Oh My Venus Ep 11 Recap (and 101 reasons to love Kang Jooeun)

Choi Namchul (Choi Haera’s brother, whose name I finally decided to google) tells Wooshik that it’s better to strie while the iron is hot. Wooshik looks conflicted for a moment before picking up the phone and telling Go PD to broadcast the scoop he has on John Kim. Youngho is mobbed by reporters upon arriving home but doesn’t show even the smallest hint of surprise, having seen this coming. Grandma on the other hand is furious, while Youngho’s father looks worried. Chief Min gets angry for the first time and yells at the hapless minion on the othre end of the phone for not informing them of this. He drives through the crowd of reports to the bridge Youngho loves going to for brooding sessions. Byungwook (Chief Min’s name) notes Youngho’s compsure and asks if he expected this to happen. Youngho sighs, saying that he’d already decided to drink from the bitter cup anyway.

Byungwook says that the reporters are causing a ruckus at the company and his family home, meaning he has nowhere to return to. Youngho winces, whether in pain or in resignation is unclear, and says that they won’t be able to flee for more than a few days. He would know seeing how much he’s run away before. We then see Jooeun opening the door, and meeting Youngho.

After that glorious hug, Jooeun enters her bedroom with a mug of water where Youngho is wearily sprawled on her bed. He does his best not to show it but is clearly in pain. Though just he still manages to crack a joke.

[This was the same wording Jooeun and Hyunwoo used for him back during the camping night]
He plays the the snooty rich kid, saying that he can’t sleep in rooms that aren’t suites and complaining that the mattress is a spring mattress.

She mutters that she should just put him on the floor next to ‘You Bastard’, that enormous bear. Playing along Youngho says that she should just leave if she’s not going to sleep elsewhere. Jooeun quietly tells him to sleep without worrying, he’s going to have to do that tomorrow anyway so he might as well get a good night’s rest today. Youngho slumps onto her bed.

Jooeun says she’s going to wash up, and leaves for the bathroom.

Youngho calls once once more before she leaves.

He gasps in pain the moment she leaves, clutching his knee. Jooeun’s eyes fill with tears as she stands on the other side of the door, listening to him moan in pain. She remembers him saying that the pain is psychological and there’s nothing she can do, and calls Joonsung out of sheer frustration and pain at not knowing how to help him.

Joonsung tells her to simply do as she’s done and pretend that she isn’t aware of it. Youngho hurts more when those he treasures are in pain.

Aww! Joonsung agrees and the call ends. He sits on the floor and flashes back to when he first met Youngho. The meeting presumably takes takes place in America, in an abandoned warehouse at night, with a badly wounded Joonsung clutching his leg and hiding from a pair of gangsters out for his blood. They aren’t that great at searching and miss Joonsung hiding behind the car. They leave just as Youngho pulls out outside the same warehouse. He spies movement and rushes over with his medical kit to find Joonsung, who’s about as friendly as a tiger. Youngho calmly presses gauze to the wound in his chest and splints his broken leg, marvelling at the fact that he was even able to run on it.

The gangsters return but Youngho and Joonsung presumably make off before they find them. Youngho takes him to his apartment, which also has a space-age bed, and treats his wounds. Joonsung’s tongue unties enough for him to ask who Youngho is, and Youngho sardonically asks if that’s how he was taught to say ‘thank you’. He asks Joonsung where his parents are, and takes the answer to mean that he doesn’t have any, therefore he can’t be an international student. Was he adopted? Where are his adopted parents? Does he have a place to go? That either hits a nerve or Joonsung snaps because he decided to upend the entire cart of medical instruments over. He roars that he asked Youngho who the f*** he was [and the show hilariously mutes that audio over the cuss instead of adding the signature ‘bleep’]. Youngho doesn’t care about the cuss but sighs that at the informal address and says that he should be called ‘hyung’. As for who he is…

Young cusses over and over saying that he doesn’t need Youngho’s bleeping pity or help. Youngho simply pulls up his trouser leg. 

He says that Joonsung may be pissed and certainly seems to want to keep fighting. He won’t stop him from that but if he’s going to fight it shouldn’t be in a place with guns and blades but with rules. He tells Joonsung to at least clean his hands, and leaves. Joonsung looks at his bloodied, bruised hands and hesitantly takes a bandage.

