Recap: Don't worry, I'm a ghost (Drama special)

I've been looking for something short and sweet to recap for some time and this came along. It's been out for quite a while and english subs are already available. I love ghost love stories and I thought this should be a cute and bittersweet one. Didn't expect to cry this much though. Bong Tae-gyu is marvelous here and his chemistry with Park Shin-hye is unexpectedly adorable.

Recap

A couple bickers in the car and accidentally knocks down a man running across the road. That man (Bong Tae-gyu) awakens in the hospital with his cognitive functions intact but no memory of his identity. He seeks confirmation of his identity from the police station through fingerprint records.

While waiting for the results, a girl (Park Shi-hye) appears suddenly by his side and rattles off his profile - name (Lee Moon-ki), age (32), addresss. A lady officer attends to him with the exact same information. He looks slack-jawed back to the girl but she's nowhere in sight. He gets even more flustered and tried to explain what he saw to the confused officers. Outside the windows, a decidedly ghost-looking Park Shin-hye smiles mischievously.

Moon-ki returns to his now unfamiliar home, going through his own stuffs like a curious visitor. He has a nightmare of a shadowed man who turns out to be himself. He jolts awake to find ghost lady hovering above him with a friendly smile. He wonders aloud if it's a dream. She shakes her head adorably but says in a ghostly voice: "I'm a ghost!" He still thinks it's a dream and our resident ghost blinks in confusion. Does he not get what she just said? LOL. She rolls her eyes in exasperation as he shuts his eye and mutters prayers, trying to ignore her presence.

When he opens his eyes again, she's gone. Er, not really. She's roaming about his humble abode remarking on the sorry state of the place, her two feet on the ground (tq very much). He's like, "What are you?!" To make her point, she glides before him and tells him to remember. Haven't he seen her before? She waits expectantly. He remembers her from the police station, and then without a word, grab a shirt and stumbles to the door. He breathes heavily in relief outside the door but really, that's not the way to escape from a ghost. Haha. She's on the roof now, waving cheerily at him. Totally spooked now, he runs down the stairs where she slowly glides into view again. (LOL, She sure loves her ghostly entrance) He screamed for a moment before running off again. On and on it goes with Moon-ki making quite a spectacle of himself, alarming two drunk passersby.

He visits the doctor again who explains he's got amnesia and needs to find his memory slowly. But he's got bigger problems now. He looks at ghost fiddling with doc's stethoscope right beside them and mutters frustratingly: "I can see something I'm not suppose to..."

He's not as fearful of her by now but that does not stop her from following him around. He ignores her and thinks to himself that it's just a phase and she'd be gone soon. He wheels around in surprise when she declares she plans to stay by his side for a long time. OMG. She can hear his thoughts? That's..that's scary. LOL. He goes back to ignoring her and her warning to hold on tight. The bus makes an acute turn and he gets hurled to the front. He glares at her and she voices what he thinks: "Who is this girl? Is she really a ghost?" She tells him to follow her if he's curious.

She leads him to her funeral. OK, that's proof enough she's dead. Perhaps feeling a little sorry for her, he sighs in acceptance and starts asking questions. She's Kim Yeon-hwa, 25 years old. Why is she haunting him? She looks at him sadly but someone else interrupts them. An ahjumma recognizes him and thanks him for coming. Oh? From the gossipy ladies, Moon-ki learns that she died being stabbed by robbers.

Outside, Moon-ki makes several guesses over the reasons she's haunting him. Does she want him to find her killer? To revenge her? Yeon-hwa's non-commital answers are not helpful that he grows frustrated and screams aloud at her. Heh. Doesn't help that everyone sees him as a mad man. Yeon-hwa scowls at him but insists that she has her reasons. What? It's up to him to figure that out, as well as finding his memory again. Moon-ki is unhappy about her calling all the shots.The alternative? She'd haunt him for life. No brainer. LOL. She turns away with a satisfied grin.

First, they need to determine his friends and job. To do that they try to restore the information stored in his handphone, which was destroyed during the accident. But that's another dead end. Yeon-hwa mutters that even his handphone has amnesia. Hah. But no matter, since his very angry boss calls him on his new phone.
Boss is mad since two of his workers are playing hooky. Well technically, Jin-soo (the other employee) is on leave while Moon-ki was in an accident. Boss doesn't know that and Moon-ki is slow to defend himself. Yeon-hwa checks the company's organization chart and finds out how Jin-soo looks like.

