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KBS2 Drama "Strongest Deliveryman" Go Kyung Pyo, Chae Soo Bin & Kim Sunho. *Finale Episodes*


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Text preview episode 10

 

To boost the sales of the neighborhood restaurants, Kang Su sets up a specialist food delivery company "Strongest Food Delivery" with the aid of the other delivery riders. At the same time, Jin Gyu is making great efforts to increase the sales of his Jeong Ga restaurant.

While this is happening, Dana gets increasingly irritated because her putdowns aren't working on Jin Gyu and a provoking sexy woman quite different from her is going after Kang Su.

 

 

cr:;baduy

 

 

 

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  • Strongest Deliveryman: Episode 9strongest0901043.jpg

 

Kang-soo is back and cuter than ever! Well, it’s more like he never left, but at least the angst over his going didn’t last very long. While it might seem like there’s nothing but good times and sunshine ahead, Kang-soo’s previous actions come back to haunt him and the rest of the delivery guys.

 

EPISODE 9 RECAP

 

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Dan-ah is surprised to find Kang-soo at the restaurant, and he cheerfully tells her that he won’t be able to leave just yet. He immediately gets to work, pausing in his mopping to smile and tell Dan-ah that he missed her.

She’s still dazed by finding him there, demanding to know if he’s just playing games. Kang-soo reassures her that he’s sincere, but he promises that he won’t cling on to her and force her to stay. If leaving is what will make her happy, he’ll support her.

Chef Jang and Soon-ae are also surprised to see Kang-soo at the restaurant, but they assume Dan-ah must have sweet-talked him into staying. Ha.

 

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It’s back to work as usual as the orders pour in. During one of the deliveries, the elevator is broken, and Dan-ah sighs as she realizes that means she has to climb the flight of stairs. But Kang-soo grabs her delivery box and races up ahead of her, teasingly taunting her to catch him.

Yeon-ji isn’t working at a hostess bar, but she is working as a karaoke girl. When one of her customers gets a little handsy for her liking, she smashes her tambourine over his head and storms out.

 

=== Read more: http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/09/strongest-deliveryman-episode-9/

 

 

COMMENTS

Part of me wonders why it took so long to finally reach the point where the show matched up with the original premise we were all expecting from the promos (“A deliveryman becomes a CEO of a delivery app companyâ€). Another part me realizes that I might not be quite this invested in watching Kang-soo’s new venture if I hadn’t already spent this much time with him and the other characters (especially the other delivery guys), so perhaps it’s a good thing it’s been a slow build. I just hope this means we’ll be able to see the app in action and that it will somehow save Grandma’s restaurant, the neighborhood, and, well, just the world in general.

Kang-soo may sometimes be an annoying do-gooder busy-body, but I still want him to succeed in whatever he puts his mind to since I know he means well. I know it can make him seem too boring at times, but I like that he’s a squishy marshmallow except for his iron backbone of idealism. He actually reminds me of friends I have in real life, and I think that’s one reason why I’m willing to cut him such slack because I can easily imagine him on his pursuit of justice, standing up for those he thinks are being unfairly downtrodden. He may not always be right, but I still respect him and his convictions.

I do know I’m going to miss his hair, though. That perm kind of became a part of his character, and even though I’m excited about his new business venture, I can’t decide if I like the new hair or not. I’m sure Go Kyung-pyo will appreciate not having to fry his locks every week, but still — that perm is iconic!

 

The most enjoyable parts of the episode were all the cuteness between the couples. I still love the comfortable way Kang-soo is able to break through Dan-ah’s defenses — he doesn’t push her, but keeps being adorable and helpful, and knows when to playfully push her around. I also love that he told her that he wasn’t going try to hold her back — he knows that she’s set on moving as soon as she’s saved enough, and doesn’t want to detract from her dreams. But until then, why not have a good time, enjoying each other’s company as they work together? If you’re going to spending hours together at work, why not make it (almost) as fun as dating?

