ROOMMATE Episode 17

Episode Title: Enjoy It, Song Ga Yeon

Ga Yeon, Se Ho, and Dong Wook are off to Jeju Island, where Ga Yeon is originally from. With only one week before her debut, Ga Yeon wants to go to Mount Halla. As they drive through the island, Ga Yeon points out the middle school she went to. She recalls when she started hapkido during that time. She shares that she left Jeju for Busan to attend high school, where she learned more martial arts. The guys are curious to how she became interested in this since girls usually want to learn other things. Ga Yeon says that her father has always kept her active. While her father went to a golfing range, she would go to the boxing gym next door. This grew her interest. Dong Wook comments that fighting is in Ga Yeon's blood. Ga Yeon shares that her father was good at fighting as well.

Finally they arrive to their destination, Mount Halla, a place where Ga Yeon and her father used to frequent. The hike up the mountain starts off easy. The trio stop to make a wish at the rock stacks. But as the path goes higher, it becomes more difficult. As they are taking a break, Dong Wook tells Se Ho to check out the view. Se Ho says he can't since he is too tired. They resume the hike until Se Ho grows tired again. Dong Wook tells them they are doing this for Ga Yeon to cheer her on. Se Ho responds that he can't go any further and that this is the end for him. After letting out some screams, Se Ho treks on and they make it to the top. Instead of taking in the view, Se Ho takes off his backpack and lies down. Ga Yeon and Dong Wook start playfully massaging his legs, telling him he did well.

The crew sits down to chat. Se Ho asks Ga Yeon if she remembers how old she was when she first hiked up this mountain. She recalls coming here when she was in second grade with her father. Se Ho comments that it must be nice to come back. Ga Yeon shares that this made her think about her past memories with her father. The guys start asking about her father. Ga Yeon remembers how her father thought of her as the world. She shares that there were some issues in her household that changed him. She knew that he loved her, but she felt like she couldn't do anything to help. She recalls her father asking her (1 week before his death) if she wanted to go to Mount Halla. From her father, she learned to never give up. She remembers how her father gave up so easily.

Se Ho asks when her father passed away. Ga Yeon says it was during 10th grade of high school. After the funeral, she went back to Busan. She chose to  focus on things and worked like crazy. She started kickboxing, working 2 part time jobs, and learning English. 4 months later, she realized that she felt lost for the first time in her life. Dong Wook asks if she ever resented her father. Ga Yeon remembers the adults telling her not to resent her father. She can swear to the heavens that she never resented him. She shares how her father used to leave her notes on her desk everyday before she left for school. The first note read, "No one is a match for someone who enjoys his work." The second note read, "Don't be inferior. Learn to accept and embrace things." She took those lessons and applied it to her life. She remembers her father thanking her for growing up well. If she could tell him something, she would tell him that she will continue to do well because she is his daughter. She knows that he is smiling as he is looking down at her.

Ga Yeon shares that she hides her happiness because she is afraid it won't last. Others have only seen her as a fighter even though they haven't seen her fight. She believes that those who say she is most beautiful while fighting give her the strength to train and smile. What she realizes today is that others haven't seen the most important part of her yet. This trip has made her realize that she needs to get in the cage to show everyone once and for all. She wants everyone to see her happiness.

After their chat, they start to head back down. Ga Yeon states that she really needs to go to the restroom. While she is sprinting down the stairs, the guys find her behavior cute. It reminds them that she is still like a kid. They stop to take a look of the view now that the mist has pass. They take a picture together before Ga Yeon resumes sprinting down the path. She makes it to the restroom before they head to the next destination, the ocean. The mood in the car is good as they dance and sing along to "Love Never Felt So good" by Michael Jackson.

Looking at the ocean, Se Ho suggests they shout something. Dong Wook says they should shout "enjoy yourself, Song Ga Yeon" since she shared today how she enjoys what she does. Se Ho tells everyone they have to shout loud enough to reach across the ocean. Dong Wook jokes that if they do, the other end of the ocean will rise. He then looks into the camera and tells the editors to add in some CG effects. Before shouting, they agree to punch their fists in the air as they are shouting. They give it a go, shouting at the top of their lungs. The view of the ocean is shown, complete with the CG effect.

