Making up for the years they missed being together, the 12th episode of More Than Friends overflow with sweet moments between Woo-yeon and Lee Soo.
Ong Seong Wu and Shin Ye Eun surely know how to gift viewers after sharing the pain of their love journey in More Than Friends. The 12th episode is filled of heart-fluttering moments and good times. It also closes the bittersweet chapter of Woo-yeon’s almost love with Joon-soo.
abbyinhallyuland watched More Than Friends on iQIYI
Recaps: 01&02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Finale + Review |
More Than Friends Episode 12 Recap
“Don’t keep anything you love too much by your side.”
Lee Soo looks back on a memory he shared with his father about how he should not keep someone he loves by his side. That is contrary to what he just seized at the moment in the backdrop of twinkling stars and cold night while stranded with Woo-yeon on the roadside. His realization to stay by the side of someone he loves gifted him with the most beautiful love he could possibly get.
That is also true to Young-hee and Hyun-jae’s situation. Hyun-jae sits side by side with Young-hee who is having another episode of weakness because of her mom’s sickness. She suggests breaking up for good. Understanding her pain, he pulls her in his arms and apologize for letting her feel the pain alone. Refusing to break up, Young-hee returns his embrace.
After sealing their mutual love with a kiss, Woo-yeon shyly asks when the roadside assistance will arrive only to find out that Lee Soo had it all planned out. Perplexed, she asked how they will go home and realized how Lee Soo had reserved gas stocked up in the car. Telling Woo-yeon he is a man who plans ahead, she realized she was set up from the cardigan to the stargazing and the kiss they shared.
Pushing his luck, he beams, tells her not to be mad and calls her sweetie which made Woo-yeon inwardly happy. Feeling her heart flutter, she faintly smiled. Lee Soo sweetly attacks again and utters “sweetie, let’s go” making her smile bigger.
She tells him to stop saying it, but he is game for the sweet moment and keeps calling her sweetie. She escapes to the car, but Lee Soo enjoys seeing her happily smile, so he calls her sweetie again making Woo-yeon cringe and scream cutely while Lee Soo also laughs.
“It’s me who cried. He’s not the one who made me cry.”
Humming happily while staring at the flowers Lee Soo gave her, Woo-yeon is greeted by mom who wants to confirm if she is dating again. She tries to deny but mom sees through her mood and flowers. Mom agrees that she is young and she should date, but never with the man who broke her heart.
Surprised at her mom’s statement, she sees through her thoughts but Woo-yeon defends her Lee Soo against her mom’s chiding. She even blames herself for crying on her own and explains her man has valid reasons for hurting her. But mom warns her that she cannot date Lee Soo, never.
Preparing to sleep, Woo-yeon answers Lee Soo’s call which is another love declaration from him. She listens to the song being played by him crooning “I love you” in repetition, making love struck Woo-yeon fall again under her boyfriend’s spell.
After the song, Lee Soo asks if she heard how he feels leading her to coyly beam. He says how it feels good to be chatting together and suggests to talk all night until they fall asleep. They excitedly plan on their first date the next day with Lee Soo promising that she’s the boss, he was made for her so she can do anything.
“Only accept flowers from me from now on.”
It’s Woo-yeon and Lee Soo’s first date and the two doll up to please each other visually! Picking up from her house like how a true gentleman should be, Lee Soo gifts her with a bouquet of flowers and reminds her to accept flowers from him only moving forward. Accepting it with a smile, she made him promise to only give flowers to her or she will kill him.
Curious about what they will do for their first date, Lee Soo promises that it will be a good day.
But luck seems to be not on Woo-yeon’s side as she faces a series of unfortunate events. From getting hit by a ball before setting off for their date, to token problem at the arcade game house, she also received a spilled pop corn in the movie house.
Pleased with Lee Soo’s extra care, Woo-yeon feel strange so he reassures her to forget the old Lee Soo. Woo-yeon’s bad luck continues and it cap off to her dress being ruined. Resigning to her unlucky day, Lee Soo suggests going to his place instead as naughty Woo-yeon’s imagination made her adorably smile. (Girl, it’s only the first date.)
