“How can a person in love be calm?” is the question raised in the latest episodes of “Yumi’s Cells 3,” and our protagonist Yumi (Kim Go Eun) spends the entirety of episodes 3 and 4 being anything but calm!
The next episode preview in episode 2 had already made it clear that Yumi was going to fall in love with her editor Shin Soon Rok (Kim Jae Won), but the audience could not have anticipated how much secondhand embarrassment a person in love can give those who observe them. With that said, episodes 3 and 4 also had moments that made the audience twirl their hair, kick their feet, and squeal from vicariously living through Yumi’s newfound crush.
So, from Yumi falling for Shin Soon Rok’s hidden charm to her being a fool in love and conjuring up “signs” where there were none, here are three times “Yumi’s Cells 3” embarrassed us yet made us giggle.
Warning: spoilers ahead!
Shin Soon Rok’s quiet yet chaotic inner world
This moment is more about Shin Soon Rok giving the viewers secondhand embarrassment, but it has to be mentioned for how relatably chaotic Shin Soon Rok’s calmness is. Just like the previous installments of “Yumi’s Cells,” “Yumi’s Cells 3” finally gives the audience a view into the inner world of Yumi’s new love interest, and his overworked Rational Cell is pitifully relatable.
During the premiere week’s episodes, Soon Rok’s calm demeanor wreaks havoc inside Yumi’s cell village. While she tries to strike up small talk at every opportunity, simply following the unwritten social rules, Shin Soon Rok has seemingly chucked his social-rule handbook in the trash and answers “아 네” (literal translation: Ah, yes) to every single question. His telegraphic answers infuriate Yumi’s Manner, Swear, and Pride Cells, to name a few.
However, the recent episode shows Soon Rok’s perspective. He is the embodiment of introversion, not to be confused with shyness. A shy person is unable to hold a conversation due to general anxiety, but an introvert simply prefers his alone time, as being around people drains their energy reserves. Shin Soon Rok keeps all of his cells, except the Rational Cell, asleep during the day, which makes his behavior rational, no pun intended. He is truly himself when he is at home, all alone, after work. That’s when, to him, the food tastes the best and the music actually sounds euphonious.
Due to his lack of cell activity during the day, in the previous episode he unknowingly called Yumi’s friend’s maltese stupid because his sole working cell, the Rational Cell, could not, for the love of God, understand why a person who neither has a maltese nor owns one would find a true statement like “maltese are stupid” offensive. It is a bit embarrassing but Soon Rok being overworked makes his behavior understandable.
Yumi’s cells get electrocuted
This is not a drill. Yumi’s cells literally get electrocuted because of seeing Shin Soon Rok’s smiles, both at her and in front of her, for the first time.
In the previous episodes, Yumi hated Soon Rok’s guts for his manner, or the lack thereof. So, when the editor at her publishing company calls her to let her know that Shin Soon Rok will not be working on Yumi’s project anymore, she is ecstatic. But her happiness is short-lived when she, however, realizes that Soon Rok asked to be taken off her project himself, cue: angry Pride Cell.
When episode 3 starts, Yumi is sitting in front of an already mentally drained Soon Rok, who had to sacrifice his weekend for a surprise work trip, and wants answers. His brain battery goes from 10 percent to 0, and he has no idea what to say. So, he smiles, looking directly in Yumi’s eyes, and says nothing.
If he thought this trick would work, he was…correct. Yumi’s cells get electrocuted, and she now has a crush on him.
This entire scene is both funny and heart-fluttering, partially because Kim Jae Won’s smile is genuinely cute and partially because this moment is relatable. Who hasn’t fallen for a handsome guy before for the sake of him being handsome? It’s a scene that is sure to make the audience squeal in joy. Not to mention, Kim Go Eun’s smitten look perfectly depicts the expression of someone who, at that very moment, developed a crush.
Her Love Cell escapes the freezing chamber, and her Thump and Boom Cells are thumping and booming her heart extra fast. Her reaction is sweet and sure to remind the audience of their first crush.
Shin Soon Rok’s hidden charm
Is it because Yumi now has a crush on Shin Soon Rok that she finds him charming, or has he just gotten more comfortable with her, or is it both?
In episode 4, Yumi joins a writers-and-editors workshop on a whim solely to spend more time with her new crush. Soon Rok and Yumi enter the elevator, and he presses the button for the floor Yumi is staying on. Yumi asks him if his room is also on the same floor, to which he says yes, before adding, “I’m rooming with the Editor.” Yumi, to continue the conversation, adds, “Really? That can’t be fun,” and lo and behold, the guy who was adamant about putting his earphones in to avoid small talk replies with, “Such is life at the bottom.”
Maybe it is the way the actor delivers the line, maybe it is the fact that Soon Rok now feels less pressure as Yumi is no longer his superior, or maybe it is that the audience has been starved so much that a simple joke has turned into an oasis. Whatever the reason, seeing Shin Soon Rok crack a joke is thrilling, to say the least. And his charm works perfectly on Yumi.
It was definitely not a sign
People in love, more often than not, develop a magic system where they can take every minute glance their crush throws their way and turn it into a love confession. Unfortunately for Yumi, and fortunately for the viewers for the added entertainment element, our main lead is a writer with a wild imagination, and her crush on Shin Soon Rok is simply working as a catalyst, leading to reactions like a car crash that the audience can’t look away from.
The first incident happens when Yumi and Soon Rok arrive in Busan. She asks him if he is joining the other writers and editors for a drink, hoping she can spend more time with him. But when he says he is tired, she claims the same, and both head to their separate rooms.
A while later, she is on her balcony and sees Soon Rok walking on the hotel’s lawn and messages him happy birthday. Soon Rok replies with a simple thank you, but the message has a smiley face. A normal person would not think twice, but as Yumi is in love, her cells convince her that through this emoji, Shin Soon Rok is secretly trying to convey his interest in her. And the sun in her cell village turns into the same emoji: 🙂
But the actual secondhand embarrassing moment happens when Soon Rok accompanies Yumi to the hotel after she leaves the group dinner alone. When Yumi asks about his plans for the night, he tells her about the movie he is watching in 30 minutes. Yumi’s cells, once again, convince her that Soon Rok is giving her a sign, and she asks him if she could join him for the movie. Seeing his hesitant rejection and Yumi’s embarrassed reaction is painful.
While her taking a leap of faith and asking Soon Rok out is a bit embarrassing, it also shows the audience that it is fine to ask someone out. The worst they can say is no, and that will always be better than keeping your feelings all to yourself and regretting in the future.
Start watching “Yumi’s Cells 3”:
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Javeria is a binge-watching specialist who loves devouring entire K-dramas in one sitting. Good screenwriting, beautiful cinematography, and a lack of clichés are the way to her heart. As a music fanatic, she listens to multiple artists across different genres and stans the self-producing idol group SEVENTEEN. You can talk to her on Instagram @javeriayousufs.
Currently watching: “Yumi’s Cells 3,” “Sammy’s Children’s Day,” “We are All Trying Here,” “Love You Teacher,” “Feel What You Feel.”
Looking forward to: “Four Hands,” “Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,” and “The Legend of the Kitchen Soldier.”