Moon-ki is ordered to start work immediately - he's a deliveryman. Yeon-hwa rides pillion -er...actually she's practically standing up, enjoying herself immensely. Throughout the day, Yeon-hwa randomly points out his normal ticks and habits - how he taps his finger waiting at railway crossroads, orders the same food, his favourite shops. In the grocery shop, he keeps his handphone stuck to his ear to avoid being mistaken as a madman. LOL. Good idea. She can even pinpoint his favourite drink, which upon confirmation by the shop worker, makes him all anxious. How does she know him so well?!!

Seems she works at a flower shop opposite the grocery shop of which he's a regular patron, say once a week. He can't remember anything at all and she gets all upset. Hah. He's got amnesia, it's not exactly his fault. They continue to bicker on the bike where a lapse in concentration almost had him in an accident. Again. Phew. At least that sparked something. He wanders around the almost familiar place, bumping into someone which triggers another jumbled memory of himself running along the same route. Eventually he ends up at an apartment where two policemen are recording statements from an ahjumma. He slips into the building unnoticed but *gasp* someone is on his tail. Is that Jin-soo? The place is obviously a crime scene and he paused before a cordoned area when Yeon-hwa joins him.

He doesn't recognize the place but Yeon-hwa explains that it's her home. He opens the door and the crime scene triggers another jumbled memory shows him running frantically away from here - he saw her lying there dead. Yeon-hwa adds that it was her birthday and he remembers a cake. His memory still incomplete so he demands to know what she's expecting from him. What did he do? He saw her last - he is the only witness! Crippled with shock, he asks for more details. She doesn't remember much but she remembers seeing his face in her fading consciousness. And he had looked surprised then. Moon-ki gets flashes of new memory - of a masked man threatening her with a knife. He tells her there was someone else that day - the killer.

A couple of policemen approaches him and so back to the police station he goes. It's the same lady officer who checked for his identity! He explains how his returning memory brought him to the crime scene. He thinks the man he saw is the killer because he has memory of being chased. His memory is still in bits and pieces so he can't offer much details to be of help. She tells him to return when his memory is intact and warns him to be careful - the killer might be looking for him. We see that he is being followed ...by the killer. *Gulps*

Moon-ki checks the records, surprised to see his delivery record missing on that day. Boss explains he took off early that day. Huh? Then what was he doing at her place? It's frustrating for him but Yeon-hwa assures him that he's just an innocent eyewitness. He turns to her, "You knew the whole truth, right? Can't she tell him?" She knows, but in exchange, she wants a favour from him.

 Next, we see her approaching him slowly, forcing him to the banks of the river. He freaks out - what is she doing? She wants him to fall in there?! She nods - that's her favour. It'll help jog his memory. Hah. He's doesn't agree - he doesn't want to die. She argues people don't die that easily. Which is a weak argument, coming from a ghost. Haha. She "helps" him by kicking him into the river. A beggars sees the fall, assumes he'd jumped and pretends he saw nothing. Hihi.

Moon-ki scrambles to the surface but she tells him not to worry - he can swim. He fell in once like this. Oh? Underwater, Moon-ki sees himself floating in the water and Yeon-hwa swimming towards him.

Rewind to the past, a young Yeon-hwain school uniform is grieving for her dad when she sees Moon-ki fall into the river. She jumps in to save him and they get into this funny tug-of-war where she eventually loses consciousness. A moment later, she regains consciousness but finds herself beside a lifeless Moon-ki on land. She checks his breathing then immediately chides him for playing dead. LOL.

YH: Ahjussi, you're playing dead because you feel embarrassed, aren't you? What did Han River do wrong? The Han river is no rubbish dump (Heh!). How could you be so selfish? Why can't you think for the living? You owe me your life. In future, you're not allowed to die off easily. LIVE WELL!

Hilariously, he opens his eyes and raises his head to look at her leaving silhouette but plays dead again when she glances back.