But my favorite has to be Ji-yoon and Jin-gyu. I love watching their lunch chats! It was only this episode that I realized her lunch bench is right near his restaurant. Which shouldn’t be a surprise, because this is a small neighborhood. But that means he has to be watching for her because he always seems to join her just as she’s taken a bite of her triangle-shaped meal. So Jin-gyu can pretend not to care (or only pretend to care in order to fulfill his agreement with Hye-ran), but I’m pretty sure Ji-yoon’s starting to get under his skin. And not just in an irritating way, like a splinter. Well, maybe she started that way, but I sense some genuine camaraderie growing between them. Ji-yoon may only use Jin-gyu as her own personal Google, but I think one day she’ll realize how patient and helpful he’s been (whether he’s wanted to be or not!).

Although, how could I forget Ji-yoon and Dan-ah’s first official meeting? Why did it take so long for that happen, show? I’m super thankful the confusion over the dress didn’t linger, nor the rivalry between Ji-yoon and Dan-ah. I much prefer Ji-yoon and Dan-ah as friends than foes. Plus Ji-yoon could use an older more wise friend to help her out in her new independent adventures (can you imagine Dan-ah selling Ji-yoon’s designer bags? No one would be walking away with a discount, that’s for sure!). Mostly I’m pleased that our four leads are all finally sorta-kinda friends, even if our resident chaebols are setting themselves up for heartbreak (until, of course, they realize that their fake dating was just a banter-filled prelude to real dating).

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  • Strongest Deliveryman: Episode 10strongest1000156.jpg

 

It feels redundant to keep declaring that each new episode is my favorite, but every week this show just keeps getting better and better. Kang-soo’s business plan is put into action, and the delivery guys (plus Dan-ah) get their chance to shine. Everything is so pleasant and charming and wonderful that there’s no possible way it can last, but at least a recapper can hope.

 

 

EPISODE 10 RECAP

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Decked out in their suits, Kang-soo and his “Strongest Deliverymen†visit the struggling neighborhood restaurants offering the use of their services for 2,000 won each delivery, instead of having to pay a monthly rate for a dedicated delivery guy. At each restaurant that agrees to work with them, Kang-soo puts up a little decal showing the restaurant is affiliated with “Strongest Deliveryman.â€

Of course Grandma agrees to work with Strongest Deliveryman (henceforth SD for short), although the guys hilariously and awkwardly run way when Grandma says that starting tomorrow, she’ll be paying them for their services. Aw, I guess they still want to help Grandma without causing her any hardship.

 

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Soon-ae and Chef Jang tell Dan-ah she’s fired. Lucky Noodles has also become affiliated with Kang-soo’s company, at a discount of 1,000 won since Chef Jang has allowed the guys to use one of the storerooms as the SD office.

Kang-soo hands over his business card, telling Dan-ah that he’s looking for new delivery drivers. She stands up to kick him in the shins, but the other delivery guys surround and protect their new and beloved CEO. Dan-ah yells at the guys to get out, but Chef Jang says that she’s the one who should leave — after all, she no longer works there.

 

=== Read more: http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/09/strongest-deliveryman-episode-10/

 

 

COMMENTS

If this show hadn’t already taught me that it moves from plot-point to plot-point in the blink of an eye, I might be feeling disappointed that yet againKang-soo will be blaming Jin-gyu for something that isn’t directly Jin-gyu’s fault. There’s still a chance it could go that way, but I’m really hoping that the “it’s not personal, it’s just business†camaraderie between them will survive this next hurdle. I want somehow for everyone to win. It may not be realistic (or “capitalistic,†as Jin-gyu might say), but this is a feel-good drama — I need the happy ending! Surely there’s a way for Jin-gyu to prove himself worthwhile to Hye-ran, while also allowing the neighborhood restaurants to continue to thrive as best they can. He’s been doing so well with coming up with ideas for the restaurant — maybe he’ll be able to think outside the box and find a working solution (with the help of Kang-soo, of course).

