We Got Married - The RimKim Couple (Episode 1)

kakashi: Hi everyone! I'm not mary/kdramalaws. Which is unfortunate, but the thing is: she is working so much these days she can barely say hi but she promised to comment at least. Right? Hello? Mary? Are you there?
Mary: I'm here. Barely coherent at the cuteness of this show. But here with my pet kokoro. Ready to be jeobbed, the both of us. Aren't we, koko?
a tiny little voice: yes!
JoAnne: I am deeply uncomfortable appearing anywhere in the near vicinity of Mary's tiny talking kokoro. DEEPLY.
Mary: Don't worry, she doesn't bite. (not as comforting as you might expect)

The second thing you need to know is this: I have never before watched We Got Married. In fact, I always thought pretending to be married to somebody for a variety show is the weirdest idea EVER - and why would anyone want to watch it? Right. I still think it's the weirdest idea ever, but then, everybody started raving about the RimKim couple all around me until I finally caved and watched (I do have a somewhat soft spot for The Rim after all). And was extremely intrigued. OMG so cute!!! So here I am, recapping this show until mary finally appears from the darkness of muchtoomuch work and takes over. Quite obviously, I cannot squee like she does. But I do promise to talk a lot about our RimBoy. Love for him is already exploding like a super nova, but remember who loved him first.
Mary: Who? My kokoro and I are still fighting over that.
kakashi: You! You loved him first! He is yours!!! Just google "Song Jae-rim's girlfriend"
Lafer: Ok, I admit I finally see Rim's appeal. But no love for the other couples? Booooo
kakashi: What other couples? (I'm watching a RimKim only version on YouTube, haha)
JoAnne: Yeah, this is only going to be RimKim, right? I don't want to watch the whole show...I have watched bits and pieces of other couples here and there but never a whole couple, not even for WGM-G.

Episode 1

"A fine day at a villa" and a well-known voice (how would we describe it? It's certainly very distinctive) gives his cat "Olla" a snack. It's Song Jae-rim! The cat is black and very furry. He has a second cat named Leon - but poor Leon looks like he had to give some of his hair to his co-cat Olla. Does Rim favor Olla over Leon? I hope not.
Mary: I think he shaved Leon to look like a lion, which. Pwahaha. This guy needs some friends. People. Like, right now.
JoAnne: Lots of people do that lion cut (it's an actual thing) in the summer, to help with the heat. Mostly I was surprised at how small and normal-ish his apartment was.
Mary: He's not a top-star yet. :( But it's definitely a step up from the apartment of Seo Kang-joon's acting idol-group, right?
He's a top star for me.
When Rim introduces himself to the audience, I squee - not because he's handsome, but because he's so shy. And awkward. And dorky. Oh, and I really really ship him with our Mary, which is crazy, but true. He tells us that he wants to meet somebody he can relate to well, somebody who has "the same flow" as him. I do wonder what that means. Actually, I have wondered ever since I've seen this for the first time and that's a while ago.
Mary: That part about "this is my first variety show" was a lie though. He guested twice/thrice in After School Bokbulbok(?) He was very awkward and dorky even back then. Like, his talent was barking realistically. Hahaha. Beside comedy host and kpop veterans he was painful to watch. But here he is just cute and he can be himself and it will be funny.
JoAnne: He did? I've seen a few episodes of that for the pretty puppy boy...HEY WAIT. Are you sure? Because if he was in that, then he has already worked with Kim So Eun. She was the girl in After School Bokbulbok. Are you really sure he was in that show? Five guys (the group 5urprise) in an after school club where they do dares, and Kim So Eun is invited to join them for a reason I don't know yet?
Mary is confused. Rim Oppa's variety show guesting was in "100 Points Out of 100, School-something something" in the title.
I also notice that he has put on a lot of weight since Age of Feeling, and wonder why? Looks like muscles mainly? Still ... why? I'm so glad I'm not a model or an actress and can eat everything I want anytime I want.
Mary: Maybe he's body-building again? Auditioning for Pillsbury commercials? Fooked if I know. It's still Rim! :))))
JoAnne: I much prefer a larger Rim anyway. (hahahahahahahahaahah oh me)
Lafer: I prefer it, too! You just want to pinch those cheeks now (not specifying which ones.)
*giggling*
Mary: Don't laugh, koko. Bad koko!

