Recap Korean Drama "Cheer Up" Episode 13-14

After this Jekyll and Hyde routine, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for us to think Jin-il was carrying out a plan. Unfortunately, the show paints him as a standard crazy with no real motive except his nutsness. We learn that he once had an unrequited crush on Yoo-min (which she never knew about) and started rumors about her when he found out she was dating someone else. He then became fixated on the team’s no dating rule, and has been going about trying to punish those who break it. This is how Yoo-min and Hae-yi became his targets.

After a short hospital stay, Hae-yi is fine. But Jung-woo and Cho-hee just can’t understand how so many accidents are happening lately. Jung-woo (again) vows to take better care of the team. At a planning meeting with the Theia captains and sunbaes, there’s an open discussion about Jung-woo dating Hae-yi and most everyone at the table quickly decides that it’s archaic to disallow inter-team dating. Screw the rule we spent half the show fighting for!

The only person not okay with this change is Jin-il. He says that Jung-woo broke the rules and if you let people break one rule, they’ll go around breaking them all. There’s a general consensus that he needs to chill and the sacred no dating rule dissolves into dust.

Now that everyone’s allowed to date in the open, man are these college kids ready to bask in it. Sun-ja gives Min-jae a makeover (a.k.a. takes off his glasses and trades in his athletic wear) and the two officially start flirting. Sweetheart Yong-il tells Cho-hee she’s too precious to date all these guys who hurt her — and after some serious thought, Cho-hee decides to stop dating for a while (which is not at all the outcome Yong-il had in mind). And Jung-woo dials up the cuteness now that he has no reason to hide it.

Last week, during hospital hide-and-seek, Jung-woo overheard a conversation where Sun-ho mentions to Hae-yi their kiss in Busan. This is news to Jung-woo obviously and his jealously starts to show. In the practice room, he walks in on Hae-yi and Sun-ho comparing their muscles (totally flirting) and Jung-woo’s eyes shoot daggers. Not wanting to seem uncool, he leaves, acting unbothered.

Hae-yi’s brush with death affords her some time off from all her part-time jobs, which she uses to ask Jung-woo on a movie date. To her surprise, he’s already bought tickets to a musical she wanted to see. He notes that he couldn’t afford the good seats, but Hae-yi says they’re perfect. He pets her hair, literally purring as he asks if she likes the gift. (What is happening to me right now? He is a catch. Why can’t this be the whole drama?!)

Lest anyone get too happy (especially the viewers), discord is on the horizon. First, the night of Hae-yi’s theater date with Jung-woo, Sun-ho’s mom passes out from overdrinking after her husband asks for a divorce. It’s evidently more serious than a simple drunken sleep and she has to go to the hospital. Sun-ho calls Hae-yi, asking to speak to her mom, who he wants to go to the hospital with him. For some reason, Hae-yi goes too, and cancels the date with Jung-woo — giving him no explanation why.

Worried about her, Jung-woo walks by Hae-yi’s house later, only to find her and Sun-ho arriving there together. Hae-yi’s mom has told the kids to go home for the night while she stays with Jin-hee at the hospital. The plan is for Sun-ho to sleep over, since he doesn’t want to be alone. Sun-ho sleeps in Jae-yi’s room (these two are getting to be friends) and he and Hae-yi go to campus together in the morning — running into Jung-woo and not saying anything about why they’re together.

Jung-woo is clearly uncomfortable but doesn’t ask any questions. Luckily, he’s standing there with Ha-jin — his ex-girlfriend and captain of the Hokyung cheer squad (Yay! She’s back!). When Hae-yi asks Ha-jin why she’s there, she responds, “To hit on Jung-woo.” (I love her.) She then asks if Sun-ho and Hae-yi are dating. Hae-yi brushes it off, saying no and going into her class. It doesn’t make Jung-woo feel much better, but he later tells Hae-yi that he trusts her, even if she can’t tell him why she was with Sun-ho that day. She says it’s not her business to tell.

Later on, after an awkward dinner at Hae-yi’s house that included both Sun-ho and Jung-woo, the two boys decide to bury the hatchet. Sun-ho says he’ll give up on Hae-yi since she seems happy with Jung-woo. (Thanks for the concession, Sun-ho. As if you had a chance.) But with this rivalry behind us, a new one is manufactured as the Yonhee and Hokyung cheer teams compete in front of a camera. The teams will be on TV and the show wants to dig up a love triangle. (Please, I just finished covering Love is for Suckers. Don’t give me more of this!)

The TV crew pushes Jung-woo and Ha-jin together for close shots, turning Hae-yi into the jealous one. They then pair Ha-jin and Hae-yi against each other for the athletic contests. Finally, they corner Hae-yi and ask for an interview, where they start to pry into her personal life. Isn’t she jealous that her boyfriend’s ex is the rival team’s captain? How about the fact that his ex is rich? Hae-yi answers that she respects Ha-jin, but she’s not worried because there are people who love her for who she is.

Jung-woo and Ha-jin are both there to hear Hae-yi’s answer and Jung-woo is so proud, he has to look at the floor to contain his smile. Ha-jin can’t believe how much Jung-woo has changed since she dated him. He and Hae-yi are bursting with happiness, which is new for Jung-woo.

In the background of all this, Jin-il has gotten into a fight with one of the Theia sunbaes and stabbed him almost to death. It seems he’s alive for now, just in a coma. Oddly, after the stabbing, Jin-il is the one who called the emergency services. He cries and freaks out, making it seem murder is just one step too far for him. (But, isn’t he trying to murder Hae-yi? Didn’t he try to kill Yoo-min?) Jin-il’s crazy mind makes him think that Hae-yi is at fault for the stabbing, because if it weren’t for her he wouldn’t be doing any of this.

To close out the episodes, we see Hae-yi thinking back to 2019 (when the story takes place) and saying that if she wasn’t so happy, it wouldn’t have hurt so bad. We then see her break up with Jung-woo.

This is a moment where if I still had remotes in my home they would be thrown at the screen. This show only has a few really good things going for it and watching Jung-woo in boyfriend mode is right at the top of that list. Now, I’m guessing Jin-il is threatening Jung-woo in some way and that is why Hae-yi is breaking up with him. Still, the drama’s worst aspect is this inane killer plot. Using the part no one cares about to break up the part everyone is watching for is just bad for business.

Aside from that ending, a few noteworthy things happened this week. I love that the moms are finally becoming true friends. They’re not just getting together to drink or try to use each other — they’re actually leaning on each other for support. Also, Sun-ja and Hae-yi mended their friendship without any fanfare, both apologizing for their behaviors. As much as this drama wants to be suspenseful — tuning up the points of disconnect — it’s always been at its best in the moments when people are coming together.

I also can’t get over how much I’m liking Bae In-hyuk in his transformation here. Every drama I’ve seen him in, he gets stuck in the same stilted demeanor he started this role with. But the second half of this drama has opened up his inner dorkiness and brought out a whole new sense of charming.

My dream for next week would just be a collage of the new and improved Jung-woo, calling forth all his adorbs facial expressions for Hae-yi, while Yong-il continues to follow Cho-hee around, and Jae-yi and Ha-jin make random appearances being their cool selves. It’s a lot to ask since it wouldn’t really make sense. But then again, there’s a large swath of this show in need of some serious explanation.