Here’s What Happened: Melting Me Softly Episode by Episode Series Recap

Don’t have time to read a full recap? Well, here is what happened in roughly 500 words or less in every episode of Melting Me Softly. We update as the episodes air. Viewership ratings and links to detailed episode recaps are included at the end of each summary.

Melting Me Softly is a romantic-comedy about two people who agree to freeze their bodies in 1999 for a 24 hour science experiment. But the experiment goes side-ways and they are frozen for 20 years. They are defrosted in the year 2019, hilarity ensues.

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MELTING ME SOFTLY: EPISODE BY EPISODE RECAPS

EPISODE 1: THE ORIGIN OF CRYOGENICS

We are introduced to the freezing room and see the participants inside the capsules. Miran and Dong-chan are frozen. Then we flashback to several weeks before the experiment where we see Miran and Dong-chan in their regular lives. Miran is a struggling college student who is desperately trying to find a job to help support her loving family. She takes several odd jobs, including doing whatever a variety show asks of her. Dong-chan is a successful variety show PD and the ratings champion of the broadcast network. He wants his next show to be the biggest of all, he wants it to be on freezing people.

The rest of the episode shows us the cast of characters that includes Miran’s family, her best friends, and her cheating philosophical boyfriend. Dong-chan’s close ones include his girlfriend who is a young newscaster, his boss and underling, and his very wealthy family.

Dong-chan tries throughout the episode to rope Miran into participating due to her variety show reputation of doing whatever. Miran takes some convincing, but she ends up agreeing because the PD says this could help people in the future. That statement hits close to Miran’s heart who wants to help her little brother who is autistic.

They are frozen at the end of the episode, however, the scientist who does the freezing has a bit of a troubled past. Someone wants to kill him and manages to blow up his car right before he is supposed to unfreeze the participants. The assistant turns off the defrost process because only the doctor knows how to defrost the participants safely. The tanks start to freeze over again.

Full Recap: Episode 1
Ratings: Nationwide – 2.486%, Seoul – 2.606%

EPISODE 2: RESSURECTION

In the opening minutes, police officers investigate the explosion. News that the frozen project has gone horribly awry starts to hit everyone that knows about it. The broadcast team covers it up and pays of Ha-young (Dong-chan’s girlfriend) with a bigger position if she keeps her mouth shut about it. The scientists protege tries to save the frozen participants and relocate them to a new area so that whoever killed the doctor does not try and kill the participants as well. And all the family members find out that their loved ones are missing.

The rest (and majority) of this episode is all back story as well learn even more information about the people surrounding Dong-chan and Miran. Each person reflects on what Dong-chan or Miran meant to them and we see from their eyes what a big loss this is.

Finally, at the end of the episode, we see that the doctor is actually alive. Somehow his protege was able to save him. He has been in a suspended coma state for 20 years. But, he miraculously wakes up in 2019 and fumbles around the hidden research lab to defrost Miran and Dong-chan while in a semi conscious state. He promptly passes out once he does.

Miran and Dong-chan wakes up separately and somehow manage to make their way to the streets of Seoul. They try to settle back into their life as if only one day has passed and constantly wonder why everything is so strange, the bus price is high, their families aren’t in their old homes, and their cell phones don’t work anymore.

Dong-chan ends up in the hospital where the doctors can’t figure out why his temperature is so low. Miran ends up at her school. Their families catch wind that they are awake and search frantically for them. By the end of the episode, both Miran and Dong-chan put all the clues around them together and figure out that they have somehow woken up in the year 2019!

Full Recap: Episode 2
Ratings: Nationwide – 3.177%, Seoul – 2.858%

EPISODE 3: THE DAYS WE LOST

In the hospital, Dong-chan is overwhelmed by his family who all look so vastly different from before. His brother looks like their father, his sister looks like an ajumma, his mother is a grandmother now, and his father is not around at all having died a long time ago. There financial situation has also changed as all their money went in to finding Dong-chan. They live and work inside a restaurant that has Dong-chan’s face as it’s logo.

