Author: Nancy McDonnell from ECI
Photo Credit as tagged
WARNING: If you haven’t watched this episode, please be aware of spoiler from reading this article.
When episode 16 begins we see a devastated Kim Bo Tong wandering aimlessly down the street having been asked by Dokgo Mate to disappear from his life. She didn’t really believe him until he tore up the photo of Kim Mi Sook & Park Ki Suk. And now with such harsh words from Dokgo Mate, her heart is broken.
Mate lovingly repairs the photo of the people he had grown up believing were his parents. People it turns out were not related to him at all. But as he stares at the ring he had been planning to give to the girl he loves, Kim Bo Tong, we see from his face just how much it took for him to give her up. How much he is suffering because he is trying to protect the one he loves.
Na Hong Ran sways Dokgo Mate’s employee Jang Duk Sang into turning over important contracts to her. And then sets legal wheels in motion to take down Mate & his companies. Sounds like Mate will be doing good not to get hauled off to have an adjoining cell with Kwi Ji’s father!
But after meeting with the chairman however, Mate decides to go on the offensive and contacts Yeo Mim to get the scoop on Hong Na Ran, I hesitate to refer to her as his “mother.”
David Choi asks again for Kim Bo Tong’s heart. She rejects him again, and somehow the message gets through. He’s never going to have Bo Tong’s heart. Because it’s always going to belong to the boy she fell in love with at 16…. Dokgo Mate.
I love the way he tells her she’s a fool for not realizing that just as he’d named his car for Bo Tong because he had feelings for her… so had Dokgo Mate before him…. named his company after the person that mattered to him the most. And then David Choi confessed another secret…that he knew that Kim Bo Tong herself was the passcode Mate needed, but that he hadn’t shared that with her because he knew she’d run off to Mate. And she does just that! And when she embraces him, Mate hugs her back tight!
The next morning who should barge into Dokgo Mate’s office, but former Prosecutor Lee, who is now a private attorney looking to help a friend and make a name for herself by taking him on as her first case! With help from Kim Bo Tong & David Choi (and his brother, Pak Moon Soo), the charges against Dokgo Mate are revealed to be the work of MG Group.
Bo Tong’s mother comes to Mate to comfort him with home cooking and some words of advice. That it must have been hard for his mother to send such a beautiful baby away. Mate says his mother is heartless. But Bo Tong’s mother claims she probably wasn’t always that way. That all those years she had to deal with the guilt of abandoning her son. She urges him to go to his mother (Na Hong Ran) and try to offer her some comfort by forgiving her, someone who felt she didn’t even have the right to tell her own son, that she was sorry. And she tells Dokgo Mate, this is what her friend, Kim Mi Sook would have wanted him to do.
Dokgo Mate does just so. And that’s when we meet woman #10 – the World’s Most Formidable Woman – Mother. He tells her he’s sorry for being born and wishes her a long and happy life. And that’s when we see the iron lady’s walls turn to ashes.
After Mate leaves her husband comes to her & confesses he had wanted to set things right before he couldn’t anymore. And so we see that for all her scheming it had come to naught. She asks her husband “what do I do?” And he hugged her and reminded her, “You have our children.”
Meanwhile David Choi drives down a lonely road… and stops for a hitchhiker. She says she is so cold, because last night she’d went glamping. And a smile of pure joy spreads over his face… at last! David Choi has found a kindred spirit! Hurray for the second lead getting a girl!
A year later we find Mate is running a restaurant… where Bo Tong meets him for lunch. He gives her a bite of meat in a lettuce wrap. And after she gobbles it down, he tells her there was a ring inside. She acts all panicked and they start to head out to the hospital when she suddenly stops him & reveals she didn’t really swallow the ring. Mate grabs her & pulls her in for a deceptively gentle kiss… and as the music swells & Jang Keun Suk’s voice is heard… the kiss is frozen in time.
—
My personal thoughts are that Beautiful Man is so much more than a manga. As we’ve followed the course of Dokgo Mate’s growth as a business man we’ve learned right along with him. Practical and valuable people skills, that can make the difference between success and failure in personal or professional growth. The Ten Women & their lessons in a diagram. Our thanks to Yani Cri for sharing!
I can’t imagine anyone else but Jang Keun Suk playing Dokgo Mate. The role seems tailor made for him. In the beginning I could see how he’d crafted his character. Hitting on some of the top character qualities that made Eels fall in love with him in the first place. But as the story line moved on… we came not to see Jang Keun Suk, nor character’s he’s played, but a sweet & real person, named Dokgo Mate one who made us believe again in love.