It is back to training for Ga Yeon, with now only a few days left. She trains while heavily clothed in order to lose weight. She goes from training in the ring to running on the treadmill to training with her teammates without a break. When they do take a break, her teammates quickly wrap her up in towels to have her sweat more. They even give her a massage and tell her she looks prettier. The break doesn't last long as they go right back into training. In her interview, she shares that her goal weight is 47.5 kg and at the end of that day, she weighed 48.9 kg.

It is now the day before the fight, where the competitors come to get weighed. Before going to weigh in, Ga Yeon heads to a sauna to see if she can sweat off just a bit more weight. Her teammates are showing their concern as they wait. One even asks if a staff member can go check on her. After the sauna, Ga Yeon and her teammates run to the weigh in site (located just upstairs from where they were). They make it just in time as it is announced they would begin weigh ins.

Ga Yeon's opponent, Emi Yamamoto is shown. We find out she fights aggressively. In her interview, she says she has prepared all she could for the match. She mentions that she saw Ga Yeon fight in a video and complimented her, saying Ga Yeon is pretty and a strong fighter.

Weigh ins has started. They witness one fighter not make weight for his fight. While watching everyone get weighed in, Ga Yeon's coach hands her an outfit to go change into. After changing, Ga Yeon continues to nervously wait for her turn. While on standby, Ga Yeon finally comes face to face with her opponent. Emi is called up first to weigh in. She passes, weighing in at 47.25 kg. Ga Yeon is called up next. She gets on the scale, but then gets off. They announce that Ga Yeon is 200 grams over the accepted weight. The captions read that 200 grams is about the weight of her clothes and that female fighters usually strip down when being weighed. It is announced that they will weigh Ga Yeon again in 1 hour. Not wanting to wait, Ga Yeon removes her clothes as some of the ring girls hold up a large towel to cover her. She gets back on the scale and weighs in at 47.45 kg, which qualifies her to fight. In her interview, she explains that it wasn't the time to worry about what others would think, instead she was more concerned with making weight to compete in the fight.

As soon as she stepped off stage, Ga Yeon chugs down some water and exclaims she feels better. Now in the clear, Ga Yeon can finally eat. But that doesn't stop her teammates from being strict on her. They tell her she could eat a little bit at a time, but she couldn't eat right at that moment. Ga Yeon seems very excited as she is given watermelon juice, but another teammate takes it away from her. She is given some honey water instead, but she doesn't seem to mind. Her spirits are up as she says she can be normal again. Ga Yeon asks if she can eat yet. Her teammate informs her only 5 minutes have passed and gives her coconut water to drink instead. She asks about the watermelon juice, but is denied. Not only that, he also gives the drink away.

After it is over, Ga Yeon rushes into a car. Inside the car, one teammate who also has a fight starts talking about watermelon juice. Hilariously, Ga Yeon tells him she packed some watermelon and proceeds to show him. It is cute to see both them excited about watermelon. During their way to the next destination, all Ga Yeon can talk about is food.

Back at the roommate house, everyone is in the kitchen preparing dinner for Ga Yeon.

Ga Yeon and her teammate are at the hospital to get replenished through an IV treatment. Another teammate explains that eating alone won't mean they are getting the nutrients they need, which is what the IV is for. While getting her treatment, Ga Yeon finally gets to eat. She starts introducing the other fighters. She comments that it is nice that they are all competing or else she would be eating alone right now.

Their coach starts talking about each of their opponents. For the other guys, it is like they are going against the best from other countries. In Ga Yeon's case, both have only seen fighting through amateur footage (not from official fights). He explains that her opponent trains at a famous gym in Japan. From his past with competing with opponents from this gym, he knows that their fighting style is aggressive and relentless. With this knowledge, they prepared for this style.

The mood is good as her teammates say good things about Ga Yeon's upcoming match, commenting that her victory is a given. Her coach hassles her about not wearing socks again. One by one, her teammates show that they aren't wearing socks either. Reluctantly, the coach shows that he wasn't wearing socks either. Embarrassed, he tries to turn things around saying she is a woman (implying that she should be wearing socks) while they are men (implying that it isn't necessary for them). A teammate defends her, saying she isn't like other women.