Miran is reunited with her old family and finds out that they are wealthy now. They are all in good health and happy and live in a much fancier house just a few houses over from their old house. They also knew that she was not dead because the doctors assistant sent them photos of her throughout the years. But he also said he was not sure when he could defrost them and they need to keep it a secret for her safety. They are rich now because they opened a business with the money that Miran was paid for the experiment and it paid off for them big time.

For most of this episode Dong-chan tries to get used to his new family dynamics which draws a few comical situations as he confuses his brother as his father over and over again. He is reunited with his old girlfriend at the broadcast company, though the reunion is awkward. He also tries to reestablish himself as the outstanding PD that he was. His former boss and his former underling try to help him through this while also keeping it a secret that they covered up the frozen project all those years ago.

Miran also tries to establish herself in this new life by trying to head back to college. She checks all her old messages on her phone that her friends and ex left while growing more and more frustrated with how much everything has changed in 20 years, so she heads to the broadcast network to demand her 20 years back from Dong-chan! It is a scene that does not get resolved as Miran walks away in rage.

We also learn that they need to keep their temperatures at 31.5 or they will die. That was something that the doctor did not tell them before the experiment. The main doctor has an antidote, but he is the only one who knows the formula.

The episode ends with Miran and Dong-chan both meeting their former lovers and we see the doctor wake up again.

Full Recap: Episode 3
Ratings: Nationwide – 3.163%, Seoul – 3.278%

EPISODE 4: SOME LIKE IT COLD

Miran’s ex can’t believe that she is here right now in front of him and has not changed her look at all. He is now a professor at the university. But he changed his name and has had plastic surgery so he looks very different (and very handsome). He can’t bring himself to speak so she just thinks he is weird and leaves. Miran ends up taking his class so as she tries to settle back into normal life, she meets with her old friends and tries to get her school life back on track. He spends the majority of the episode trying to speak around her and trying to figure out who she is. He thinks she might be Miran’s daughter.

Dong-chan tries settle back into his life as well and has to pull rank on some young PDs who think he got his his position by nepotism. After being embarrassed, the young PDs start to think that this might be the PS that disappeared 20 years ago. It is an open secret at the broadcast company that no one can talk about or risk being fired. Dong-chan’s friend and boss try to help him settle in, but can’t approve of any of his ideas for shows because they have already been done successfully.

Meanwhile, the protege doctor tries to get the older doctor to remember the formula for the defrosting tonic. If they do not give this tonic to Miran and Dong-chan, then they will die.

Miran is also very upset at the broadcast company so she has a meeting with the people involved in the freezing experiment and tells them that they owe her for the amount of time she was frozen. She takes out a very old calculator and adds it all up to $70 million dollars. But she will settle for a job at the company.

An article also turns up revealing Dong-chan as the PD that disappeared 20 years ago, so the broadcast team has to go on damage control. Dong-chan gets wind of it and is upset that his “friends” covered this up.

Full Recap: Episode 4
Ratings: Nationwide – 3.201%, Seoul – 3.250%

EPISODE 5: THE DESTINY OF 31.5 DEGREES CELSIUS

Dong-chan is upset at his broadcast team and his girlfriend for covering up that he was frozen. He wants to know why they did not look for him! Do to this, he and Ha-young have a falling out. But it is awkward because his boss wants him to tell the press that he was just away for 20 years. they will pay him his full salary for the last 20 years and $500,000 if he does this. Dong-chan knows this will help out his very broke family, so he reluctantly agrees.

Meanwhile, Miran is still adjusting to her life in college. While walking around campus in her 1999 style, she draws the attention of two undergrads who think she is pretty cute in a very retro way. So they try to become friends with her. This draws jealous looks from Dong-chan who thinks that this kids could be her kids.

In a side story, the protege doctor is still trying to get the doctor to remember his life, so he wants the two families to watch him for his safety. Miran’s family ends up watching him and night and Dong-chan’s family watches him in the morning. Though neither family are thrilled about this. the doctor has to hide because a mysterious wealthy man is searching for him.

The mysterious wealthy man hires some bumbling fools to get rid of Dong-chan and Miran after finding out where the doctor is from them. So the fumbling thugs kidnap Miran and Dong-chan and put them in a truck freezer as they drive them to the middle of nowhere. Dong-chan and Miran are able to escape, though the heat from the countryside makes their bodies too hot. Miran faints and Dong-chan hurries her to the Hospital.

