(So, I’m feeling a bit apprehensive going into these episodes since it seems like everything’s sorted out. But I don’t just stop watching a show. I’ll sit through until the end. So follow along with me as I type this while watching hehe. My direct commentary will be in parenthesis.)
It’s Day 6 in the house and Hanmin wakes up early to cook breakfast with Youngjoon helping him. The rest of the house gets up as rain starts to fall outside.
The guys find out how today’s date was decided by which mailbox they popped their letters into. And they’re all happy except Jaeseung who feels like the unluckiest guy in the house and Seongmin, who can’t go with Jaeseung and has to go with Hwi who he is awkward with now.
The guys spend 20 minutes of episode time figuring out what to wear. (A really slow start to this episode, tbh.) Youngjoon and Hanmin dress in fishnets while Myeongkyun and Minseon go denim. The sight of their couple outfit annoys Jaeseung even more. Lol
The guys gather on the couches, paired up. Youngjoon and Hanmin already looking like a couple while Seungjin tells us he’s starting to be interested in Hwi.
Seungjin, Hwi and Seongmin’s date is at a bowling alley. None of them are any good at bowling, but Hwi is confident in his potential skills. After a while, Seungjin proposes a bet for a wish coupon. Seongmin is not really too keen on the idea as it can be burdensome. But they agree to it.
The show makes it (painfully) clear that Hwi and Seungjin are becoming closer.
Hwi ends up winning and he tells us he wants to lie in the pool with Seungjin and just space out. While he wants to just get along as friends with Seongmin.
Seongmin tells us he was missing Jaeseung and was feeling annoyed. But he still enjoyed the bowling date and felt it was less awkward with Hwi now.
They head for lunch. Seongmin says he feels comfortable with them two. For chitchat, Hwi asks if they have any memorable moments. Seungjin says yesterday, which was his date with Hwi, but doesn’t explicitly say that. Seongmin says for him it was the exhibition, but it was just a pity it had to be with Hanmin who didn’t like it.
Seungjin asks how he feels about Jaeseung now. Hwi thinks he’s asking because he knows Seungjin has feelings for Jaeseung. After Seungjin presses him, Seongmin admits that Jaeseung is who he is most interested in. Seungjin admits that it was he who asked Jaeseung if his feelings for Seongmin were sincere. Hwi cannot believe it considering everyone suspected him.
Hwi asks if they have regrets. Seungjin says he regrets the letter he wrote last night because he feels different today. He wants to burn it,
Hwi says there is no specific moment for him, rather he’s had too narrow a view. In the past, it was always the other guy who liked him first. But here, this is the first time he likes someone more than they like him. But he knows this is a learning experience
Meanwhile, the other five guys are on a water sports date at the river. Before taking their clothes off, they decide to take polaroids. Jaeseung tries to put on a brave smiley face while the couples are all sweet with each other.
Minseon tells us they tried not to be too lovey-dovey so they could just have a fun time together, especially with Jaeseung with them. Jaeseung just laughs at his situation.
After getting in their swimsuits and the guys, minus Minseon, do some quick pushups just in case they have to go shirtless, they hop into a banana boat and then into a duck boat.
(I definitely would’ve had more fun with the fivesome. The stuff in the water is more my speed than bowling lol)
They then move on to the flyfish with should have them flying above the water. First up is Hanmin, Youngjoon and Minseon. But the fish doesn’t fly so Minseon has to get off, Youngjoon and Hanmin joking he is the heaviest.
Next to go is Myeongkyun and Jaeseung. Youngjoon teases that the two of them are just pretending and forcing themselves to enjoy each other’s company.
The guys have pizza after and have some chitchat as it starts to rain. Jaeseung decides to go home first as he’s starting to not feel well, especially after being in the water and feeling chills earlier.
Home alone, Jaeseung takes a shower, changes out of his clothes, takes some cold medicine and gets in bed thinking about Seongmin.
(Which brings us to the end of Episode 11.
BUTTTTTTTT!
I literally jumped out of my freakin’ chair as soon as the preview for Episode 12 started. Like WTF?!?!? Hello?!?!?!?!?!?! Are we really doing this right now?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Jaeseung and Hwi?!?!?!?!
Okay, calm down bro! Let’s hurry to the episode! lol)
Episode 12 starts back at the river with the two couples continuing their date.
(Though honestly, I want to fast forward to the evening with whatever was going on with Jaeseung and Hwi lol)
As the downpour gets stronger, the guys decide to go home. They decide today was a nice day. Myeongkyun and Youngjoon are in the process of becoming friends again, though Minseon is still a bit unsure about them
(These group dates really should’ve been earlier. Have the guys get to know each other more outside of the home.)
