It has been a chaotic yet empowering rite of passage for Gong Yeon Su (Nam Ji Hyun) and Dokgo Dal (Kim Jae Yeong) in the rom-com “Make Me Tingle.” The couple’s individual journeys dovetailed as they helped their families understand that each member is different and so are their choices. The moments came with their own share of drama, but both Yeon Su and Dal endeared themselves to viewers through their conviction in forging their own paths as well as their commitment to each other.
Here’s all the things we loved in the final episodes of “Make Me Tingle.”
Warning: spoilers below!
Loved: Yeon Su standing up for herself
Yeon Su’s decision to walk out of her family home is not simply defiance; rather, it is her tiny rebellion with a cause. In a home where the tagline had always been that women and dishes are not meant to go out, life has been stifling for its female members over the years. From her mother to her aunt and Yeon Su, each one of them has been weighed down by the moral burdens placed on them as women of the Gong home.
Yeon Su not only got herself a job in marketing, but she also avoided marriage for as long as she could. Gathering courage, she does the unthinkable and confronts her grandfather for the first time. She wants him to accept her feelings for Dal and allow them to date. With her grandfather remaining adamant, she moves out. But it is clear that it is not just because of Dal, as the family thinks, but for herself. Her aunt is the real trooper here—she tells her niece to stand for what her heart desires, which is Dal and her own independence.
One can understand that Yeon Su wants to throw off the secure yet claustrophobic blanket wrapped around her. The move is an act of self-expression as an individual as well as a woman. All she wants is for her family to be accepting. Dal just happened to be the catalyst who nudged her towards making the decision she had long wanted to make and expedited it. It is the boldest move she has ever made, but Yeon Su has no regrets. She has cut the umbilical cord that ties her to her family, but that does not mean she has severed her ties. She just wants room to breathe as Yeon Su and not as the Gong family’s granddaughter.
It makes you glad for her, and it is a relatable moment for many women, daughters, and sisters who never get to live their own lives. As she finally manages to get her own little place, even though it is not too far from the Gong home, she has at least done what she wanted to do.
Loved: Yeon Su’s mother finally standing up for her
Gong Baek Hee (Woo Mi Hwa) is the glue that binds the Gong family together. The dutiful widowed daughter-in-law handles the household chores and looks after her in-laws. The rest of the family never envied the sacrifices life has demanded of her.
It pains her to see Yeon Su’s plea to date the man she loves being dismissed as an act of disobedience towards the family head. She approaches her father-in-law and firmly tells him that, as a mother, she feels her child should be allowed to date the man she wants to. This is a first for Baek Hee, since she has never contested her father-in-law’s decisions. But as a mother, and also as a woman, she wants her daughter to live and make decisions for herself.
An emotional moment between them comes when Baek Hee apologizes to Yeon Su, saying that she may never have understood how lonely it was for her growing up amidst so many rules and restrictions. Yeon Su tells her that her own childhood wasn’t as lonely as her mother’s, who had lost a loving husband at a young age, but had chosen to devote herself to the family. This is the first heart to heart between them as mother and daughter.
But Baek Hee is not a woman with regrets. It was her decision to live with the Gong family after her husband’s passing. She wants her children to feel free to choose what they want, whether it is their career or the partner they wish to be with. Mama Gong has won hearts like no one else. As she fondly watches Dal and Yeon Su together, she thinks back to her loving marriage with Yeon Su’s father.
Loved: Dal being the ultimate green flag
Dal’s confession may have stirred a hornet’s nest in the Gong family’s home, but it also brings out a side of him that we perhaps haven’t seen before. The man who initially came across as someone who cared little about relationships is now going out of his way to ensure that Yeon Su doesn’t have to choose between him and her family. He knows that she would never be truly happy if she became estranged from the people she loves because of him. And that, perhaps, is what makes Dal special. He isn’t just concerned about being with Yeon Su; he wants her to have the life she wants without losing the people who matter to her.
This is evident in his efforts to win over her grandfather, who, after their infamous meeting, considers him the least likable person. Dal is not a pushover though. He firmly tells the Gong patriarch that his feelings for Yeon Su are no passing fancy and that he has no intention of giving up his adult toy business either. If the old man is stubborn, Dal is equally determined to win him over. He even takes on the task of grinding ink for the grandfather, who turns to painting orchids when he is in a bad mood. The person responsible for the bad mood is, after all, given the task of grinding the ink!
And here comes the hilarious moment when Dal reassures the old man that he needn’t worry about his virility as confessed by Dal earlier. Rather, he is absolutely fine in that department too. The grandfather may dislike him, but he cannot help admiring the young man who knows what he wants and also doesn’t shy away from confronting him.
He is the one who is instrumental in making Yeon Su and her mother communicate with each other, well aware that both need to say things that have been left unsaid. He even does something he might once have considered unthinkable: extending an olive branch to his father, with whom he has been at loggerheads. There is a lovely contradiction here. Dal, who initially appeared to be aloof and distant, is making a sincere effort in bridging the gap between those in his life. He has always found it difficult to express his feelings and emotions. Even though he feels it is all for Yeon Su, somewhere along the way he is also helping himself.
And then there is the side of Dal we didn’t quite see coming: the clingy, affectionate boyfriend who cannot take his eyes off his girlfriend or leave her side. For someone who once seemed so emotionally detached, he turns out to be all heart. Now, who would have expected that?
Loved: Yeon Su and Dal serving couple goals
Dal is loving every moment of the newfound domesticity with Yeon Su, in what has so far been a unidimensional life focused on building his business. Happy to have Yeon Su move in with him, which he cutely insists should be the arrangement, he respects her decision to want have a place of her own. They both understand and acknowledge the other’s need for space and healthy boundaries.
Dal has been wary of marriage, as he was a witness to his father’s own disasters in matrimonial affairs. But he does want a permanent arrangement with Yeon Su, who is not keen to marry but wants to enjoy their relationship for what it is.
A cute and very un-Dal-like moment is when he offers her a box, and she is appalled, mistakenly thinking that it is an engagement ring and is ready to turn him down. He says he wants them both to have couple rings and seal their relationship.
On the work front, Yeon Su understands what Dal means by having customer empathy, finally understanding the vision behind Loand and no longer embarrassed by human desire.
The two, who had started on the wrong foot and unbent in their perspectives, are now people who respect each other and help each other evolve. Compatible in every way, and with a chemistry which tingles whenever they are together, Dal and Yeon Su sure did give us a good time on-screen.
Start watching “Make Me Tingle”:
Watch Now
Puja Talwar is a Soompi writer with a strong Jing Bo Ran and Lee Junho bias. A long time K-drama fan, she loves devising alternate scenarios to the narratives. She has interviewed Lee Min Ho, Gong Yoo, Cha Eun Woo, and Ji Chang Wook to name a few. You can follow her at @puja_talwar7 on Instagram.