In the penultimate week, our heroine experiences a series of misfortunes back to back, prompting her to make a pivotal decision that will immensely affect her love life.
The love triangle is wrapped up. However, the problem appears to stem from our leading lady and her boyfriend, not from an outside source.
Bunny S. watches Crushology 101 on Kocowa
Episode Recaps: 01 & 02 | 03 & 04 | 05 & 06 | 07 & 08 | 09 & 10 |
Crushology 101 Episodes 9 and 10 Highlights
“Say hello to my girlfriend.”
Now that they are officially an item, Bunny and Jae-yeol’s days are filled with blushing smiles, hand-holding, getting coffee sets, and going on dates. Documenting their happy moments through photos, they celebrate their 100th day together and look forward to the winter break to enjoy the first snow and spend Christmas Eve together, which is Bunny’s all-time dream.
Ji-won seems to take the rejection well, or so he pretends, as we can see he is sad. Sometimes we wonder if Bunny is pretending not to know about his feelings, or if she is just oblivious. Last week, it felt like she caught on to Ji-won’s feelings for her. But it is all brushed off this week. Either way, Ji-won keeps treating her with the same care, all while claiming they are only friends. It doesn’t look likely that he will confess anytime soon. But when a girl with a crush approaches Ji-won, he asserts he has someone he likes but can’t tell her about his feelings.
“I still can’t fathom what happened.”
Meanwhile, Bunny’s trashy ex-boyfriend from week 1 makes a comeback. Spotting a photo of Ji-won and Bunny from the festival, Trashy Ex-Boyfriend assumes they are dating and turns livid. He even has the nerve to accuse Bunny of ruining his life, arguing she deliberately shamed him in public so that she could earn sympathy and get herself a rich boyfriend.
The situation escalates, and Trashy Ex-Boyfriend shatters Bunny’s sculpture, which she has been working on all semester, and is due for submission next week. Watching her hard work go to dust, Bunny is numb. Luckily, Ji-won jumps for her rescue, and the police take Trashy Ex-Boyfriend. Also arriving on the scene is Jae-yeol. He called Bunny mid-argument and rushed over after hearing her scream. Yet by the time he arrived, the situation was already resolved. Jae-yeol is relieved to see Bunny unscathed, but it hurts him that someone else saved her.
Having to redo the smashed part in one week is troublesome enough. Yet, a photo of Bunny and Ji-won is posted on the school online forum, and beneath it are countless comments envying Bunny for having such a prince-like boyfriend. Jae-yeol is understandably mad but acts cool when Bunny calls him to avoid adding to her worries.
With time against her, Bunny pulls all-nighters to meet the deadline. Ji-won also stays behind to help her. While we appreciate his good intentions, Ji-won should keep some distance from Bunny now that she is dating Jae-yeol. To his credit, Jae-yeol tries his best to keep his rationale, but Ji-won keeps crossing the line, getting Jae-yeol further jealous.
After a strenuous week of sleepless nights, the evaluation day comes. Despite trying her best, there is only so much Bunny could do to mend the damage. Initially, her sculpture had a high chance of getting chosen as the key piece for the department’s exhibition. But now, Bunny has to worry about getting a scholarship next semester.
As much as she tries to act fine, Bunny is devastated and starts questioning her dream of becoming an artist. Between the costly tuition and the pricey materials, Bunny wonders if she is being selfish and burdening her parents with her dream. And it doesn’t help matters that her father got scammed out of his savings while trying to secure tuition money.
Oblivious to Bunny’s family situation, Jae-yeol suggests they have dinner together to lift her mood. But Bunny takes a raincheck, claiming she wants to catch up on sleep. But she is down in the dumps and doesn’t have the energy to go out. After some nagging, Bunny agrees to have dinner with her friends. Ji-won is also there and, watching a drunk Bunny doze off, he leans her head against his shoulder. And wouldn’t you know it? Just then, Jae-yeol shows up, and it seems he has reached his limit tolerating Ji-won’s actions.
“Can you be more understanding about my decision for my sake just this once?”
Following that night, Bunny resolves to keep some distance from Ji-won to avoid misunderstandings. After a few days of not communicating, Bunny and Jae-yeol sit down for one honest conversation. After clearing the air about the incident with Ji-won, Jae-yeol tells Bunny he wants her to share everything with him, not only the good things. He wants to learn about it first and stand by her side.
Revealing her family situation, Bunny declares she applied for an overseas scholarship program where the accepted students will study for a year in the USA. Jae-yeol tries to act supportive, but we can see his growing concerns about being in a long-distance relationship. Luckily, Bunny gets in. But sadly, her father gets into an accident simultaneously while secretly working as a deliveryman to make up for the money he lost. Thanks to some help from Ji-won, Bunny’s father gets surgery. Fortunately, it goes well, and he will make a full recovery.
Realizing he stands no chance of winning Bunny’s heart, Ji-won plans to go to the USA. Unaware Bunny is headed there, he bids her farewell, marking an end to the love triangle. Feeling insecure, Jae-yeol asks Bunny to give up on the scholarship and stay with him, as he hates the idea of Bunny and Ji-won being there together. (That is a selfish thing to do, especially since he knows that if Bunny doesn’t go, she might have to take time off school.) Promising not to meet Ji-won, Bunny tries to reason with Jae-yeol, but nothing she says can change his mind.
The day of Bunny’s flight arrives, and Jae-yeol still retains his previous stance. Texting him, Bunny wishes to see him before she leaves. But by the time Jae-yeol comes to his senses and heads to the airport to see Bunny off, it is already too late. Bunny has already left.
Crushology 101 Episodes 9 and 10 Musings
While we aren’t necessarily fond of the separation and time skip trope, it might help Jae-yeol get some growth and overcome his insecurities. Unlike the case with Yeo-reum, Bunny was honest with Jae-yeol and asked for his understanding. But his insecurities got the best of him, forcing their relationship to a dead end. They might not have broken up explicitly, but we can see where their relationship is headed. The girl asked Jae-yeol for assurance that they won’t break up even if she left, but he remained silent.
With only one week left, we hope the drama delivers a satisfying ending, not just a typical happy ending. If Bunny and Jae-yeol are going to get back together, we want it to happen after they both have some character development. And if the drama reserves Hong Min-ki’s character for the finale week, we hope there is some payoff behind that decision. As icing on the cake, we want Ji-won to have a happy ending, too.
Photos and Videos: MBC Drama
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