K-DRAMA RECAP: “Jeongnyeon The Star is Born” Episodes 9 and 10

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For a singer, losing their voice and being unable to perform can feel like a life-altering blow. So, one can only imagine how devastated our leading lady feels, having lost everything overnight.

But with her undying passion and the support from those who genuinely care about her, our heroine resolves to rise from her ashes like a phoenix.

Bunny S. watches Jeongnyeon The Star is Born on Disney +

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Episode Recaps:  01&02 | 03 & 04 | 05 & 06 | 07 & 08 |

Jeongnyeon The Star is Born Episodes 9 and 10 Highlights

“At the audition, the one who sang the true essence of pansori that you like so much was Yoon Jeong-nyeon, not me.”

Director Kang has Jeong-nyeon transferred to the hospital and then goes back in with the others to check the results. As expected, Yeong-seo and Joo-ran get the roles. However, Yeong-seo doesn’t feel happy but sad since she believes Jeong-nyeon’s performance surpassed hers and if it hadn’t been for that tragedy, Jeong-nyeon would have gotten the role.

Another one feeling devastated because of what happened to Jeong-nyeon is Ok-gyeong. Watching Jeong-nyeon sing, OK-gyeong felt like she finally met someone who could surpass her and found that performance exhilarating. But sadly everything is over, no thanks to Hye-rang’s greed, wishing to nip any competition in the bud. She doesn’t even have a shred of decency to regret her actions. This one is a lost cause.

Visiting her mother, Yeong-seo learns that her mother bribed the judges so they would choose Yeong-seo over Jeong-nyeon, claiming she did it for Yeong-seo while also arranging for Yeong-seo to join another troupe. But Yeong-seo has had enough of that nonsense, resolving to live as herself and not her mother’s daughter.

Feeling guilty, Yeong-seo announces she will drop out of the joint performance. However, Director Kang assures Yeong-seo that picking her was a unanimous decision. Jeong-nyeon’s singing might have been extraordinary, but so were Yeong-seo’s skills. So, Yeong-seo should believe in her talent and stop underestimating herself.

“What should I do to sing again?”

When she was discharged from the hospital, the doctor told Jeong-nyeon that she couldn’t sing again. But Jeong-nyeon brushes those words off, arguing that many singers lost their voice but got it back after resting and drinking herbal drinks. Still, the look on Director Kang’s face suggests Jeong-nyeon’s condition is more serious than she thinks.

Running into Yeong-seo, Jeong-nyeon congratulates her on getting the role, urging Yeong-seo to do her best. But Yeong-seo counters it should have been Jeong-nyeon instead of her. Yet Jeong-nyeon assures Yeong-seo that she did her best that day but didn’t get the role. That is all it was. So, Yeong-seo shouldn’t think otherwise. (Side note: Jeong-nyeon also tells Joo-ran it wasn’t her fault, arguing that practicing in the cave was her decision.)

Desperate to get her voice back, Jeong-nyeon keeps seeing doctors and even considers taking opium. But luckily, Director Kang stops Jeong-nyeon before she ingests opium and ruins her life. Instead, Director Kang suggests they see a famous doctor who just got back from the States. If he assures them there is even the slightest hope in Jeong-nyeon’s case, Director Kang promises to wait for Jeong-nyeon no matter how long the treatment takes. But if he says there is no hope for Jeong-nyeon, then she should accept her fate.

Unfortunately, Jeong-nyeon’s vocal cords are so damaged that not even surgery can help her get better. Struggling to accept that fate, Jeong-nyeon settles to go back to the cave, since that is where she lost her voice to begin with. But Director Kang stops her and tells Jeong-nyeon to get her act together and accept her fate. But how can Jeong-nyeon accept that cruel fate that feels like a death sentence to her?

“I will go see her. I will make sure to bring her back.”

The next day, Jeong-nyeon packs up and heads back to her hometown, leaving a note for Director Kang apologizing for leaving without saying goodbye. Before others, Director Kang pretends to be strong but while alone, she sobs her eyes out, grabbing Jeong-nyeon’s note tightly. Yeong-seo and Joo-ran are sad as well, thinking about Jeon-nyeon and getting absent-minded while practicing.

After Jeong-nyeon left, her partner told Director Kang about how Hye-rang manipulated Jeong-nyeon. Confronting Hye-rang, Director Kang tells her to leave the troupe after the joint performance. But Hye-rang just acts haughtily and threatens to get Ok-gyeong to quit too, wholly unrepentant and even taking pride in what she did.