Then again, I could totally see Hye-ran making an effort to “invest†in Kang-soo’s company with the result that she somehow forces everyone to stop making deliveries — or only deliver for Jung Family. Not that I think Kang-soo would allow that to happen, but Hye-ran is a shrewd business woman. I’m sure she could see the potential for SD’s growth, if she wasn’t so focused on her own empire.

But enough business talk! Let’s focus on the important things, like how cute everyone is. I keep holding my breath, wondering when the angst is going to kick in again, but I love how real and relatable everyone is in their relationships. It’s so much fun watching Ji-yoon slowly realize that Jin-gyu is becoming important to her, and how easily they can discuss their problems with each other. Those lunch-time bench “dates†may seem trivial, but it’s probably bringing them closer than a month’s worth of official Sunday dates ever could. I hope the banter never stops, though, since I think one of Ji-yoon’s and Jin-gyu’s strengths is that they’re equally matched when it comes to teasing each other. There’s no uncomfortable power imbalance between them, and they both have thick enough skin to not take each other too seriously (although they also have paper thin skin, at least where it matters).

 

The same holds true for Kang-soo and Dan-ah. I love that they’re equally matched, and that their strengths and weaknesses balance each other out. Dan-ah can stubbornly insist she’s fine on her own all she wants, but Kang-soo will continue to pop-up (with that adorable grin!) and remind her that teamwork is pretty awesome. In the same way, Dan-ah keeps the idealistic Kang-soo grounded. Maybe knocking him out wasn’t the best way to make sure he got some sleep, but she also knows that he can be too generous and needs take care of himself, too.

Then again, when they both know that there’s only about 200 days left for them to be together, why waste precious time sleeping? There’s just something so wonderful about the way Kang-soo calmly accepts that Dan-ah will leave — I never get the feeling he’s trying to manipulate her into rethinking her decision to move away, even if he wishes she could stay. He’s just being himself, wanting to enjoy what time they have, even when it’s working side-by-side. I don’t know if I’ve been watching all the wrong dramas, but it’s refreshing to see potential Big Misunderstandings over Small Incidents become quickly diffused when both parties are honest and admit that their knee-jerk reactions are kind of stupid. That’s not to say those knee-jerk reactions aren’t valid (hey, who would want the guy they’re dating to suddenly have some new girl fawning all over him?), but the instinctive fears and suspicions aren’t allowed to linger longer than necessary.

All the relationships, despite some trope-filled beginnings (chaebol double-fake dating is maybe still my favorite thing), feel so grounded that for once I don’t question how long each couple could last (even knowing that Dan-ah’s determined to break things off in a few months). Which is a far cry, I know, from my bewildered “wait, what, how?†puzzlement just a few weeks ago, when I wasn’t sure how believable Dan-ah and Kang-soo’s love-line would be. But now I’ve seen the light — or at least the adorable cuteness — and I can’t imagine it any other way.

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  • Strongest Deliveryman: Episode 11strongdelivery1100261.jpg

 

Just as the momentum picks up for our Strongest Deliveryman team, Jin-gyu’s own goal gets crushed under the heels of relentless capitalist drive. Kang-soo finally finds closure in the search for his mother, but it doesn’t play out as he expected, and Dan-ah starts to realize that there’s more to Kang-soo than just affable kindness as he begins to open up to her.

 

 

EPISODE 11 RECAP

The delivery crew and Jin-gyu watch as Grandma leaves her restaurant and the eviction movers drag out her belongings, per court order. Kang-soo wants to blame Jing-gyu for this, but he registers the genuine shock apparent on Jin-gyu’s face.

Jin-gyu goes running off, while all Kang-soo can do is pick up the fliers for the restaurant that an eviction mover has dropped on the ground. Dan-ah and the others soon crouch to help.

 

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Jin-gyu’s destination was CEO Jung’s office, and he confronts Hye-ran on her efforts to shut down Hanyang. Hye-ran glows with pride while she admits her involvement, though she is surprised that Jin-gyu isn’t thanking her, since she did everything to help him become director. Jin-gyu insists that he wanted to win by his own merit, but Hye-ran scoffs that beating Hanyang was never the big win, just a small pebble on the road to the main goal.