While whipping some food, Woo-yeon walks to where Lee Soo is wearing his shirt. Wanting to capture that moment of his pretty girlfriend wearing his clothe, Lee Soo hurries to get his camera saying she looks too cute so he need to capture it.
“Do you want to star in your own Prison Playbook for 10 years?”
At the same movie house, they almost bump with Jin-ju and Sang-hyuk who were also there for Jin-ju’s promised movie date. Dragging Sang-hyuk to hide, the latter feels small and thinks Jin-ju is embarrassed to be with him. He blames not studying hard, going to good school and getting a good job that led to him being not a good adult.
Cushioning his pride, Jin-ju assures him that going to a good university and having a good job do not equate to being a good person. Just then, they both receive phone calls for a police summon. Jin-ju’s conman-ex-bf apparently filed an assault case. Luckily, what Jin-ju lacks in processing love, she makes it up through her being smart.
Threatening him of filing a forgery case, Jin-ju rants about existing forgery laws ultimately thwarting her jerk ex-bf’s evil plan of extorting money from them.
Not like he needed more impressing moment from his crush, Sang-hyuk eagerly prepares food for her. She asks why he always makes sure she is eating well. He responds how whenever he sees her, he just wants to feed her.
“I don’t think I ever looked at people with affection before. I don’t know how much I missed because of that.”
Browsing on Lee Soo’s new photos, she asked why he suddenly shifted to taking photos of people, he replies it’s because of someone and stares at her.
Saying he has never had an affectionate perspective while taking photos, he regrets missing a lot because of it. So, he does not want to go through that again in the future.
While eating ice cream together, Lee Soo opens up about his childhood. How he has to do well at almost everything thinking it was his fault that’s why his parents always fought. He narrates how he went out every weekend to take pictures and that has been his source of happiness.
Listening to his story enlightens Woo-yeon on how he has acted before while sharing his love perspective when they were younger. Brushing his hair, Woo-yeon sympathized about his lonely childhood. He assures her not to worry since he already have her by his side.
A magical kissing moment almost happened, but the door bell broke the spell. Lee Soo’s father arrives to have a tea with his son and goes straight inside his house and meets Woo-yeon who awkwardly greeted him.
Knowing he’s not needed there, aboji excuses himself and leaves the peaches he bought which Lee Soo took since Woo-yeon likes it. Returning the advice he got when he was young with a tweak based on his personal experience, he tells his dad to have the person he loves by his side. Pondering on his son’s message, he calls Lee Soo’s mom to ask if they can have dinner together.
“I’ll overwrite all the memories from when we were 18 until now, at least 10 years worth of nice memories.”
Filling their couple days with beautiful memories, Lee Soo and Woo-yeon bask in romance. For their next date, they dress up in their high school uniforms to fabricate memories. Off they go to play and date like high schoolers holding hands, listening to music together, eating food happily. Every now and then Lee Soo would blurt “I love you” to her, but Woo-yeon only responds with a smile.
At another time, they are in a library and Lee Soo pushes a book to get Woo-yeon’s busy attention with another “I love you” note. She replies him to follow her and they kiss like they never kissed before in each other’s embrace.
They drive around, marvel at the city night view like they never put the viewers to 11 episodes of emotional torment. *chuckles
“We spent every moment together. It was as if we’ve never been apart. It was as if there was never a gap between us. As if we were trying to cover up all the bad memories with good ones. Swearing that we love one another, we must be together like it were a religion. We dated with a vengeance.”
“I’ll just, as always, stay right here.”
The friends meet sans Young-hee and Hyun-jae stares blankly at the two pairs of couple protecting each other like children.
Alone in her room Woo-yeon thinks of Joon-soo, who has been coping up with the pain through alcohol. Secretary Min tries to hold him back to no avail. Thinking he was hallucinating, he sees a message from Woo-yeon to meet her.
Pain flashes on Joon-soo’s face seeing Woo-yeon returns his umbrella, which is the final excuse to see her being returned. Confirming she is together with Lee Soo, he tells her to go and not to worry since he won’t bother her anymore.
Sincerely offering that he will always be there for her, he tells her she can call if she needs comfort or if she just need him for anything.
