Crescendo
Episode 16 of Do You Like Brahms begins with Joon-Young and Song-A discussing their feelings, with the latter asking him to wait until she’s ready. Ironically this is the same message Joon-Young told Song-A earlier in the show.
As Joon-Young heads home, Hyun-Ho shows up with some chicken, hugging him tightly. This paves way for our quartet up on stage to perform in memory of Director Na. Song-A, of course, acts as the page-turner.
As Hyun-Ho looks set to leave, Jung-Kyung follows and asks when he’ll return. Clutching the music sheets he just gave her, she tries to hold back her disappointment when he replies “I don’t know.”
Jung-Kyung runs into Song-A who gives her encouragement and reminds her she’s not a weak person. It’s a lovely statement from Song-A, and one that encourages Jung-Kyung to take her initiative and write an email withdrawing from being a professor.
Joon-Young and Song-A talk again where he thanks her for giving him the courage to quit the Tchaikovsky competition. He doesn’t want to pressure her but hands over a ticket confirming the Graduate/undergraduate performance he’ll be taking part in instead.
As they head home together, the agonizing walk is teased with hand holding but both are reserved and hold back.
Back at the university, Song-A’s sincerity and friendliness bags her a new job working with Young-In. After pitching Song-A the idea and just why she’s such a good candidate, Young-In encourages her to think it over.
Back home, Song-A struggles to eat after admitting to her Mother she broke up with Joon-Young. As we cut across to Joon-Young, he tries to find the right words to message her. However, she decides to show up and watch Joon-Young play after all. Unfortunately she’s a bit late and is forced to watch him from the screens outside.
It’s a beautiful performance and one that sees him bow before the audience. Tellingly, Professor Yoo leaves as the applause begins. Song-A eventually slips in and watches him play Windung; a song used to connect his heart to hers.
As she stands watching, she struggles to hold back tears. She’s not the only one either, as Joon-Young’s mother comments afterward how he reduced her to tears too.
As she leaves, Joon-Young eventually answers the door to Song-A. He remembered what she said to him at the airport and mentions how she wants to play more from now on. She came to the performance as a friend but can no longer do that. After a brief pause, which sees Joon-Young look down to the ground, she looks him in the eye, “I love you.”
We then cut forward to the 2021 Graduation Ceremony. Joon-Young holds Song-A as they say goodbye to that rehearsal room they spent so much time in.
Afterward, Song-A heads out for a big group dinner where Dong-Yoon discusses his plans for the future. The workshop is being taken down and Min-Sung is leaving. Just before she does, he encourages her to swing by with her cello.
Elsewhere, Joon-Young has his dinner with his Mother and plucks up the courage to tell her to get a divorce. Jung-Kyung is also approached by Ji-Won’s Mother, who allows her to teach Ji-Won the violin.
Later that evening, Song-A swings by and decides to sell her violin. It’s a bittersweet moment but one she soon gets over as she works with Joon-Young, organizing his trips. As she starts sorting her belongings out, Joon-Young arrives in her room and puts a ring on her hand.
He confesses her love and the two finally have their happy ending.
The Episode Review
Do you Like Brahms delivers a decent ending and although there’ s a lot of melodrama along the way, I’m glad these two had their happy ending.
Both of them have great chemistry on-screen and the reserved nature of Joon-young’s mannerisms feel quite realistically portrayed for Asian culture.
Song-A’s decision to work with Joon-Young and organize his events sees the best of both worlds, with her name underlined as the organizer and undoubtedly bound to get a lot of praise because of it.
Joon-Young can finally enjoy the piano again too and the idea that music can transcend beyond simple notes on a worksheet is beautifully illustrated here. The show has been a tumultuous ride but the ending definitely delivers a compelling finish for this Monday/Tuesday drama.
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Episode Rating
(4)
I endlessly loved watching this drama series (and another series drama), which I did several times already😊. There were so many moments that were relatable to my life with my late husband.. they brought back great memories to me and I am forever grateful to Kim Min-jae and Park Eun-bin for their role as Joon Young and Song-ah respectively, their love and respect for each other in the series were so effectively real and heartfully sincere. My heart is so full with years of loving memories… and while I watched the series…now I remember them again after several years of numbness losing my beloved, and for that, I thank you to you and the crew.
Replying to Jenny Parry :
I think it’s because she’s a violin player. The same thing happened when Hyun-Ho put a ring on Jung-Kyung ‘s finger. Right hand and not left hand. He specified it was because of her being a violin player
Answering Jenny Parry’s question from above: Joon-Young put the ring on Song-ha’s right ring finger, not left, because rings interfere with the the fingers violinists use on the violin’s strings. He did this to symbolize that even though she had decided to leave the violin, he would always see her as a violinist, and respect her as a musician who became one out of love for music, and her instrument. Joon-Young lost his love for piano, but Song-ha’s devotion to her instrument never wavered, despite all the hardships she faced. Her undying dedication to what she loved helped Joon-Young find his way back to his own passion, and saved him. This is what he was saying, by putting the ring on her right hand, not left.
I LOVED this series, but I spent my youth playing classical piano, so maybe I’m biased. After leaving that dream for many of the same reasons as Song-ha, I became a Hollywood screenwriter. Another art form. One I also loved but like Song-ha, started too late. I had a couple decades of success, but much like classical musicians, a screenwriter’s career longevity is largely determined by early success, which I never had. Song-ha’s Senior Recital went extremely well, but she knew that would not be enough to sustain a career as a violinist, for her. She hadn’t won competitions or received notice when she was younger; no matter how good she later became, the “business” of Classical Music would only hire the more “promotable” names people already knew. So the scene where Song-ha tearfully says goodbye to her beloved violin was especially poignant, for me. When it’s time to let go of an art that has abandoned you, not necessarily because you lack talent but because that art form is run by ruthless, cynical business people who care not about art, but only about money, it’s heartbreaking for the artist. Which this series was for me, but in the best way possible. It was a nostalgic exploration of my own artistic life-journey. Which I imagine it was for many other artists, as well.
Great show.
BUT , can anyone explain why he put the ring on her right hand and not her left hand when she held it out.
It was superb drama with a good message. I am glad that park join young and chae song ah had an happy ending.I teared up while join young was playing the piano