Wow. It's been a while and it felt so good watching You Raise Me Up  again! Viki had some copyright issues so the first two episodes got...

You Raise Me Up Episodes 3 and 4 Recap and Review

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Wow. It's been a while and it felt so good watching You Raise Me Up again! Viki had some copyright issues so the first two episodes got taken down for editing and only got put back up last Friday with episodes 3 and 4. The pilot really got me so hyped and excited for what's to come next so just imagine the blue balls it gave me when they didn't come out. ;A;

Anyway, we continued what we left off last time with Yong-shik about to jump off the roof and Roo-da trying to stop him. She, of course, was offering to help him because of her darn bet with Ji-hyuk. I really hate it because I know it will be a problem later on and will just hurt both of them. Her words seem to be effective though because Yong-shik decided to keep living.

He went downstairs and was greeted by my girl Jennifer aka the best character in this show (Just realized her name actually sounds like "The Prettiest" in Korean 제니퍼 - 젤 이뻐 - Jel-ee-ppeo). I didn't get to talk about her in my last review but she's so awesome! She's a fortuneteller who's been friends with Yong-shik for a long time. She used to be Kim Myung-ja but with her transition, she is now Jennifer. She's basically the only person who stuck with Yong-shik all this time. She said she came because she can't have her friend hanging between life and death. She comforted Yong-shik and even left him with one of the best lines I've heard in a kdrama: "If you look at your fortune, you'll know you'll live until your old age. In that long life you're going to live, don't you think at least one of those days will be good?" I'm not crying, you are! That's so comforting. She said it to Yong-shik but I felt comforted by her words too.

Yong-shik really made me cry when he revealed the reason why he didn't jump. He said that all this time, he's been desperately wanting to hear someone tell him that he can do it. He himself is hopeless but hearing Roo-da tell him he can do it, he just couldn't bring himself to jump off. This really hit hard. I feel like sometimes, all we need is one person to truly believe in us. A few words is enough to keep us going. It reminded me of one poem that really left an impression on me called "The Most Powerful Words in the World" by Kim Ae-ran. I'll put it on the end of this post.

Roo-da went home to her sister and told her what happened. I'm so glad her sister Roo-ri has her senses intact. She told Roo-da that she shouldn't use Yong-shik just so she can keep her pride against Ji-Hyuk. Roo-da still thinks she's doing the right thing since she'll treat his erectile dysfunction anyway.

It's easier said than done though as we saw the next day. Even the stimulator chair can't make Yong-shik's junior stand up. She told him not to feel awkward since they're in a hospital and she's a doctor there, not his friend. Funny because she kept using informal speech with him. Maybe if she wanted to keep it professional, she should start by using formal speech. Roo-da went for a visit to Yong-shik's pink place and changed his whole lifestyle. Junk food, pink shirts, and skinny jeans all get put in the trash. She took him to the swimming pool for some exercise. According to her, it's the best exercise to treat his illness. It's crazy how subbing this drama made me research testicular metabolism. Like I thought that's for stomachs?! Anyway, they meet jerk classmate Tae-jin there and he started trash talking Yong-shik. Roo-da came to serve Tae-jin some truth pie and it was awesome! How I wish Yong-shik was the one who did it. He obviously wasn't ready because he still thought of himself as pathetic after that encounter.

Roo-da then realized that maybe the way to cure Yong-shik is for him to face his trauma and overcome it that way. She got Yong-shik out to buy him a new outfit only to go to a massage parlor. She said it's part of the treatment. I was as confused as Yong-shik but soon understood what she meant. Yong-shik's ex-girlfriend Hee-jin is the massage therapist she booked.