Yeon-hwa explains how she bumped into him again when she started working at the newly opened the flower shop. She recognizes him right away and grumbles how he did not seem to recognize her. What with her pretty face and the fact that she saved his life. The present Moon-ki smiles at this and she's all enthralled, encouraging him to smile more. He complies with huge smile. She stares at him for the longest time and remarked that he looks beautiful smiling. Then she finally tells him the reason he came to her house that day. She invited him - because she likes him. Why didn't she tell him earlier? She wanted him to recognize her first...awww.

Back in his house, they are more awkward with each other after her confession. She suggests that they drink soju but after a few glasses, she's out cold. Wow, a ghost who can drink and get drunk! He wonders the same thoughts aloud and she open her eyes wide, declaring it's impossible. Heh. Then in all seriousness, she asks if he'd date her. He turns beet red instantly (Gawd, that's a full blown blush!!! So cute.) He stutters in disbelief. She thinks she's quite a catch. Plus, she can't cheat on him since only he can see her. Hahaha.

He escapes outside the house again, calming himself. And chides himself for getting seduced by a ghost. LOL. He tells himself it's the aftereffects of the accident. But we see a little smile at the corner of his lips. Awww.

The next morning, the lady cop is at his door, here to clarify a few matters. She found out that he was off early instead of making a delivery. He explains that he was there on invitation but denies that he was close to the victim. She's curious why he's only remembering events related to the victim even though they're not close but nothing of his own relatives or friend. He couldn't explain he learned all that from a ghost and she lets the matter drop, reminding him to come forth if his memory returns. Oh no! He's becoming a suspect!

Yeon-hwa's colleague at the flower shop calls Moon-ki for a delivery. She didn't notice the flower basket because of the funeral. That customer has been ordering flowers weekly without fail for the past year and she'd like him to tell the owner about Yeon-hwa's passing. Yeon-hwa is curious about the customer as well. Moon-ki makes the delivery, which is to a bunch of ol' ladies. He asks the ladies if they knew who sent them flowers. The ladies thought it was him all the while but he explains he's just the delivery boy. One lady stayed back and asks if he likes the girl at the flower shop. (Knew that!) Compared to the one who wrote love letters, the one who delivers them are more likely to be in love with the girl.

At home, he made multiple tries to log into the webpage of the flower shop (which was favourited!) but only succeeds when he types Yeon-hwa's name. He sees the purchase records for the past year and realizes that he's the mysterious customer! So now he knows! Finally! He's crushed on her for a year!!!! I'm betting he remembered her saving him too! Anyway, he remembers more. He remembers how he had overheard her speaking to her colleague about the tragic thing of being a florist. She who loves flowers best don't get to receive them. He leaves the house and finds a carefree Yeon-hwa waiting for him on the stairs, overwhelmed by the memory of his feelings.

He declares he's taking the day off. Yeon-hwa is surprised. He doesn't give a reason other than he just felt like doing something else for a change. Aw....he brings her on a date - doing stuffs lovers do. At the cinema, when the girl seated next to Yeon-hwa wanted to place her bag on Yeon-hwa's seat (which appears empty to her), Moon-ki shows her the tickets he's bought and shoves the bag back into her lap. LOL. So cool! Yeon-hwa insists she doesn't mind but Moon-ki minds. A soul is different from a bag. Nice romeo!

They're watching a ghost movie of all things. LOL. She jumps at the scary part and he's like, "What kind of ghost is so timid?" LOL. She replies, "I'm a human too. It's just that I'm dead." Muahahaha. He smiles at her antics which appears extra creepy to the bag lady. Hah.

They're off shopping for groceries next. He wheels the trolley while she rides inside like an overgrown child. Hihi. Handy when you're a ghost and invisible. At one point, she points to the peach. He tells her with a straight face that hairy fruits are not allowed. WHUT? LOL. More like because it's pricey. Hhihi.

Turns out he's a pretty good cook. Yeon-hwa is practically drooling at the food. Lol. They're unexpectedly cute together. He's actually made a table full of offerings. Somehow, that's really sad. He's worried about the placements but she tells to put her favourite food closes to her. She blows the candle to the cake which of course stays lit. Then he does the sweetest thing. He tells her not pretend to be weak and blow again. And when she does, he joins her. He wishes her a late happy birthday. By now, she's all teary eyed and moved. She tells him not to treat her this nice or she'll misunderstand. Did he come that day because it was her birthday? Truth is, she's curious about his true feelings. She knows he doesn't remember but can't help wondering.