At the end of the episode, Dong-chan leaves Miran in the hospital and goes to give his live interview with Ha-young at the broadcast company. But instead of saying the he was just irresponsibly gone for 20 years, he says, to everyones surprise, that he is the first frozen man in the world.

Full Recap: Episode 5
Ratings: Nationwide – 2.063%, Seoul – 2.126%

EPISODE 6

Dong-chan tells the world that he is the first frozen man and that his temperature cannot rise about 31.5 degrees Celsius. The news of this spreads far and wide across Seoul and becomes a hot topic of conversation. It also gets back to Miran’s friends who think that she was also a frozen person, how else could she stay looking the same?

After he finds out that Miran is fine, he meets with her at the company and set us up with a badge and other information she needs to start working there. Sparks start to fly between them, though they each ignore it. One important thing he gives her is a shot that he got from America to help with the low temperature issues that they have. He also gives her a watch to monitor her body temperature.

But upon leaving, Miran runs into the love struck Byeong and promptly starts to beat him up which sends them both to the police station. Dong-chan has to get her from there and gives Byeong a few words as well.

The rest of the episode is spent informing us of how famous Dong-chan is now as the frozen man. He is like Captain Korea (fake Captain America) and there are discussions all over the news on how to deal with him in society. For instance, what age should they address him as? His 32 year old age or his 52 year old age? Miran calls in and says that whatever happens, the government would give him money for the time lost. So Dong-chan has to find Miran to tell her not to do those things because her identity is still secret.

At the broadcasting station, we discover that Ha-young’s producer has found out that there are more frozen people. She convinces him not to drop that story, and then goes to tell Dong-chan about it. He thanks her and they have a moment until Miran walks in on them. All three look at each other.

Full Recap: Episode 6
Ratings: Nationwide – 2.481%, Seoul – 2.777%

EPISODE 7: ALL ABOUT LOVE

Miran has her first big broadcast meeting to talk about the merits of her proposal in front of everyone. It goes well. Dong-chan likes the idea of taking people twenty years into the past and thinks they can get started on it right away. The name of the show will be GoGo GuGu which means GoGo 1999.

Miran and Dong-chan start to look for locations to have the show and end up going deep inside a forest in the countryside. But it is okay because they brought their fever shots with them. However, they get lost and their temperatures start to rise as they head back.

Dong-chan tells Miran that they need to take their fever medicine now so they sit to take it. But she accidentally left hers at home. She passes out soon afterwards so Dong-chan gives her his fever medicine and passes out himself.

She wakes up soon after and sees the passed out Dong-chan. But then it starts to rain which lowers his temperature and slowly wakes him up. She quickly pulls him in for a kiss, shocking the life out of him, and promptly passes out again.

There are a ton of side stories this episode. The two biggest ones are that the former CEO of the company is back and wants to make the current CEO a political player, but they need Dong-chan’s super fame to help them out. The other big side story is that the young Doctors car exploded, someone is trying to kill him! Dong-chan asks his ex-brother-in-law in the police department and Ha-Young in the investigative team to help him figure out this case.

Full Recap: Episode 7
Ratings: Nationwide – 1.843%, Seoul – 2.101%

EPISODE 8: SOME AND SOME

After awkwardly and quietly riding a farm tractor back to town, Dong-chan and Miran hastily separate from each other without talking when he drops her off at home. They are both left to think about that kiss and what it meant.

Dong-chan would like to talk about it and spends the first part of the episode trying to get Miran’s attention. But Miran tries to avoid the topic until she finally calls him to apologize and quickly hangs up. Dong-chan is left being very confused.

Finally, Miran gets up some courage so Dong-chan is finally able to separate her away from the crowd to ask about the kiss. But it doesn’t go as planned as she said that she did it to kiss someone before she died and would pay him for it. Is $1.5 million dollars okay? He can take it out of the $70 million that the company owes her.

He was flabbergasted and felt a bit like a gigolo at the proposition. The main thing he wanted to know was if she would have done that with any man if he was not there. She took a long minute to say no which sent them quickly walking away from her for the first time that episode.