Back home, Minseon checks on Jaeseung and sees he’s sleeping so he closes his door to let him rest. Youngjoon and Hanmin decide to lay in bed together in the double room and they fall asleep.
Minseon and Myeongkyun prepare for dinner. Myeongkyun uses his recipe notebook to cook tonkatsu and soup.
The threesome arrives home to them cooking and they talk about what they did today.
(I’m smiling like a fool as) Hwi decides to go to check on Jaeseung. Hwi apologizes for waking him, but Jaeseung invites him to come in and take a seat. Hwi excitedly tells Jaeseung about their funny bowling date.
Hwi tells us that he avoided Jaeseung because he was annoyed by him. But after feeling bad, Hwi wanted to talk and reconcile with him. So he decided to approach him first.
Jaeseung tells Hwi about feeling like he caught a cold earlier. Hwi apologizes for bothering him again and gets up to leave, but Jaeseung says he feels a lot better now after taking a nap. Hwi takes a seat back down.
(Seriously, I cannot stop smiling! I think the two are very sincere here. The lingering feelings they must have for each other are motivating them to try and fix whatever turned their relationship, even just friendship, so sour.)
Jaeseung tells us that a lot of tension between him and Hwi subsided today. And he feels he should talk to Hwi more.
Later, Seongmin comes in to check on Jaeseung who says he’s doing a lot better now. But what he doesn’t feel good about is what happened with Hwi yesterday. Even though it’s nothing to be sorry about, he still feels bad.
Jaeseung understands how much Seongmin cares about him and appreciates that
It’s time for their final dinner together and the guys enjoy the tonkatsu and soup. The guys enjoy their fun final dinner together. Youngjoon feels like they’ve all gotten closer.
(Despite some fans insisting that these people hate each other. 🙄)
After dinner, while the others are washing the dishes, Youngjoon and Hanmin decide to decorate their polaroids and put together a nice scrapbook. The others later join them.
(And thanks to their arts and crafts session, the show proved they filmed July 2023! One year ago!
)
Seongmin heads to his room and finds letters on their beds. He goes to tell everyone.
Seongmin and Hanmin both get two letters. Both Hwi and Seungjin didn’t get any so they go for a smoke. Minseon has one letter as do Youngjoon and Myeongkyun
(Why at this point do I think that Seungjin wrote a letter to Jaeseung, which is the only letter he might get and Seongmin wrote to Hanmin?!?!?!? Let’s see!)
Minseon goes to the couch to read the letter from Myeongkyun. He thinks it is very cute. Myeongkyun says Minseon has helped him realize strengths and charms he didn’t know he had before, He apologizes for not being good at expressing himself. But he has had fun with him and hopes they can enjoy more days together.
Myeongkyun reads Minseon’s letter to him. He feels they are in sync with their similar messages. Myeongkyun thinks Minseon is an angel.
(Turns out my hunch was wrong and) Seungjin wrote his letter to Hanmin.
Hanmin opens the first letter which is from Youngjoon. Youngjoon says he is worried that he puts pressure on him by liking him more than Hanmin likes him back. But he thanks him for always being by his side.
Hanmin reads Seungjin’s letter which says that he is a bit apprehensive to go on a date with him since he knows he is interested in Youngjoon. But Seungjin says he would like to get closer to him.
Hanmin says Seungjin’s letter has come too late and that it’s too bad he couldn’t go on a date or get closer to Seungjin.
(I think this is pretty much proof that maybe these letters should’ve been earlier this week. I think in season 1 or 2, letters were in the middle of the week and were I think what rearranged the rooms too. So being able to express yourself privately like this in a different way from a phone call would’ve been nice to have earlier so the guys could explore their feelings and get to know other guys more)
Jaeseung goes to his room to read the long letter from Mr. Bae. Seongmin says it’s been a rollercoaster this past week. At first, he thought that maybe the only thing they had in common was their similar-looking eyes. But he finds that now he likes Jaeseung’s eyes and every unique aspect of him. Seongmin closes with saying Jaeseung has always been in his heart.
Jaeseung starts to tear up, feeling so happy by Seongmin’s sincere words.
Seongmin hesitates to read his two letters. He opens Jaeseung’s letter first. Jaeseung tells him that he always misses him and only thinks about him and his puppy dog smile. He hopes they can go on a proper date.
