SBS | Fridays & Saturdays 9:50pm KST | Netflix | Episode 4 of 14
She thinks he’s her fan. He thinks her letter is a love confession. The grandfather actually LIKES her. The cousin is using her as a pawn to destroy Se Gye — exactly like the King did 300 years ago. She beat up a gang of thugs threatening her grandmother’s restaurant. And the episode ends with her putting her hand on his heart and it being steady — so he HUGS her and his heart rate goes through the roof. This drama. I can’t.
She Thinks He’s Her FAN
Se Gye has bought the entertainment company so he can invest in Dan Shim’s career. He breaks it down for her but she’s confused because he’s so hot and cold. He IS hot and cold — hot because he likes her, cold because he doesn’t want to admit it to himself.
Dan Shim has now been told that fans give their idols gifts and in return they get luxury goods and handwritten letters. So she’s decided Se Gye is her NUMBER ONE FAN and she’s going to treat him accordingly. She gives him the dog she’s been looking after (because she can’t afford luxury goods) and writes him a letter in classical Chinese characters.
When he opens it, he can’t READ it. He throws it away. Then picks it up. Writes it into his iPad to translate. He even says “this could be a love letter.” Inside there’s a drawing of her and a drawing of him. She’s written “my amazing fan.” But he reads it as “my man.”
Now he thinks she’s in love with him. But at the same time his heart is POUNDING — which means HE’S the one who’s fallen. He’s fallen first. She hasn’t fallen for him yet. But he’s 100% gone.
He asks his secretary if he’s ever received a love letter. The secretary tells him: “Not everything has an ulterior motive. Just because YOU think like that doesn’t mean everyone else does.” That’s so true — the cousin has tainted his worldview so much that he sees bad intentions behind every act of kindness.
The Grandfather LIKES Her
Se Gye goes to his grandfather for money (he’s just acquired a company and invested in the cousin’s sabotage fallout). The grandfather goes to his regular restaurant of 30 years and there are no seats. He sees a table with one person — Dan Shim.
He asks to share. She says no. He says he just wants to share the table. She says: “You should’ve come at a better time.” Then he says he’ll pay for her meal. She stands up, shakes his hand, and says: “Deal sealed.”
She doesn’t even understand what handshakes are FOR. She’s using it like a Joseon contract seal. The grandfather thinks she’s a nutter.
But actually? He LIKES her. She ordered seafood pancake the second he offered to pay. She asked for the bones to feed an abandoned dog she’s been caring for. She’s funny. She’s strange. She’s genuine. And the grandfather finds her refreshing — even though he’d probably lose his mind if Se Gye brought her home as a girlfriend.
The Police Station — He Defended Her Again
The guy from the TV station who tried to hit her has filed a complaint — against her AND Se Gye. Se Gye pays double the compensation. Then threatens to sue the guy AND the network if they pursue it. He’s gone there specifically to defend her.
She’s confused — she doesn’t understand ANYTHING about the modern legal system. But when she realises he took her side, she looks SO happy. Because she thinks: he’s my fan. Obviously he worried about me.
Se Gye tells her that their personal life is personal and business is business. She nods along then goes: “But you DID worry about me.” She has absolutely no concept of professional boundaries and it’s HILARIOUS.
The Cousin Wants to Use Her — Just Like 300 Years Ago
The cousin finds out Se Gye acquired the entertainment agency. He’s suspicious. So he visits Dan Shim at her grandmother’s restaurant and tells her she should end up with Se Gye — because he wants to USE her to destroy his cousin. The exact same play as 300 years ago when the King planted her in the Crown Prince’s life.
Dan Shim looks at him and all she can see is the King. She says: “You don’t just share his face. You also share a despicable, cruel personality.”
But the difference? In Joseon, the King had power over her — he told her to become the brother’s lover, then called her his “dog.” This time, Mun Do doesn’t have the same control. She’s not the powerless concubine anymore. She can tell him to his face what she thinks. And she does.
The Grandmother Knows — “Who Are You?”
Dan Shim goes back to help fix the grandmother’s restaurant after the thugs destroyed it. She tells the grandmother: “What’s the point of having a granddaughter if she can’t fix problems like this?” She gives her slippers. Starts repairing the shop.
The grandmother sits there. Looks completely dazed. And then says: “Who are you?”
Because if you think about it — you WOULD know if that was your grandchild or not. This woman acts differently. Speaks differently. Fights differently. Has a confidence the real Seo Ri never had. The grandmother can feel it. She doesn’t understand what’s happened. But she knows this isn’t the same girl.
