Gossamer Wedding Dress
Working-Class Mr. Ahn's Unscheduled Visits to Dr. Yeon's Clinic continues...
Missed Part 1? Start here → PART 1
Warning: this post deals with some heavier psychological topics and dark fictional elements. Everything here is totally fictional.
Running Commentary — Morning Milkshake, continued
Jennie:
XXVI. You Know, It's Ok If You Really Wanna Sleep He's lying, Ahn Suho. (But it's so Suho-like... not forcing it. Ah, my personal experiences keep flowing back like a tide. I was grateful for that. There are days when your condition is really poor... I was grateful when he was considerate.) So delicious... Savoring soup that never gets cold is so delicious.
XXVII. The Two Boys Hibernated Annoyingly happy two puppies!
XXVIII. On Furry Slippers and Shuffled to the Kitchen His social skills have improved and he's become more shameless, but I think Si-eun's characteristic shuffling steps wouldn't have been "corrected." That's also Si-eun-like. Except for communicating with Suho, he'd still probably only have necessary communication with other people...
XXIX. A Gossamer Wedding Dress Right. There are many trees the size of Suho's two-story house near Suho's place. I'll look for some photos. You'll like them. It's Seoul's old downtown area — overall worn and old but charming.
XXX. Even If Suho Drained Him Literally It's a real vacation. No need to take a plane. Suho will always send him to high altitude.
XXXI. Smiled Wryly Oh my gosh... Asuka, this is personal experience, right? (I asked too directly — please forgive my rudeness.) Right. After morning exercise, I was happy but also bitter. That strange bitter-sweet feeling... hahaha.
XXXII. Samgyetang There are actually quite a few places near Suho's house that do Korean food well. There are many Michelin restaurants too. Hot gomtang is good, and doganitang that Suho likes is good too. Both wasted a lot of protein from the morning, so samgyetang would be good. While eating samgyetang, drinking something similar to soju... probably called "gaoliang liquor" Chinese-style. One glass of that together makes your whole body hot. Suho, whose main job is tile and wallpaper work that requires a lot of labour, probably ate often with the "hyungnims" while working. I can picture Suho putting one chicken leg in Si-eun's bowl and eating the other leg while making uncle sounds "euaaa~."
XXXIII. Pretty Sad Huh These two "hopeless" puppies who can make each other happy without anything — looking at their fridge, aren't they just like newlyweds who have nothing but each other and are still the happiest people alive? Hahaha. I think Dr Yeon secretly stocks up before Mr Ahn's visits but deliberately empties the fridge this time so they can go out together.
XXXIV. The Two Sad Eggs The two eggs staring sadly from an empty fridge... Hahaha poor eggs. Also, the "greying steak of unknown age" — this passage is so real. I think most single men living alone would relate.
XXXV. Not That Far. It Was Just in Your Mouth It was a historic moment, the first real sex joke from the innocent lips of Dr Yeon Si-eun. I nearly choked reading this. The evolution of Dr Yeon's social skills is truly something to behold. From the blank-faced potato who didn't even call classmates by their names to this — what a journey.
XXXVI. Years of Baku and Gotak Could Have Laid the Foundation Ah… I wish I could have been there. Too bad I was asleep. He can also talk about the most brutal things without effort and without warning. This is Suho-like too. So casual, so devastating.
XXXVII. You're Always My First Si-eun's father, who made a career of coaching successful jocks, had counted on puberty as the miracle drug that would fix his dull son. But Si-eun had simply transformed into a letdown — not tall, not fast, not strong. He saw it all in his father's face. But with Suho, at last Si-eun felt sufficient. He felt needed and wanted. And then: "You're always my first." I need to sit with this for a while.
XXXVIII. Dragon Ball Z Volume 2 Assistant head of club Juntae would have totally flipped. Si-eun was the head of the club, but his knees had buckled and he sat on the floor, too dazed to protest. Hahaha poor Juntae. Poor Dragon Ball Z Volume 2.
XXXIX. I Used Newton Suho placed his hand on his face and snorted with laughter. Is he serious? Are there really people of such purity? Si-eun was a true saint. Newton would have been so proud. This image of Si-eun furiously reciting Newton's laws to suppress his urges is going to live in my head rent-free forever.
XL. I Am Also Very Happy I Met You, Ahn Suho Suho melted into sunshine. So did I. Reading this line on the train, I definitely scared some passengers.
XLI. Just Not Your Burnt Omelettes And then Suho had to go and say this. Perfectly Suho. The sweetest moment immediately followed by the most annoyingly lovable teasing. These two.
