I love how True Beauty never dwell on misconceptions and resolve presented conflicts right away!
Also, let there be a rule in K-Dramaland to have a character like Tae-hoon who can translate imaginary world love language. It’s definitely efficient and amusing rather than waiting for the male lead to realize love when hurt and misunderstanding pile up.
Last episode, it was established how Ju-kyung is the current luckiest girl in love triangle world with two gorgeous schoolboys smitten by her. But she was nonchalant about it, as she also struggled to process if Su-ho is just being nice or really into her.
Enter the school trip this episode that cleared what direction we are heading to in the love line. Now, it is safe to bet that True Beauty will be forever pretty – up to the finale.
abbyinhallyuland watches True Beauty on Viu
Episode Recaps: 01 & 02 | 03 & 04 | 05 & 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 & 10 | 11 & 12 | 13 & 14 | Review |
True Beauty Episode 8 Key Moments
“Are you sitting beside each other because you’re a couple?”
Rushing to a jewelry store, Su-ho tells the store associate to get a line of jewelry and declares he is going to confess his love for Ju-kyung.
Meanwhile, Ju-kyung happily prepares her luggage for the school trip when her brother gives a parcel. He asks how she’s going to hide her face in the camping and she responds that she has it all figured out.
Hee-kyung drops her sister to the school trip and sees her lover. Reaching an intimacy point of no return the last time they met, Teacher Han offers the bank books of money he saved admitting he does not have the best money portfolio to offer her.
But Hee-kyung lauds his hard work in saving and presents the shoes she bought for him. She tells him to come to her with those shoes and promises she will be good to him. Just as the two go for an embrace, Ju-kyung calls her sister’s name announcing she forgot her phone.
While convening for the trip, Seo-jun and Ju-kyung get teased by wearing similar shirts. That definitely made Su-ho see red and it hikes up when she sat beside Seo-jun in the bus. But that’s only because Su-jin positioned herself to the seat saved by Su-ho.
“It’s hard to believe that you guys are just friends for 10 years.”
At the camp site, Ju-kyung ignores Su-ho as much as she can. Sharing the tent with her friends, they chat about the girl who confesses to Su-ho. Soo-ah also brings up how the rumor mill circulates Su-jin and Su-ho to be in a relationship. And how apt it would be if they will be together.
Dismissing the teasing, Su-jin remarks she is just a childhood and good friend with Su-ho. But when she was asked if she ever felt “something” with Su-ho, she evades to answer.
Happily taking selca with her friends, Ju-kyung advertently ignores Su-ho’s direction who seems to be be keen on having a moment with her. Teacher Han volunteers to take a group photo of his class without his top students as the class forces a photo with the trip’s instant couple Seo-jun and Ju-kyung.
“Hey, is Ju-kyung an artifact in a museum?”
Fun games proceed in the school trip starting off with paper dance which basically turn to a Ju-kyung tug-of-war between Seo-jun and Su-ho.
Glaring at each other intently, Su-ho almost loses his cool when Seo-jun princess-carried Ju-kyung. While Su-ho never leaves his sight on Ju-kyung, he is not aware that Su-jin is staring at him on a different light.
At lunch, Tae-hoon calls Su-ho’s attention of his super Ju-kyung surveillance. Tae-hoon offers to help set the mood so he can make a move to talk to her.
While eating, the camp caretaker shares the urban legend he reluctantly does not want to share initially. He saw Seo-jun’s minions heading to the direction of a cryptic well deep in the forest and forbade them to do so. Finally obliging, the boys are all ears listening to the tale of an ugly lady-in-white who haunts people.
Round questions through a lie-detector comes up in the next game and the friends reveal information about themselves.
I'm volunteering to be on Su-ho's sweet surveillance 😂#TrueBeautyEp8 #TrueBeauty #ChaEunWoo #MoonGaYoung pic.twitter.com/amoFqg9ygU
— kdramadiary (@kdramadiarylogs) January 8, 2021
“It was never released. You are the first one to hear it.”
At night, Su-ho finds Ju-kyung double-checking the lie-detector device which does not agree that she likes someone. It finally agrees and she hides it when Su-ho asked her to follow.
While having a night walk, they find a boat and sail on the peaceful lake.
Finding nothing on her rock playlist to match the ambiance of her impromptu boat sailing date with Su-ho, he picks one instead and reveals it to be an unreleased song of Se-yeon.
When Su-ho evades Ju-kyung trying to take a picture of them, he explained how the paparazzi scare he got growing up made him hate cameras.
But wanting to please Ju-kyung, he agreed to take pictures with her. Just then, a moth scares her and she falls in the water.
Drenched in water, Su-ho confirms her make-up faded and offers to get it for her to retouch. But with her underwear in the same bag, Ju-kyung refuses and just decides to cover her face. They spot Su-jin so Ju-kyung uses Su-ho to divert attention and runs away.
