Shining SOLO, Episode 5: Lies, Fake-outs, and LOTS of Noodles

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(Written September 1, 2024)

I’m excited about this episode.  We’ll get the final voting for these five TREASURE members and get ready to meet the other five.  We’ll see who our “Mr. Treasure” is for this group and if any of them will start seriously dating one of the girls.  (No, of course not. This is K-pop.)  I’m also wondering if we’ll get a new cast of girls as well as guys in Part 2.  Let’s get this ball rolling!

When we last left Treasure Castle, we were starting the 10-minute talk mission, and Haruto was NOT playing around.  He’d talked with both Mi Ho and Ji Yeon.  Those talks were very interesting, especially since the guys were finally being told who’d been leaving them jewels and recorders. 

We start the episode, and this house looks amazing at night.  Seriously, I’m in love with the house.  We open on Asahi waiting for his first conversation partner.  I’m hoping we’ll see what happened between him and Ji Yeon before she talked to Haruto, but we’re starting with So Won.  Throughout the show, she has not given Asahi any jewels or voice recorders, so it looks like there hasn’t been any connection here.  I’m curious as to why we’re seeing this conversation.

So Won says the girls have been talking upstairs about the guys they feel most comfortable with.  She says she mentioned Asahi.  I don’t know if I believe her or not.  She says that most of the girls said Asahi’s the one they talked to the least.  (Well, it is hard to talk to someone who’s spent most of the show fleeing from women like he owed them money.) 

But So Won says she’s been able to talk with him, and I remember they worked together earlier tonight to make veggie skewers for the dinner.  They also talked back at the first dinner they were preparing together.  I’d forgotten about that.  When he has an activity to focus on, he has an easier time talking.  So Won figured that out early.

This is really nice.  Asahi thanks her for being so easy to talk to, and she asks if he might be less shy and awkward around people from now on.  He thinks he’s got the hang of conversation now.  She’s surprised to learn he’s gotten a total of five voice recorders.  She says the other girls said they still found him charming.

I agree with the viewers who are posting that Asahi should be cranking up the charm right now.  After all, he IS competing with Haruto.

So Won is laying it on thick.  “Everyone feels a kind of inner closeness to you,” she says.  Okay, enough.  I do like So Won, but I’ve learned not to believe everything she says.  I wouldn’t be surprised if she tells all five of them she’s going to give her jewel to them.

So Won adds that Asahi’s silence makes him intriguing and mysterious to the women.  Okay, thanks!  You can go now!  Please send in Ji Yeon!

Her words do give him some confidence, so I guess that’s a good thing.  Thankfully, the chime rings.  The next woman is Ye Won.  She gave him a voice recorder in the second vote.  Asahi opens the conversation by asking if she ever gets shy.

That’s actually a great question for our fashionista artist.  She surprises him by saying she’s really shy, and she recognizes it in him.  She knows how hard it is.  It drains your energy.  Asahi is really surprising me here, saying he could tell the first day was just as hard for her as it was for him.  Where has THIS guy been for the past couple of days?

Asahi asks Ye Won if she’s seen a change in him, and she says she definitely has.  So have I.  On Day One, if you had told Asahi he was going to have a 10-minute conversation with one of the girls, getting him here would have involved chloroform and tranq darts.

Ye Won asks, “There’s something I want to try, can I do it?”  She does the Osaka “bang” joke.  Ji Yeon did the same thing on her dinner date with Asahi, and I had to look it up.  I’m not going to explain it all here.  Just know that Asahi is from Osaka and then Google “what is the Osaka bang joke.”  He plays along with the joke both times.

Ye Won tells us in a confessional that she’s seriously considering giving him her jewel.  Again, these women have to be vague for this show, but I actually believe her more than I do So Won.

The chime rings.  We cut away to Ju Hee, and it looks like we’re leaving Asahi for now.  She’s sitting down to talk with Jihoon.  He starts by thanking her for the jewel she gave him in the last vote.  He claims to have already known it was her.  She thanks him for making her feel welcome when she stepped into a show that was already in progress.  She says she doesn’t adapt to new spaces very well.  

Jihoon, on the other hand, has been adapting to new spaces all his life.  As a trainee, he had to adapt to living without his parents and getting used to new people, new training rooms, new stages.  I’m still overwhelmed when I think of the life of a K-pop trainee and how few of them actually get to debut and become successful. 

Jihoon does most of the talking, and it dawns on me that he’s pretty much making a speech about why she should choose him as Mr. Treasure.  He talks about what he’s learned from the experience and how it will help him going forward, while she sits and nods.  He’s campaigning.  Well.  That certainly is one approach to conversation.

Off-topic, I just noticed they’re sitting in what looks like a children’s playroom.  Does the family need a nanny?  I can be on the next plane.

I have to disagree with Melissa here.  He’s doing all the talking.  This isn’t a conversation.  Unless Melissa’s talking about the previous day’s dinner mission.  That was a deep and sincere conversation, most of which I missed because Haruto was having a meltdown in the living room. 