XLII. You Know, If You Had Done as Much as Me But then it clicked in Suho's mind. Sperm Saint here stored it up for 18 years! Maybe that's why he gives more than me every time… Hahaha. The logic is airtight, Suho.
Asuka's Reply — Buddhism, Forgiveness, One Week
Asuka: I am stunned to know the creator of Misaeng had no true experience of corporate life. It is testament to his artistic imagination. It remains one of my favorite ornaments on my K Drama Christmas tree. (The current gold star on the top is WH…)
I've always preferred the fun of figuring out another culture on its own terms. Like how I prefer food made authentically and without being modified for a tourist like me. If it's too spicy, so be it. With films and series, it's kind of like, "I'll try to climb up to your level, please don't come down to mine." But yeah, I get that there are always economic factors to consider, alas.
Ah which Buddhist text I bought from the shelf of Buddhist history? Hahaha I didn't. That day I bought the Song of Achilles instead, not the holiest choice. That said, I do have Buddhist texts and treatises at home. I guess I gravitated to some Buddhist practices for their focusing and calming effects, and to some of their philosophies for their penetrating analyses of things. I'm not sure if Buddhists would say I am Buddhist, but this does not bother me in the slightest, since many Buddhists keep themselves busy by telling other Buddhists they are not Buddhist. Don't idol fans do this too? Saying who is a 'true fan' and who is not. Regardless, I declare myself a Weak Hero fan, whether I fit some true fan's definition or not.
I just saw Jeon Do-yeon as Boksoon, and I remember her in Untold Scandal, from two decades back. A very fine actress, who brings layers even to her John Wickian assassin character. So she could not forgive her child's killer in Mil-Yang? I don't know if I could do it myself.
Buddhists say the act of forgiving a very heavy transgression takes a lot of daily practice. I tend to agree. They start with the letting go of smaller things and then move on to weightier matters.
Would Suho be willing to forgive Beomseok? I do agree with your characterization, that he wouldn't bother with the trouble of it all. But what if Si-eun pleaded with him? This is where it gets grey.
Si-eun himself is probably willing to try forgiving Beomseok, and if he did, he would be likely to succeed. I remember Beomseok apologizing after slapping on the fentanyl patch, and he was coldly rebuffed by Si-eun. But the second time Beomseok tried at dinner, and it looks like Si-eun already forgave him before he even opened his mouth. There is an innocence, a warmth and a vulnerability at the core of Si-eun.
But I don't think deluluverse Mr Ahn spends one second wondering about 'what-if' scenarios with Beomseok. He may not even have blocked Beomseok's contact. He just doesn't give a shit.
And yes, I do think this would really reawaken a dark madness in Beomseok. Beomseok wants to matter. He needs to matter, especially to Suho. But he has to matter on his own terms. And he will kick this acknowledgement into Suho's skull again if need be.
I watched grandmaster Spielberg's AI in the cinema, and the experience has stayed with me for two decades. This 'one week' idea is beautiful, wow. Jennie, you really are a font of inspired interior designs. If Suho grants it to Beomseok, it would be like the arc that gives closure to an old, reformed villain. Such a lovely end-of-season vibe.
Sigh… if they read our deluluverse and decided to illustrate anything from it, I'd love to witness the magic.
Yours, ASL, sustainer of delusion.
Please Translate Any Way You Like
Asuka: Hope you enjoyed the gochu jabchae! I'm very much honored you wish to translate this! Some wordplay (ahem, "how far you've come") is quite English dependent, but please give it a shot (or 16). Or you can rewrite it entirely into more idiomatic Korean if you wish.
Yours, Asuka, lover of peppers.
Who is Jennie? Bricklayer. Local correspondent for the Yeon Clinic deluluverse. A sous chef who checks whether the soup actually tastes like Seoul. A specialist who designs this kitchen to hold more than Suho's coma — philosophy, history, society, culture, stacked one recipe at a time.
Who is Asuka? Head nurse and main chef of the Yeon Clinic. A Scheherazade who sings the Song of Achilles she found shelved next to a book on Zen Buddhist masters. Fluent in several languages, conversant in single malts and the precise emotional damage of Weak Hero Class 1. Signs off as ASL. (Always starch linen.)
This free ebook will ruin you. In the best way. A character analysis of Si-eun, Su-ho and Beom-seok that goes beyond what subtitles can carry. Take it — it's free → DOWNLOAD HERE
This post was originally published on Jennie's blog in the autumn of 2025. The original blog has since moved to Blogger due to hosting changes — welcome to the new home.
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