This honestly made me so mad. She didn't even say anything to Yong-shik so he was surprised when they met again. Roo-da just had to make everything uncomfortable by pretending she's Yong-shik's girlfriend. She brags about his vitality and even talks about how the girl is the one to blame when the man can't go on all night. I just wanted to drag her out of there! I was so sure Yong-shik will get mad once they're alone since he stayed silent during the session. He deserved that. She obviously crossed the line. However, Yong-shik took it so maturely. He talked to Hee-jin and told her how grateful he was that she stuck with him for a long time despite him being such a loser. Instead of making it all awkward, he took this as an opportunity to give himself and Hee-jin closure. It was a painful memory but he loved her and their relationship was beautiful before it ended.

Ahhhh... Roo-da realized how immature her plan was. Yong-shik told her she did too much this time. She shouldn't have done this. For Roo-da who always puts her pride above everything, this was a punch to the gut. This man right here, who everyone sees as a defective human being, was being more humane than her uppity self. She did sit on it though and was even thinking about it as she went back to the hospital. There, she met Ji-Hyuk in the elevator. Surprisingly, she voiced out her thoughts and asked if they really loved each other when they were still dating. All they did during that year and a half was to try and win against the other. Was that really love?

It also got Ji-Hyuk thinking and we see how they first met and started dating years after. It was a cute sequence. I actually wanted the two of them to patch it up and have a healthier relationship this time around. They first met as university students and they seemed to have kept in touch since then. They ended up dating while Ji-Hyuk was comforting Roo-da from her break up.

Roo-da did have a conscience because she went to Yong-shik the next day to apologize. Yong-shik accepted it and even said he was also quite sensitive then. He thanked her for believing in him and promised to put in all his effort so as not to waste her hard work. This will so going to bite her back later when he finds out why she decided to help him.

They got back to treatment and Roo-da succumbed to her sunbae's "advice": A new woman to make it stand up. She took it upon herself to invite Yong-shik and seduce him in her house. Yong-shik arrived there thinking he's only going to fix a light bulb for her. Her plan got spoiled because Yong-shik fixed her lights faster than she could remove her robe though. They still ended up stuck to each other somehow but it was more wholesome than what she imagined. They reminisced about their goodbye before she left to study abroad. Roo-da said he didn't change. He's still the same cool Yong-shik she knew.

The power of words took full effect because Yong-shik went home giddy from what Roo-da said. We got a funny scene of him looking at the mirror, ready to cut his hair with pink scissors, only to stop and decide to go to the hair salon instead. Lol. He got a haircut and transformed to this omg handsome guy. It's not just the hair though because now he's also wearing a smile and he straightened his back. Ji-Hyuk was also out and about buying a bouquet of flower for Roo-da. He seemed to be preparing to get back with her.

At the front of the hospital, a motorcycle was about to hit Roo-da but Ji-Hyuk pushed her out of the way. This lead to him fracturing an arm. He told her about his thoughts at the ER and suggested that they start over again. We didn't get to see her answer but judging by their conversation later, she probably agreed. Ji-Hyuk asked her to transfer Yong-shik's case to Director Jang since they're not betting anymore. He asked if she's being hesitant because Yong-shik's her first love. She strongly disagreed. She's not going to start anything with a man like that. Dang, girl.

Of course, Yong-shik heard this and now his heart is all broken. Nothing hurts more than someone lifting you up only to drag you back down to the ground again. He ran back home and cried on a corner. This hurts so much. I cannot. Why does Yoon Shi-yoon have to be such a good actor?! It's breaking my heart! He went out running and headed to the urology clinic. He burst in with a new determination. Since Roo-da claimed she'll fix his dysfunction, she should keep her promise. "Fix me!", he demanded.

---

Ahhhhh it feels so good to watch this again! I didn't expect it to hold this much space in my heart but I was checking viki everyday to see if it's back up. Based on how many hours I spent doing subtitles for this show, I can officially say that I love it!

We saw quite a lot of flashbacks in these two episodes. I didn't mention these above but Roo-da thought about Yong-shik of the past quite a lot. He's a really nice and righteous guy. One time, he even pretended to know another student just to comfort said kid's grandma. Her grandson was ashamed she brought kimchi to share with his class instead of the usual ice cream and hamburgers. Yong-shik ate the kimchi and claimed the grandson brags about grandma's food all the time. I mean, who won't fall for a guy like that? I've already implanted him in my memory as my first love.

