This road that we walk…

Every couple has their ongoing journey and road bumps that are unique to them. Alex and Shin Ae, both of whom are patient, have endured a steady discovery of one another, a temporary separation, and a reunion that set them back a few steps. But after all that, they’re growing closer.

A Beginning to Every Story. At their very first meeting on March 14th, Alex and Shin Ae shook hands. Surprisingly, Alex complimented her on her beauty, and she replied with just how nice of a smile he had. They were both a little flustered at the rush of their meeting since they only found out who their partners were going to just beforehand, but they bowed again. As a present for White Day, Alex took her to a pastry shop and helped buy Shin Ae a tiramisu. Soon after, they arrived at the house they planned to move into (which awed the MCs and other couples with its grandeur). As they were unpacking, Alex relieved some of the tension by turning on some music and pulling out his polaroid camera. Much to the amusement of the audience, there was some shuffling of feet until Alex decided it would be great to turn on the timer for a first couple photo.

Still unpacking their things, Shin Ae opened up some of her boxes, the contents of which surprised Alex. About 50 pairs of baby shoes came with Shin Ae’s belongings. She told him that she collects them, and Alex didn’t know how to respond, but he joked about the entire collection looking like the MBC props room. He also added on that they’d have to make 10 children in order for all the shoes to be used. (Oh, Alex!) Their first segment on the show ended with Shin Ae speaking in the black room about her romantic history and how she closed her heart off after a broken relationship, still unwilling to let love in no matter how earnest the person and his intentions.

Their first night together was full of laughter and song as Shin Ae mischievously locked Alex outside of the house after both tugging at the handle of the sliding glass door, resulting in broken steel. With his patience and charm, Alex wrote messages through the window pane with his breath and fingers, sending the viewers into excitement and glee. Meanwhile, Shin Ae was cutely defying him in her responses. Eventually, he came back in, and the two sat down to have dinner where Alex made pizza and served milk in wine glasses.

After applying lotion and eye cream on Alex, Shin Ae posed for the polaroid camera again. Then she found the pictures posted to the door, so pleased at Alex’s surprises once again. After that, they went to bed. Not bad for a first day as a couple, right?

Room for Love to Grow. So what came from such a dream-like first meeting? The two were sent on a mission to exercise with one another. How did they go about that? Warming up together and then participating in some friendly boxing, of course. Alex allowed himself to be a human punching bag for Shin Ae, but unexpectedly gets hurt by her concealed strength. Although things tensed up when Alex was slightly bruised, the two still laughed and joked together.

Their next mission was to make kimchi together. There were rainbows, worms, and giggles throughout their day. At Shin Ae’s request, Alex sang a song for her while they were preparing the cucumbers. Then he pulled a flower out from his apron for her to wear in her hair. (How can you not squeal at this?) Their finished product came out tasting delicious. In addition to the kimchi, Shin Ae prepared bibimbap for Alex, and the two ate together blissfully after all their hard work.

In the sixth episode, Alex and Shin Ae were supposed to do some outdoor activities, so they prepared sandwiches for a picnic at the park where the cherry blossom trees were blossoming early. While washing vegetables, Alex also prepared a separate bowl of water to wash Shin Ae’s feet, much to her embarrassment. He revealed that Shin Ae had been wearing a cast after the previous episode because she had injured her foot during their exercise session but didn’t say anything. Shin Ae was very reluctant to let Alex wash her feet, but she was still smiling from his efforts. In the end she couldn’t refuse him. Her comments on this particular action was that there’s an old saying that goes, “If you show your feet, then you’re showing everything.” She didn’t want to be indecent, but this sign of intimacy says much more about the two than any blatant display of affection.

After making their sandwiches, the couple made their way to the park where they watched the petals floating down in the air, smelling some of them (and one of them stealing a whiff of the other’s hair). They took pictures with their polaroid camera, even posing with a bunch of schoolchildren. They admired the scenery for sometime. Shin Ae called Alex pretty as she put a flower on the side of his head. The two looked very content, walking about hand in hand.

The picnic mission continued on into the seventh episode. After they ate their sandwiches, Alex rested his head on Shin Ae’s legs as they both listened to music. Alex wanted her to kiss him on the forehead, but Shin Ae asked him to dance for her, but he said that if she saw him dance, she’d ask for a divorce. But he stood up, and Shin Ae sounded off music from her phone—the music none other than Andy’s “Love Song.” Ho ho, Alex shook his booty on national television, and everyone rejoiced. All was right with the world. He had all this adrenaline running in him from the excitement. What else to do with it than to kiss a girl? He planted a sweet one right on Shin Ae’s forehead, who was completely oblivious to that at first. This kiss surprised her because he had asked for one before, but she didn’t expect him to do it to her. This led her to keep wondering, “Does this person really like me?” ♥

Alex later pulled out a book for Shin Ae as a gift and a reminder to her about what had just occurred. He read it to her, wrote a message, and gave it to her. (Read more here.) The two later flew kites, but with little success due to the absence of wind. Except for the last part, both of them were satisfied with their enjoyable outing. However, Alex revealed that he had something to reveal to Shin Ae. He was having trouble, but he said that he would let her know in the next episode.

