When last we left our fated duo, Dean dug deeper into their tragic past while Pharm opted out. Moving forward this becomes a major issue for Pharm.

Even happy times with In and Korn Aren’t

Lately In and Korn have been opening episodes with their tragic sadness and this one is no exception. It’s Christmas. Korn is making promises about the future. It shouldn’t be tragic but we know how it ends. 

Thankfully, right after that, we’re back in the banal world of college exams. Dean waits for Pharm to the delight of Manow and Team. Dean is using Pharm’s house keys and talking to Pharm’s mom on the phone and driving Pharm’s car.  Pharm is overwhelmed but in a cute way.

Christmas for them isn’t so different than In and Korn. They talk about the future, going to the temple for New Year’s, and Pharm meeting Dean’s parents. The hope is that their future isn’t tragic.

It turns out no one knows their extended family

Back home, Pharm talks with his mom. He wants to know how she got Dean’s number. She’s adorable, telling him that she has a spy. She is also the parent of the year, telling him he’s an adult and she trusts him and supports his decisions. 

So many drama parents need to listen to Pharm’s mom.

From her, Pharm learns his uncle owns the condo he’s living in. Also, he has a grandfather he hasn’t seen since he was two. This is very convenient for the story. 

I’ve never been able to escape my extended family, so this bothers me a little. But I know plenty of people who grow up without knowing every grandparent, aunt, uncle, and cousin. Especially if people are living in other countries and there is trauma in the past, like a member who died by suicide, this is very plausible. What feels strange to me here is the casual way it’s mentioned. If it’s not a big deal, why doesn’t Pharm know the condo is owned by his uncle?

Pharm can’t avoid a past that isn’t even his

More sad times with In and Korn. In ties a red thread around Korn’s wrist. Korn thinks this is a bad omen and promises they will be together forever. 😭 Then, abruptly, In sobs against Korn as they walk through the rain. They go back to what I think is their shared condo where they eventually both die.

It’s sometimes hard for me to track where in the timeline of their relationship a flashback is, but this feels close to the end.

In is frantic to know what Korn is thinking. I think In is more afraid of what Korn might decide to do than he is of their parents. Korn says he loves In. In begs him to stay and not leave while sobbing. This deserves at least three crying emojis.  😭😭😭

Pharm can’t take it either. He wakes up hyperventilating. At school, he’s out of it and everyone notices. Dean gets him to admit about the dreams. 

At Pharm’s place, Dean is showering Pharm with hugs and kisses. Then he starts talking about their future home and Pharm is overwhelmed but happy again. It’s always nice to see how Dean warms up, and it’s so interesting that it’s such a reversal of In/Korn. 

Dean brings out food and when Pharm eats it he starts to cry. It’s made by In’s sister, Dean’s grandmother. Dean says he can meet her or not, and Dean will always be there for him. 

Unlike Tharn, Dean and Pharm listen to a monk

(I’m still annoyed at Tharn from The Sign)

First Pharm prepares the food for offerings. There’s a lot of teasing and Pharm shoving coconut in Dean’s mouth to avoid a kiss. We need these moments in between all the heavy ones.

On their way to the temple, they talk about their childhoods. Pharm mentions the uncle and grandfather he doesn’t know. Once in the temple, the monk lays some advice on them. He tells them strength and trust will help them overcome what they are going through together, and that forgiveness is important. The monk knows. People should listen to monks. Tharn.

In the car heading home, Pharm wonders who needs to be forgiven. This scene is a bit weird, not as well shot, and full of VO exposition. I wonder if they added it in later?

We learn Pharm told Dean about the hyperventilating and Dean worried and wanted to stay with him. Dean takes the car in an unexpected direction and Pharm gets quiet. They are in In’s neighborhood.

Family trauma sucks

Even though he drove him out there, Dean offers to take Pharm home. Pharm is ready though, so Dean’s pushing is acceptable. That’s when Dean gives enough clues for Pharm to realize he’s In’s grandnephew. In’s niece is Dean’s mother.

Pharm starts breathing heavily and Dean hugs him. I can appreciate that Pharm is the type who needs gentle pushing, but this is a lot to lay on a person. He reminds Pharm that he’s Pharm but he’s here because of In.

It’s so interesting how closely related they are to their past lives. It’s a great way to illustrate the long-lasting effects of family trauma. The fight was between In and his dad, but In’s sister became collateral damage.

We can see this in how hard she cries when she meets Pharm/In. In has been gone for decades, but it still hurts her terribly. 

(It might also have helped if Dean had given her a warning. Really Dean.)

Grandma is The Best, Dean’s siblings are The Worst

I love how casually Pharm and Dean’s grandmother accept their strange connection. Family trauma sucks, but families can be great too. Despite Pharm’s hesitance to meet her, he never rejected the existence of their relationship. There’s something loving about how they don’t even question it.

At the same time, they don’t say anything about it in front of Dean’s siblings when they show up. It seems to be an unspoken agreement to keep it between the three of them. Honestly, it’s a lot to lay on people who aren’t directly involved.

And Dean’s siblings don’t deserve to know anyway, because they start making raunchy jokes about Dean and Pharm. Not in front of Grandma! Better yet, not at all.

But Dean’s siblings reveal that Dean is taking Pharm on a swim team trip.

It’s about time for a break anyway

While all this has been going on, Win and Team have been kissing under the mistletoe and flirting. They’ve provided some much-needed escape from the intensity of everything else. (And more of them can be found in Between Us.)

Now the couples are together, with the rest of the swim team, on a trip. Pharm feeds Dean fruit and tries to help Win get Team to feed him (it doesn’t work). They go to the River Kwai, which I know from the famous film (though it wasn’t filmed there). 

Pharm is enjoying himself so much that they start talking about future trips. Dean suggests meeting Pharm’s mom in the States.

Things are going so well that it’s time for more In and Korn. But we just see a kiss and then we’re out!