At the share house, Nana and Soo Hyun are watching a dance practice video for Orange Caramel's latest song. The group gathers together as Nana teaches them the steps so they can perform it later when Ga Yeon arrives. They plan it out that they will give her a cheer before proceeding to perform the dance in a line going around the living room. They practice it once and Dong Wook becomes addicted to the dance.

The doorbells rings and they check through the screen to see that it is Ga Yeon. They are frantic as they get in place. Dong Wook answers the door and asks who it is. Ga Yeon says it is the maknae (youngest). Dong Wook jokes that they don't have a maknae here. Ga Yeon is let in and they become frantic again when they realize they don't have the music ready. So Soo Hyun tells them to lock the door. Once prepared, they unlock the door and Ga Yeon enters. They give her a cheer before dancing around the living room. Ga Yeon is confused by their action and they tell her to stay where she is. After the dance, they each say a word of encouragement to her. It all goes as plan. They even guessed right that Min Woo would get punched when he went in for a hug. They top it all off by telling Ga Yeon they love her.

At the dinner table, Soo Hyun starts things off with her caprese salad. Nana and Soo Hyun express their concern for Ga Yeon as she looks tired. Ga Yeon tries to assure them it was just because she didn't sleep well the night before. Dong Wook jokes that he would win if he and Ga Yeon were to fight right now since she seems tired. Ga Yeon fires back that she has a lot of fighting spirit. The next dish is Kang Joon's octopus soup. Kang Joon explains how octopus restores energy. Still concerned, Nana asks Ga Yeon how much sleep she got. Ga Yeon says she only got 30 minutes of sleep. Soo Hyun orders her to immediately go to sleep after eating.

Just then the brownies are done. Nana and Min Woo check on the brownies made in the rice cooker, but it isn't exactly done. Dong Wook asks if they aren't going to have rice (since they used the rice cooker to make the brownies). Soo Hyun jokes that brownies go well with octopus soup. Nana rejoins Ga Yeon at the table and Ga Yeon asks if she really made it. Nana tells her she knew Ga Yeon would want something sweet.

Ga Yeon is eating away, complimenting how good the food is. Everyone is relieved and glad that she is eating well. Now that everyone is at the table, Sung Woo encourages Ga Yeon, telling her to stay cool and win. The roommates ask if it is okay for them to go to her match to cheer her on. Ga Yeon tells them of course they could come. Dong Wook asks if she has a strategy. She answers that she doesn't and will just go on her instincts. The roommates are impressed and Dong Wook jokingly asks if it is like when she hits Min Woo. Going along with it, Min Woo tells he she'll win like that. Ga Yeon assures them it will all go well if she doesn't get nervous. They start talking about her opponent. Ga Yeon has heard the comments about how others viewed her opponent as "easy" since they believe Ga Yeon is a born fighter as opposed to her opponent who has been training for 4 years. She doesn't take their words to heart and just wants to go out there to prove herself instead. She wonders how she'll fight since this will be her first fight (will she go on instinct or fight calmly, using the skills she learned?).

The last dish of the night are Min Woo and Nana's brownies. Ga Yeon takes one taste and compliments them, saying it is really good.  She describes the taste as intense and talks about the texture of it. After dessert, everyone notices how tired she is. They tell her to go back to her dorm to rest. Dong Wook goes in to give her a hug, but he gets a punch instead. He asks for a real hug afterwards. Everyone escorts her out to her car and say their goodbyes. After she leaves, Nana sadly comments that it must be hard for Ga Yeon.

The day has finally arrived. Ga Yeon arrives to the site of the fight 5 hours prior to the event. In her interview, she shares that although everyone around her is nervous, she isn't and instead feels happy. The roommates are on their way to the site as well. In each car, they are listening to songs to get their spirits up. In one car, Se Ho, Nana, and Kang Joon are listening to "Hakuna Matata" and dancing along. In the other car are Soo Hyun, Min Woo, and Sung Woo, who are listening to ""Welcome to the Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance. Sung Woo explains that the lyrics are about not letting the world get you down. The roommates arrive backstage with Mr. Hong. Mr. Hong came as promised and gives Ga Yeon some words of encouragement. He also brings her some good energy, his championship belt.

The event starts and all fighters go on stage during the introduction. Afterwards, Ga Yeon goes backstage to stretch and prepare while the other matches are going on. In contrast, her opponent is practicing her boxing. Ga Yeon's teammate has his match and wins. As time goes by, Ga Yeon appears nervous. Another teammate has his fight, but unfortunately loses.

