Our former gangster wants nothing more than to stay next to his beloved lady and protect those around him. But between our prosecutor lead meddling in, and enemies from the past threatening to strike this fantasy and harm his people, our male lead has his work cut out for him.
To balance things out, we have some cute romance moments plus childish jealousy, and we have found family dynamics, along with a little progress for our secondary couple.
Bunny S. watches My Sweet Mobster on Viu
Episode Recaps: 01 & 02 | 03 & 04 | 05 & 06 | 07 & 08 | 09 & 10 | 11 & 12 | 13 & 14 | Final Recap + Series Review |
My Sweet Mobster Episodes 11 and 12 Highlights
“Why do you smell like flowers, boss?”
Now that our leads are officially dating, their mornings feel different, dolling themselves up and spending much time picking out their outfits, making hearts at the table, and wanting to stay glued to each other. But what can they do? Unluckily, Ji-hwan has to go to work and leave Eun-ha’s side. Still, if he can get his way, Ji-hwan will keep Eun-ha company all day.
Speaking of work, after failing to get a job in another company, Eun-ha settles to open her channel. Hence, going shopping for supplies. In a nice touch, Ji-hwan surprises Eun-ha by showing up before her and carrying all the heavy bags.
Putting on masks and wearing matching headbands are fun and all. Yet the most touching part is Ji-hwan putting on a hand shadow puppetry act to distract the children who got scared after the lights went out.
Ji-hwan’s performance reminds Eun-ha of how “Hyun-woo” used to make animal shapes with his hands to comfort her. But when Eun-ha shares her childhood memory with Ji-hwan, he remains vague. This makes me wonder when/if Eun-ha will come to learn that Ji-hwan and “Hyun-woo” are the same person.
“Wait. Why am I second?”
To support his dear girlfriend, Ji-hwan wants to be the first one to comment on her new video. Yet someone beats him to it, Hyun-woo, a.k.a “Justice.” And from here on in, it is a battle between our leading men over who gets to compliment Eun-ha the best. And using animations makes the situation more hilarious.
Ji-hwan is grumpy over how Eun-ha used more characters and a smile emoticon in her reply to Hyun-woo’s comment and replied to him much faster than she did to Ji-hwan. But to her defense, the girl didn’t know it was Ji-hwan. Having realized that “Emperor Penguin” is Ji-hwan’s username. Eun-ha heads to the company to smooth things over with him.
But the thing is: Eun-ha couldn’t talk things out with Ji-hwan, no thanks to Ye-na basically dragging everyone into attending a company dinner. Still, being sulky won’t stop Ji-hwan from getting jealous and pulling Eun-ha’s seat closer to him when a waiter gets so close to her while explaining the menu options.
Once again, it is Ji-hwan’s consideration that makes him stand out. Being her typical annoying self, Ye-na tries to belittle Eun-ha by noting how few her subscribers are and how easily Eun-ha might think of the content creator’s job, starting a new channel without proper planning. Yet Ji-hwan defends Eun-ha by mentioning how hard she worked on the video till her knuckles bled.
Adding to our satisfaction, Eun-ha doesn’t waver when Ye-na mentions Ji-hwan saving her in the past and how they go back much longer than the few months Eun-ha knew Ji-hwan for. Neither that backstory nor the fact that Ye-na is the company’s model matters to Eun-ha at all. To your face, Ye-na.
“What? Do you know each other?”
Meanwhile, looking into CCTV footage from around the house, Ji-hwan confirms his suspicions about a masked man lurking around and secretly taking photos (the suspicious man from last week). Thus, he has Dong-hee accompany Eun-ha on her shopping errand.
Before shopping for materials, Eun-ha suggests they go to a bakery shop. And as luck would have it, Eun-ha and Dong-hee run into Hyun-woo there. Albeit by mistake, Hyun-woo ends up spilling the beans that he and Dong-hee know each other. But before we can learn how they got acquainted, Dong-hee gets into a panic and leaves the place running after coming across a man from his past.
Hyun-woo is aware of the reason Dong-hee fled away. But when asked about it, while giving Eun-ha a ride home, Hyun-woo’s answers remain vague. Sensing that Hyun-woo doesn’t want to talk about it, Eun-ha doesn’t try to dig into it any further and even takes whatever excuses Dong-hee comes up with for his disappearance.
While Dong-hee and Hyun-woo knowing each other doesn’t seem to faze Ji-hwan much, Hyun-woo’s presence in the house and how he claims to not have given up on Eun-ha and threatens to take her out of the house if something happens bad happens to Eun-ha definitely get on Ji-hwan’s nerves. Wanting to maintain a relationship with Eun-ha despite not getting over her yet is one thing. But Hyun-woo is crossing the line here. Eun-ha is an adult who can live wherever she wants without needing anyone’s permission.
“What are you doing here?”
Adding to Ji-hwan’s worries, Yang-hi makes a move, leaving sinister comments on Eun-ha’s channel and showing up at the café where Eun-ha works part-time. Spotting Yang-hi harassing Eun-ha, Ji-hwan’s anxiety gets soaring. He is torn between wanting to teach Yang-hi a lesson and trying his best to control his anger and not resort to aggression.