Present day Joonsung sighs and sheds a single tear before flopping down. Too bad he can’t get even a moment’s peace because a second figure decides to join him.

Joonsung sighs that he would really like to be left alone this time. Yijin says that she didn’t say anything.

She says that she’s really good at comforting people.

Especially when it’s her, CF queen Jang Yijin. Joonsung asks how on earth she’s supposed to comfort him without knowing what he’s upset about. She says there’s no rule like that. Sadness is sadness, you just need someone beside you who cares.

HAHA. His gaze softens after a moment. He shakes himself out of any positive thoughts/feelings he was having towards her and hurriedly turns over…and over as she follows him too, trying to snuggle to his back. [Can’t blame her.] Youngho’s up the next day and exits Jooeun’s kitched only to be greeted by…

Jooeun scoffs that they call that acting and seats them around her tiny kitchen table, noting at how much they dwarf everything in her apartment. She gives Youngho a wide smile showing she’s unaffected by the previous night’s events.

She’s made an omelette and mixes it with ketchup, and rice. Youngho wryly notes that the dish doesn’t seem complicated enough to warrant an apron, which earns him a scowl. She adds a ‘drop’ of sesame oil. Youngho wonders what universe that quantity would be a drop in, and how long the sesame oil’s been sitting on her shelf. [Methinks the man wanted Jooeun to himself this morning] She feeds some to Henry, who thinks it’s fantastic, and gives a bite to Joonsung who adorably smiles at the taste.

Youngho looks adorable pleased at both their reactions. Jooeun tells them to get geared up for exercise after breakfast [It really is better to exercise before a meal though].

Youngho’s more focused on the gear she wants them to wear.

Cut too, the boys in ahjumma sun-caps. HAHAHA. Their expressions say it all.

She tells him showing his face isn’t the best idea right now and orders them to follow her, clapping her hands in front of and behind them as hard as they can. A bewildered Youngho tells Joonsung to consider it a warm-up. They follow, clapping as instructed. A dozen or so ahjumma join them up a winding set of stairs cut into a hill. The next step is a classic, banging your back against a tree to supposedly improve your bloodflow.

They look even more horrified at the next station. Ab massage, with one of those roller-things that guarantees a good stomach(ab?) ache the next day, but is supposed to be great for digestion. Even worse, two ahjummas latch onto Joonsung and Jiwoong and start massaging their stomachs with the things.

Youngho tries to escape being felt up by ahjummas only to get caught by Jooeun who gets to feel up his abs.

[Rawr]
Next station’s an isometric exercise. Two people on on each other’s palms. Joonsung sends Jiwoong flying off the face of the earth with a single push.

Youngho asks Jooeun if she’s trying to console him. Jooeun mutters that that the Gahong position and his scandal with Anna Sue are all his fault so there’s no reason for her to do so, but her heart isn’t in the words. She reminds Youngho of what he said about the body needing to be exhausted for the heart to be at rest. Youngho drops his hands at that and the momentum of Jooeun’s push carries her straight into Youngho’s arms. The boys are elated and Youngho feigns indifference but asks her to do it again, before clapping his visor down due to real embarrassment.

Jooeun runs over to her car (or is that Youngho’s?) to get to work.

She tells him to trust in this ‘noona’, which makes him smile, and extends her cheek for a kiss.

Aww! There’s an ‘old married couple’ vibe to their interactions. So darn cute! Youngho turns around to find Chief Min and his minions waiting for him. He said that Anna Sue’s part released a countering statement in the US [interesting, why?] and that he made stops at several news agencies. They can’t stop the news but they can stop false allegations being made. Youngho sighs at the effort he’s gone to, saying that he isn’t even a morning person. He sobers when Byungwook says that the elders are waiting for him. He’s brought clothes for Youngho to change into like last time but Youngho refuses for the first time, saying that he’ll go as he is. [Good on you! Don’t let them control your life!].