Jin-gyu won’t let it go though. He tells Hye-ran that for him, beating Hanyang fairly and ensuring the Jung Family restaurant’s success was his path to being reborn a new man. But Hye-ran reveals that the Jung Family restaurants would have succeeded with or without him.

Jin-gyu demands to know why CEO Jung would go to all the trouble with him then, and Hye-ran confirms her master plan: to restore Jin-gyu as the second heir to the Ohsung Group, and then marry her daughter into the successful family to help her own company rise in prestige. Hye-ran calls Jin-gyu stupid for not realizing her ulterior motives sooner and declares that with the obstacles out of the way, she’ll name him director tomorrow.

 

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Meanwhile, Gong-gi suggests that Jin-gyu could be only acting shocked and gives his own over-the-top dramatic performance of acting surprised, but no one really believes that Jin-gyu is responsible.

Instead, they all wonder at how fast it all seemed to happen, realizing that Grandma must have known for a while and kept it from them to prevent them from either doing something stupid or giving up. Even so, Kang-soo declares that he’s going to find Grandma and convince her to keep trying, and Dan-ah hangs her head in frustration at the typical Kang-soo righteous reaction as he marches out.

Meanwhile, Grandma meets with Soon-ae, and she asks Soon-ae to deliver the envelopes she prepared in the last episode for the deliverymen. Soon-ae asks Grandma not to leave and just join them at Lucky Noodles, but Grandma insists everyone forget about Hanyang and focus on their own businesses, Kang-soo included.

 

Read more: http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/09/strongest-deliveryman-episode-11/

 

COMMENTS

knew that sleepy bank employee would make a reappearance! And now that he has, I’m placing my bets that he’s going to somehow help out all the small businesses, all thanks to that second bowl of soup Kang-soo brought him.

Okay, but on to the more important takeaways from this episode. There were some big highs and lows for both Kang-soo and Jin-gyu. They both had big confrontations with mother figures in their lives, and they both also got a chance to open up and get closer to their respective leading ladies. But while Kang-soo feels the support of his found family lifting him up by the end, Jin-gyu’s going to need some extra help to prove to him that his life is still worth it.

Even though pitiful Jin-gyu is pretty sad to watch, I love that the show keeps bringing him back to the bridge and river for his moments of “death†and “rebirth.†I’m hoping that we can avoid another leap from the bridge, and that this time, Ji-yoon will help badger him back to a new life. And this new life can be dedicated to the people who have stuck with him no matter what.

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Jin-gyu and Ji-yoon are adorable when they banter, but it’s absolute magic when the two are enjoying each other’s company. They both have gazillion megawatt smiles that light up their whole faces when they laugh, and it felt like a really special moment to see them flashing them at each other during their date. I suspect it’s going to take until at least the end of next episode to get them back to this place, but I think it’s going to be worth the wait.

After watching Kang-soo so easily and good-naturedly forgive others so many times up until now, the sting was especially painful when he’s unable to even hear his mother out. Kang-soo had been saving up his anger for a long time, and his plan never considered that his found family might be related to his real one. His trust and concern for Hyun-soo may be the only bridge that can bring the two to an understanding, but I’m not sure how quickly that’s going to happen.

But now with his mission kind of resolved and his constant moving officially at an end, Kang-soo really gets a chance to settle in and open up in ways that he hasn’t before. As stand-offish as Dan-ah has been, she’s there when Kang-soo needs her, and she’s willing to push him when she knows that he needs a little push.

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And even if Kang-soo can’t forgive his mother, his good nature hasn’t been broken. The drunken Dan-ah incident was diffused so quickly, and their warm laughter together on the roof of the English school was all the payoff of making up after a fight without any of the drawn-out drama. Kang-soo looking at her so openly with his dreamy eyes made my heart flutter. Now that both Kang-soo and Dan-ah have left their feelings bare for the other to see, I’m curious who will be the first to admit they don’t want to let each other go when Dan-ah heads to America.

