our very own protagonist races up to confront his teacher.

Yoo’s not apologetic though, instead goading hsi student to prove it was him who performed this piece. It turns out the Professor has a special piano that mirrors the notes played by the pianist. Even worse, he stitched up Joon-Young and recorded him, intending all along to pass it off as his own.

On the back of this, Joon-Young gives up on trying to get retribution. Jung-Kyung tries to talk him around but he tells her to leave.

This catches us up to the segment from the last episode as Jung-Kyung silently gets in the taxi and drives off. Song-A also gets a taxi home but thinks twice about speaking to Min-Sung on the phone. Wallowing in self-pity, she receives some sound advice from her Mother instead, who tells her to do what makes her happy.

On the back of this scandal, Hyun-Ho and Jung-Kyung discuss what to do about Joon-Young’s predicament. There’s obviously unfinished business here but both of them don’t know how to proceed forward.

Fate has a funny way of interfering at crucial moments. Hyun-Ho receives some good news after all – he’s got a position at the New York symphony and his dreams of playing the cello are very much alive. Realizing he has a chance for a new life, he contemplates deleting Jung-Kyung’s number and eventually does (at least I think he does, I couldn’t read the hangul!)

Young-In wants Joon-Young to fight this. When Joon-Young shows her the footage, she immediately wants to go public and legally coerce the culprit to remove the video.

Joon-Young doesn’t want to press charges though, believing it could worry Song-A and get her involved. His agent meanwhile, believes it’s a great opportunity to spin a story and get his publicity back. Joon-Young is not so sure though.

He has bigger problems to deal with when he speaks to Song-A later in the day. She mentions seeing Jung-Kyung and confronts him about just why she was at his house. Given he wants to lie about the performance, he simply apologises and tells her she was “sorting herself out.”

Song-A is understandably not happy, fed up with Joon-Young constantly seeing his ex. As she leaves, Joon-Young races after her and apologises profusely, begging her not to walk away. She refuses to listen and does just that. She even turns her phone off too.

At the university, Jung-Kyung shows up and confronts Professor Yoo. He shows the CDs she has of Joon-Young’s recordings and demands that he delete the video and apologize. He does just that and as Joon-Young bumps into Jung-Kyung outside, he thanks her for her help. Well, that was easy.

Outside, Jung-Kyung  decides to tell Song-A about what’s happening. All of it. Joon-Young playing Traumerei again, the YouTube video and the song’s significance to her. “Do you know what that means?” She says, stirring the pot before walking away.

Song-A eventually winds up back with Min-Sung again who silently approaches her at Dong-Yun’s workshop and hugs her friend tightly. Unfortunately all this drama culminates in Joon-Young and Song-A breaking up.

It’s hard not to think if they’d communicated a bit better from the start this wouldn’t be happening. Anyway, Song-A admits to hearing the recording and refuses to try and understand the complicated relationship between Jung-Kyung and Joon-Young.

Walking away, Joon-Young follows her outside and hands over the umbrella she got him. As she walks away, struggling to hold back tears, the episode comes to a close.

The Episode Review

Oh Joon-Young, look what you’ve done! Honestly, this boy is so frustrating. If he’d just opened up and admitted the truth to Song-A from the beginning none of this would be happening.

The numerous misunderstandings throughout this drama are the main catalyst for the issues our characters have been facing and to be honest, it’s been overused.

The whole Professor Yoo angle has been completely resolved this week after little conflict and Soo-Kyung isn’t really used at all thanks to Song-A branching out.

This has been a weird Korean drama in many ways, dabbling in melodrama and romance but never fully embracing either side. This isn’t so much a drama about music as one may expect from the synopsis but the actual main plot line has felt weak and a little formulaic.

Still, there’s 2 episodes left and the door is left wide open for where this one may go next.