Ja-young and Ji-yul are excited to have their new pet. Ja-young takes Nurungji for a walk in the park and they play together. Ji-yul is happy to have a new friend and she loves spending time with Nurungji.
Meanwhile, Ji-yul is chatting up with Yeong-suk and he seems to be growing more interested in Ja-young. He leaves for work on his bicycle and is sad when he does not spot Ja-young along with other police officers. Ji-yul is relieved to finally see her and chat with her and her colleagues. She gets two complaint calls and her colleagues split up leaving Ja-young with Ji-yul.
“I don’t know. I miss her a lot, but I also think about her all the time. I can’t help but think about how much we shared and how much we loved each other.”
Ji-yul tries to cheer up her friend Sang-hyeon by asking about Nurungji when they spot him on their way. Sang-hyeon and Ji-yul have a frustrating banter where the former claims he is good at disrupting moths that mate on peaches, implying that he is trying to disrupt Ji-yul’s romance with Ja-young. Ji-yul is back at the animal hospital when Ja-young comes rushing in. He tells her that Nurungji has gone missing. ..
Ji-yul, a young man, is out for a walk with his girlfriend when they see a wild dog. The dog starts to run away and Ji-yul and his girlfriend pedal after it. They end up following the dog through a forest until they find it with three small puppies. Alongside the wild dog is Nurungji, Ji-yul’s pet dog who was abandoned by his previous owner. Ji-yul ends up losing his contact lenses due to Boksil (the mother dog) attacking him. ..
“I’m sorry,” Ja-young says as they walk out of the forest. “I think I might have scratched your hand.” She hands him her police stick to help guide them out. “Since you can’t see, I’ll help you with this.” Ji-yul is surprised about how Boksil was a stray dog adopted by one of the women from the town. Ja-young tells him about Nurungji and Boksil mating and Ji-yul jokes about how he knows a lot of things.
Ji-yul tries to clarify how he was not calling her nosey and Ja-young claims that she only cares about people in the town so much because she considers them to be her family. Ji-yul is touched and she asks what he plans to do with Boksil and her puppies. She cleans Ji-yul’s messy hair and clothes up and he is a little surprised after she gets too close to him.
Ji-yul gets a call about a medical emergency and needs to rush to the shed to help with the delivery of a cow. Ja-young, who is already at Ji-yul’s house, rushes to his shed to get his reading glasses. Ji-yul and Ja-young work together to help with the delivery of the cow and they are both able to successfully pull the calf out of the mother. Se-ryeon (the cow’s owner), who was watching from a distance, asks the two of them to stay back for their celebratory dinner that night. ..
Ja-young praises Ji-yul for his work during the delivery of a cow and Ji-yul reveals that he was scared. That night, Ji-yul is shocked to see how the villagers celebrate. He sits with Ja-young and the two chat. Sang-hyeon arrives and joins the two. The event soon turns into a pissing contest between the two men. ..
Ji-yul, a vegetarian, is ridiculed by the villagers for not eating meat. However, Sang-hyeon, who is known as the man of courage and strength for eating meat, is praised by the villagers. Se-ryeon brings out her special alcohol and Sang-yeon mocks that Ji-yul won’t be able to down it. Ji-yul takes the drink and gulps a few glasses down. The villagers ask Ja-young to sing them a song and the boys, Ji-yul looks at her in awe just like Sang-hyeon. Enamoured by Ja-young, Ji-yul is left speechless. ..
Ja-young and Sang-hyeon walk back to their respective destinations, Ja-young stating that she will be rescuing the puppies and Boksil the following day. Ja-young grows concerned when the villagers start to leave, Sang-hyeon offering to join her but the villagers ask him to stay back. ..
When she asks him to join her, Ji-yul suggests that she should take Sang-hyeon along with her. Sang-hyeon is embarrassed and slips which leads to Ji-yul dropping his bicycle into a ditch. As he manages to take it out, Ja-young apologises for causing him trouble. He tries to cheer her up when Sang-hyeon joins them. Seeing the two together, Sang-hyeon begins to mock Ji-yul. The vet starts to leave and just as Ji-yul leaves, he overhears Sang-hyeon confessing his feelings for Ja-young.
The Episode Review
This show is finally starting to get interesting and Sang-hyeon has owned up to the threat Ji-yul is posing for his future with Ja-young. I am really enjoying Ja-young and Ji-yul’s chemistry and I hope he is able to be himself and accept his feelings soon. The people in the town are being extremely invasive and Ji-yul is finally learning to accept them for the way they are.
Once Upon A Small Town is a show that promises to heal over time. I am sure Ji-yul’s inhibitions and reservations will change and by the end of the show, he will definitely want to stay back in the town and start his practice there. Ja-young needs someone in her life that proves to her that she is the most important person in the world to them.
Sang-hyeon is the person who will be deciding the fate of Ji-yul, but the heart wants what it wants and I think Ji-yul’s childhood friendship with Sang-hyeon will be her ultimate deciding factor. The show gives second lead syndrome and we will surely empathize with Sang-hyeon but I hope he finds someone who truly deserves his love. ..