And hooray for the official launch of Strongest Deliveryman! The slogan of the company, “Be a good person,†couldn’t be more perfect. It’s been a long time, but all of Kang-soo’s good deeds are paying off in the end. He’s the exact opposite of everything the Jung Family company represents. They succeed by tearing apart communities, while Strongest Deliveryman is built entirely on bringing together Kang-soo’s giant network of friends. While CEO Jung is feeling the burn of her latest “investment†walking away from the job, it seems unlikely that anyone would abandon Kang-soo, since it’s all built on trust and good will. Let the turf war begin!

 

Edited by FranCella
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  • Strongest Deliveryman: Episode 12Strongest12-01392.jpg

 

It’s all hands on deck for our deliveryman team this hour, and they need to continue to find new ways to succeed against Jung Family Foods in their ongoing turf war. Hell Joseon might be threatening to swallow them whole, but with the camaraderie and support they provide each other, they just might be able to break through and find a way to succeed.

 

 

EPISODE 12 RECAP

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Kang-soo and Hye-ran face off in the middle of the street, and both refuse to yield to the other’s request to move aside. Hye-ran quips that the food Kang-soo delivers hardly qualifies as food before finally backing down to allow the deliverymen to pass.

She tells the rest of the Jung Family employees to return to the store to prepare for lunch, and resolves to get every single customer in the area to eat at their store.The remaining restaurant owners curse out Hye-ran after she leaves, and the only plan they can think of is to partner with Kang-soo and hope that he can save them.

 

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Over the phone, Kang-soo agrees to partner with another store, and we see him and the rest of the Strongest Deliveryman crew travel around the neighborhood to put up their delivery signs at several new affiliate restaurants.

Back at the Jung Family head office, Hye-ran checks the sales figures for their new stores and seems pleased with the results, but elsewhere, Kang-soo’s delivery app ensures the original restaurants still maintain a steady stream of their own customers.

 

=== Read more: http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/09/strongest-deliveryman-episode-12/

 

 

COMMENTS

These two are a cute couple, and Kang-soo is doing his best to break through Dan-ah’s shell with every morsel of his being, but she’s pretty tough to crack. Dan-ah put herself in this position, though, when she decided to date Kang-soo for her remaining days while thinking that she could cut the cord without looking back. Now she’s stuck between two mutually exclusive options: 1) leave Korea as she planned in search of a better life elsewhere, but leave Kang-soo behind, or 2) stay and be with the man she is completely head over heels for, no matter how much she denies it, but be stuck in the Hell Joseon she spent her life trying so diligently to flee.

While I think Kang-soo’s optimism is more of a constant character trait for him than something that ebbs and flows depending on the circumstances, I think he is being a little bit shortsighted when it comes to convincing Dan-ah that the Hell Joseon she is trying to escape from is something that can be overcome without needing to flee. Sure, he did become CEO of his own company, but it’s not as if he is suddenly running a wealthy conglomerate. Dan-ah is trying to escape from a system that keeps the less fortunate down and allows the rich to get richer, and Kang-soo’s success, while promising, doesn’t exactly disprove the notion that Hell Joseon is still acting to maintain this status quo in society.

Even as Kang-soo succeeds, we still see the other less fortunate members of society being taken advantage of by the larger firms, paving the way for the Jung Family to take over the area, and the restaurants that the Jung Family is treading on are absolutely powerless to stop it. The banks side with the richest customers, push the smaller ones out, and we see how hopeless the struggle is over and over again. First Grandma’s store fell, and now the remaining restaurants will be forced to immediately repay their loans, and when they can’t do so because the Jung Family takes so much of their business away, the banks will simply take their buildings away from them, and then the Jung Family succeeds in cornering the market again. It’s a vicious cycle, and one that exemplifies exactly what Dan-ah wants to escape from.