He is asked to pack and he does - right after writing down some get-to-know questions for his "wife". He wonders whether she might have a hamster? That would be a lovely snack for his corpulent Olla. She thanks him for the suggestion by throwing up into his suitcase. It's too early to say for sure, but I may not like this cat. Sorry, Rim. He clearly is a very catsy-cat person.
Mary: His cat is funny. Or, well, the way he talks to it makes it funny. You just wait kakashi. Once you get those two new kittens, you're gonna start talking to them too!
JoAnne: I talk to Maisie on the phone. And we've video chatted. Well, chatting is a relative term, since she's a dog, but you know what I mean.
Mary: I just ended a four hour call to my mom. 30 minutes of which were spent barking and caterwauling on the phone in the hopes of getting our dogs and cats to answer back. (we do that too)
In the meantime, his "wife" is also starting to pack. She's a cutie! Awwwww. She's Kim So-eun, whom I have seen in Boys over Flowers and nothing else. Lafer: I love her! I've seen her in a bunch of things. She worries that she'll not be a good wife. I think she's serious. She knows that this is fake and all, but still. And in a way, I can relate - wouldn't you want to do good on a show like this? She wants to meet somebody with broad shoulders, no double eyelids - and looks good when he smiles --> see below!! (She wants Rim then. Get in line, girl!) Oh yes. and she wants to be best friends with him, like a soul mate. That's such a good idea, girl! I love you! (This is the WGM trap, right? That we start to ship a fake couple as if they were real?! It's already starting!)
Lafer: If you start shipping them, kakashi, I'll be grinning ear to ear. You will begin to understand why it's not just me who's delusional.
JoAnne: You really can't help but begin to see them as a couple, it's true. It's the weirdest frigging thing ever, this concept. Also, watch The Man Who Cannot Marry - she's in that, with Ji Jin Hee, Uhm Jung Hwa, and Yoo Ah In. It was good.
Lafer: She was in 10000 Kisses, but I would NOT recommend you watch that, even though she was so cute in it!
So-eun has a cat as well! Named "Kun" (but, as we learn later, the full name is Nichkhun, haha). Kun is a real beauty ... white and majestic. She calls him her "son" - and laughs. Ahahaha, she covers her face with her hand when she smiles ... I've seen many Asian women do it. If it's natural like this, I find it cute. Yes, I find almost everything about her cute right now!
JoAnne: I laughed my butt off - he immediately teased her that she named it after Nichkhun (from 2PM) but she denied it - then later admitted it was true in confessional. And you're right, Kakashi, she's absolutely adorable.
Mary: I've always loved her and I'm just glad Rim is getting partnered left and right with people I approve of. This means he'll partner with me later on. Because I approve of myself. Or koko.
*nodding*
Lafer: I like the way you think, Mary
The couple packs - very similar stuff like perfume, supplements ... she also packs some very expensive weird something-root alcohol, which So-eun's mother bought. (I bet she loves drinking hihihi) Can't wait until they drink that. Rim packs masses of striped comfy short pants. Awwww, Rim. 6 minutes in, I do completely understand why mary keeps calling him her big dork. He is certainly nothing like Mo Il-hwa.
JoAnne: I think that is ginseng wine. The shorts - I laughed when he said he bought them at a convenience store. In the states, a convenience store is something like the little shops that go with gas stations, or a 7-11. Junk food, stuff you have to buy in an emergency while travelling or after hours (like you run out of diapers or something.) Wickedly overpriced, and yeah, sometimes they'll have tee-shirts for local attractions or something. Is it the same thing in Korea? Because later he talks about buying decorations for the house from a convenience store. And no, Rim is NOTHING like Mo Il-hwa.
Mary: But he has redeemed himself in your eyes. Right, Jo? I mean, he can't be the sexy, cold-blooded killer anymore. But he can still be a huge, adorable dork. I think he does mean that type of convenience store. Or something like Daiso(?) They have everything from chopsticks to tea sets to table mats. I am EXCITED to see So-eun's face when he drags her in there to buy cheap plastic vases to decorate their home or something. Hahahahaha~
Both make their ways to their first meeting. So-eun is quite nervous and keeps practicing her greetings. She also has plans about having him ride in her car afterwards (if he comes by public transport) or about having him walk to their house if he cheats and doesn't come alone. But - no! Rim rides a motorbike! Oooooooooooh, this is one hot namja! Literally, because the weather is a bit ... hot? Haha.
JoAnne: But wouldn't the breeze from riding cool him off?
Mary: Can a mere breeze cool down the hotness that is Song Jae Rim? (By the way, did you notice how he wanted to keep all the mission cards? He sounds like that kind of guy. The sentimental type. LOL)
They're meeting at a restaurant - for a blind date. Once again, literally: it is to take place in the absolute dark! They're not allowed to tell each other their names or give clues.
JoAnne: I saw this somewhere else, too. Korea, you are strange sometimes.
Mary: *stroking koko* Our people! (There are laws about this, Mary.)

