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What to even say about this episode (51)?
Damn. Just blood everywhere and now Jaekyung will be down for a while if he doesn’t want to be crippled…
Oddly, it seemed like, before that flashback about the spy, Jaekyung just seemed to think Dan messed up. Like, he did trust him and just thought Dan was negligent. Odd that he just now thought of betrayal when we were all certain he would make that assumption immediately. Then, when Dan asked if Jaekyung didn’t trust him, it brought Jaekyung back to his senses but didn’t dispel his anger. It was similar to when he was dropping weight for the US match. He didn’t hate Dan then either, but Dan’s pity made him feel worse and he told Dan to fck off. He does it when he wants to be alone. Who in their right mind would chase after Jaekyung when he’s that aggressive? No one. He counts on that.
Since it seems he didn’t bring the incident with Dan and Director Choi up to Namwook and Yosep, Jaekyung must have decided it wasn’t worth being concerned over. Jaekyung is still very naïve, despite knowing that people are out to get him. He really trusted that no one would turn on him or try to get inside his circle to hurt him. He trusted Namwook, Yosep, his fellow fighters, and the MFC right up until this match. Why?
It kinda throws my prior assumption that he doesn’t trust anyone into question. Does he think he’s the reigning champ of a$$hats? No one can match him?
Also, the jinx. What will become of this supposed curse? I’m quite sure he and Dan haven’t had sex since before Jaekyung’s birthday, seeing as they don’t run into each other much because Jaekyung’s avoiding Dan (remember: Jaekyung thinks Heesung is a scumbag for playing with people’s feelings—another indication that he still has some sort of humanity/innocence buried under the meat). Do you guys think Jaekyung called someone else up the night before the match?
What happens next?
Jaekyung’s eyes were glowing in the last panel we saw him in, which is not great, but the dark cloud around him was lighter than after he got sprayed which could mean that he’s about to confront the other team, especially after his reaction to Dan’s plea for trust. The speech bubbles went from threatening black to white again, and the “…!” from Jaekyung was wavering with some emotion (the speech bubbles are a good indication of how the person is feeling or what their voice sounds like) before returning to their normal shape.
Jaekyung could also just go stew on his own like how he did in the states. I do see it as good though because the cloud seems to be Dan’s perception since it doesn’t follow Jaekyung but stays with Dan. Another reason I think it’s Dan’s perception is because we were watching the match with Dan and stayed with him after Jaekyung left.
In my opinion, Jaekyung will withhold judgement for now. He might go gather clues, he might stew, he could also (although I think this is very unlikely) get advice from Namwook/Yosep.
On the other hand, Dan has come to some decision. His speech and thought bubbles were all wiggly until the last panel when his “…” became sharp. He has a few options:
1. He could wait to see how Jaekyung reacts and lay low like he was told.
2. He could go dig up evidence that would clear his name. He did approach Jaekyung bravely to apologize, so that is a sign he’s growing up. He also stood up for himself and clearly denied the accusations. He still stuttered, which is super annoying to me, but Jaekyung is an angry, bleeding monster so I can’t say I wouldn’t stutter myself.
3. He could quit… but I think that’s even less likely and definitely not in his best interest. It would appear as guilt/weakness, as if he’s unwilling and unable to prove himself worthy of his title. He can’t go forward successfully if he does that—he would have zero recommendations and still owe Jaekyung years of payments. His grandmother is still alive and she would be ashamed of him (and he of himself) if he ran away from his debt at this point. Imagine how much he went through to pay off debt to those violent thugs; he’s not going to run away from his debt to Jaekyung, the man he supposedly loves.
4. He might ask for help (gasp!). From his grandmother (unlikely), Heesung (a little less unlikely), the other fighters like Yoon-gu (hmmm…), or the authorities (MFC, police, etc).
Overall, this episode was disappointing. I felt like none of my questions were answered, it ended in a tie, and we still don’t know what will happen between Jaekyung and Dan. Was it fan service to those who want justice for Dan?