Melting Me Softly: Episode 1 Live Recap

We might start to recap Melting Me Softly! It would be back to back recaps for us, but we think we might be able to swing it by starting a bit earlier in the day and then posting what we were able to finish after our Vagabond recap. We still have a bit left to recap on it so we will get started right now!t

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Caution: Be wary of typos

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Shorthand Character Chart: Coming Soon!

How we do this: We update the post around every 10 minutes. Sometimes sooner, sometimes later depending on the scene. There will be typos which we have fantasies of fixing once the episode finishes airing. Also, there might be lovely updates at the bottom, so check back in!

Recap Countdown: Recap starts after Vagabond….check twitter for updates!

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KOREAN DRAMA MELTING ME SOFTLY EPISODE 1 RECAP

——-dramamilk.com——-

#1

A man walks in a dark corridor in a building with high ceilings.  The light through the window appears blue as he walks along. Until he gets to a door at the end. He opens the door and looks inside with a blank face. But then his eyes widen a bit as he sees what is inside. Then we se what is inside as we follow him into the room.

It is filled with frozen people in large space looking containers that are standing upright in the middle of the room. He looks around at them and then smiles.

Cut to him talking to several scientists and then giving them instruction as he points here and there around the room.

Dong-chan – This is all I can give to you. But If I help you doctor, are you sure you can make a better world?

Doctor – Yes, but, how can you help me

DC – To be successful in the exam and show the world.

Cut to Dong-chan in the frozen chamber, Mi-ran is frozen in the chamber next to him. The machine is turned on and we see all the computer numbers and vital signs of the participants. The chamber starts to freeze. 24 hours it put on the screen and we see the window ice over.

July 28, 1999

Someone has a video camera and is filming everything going on in the room.

VO – You guys are watching this live for the first time in the world – freezing people. The window is super strong polycarbonate. The capsule is a new metal. There are six capsules and all volunteers gave us their consent. The identity of four others are anonymous. These two on screen are our main. The time for the experiment is 24 hours. The person who created it is Ma Dong-chan.

But then the camera cuts off so Hyung-ki checks it and then looks at the professor. He asks if he thinks it is okay? The doctor says yes, at exactly 23 hours 30 minutes later, they will wake up.

Then another man comes in who was late, they start filming again and zoom in on Ko Miran’s face.

FLASHBACK

We cut back to when Miran was not frozen yet and is dancing in her room to an Old Hong Kong mambo dance. An electronic store calls her about her interview so she hurries to turn off the phone and sit on the bed. However, it is a rejection call. Miran is disappointed and says it is okay. it i snot your fault that I did not make it.

But the lady says, well, actually, I am part of the decision. thank you though, I will not forget your Chinese song. Miran tells her to just forget it and when she says those things she can text her. It is not a happy type of phone call to be on, you know. And I don’t have enough…

But the lady says bye-bye and hangs up. Miran thinks that this lady wanted to brag. Maybe only a few people failed so that is why she called each person…sigh. She falls on her bed.

Cut to her eating with her family who ask her if she really sang a Chinese song in her interview? Her mother thinks that is crazy, the Chinese market is so big. You should sing a pop song, not a Chinese song. They say that she majored in Chinese because she liked that actor. Miran says that Chinese will be the biggest language in the world. So I am majoring in it. 

She speaks a bit of Chinese to her parents who really don’t care. Her little brother is sitting next to her and smiling along. After eating, her little brother slowly asks her if he can go with her. He is autistic so he speaks pretty slowly. But he asks her if he can get FINKL’s signature when she goes to the studio? 

She says yes and they pinky promise. She also tells him to tell noona if someone gives you a hard time, okay? Promise me? he says yes and they pinky promise again. Then he asks, so noona, what do you do at the broadcast company. She smiles.

But then we cut to what she does at the broadcast company as she sighs and puts on a bright yellow bruce Lee looking suit. This tv show is called Infinite Experiment (like Infinite Challenge).

The PD looks up at where he should be to shoot the scene. It is on a crane that is super high in the air. He asks if he really has to go up there? Then someone in the distance says, I can do it. All heads turn and in walks Ma Dong-Chan to film the scene.

Ko Miran is all geared up to be shot out of the side with a lot of water bottles tied to her back, making her a water bomb. She shoots into the air and flies around for a bit as an old 90s song plays. Then she falls in the water. Everyone looks to see if she is okay. Some are a bit worried.