I also want to note, that I loved IU as Kim Bo Tong. Early on in the drama I started referring to her as Bo Tongie… with all the affection that implies. For many Eels, including myself, Bo Tongie was ‘Super Eel.’ So much of what she said or did reminded us of our own love for the man who played Mate, and made us smile. She was Mate’s greatest fan… just as Eels are the greatest fans of Jang Keun Suk!
The dialogue was written in Beautiful Man in such a way, that I totally could identify with the emotions Jang Keun Suk was displaying. As emotional scene after emotional scene occurred putting our emotions through the wringer, this drama definitely hit my buttons. Out of all the characters Jang Keun Suk has played, I don’t think I’ve ever identified with one more.
True that no actors could have pulled off Dokgo Ma Te’s character other than how JKS did.. The plots of 예쁜 남자 is so unique and extra ordinary that only the combined effort of great actors and production team can keep intelligent viewers interested in it week on week. Looking forward to JKS’ future dramas/movies..
Ahh I’m so hooked in this drama that i am watching it all over again..
hahaha…me too, I start watching this drama again from first episode…..non-stop this time…LOLL
Ma Te-ah, im no. Lesson #11…. im waiting for you to hit MY button! Kkkkk!!
Thanks Nan for your wonderful recap 🙂
As I’ve mentioned to you, I didnt quite feel Sukkie getting into character in the first few episodes, but he redeemed himself especially in the last few episodes. Looking forward to his next surprise very anxiously!
Thanks sis Nancy for the recap. I waited anxiously for this final episode and I could say that I was quite happy with how they wrapped everything up. It could’ve been better if they added a couple more episodes but yeah… this way is already great. Especially I was glad because they let MaTe & his mother reconcile! Nobody became terribly evil in this drama in the end :). And or MaTe and BoTong’s romance… I know that some people were disappointed with their ‘chemistry’ or ‘kissing scene’. I personally didn’t mind :p. It’s heartwarming to see that MaTe learned about love eventually. The kiss was so light and sweet… both were smiling :). A happy ending everybody deserves, it is! 🙂
Thank you sis Nancy for your thoughts and recap on Ep 16! I agree that the journey of Mate made us all reflect on our Sukkie’s life path and our own self learnings.
Hooray for Botong’s mom! but somehow I feel bad that I cannot even remember if they gave her a name- which means a lot to me in a drama!
Oh how i loved NHR’s acting! Her quivering and non-stop tears were at par with Sukkie’s that is why the forgiving scene was just superb IMO! thank you for that!
and of course episode 16 will not be all worth it if not for the much-awaited and much-argued-about need for a kiss scene! kkk! ^^ Although it lacked Sukkie’s passionate kiss I still think it was fitting of the scene- sweet pecking of lips it seemed but at least I saw Botong’s lips move a bit in response to Sukkie’s sweet pecks!
To everyone behing Bel Ami- we enjoyed the ride, we learned a lot, and we are all better persons just for watching your excellent work! THANK YOU!!! ❤
Thanks sis Nancy . It arrived and the ending.
An ending like a white lilac blooms in a sunny spring morning . The way he stands in the open door of the restaurant and looks at her is so suggestive . Is the door open to the life that awaits them both with open arms.
And the kiss at the end is best suited to their love, innocent , sensitive and delicate .
I’m gonna miss everyone very much. Frankly, some time it’ll be hard to watch another series without comparing it with Beautiful Man . Sure Beautiful Man will be the winner .
It was so intense and he touched my heart so much .
Even though there were a few episodes, I still would have felt sorry when the ending came .
Congratulations to the entire team that made this marvel . We have seen very clearly that they were a united team, determined to do something to prove value to all who participated in this project.
But , no offense , who shined the most was our Prince .
All the best to all.
Great recap and thoughts Nancy!
I think the reason why Ma Te did not go to work at Bo Tong Company for a year is because of his thoughtfulness. He is considerate of David’s feelings. Seeing Ma Te himself and Bo Tong being a loving couple at work, David would have felt sad and unable to continue working there because it would hurt too much. David also then would have no place to go since he did not agree with MG’s style of doing business. Therefore, Ma Te divided the shares of Bo Tong Company between David and Bo Tong and cease to go to the company. Note Ma Te also waited a year before proposing to Bo Tong even though he is all ready with the ring and knows that Bo Tong would surely be pleased. That is further his consideration for David, allowing David some time to come to terms with the fact that Bo Tong truly belongs to Ma Te and that he should move on and not wait for her any longer.