Hanmin leaves the room as Seongmin reads Hwi’s letter. Hwi says it has been an overwhelming and mentally exhausting couple of days, filled with joy and sadness. But he still feels the same way about him. However, knowing Seongmin is unsure about him, it breaks his heart. Nonetheless, Hwi thanks him for being kind and comforting him. He is frustrated that his heart still flutters when he’s around him. Hwi says he’s done all he can to express his feelings for him, putting aside his pride. So he hopes Seongmin can make things clear with him. To end, Hwi thanks Seongmin for coming into his life.
Hwi tells us that thanks to Seongmin, he’s sure of his type and his dating style. So he was able to reflect on himself
Seongmin is emotional after reading Hwi’s sincere letter. He goes to the bathroom to cry. He regrets the harsh words from last night and thinks Hwi must be suffering because of him.
Seongmin says if he received the letter earlier, he might have been less emotional.
Youngjoon’s turn to read his letter from Hanmin who says he would rather chat with him at a café eating yummy food than write a letter.
Seungjin is by the pool alone, regretting writing to Hanmin. Hwi joins him in the entertainment room to lay by the door. Youngjoon, says he has 1% discomfort because of Seungjin’s letter. By the and Hanmin continue with the scrapbook.
Hwi decides to draw and takes it to show Seongmin. He usually gives drawings to his friends for birthdays so he made one for Seongmin. Seongmin feels thankful and sorry. He didn’t ask what the drawing meant.
(Let’s get to the Hwi and Jaeseung convo please! Lol)
Hwi says he extinguished the sparks himself, but the ashes are still there, And those are good memories he will keep.
While sitting at the table, Jaeseung asks to talk to Hwi and they go to his room.
Jaeseung hopes they can have an honest conversation about their love triangle. Jaeseung says he was jealous of Hwi to some degree, especially when he was the one who put Hwi and Seongmin in the same room together and the fact that they were his first and second choices.
Jaeseung tells us that he has mixed feelings about Hwi since he was interested in him at first before suddenly becoming rivals for Seongmin.
Jaeseung would like to know if Hwi wrote him that anonymous question about having sincere feelings for Seongmin. Hwi laughs, remembering the revelation from Seungjin earlier. Hwi says he felt so wronged that everyone assumed it was him, but he assures Jaeseung it was not. Even if he can’t tell him who it was.
Jaeseung is shocked and confused. He admits that his hostility toward Hwi started because of that question. And that he felt like Hwi was going too far by boxing him into a corner through it. Hwi understands and says he’d probably feel the same way.
Jaeseung apologizes for misunderstanding him. Hwi says he’s sad that if it weren’t for that misunderstanding, things might have been very different between them and that’s a shame.
Hwi didn’t think that Jaeseung would misunderstand him that way. Especially since he also had feelings for Jaeseung, there would be no reason to pin him in the corner like that. Jaeseung points out that Hwi said he was only interested in one person. But Hwi says it just meant that he was most interested in one person which his Seongmin as his first choice. And no matter what, Jaeseung would always be his second choice.
Jaeseung says he thought the same way too.
Hwi admits his heart hurt seeing Jaeseung and Seongmin together. But since he liked Seongmin so much, he just wanted him to be happy. So he respected Seongmin’s time with Jaeseung.
Hwi says Jaeseung must be happy now. But Jaeseung says it hurts to think that he was able to obtain his happiness by taking away someone else’s. And because it was Hwi’s happiness, it hurts even more.
(AHHHHHHH!!!)
Jaeseung feels if they had more conversations, he would not have misunderstood him. Hwi agrees it is a pity. Jaeseung hopes they can be good friends outside of this house. Hwi says that would make him happy.
They share a tight hug, apologizing to each other.
Jaeseung says he will buy Hwi some drinks after the show. Hwi wants him to make him croffles. Jaeseung tells him to visit his shop. But they both agree they must keep in touch.
They thank each other for being honest and understanding with each other. They wipe their tears as they head downstairs for some water.
In the kitchen, Hwi says he can finally speak comfortably to Jaeseung since he’s always been so cold and hostile to him. As Hwi starts to cry again, Jaeseung feels bad and cries as well as he apologizes.
Hwi follows Jaeseung out to the pool and comforts him as he can’t stop crying, sorry for the way he treated Hwi. Hwi jokes that Jaeseung is crying in front of a dongsaeng 11 years younger than him.
Jaeseung and Hwi laugh about visiting each other in Daejeon and Seoul. Hwi brings up how his heart fluttered during their workout session during their house date.
