Bo Ra! Deborah (2023) Episode 11

Episode 11 of True to Love picks back up with Bo-ra running to Su-hyeok’s car. She opens the door and tells him not to go, grabbing his car keys and running away. She insists Yu-ri is doing this just to see him shatter and cry. He shouldn’t expect to get her back if he goes to her now. He accuses her of doing the same thing; going to the party to get Ju-wan back. Ultimately, she relents and gives him the keys.

Yu-ri drinks and has finished half a bottle when Su-hyeok reaches. Her fiance keeps calling and Su-hyeok tells her to pick but she doesn’t want to. She regrets the way they broke up and might regret this moment too, a moment when she could still turn back time. He regrets this moment as well.

Yu-jeong and Jin-woo get in their car with Yu-jeong, suspicious about where Jin-woo was when she woke up. Just then, Bo-ra calls and they drive to pick her up.

Su-hyeok tells Yu-ri how he really felt, even about the ring. Yu-ri regrets breaking up with him but puts the blame on Bo-ra. She asks if he’s been listening to her advice as well. But Su-hyeok admits that the reason he didn’t take the ring out was because he didn’t want to and for no other reason. He sincerely congratulates her on her wedding, but her fiance suddenly turns up and Su-hyeok makes a story about how everyone from their school was meant to meet.

Bo-ra and the others reach the photoshoot and Bo-ra is forced to explain the lack of her plus one. The bride, Eun-ju, even takes a dig at Bo-ra about her drinking. Bo-ra and Yu-jeong change into their dresses and the group photos are taken. Ju-wan calls to say he might not make it.

When the groom, Hyun-min, gets tired from all the smiling, he and the bride get into a fight. Chaos ensues and Eun-ju’s nose begins to bleed.

Afterwards, Eun-ju cries about how they don’t have sex any more and how she’s forcing Hyun-min to marry her. The man himself enters the room and tells Eun-ju he’ll try to make things better, he’ll put the effort because he loves her. Bo-ra thinks back to how she was the only one trying in her relationship and realises it ended long before that.

Ju-wan ends up reaching the event. Bo-ra heads outside and everyone thinks she’s going to pick a fight with Ju-wan. But she walks right past him and goes ahead to meet Su-hyeok instead, who has just arrived as well. He takes her hand and walks inside, with everybody including Ju-wan watching. She introduces Su-hyeok to Eun-ju as a friend and coworker. She shows him around the place and Ju-wan watches them walk hand in hand.

Later as they eat, Eun-ju asks them what kind of relationship they have. Su-hyeok openly claims to have feelings for her and calls her cute as well. He even makes up a story about seeing her for the first time at a wedding and finding her beautiful.

Before they leave, Ju-wan introduces himself to Su-hyeok and they engage in what is basically a battle of the stronger handshake. In the car, Su-hyeok leans over Bo-ra to put her seatbelt on, to complete the catfish effect. And it works, Ju-wan is shocked.

On the way home, Bo-ra sees that Su-hyeok still has the ring. He can’t throw it out because of how expensive it is. She asks about Yu-ri and Su-hyeok says he went to get some closure. Bo-ra reveals she went to the photoshoot not for Ju-wan but because she didn’t want to lose her friends.

Bo-mi and Jin-ho are out on a date when Jin-ho suggests they go to a motel so they can have chicken and watch TV. She says it’s too expensive and leads him away. Just then, he gets a call from Jin-woo who says he and Yu-jeong aren’t coming home that night.

Yu-jeong is annoyed at Jin-woo for drinking when he was supposed to drive and landing them at a motel. Watching TV in bed, Yu-jeong asks Jin-woo why they stopped having sex. He claims it’s because they can do it any time. Yu-jeong muses about how marriage and romance are different things and she sometimes regrets it.

Jin-ho takes Bo-mi to Jin-woo’s hidden room. Bo-mi likes it and tells him they should take it over.

In the morning, while working at the cafe, Jin-ho tells Jin-woo that Yu-jeong has a hint about the room. Yu-jeong and Bo-ra then tell Jin-ho to introduce his girlfriend to them soon.

Eun-ju sends over the photos from the event and Ju-wan looks at those of Su-hyeok and Bo-ra together.

It turns out that Bo-ra and Yu-jeong know that Jin-ho and Bo-mi are seeing each other. They receive the photos from Eun-ju as well, and when Yu-jeong teases Bo-ra about Su-hyeok, she admits they kissed. Bo-ra then gets messages from Ju-wan who pretends he meant to text a different Bo-ra.

The messages continue to arrive and Bo-ra is forced to respond. The small talk soon turns to comments about Bo-ra already dating someone new. He finally asks her to meet him. She does and he asks about Su-hyeok again. He pretends to be worried about Su-hyeok being inappropriate and hurting Bo-ra. He thinks they should be friends and claims that when Bo-ra caught him in the act, it was just a mistake.

Su-hyeok meets Bo-ra at the gym and she lies, saying the catfish had no effect on the sardine. When Yu-jeong arrives and makes suggestive comments, Bo-ra takes her away. When she insists they’re like Mulder and Scully, Yu-jeong asks what it really means. And even Bo-ra seems confused now.

Meanwhile, Sang-jin thinks about his wife’s words to him. While washing his clothes, the red jumper U-ri gave him comes out of the machine shrunk.

At work, Sang-jin suggests giving the employees a sponsored lunch. Su-hyeok realises he wants to do it because U-ri eats lunch alone in the office.

At a meeting with the publishing team, Bo-ra suggests her book should not end with her getting back with an ex but rather with finding a new form of growth – maybe even finding someone new. She compares it to the movie 500 Days of Summer. Everyone, particularly Su-hyeok, likes the idea. When U-ri mentions liking workplace romances, the other staff tell her that Sang-jin has banned them. Nevertheless, she’s sold on the idea of romance.

When Bo-ra leaves the office, Su-hyeok follows. He suggests they watch the movie 500 Days of Summer since he hasn’t watched it, all for work purposes of course. U-ri comes to Sang-jin’s office and works up the courage to ask him to go watch a movie with her.

At the cinema, Bo-ra and Su-hyeok find their seats are the two lone seats in the corner. While watching the movie, Bora thinks about how her story could have a happy ending. She turns to see Su-hyeok looking at her and the two automatically lean towards each other.

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The Episode Review

True to Love has shown up with yet another fantastic episode. The fake dating trope was executed so well, Su-hyeok’s closure over Yu-ri was heartrending, and their consistently increasing comfort and familiarity with each other is fantastic. Yoo In-na and Yoon Hyun-min are pulling off this slow-burn romance perfectly, with a soft charming chemistry that sneaks up on you.

Seeing Ju-wan’s reaction was also incredibly satisfying. Bo-ra’s plan really does work but it’s apt that she’s now more concerned about prolonging her catfish act with Su-hyeok than completing her revenge. The other stories are pleasant in their own ways with endearing characters but Bo-ra and Su-hyeok are really taking the cake here.