Tell Me That You Love Me 2023 K Drama Episode 7-8

We left off last week with Mo-eun’s confession to Jin-woo out there by the seaside. She wants to make it clear that she likes him in case he’s not catching on. Jin-woo responds hesitantly, unsure if he can accept her feelings, guilty that she’s trying to learn his language, but he’ll never be able to speak hers. Ultimately, he says he wants to do many good things with her. And so, we’ve got ourselves a new couple — who starts things off right with a kiss at sunrise.

Then we see all the little day-to-day scenes I’ve been craving. She brings him lunch at his studio. They eat watermelon and discuss how to sign different words. They laugh and flirt, keeping it casual and light, and just have a nice time until she falls asleep while he’s painting. Then there are movie dates and after-work walks and little moments of skinship when he touches her hands to correct her signs. It’s all going along so smoothly.

At the same time, Seo-kyung is digging into her new role as director of the art museum. She’s researching a street artist who’s gaining popularity but who has remained anonymous. He tags his murals with “Dino.” We already know this is our hero and it’s not long before Seo-kyung starts to put two and two together.

We get an extended sequence of backstory showing Jin-woo and Seo-kyung in college when they were dating and in love. They’re heartbreakingly cute together, which makes me have complicated feelings since I’m rooting for our heroine. But it’s also necessary because then we understand just how complicated Jin-woo’s feelings are in the present when Seo-kyung is suddenly a part of his life again.

Seo-kyung comes to Jin-woo’s door and his face is heavy with heartache. When she’s inside, she says she has something to tell him, but first she needs to know that he’ll believe her if she says she’s okay. It’s a bit cryptic but we can only assume for now it’s referring to the fire, which we still don’t know much about.

Jin-woo says he believes her and she goes ahead with her proposal. As the new director, she’d like to give him his first solo exhibition so he can engage with people through his work. We learn that he’s not that well known of an artist (which I didn’t understand before since he obviously makes a living off of painting and teaching), and Seo-kyung wants to show his art to the world.

Jin-woo doesn’t like the idea but I’m not sure if it’s the idea of the exhibition or of working with Seo-kyung directly. So far, Seo-kyung is very likable. And every time Jin-woo sees her he looks like a hurt child. Whatever dynamic is unfolding, the tension is mounting.

Jin-woo and Mo-eun continue to grow closer, but there’s an event that shows us exactly what Jin-woo is afraid of. We learn he was bullied in high school. And for a few days he’s been seeing some high school students around, one of whom is being bullied. Initially, he doesn’t pick up what’s happening because he can’t hear what’s being said — but the student who is being bullied thinks that Jin-woo is just ignoring the abuse.

There comes a moment when Jin-woo understands the student is in trouble. When he finds the student in the street, it’s just at the moment when he’s decided to stand up to his bully and fight back, but he’s gone too far. He’s about to smash the bully with a brick when Jin-woo intercedes. The student curses Jin-woo for ignoring the situation before and pushes Mo-eun to the ground before running off.

This gives us a lovely little Band-Aiding moment where Jin-woo tends to Mo-eun’s scraped hand. But it also shows us how people misunderstand him, and why he’s afraid that the people he cares about will get hurt because of it. Whether or not this is leading up to a bigger event where Mo-eun gets hurt, I’m afraid to know.

While Mo-dam and Ji-yoo continue their flirtation — and Mo-dam even asks Ji-yoo to be his girlfriend and actively pursues her when she says no — I find their dynamic lackluster. The fact that they’re hanging out together in secret, though, leads to a very important moment.

The two run into Mo-eun and Jin-woo in the street and to cover up why they’re there together, they suggest the four go for drinks. It’s the first time Mo-dam has seen his sister’s new guy up close and when he realizes that Jin-woo is deaf, his whole demeanor changes. They go for drinks and Mo-dam pounds one after another, refusing to interact with Jin-woo.

Ji-yoo, who works at the museum with Jin-woo, tries to be friendly but is inadvertently annoying and somewhat offensive. She acts out what she’s trying to say to him, but her gestures obstruct her mouth, so he can’t read her lips. Mo-eun tells Ji-yoo to speak clearly and look at him and he’ll be able to understand. So then Ji-yoo just talks, but starts yelling all her words.

When they all leave, Mo-dam is not even trying to pretend he’s not bothered (and maybe even embarrassed) by Mo-eun and Jin-woo together. He goes off by himself and Mo-eun feels bad about how he acted. This whole sequence is such a contrast to last week’s table scene, where it was Mo-eun sitting around with Jin-woo’s friends. His friends are accommodating and welcoming, while Mo-eun’s group is not accepting or open-minded.

This becomes stark when, not long after, Jin-woo and Mo-eun are on a date with Ki-hyun and So-hee again and it’s full of camaraderie. They’re all joking around and Mo-eun fits right in with the group. Afterward, Mo-eun tells Jin-woo how she used to think silences meant a bad mood, and so when it was quiet she felt uncomfortable. Now, she feels like the two of them are having a silent conversation that never ends, and she feels it with her heart.

While they’re standing outside Mo-eun’s house, her parents show up unannounced. They see her signing to him and try to be cordial, until Mo-eun says they’re dating. The parents go into the house and seem dismayed, but when Mo-eun comes in behind them, we don’t see whatever conversation goes down.

Afterward, Mo-eun visits Jin-woo at his house and says she couldn’t wait until tomorrow, she missed him already. He comes out the door to walk her back home and asks if her parents left. She says yes, and then stops and takes his hands, as if to acknowledge she understands what happened with her parents and how he might feel. And then they kiss (and kiss and kiss) in a quiet, heart-felt ending that’s not filmed to excite but to transmit the tenderness.

We did a lot of setting up this week amidst the beautifully developing relationship between our leads. We’re only halfway through our story so trouble is definitely in the cards. And we have many avenues for it to arrive. I don’t think Mo-eun’s family is going to sit quiet about their disapproval. And her friend Jo-han has learned about the relationship too, making him avoid her out of discomfort. But who knows how long he’ll keep mum about his feelings for her.

We also have Seo-kyung who clearly still harbors feelings for Jin-woo. And Jin-woo is obviously conflicted whenever he sees her. She’s likable and wants to help his career and I’m liking the fact that the second female lead is not portrayed as a villain who we can’t wait to see discarded as an option. The emotions here are very real and even though I don’t think Jin-woo will waver in his feelings for Mo-eun, I’m super invested to see how the journey will play out.