The rest of the episode was filled with little cute moments together as he tried to find little ways to give her advice just to get close.

There weren’t too many side stories this episode. But the big ones were that Dong-chan finally met the Big Bad Director who is a twin to a man that is frozen. He met him over a meal with the CEO and former CEO of the broadcast company. We also find out that their fever reducing injection will not work forever, they need to find a cure now. In addition, Byeong might live in Miran’s old home and had an interview with her father about renting the octapang in their old place.

Full Recap: Episode 8
Ratings: Nationwide – 2.419%, Seoul – 2.511%

EPISODE 9: BETWEEN THE COLD AND THE PASSION

The love story between Dong-chan and Miran grows as Dong-chan tells Miran at the beginning of the episode that he is starting to like her and they should stay 1/2 meter away from each other at all times to keep their temperature from rising. But, throughout the episode he finds little ways to spend time with her like buying her ice-cream or drinks or driving her home.

Dong-chan also tells Ha-young that he has fallen out of love with her. She tries to take it well. But she knows that this means he has fallen in love with someone else. When she sees Dong-chan and Miran enjoying and happy drink together, she knows that his new love is Miran. This leads her to leak that Miran is the other person in the frozen project onto the internet as well as other confidential things about her, like how she got her job at the broadcasting station.

That is how the episode ended, but there were a few side stories as well. One side story is that the doctor gets a makeover and decides to go back to his laboratory to try and recover his memories. Another is that Miran’s frieind Ha-young finds out that her husband has been renting Miran’s families octopang and shows up to whup his butt right quick and Hwang Ji-hoon gets the internship and is about to go start working at the broadcast company with Dong-chan’s team.

A big side story is that the witness to the explosion gets kidnapped by the evil chairman. We find out that the witness is the real chairmans wife and this new chairman is a lookalike half-brother to the old chairman and his temporary replacement. But he does not want to give up the power that he has now and return to his old life. So he does not want the old chairman to be unfrozen and will do anything he can to prevent that from happening.

Full Recap: Episode 9
Ratings: Nationwide – 1.160%, Seoul – NA%

EPISODE 10: NON, JE NE REGRETTE RIEN

Everyone finds out that Miran is another frozen woman. This all happens while Miran is sitting with the other PDs and the writer, so she grows embarrassed and leaves. Dong-chan finds her and comforts her in the editing room. He tells her to walk with her back straight and shoulders high like the Miran he knew from 1999. She deserves to be here.

But this does cause issues with the team, especially with the head writer, so Miran write a social media post explaining that she participated in the frozen project that was supposed to be for 24hrs only and woke up 20 years later. She could not get a job do to her age and having no work for 20 years. So the broadcast company gave her an internship. But it is only an internship, she has to prove herself. This SNS post straightens everything out and Miran even has a standing ovation from her team after they read it.

Miran and Dong-chan have an intimate moment later when she is resting in a room after getting a cold. He wants to be with her, but that makes both their temperatures rise. Later, Miran and Dong-chan go scout for locations for her show GoGo 1999 and stay at a hotel in a resort location. But Dong-chan has to leave prematurely due to an important situation with the Doctor.

The Doctor tells Dong-chan that he cannot save him, this research is a failure. He is in the process of turning off all the frozen capsules and says that all these people will die and you will also die eventually. he was actually made to do this by the evil chairman who says that he will kill everyone if the doctor does not end the project. Dong-chan pleads with the doctor to save them so that they can eat, sleep, and love as normal people.

Dong-chan goes back to the resort hotel and knocks on Miran’s door. She is stunned to see him in such a state. He quickly kisses her and she kisses him. But their temperatures start to rise, so they cut on a cold shower and kiss passionately under the water until the camera cuts.

Full Recap: Episode 10
Ratings: Nationwide – 2.074%, Seoul – 1.983%

EPISODE 11

Airs: Saturday, November 2, 2019

EPISODE 12

Airs: Sunday, November 3, 2019

EPISODE 13

Airs: Saturday, November 9, 2019

EPISODE 14

Airs: Sunday, November 10, 2019

EPISODE 15

Airs: Saturday, November 16, 2019

EPISODE 16

Airs: Sunday, November 17, 2019

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