She Beat Up the Thugs — Then He Threw His Phone at a Knife
The grandmother’s restaurant is being threatened by thugs trying to force her to sell. Dan Shim doesn’t hesitate — she beats them ALL up. Concubine combat training paying off once again. But then one pulls a KNIFE. The grandmother screams a warning.
Se Gye arrives — throws his PHONE at the knife and it drops. Between the two of them they take out every last one.
When she sees him she says: “Oh, you’ve come! Because you were worried about me.” He’s like: “No.”
Sure, buddy. You drove across town and threw your phone at a knife because you WEREN’T worried.
“I Just Feel Pity for Her” — He Breaks Her Heart
The police come and arrest the thugs. The grandfather arrives. He recognises her — “Do you know my grandson?” She calls him “wealthy old man” and says: “He’s my fan!”
Se Gye turns to his grandfather: “No, I’m NOT her fan. I just feel pity for her.”
And you can see her heart BREAK. She didn’t think it was a love relationship. But she genuinely believed he was a supporter. Someone who cared. Hearing him say he PITIES her destroyed that illusion. Because pity is the worst thing you can give someone who’s been fighting their whole life to be seen as more than their circumstances.
She goes to the rooftop. Cries. Starts smashing up the doghouse she built. Everything feels against her right now.
“There’s One Way to Find Out”
Se Gye comes to find her. Apologises. Tells her he’ll handle the grandmother’s restaurant situation. She tells him NOT to — she’ll handle her own business. Then she tells him to stop looking at her with pity in his eyes.
She says: “Every time you look at me, it makes me think you have affection for me. Because no one treats a stranger the way you do.”
And she’s RIGHT. He literally doesn’t know her. He’s bought a company for her. Defended her at a police station. Threw his phone at a knife. Fed her when she was hungry. Bought biscuits he pretended not to buy. That’s not how you treat someone you feel NOTHING for.
He confesses that she may not be wrong. He says he sees things in black and white — love or hate, friend or enemy. But with her? He sees NEITHER.
She says there’s one way to find out. She puts her hand on his chest. His heartbeat is steady.
So he hugs her.
And his heart rate ELEVATES.
That’s it. That’s the answer. His heart didn’t react to her hand — it reacted to her CLOSENESS. To holding her. To having her in his arms. His body told the truth his mouth couldn’t.
My Thoughts on Episode 4
The “my man” / “my fan” misunderstanding is peak comedy but also says something deeper — Dan Shim genuinely doesn’t understand modern relationships. She’s operating on Joseon rules where patrons and supporters were everything. She sees Se Gye’s actions through that lens — he supports her, therefore he’s her fan. She doesn’t have the modern framework to see that what he’s doing is falling in love.
The cousin visiting the grandmother’s restaurant and trying to use Dan Shim against Se Gye is the Joseon pattern repeating PERFECTLY. The King used her to destroy the Crown Prince. Now the cousin wants to use her to destroy Se Gye. Same manipulation. Different century. But this time she can see it. She can NAME it. And she can refuse.
The grandmother saying “who are you?” is going to become significant. She’s the only person who can feel the difference between the real Seo Ri and Dan Shim. If anyone discovers the truth of the possession, it’ll start with her.
And that ending. His heart was steady when she touched him. It RACED when he held her. Because this man doesn’t feel through logic — he feels through intimacy. Through closeness. Through the terrifying vulnerability of holding someone and admitting you don’t want to let go.
10 episodes to go. The cousin is watching them. The grandfather is intrigued by her. The grandmother suspects something. And Se Gye’s heart just gave him away.
Quick Stats
Network SBS (Fri & Sat 9:50pm KST)
Streaming Netflix (worldwide)
Episodes 14 × 70 min
Genre Comedy, Romance, Drama, Fantasy
Cast
Im Ji Yeon
Shin Seo Ri / Kang Dan Shim — beat up thugs, thinks he’s her fan, tested his heartbeat
Heo Nam Jun
Cha Se Gye — read “my man” instead of “my fan,” threw his phone at a knife, heart rate elevated
Jang Seung Jo
Choi Mun Do — tried to use her as a pawn, got told he has a despicable personality to his face
His heart was steady when she touched it. It raced when he held her.
Because this man doesn’t feel through logic. He feels through closeness. And he just held the woman who thinks he’s her fan — while the cousin watched from the shadows.
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