Now we cut to Jae Hyuk, waiting for his first visitor.  The poor guy is so nervous.  Mi Ho arrives, and her presence seems to have a calming effect on him.  He tells her he already knew she gave him a recorder, because he recognized her voice.  She’s seen a change in him.  He’s still nervous and shy, but he makes more of an effort now, and we can see it here. 

Mi Ho actually asks Jae Hyuk if he’s expecting a jewel in the final vote.  He says he just wants to know that he turned things around.  That impresses her.  He’s not trying to convince her to give him a jewel.  He just wants to know that he’s improved his social skills.

The chime rings, and we’re staying with Jae Hyuk.  His next visitor is … oh goodie it’s So Won.  Look, I don’t really dislike her.  I’ve just had enough of her telling people what they want to hear, and lying when it suits her, and okay I guess I don’t like her.

Right away, she looks at his card and says, “Oh, you got a jewel yesterday!”  And Jae Hyuk looks right at her and says, “Yes.  But you’ve never seemed interested in me.”  That’s probably the most direct thing I’ve heard him say.  He knows she didn’t give him anything in either of the votes.

So Won stammers for a minute and then says she’d been hesitating on whether to give him a jewel or not.  Girl, just stop.  You know he’s right, so just be honest.  They talk about other things, like the fact that they both have allergies.  So Won says she will consider voting for him as Mr. Treasure.  Kthanksbye.

Earlier when she was talking to Asahi, we had a viewer comment calling her a liar, but another viewer jumped in to defend her, so I just let it go.  But now I seem to be one of three viewers who are done with her.

So Won goes on to say that the sun makes her sneeze, which is something I’ve never heard of.  I know some people get headaches or rashes from sunlight, but it’s not like pollen or dander.  Then again, plucking my eyebrows makes me sneeze, so I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt.

The chime rings.  Time to move on.  We cut to Junkyu and Ju Hee.  Right away, he tells her how kind she is and how impressed he was by her humor and positivity when she first came into the house.  From there, they have an interesting conversation about dealing with stress, keeping a diary, and focusing on growth.  I’m so invested in this conversation, I’m disappointed to hear the chime ring.  Not once do they talk about votes or jewels.  It’s just an interesting, thoughtful discussion.  I’m pretty sure these two could have talked all night.

Just before she leaves, Ju Hee chooses Junkyu has her MVP Date.  We find out that yesterday at the Field Day, she was chosen as the MVP and got to choose one of the guys to have a date with.  Okay, I like Ju Hee a lot, but how was she the MVP?  The girls barely did anything!  The guys did all the sports, and Haruto battled a praying mantis.  I’m so confused.

We are now done with the conversation segments.  Are we really not going to see the conversation between Asahi and Ji Yeon, where he gives her a box of snacks?  We get two whole conversations with So Won but don’t have time for that pivotal interaction?  I’m seriously disappointed.  Asahi giving a girl a gift is a big deal.  But I guess we’re moving on.  

We get more beautiful views of the house.  I hope the person who designed it got some kind of architecture award.  It’s the perfect structural representation of my idea of Mr. Treasure.  It’s impressive without being pretentious.  There’s an openness to it.  It invites light and warmth.  God, I love this house. 

Sorry.  Back to our show.

It’s the final day of the competition for these five guys.  Everyone gathers in the living room.  Eyeglasses count on the guys:  1 (Haruto).  But wait, we’re missing Junkyu, Asahi, and Ju Hee.  We’re told they went on dates.  What?  We knew Junkyu and Ju Hee had a date, but who is Asahi out with?

We learn both guys are on a date with Ju Hee.  Why are one-on-one dates not allowed on this show?  Won’t Asahi feel like a third wheel?  Why couldn’t Ji Yeon have gone as well and made it a double date?

The rest of the girls are a little jealous, but Jae Hyuk tells them not to worry, because the guys are going to cook them dinner.  The girls are excited.  And Ye Won is ROCKING that hat. 

Looking for hints about the meal, the girls watch the guys prepare.  There’s jjapaguri, which Wikipedia tells me is a South Korean noodle dish that is considered comfort food.  They also bring out meat, and Jae Hyuk is doing something in the prep kitchen behind the main one.  He brings out the noodles as a first course, and the girls love it.  It does look good.  

Haruto makes a spicy ramyeon.  Lots of noodles in this meal.  He adds meat, veggies, and eggs.  The girls tell him they like it, but in confessionals, they tell us it’s kind of bland.  They know he’s going to see this footage, right?  We should have a reverse round where the girls get rated on their charms.

Now Jihoon is cooking.  Another noodle dish with vegetables and beef.  Maybe mix it up a bit, guys?  I’m sure Haruto has some leftover fried chicken in the fridge.  But the girls look impressed when he brings out his dish, so let’s see how this goes.

The girls tell Jihoon it’s delicious, but in the confessionals, they think Jae Hyuk’s offering was the best.  He’s the winner of the Evening Full of Noodles.