Meanwhile, Seo-jun and company go ghost-hunting to the creepy well in the woods. Upon seeing Ju-kyung, who fits into the picture of the white lady ghost, her classmates run for their lives. Even Seo-jun faints when he saw her up in the tree then bumping onto him urgently.
“You know I like her! Was it first come first served?”
Feeling under the weather, Ju-kyung excuses herself the next day in the treasure hunt game to rest inside the school bus. Seo-jun takes care of her and grabs the opportunity to infuriate Su-ho who saw Ju-kyung sleeping on his shoulder.
The two take out each other’s rage at a pampas grass field. Su-ho whines about admitting his feelings first and why he has to like the same girl. But Seo-jun responds he does not know either. Forcing Seo-jun to give up, the latter refuses and give it to whoever Ju-kyung will choose.
“Sure, sing a song and get one wish.”
Later at night, in the talent show, Seo-jun obliges to Ju-kyung’s request for him to sing. Crooning a sweet song, the crowd enjoyed Seo-jun’s soothing voice. Just then, Su-jin arrives wearing Su-ho’s cap which automatically put Ju-kyung on a jealous and unahppy mood.
She gets up feeling hurt thinking Su-jin is the woman Su-ho would be confessing to. Tae-hoon creates an opportunity for Su-ho and Ju-kyung to be alone. But Su-jin bumps on Ju-kyung. Hesitating whether to hand the jacket or not, she weighs not being as special as Su-jin so she hands Su-ho’s jacket and leaves. Surprised to see Su-jin, Su-ho hurries to look for Ju-kyung.
Unable to suppress the surge of heartbreak to her young heart, Ju-kyung cries and confesses her secret to Seo-jun who is the last person in the world who wants to hear it.
“Why can’t Su-ho like me? I like Su-ho. I thought I’d be okay with it, but it hurts.”
Ju-kyung pleads Seo-jun not to spill her secret, unaware that she just put a cold dagger to his heart. Because he also, is someone who should have not heard that secret. From afar, Su-ho witnessed Seo-jun appeasing the crying Ju-kyung with unfathomable expression.
Ouch for #HwangInYeop to this #TrueBeautyEp8 moment. #MoonGaYoung captured this scene so well. 👏#TrueBeauty just keeps doing great in presenting unfiltered young love scenes. Don't pile up the episodes, head to @Viu_PH & @ViuSG to stay updated! ✨#ChaEunWoo pic.twitter.com/AD3LCzRqoS
— kdramadiary (@kdramadiarylogs) January 8, 2021
“Why do you keep confusing me when you like someone else?”
Taking advantage of the night activity, Ju-kyung washes her face and sees Su-ho all serious to talk. He asks why she cried and if it was because of Seo-jun. Responding he should not care about what Seo-jun is to her, Ju-kyung again emotionally burst out.
“Why do you care if I cried? And why do you want to know who I like? Why do you keep confusing me when you like someone else? I know you like Su-jin. So, why do you keep being nice to me and making my heart flutter?”
Belting out each other’s frustration, Su-ho realizes the misunderstanding when Ju-kyung mentioned him liking Su-jin. He tries to clear the misunderstanding, but they heard their classmates approaching coming from the evening event. Without her make-up, Ju-kyung runs with a white blanket which made her classmates think of her as the well ghost.
In the brink of being caught, Su-ho comes to her rescue and hides with her. He seizes the opportunity to explain that he does not like Su-jin – and that the girl he likes is no one but her. Sealing his confession with a convincing pitch, Ju-kyung warmly receives Su-ho’s sweet kiss.
True Beauty Mid-Series Musings
kyaaaa for this True Beauty episode! Continuously cheery since day 1, this series is a gift for young and young at heart. Now that Ju-kyung and Su-ho cleared their misunderstanding, hopefully, we look forward to more sweet episodes together with them.
Of course, we were also prepped up to the Seyeon project spearheaded by Hee-kyung, which I think will be one of the conflicts to be tackled in the second half of the series.
Apart from that, we are heading to the direction of unveiling Ju-kyung’s secret. But that’s no biggie since she already has a man who loves her with or without make-up. I think its highlighting factor would be to provide encouraging lessons about self-esteem.
Ju-kyung not being fickle is a refreshing thing to happen from the usual female lead prototype of K-Dramaland. Doing it on the usual trite packaging of youth and school drama is considered a feat. I love how she captured that painful confession of liking Su-ho to the man who least likely wants to hear it.
I am hoping Seo-jun would give way being forced to be the secret-keeper of Ju-kyung’s first romance. If he and Su-ho end the truce and completely patch up their angst, we’re going to be a happy camper.
Light on worries, overflowing in smile and heart fluttering inducing moments, let True Beauty shine on your watch list in case you have not given it a try yet.
Photos/Videos: tvN | Screencap from Viu
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