Knowing whatever she say will break Joon-soo’s heart, she chooses to save her words and hopes for him to save his heart too.
“You should save your heart. If you give too much to someone who does not accept you. You’ll run out of love to give to the next person.”
Joon-soo looks back on his memories of Woo-yeon as he sits alone after their conversation.
“Hey, we’ve only dated for less than a month.”
Blissful in their own world, Woo-yeon and Lee Soo is in another bout of their house date and the sweet lip-locks seem to be escalating. Woo-yeon snaps back to reality suddenly and throws Lee Soo even hitting something she shouldn’t.
Lee Soo seeks the company of alcohol for his problem and inadvertently shares his problem to his friends. Jin-ju deduces Woo-yeon is probably tired of him, he refuses to believe it since they are just dating in less than a month.
Jin-ju drops another blow to his already worried mind when she said how Woo-yeon’s rule is to say “I love you” only to someone she really loves.
“I don’t want to be your next ex-boyfriend?
Remembering all those times he said “I love you” and she never reciprocated in words but only with kisses, Lee Soo loses his mind. A few bottles of alcohol after, he called Woo-yeon and asks if he did something wrong surprising her. She goes to where he is to pick him up.
Jin-ju whines at how impossible her man is when Woo-yeon arrived. She shares how he keeps mumbling Woo-yeon does not like him and has not told him she loved him even once.
Woo-yeon brings Lee Soo home and settle him on his bed. When he barely sobered up, he asks Woo-yeon why she does not tell him she loves him. Finally revealing he really is worried of her ex-boyfriends, he mumbles not wanting to be her next ex-boyfriend.
However he fell asleep without hearing Woo-yeon’s reason. She said she can’t say it because she’s too nervous. She smiles and tells to the sleeping Lee Soo “I love you” before leaving him to rest.
“I’d like you to know how it feels to be loved.”
Bribing Jin-ju with food, she asks why Sang-hyuk keeps taking care of her with food and everything. He responds how he said he’d do his best to win her heart. Not knowing how to do it, he settles to do what he’s good at.
Bluntly telling him how the food he prepared won’t make her like him back, Sang-hyuk understands. He responds how it is still the only way he knows that she can know what it feels to be loved. With that, she won’t like someone and won’t get hurt.
“Soo’s method may have been right. Things that I love too much hurt me”
Wanting to come prepared for her boyfriend, Woo-yeon drops by at a lingerie store to buy something she needs for her cutely evil and sweet plan. At the elevator she notices a pretty girl and the girl proudly utters that she’s used to being look at since she knows she’s pretty.
They coincidentally have the same floor stop. Walking slowly and brushing up on her make-up, she sees the same girl being greeted by her boyfriend and uncaringly run to embrace him.
Fully understanding how Lee Soo’s father’s make sense, Woo-yeon thinks of how she wants the person she likes to be by her side.
In epilogue, we see Lee Soo adorkably hitting online research on how to date a serial dater. That explains his careful threading of his sweet moments with Woo-yeon who seemingly does not want to part with him.
More Than Friends Episode 12 Musings
Team More Than Friends impliedly say we’re all welcome for this episode full of mushy moments and love. I don’t know how Lee Soo’s friend will fit in, but I really hope she won’t ruin what we had built so far in the series.
I really want to see Joon-soo to have his own happiness, but that won’t make sense either since we will always remember him for being the best second lead syndrome this K-Drama season.
He painted his character with such unforgettable frosting we thought would never be possible. That is because his character is usually designed to impossible love scenario that induces hate.
However, his role has truly bring out the best of the love triangle setting since we root for his love, even if it is futile, because he has presented his perspective convincingly.
At this time, the only wish I hope to close neatly down the last two episodes is for Woo-yeon’s friends to also claim their happiness they truly deserve. I was sad on the scene when Young-hee met up with Hyun-jae’s sister asking her to break up with him. I mean, when can she be truly happy in the series.
The same way that I want Jin-ju to use her smart brain to teach her heart to accept Sang-hyuk since nothing beats true love but unlimited supply of lunch box. *wink
Will jealousy give us more adorably-in-love moments between our love birds?
Don’t miss the last four episodes of More Than Friends on JTBC and iQIYI.