 

 

So for Kang-soo to use his own success to attempt to sway Dan-ah into staying is, I think, a bit disingenuous, and perhaps even selfish (is that a word I can use to describe Kang-soo without breaking the laws of the universe?). I don’t want this to come off as an attack on Kang-soo, because that’s certainly not the intention. It’s okay to be selfish sometimes, and especially for a guy like Kang-soo, who is so virtuous and upstanding in every ounce of his being. He deserves to get something that he wants every once in a while since he spends so much time looking after the needs of others around him, but I think trying to paint himself as someone who overcame Hell Joseon is a strange choice when we know that a large group of those very people who Kang-soo is trying to help are about to go under.

Which is why, I think, it’s more likely that Kang-soo is being disingenuous. He tried his best to woo Dan-ah simply with his own charm (and frankly how can a girl not swoon when this guy is out there doting on her), and when that failed to convince her not to leave the country, he realized that he wanted her to stay and took a new tack to get what he wants. Again, there is nothing wrong with this, and I don’t think it’s too out of character to think that Kang-soo would do something that indicates he isn’t just a pure idealist. He can have nice things too.

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But enough with the serious talk because we need to discuss important matters here, like how adorable Ji-yoon and Jin-gyu are together. I love how their whole dynamic is completely flipped now, with Ji-yoon following Jin-gyu around (well, by proxy at least) and saying cheesy lines like the ones he used to throw at her to display affection, while he now just wants to be left alone but can’t get the thorn out of his side. He may be homeless now, but as Ji-yoon said, there’s definitely enough room for two people to live in her new place (*wink*). Go get him, girl!

I also find the antics of the rest of the Strongest Deliveryman crew to be some of the most enjoyable moments of the show. The Knucklehead Trio are the perfect foil for Gong-gi (who is such a lovable dork in just about every manner), and both Sung-jae and Min-chan balance out the buffoonery of their counterparts with more grounded perspectives, and they strike a great balance between seriousness and comedy throughout. But it’s great to know that when push comes to shove, they’ll be there for their comrades, like Gong-gi was when he fearlessly followed Kang-soo into a den of gangsters (seriously, that’s completely nuts!) to save Dan-ah, Soon-ae, and Chef Jang. If you’re going to try to tackle Hell Joseon, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better group of people to back you up.

 

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Something I wish the writers would work on is the other characters butting in Kang-soo and Dan-ah relationship. Even before they got together everyone around them were literally pushing them close and now they are sticking their noses in like they were they ones in the relationship. I want to see the two of them just by themselves just for one day (which would probably be hard when there are meetings everyday since it's a growing business and even when they get time off the staff is together). (Should this be put under a spoiler?)

 

Also damn Ji-yoon ahmagahplz.png, girl aint playing around.

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Something I wish the writers would work on is the other characters butting in Kang-soo and Dan-ah relationship. Even before they got together everyone around them were literally pushing them close and now they are sticking their noses in like they were they ones in the relationship. I want to see the two of them just by themselves just for one day (which would probably be hard when there are meetings everyday since it's a growing business and even when they get time off the staff is together). (Should this be put under a spoiler?)

 

Also damn Ji-yoon ahmagahplz.png, girl aint playing around.

 

love ur thoughts there, cant wait for the cont. eps tmr hurrplz.png

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  • Strongest Deliveryman: Episode 13strongdelivery13-00230-1.jpg

 

Finally, the optimists are wearing the pessimists down. Dan-ah begins to see hope in her hopeless Hell Joseon, and it’s just in time to help Kang-soo recover his faltering faith in himself. Meanwhile, Jin-gyu seems determined to wallow in his self-pity, but Ji-yoon is equally as determined to have the best second love ever.

 

EPISODE 13 RECAP

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We return to Kang-soo and Dan-ah’s embrace from last week’s episode. Kang-soo asks Dan-ah to stay as the tears pour down Dan-ah’s cheeks, before he leans in and kisses her.

In her room at the retreat, Dan-ah recalls this scene with a mix of emotions. In the other, more crowded boys’ room, Kang-soo is also still up, a wistful smile on his face.

