The wise grandma gets her picture featured today! I love her moments with Joon Young. While her words come off as sharp, they are masked with love and support. Her initial intention might be the book but it’s clear she has warmed up to the girl’s optimism and back-talking.

After hearing Joon Young’s confession, Jae Ha doesn’t reply nor reject, and just leaves the storage house. I think this song “Did You Forget” by Lee Seung Chul is wrongly played, again. It’s not like they have that many unforgettable scenes together yet… Do Yoon arrives with his tofu box and sees Joon Young’s tears. He thinks it through, afraid of getting emotionally involved, and turns around.

But he’s pulled into another party with the kitchen staff. While the fragile Shin Young throws some moves at Do Yoon, we see awkward glances being passed back and forth between Head Chef Im Do Shik and the Leader Ajuhmma, Boo Joo.

Not used to the noisy environment, Do Yoon heads back to the kitchen and finds Joon Young, still dropping tears (OMGosh! Girl!?). He offers to cook ramen but she warns him not to mess with her today.

Do Yoon slurps down some noodles and looks up to give her a playful caution, “It’s not a good thing to fight over someone else’s man, just like how you’re drooling over my ramen!” Then he confesses that he knows the culprit who pulled the plug and this gets Joon Young’s attention, however, it’s another joke which ruffles her last nerve and she dumps the bowl of noodles on his head. Ah!!! That is mean Joon Young. You’re wasting food! 50 points deduction from you lady.

Baek Sul is stalking Do Yoon but he’s nowhere to be found so she offers a ride to Joon Young instead. From a distance, Doo Hee and In Joo witness the exchange. In Joo takes this opportunity to plant seed of doubts into her mother….weee~

In the car, Baek Sul expresses interests in Joon Young and asks for her number. A date with the elder? You can’t really reject. She asks her assistant to do a background check on Joon Young.

She returns home to find her best friend, Da Eun (Woon?), huddles into a corner with all the lights off. They’re hiding from the landlady.

In Joo surprises Jae Ha with a visit and claims a promise from him: “I, Choi Jae Ha, will always be by Ha In Joo’s side.” And also a kiss. She’s keener than he thinks though and picks up on his discomfort.

On her day off, Joon Young cleans up the kitchen and re-enacts the scene when Doo Hee is cooking. In Joo watches the similar demeanor, frightened, and tells Joon Young no one is allowed in the kitchen on resting day. Outside Joon Young meets Grandma, and they exchange their usual bantering.

Do Yoon sees Joon Young and bothers her for an apology about last night’s ramen incident but she catches him off guard with a question, “Do you like me?”

Just when she thinks she succeeds in embarrassing him, he throws his arms around her shoulder, hugging her tight like a bear that he is. She’s flustered and quickly apologizes for her wrongdoing. hehe So cute!!

The mood is quickly dampened when Jae Ha arrives at work. Literally!

Having found out more about Joon Young’s connection with Lee Chun Hee (Grandpa) and Lee Cho Hee (Grandpa’s wife), Bael Sul calls her out for their dinner date.

Elsewhere, Doo Hee is talking to a higher up person regarding a temporary co-decision system, on the reason that Arirang has been losing income these past few years. But Doo Hee stakes her claim – Arirang is built to preserve tradition and respect, not to generate profit! But alas, the decision is not in her hands.

Doo Hee heads straight to the pot of problems – Baek Sul’s cooking studio and to her shock, finds Joon Young cooking with her. Baek Sul can’t stop praising Joon Young over In Joo and Doo Hee eliminates Joon Young on the spot. Joon Young hurries after to explain.

At Arirang, In Joo worries about Doo Hee’s health, the new co-decision system must have startled her. Joon Young joins them but Doo Hee coldly brushes her off by saying they have no relation anymore, but Baek Sul loudly claims, “Why not? I just reinstated this child as a potential candidate!”

Not to be left out from the tea party, Grandma joins the underlings with her “tskk …tskkk” expression and suggests a fair competition between Joon Young and In Joo by having them continuing the competition the older ladies couldn’t finish years ago (Main ingredient: Tofu!). If Joon Young wins, Doo Hee has to accept her officially as a candidate to the seat of Arirang. If In Joo wins, Joon Young will leave the place.

Do Yoon visits his brother’s altar, and brings some toys along with him (They were twins?!). For the first time ever, we see his full, charming smile. Oh em gee boy, a toothpaste CF is coming your way darling!

Joon Young eats chicken with Grandma and tries to pry some encouragement but Grandma thinks the chance of getting hit by lightning is higher than her winning. Jae Ha enters and requests that grandma stop the competition. He wonders why she’s always trying to embarrass In Joo? Joon Young promises to do well and not shame his girlfriend. Grandma smells something fishy between these two.

While In Joo practices at home with Jae Ha, Joon Young goes and buys a cart of tofu, meeting Do Yoon with his cart of expensive food. She asks for money but he says he won’t lend money to strangers. heh. Petty but I like it!