Rim is there first and sits down at the table, eager to uncover her identity.
Mary: I was clutching my kokoro and laughing so much when he kept trying to sit coolly in the dark and practicing his greetings. Then when he sniffed the waffles and jumped back when his nose touched it.... Huihuihui he's like a cat himself.
And here she comes! She is very nervous, the poor thing. (He wrote his number on the questions card! OMG LOL) They lead her into the dark room - and the first thing Rim does is sniff her. Haha. And he sees a tiny little bit, it seems, since his eyes had time to get used to the dark. He scares her by suddenly speaking to her - and compliments her on her sweet voice. Haha, is he a player?
JoAnne: Oh my God, when he SNIFFED her... I knew we were in for a show. And then after all her fumbling around and him avoiding her, that voice comes out of the dark: Want to play a game? Very good beginning to a horror movie!
Lafer: What a disadvantage she's at, though. He can partially see now - she must be slightly freaking out.
Mary: Very hot and sexy too, if you think about it from So-eun's point of view. You walk into a date in the dark but you know it's safe because the staff is there. You know you're supposed to meet a hot namja. Because this is WGM, duh. Then a soft, deep voice suddenly asks, "Do you want to play a game?"
*urk* Deyed.
Mary: Waaaaaaaait~ can I squee about how he quietly places the water near her so she will find it? Squeeeeeeeeeeee~
Well, he starts pulling her leg by pretending to see perfectly well in the dark (hehe, he is convincing) and then, they start talking about the questions they each wrote down for the other. So-eun was most intrigued by the question about pets and they quickly find out that they both have cats. RimBoy almost bursts with happiness. But only until she tells him she doesn't like motorbikes since they're too dangerous. At least, that's what her parents told her. Aw. He has that dream ... about going to Jeju with his wife. On his bike! *Dying
JoAnne: His voice cracked he got so excited about the cats! I think back to when he was strictly modeling and had that remote, cool, way too sexy for any human on earth vibe, and I think wow- this guy is a fantastic actor. Whichever one is fake, he's just good.
Mary: RimBoy bursting with happiness? Pwahahahahahahaa~  
But sadness over the bike-non-love is forgotten quickly when talk turns to his Adam's apple - something So-eun likes! Oh, and we know what a gigantic Adam's apple Rim has, don't we?! He claims his is so well developed it is also developed at the back and has her touch his spine. AND his real apple. Haha. (No, not THAT apple).
JoAnne: Truth be told, I hadn't exactly noticed. And I didn't realize he was joking when he had her touch the back of his neck...I was sitting there thinking is he STUPID? That's his spine! (and you know that other apple will be touched, sooner rather than later.)
Mary: It was very sekshi until Rim said he wanted to gulp down a bottle of Coke in one shot in front of his wife. As a "Special Event". Just to show her his bobbing Adam's apple... LOL. Dork.
Lafer: Only the first of many dorky things that will be coming out of his mouth, lol.
She blurts out that he stutters a lot (I didn't notice, but he is rather shy and awkward when he speaks, that's true). It makes him feel a bit uncomfortable but rather than falling quiet, he just retaliates by lying to her. First about his height (he pretends to shorter than he is). But the woman is smart and has packed shoes that match every potential height (from very high heels to no heels at all).
JoAnne: I didn't notice him stuttering but he sounds lispy to me.
Mary: Oh, she'll manage him very well. And he'll keep saying dorky cheesy things to throw her off. Heeheehee
My favorite convo in this sequence:
Her: "It's just that I was in the basketball team when I was in high school".
Him (excited): "Then you must be tall!"
Her: "Er, no, I was just the manager".
A manager who counted scores and brought the players water, which prompts him to assume that she'll do that well for her husband too. Doesn't he have hands? is her answer. This is no push-over, Rim! Careful!
Mary: I cackled here. She's such a gangster. Mo Il Hwa who? Pwahahaha~ (Also, take note: he has a younger sister. *updating Rim database* More family members will be revealed later.)
JoAnne: I suddenly decide that this is exactly the right kind of woman for him - someone who will run circles around him no matter how hard he tries. And I am convinced it's what he likes.
Mary: *tying shoelaces* Where do I run?