Hwi also asks Jaeseung if he can smile at him when he looks at him. Hwi starts to cry again, saying that Jaeseung never smiles at him.
Hwi tells us that he felt too negatively about Jaeseung. But now he feels he can have a nice hyung-dongsaeng friendship with him. Jaeseung regrets being so hostile after that misunderstanding.
(AHHHH! Honestly, I think this was the best ten minutes of all three seasons of His Man so far. I’ve noted how the show has repeatedly included and snuck in all these little scenes of Jaeseung and Hwi in every episode.
My hopeless romantic self hoped that it meant they would be endgame. But nonetheless, this is real story development.
And to think that the tension between Jaeseung and Hwi and any potential romance between them being halted was because of Seungjin being a mischievous little shit-stirrer. Lol It was mostly in good fun all week. But to think his question is basically the catalyst for all of the drama in the would-be throuple… I mean, triangle is so crazy.
If there was any proof that this show was truly scripted, then it’s the way this whole story with Jaeseung-Hwi-Seongmin (and Seungjin) has played out. Lol. Seriously, it would take a very creative person to be able to have such an incredibly strong narrative foundation like this. One that could easily be the plot of a scripted drama series. And one that perfectly suits a rivals-to-lovers romance! Lol
If only there was one more day of dates and Hwi and Jaeseung could’ve finally gone on a proper one. Hmph. Lol
Still, I really loved their honest conversation with each other. They both turned their attention to Seongmin, but they really did have feelings for each other. And if it weren’t for that pesky question, who knows how their relationship could’ve developed.
All the things they said about regret and being apologetic absolutely make sense. You can tell they were sincere about it all. And then their continued crying session downstairs and by the pool. Hwi even remembering their house date in a positive light? Come on! All perfect tropes for this would-be romance.
The two specific moments that stand out to me were:
-Jaeseung saying that taking away someone’s happiness away to achieve his own makes him even more sad because it is Hwi whose happiness he’s taking away. [Because of his lingering feelings for him of course! Lol]
-Hwi crying about Jaeseung being so cold to him and Jaeseung never smiling at him. I will take that as Hwi having legitimate feelings for Jaeseung, but also just wanting to be close to him and instead running up against a wall because of a misunderstanding.
*big sigh* Oh well. I’m just happy they were able to clear the air and are happy with each other.)
Anyway, where were we? Oh, less interesting things. lol)
Minseon and Youngjoon talk about the anonymous chat night and how Minseon was annoyed by him. Youngjoon says he did that to find out what Myeongkyun was thinking, but also in a way he did that for Minseon so he knows what he’s getting himself into with Myeongkyon. (lol what?)
Hwi tells Seungjin about feeling relaxed and comfortable now after talking to Jaeseung. When they go back inside, Seungjin decides to tell Hwi that he thought about wanting to go home, like, his real home. But yesterday’s date with Hwi changed everything. His heart fluttered. And so he tells Hwi that he was very happy yesterday. Hwi says Seungjin has always comforted him.
Seungjin starts to cry thinking about how he might have been looking for someone to comfort him too.
As the others start packing their things, Hwi and Seungjin go back outside to the smoke shack before then going into the kitchen. Hwi stays by Seungjin’s side as he cries some more.
And that brings us to the end of this penultimate week of episodes.
It’ll be interesting to see how next week plays out. Do we get one or two episodes? Last season, these heart-to-heart talks happened on final day in the hours before the final decision. We might see more next week. But the main event was definitely Jaeseung-Hwi’s convo.
Going into those final decisions, I think it’s pretty obvious that we’ll get at least two couples leaving the house together with Youngjoon-Hanmin and Myeongkyun-Minseon. Seungjin may choose Hwi since it’s the closest he has to someone he actually likes. But Hwi choosing Seungjin might not be in the cards. You’re supposed to choose who you like the most.
And even if he knows there is no possibility, Hwi will write down Seongmin’s name. I think it’s clear Jaeseung will choose Seongmin. But could Seongmin be that conflicted that he can’t choose his happiness (which would be Jaeseung) and, while not choosing Hwi, end up writing down a random name because he can’t decide. Or he won’t decide between the two, lest he hurt one of them. Better to hurt both (and himself) than hurt only one lol
Otherwise, there’s not much suspense going into next week’s episodes. But then again, I said the same coming into this week and I was beside myself grinning and smiling like an idiot watching Jaeseung and Hwi. Lol. Of which, I will stay on that ship until it sinks in the end lol
Jaeseung and Hwi would have been the most iconic couple evah
I agree! Darned ages hehe