4 hours ago
Last week in “Make Me Tingle,” Nam Ji Hyun’s Gong Yeon Su made the big decision: she followed her heart and acted on her desire for Dokgo Dal (Kim Jae Yeong). While sparks flew, their overthinking puts a damper on their scorching chemistry, which leads to misunderstandings.
While Yeon Su feels that she is just another distraction for Dal, he struggles to articulate his feelings and is hurt that Yeon Su has labeled their time together as just a fling. Yeon Su feels they could be friends with benefits, while Dal is experiencing emotions he has never felt before. Before they can find their way to each other, however, they find themselves in moments of confusion and chaos, with confessions getting lost somewhere in between. Here’s what you can expect in the latest episodes.
Warning: spoilers below.
Friends with benefits?
The wires are seriously crossed between Yeon Su and Dal after they spend the night together in Busan. Waking up alone, Yeon Su assumes he has left to spare her the embarrassment of facing him.
For Yeon Su, taking this step was a big deal. Having grown up in an environment where chastity and modesty were worn like a badge of honor, she is torn between relief and internalized guilt. Her message of “I had fun” to Dal seems like a defense mechanism, but it is also her way of saving face. When they meet again at work, she tries to act cool. Masking her wounded pride, she declares at the team meeting that it is no big deal being in a friends-with-benefits arrangement.
Yeon Su’s naivety and honesty are enduring aspects of her personality. Having been shackled by conventional conscience, she is trying to use an emotionless arrangement to cope with her intense feelings. The irony is that Yeon Su is a purist when it comes to love and romance, and that is precisely what appeals to Dal.
After seeing his father badger him to go on yet another blind date, she musters her courage telling him he should not go on any more blind dates. She confesses that she likes him a lot and is fine with a friends-with-benefits arrangement. For Yeon Su, the arrangement is simply a way to be close to Dal, the man who makes her acutely aware of her own feelings. She has convinced herself that playing it cool is the only way to get admission into his life. After all, the one who cares less is always in power. Yeon Su is comically endearing as she keeps analyzing every situation around him. If only she knew what was happening on the other side.
Dal opening his heart despite his reservations
Disappointed and bruised by Yeon Su’s message after their intimate encounter, Dal has been on an emotional rollercoaster. He never left the room to leave her—he had just went to get breakfast for Yeon Su. He felt such a surge of affection, and perhaps for the first time he had woken up next to someone he didn’t want to let go.
He turns Yeon Su down when she confesses that she likes him, telling her he isn’t the kind of man she would want. Dal feels he is devoid of love, and having witnessed his father’s many marriages, he doesn’t attach much weight to emotions, especially love and marriage. He also has a habit of running himself down so as not to get hurt.
But Yeon Su has completely upended his life. He is far more conscious of his feelings for her than she is of hers, but given his nature, he comes across as distant and uninterested. This is the first time Dal seems unsure of himself, but he doesn’t want to mess things up with her, wanting to take things slow and get them right.
His disastrous meeting with the Gong family and their bias toward Yoon Ji Oh (Kang Tae Ju) as the suitable son-in law candidate add to his insecurity. He asks Ji Oh to move on from Yeon Su. In his own way, he musters courage by inviting her home, wanting to cook and share a meal for her. It’s a gesture that holds deep significance for a man who has never had anyone cook or care for him. It is way of showing he deeply cares and is making an effort.
But given Yeon Su and Dal’s situation, drama and chaos are never too far away.
The Gong family drama gets revealed
The Gong family finds itself in the middle of a storm—one that threatens to shake its very foundations. Yeon Su’s grandfather runs the household with an iron hand, but even his authority cannot keep the messy realities of his grandchildren’s lives from coming to the surface. Both Yeon Su and her brother, Nam Su (Kim Shin Bi), have kept their personal lives under wraps, even as they remain privy to each other’s secrets.
The family believes Nam Su is preparing for his civil service exams, unaware that he has been doing odd jobs around town to support his pregnant girlfriend, who remains unsure about their relationship. Yeon Su, meanwhile, has never revealed that she works at a sex toy company, let alone divulged details of her dating life. For all their secrecy, the siblings know far more about each other than their family realizes.
Things take a turn when their mother comes across a pregnancy book in Yeon Su’s room. Having previously seen her getting into Dal’s car, she is quick to jump to conclusions. With Ji Oh also pursuing Yeon Su, her suspicions only grow: could her daughter be pregnant, and who is the father? What makes her assumption telling is that she never once considers Nam Su a possibility. His suspicious comings and goings and his earlier question about what a woman experiences during her first trimester have given her reason to wonder, yet her preconceived notions lead her to suspect her daughter instead.
When the siblings find themselves in the hot seat, they waste no time throwing each other under the bus, outing each other’s secrets and leaving their mother shell-shocked. And just when the family drama threatens to spiral further, Dal blurts out his true feelings for Yeon Su in front of her mother. His unexpected confession catches everyone off guard, including Yeon Su herself, adding another complication to an already chaotic family situation.
The finale episodes promise plenty of twist, turns, and tingling moments for our lead couple.
Start watching “Make Me Tingle”:
Watch Now
Puja Talwar is a Soompi writer with a strong Jing Bo Ran and Lee Junho bias. A long time K-drama fan, she loves devising alternate scenarios to the narratives. She has interviewed Lee Min Ho, Gong Yoo, Cha Eun Woo, and Ji Chang Wook to name a few. You can follow her at @puja_talwar7 on Instagram.
English (US) · 
Indonesian (ID) ·