They then tease each other about their age. She says she just graduated from high-school (evil) ... and he pretends to be in his mid-forties. She is quite shocked, which cracks him up. They're quite flirty already, are they not?! They finally shake hands (after revealing their real ages) and Rim comments on her hands being soft.
JoAnne: So...I've seen bits and pieces of 5, 6 couples, maybe? The beginnings of that many, at least. This couple is going to be historic. They are NOT normal.
Mary: I'm glad. :) Everytime Rim lied and giggled at all his jokes I wanted to tackle him, screaming "You dork! You big doofus!"
They establish that they're both actors (she says she is also learning something else at the moment, what might that be?), but he has no clue who she could be. She says she's his senior (10 years acting experience vs. his 6-7 years). She also asks to touch his hair and comments that it's quite long, but when he says he used to have really long hair before (The Moon Embracing the Sun!), she beams that she knows who he might be! Rim, you lose! (Even though she strongly believed he was Kim Si-hoo, whom I don't know at all - Rim was only a 38% change in her mind)
JoAnne: Still, he was one of her two possibilities. Impressive.
Mary: Yep. This girl sounds like she's been working hard for a loooooong time. Whereas Rim only decided to take acting seriously quite a bit late. I was impressed and also sad for Kim So-eun. I hope her new drama, Liar Game does well...
The next scene takes place outside, where they are finally to meet in broad daylight. He still has no clue. Clueless-frustrated Rim is darn cute. She is approaching, commenting on his readiness for skinship (oh yes. very ready. oh yes) and is worried that her face might appear bigger than his in the photos. Pffffft, haha. Always so worried about the size of the face!
JoAnne: He just needs to put his freakishly large hands near her face, she'll be fine.
Mary: I'd rather put those freakishly large hands somewhere else, but kakashi forgot to put an R-18 warning up top. So I'll just whisper it in koko's ear.
*giggling*
When she gets to the meeting place, she places her handbag in front of her face! So shy ... When he sees that, Rim covers his too. They do a game of "let's lower our hands together" and then not lowering them, but when they finally do and look at each other he blurts out "Who are you?" - and immediately recoils in shock at his own frankness. Aw, Rim ... you do not know many female celebrities? Maybe you should go out more and play a little less with your cats?
Mary: Yes, please. Play with me and koko! She's your biggest fan!
So-eun takes it quite well, I'd say - but in private, she vows to work like a cow so that the whole nation will know her one day.
Mary: I felt really bad for Kim So-eun. :(
JoAnne: I hadn't ever thought of cows as particularly hard-working.
Mary: Don't ask us. We've never produced milk before. Right, koko? (This is truly just a horrifying new development, talking with koko.)

Comments

I immediately went and watched the second episode after this and of from what I have seen, it only gets better. What I really liked about this first episode though - also the reason why I decided to keep watching - is that their nervousness, awkwardness and shyness was so palpable. I know they're both actors and I have enough relatives in TV to know that nothing is ever not-scripted, even on reality TV, but certain things just can't be played or masked. It felt real and it felt right - so even if it was just an act, it was a very good act and I am happy.
JoAnne: It did feel genuine. I mean no matter what, you'd be nervous that maybe it would be someone you just did not like at all, right?
Mary: And either Rim is a good actor to play assassin in dramas and a doofus here, or he's really just a big dork. Either way, I like it. Him. Her. Everything. Merry Christmas to me.
Song Jae-rim is nothing like I imagined him to be, but what we got to see in this is just adorkable. How can you NOT like him? I'm also hard to please when it comes to women and what I hate the most is unnatural women. Women that pretend to be something they're not. I'm not getting this from her - not at all. She is quick-witted, very honest (to the point where it gets hurtful) and has a lot of humor. She even has girl-crush potential.
Lafer: She is going to be a worthy opponent for him. Should be interesting.
JoAnne: This will be my first fully-watched couple. And I will ship them hard. Err, I mean, I would, if it weren't for shipping him with Mary. Because that I totally do.
Mary: Rim is very shippable. ^^ Didn't we ship him with Jo Boa too? Basically, he's a highly-recommended daily source of squee. So go ahead and ship him, folks!