But Miran’s head appears and she gives the thumbs up. Ma Dong-chan keeps filming and then gives the okay sign. Everyone cheers as he gives Miran a thumbs up and she gives him one as well.

Cut to an award show where the best TV show program is about to be awarded. Tony Han from H.O.T comes out to present the award. Don-chan is announced as the winner so everyone cheers for him.

The cameras film him walking up to get the award and the MC talks about how great this TV show was. 

Dong-chan accepts the award on stage. he is the creator and the planner of this award show. Everyone in the audience talks about how handsome he is. Dong-chan accepts the award with a joke saying that it was awarded by the viewers. He thanks the people who watched it and thanks his girlfriend who is next to him all the time.

He is asked his next plan, so he says that he is thinking about doing a program that no one does, so he has to do it. They ask if his girlfriend is there, so he nods in a direction in the audience where she smiles at him and stands and then goes to the stage. It is announcer Na Ha-young. 

She gives him flowers on stage and says congratulations. they hold hands and he announces that this is his girlfriend.

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#2

Later on, we see them in a bit of an argument as he says this is revolutionary. She does not want him to do it and thinks he is crazy. But he says this is not just a program, it is a calling from history, someone has to do it. She says fine, but why do you have to do it. PDs aren’t the subject. And your freezing people?

He tells her not to worry and he will show her something. We cut to them both looking at dolphins being frozen on a video and a box TV. Dong-chan explains that this video was only one month ago and the dolphin is healthier than ever after just one month. We are both mammals. 

His girlfriend says that she gets cold easily, he does not even turn on the AC and gets cold after the shower. But that long? The assistant comes in and says that they need a woman in the experiment. Dong-chan explains to his girlfriend that he can’t be the only one, people will think that it is fake. His girlfriend does not think that anyone will do it.

They wonder if they have a crazy person who might do this, then they think about Miran, that crazy girl that did the water rocket. But Cong-chan does not know her name. So Hyun-ki has to explain that she is the best contributor in their program, how can you not know her name?

The camera cuts to a montage of all the things that Miran does for the show like strong air experiment, flying with a lot of balloons attached to them, stacking as many cupcakes as you can on a plate. She is the best.

Cut to Hyun-ki talking to Miran about the program. She tells him she only does this stuff for money. that is all! We all work for money. It was so humiliating so many times. I have so many falling dreams from that rocket! Last night, I fell through the floor and went to the core of the earth and burned and died. he says that is a good dream. But she says she will not do that kind of experiment anymore. But now you want me to be a frozen person!

He tells her that it is a misunderstanding! don’t get angry! It is super safe, I can prove it. But Miran is all like, what? Prove it? if it is safe then tell that PD to do it! Hyun-ki says she is doing it. This stops her cold. But she says that he is really crazy.

So Hyun-ki ups the money and says $5,000. talk to the doctor and you might change your idea.

We see them in the research lab with Hyun-ki showing the dolphin results to her. She thinks it is fake. But the scientists say that they are about to publish in Science, it is not fake. Then he explains about the mammals at the north pole that do not freeze and how he made a protein from them that does not freeze. it will protect the cells so they will not die.

She asks if he created it and if he is the only one that can do it? the scientist says he is the only one. Hyun-ki explains that this is why Dong-chan wants to do this project. She thanks them for the meeting but says that she will not do it. then she walks out with her head up. Hyun-ki runs after after.

Elsewhere, Ma Dong-chan looks at video footage of Mi-ran in the water rocket experiment and thinks that she is brave. But then Hyun-ki comes in with his tail between his legs and says that she will not do it, but she did say she will talk to a fortune teller.

Cut to her talking to a fortune teller about it. The fortune teller basically says that she has to do it for the money, thats $5000. Miran says, eunnie, I am here to ask if I should do it or not! Not that I should do it for money! Eunnie, do you really have this shaman ability? You used to sell insurance but opened this store all of a sudden when you said a god went into you. Do you even pay taxes?

Another woman in there throws rice at Miran. And the next girl says that she is real! Don’t suspect anything! They argue about how good she is. the shaman asks for her birthday. So Miran gives it to her. Then the shaman gets to work with her bells. The girls look at Miran and says that their eunnie specializes in affairs and romance.