When One Becomes Two. Everything up until the eighth episode seemed to be going smoothly, at least that’s what it appeared to the viewers and Shin Ae. After some polite chatter, the two ended up visiting Alex’s workplace at the recording studio. They played on the piano together and later recorded a song out of good fun. Things seemed fine… but Alex had something to tell Shin Ae. He tried having her listen to him record a particular song of farewell, but she didn’t understand fully. Alex then revealed that he had to leave the show in order to complete his solo album. As he explained to Shin Ae earlier, he was staying up late for recording sessions, which left him tired since his album was due to release in June (of 2008). This period of time was an important part of his life that required his full attention. It was a difficult decision since this show wasn’t just a drama; it was a show that actually played on everyone’s true feelings, where emotions would continue to stir even after the cameras turned off. He felt that it would be hard to walk away from something that the two built up for, but that was why he had to start stepping on the brakes down the road. But he said that he wanted her to wait; he would only be leaving for a little while. He would come back, and hopefully Shin Ae would be all right with picking up from wherever they left off.

Shin Ae admitted that she was hurt and upset at Alex, especially since she had taken steps forward to open herself up to him. That very same day they held hands for the first time, and he had kissed her on the forehead. For him to break the news to her at that moment was a complete shock. However, with a couple of tears, she did say that she hoped the best for Alex’s album. If it meant him taking time away from being together with her, then she understood because she had known her share of important opportunities that couldn’t be sacrificed. For him, she would wait.

The Return. Rumors had been up in the air about a return made by Alex and Shin Ae, which had been confirmed in the thirteenth episode. There was much anticipation that came with shaken nerves. He had finished his album. She was trying to live without him. Would things return back to the saccharine days of giggles and grins? Alex waited at the staircase at Namsun for Shin Ae a while. She had her hair and makeup done for this return; when she approached the steps, Alex’s back was facing her. He turned to face her and was struck by how much prettier she had become (although she had always been beautiful to him). The two exchanged formalities, bowed, asked how one another was done, commented on their changes in appearance, and walked up the steps.

Shin Ae said that she felt awkward, even though she knew that Alex would probably still be his caring self. She just didn’t know how to approach any subjects without having felt strange after their separation. To her, this meeting was much more overwhelming than their first encounter because they were more aware of each other’s personalities and feelings.

Alex admitted that he did think about Shin Ae a lot when he was in the recording studio working. Shin Ae was more hesitant to admit anything. When Alex offered her a drink, it turned out he had bought some padlocks as well to hang up with her to commemorate their reunion. They each wrote messages and hung them, as a promise between the two that would come true as long as the locks weren’t broken.

Getting back to comfort. There was a lot of tension between Alex and Shin Ae ever since the return, with much of it weighing on the latter’s behalf. She did admit to feeling very hurt about his departure. However, this awkward atmosphere between the two of them didn’t exacerbate any ill feelings. They’d been progressing along a path of recovery, what with their 100th day celebration. They received teddy bears, food, and flowers from supporting fans. The production team had all the couples celebrate their anniversary with wedding photoshoots. The bride and groom had much fun preparing for them, trying out several dresses and suits. The actal photoshoot was much fun for them as well, despite the heaviness of their clothes and the humidity in the air.

Shin Ae did want to try quarreling with Alex though. What she gathered from their relationship was that they’ve only been experiencing their happiness. They haven’t had the chance to actually get into a fight; she was curious to see how Alex would behave in a heated argument. Sometimes those sorts of experiences bring people closer. She tried it out when Alex brought the subject of his album up. When asked if she had listened to it yet, she said she hadn’t even though it had been a week since it was released. Even though his fans had sent her files from his album on her minihompy, she said she didn’t have the time to listen to it yet. He presented it to her and she graciously took it. However, Alex said in his black room interview that he was disappointed because he had taken two months off to work on it. Because of that very album, they separated. He would’ve liked it if she had lied about not having heard it yet. He wanted her to be more anxious about receiving it. Something as dear and personal as his album was supposed to present as much meaning to her as it did him.

Shin Ae confessed in her black room interview that she had actually heard his album before it was even released. This effort at trying to quarrel set things in an awkward direction, but the two shook it off as they resumed their schedules. Shin Ae was booked for a photoshoot, so she left Alex at home, where he started making meals to bring to her at work as a surprise. He stealthily made it to her workplace where he secretly got to brush her hair as she was too exhausted to notice. When she discovered him, Alex distributed the meals among the staff and ate with Shin Ae, both happily filling their stomachs with homemade food. After that they headed off to Alex’s workplace where he hosts a radio show. Shin Ae surprised him with a cake and hopes of him being an excellent DJ. A couple’s spat looks very shriveled up next to warm unexpected gifts of food at this point.

Episodes 20 and 21 divided all four couples into two groups to vacation with each other. Alex and Shin Ae were paired up with the “lettuce couple” Hwangbo and Hyun Joong. They stayed at a hotel by the beach, where Alex directed everyone with his firm leadership. Although Alex and Shin Ae were hesitant about being paired up with that couple, things didn’t go about so badly. Shin Ae and Hwangbo experimented on their husbands though by faking a fight to see how their spouses would react. Though it was a bit awkward, the husbands each showed their caring sides for their respective wives. There were also fireworks and more giftings.

Alex was actually surprised by that day in particular because Shin Ae was exuding a more optimistic and carefree disposition, something he hadn’t seen anytime before. She was more outgoing, loud, and gigglish than usual. She wasn’t as shy as she was usually, and Alex liked this about her. He was hoping to see more of this side of her from then on. Shin Ae did admit that she harbored ill feelings after the separation, but the sea suddenly washed them away and she felt as if she had returned to the place of comfort between herself and Alex before he left for his album. ♥