Through Roo-da's memories, we also found out that an accident happened and it somehow broke them apart. She had to go abroad to study because her dad got so rattled by that accident. It appeared like something fell on them while they were going home after a movie. Yong-shik also have multiple huge scars on his back. I think Yong-shik protected her and she got hurt. It might be like how he covered her when the light fixture fell down. That seems so trivial though considering how the accident had a real impact on both of them. We'll probably find out more in the next episodes so I won't be hasty with my assumptions.

It's a nice day even thought the air purifier is red due to the high level of fine dust lol

Seeing Yong-shik go through the roller coaster of emotions was so hard on me. He started the week almost jumping off the roof then his first love saved him. He gained confidence again but said first love actually decided to help him because of her stupid pride. I thought we will end the episode with him being back to feeling down in the dumps but that last scene was actually empowering. He cried and grieved but he pulled himself up. Now that everything's out in the open, we can just focus on the main problem: his erectile dysfunction.

I didn't like how Roo-da started all this. Even her sister Roo-ri thought she was being dumb for doing so. However, I don't think she was faking her concern. As the days passed, she started seeing the real Yong-shik, past the erectile dysfunction and the loser status. Yong-shik is still the guy she fell in love with in high school. He's still a good guy. He just needs a little bit of a push. It's too bad that people had to get hurt but now they can just be truthful to each other and work towards a common goal.

Speaking of that, I actually hope Ji-Hyuk would genuinely join the team. He doesn't seem so bad in these two episodes. I guess you start to become like this when the people around you are always so judgmental and are pushing their standards on you. He let his feelings out and even admitted to feeling inferior towards Roo-da. That's big coming from him. I do feel bad for Yong-shik because he seems to be having feelings for Roo-da again but I do wish these two can get back together. Maybe Yong-shik can get back with Hee-jin. She's a nice woman. I think she really was having a hard time too back then and just couldn't handle it anymore. She didn't even erase his number after all these years (unless they exchanged numbers after the massage fiasco).

In conclusion, these two episodes made me feel the power of words. It can change your perspective in life. Tell your co-worker she looked beautiful today. Say hi to a person at the bus stop. Hug a family member. These are small things but might even save a life. Likewise, we should be careful with our words. A professor once told us words are like toothpaste. You can't put it back in the tube once you've squeezed it out. Always be mindful of what you say.

What did you think of these episodes? How did you survive waiting? Let me know your thoughts and let's talk about this awesome drama! I'll see you when the next episodes come out! Stay safe everyone~

세상에서 가장 힘센 말|
김애란

세상에서 가장 힘센 말을 아시나요?

사막 한가운데를 걸어가다가
더 이상 한 발짝도 내딛기 힘들 때

올라타면 지친 나를 태우고 터벅터벅
낙타처럼 끈기 있게 걸어가는 말

외롭고 추운 눈밭에서도
나를 떨어뜨리지 않고 터벅터벅

소처럼 묵묵히 걸어가는 말

아무리 추울때도 체온이 내려가지 않아
그 말 등에 타기만 하면
핫팩을 백 개는 가진 것 같은

내겐 그런 말이 있는데요
나는 가끔씩 그 말에 올라타요

학교를 그만둔 날
엄마가 내게 해 준
괜찮다는 말

Translations by me:

The Most Powerful Words in the World
by Kim Ae-ran

Do you know what the most powerful words are in the world?

While walking in the middle of a desert
and I can't take another step forward,
they're the words that are like the camel
that carries my exhausted body on its back

On the lonely and cold field of snow,
they're the words that are like the cow
that quietly walks without dropping me

No matter how cold it gets, the temperature never drops
If I ride on the back of those words,
it feels like I have a hundred hot packs

I have words like that
Sometimes, I ride on those words

The day I quit school,
The words my mom said to me
"It's okay"

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