He thinks amnesia is a scary disease. Because one does not remember, time and people cease to exist. He apologizes, admitting honestly that he doesn't know how much he should grieve for her passing. Aw..he remembers liking her but he doesn't remember how much... She tells him to start remembering now, slowly.

Moon-ki asks for the bouquet from the old lady again - he wants to present it to the rightful owner. He runs to the Han river where she's waiting. He stares at her from a distance thinking that she should be alive and living well. She saved him. How could he have forgotten her?

He senses a threatening presence from behind, turns and charges at his would-be attacker. He gains the upper hand after some struggling and finds...Jin-soo! He recognizes him from the photo on the organization chart. Jin-soo calls him hyung and asks him why he was with the cops. And avoiding him. Jin-soo doesn't know what happened to him for the past few days (or his amnesia). Anyway he doesn't suspect anything amiss and tells Moon-ki straight up he's wanted for a crime. He warns Moon-ki against saying anything before running off as a police car approaches. Moon-ki stands rooted, stunned while the flower baskets lies in disarray on the ground. Surely you've figured it out by now!

Moon-ki goes through his drawer and finds photographs of him and Jin-soo as kids. They're orphans at the same orphanage. Moon-ki pays a visit to the director of the orphanage who's worried about Jin-soo. Jin-soo has dropped by and appeared anxious. She reminds him to take care of him - they're brothers even if they're not related. Jin-soo is his only family.

He returns to the crime scene. Only this time he remembers facing Jin-soo after he lifts the knife from beside Yeon-hwa's body. He's the killer right? But why???

That night, Moon-ki and Yeon-hwa are both in pensive mood. She tells him that she is going to leave. She only stayed because she wanted him to remember her. She wanted to leave behind some good memories, but perhaps she's being too greedy. He vows to capture the culprit for her sake but she insists that he's done enough. (Does she knows?). He asks her not to leave, not yet. He wants to remember everything about her... She cries and he moves to wipe her tears before realizing how futile that is... T.T

He wakes up the next moment and scans the place for her. As he answers a call, she pops up beside him suddenly and asks about the caller. The police wants him to identify a possible suspect. He tells her to stay put even when she wants to join him, not wanting to create more bad memories for her. The suspect is Jin-soo, his photo lifted from a video camera which caught him shoplifting. They realized the suspect is his colleague cum fellow orphan, hence a link to the murder of Kim Yeon-hwa. He identifies him as the suspect while Yeon-hwa looks on from a distance.

 He volunteers to be bait because he wants to capture the suspect. The two cops stake out in the car. Lady cop complains it's chilly in the car and no wonder, Yeon-hwa is in the backseat. Heh. Jin-soo shows himself and the cops immediately spill out from their hiding places. Jin-soo tries to run but Moon-ki holds him back. Jin-soo is confused but Moon-ki starts asking why he killed her and destroying his only hopes for happiness in the process. She was the girl he loved! He doesn't answer immediately. (I'm really worried here....don't tell me they're going to make Moon-ki the killer?) Jin-soo pushes him off, scoffing at his nonsense. Noooooooo! Jin-soo shouts back at him - HE killed the girl! Moon-ki! WHATTTTTTT?

The cops handcuffs both. A stunned Moon-ki looks at Yeon-hwa. The cops led him right through her...

Jin-soo and Moon-ki are brought to the crime scene for reenactment. The lady cop places the knife in his hand and explains the reason for reenactment. The mind and words can lie, but body language can't. Flash back. Yeon-hwa invites a surprised Moon-ki to her birthday, telling him half-jokingly that she likes him.

In the next scene, a dressed up Moon-ki strides happily to the flower shop to pick up his delivery, on his way to Yeon-hwa's place. Jin-soo stops him, begging for a favour. Jin-soo leads him into a house, all shifty-like. Oh noes!!! Jin-soo starts ransacking the place but Moon-ki senses something is wrong. The unrepentent Jin-soo claims the house belongs to a well-to-do girl who whiles away her time arranging flowers, still not realizing her keys are missing. Moon-ki scans the place and sees a photo of Yeon-hwa. He matches the address she gave him to her letters and realizes that she's the very same girl who invited him to her house.