Back to Jeong-nyeon, unlike her vibrant and bubbly old self, she is now depressed and unwilling to live. Wishing to forget about everything she went through, Jeong-nyeon keeps herself busy with work. But as soon as she hears people humming a song, she gets heartbroken. The poor girl even goes into the sea trying to alleviate the pain, yet nothing seems to work.

Holding onto hope, Director Kang and Yeong-seo pay Jeong-nyeon a visit to her hometown to convince her to return. It says a lot that Yeong-seo turned down a tempting offer from Ok-gyeong to leave the troupe with her in favor of waiting for Jeong-nyeon and growing alongside each other. This is one beautiful and healthy rivalry, and both girls are lucky to have each other.

Arriving at Jeong-nyeon’s house, Director Kang is splashed with water by Jeong-nyeon’s mother, who kicks Director Kang out and tells her to leave her daughter alone. Instead, it is Yeong-seo who manages to change Jeong-nyeon’s mind and convince her to return.

After a rescue scene and some bickering, the girls sit down for a heart-to-heart. Jeong-nyeon keeps having a dream where she can sing like before. But once she wakes up, the reality sinks again. She feels lonely and scared as if she is the only one left in the world. So, Yeong-seo promises to stay with Jeong-nyeon and wait for her until she gets her voice back. Yeong-seo’s words help Jeong-nyeon muster up the courage. But the thing is: Jeong-nyeon can’t run away from home again, so she settles to wait until her mother gives her permission.

“People used to say he sang with a voice he didn’t have.”

Through an emotional conversation with Director Kang about their old days together and how Jeong-nyeon won’t give up like her mother did, a nudge from Jeong-nyeon’s sister, and seeing for herself how much performing on stage means to Jeong-nyeon, Jeong-nyeon’s mother comes around and allows Jeong-nyeon to pursue her dream.

In probably the most emotional scene we got from the drama, Jeong-nyeon’s mother tells Jeong-nyeon a story of a singing master who honed his unfitting voice into a powerful one that everyone was mesmerized by his performance and no one thought his voice was broken. Then, reminded by Director Kang’s advice to teach Jeong-nyeon how to sing with a broken voice, Jeong-nyeon’s mother starts singing again, gifting us a fascinating performance and giving Jeong-nyeon hope she can sing again.

On a heavier note, on the night of the joint performance’s first screening, Ok-gyeong announces she will quit performing and act in movies instead. While I can understand her decision, I wish she gave Director Kang a heads-up instead of springing it on her. Also, Ok-gyeong should have stayed until the end of the joint performance, instead of leaving after the first screening and not giving a fig to the other shows.

On the other hand, I am not the slightest bit sympathetic to Hye-rang pleading for Ok-gyeong to stay with her. She had it coming with her evil actions. And it is only right that she reaps what she sows. The ones I am worried about are Director Kang and the rest of the troupe who have a challenging task ahead of them, proving to everyone they can stay afloat, even without Ok-gyeong on board.

Jeongnyeon The Star is Born Episodes 9 and 10 Musings

As heartbreaking as it was watching Jeong-nyeon crumble down after realizing she lost her voice for good, this turn of events was necessary for her character growth. Jeong-nyeon needs to learn that she should listen to others too and not be stubborn all the time. And she is lucky to have Director Kang and Yeong-seo and the others rooting for her to rise back again.

Yeong-seo and Jeong-nyeon’s relationship is one of my favorites and perhaps one of the healthiest rivalries we got on screen. Yeong-seo wants to rise to the top, but not at the expense of others. Together with Jeong-nyeon, she wants to grow and hone her skills, because without rivalry she will stay stagnant.

Ok-gyeong knows it too and has always yearned for a rival to challenge her position and help her grow. But no matter how long she waited, Ok-gyeong couldn’t get one. And just as things started to look up with Jeong-nyeon’s appearance, Hye-rang went and ruined everything. Speaking of which, I am disappointed that Ok-gyeong didn’t reach out to Jeong-nyeon even once when she was at the hospital or after she was discharged. For all the support Ok-gyeong offered Jeong-nyeon, she was pretty nonchalant after Jeong-nyeon lost her voice.

With only one week left, I am crossing my fingers that the drama sticks the landing. So far, the drama has been nothing but magnificent. So, I want it to stay the same till the end. You can do it, show!

Photos and Videos: tvN Drama

 

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