The time has come. As Ga Yeon's name is announced, her teammates loudly cheer her on. As she makes her way to the cage, she earns more cheers from the crowd and her roommates, some of whom were crying. In their interviews, Dong Wook and Se Ho couldn't pinpoint exactly why they cried. Se Ho tries to explain by saying it was because he was proud of her (as he sees her as his younger sister).

The match begins. Her teammates are yelling out their advice. The roommates are watching nervously. In her interview, Ga Yeon shares that she realized her opponent was left handed early on. After circling around the ring, Ga Yeon charges forward and starts attacking by punching with her right hand (thus blocking opponent's left side). On the floor, Ga Yeon is on top of her opponent, punching away. Dong Wook comments that she is doing so well, but he stand to watch. The others seem to feel the same way (although they see she is doing well, they can't help but be nervous and worried). Emi gets back up and pushes Ga Yeon to the fence, where she proceeds to knee her. Ga Yeon is trying to get out of the position as Emi has a tight hold on her. Her teammates are yelling out their tips. As Ga Yeon is struggling, Se Ho and Dong Wook are in tears. Finally, she gets out of the position. She throws some punches before throwing her opponent to the floor. Ga Yeon has the upper hand as her opponents tries to counterattack. Ga Yeon throws her opponent down again. This time, Ga Yeon is able to get on top of her and starts punching away. Emi tries to keep her guard up as Ga Yeon is punching, but ultimately Ga Yeon wins with a TKO.

After the winner is officially announced, Ga Yeon celebrates in the cage as Emi walks backstage crying. The captions reads "the world of fighters...when I laugh, someone else must cry." Emi is heard saying she wasn't angry because she fought hard. As they show footage of Emi crying, we also see her laughing later on as her coach tries to joke around to cheer her up. The caption in this scene reads "regardless of victory or defeat, being together with colleagues brings happiness." Later on, Ga Yeon enters Emi's room to tell her she did well. Both are smiling as they hug and take pictures together. Emi does a quick interview and says she'll practice harder and thanks them for cheering her on. Ga Yeon leaves a message for Emi in her interview. She expresses her gratitude towards Emi for receiving her with a smile when she went to say goodbye. She expresses her hope to meet again as better fighters.

"But when the match is over, we are all friends who share a strong connection."

Thoughts:
We gain insight on our maknae as she gets ready for her big moment.

It was nice to see Ga Yeon share with her roommates a place she has a lot of memories of. She openly talked about her father and shared her realization about wanting to show a side of herself to those that cheer her on. This chat puts Ga Yeon in a mature light. Then after their serous talk, you realize that she is still like a kid as she sprints to use the restroom. It was cute how she stopped so they can take a picture before sprinting down the mountain again.

It was even harder to watch her train in this episode compared to the other times. Not only did she go from one thing to another without a break, she was heavily dressed and visibly exhausted. It was heart warming to see her teammates taking care of her immediately after they stopped for a break. From wrapping her in towels to help her sweat more to massaging her to complimenting her, it really shows the comradery of the team.

Seeing Ga Yeon out of it at the weigh in made me uneasy. Thankfully her spirits were up when she made her weight class. Again, she seemed child-like as she kept asking about her watermelon juice and when she could eat again. At the house, the warm welcoming, complete with a dance and encouraging words was a nice moment. It was touching to see how worried Nana and Soo Hyun were of Ga Yeon. All of the roommates seemed worried.

Fight day was all sorts of emotions. Seeing the roommates crying even before the match shows how close they are. I was surprised to see Dong Wook and Se Ho cry early on. I think they must have really gotten close with Ga Yeon on their trip to Jeju. The fight was hard to watch as it was brutal and nerve wrecking at the same time. Ga Yeon was victorious and we couldn't be more proud.

I have to give the editors credit. When they were focusing on Emi after the match, I felt uneasy with how this may go. Instead of focusing entirely on the loss and how the loser feels, the editors put out a positive message saying that victory or defeat doesn't matter as much as being together with the people that matter.  Not only that, I like how the show ended by talking about the friendship and connection these fighters have. ROOMMATE EDITORS, YOU DID WELL.