The shaman says that she sees something big! Big luck in your life! It is the biggest luck that I have ever seen! Miran asks if she should do it? The shaman says yes! Do it! It is the biggest luck. Miran asks when her life would go well.

So the shaman starts to shake her bells and everyone starts to dance along with it as Miran looks curiously on as she dances too. Then the shaman stops and says – 20 years later. You will meet your person of your fate, but you will be cold until them.

Miran is all like what? I will be 44 twenty years later. I have to live like this for another 20 years? The fortune teller says yeah. Miran drops her head on the table.

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#3

In the directors room, Hyun-ki says that Miran has a boyfriend. So Dong-chan thinks this might be difficult, no man would agree with their girlfriend being in this kind of experiment. He is sure about it, but it will look crazy to others. He has a hard time finding volunteers. that is why I am participating in it, if everyone was sure about it then I would not have to do it at all.

Hyun-ki asks if he is really that sure about it? Dong-chan says he is sure but he is not super sure you know. Hyun-ki’s spidey sense kicks in so he says he majored in Korean so he is not so sure about this experiment. Dong-chan tells him he is out. So Hyun-ki says he is sure! He is sure! but he won’t participate, because he does not like the cold.

They start to talk about Miran again and if she talked talking to the professional person. Also, who is this fortune teller? he says it was a shaman and does a little shaman dance. Dong-chan tells him, if she does not participate then you should do it. Hyung-ki is all like, oh hells naw.

There is one thing that bothers Dong-chan, when the doctor got his PhD in America, his mentor died. But doctor Chan does not talk about it at all. It is strange, he wants to investigate it. His girlfriend calls right then and says that they can meet in front of the movie theater.

He goes to meet her and they go inside the movie theater. Miran is there as well. She tells him that the fortune teller told her that she would meet the man of her fate 20 years later. He is all like, what? So I will have to meet you 20 years later? He starts to spit a lot of theology and tells her to trust him. She smiles as if she wants to change the subject so she asks about whether he started tutoring or not. the boyfriend talks about his work a bit and says he has to work harder. Then they head to the movie.

Everyone watches the movie happily. This movie might be called Christmas in August. The man says that he knew life would become a memory, but she did not become his memory so he wants to say thank you and live telling her that he loves her.

Both Miran and Dong-chan says that this movie is so pretty as they sit there with their partners.

Afterwards, Miran’s boyfriend starts to talk psychology about Sigmund Freud and how you have to express your emotions otherwise they will come back as monsters. She asks why he explains things so complicated? He should just have made it simple and he could sell more books.

The boyfriend says that this means that you should not hide your emotions, just be honest with them. You and me, lets kiss until our front teeth all break.

Romantic music starts to play (When a Man loves a woman) and he leans in to kiss her in the most awkward looking kiss every. But then the boyfriend sees a wanted poster of a murderer and sees Miran’s brother with what looks like blood all over him. But it is only ketchup.

The boyfriend hops back in fear and falls on the gorund. Miran asks her brother if he has been waiting for her? He nods, so she happily goes inside with him and waves to her boyfriend.

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#4

Elsewhere, Dong-chan’s girlfriend asks him why he wants to do something that others don’t want to do? he says that he just wants to follow his heart. he follows his heart more than his brain. That way, he won’t regret things when he dies. That is why he started to love her as well.

They kiss.

She tells him to come back alive from the experiment, okay? He says he will. Then he presents her with an engagement ring. a tear falls from her eye as she looks at it and then at him. he smiles and then hugs her.

FREEZING

Cut to the two of them frozen in the experiment. Hyun-ki and the other guy are there with them. But the other guy wonders if Hyun-ki ever wonders who the other anonymous people are that are frozen. Can I sneak peak it? 

Hyun-ki starts to fake stretch and look around. Then he starts to walk to the other people who are frozen. One is a middle aged man. But the doctor spots him before he can see the others. he asks him what he is doing? Hyun-ki says he was curious and does not see his friend there. 

The doctor asks him if he would like to stop filming? Hyun-ki says no and then rushes out to get more tape.

The doctor thinks back to a time when someone had a gunshot to the head in America. It looks like his mentor died with a gunshot to the head when this doctor went to the bathroom. When he comes back out, his mentor is on the floor. A man peers in through the window and smiles and then sets the place on fire.

