RECAP: Flower Boy Next Door

 Episode ONE Recap:

         The show opens by letting the viewer follow the morning routine of Go Dok Mi, who judging from the state of her apartment is some sort of reclusive writer and possibly a borderline hoarder. Dok Mi's morning rituals aren't like yours or mine, what with the binoculars and the water jugs falling out of her sleeping bag. (why? no seriously if anyone knows why she sleeps with water bottles in her sleeping bag leave a comment, I'm sincerely curious!) You see Dok Mi is watching someone's morning ritual as well. She's watching a handsome young man, who frankly comes off a little fussy, in the apartment across the street. She watches him stretch, eat, exercise, clean even play with his dog. This would be odd enough on its own, but Dok Mi does whatever her neighbor is doing. she eats and jogs right along with him and then, despite being separated by two windows and the street, wishes him a great day as he leaves. Weird, and a little pitiful but she doesn’t make my creeper alarm go off yet.


We are next introduced to Enrique Guem, a game designer, who is using his charm and origami skills to calm a crying child on the flight from Spain to Korea. He disembarks to a small (too big for a game designer, even a hot one) crowd of fans. There are even people there taking pictures. He takes a minute to do silly poses before moving on to customs where he tells a airport worker (who seems very put upon by Enrique's quirky manner) that he is in Korea to shoot cupid's arrow. Enrique Guem is met at the airport by a girl so out of place that were this was a horror movie you'd think you were supposed to be scared of her. In the dead of the Korean winter the girl is at the air port in a short flimsy dress that she later admits is a summer dress with what I'm guessing is supposed to be a guitar case strapped to her back. she's so small or it's so big that it looks more like a cello case. either way, why? who does that? I don’t think I'm going to like her. I don’t like anyone who doesn’t have the sense to wear pants in the winter. lack of outer wear aside there defiantly seems to be some romantic tension here. this is probably the chick he came for.


Next stop on the exposition train is  Oh Jin Rok and Oh Dong Hoon webtoon writers who get their latest work "zombie soccer" rejected because it's too much like a game Enrique Guem designed. (not the fact that it was called zombie soccer?) Jin Rok pitches an idea for another webtoon titled, what else  but "the Flower boy next door"  the description of which sounds an awful lot like What Dok Mi's got going on with dude bro across the street. Even the picture he shows the editor looks like Dok Mi. Has Jin Rok been spying on Dok Mi spying on her neighbor? With their new idea approved, the two head back to their apartment building, where there is some sort of Demonstration in the works.


Meanwhile Dok Mi is surprised when her flower boy comes home in the middle of the day, and oh horrors, leaves the kettle on when he rushes back out putting his puppy in danger of getting burned when it boils over! prompted by concern over the dog, Dok Mi rushes out in an attempt to warn Mr. flower boy. she passes Jin Rok who is leading the least enthusiastic protest against utility hikes I've ever seen. the security guard recognizes her and we learn they live in the same building, but Dok Mi has a puppy to save so she blows off the demonstrators and hops a cab to follow her stalkee. even though she catches up with him, and even gets close enough to touch him, she just can't bring herself to do it. maybe she realizes there's no way to explain what she's doing there without sounding absolutely insane, but she's probably just really shy. either way she lets it go and instead tells the story of the first time she saw flower boy in the park to some guy (cameo by Lee Jung Hyuk) who stops her on the street. She soon remembers why she left her apartment in the first place and rushes back to check on the dog.
                                                                                                                      
Elsewhere in Seoul Enrique is in some tiny room listening to what's her face try to sing and play guitar, notice I said try.  With what seems to be an air of finality Enrique asks her if her love is really Tae Joon. She seems hesitant but says yes then apologizes. Enrique takes the rejection in a very "let's be friends!" sort of way and with a smile tells guitar girl to meet him at Tae Joon's, then leaves. seems a little anti climatic for a dude that was all twirly about love at the airport.

We find ourselves back with Dok Mi, who runs over to flower boys apartment and calls 911 about the possibly injured dog. are 911 operators in Korea really nice, b/c in America if you called about a dog maybe being hurt you'd be told you can get a fine for pranking 911 and then they'd hang up on you. Anyway , Dok Mi is cooing to the dog basically making a fool of herself when Enrique appears next to her and asks what she's doing.  Mortified Dok Mi runs back to her own apartment across the street where she spends her evening stealing glimpses of Enrique (he can feel someone watching him) in her flower boys apartment, wondering who he is and taking out the trash where she is in turn spied on by Jin Rok. I think he's got a thing for her.

The next morning, Flower boy wakes Enrique up and we discover that Flower Boy is in fact Tae Joon (good, he has a name. calling him flower boy was getting annoying). Enrique calls him Hyung and the two are very affectionate. they might actually be brothers. they have a brief conversation in which Enrique (wearing only shorts and a panda hat/scarf/glove thing) asks for several things, including a bigger TV and a car. Tae Joon tells him he needs to change his life.