He’s mobbed by the press but makes it to the family villa where Grandma waits imperiously but visits his father first. Byungwook meets with Grandma who’s pleased that Youngho’s home but drops a bombshell. She nows about Jooeun, and firmly disapproves of the match and that Chief Min’s been hiding it from her. The chaebol daughter from the Duksun Pharmaceuticals conglomerate is a much better match for Youngho in her opinion. She orders Byungwook to make Youngho move into the family home once renovations are complete. Looking conflicted, Chief Min pauses for as long as he can but [to my dismay] says yes.

Youngho meets with his father and apologizes for the inconvenience. His father takes it to mean that Youngho isn’t relinquishing his position. Youngho remains silent. His father asks him to stop kneeling. Those knees on the ground are ones he’s never touched because he’s been so worried for years. Youngho simply has to lay low until the 61st anniversary celebration and his inauguration. He tells Youngho to protect his position, as he may not have much time life. [So does Youngho know of his father’s illness and that he could be hereditary? Because he doesn’t seem fazed at this comment. And I get that his father means well, but what sort of advice is that? He should be telling Youngho to go out there and live life and love instead of being stuck to some office day in and out. I feel bad for both of them.] Poised by the door with two cups of tea, Haera overhears everything. She asks Youngho to stay for a meal when he comes out, but he smiles and asks her ot take good care of his father and grandmother. Meanwhile Jooeun investigates Joonsung mother’s case by heading to the judge who sentenced her. Interestingly, she was supposedly sentenced for killing her abusive husband [but she’s still getting beaten up today…hmm..]. The judge sadly notes that ‘domestic abuse’ wasn’t a term that existed in law back then and she was unfairly sentenced to prison where she gave birth to the baby. Jooeun flips through, sees the pictures, and is shocked to recognize her as Hyunwoo’s babysitter.

Speaking of Joonsung’s mother, she comes to to find a bag containing a red scarf by her door. Looking overwhelmed and frightened, she searches for the giver and sees Joonsung standing by his car. She rushes over and aww, Joosung has this little smile on his face, but throws the gift back at him, saying that she doesn’t want it. Joonsung mumbles that she looked cold, to which she says that it’s none of his business, and to never do this again or come back again. She looks like it tears the heart out of her to do so, and appears to know that Joonsung is her son, but turns and leaves.

While, re-stocking Jooeun’s fridge, Youngho gets a surprise visit from Hyunwoo.

She apologizes for having thought he was a bum before and says that he needn’t fear her selling him out to her ex seeing as they aren’t on good terms. She drops Minjoon, who immediately needs to use the washroom, at Jooeun’s place, thrusts his backpack at Youngho and saunters out before Youngho can say a word.

Meanwhile Choi Namchul tries to pressure Youngho’s father into signing the agreement for their new medical centre for VVIPs [what is the deal with this centre, seriously?]. He uses the Board of Directors’ refusal of Youngho as President, as blackmail but Youngho’s father doesn’t bite. Namchul sighs that it would be such a shame if Youngho was voted out, but leaves. Jooeun pulls into a coffeeshop parking lot and get a video call from Youngho who is looking too sexy for words.

Jooeun gives Minjoon a wave while the kid complains about Youngho making him exercise constantly. Jooeun says that it’s all Youngho knows how to do. She tells him to hang in their until she gets home with snacks. Youngho looks at Minjoon’s chubby cheeks and smiles at the familiarity.

Minjoon needs to go to the bathroom again and Youngho sighs that he was supposed to be experiencing the sweet side of life. Turns out Jooeun’s at the cafe to meet with Hyunwoo and brief her on Joonsung’s mother’s situation. Hyunwoo understands why his mother doesn’t want to see him, feeling unworthy due to having given him up. They worry over telling her for fear that she may just up and vanish and then Hyunwoo would be left without anyone to care for Minjoon while she makes ends meet, and Joonsung would have to search for his mother all over again. Jooeun sighs in relief at how understanding Hyunwoo is, saying that she was worried about her reaction.

Haha. Ever the unwelcome guest. Following her is Go PD, heaven knows how that combination came to be but it can’t be good. Jooeun asks Soojin what she’s doing there only for Soojin to coldly say that she should be addressed by her official title [It’s sort of pathetic how she clings to her position being higher than Jooeun, because it’s the only way she can feel superior] . Thankfully, Hyunwoo is exempt from this obligatory form of address and gives Soojin a piece of her mind.