By now, Jin-soo has found some cash and savings. Moon-ki tries to get him to leave. A cynical Jin-soo admits he doesn't like Yeon-hwa. He finds her smiles and optimistic attitude disgusting. She won't miss the cash and will continue to live happily. Moon-ki slaps him and tries to wrestle back the money. They are at a standoff when they hear footsteps. Jin-soo tosses him a face mask and goes into hiding. After a moment of hesitation, Moon-ki puts on the mask and hides as well. Jin-soo grabs Yeon-hwa as she enters the house from behind with a knife to her abdomen. Moon-ki tries to intervene. He grabs the knife but falls to the floor. Yeon-hwa struggles and Jin-soo slaps her hard. She falls onto Moon-ki with an ominous stabbing sound. She looks up at the masked Moon-ki and drops to her side. Moon-ki scrambles aside in shock and watches as the blood spills. He removes the mask and his cap, trembling and staring at her. And it is at this moment that Yeon-hwa sees him - the last person she saw before she died. He falls to his knees after she calls him ahjussi with her last breath.

That night in his cell, Moon-ki recalls their first meeting. How she almost drown trying to save him. He had almost wanted to perform CPR when she coughs out water and regains consciousness. He lied down and played dead in reflex. (It's cute but I'm too sad to laugh). He finds the student card she left behind in that encounter and learns her name. Later, he even returns the student card anonymously. And he's already noticed that she's working in the flower shop. In fact, he appeared before her on purpose, all cool-like on his bike. I guess he expects her to recognize him first but she said nothing.

Yeon-hwa comes by and his tears starts to fall. In tears, she tells him that he shouldn't have followed Jin-soo. He should have come to her directly. If she had known, she wouldn't have come. Sob sob. She tells him to live well and walks away. And he cries  as he watches her fade away.

Moon-ki is locked up in the asylum. The lady cop comes to check on him. The doctor explains that Moon-ki still claims that he saw Yeon-hwa. Lady cop, "Was it a ghost?" The doctor explains that he loves that girl so much that he erased the memory of killing her with his own hands. But why did he remember it eventually? He wants to forget but Yeon-hwa is someone unforgettable to him. Then what was it he saw? Doctor thinks it's probably a delusional memory. Whether its's a ghost or a memory or a delusion, Lee Moon-ki can never forget Kim Yeon-hwa.

Moon-ki thinks to himself, wondering Yeon-hwa is doing, longing to see her. The camera pulls back and we see Yeon-hwa beside him answering his thoughts, "Don't worry, I'm a ghost." He smiles bitterly but shows no sign of noticing her presence.

There's a sweet epilogue of him helping her out when it rains. It's when she tells him to smile more - he looks pretty when he does. He turns away embarrassed but smiles to himself.

Thoughts:

Oh dear, when I watched this I hadn't expected such a tragic ending. Well okay, nothing can end well between a ghost and a human but this? Sigh. I had early suspicions when they never really showed the exact moment Yeon-hwa was killed but I thought maybe I was overthinking.When the moment of truth came, I felt so so so terribly crushed for Moon-ki. For him to lose the girl he loves before confessing is sad enough, but for him to kill her - that's tragic multiply by 100X.

The ending is ambiguous for you can argue that it's all in his head. It's certainly possible, given how much he crushed on her. I'm thinking he loved her ever since she saved him. But I refuse to believe that because that makes him even more tragic. Because it means the ghost never existed. That he imagined every moment they had as ghost and human. That she never knew he loved her. That's so depressing my heart aches. This is the first time I've seen Bong Tae-gyu in a drama and I love his nuanced acting. He really brings to life the character of someone so lonely and uncertain with himself. Park Shin-hye is lovely here as well. I liked her enough in You're beautiful but thought her character way too ditzy. Here she gets to shine a little more (sorry I skipped in YFFM).

All in all, I think it's a lovely story and worth watching. Don't be put off by the male lead not-so-pretty looks.
And no, it's really not scary at all. LOL.

Rating: 8.5/10