Changed Fortunes
Episode 2 of Hello, Me! begins with a surreal segment of surgeons and family members giving their thoughts on Ha-Ni’s uneventful and submissive life. They even include a tribute to her favourite outfit – the orange squid. They call her the Squid Lady and begin dancing that hilarious routine we saw last episode. Ha-Ni eventually bolts upright, snapping out of this dream, as both 17 year old and 37 year old Ha-Ni find themselves in the hospital together. 37 year old Ha-Ni sees her younger self and can’t quite believe her eyes. In fact, she cowers away and slaps her face repeatedly, trying to wake up. After, she slaps 17 year old Ha-Ni – showing her heart-shaped mole on her foot which mirrors her older-counterpart. Adult Ha-Ni is eventually sedated as she starts giggling uncontrollably. Outside the hospital, 17 year old Ha-Ni bumps into Yoo-Hyun who’s confused by Ha-Ni asking about pay phones. Only, she suddenly begins screaming as she notices Hyo-Ri, a celebrity on TV is now married. Then she sees it. The banner reading 2020. Shocked, 17 year old Ha-Ni heads back to find her older self. Both versions of Ha-Ni trade stories from their shared time in school while Anthony learns to his despair that only 70,000 tickets have been sold for his new movie. His agent remains quiet until Anthony leaves the room, bemoaning his luck for taking on a school bully as a client. Back in the hospital, Ha-Ni tries to smuggle the younger Ha-Ni out while she’s covered in a robe up over her head. Only, Yoo-Hyun shows up and admits that he saved Ha-Ni’s life and deserves some recognition for that. He suggests she pay his hospital bill. She promises to do so…if he agrees to help with her situation. Well, help he does as Ha-Ni heads back to school. She finds it completely changed though, as adult Ha-Ni is forced to take her younger counterpart under her wing. Well, she brings 17-Ha-Ni to her apartment and encourages her to get changed out of her school uniform. The outfit she chooses though is suitably flamboyant, complete with sunglasses and a hat. Ha-Ni then breaks the news that actually this house doesn’t belong to her – it’s actually Ha-Yeong’s! The younger Ha-Ni is shocked, as we cut back in time and see exactly why. It turns out they used to be roommates and Ha-Ni didn’t take fondly to her sister. Now though, Ha-Ni is working as her housemaid. 17-year-old Ha-Ni is not happy about her older-counterpart working as a maid, as she busies around the house making food. 17 year old Ha-Ni eventually heads out to use the bathroom but plays around with the switches on the wall. Adult Ha-Ni causes a distraction when she screams, prompting a fire to consume the kitchen and distract the family long enough for the girl to get away. Unfortunately it also causes Ha-Young to berate her sister. This stand-off outside eventually culminates in both Ha-Ni’s heading off together to find a place to stay. Adult Ha-Ni stumbles upon Yoo-Hyun and asks him for the money he owes, which of course he doesn’t have. Thanks to his Father kicking him out and forcing him to pay back 1.82 million won, Yoo-Hyun is in a pretty tough position. In the morning, adult Ha-Ni gets ready for work. Unfortunately headquarters have made their decision, and it’s not a good one thanks to the squid product launch fiasco. Interestingly though, the analysis for the product comes back to show there’s nothing wrong with it. As fate would have it, the chairman for this company is none other than Han Ji-Man himself! Anyway, he tasks Oh Ji-Eun with dealing with the squid issue, tasking her to meet with the Mother and try clearing everything up. In fact, Ha-Ni shows up first and begs for forgiveness, dropping to her knees. The Mother is disgusted, swatting away the fruit basket in her hands. 17-year-old Ha-Ni notices this and runs away in disappointment. Ji-Eun shows up next and realizes that the Mother’s child isn’t exactly in a critical state. In fact, this greedy child heads out alone and sits next to schoolgirl Ha-Ni in the hospital, eating her chocolate chip cookies. Only, he suddenly starts coughing and asking for his Mother. When Ji-Eun shows up too, she notices the two Ha-Ni’s together, running away. As the two versions of Ha-Ni finally talk on the stairs, 17-year-old Ha-Ni lashes out at her older counterpart, telling her she’s living a pathetic life. She admits she’s disappointed, as the duo stare one another down.
The Episode Review
After a pretty vibrant and bright opening episode, Hello, Me slows down slightly for its follow-up with an hour of drama that sees both versions of Ha-Ni adjusting to their newfound circumstances. Yoo-Hyun gets pretty minimal screen-time here though, which is a shame, while the main plot line seems to slow down quite a bit with a more reflective hour of drama. Still, Hello, Me has enough positive elements to it to keep coming back for more, leaving the door wide open for next week’s double bill.