Jooeun arrives home and is delighted at the sight of a dozing Youngho and Minjoon.

Youngho wakes up and blearily offers her a hug. She climbs on his lap [rawr] and he asks her if she made loads of money. She chides that he’s spent too much time with a silver spoon in his mouth. She just gets a monthly paycheck, that’s all. Youngho makes to press a kiss on her hands before pausing.

HAHAHA. She tells him not to even think of getting ‘a comfortable and erotic’ night while he’s hear. He has to act like Minjoon here, even when he’s not. Youngho turns poet and waxes about how this place beyond his world is beyond is expectations, and indeed, beyond his worth [This rhymes in Korean]. Jooeun responds in kind, pretending to kick him out and telling him that she’ll get her car ready so he should drink his tea, get ready and get over there [All the bolded words begin with ‘cha’] Youngho quietly brings up her couple ring.

Jooeun says that she did throw it away but took it back. Wooshik may have given it to her, but she wore it for fifteen years so she feels like it’s a part of her as opposed to anything connected to him. She says she’ll throw it away if he wants her to. Youngho draws her back on his lap.

[THIS MAN IS PERFECTION]

Youngho and Jooeun send Minjoon off with him reminding the kid to do his exercises. Hyunwoo asks if her son will grow up to be as handsome as Youngho and deflates when Youngho says that he can’t guarantee that. She nudges Jooeun that she’s leaving them alone and runs off. Jooeun proceeds to give Youngho a lecture in her bedroom on the fact that her mind rules her body and that she’s quite modest, meaning no hanky panky. Youngho grumpily acquiesces and gets to sleep in her room.

Jooeun’s snores wake him up as usual and he gently adjusts her head. Her snoring stops and she snuggles up to her bear. Youngho leaves the room and watches the news regarding his inauguration which is presently indefinite. He gets a call from Chief Min who says that they’ve tried to block as much as they can but it’s best for Youngho to lay low. He hesitantly broaches the topic of how long Youngho’s staying at Jooeun’s place.

Cut to Soojin [who’s going to have to think fast in order to still have narrative function in this drama] who’s somberly sipping a glass of wine when Wooshi knocks on her door. He knows she’s in there because her car’s outside but she refuses to open the door. He then enters her passcode and comes in [seriously? get lost]. She asks him who the hell said he could come in [I’m with her on this] and he argues that she wouldn’t have set such a simple passcode, her birthday, if she didn’t want him in. He asks whether she thought he didn’t know her birthday (he refers to her as his girlfriend here). He asks why she met with Go PD and she answers that she’s on Youngho’s legal team and is required to obtain info on how Go PD got his scoop. The driver’s license he obtained for snooping in America was illegal, and she plans to capitalize on that. Wooshik asks why on earth she’s doing this but she tells him to leave. She goes to her room and nearly has some chocolate but chooses to sink onto her bed.

[Got to hand it to Yoo Inyoung, she’s doing a great job at infusing Soojin with such vulnerability that’s impossible not to see her as human albeit very flawed] Jooeun barely bats an eyelash when Soojin walks into her office the next day and mocks how messy her desk is. She snarks over how she was pondering what to wear tomorrow to Gahong’s 61st anniversary ceremony tomorrow but seeing as everything’s up in the air, she isn’t so sure anymore.

Soojin smirks that she should know at least that much being the head of Youngho’s legal team. She’ll be asking for a certification of contents from Go PD and Wooshik. This surprises Jooeun who’s had no idea of Wooshik’s involvement in the whole debacle. Soojin takes relish in telling her that it was Wooshik who provided Youngho’s international license. Jooeun wonders why the hell he’d do that Soojin pauses, quietly saying that she wonders why too. She recovers instantly and snarks that she’d be sorry if they missed the ceremony tomorrow, she’d have enjoyed seeing Jooeun look prettied up, like she used to. Jooeun barely leashes her temper, wondering what on earth is going on with Wooshik. She comes home to a seemingly empty house and wonders where Youngho is, just as the bathroom open. Holy ravioli, would you look at that bod!

