In the first two episodes, we meet our confident, complicated female lead Yuri, and our adorable giant puppy of a male lead Tae-Oh. So let’s get to it!
We can blame everything on a boat crash and/or a children’s book
We start with a woman reading a story in Korean to a small child. The story is about a woman who can hear thoughts and helps animals.
Incidentally, Yuri can hear the thoughts of anyone she locks eyes with. She’s had this ability since she nearly drowned trying to save sea otters. Unfortunately, her father was paralyzed rescuing her. Thankfully, she can hear his thoughts. She also uses this ability as the CEO of a chocolate company, helping both customers and coworkers.
Later it’s pointed out that she’s very in tune with others, not so in tune with herself. This is very true.
We first meet Tae-Oh blowing bubbles off his building roof. Yuri first meets him through the notes he leaves in her food delivery. Perhaps because he draws a picture of a sea otter on them, perhaps because he makes good food recommendations, she writes him back.
Yes, their first meeting involves slow-motion skinship and staring
Their notes-only relationship ends dramatically when Tae-Oh cancels a delivery. A hangry Yuri is forced to leave her home in the rain for food and literally runs into Tae-Oh. He catches her and then pours water on her.
Yuri quickly realizes that while he speaks Japanese, he thinks in Korean. She can lock eyes and hear his thoughts, but she can’t understand Korean.
Hangry Yuri is intimidating, so Tae-Oh runs to his nearby home to grab some sundubu he’s made. She hesitates to eat food from a stranger, but he demonstrates it’s not poisonous before leaving her with it.
As she savors it, she remembers a conversation with her dad after her mom died, about how things can be bitter or sweet depending on how you spin it. This is a theme.
Tae-Oh is A Lot (of adorable)
Besides delivering food and speaking charming Korean-accented Japanese (his “dozo” sounds like “dojo”), he’s a student working in a science lab. He’s excited Yuri is the first person who has ever replied to him, but he’s also scared of her. Scared enough that when she brings him a thank-you gift, he hides behind his bike.
He’s excited about her eco-friendly soap gift because he can use it to make eco-friendly bubbles. He drags her to the roof to show her. They bond over concern for the planet. Then he drags her to his place to feed her.
Now she’s scared, but hunger wins and she eats the japchae. She’s charmed by him being just so adorable and he’s charmed by her enthusiasm for food.
Sea Otters, Translation, and Budding Love
While at his place, Yuri discovers his love for sea otters. They’re an endangered species and he’s researching them. He likes them because he likes them. Tae-Oh does not overthink his feelings, which both Yuri and I appreciate.
Tae-Oh asks her to explain some words she’s used and words he’s heard and she puts a positive spin on them. When Tae-Oh learns from a lab mate that these words really have a negative connotation, he’s completely charmed by her spin on them. Biter and sweet, right?
Yuri updates her delivery app so that he can hand off food and flirt in person. Alas, his delivery days are nearly over but he doesn’t want that to end their relationship. He sees her and drags her up to the roof to blow leaves and create a skinship-ready atmosphere. Then he falls on her.
Perhaps because she’s, er, falling for him, Yuri avoids his eyes. When she accidentally hears his thoughts she runs, probably afraid because she can’t understand them. He confesses to empty air that he likes her. She remembers how her High School boyfriend thought she was scary.
Would you believe she’s his boss at his new job?
Tae-Oh’s new job is as an intern at her company! Her company is environmentally focused so it’s a great fit. Except that this throws Yuri into a panic.
He’s being his open, honest self and that doesn’t help. She’s worried because her co-founder, Hanaoka, is very against mixing work and private life. Hanaoka is handsome, stern, humorless, and has the power to fire her and anyone else.
Tae-Oh tries to explain their relationship but she keeps frantically interrupting to downplay what he says. Hakaoka and everyone else are confused about what’s going on.
After work she wants him to keep his distance, but he isn’t getting it. She puts her hand up like he’s an over-eager dog she’s training. Which, he is, going so far as to run after her as she runs away.
First comes unexpected office relations, then comes unexpected co-habitation
At work, Yuri is so paranoid about Hanaoka that she treats Tae-Oh more formally than other employees. The other employees notice.
When Tae-Oh nearly sets his place on fire and can’t find anywhere to stay, Yuri steps in and helps him. She tells herself it’s just a boss-employee relationship. Then she has hot sexy dreams about him. Subconscious knows.
Perhaps she’s loosening up, perhaps she’s hungry, but she lets Tae-Oh take her to lunch. He gives her a glass sea otter charm, because “yuri” means glass in Korean.
Calming down around him, Yuri learns that his mom has also passed away. He doesn’t know his father but his professor has been like a surrogate father. He’s at Yuri’s company so he can do more hands-on work than just research environmental issues. Unfortunately this new calm and understanding firms her resolve to push him away again so she doesn’t interfere with his goals.
Then comes the potential love triangle
Tae-Oh invites Yuri out to ice cream via text. Yuri is so thrown off by her inability to understand his thoughts that she thinks the internet will help. In typical internet fashion, it tells her that this is a Korean way of making a move on her. She doesn’t answer, but like a loyal puppy, he tracks her down.
When she deters him this time he finally understands that she’s protecting him. Which he finds admirable. He promises to only talk about work at work and call her boss.
Outside of the office though, he wants time with her. He hugs her and whispers in her ear to quickly start to like him. At the same time, we see a sleeping Hanaoka has a picture of Yuri nearby.
Let’s talk about Language and Love
I’m not in love with the subtitling for the Korean, which comes and goes when Tae-Oh is thinking. While not translating them puts us in Yuri’s head, it throws me off when suddenly they start translating.
On the other hand, maybe I should appreciate a lesson in the show’s central theme: It can be really hard to understand each other even when we’re trying really hard.
On that note, I wish my Japanese were stronger so I could understand Tae-Oh’s use of language. I’m sure it adds nuance to the show. Still, he’s shown struggling and confused by words that don’t translate directly. Like one that means both sorry or thank you.
Then there are fun things, like how Yuri’s name means “glass” in Korean when Yuri herself is so like glass.
And it’s not always about the nuances of a single word. Yuri worries about Tae-Oh reading meaning into her giving and gift, and what he could mean by inviting her to ice cream. It seems ridiculous, but I think we’ve all been there.
As far as love, the show is moving at a nice speed. Tae-Oh is so straightforward I don’t think he has a slow setting. He likes sea otters. He likes Yuri. Episode 1 and he’s in. Our scared, wounded Yuri will keep pumping the brake. She’s so closed off that even her closest friends don’t know about her special ability. She’s got a long road to greater happiness.
I’m looking forward to watching her travel that Tae-Oh filled road.
Random Japanese Word of the Episodes
海獺・ラッコ・らっこ・🦦・rakko＝sea otter