Grandma has decided to publicize the Heavenly Books to Doo Hee’s dismay. She finally reveals to her apprentice that Baek Sul’s copy is a fake, and the real one is with Joon Young. Even if one were to look at the book, it’s impossible to make the sauce. Whatttt? Then what is this book for? Grandma then shows Doo Hee the sauce Joon Young made without knowledge of the first book. She did it. Doo Hee refuses to believe that Joon Young, an amateur, could remake the golden sauce that she couldn’t for the past ten years. Impossible!

Grandma tells Doo Hee her pride is going to pull down Arirang if she stubbornly believes that her decision is always right. YAY! Grandma is the bomb!

Joon Young asks permission from Head Chef and practices her dishes in there. Doo Hee comes and insists that Grandma is wrong. In her rush to leave, Joon Young smacks her tofu dish onto the floor. Jae Ha happens to come by and helps her.

Again….we see her teary eyes. But Jae Ha quickly sets her straight, “Don’t feel touched. I would do the same thing for any other person.” She says she gets it…are you sure lady? Because I think you have installed a hose behind those puppy eyes. What’s with the tears every single time Jae Ha appears? And that SONG! Stop playing already!

Skip Exercise Scene, although very cute.

In the kitchen, everyone takes turn ordering Joon Young around until Head Chef Im Do Shik can’t stand it anymore and tells her to haul her butt over to the practice room. She does so but is accused by In Joo of peeking at her dishes. So she gets kicked out from there too. Tskk tskk.

Don’t fret because Baek Sul calls her over and have Sanara’s head chef gives her a few pointers.

Do Yoon receives an alarming call – his brother’s altar has been moved. He flies over to mom, who is happily chatting with Joon Young. She is excused, and Do Yoon grabs his mother by the shoulder shouting, “Where’s my hyung! Give him back to me!” All this while, Baek Sul remains calm, she will if he moves back home.

Waiting outside by the car, Joon Young asks for a ride back but Do Yoon snatches her books, which she received as presents from Baek Sul, and dumps them into the trash bin. He asks what is their relationship and Joon Young replies, “She is someone who has confidence in my cooking when no one does!” Do Yoon: “That’s why she’s a bad person!” Oouchhhhhh. Dang, why are these two taking turns being mean?

Jae Ha is introducing famous chefs who attended the Korean Cooking Festival last year. An interesting picture comes up of a masked chef named Haemil. Oh Do Yoon, you’re so apparent! haha!

The ajuhmma’s son (the mole) fainted in school and she needs to head off. Joon Young volunteers to help but she’s engrossed in her reading that the pot overflows. Doo Hee arrives and shouts for her to stop scooping, the tofu can’t be used anymore. She’s about to scream some more but relents upon seeing Joon Young’s red hands.

In Joo comes in and her mother leaves in a huff. She thinks Joon Young should just quit but the latter refuses to back down. This competition is sooo ON!

Doo Hee returns to her room and finally tastes the gold sauce that Joon Young made. Tears fall promptly as realization sinks deeper and deeper. Yea, the tide has changed, mama.

As expected, Joon Young is going to use the messed up tofu for her competition tomorrow. As she leaves, a drunk Do Yoon approaches and falls on her shoulder mumbling, “I’m sorry…I’m sorry…hyung.”

Jae Ha gets out of his car and locks eyes with Joon Young. Move on peeps! He goes drinking too and confesses to his friend about a girl who shouldn’t matter is shaking his feelings (he lies at first saying it’s a friend’s problem but even a blind person can see through this century-old trick!)

Competition Day! Finally!

Joon Young’s request to use the messed up tofu is approved and we move along!

Have a look at their process:

Before the kitchen workers are called in to vote, Doo Hee switches the name tag on the table in order to eliminate bias opinion. And I’m thinking, wouldn’t it be better a double blind voting?

The results? Only two people, Daniel and a female worker, stand on In Joo’s side. The rest likes Joon Young’s rice balls, without knowing it’s Joon Young who made it.

Throughout the whole thing, In Joo looks stoned.

Doo Hee takes Joon Young into her office and formally hands her the uniform and the necklace (gahh!) to be trained as Arirang’s successor.

Outside, the two ladies have a stare-off.

Alice: I guess Joon Young’s natural talent that the synopsis speaks of is her ability to remake dishes (even without the recipe)? Not bad. It’s like Takgu’s dog nose! 😀 And now I’m having dreams of her and Do Yoon taking over the place with their skills. Yes, Miccss! I’m looking at you dear! 😛

Man, now that I know who Haemil is, I’m more interested to see his dishes and what web he is spinning. Wouldn’t it be exciting having him AGAINST Joon Young? He is definitely the wild card that may wander into dark places of his heart before redeeming himself in the end.

I hope the plot picks up from here and steers clear of competitions for a while. There are 24 episodes left and I’m not sure where the writers are leading us, which is both good (unpredictable?) and bad (no clear focus?). Still, here I hope it’s a suspenseful ride nonetheless.