Ma Te is not just a handsome man. His personality and thoughtfulness is what makes him attractive and endearing to those around him. Even Bo Tong’s mother and brother loves Ma Te and are closer to him than David.
@Staying Up Late: “Even Bo Tong’s mother and brother loves Ma Te and are closer to him than David” –> yeah… how nice it is to finally be a real family with people that you’ve considered your own family for years :). I love how other side characters are not left unimportant in this drama including Botong’s family. Botong’s mum has always been a loving ahjumma for MaTe, even though she often scolds her daughter for being head-over-heel- towards MaTe. So is Dae Shik, Botong’s brother.
P.S. Miss the Beautiful Man and wished that it could have been longer. If it is a Japanese drama, there would have been a season 2!
yes..season 2 please..but i think suk wont do.huhu..
Staying Up Late!!! I’m so happy to see you again here ^_^ We sure miss Beautiful Man as some of us already re-watching the drama from ep1 but good that I don’t have to stay up late after this drama as no need to chase weekly!
Hi QQ, have always been around.:) How can I not be interested in what’s happening with our blue eye boy? Dearly want to rewatch Bel Ami from ep 1 but is afraid that I will marathon it and not get any sleep!!! Will definitely do so when I find a block of undisturbed time. Watched Doremifaso yesterday and loved how adorable our Keun Suk looked as a teenager!!!
Thanks for the last recap of Beautiful Man Nancy
O this drama made us laugh a lot and cry rivers…my eyes were not only wet but the tears dropped down my cheeks just like mate’s…
Since I don’t really watch all K drama’s but like Adriana I will compare all drama’s with Beautiful Man and the acting of Jang Keun Suk.
IU was a happy surprise..perfect for her role.
I love the thoughts of Staying Up Late…
But I imagining all 3 childeren will eventualy inherite MG anyway..but David from the start really put all his earnest efforts to help build Botong Enterprise so it’s really fitting to give him half of it…and the other half for Botong…wich Mate get’s back with marriage anyway..
The galbi restaurant is just for fun so he can help out his old friend…who really needs somebody to hold his hands…such beautiful man
Me too wish there is a season 2 hahaha…but I doubt that because JKS don’t like to do things twice…
Agree that David and Bo Tong were the “runners” of Bo Tong Company. However, the Company really could not have come to being without the leader and entrepreneurship of Ma Te. Ma Te was the one who established 1) the “connection” to sell socks on MG home shopping,2)the sock manufacturer to produce the socks, 3) agency for the outdoor brand of clothing, 4)SS home shopping. So it is truly his generousity and thoughtfulness that Ma Te left the company which also means a great deal to him to his friend and lover instead.
Staying Up Late, agreed to every thing you said!!!
That’s the purpose of being Beautiful Man, he learns and grow….and once he achieves his goals he won’t be possessed or obsessed by success, money or frame.
Mate could not imagine two more loyal and fair partners..even in his darkest days David did not jeopardies the company; always a hard worker and gave his 101%..
True Mate did the entrepreneurship but David was the managing executor with good work experience…a good marriage between the 3
Wonder were the galbi restaurant is where they filmed the last episode…guess a lot of eels wants to eat there..not for the food but to soak up the atmosphere just like the Droptop cafe…
All in the name of true love, right? Too bad the ones who spouted off so much about it have no concept of what love really is. Both the chairman and Bo Tong put Ma Te in no win situations that to get out of would have done severe collateral damage that he wasn’t willing to do. No one thought of this in regards to him throughout the entire show but sometimes growth is doing for others what could not be done for ourselves.
And so in true borderline fashion he takes the emotional dagger aimed at his heart form mom and aims it at himself. In my world when people start apologizing for being born we hide sharp objects. (lol joke) But seriously when someone makes statements like that to family the intent is to hurt the other person by hurting themselves.
After 16 episodes of bashing mom as the worst person on earth the chairman swoops in while she’s in pain, apologizes while laying on more guild and we see his true motive. TAKE CARE OF ME! Since he’s dying she goes ahead and does it.
And Ma Te, bless his heart, does the only thing he can do, accepts a no win situation and decides to make the best of it. I’m glad that he opened the rib place as at least he can start setting some healthier boundaries and push the girl to develop some sort of identity beyond him. It’s not healthy for either person when you are so wrapped up in someone else that you are nothing without him, it’s certainly not love. I really wish that someone would have addressed this in the show but I’m not sure she would have even listened. So Ma Te decides f**k it, I’ll run with this and play for now. I might as well enjoy myself.
Nancy i done reading now ,good job,thanks for share your thoughs,agree with you in a lot of things.I will see the drama again too til Monday because i like it so much.