Now we move on to where I really want to be – the threesome with Junkyu, Asahi, and Ju Hee.  Sorry, that came out wrong.  They’re on an art date, and it looks like fun.  Their drawing skills are way better than mine.   And I love Ju Hee’s ribbon hairstyle.  Then they go out to dinner, where I assume they eat noodles.  A perfect date.

But time is running out, and soon the clock strikes midnight.  Time for the final vote!  I’m actually excited about this.  I know Asahi has been my TREASURE bias so far, but I’m actually pulling for Haruto.  In confessionals, the girls tell us it’s hard for them to decide, but of course they’re going to say that.  It’s a competition reality show.  There are rules.

The final vote is going to take place on the Bridge of Destiny.  Kudos to the location scouting team on this show.

The guys stand on one end of the bridge, two of them in blurry jackets.  Hey Wardrobe Department.  Maybe have the guys wear things that don’t have logos on them, so they don’t look like they’re being beamed in from another dimension.  Just a thought.

The first girl walks across the bridge.  It’s So Won.  Good.  Let’s get her out of the way first.  She’s carrying her jewel.  It looks like these jewels will be awarded out in the open.  No more secret voting.  She has nowhere to hide.

So Won crosses the bridge and stands before the five guys.  She gets right to it.  She says the person she is giving her jewel to is someone she couldn’t get to know at first, but then he improved OH MY GOD IT’S THE JUDGE SPEECH.  It’s the “They’ve Improved So Much” speech we get from judges in the finale of every K-pop survival reality show.  Now we’re getting that speech from the girls.  Settle in, folks.  Gonna be a long and repetitive ceremony. 

Thankfully, So Won keeps it brief.  She steps forward and gives her jewel to … Haruto.

Haruto graciously thanks her, and she walks away while the others clap.  Yes, I’m also glad that’s the last we’ll see of So Won.  Oh, they’re clapping for Haruto.  Right.  Well. 

Next up, Mi Ho.  I’m loving the double-ruffled skirt and boots.   She stands before the guys and gives the obligatory speech about how her chosen guy has improved.  Her choice is Jihoon.  Wow.  He’s not even wearing glasses.  After that electrically-charged 10-minute conversation with Haruto, I thought for sure she’d choose him. 

Jihoon thanks her, and she thanks him for the past four days.  That’s sweet.

The next woman across the bridge is Ju Hee.  My money is on Junkyu.  And I know I’m focusing a lot on the fashion, but I love her silver glitter shorts.  These women are bringing it.  She keeps telling us she can’t decide between Junkyu and Asahi, but I know it has to be Junkyu.

She stands before the guys, gives the improvement speech, etc.  Her choice is … Junkyu.  Of course it’s Junkyu. 

Is every guy going to get a jewel?  I hope we don’t end up with an empty-handed guy at the end.

Next up, our fabulous Ye Won.  She crosses the bridge, meets the guys who have really improved over the last four days, and prepares to make her choice.  What happens next really pisses me off.

She pulls the bitchy fake-out move of walking directly to Jae Hyuk and veering off at the last second.  Just as Jae Hyuk is reaching out his hands, so happy and smiling, she pivots, and Asahi gets the jewel.

What an awful thing to do to Jae Hyuk.  I feel so bad for him.  These shows can get so cruel.  Are we supposed to find this funny?  If I were the next girl in line and had planned to give the jewel to someone else, I would change my mind right there and give it to Jae Hyuk. 

Speaking of the next girl, here comes Hyun Seo.  Please have some good news for our guy.  I want that jewel for Jae Hyuk. 

Thankfully, no speech here.  Hyun Seo steps forward to give her jewel to Jihoon.  Oh no.  Is Jae Hyuk going to wind up with nothing?

Only one jewel left.

I just know they’re going to drag this out.

Here comes … oh no.  The last girl is Ji Yeon.

We get our speech, and I’m just dreading this.  Please just get it over with.  

Ji Yeon happily walks over and presents the jewel to Asahi, and he doesn’t smile.  He and Jae Hyuk have been like twins this whole time, and we know he was hoping this last one would go to his friend.  He accepts it like it’s a handful of cockroaches.

The viewers have thoughts.

So our two Mr. Treasures are Jihoon and Asahi.  The guys do a group hug, and I’d be happy for them, but now Jae Hyuk has been embarrassed on television and rejected by every woman in the house, and now he’s standing on a bridge.  Please someone keep an eye on him.

We finally get a confessional with Jae Hyuk, who says he knows he could have done better.  Dude, you did slightly better than Asahi, and he got two jewels.  You even had the best noodles.

Our boys bid us farewell and make their way across the bridge, off into the night, and someone just please keep a tight grip on Jae Hyuk. 

The show reminds us that Part 2 is next, so we get to see who else in TREASURE gets metaphorically kicked in the nuts in front of the world.  In the meantime, here are the questions I’m yelling at my computer screen:

1. What the hell, show?!
   
   
2. No seriously.  What the hell?!
   
   
3. Are you even listening to me?  HEY – COME BACK HERE.

Episode 6:  A Whole New Vibe

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