He unfortunately covers the abs up but leaves enough of his pecs poking out. Jooeun is understandably mesmerized and sees him winking and blowing her kisses. But she’s just dreaming, because the real Youngho launches into what cleanliness really means.

She simply can’t take her eyes off his abs. And I really wish I was in her shoes.

She mutters how you shouldn’t do that in someone else’s place and scurries off to change. 
She comes into her bedroom to find Youngho going through some paperwork. He’s fully clothed but she can’t take her eyes off him, especially when he starts rolling up his sleeves.

She self-consciously buttons up her shirt and sits on his bed but her subconscious reveals itself instantly.

HAHA. Youngho says that it’s more of a party scene really. It’s the 61st anniversary after all. Jooeun’s tongue slips up again.

Whoa, there. I sort of love the role reversal here. 

WHOA, WHOA, WHOA
The doorbell rings but they pause for only a second before going at it again. *fans self*It rings again and this time Chief Min calls out that it’s him. 
HAHA. Youngho sighs that it’s time to return to his world. Jooeun ascertains that he’s going to be at the party tomorrow.

[This feels like a bad omen.but these two are wonderful]. The evening of the party dawns and Soojin and Wooshik show up looking rather spiffy. Namchul sees that Gahong means to go ahead with announcing Youngho as Director. He asks Wooshik how many of the board executives are on their side and Wooshik looks at Soojin before saying that the legal team’s gotten to a few of them. Jooeun rushes in looking fabulous.

Jiwoong and Joonsung smile at her before exchanging impressed looks.

She even earns a grudging compliment from Soojin, who proceeds to negate that niceness by asking why she looks so nervous when she’s not even the Director. Jooeun wonders why herself before looking at Youngho’s empty chair. [Uh oh, that chaebol blind-date girl is in the seat next to his. I’ve a bad feeling about this.] Grandma and Youngho’s father enter with Youngho nowhere to be seen. Jooeun and the boys are beside themselves with worry.

They set out to search for him as do Chief Min and his minions. Jooeun even rushes into the men’s washroom and scares the life out of some poor fellow. She checks a darkened room and nearly leaves before noticing Youngho huddled up in pain in a corner.

She says that it’s his day and he shouldn’t be here. Youngho wryly says that he might be a very late. Jooeun reminds him of all the people waiting for him, his family, Joonsung and Jiwoong. She tells him to get up. He can still handle the pain for him to be lying here without leaving. That means he hasn’t reached his limit yet. Youngho thinks back to Jooeun telling him the same thing when she first started exercising.


We cut to the MC announcing that Director Kim Youngho has arrived. and there he is without an ounce of pain on his visage.

A few thoughts:

Chaebols and company politics are overused in K-dramas nowadays but what I find incredibly refreshing about both Kill Me Heal Me and Oh My Venus is that the male protagonists have very good reasons for wanting out of that sort of environment and the power-hungry mindset it breeds. Often times some chaebols come across as brats who are simply too lazy to run the company or in some cases (see Jisung’s character in Secret) don’t really deserve the responsibility of running a company. I just really like how well the trope is handled here.

Speaking of tropes, we’ve a scheming Grandma to contend with and I hope that a drama that has dealth so wonderfully with angst, won’t pull the parental (or grandparental in this case) card at his point and screw things up. The viewership ratings are a bit of a shame, (this show may not be up to Six Flying Dragon’s level but it’s definitely better than Dazzling Temptation) but I don’t think the writer should go full-blown mental at this point, with 5 (so soon!) episodes left.

The ‘healing romance’ genre is growing more and more popular in Kdramas and I definitely won’t complain if they’re as well handled as this one is. Youngho doesn’t get courage from Jooeun’s encouragement (that’s a cop-out I’ve seen in too many shows, and is too poor a method of handling conflict); he gets it from having seen how hard she fought against her own illness, not letting anything slow her down. He finds her inspiring, and there’s something incredibly inspiring about that. This show isn’t on KMHM or Liar Game’s level but it’s quiet, breezy and quite sexy and it’s irrevocably charmed its way into my heart. Now go on and get that comfortable and erotic night you too.