 

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The next morning, Kang-soo finds Dan-ah outside. She asks why he’s smiling at her, and he responds, “Because you’re pretty.†Dan-ah laughs at him, but her smile is appreciative. Their teasing continues lightheartedly, neither mentioning the night before.

Once everyone is awake, they head out, but Min-chan breaks away to go visit his father while he’s home. With Min-chan out of earshot, Gong-gi tells the others that he’s worried that Min-chan’s family will be angry with him for giving up on getting hired by a large company.

 

=== Read more: http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/09/strongest-deliveryman-episode-13/

 

 

 

COMMENTS

Confessions are officially made! Kang-soo has been the one steadily delivering the dreamy eyes at Dan-ah all episode, but it’s Dan-ah who had the courage in the end to confess the full strength of her feelings right when it counted.

Up until this episode, I really wanted Dan-ah to make it to America. While Kang-soo is a great guy, I didn’t want to watch Dan-ah give up on her dream just to stay with him. But the more time we’ve spent with Dan-ah, the more apparent it is that there’s nothing particular in America that she wants—she just wants to not be in South Korea anymore. She blames the country for all of the horrible circumstances and has used America as this stand-in for the solution to all her problems.

And it seems that maybe Dan-ah’s been waiting for someone like Kang-soo to step forward and change her mind, but at the same time, she’s been fearing it, because Kang-soo reflects back to Dan-ah the hope that she had before her aspirations were crushed. Kang-soo is what Dan-ah could have been if she hadn’t felt the need to harden herself against the world. So now, Dan-ah not fleeing to America is more palatable to me. Kang-soo isn’t her great romance that holds her back from her true dreams—he’s the miracle that she’s been looking for all along, some proof that things can be fixed and proof that the wealthy and cruel can’t always win.

 

The shift in Dan-ah is remarkable. I like that the show took its time getting us here, and we’ve spent so much time with Dan-ah’s dour expressions that her smile seemed beyond giant every time she flashed it this episode. I barely recognize Dan-ah in these moments, and it’s for the better.

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The burn of capitalism discussed last week arrived as promised to try to destroy Kang-soo’s dream. Everything was going so well for so long, but it appears that even when all the problems are solved, the big businesses always win. Kang-soo’s faith has always been unwavering when it comes to the strength of his own will, but it wasn’t enough to keep the restaurants afloat. Kang-soo’s power of kindness only works when everyone believes that good things can happen. So it’s a good thing that Dan-ah is now a convert. We’ve just got to get the restaurants back on board. I’m wondering if Jin-gyu might have the ingenious solution they need, once Ji-yoon sends him away to work at SD.

And Jin-gyu and Ji-yoon… man. I knew cohabitation was going to be fun to watch, but I can’t believe how masterfully they were able to keep increasing the aww factor with each shift of the scenes. I thought nothing could be cuter than Ji-yoon rolling Jin-gyu across the floor like a roly-poly bug, but then her playful attacks as they lay next to each other… I don’t understand how Jin-gyu managed to stay cross with her (I guess maybe the whole kidnapping thing).

Some minor character subplots resonated with me, while others really fell flat. Yeon-ji’s dad subplot was the kind of gentle side character expansion that I enjoy in this show. I enjoyed seeing Yeon-ji’s close relationship with her father, and I better understood how she and Dan-ah became friends. In contrast, the impending confrontation between Min-chan and his dad was so non-confrontational that I couldn’t understand why we even bothered, other than to give the guys a chance to run around a baseball field. I’m a little bitter that I bothered to feel some apprehension when there was zero actual conflict.

The two knucklehead boys turning to loan sharks just makes me angry too. Why on earth wouldn’t they think of Kang-soo first? Do we really need to keep the loan sharks around to the final week? I say no, and I hope as we’re getting so close to the end, we get to shed the extraneous non-conflicts and focus in on Kang-soo and Jin-gyu’s amazing bromance as they triumph against The Man.

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  • love changed the title to KBS2 Drama "Strongest Deliveryman" Go Kyung Pyo, Chae Soo Bin & Kim Sunho. *Finale Episodes*

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