Having sent Yang-hi off, Ji-hwan tells Eun-ha to quit her job and return home. Yet Eun-ha isn’t taking it. She might understand that Ji-hwan is doing this out of concern for her. But Eun-ha needs a proper explanation regarding what is happening here. Will Ji-hwan act cold and keep her in the dark like he did before?
The next morning, Eun-ha is sulky and avoids Ji-hwan at the table. Not that Ji-hwan can stand having Eun-ha be mad at him for long. He quickly apologizes and tells Eun-ha that he has bad blood with Yang-hi. Hence, his intense reaction that day. Eun-ha gives Ji-hwan a hug, assuring him she isn’t a damsel in distress Ji-hwan needs to protect all the time. Instead, Eun-ha wants Ji-hwan to lean on her too and not carry all the burden himself. Slowly but gradually, Eun-ha wants Ji-hwan to open up to her about his worries.
“Besides, I didn’t do this alone. The boys wanted to help as well, so this was a group effort.”
In a sweet touch, Ji-hwan surprises Eun-ha by setting up a studio for her (in the basement room where “Hyun-woo” used to live as a kid). The studio is equipped with everything Eun-ha needs. And better yet, it is a group effort with everyone pitching in to support Eun-ha, a member of their family.
To return the favor, Eun-ha tags along with the deer squad to an orphanage sponsors’ event. Normally, our deer squad only drops off gifts for the children and leaves without taking part in the event lest children get scared of them. But this time is different since they have a children expert with them. Organizing a little show for the kids, Eun-ha helps our deer squad have fun with the children and make them laugh. And it is clear how delighted our deer squad felt while spending time with the kids.
In another heartfelt moment, Ji-hwan musters up the courage to open up to Eun-ha about his back story. Until he was 13 years old, Ji-hwan, or more precisely “Yoon Hyun-woo”, lived with his mum without having any idea his biological father was a gangster.
Three years later, “Hyun-woo” walked into the lion’s den to borrow money for his mum’s surgery. Unfortunately, not only did his mum end up dying, but also “Hyun-woo” had his name changed to Seo Ji-hwan, and was forced to work under his father, bidding farewell to the normal life he had led before. (That sequence is really moving but I wanted Ji-hwan to be more courageous and tell Eun-ha he is her childhood oppa.)
My heart really goes out to Ji-hwan for going through all these hardships on his own. And taking responsibility for his decision to seek his father’s help, without blaming anyone for his actions, made me admire Ji-hwan more. Eun-ha comforts Ji-hwan, saying he isn’t a bad buy who committed crimes but someone trying to set up a good example for his juniors, reminding Ji-hwan of all the good deeds he did to those around him. If Ji-hwan does his best to stay away from the wrong path, Eun-ha will root for him and support him by his side.
The orphanage uploads a video, thanking our deer squad for their efforts. Everyone is happy reading the comments and enjoying the praise they are getting from people. Except, that sweet moment is cut short by a strange man barging into the company and attacking Eun-ha.
It isn’t Yang-hi or one of his minions, but the man from the bakery shop who seems to hold a grudge against Dong-hee. Still, even if it was someone else this time, there is no denying the fact that Yang-hi and Ji-hwan’s father are out to get Ji-hwan using the people around him. What an ominous note to end this week on.
My Sweet Mobster Episodes 11 and 12 Musings
The drama remains a blast to watch, but I am getting worried about what is yet to come. With Ji-hwan’s father out of jail and backing Yang-hi up, Ji-hwan’s warnings don’t seem to work on Yang-hi anymore. (Yang-hi remained unfazed when Ji-hwan showed up at the café and rather seemed to enjoy the worried look on Ji-hwan’s face.) And for sure, the last thing we want to see is Ji-hwan forced to resort back to the old and aggressive ways to protect the people around him.
I am glad that Ji-hwan didn’t waver and honestly told Eun-ha his story. (Ye-na is really getting on my nerves, using Ji-hwan’s past to sway Ji-hwan and make him break up with Eun-ha.) Instead of carrying all the burden by himself and keeping things bottled up, it is better to open up and ask those around him for help. And just like he always supported them, the deer squad and Eun-ha will always have Ji-hwan’s back.
Lastly, although it is a begrudging partnership, there is Hyun-woo, too. Ji-hwan and Hyun-woo might fight like cats and dogs. But they have one common goal, keeping Eun-ha safe. Seeing how worried Hyun-woo got after spotting Yang-hi watching Eun-ha’s videos, to the point of pushing Yang-hi against the wall and trying to hand choke him, I guess our leading men will soon set their differences aside and team up to protect Eun-ha.
On a lighter note, we get some progress on our secondary couple, with the tables turning and II-young being the one smitten and trying to get together with Mi-ho. But instead of dropping by her house while drunk, gifting her mother a car, running away in the morning, then regretting it and dropping by Mi-ho’s house once again despite her protests and resolving to keep coming until she welcomes him, having an honest conversation might be better for both of them.
Actually, it isn’t only II-young who needs to speak his mind, but also Mi-ho. I understand that Hong-ki’s remark about II-young not wanting to be tied down and how he hates complicated relationships gave Mi-ho the wrong idea that II-young might not want the baby. But this isn’t a matter she can sort out by herself. And there is only so much Mi-ho can do to hide the truth before everyone learns she is pregnant.
Photos and Videos: JTBC Drama
