Highlights: Flower Boy Ramyun Shop Episode 2

At one point I thought this drama is going to be rather sitcom-ish especially with the quirky new characters and the LOL antics. Then, somewhere along the line I had a déjà vu -- the whole school set up plus the 45 minutes running time reminds me of school-themed Japanese dramas. Not that it’s a bad thing…I happen to love those dramas. In fact, GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka) still ranks as one of my favourite doramas of all time.

This episode introduces a few more characters and hints at a more serious side to Chi Soo and Eun Bi.

In a nutshell:

Eun Bi interns in the school where Chi Soo and gang are studying. Chi Soo “re-claims” Soo-i, reigniting a rivalry with Ba Wool. Eun Bi gets involved in their rivalry.

New characters:

Eun Bi’s dad, Yang Cheol Dong

Oh look, it’s Gil Ra-Im’s daddy from Secret Garden. He operates a small ramyun shop near the school and is currently estranged from his daughter who blames him for placing more importance to the shop than her deceased mother. He can alternate between being deceptively gentle and frighteningly commanding which is useful when he deals with local punksters and wild school kids.

Kim Ba Wool

Nicknamed crazy chicken. Boyfriend of Yoon So-i, worships her. Poor. Looks up to Eun Bi and her dad. Views Chi Soo as a rival.

Yoon So-i

She actually appeared in Episode 1 but we get to learn more about her here. She’s popular and pretty -- used to date Chi Soo before he left for US. Dumps Ba Wool right away to reconcile with Chi Soo. She does not come across as spiteful, just maybe a little manipulative and realistic. Don’t really hate her…yet.

My favourite scenes:

Eun Bi
All scenes revolving Eun Bi. Lee Cheong-ah is wonderful here – she balances comedy and the drama so well. I love her Eun Bi so much. I love how she pretends to be all lady-like in front of her students only to discover that Chi Soo attends her class right after her embarrassing confession that morning. 

I love how she’s apologetic because she can’t control her strength when she affectionately whacks Ba Wool.

I love how she talks to the photocopier, cooing to it when it to malfunctions.

I love how she tries to rein in her temper and puts on her smiley face when she tries to talk sense into Chi Soo.

Daddy Cha

Daddy Cha has very limited screentime in this episode but he’s as endearing as ever. When Mr.Secretary (Li sa nim) advises him to confiscate Chi Soo’s car (it’s not appropriate for Chi Soo to drive to school), Daddy Cha pouts.

DC: That won’t do. That car is precious to Chi Soo…If I confiscate that, he will hate me. I hate that he will hate me. I’m scared… (Sssooooo cuteee. LOL)

Like father, like son. They're both so adorably childish.

The cliffhanger
It hints at Chi Soo having some sort of emotional baggage after all which leads to his current flippant attitude towards love and relationships. For the past two episodes, he has been flirting unashamedly and indiscriminately. And when Eun Bi tries to straighten his opinion, he proves his point by doing this:

I subbed the video in english as well...phew...my first try. It's crude but should be good enough. 

Thoughts:

I actually welcome this latest development where Chi Soo seems to hold an abnormally strong conviction about love being fickle. Although he tries to camouflage it with a smile…I’m thinking his conviction might have stemmed from a previous experience. 

It’s been a fun ride so far and we’ve not even met our second male lead (from the preview…he will make his grand entrance next episode) and there’s still no signs of a Ramyun Shop (except Eun Bi’s dad’s) yet.

Eun Bi’s gangster background reminds me of a cluster of Japanese doramas, notably Gokusen. But of course in Japanese dramas the romance usually takes a backseat, so it’s particularly refreshing to see a Korean take of a typical Japanese high school drama. It’s like a mash-up of my favourite elements. Loving it.

Gokusen