In the present, we see that the doctor has a burn mark on his arm.

HEAD DIRECTOR

Rewind a bit to Dong-chan trying to convince the head director that he wants to film this documentary style variety show. He tries to give his side of the story and says that these two areas are merging. So he wants to do the frozen project. It is the first time in the world. 

The Head PD says he knows all that but he just wants to do something that they have already done. You are super popular right now, so do something lighter. That is what everyone wants.

They keep bickering over this. The PD thinks the budget will be hard, who will give them money for this kind of TV show? DC says the doctor needs money, that is part of the reason we are doing it. But the doctor has a lot of human rights rumors. They keep bickering. DC tris to say this is a revolution and la la la. It will be legend. Lets document this history.

They might have worked. The PD thinks becoming a legend would be great. Hyun-ki claps.

Afterwards, HK tells DC that he is super cool. They are not just filming people, they are creators as well. they need to think with heart. Hyun-ki tells him that, well, actually, the water rocket girl, it might be difficult to convince her. DC tells him to convince her, this project is super important.

He decides that he wll convince her, where is she?

Cut to Miran and her friends taking photos in a park while at a picnic. These pictures are important for a dating agency so her friend tells Miran to help her take nice ones, she will pay her. Miran likes the sound of that, so they keep taking the photos.

But while taking the photos, she sees her boyfriend kissing someone on a paddle boat in the water! Oh no he didn’t!

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#5

Miran takes off running to kill her boyfriend. Her friends run after her. Dong-chan runs after them.

Miran gets to the water and points that her boyfriend is there! Her friends are all like, wait, who is that girl with him! Miran hops on a paddle boat with her friends and tells hem to paddle! 

They all start to paddle to the friends paddle boat so that she can take confront him. She confronts him on the water boat but he tries to paddle away on the boat. 

It is a paddle boat chase off, y’all. 

Miran catches up to them and decides that she will try to jump onto their paddle boat! I am the human rocket that flew 100 meters! Dong-chan and Hyun-ki wonder what she is doing.

On the water, we see Miran take a huge jump, shoot into the air like a super hero ninja super star assassin, use some kind of power to whip the girl out of the way with a hair hand motion, and then kick her boyfriend in the head with a Haek-to-pas-cal kick (which was popular in the 1990s). The boyfriend goes tumbling into the water.

The other woman calls the cops and says that this crazy woman is trying to kill them!

On the side, Dong-chan wonders what kind of woman this is? Hyun-ki says that she has a pretty strong temper and fire in her body.

POLICE STATION

At the police station, we see the three people sitting in front of the cops. the boyfriend wears the shirt “Soul” and the women both wear a matching shirt that says “Mate” the cop smirks as he types up the report.

He asks if this woman just started hitting this man? The girl says yes! She just started hitting my boyfriend! the cop wants to hear from the boyfriend. He starts spitting Freud again and says that he should not supress his desire. then he says he had an affair. He tells Miran that he loves her! I am going crazy! I have hot blood, you know. Life is short and there are so many pretty women.

She tells him he is really crazy. Shut up talking about Freud! He tells her that they should overcome this situation together! the other woman asks, what about me? So he turns seductively and says that they will talk right after this.

Then he turns back to Miran and starts to plead with her to stay with him. The other girlfriend hits him and stands and Miran and her start to argue about who is oldest or something like that. It is a big mess.

The boyfriend then starts crying and says that Freud says that you should cry in a situation like this. They wonder if they have to wait for him to stop crying?

Dong-chan looks on as if this is the silliest situation in the world and simultaneously good for him.

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#6

LABORATORY – PRESENT

The doctor checks on the frozen subjects and then looks outside. there is someone suspicious outside.

PAST

Cut to Dong-chan and Miran walking outside slowly and awkwardly. He gives her a drink that he heard she likes. She says that his company only gives her this drink so she takes it. But actually, I don’t really like this drink.

He is all like, oh, okay. So he changes the subject to as her her dream. She says she just wants to make money. He tells her that they are the same. But she says that looking at him, he looks so fake, he just wants her to be inthe show. Your mouth is about to get a cramp by smiling. He says it is true that he is there to convince her to be in the show, but his smile is his.