 Dok Mi is up too,brushing her teeth. she hears a strange noise and pulls back her curtains to find another young man riding on of those window elevators down. he gives her a big smile but she's embarrassed and closes it back.  When she next opens her window to peek at TaeJoon Enrique turns to face the widow at that moment and he see Dok Mi across the street binoculars and all and throwing on a coat and slippers storms over to… I don’t know I guess he was planning on yelling at her?


At the same time Jin Rok and Dong Hoon  are starting their day. Jin Rok finds a note Dok Mi left on his door detailing several odd ways to save on utilities ( THAT'S why she's sleeping with the bottles!) and asking if he could please stand in for her as the resident representative. They hear a knock on their door.  The guy from the window elevator is there with basket of goodies. His name is Wantanabe Ryu and he's new to the building. Wantanabe invites himself in and the three men are getting to know each other when  they hear quite the commotion outside. they poke their heads out Alvin and the chipmunks style to see what all the fuss is about and are surprised to find Enrique pounding on Dok mi's door. inside her apartment Dok Mi is crouched down, covering her ears and rocking, the commotion distressing her greatly.

The Chipmunks spill out of the door and Enrique questions them about the resident of apartment 402. by this time  the security Ahjussi and the Ahjumma next door have joined the disagreement and think Enrique is the pervert. When Dok Mi hears them threaten to take him to the police station she opens her door and mutters something about Enrique not being a pervert. Jin Rok tells her he'll handle it and urges her to go back inside.

Jin Rok tells the security Ahjussi that it's all a misunderstanding and they begin to prepare for the demonstration. Meanwhile, Dok Mi has realized she's going to have to go grocery shopping. after making a list she reluctantly heads out, where she runs into Jin Rok and the other residents who pull her into the pre-demonstration meeting. Dok Mi is obviously very uncomfortable and Jin Rok can't stop looking at her (awww hims haves a crush!) Dok Mi grudgingly sits through the meeting afterward she tells Jin Rok she'll be back latter. He and Dong Hoon head to their publishers office, but as Dok Mi tries to leave she bumps into Enrique who calls out to her "Ahjumma!" 

With no means of escape Dok Mi stands there and listens to Enrique talk, as he does it seems like he's reading her mind, though she doesn’t say a word. he apologizes, saying he recognizes her as the woman he had met outside the door and that he realized she was just checking on the dog. he offers to continue the discussion inside the demonstrator's tent and as soon as Enrique turns around she runs off, but Enrique catches up with her at her door and tells her  she's the goal keeper and that he knows it's hard because that's a lonely position.


Enrique goes off sightseeing muttering to himself thatthough Dok Mi didn’t say anything he feels as though they had a full conversation. As he goes about town a handful of paparazzi follow him. (seriously ANY paparazzi is too much for a game designer. Hyun Bin just finished his service and Rain is dating Kim Tae HHHhh

hergtee, you'd think they'd have better things to do!) Enrique goes to an interview where he seems to simultaneously charms and offend the interviewers. on his way home guitar girl texts him saying something about wanting him to make her spaghetti. He ignores the text but stops by the grocery store, where Dok Mi sees him. she pretends not to notice him and heads back home where her fellow residents are outside demonstrating she stands at the back of the crowd.

We see a pampered young woman in a car, apparently recovering from an accident in an industrial sized cotton candy machine. Her driver says it has taken several years to find "him" and the young woman gets out of the car . as soon as she sees Jin Rok the picture gets all soft lenses and angels sing in the background. I get the feeling Jin Rok is "him".


This new comer sees Dok Mi (am I the only one who thinks it sounds like the name is being pronounced dong mi?) and rushes over to greet her. Dok Mi isn't as happy to see her and flashes back to high school where the girl had apparently bullied her. pinkie keeps talking completely oblivious to the fact that Dok Mi isn't responding when Enrique, also on his way home from the grocery story, comes over and introduces himself as Dok Mi's friend. there's a ruckus up near the front of the demonstration and pinkie goes off to see what it is. Enrique is about to follow when Dok Mi, tears in her eyes, grabs his arm, tries to say something then faints.

Dok Mi opens her eyes on a dream, looking around Tae Joon's apartment, seeing him play out short scenes one after another until Enrique's voice grabs her attention. she's not dreaming, Enrique brought her home and insists that she stay so his Hyung, a doctor, can look her over. Dok Mi declines and tries to leave but Enrique asks her to stay and help him with the cooking. She's standing near the door trying to come up with an excuse to leave when Tae Joon opens the door, which is where episode 2 ends.



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