It’s Okay to Not Be Okay – Episode 8 Recap & Review

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Episode 8 of It’s Okay To Not Be Okay marks a turning point for Kang-Tae as he seems to finally come out of his shell and lets himself feel something for Moon-Young. His character has been developed quite well so far as he has been fighting his own demons up until now. The show has been quite intense too but tackled some very important mental health issues and themes, making it quite the original Korean drama.

The episode starts where it left off after Kang-Tae cuts Moon-Young’s hair and calls her pretty. She tells him that she no longer has to listen to her mum and that she is free. During breakfast Sang-Tae is surprised to see Moon-Young and tells her that she looked better with longer hair. Before leaving for work, Moon-Young tells Kang-Tae that from now on, he will be the only one allowed to cut her hair as she is like his brother and doesn’t like people touching her.

At the hospital, Kang-Tae learns from his colleague that Dae-Hwan had a seizure the night before. Kang-Tae then helps the old man get dressed, who tells him that he heard a woman sing “Oh my Darling Clementine.” He then reveals that the woman is dead while Moon-Young reads some bad comments about herself online.

In his office, the director looks at the night’s CCTV to find out what happened to Dae-Hwan. He calls Ms Park in and asks her if she got up during the night to sing. She replies that she is not a ghost as another patient claims to having heard a ghost sing. The director then takes Kang-Tae onto the rooftop and asks him to keep an eye on Ms Park as he believes something strange is happening in the hospital.

Moon-Young and Sang-Tae meet Kang-Tae for lunch in the restaurant they used to go to with their mother. Kang-Tae gets emotional at first but the mood soon lightens when Moon-Young struggles to eat the spicy food. After Sang-Tae leaves, Moon-Young and Kang-Tae head into a coffee shop. There, a fan of Moon-Young recognises her and as he starts talking, we see that it bothers Kang-Tae.

Moon-Young decides to make him jealous by giving him her number and getting Kang to take a picture of them. As they both leave, Kang-Tae berates her for giving her number to someone she barely knows.

Meanwhile, Mr Lee decides to pursue Ju-Ri and meets with her mother who offers him a room to rent. Ju-Ri is not happy with the decision though and tells the man that she likes someone. At the same time, Kang-Tae finds Ae-Reum and Jung-Tae hiding in the laundry room. They beg him not to tell anyone but Kang-Tae replies that patients dating is against the rules and one of them will have to be transferred.

In the mansion, Moon-Young and Sang-Tae argue over the nightmare doll. As both of them grab it, the doll breaks. Kang-Tae arrives home to find the two fighting with pillows and pulling hair. He manages to stop them but Moon-Young storms into her room. Kang-Tae speaks to his brother and reminds him that the doll can’t catch butterflies.

Afterwards, Kang-Tae speaks to Moon-Young and tells her she can have the doll. She asks him how is able to stay calm in stressful situation as she has been watching him. He explains that he tries to keep it as that way, nothing bad will happen. She concludes that they are made for each other; he is patient and she is volatile – the safety pin and the bomb. He then mentions the man from the cafe so she shows him the pen and tells him that he is much more handsome than the item. As she falls asleep with her head on his lap, he later tucks her in and holds her hand while she sleeps.

On their way to work, Soon-Duk tells her daughter that Mr Lee is interested in her. Soon-Duck tells her that she is worried that Ju-Ri will follow Kang-Tae no matter what. They arrive at the hospital at the same time as the brothers and Moon-Young, who tells them that Kang-Tae cut her hair. Soon-Duk invites her for dinner which doesn’t please her daughter.

In the garden, Jung-Tae thanks Kang-Tae for not saying anything. He explains that he is going to concentrate on getting better but that it is quite hard as he can’t stop thinking about Ae-Reum. As the patient describes how he feels about the girl, Kang-Tae thinks of Moon-Young and starts to realise that he feels the same way he does.

During her class, Moon-Young tells the tale of Beauty and the Beast but spins it as the Beast grooming Belle. Ae-Reum stands up and disagrees, claiming that it is all about pure love and her love embraced the wounded soul of the Beast.

Later on, Ae-Reum is visited by her abusive ex who tries winning her back. She refuses so he runs after her in the garden, right next to Moon-Young sitting on a bench. Ae-Reum tells him to leave her alone as she has now found someone else. This makes her ex see red and just as he is about to hit her, Moon-Young throws her can at him. The man then hits Moon-Young just as Kang-Tae arrives. The latter punches him and has to be stopped.

As a result, the director suspends Kang-Tae but he accepts the punishment. He then leaves the hospital smiling and thinking about his time with Moon-Young. He runs towards her and relays what the director told him, telling her that he wants to run away and go on a trip, which is where the episode ends.

The Review Write-Up

Kang-Tae hitting Ae-Reum’s ex seems to be the moment he decided to finally let go and do what makes him happy for once. As we see him smile while leaving the hospital, it seems that his burden has been lifted and he also realizes he has feelings for Moon-Young. It will be interesting to see where the story goes from there for those two, especially with Sang-Tae who doesn’t seem willing to share his brother with anyone.

Moon-Young also carries on being quite the dark and intense character. She has some fun scenes here and I loved seeing her throw her can at Ae-Reum’s face, telling him that she thought he was trash. As we pass the halfway point of the season, we can already see a big difference in the characters since the beginning of the show.

The acting of the actors have been impressive as well so far and I am looking forward to find out more about Moon-Young’s past and if Kang-Tae will manage to get her to open up.