He went to the park to convince her and saw her beating up her boyfriend, good job. He asys that was the most ideal punishment for a boyfriend who has an affair. I was so impressed by your anger and aggresiveness.

She says he likes strange things and asks if he is a pervert? Do you want to be mistreated by others? he tells her that he does things that others do not want to do. he has a bit of dopamine when I see others like me. This is why I am interested in this frozen experiment. If this works then we can cure people with diseases. Not now, but sometime in the future. Isn’t that cool.

She asks if they will really be able to cure people? She looks at him sincerely. He senses this and tells her to wait a second, then he takes a phone call.

Cut to Miran running to find her brother Namtae. this might be a flashback. She finds him happily sitting somewhere, but he is also tied to a post by his backpack. She sees it and tells him that when his backpack is tied up, he can leave the backpack there. She gives him a warm hug and he hugs her back, though he does not really look so affected by the tying up situation.

In the present, DOng-chan tells her that if she does not want to do it, then she does not have to, he can do it alone. She excuses herself and walks away.

But in a voice over she tells him that she can do the experiment. We also see her telling Dong-chan that she has a permission. Can she get a signed signature from FINKL for her brother? her brother is a fan of FINKL. She might have had one other condition too, but it was hard to hear.

PRESENT

Hyun-ki tells the other guy that Miran said he would do it when Dong-chan said she didn’t have to, they were funny like that.

But then the doctor comes in and tells them that they cannot record the defrosting process, they can record from outside the room, now leave.

So Hyun-ki and the guy leave to go oustside the room. Hyun-ki calls the head PD and says they were kicked out. The PD thinks something might go wrong. Hyun-ki says it is okay, halmoni’s in restaurants wont even release their secret recipes to their daughter in law. It should be okay.

Cut to the doctor telling his assistant doctor that he is going somewhere. Don’t let anyone come in. Stay next to them. The doctor runs off and gets in his car. he starts to drive away and is followed by another car.

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#7

In her office, Ha-young (the girlfriend) practices her scipt for talking about the first frozen people in the world. Creating frozen people was only available inthe movie, but now it is a reality. What did you feel like after wakingn up? What kind of dreams did you have? Did you worry about not being able to wake up?

But she grows contemplative as she looks at her questions and then looks at her engagemet ring. She holds Dong-chan’s ID and wonders when he is coming back. Then she starts to look at some of his files that discuss the disappearance of the professor. Perhaps the Russian mafia is involved. Perhaps he was murdered. She wonders what is going on.

Elsewhere, the doctor has peeped that someone is watching him and nervously starts to take off driving faster. he zips through and around cars as their speed increases.

There is only 7 minutes left until defrosting. But the doctor is still in this car chase. Then a huge truck is about to hit him, but he avoids it. This allows him to escape.

But suddenly, his car explodes.

The assassin gets out of his car and looks at the explosion.

Meanwhile, time is up in the defrost process. The temperature is going up and the test subjects are defrosting. But they shouldn’t because the assistant does not know what to do. He walks around in alarm.

Hyun-ki looks through the window and says that they are ready to film, what happened? Are you okay in there?

the assistant runs and closes the window, then he turns off the defrost process or something. He might have turned off the power to the building? Or maybe he restarted the freezing process because the tanks start to freeze over again.

An earthquake also starts for some reason?

Fade Out

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COMMENTS

Okay, this show is wacky. I kind of like all the wackiness and the references to 90s pop culture things. It makes it seem like this will be a really fun bubbly watch, so I am here for that. The preview is also pretty funny because we see how everyone has aged, and let me tell you, some are super unrecognizable, lol. 

We will be back tomorrow with episode 2’s recap and see if we want to continue recapping this drama! So far so good. Right now it is wacky and cute so I want to continue with it!

PREVIEW

On Wall – Class of 2019?

VO – Dong-chan isunbae s alive??? 

HK – Dong-chan what? Dongchan is alive?

DC – 2019?

VO – You woke up from that frozen capsule after 20 years

MR – my family disappeared

VO – When was the last time you saw your family?

MR – Yesterday

MR – Can I have change?

VO – Hey, the bus fair increased a long time ago.

HY – Hello, this is newsline Na Ha-young

DC – What is today?

HK – Sunba-a-a-e! *sob* it is me-e-e-e!!!! *sob* Son Hyun-ki-i-i-i *sob sob sob*

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