What could better than Park Gyu-young (It’s Okay to Not Be Okay) and Cha Eun-woo (True Beauty, Wonderful World) in a romantic comedy?  Park Gyu-young, Cha Eun-woo and dogs!  Add in Lee Hyun-woo (Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area) and A Good Day to Be a Dog is a must watch.  Based on a webtoon of the same name, the 2023 Kdrama A Good Day to Be a Dog is about Han Hae-na (Park Gyu-young), a high school language teacher with a family secret.  If kissed by a person of the opposite sex, she turns into a dog and stays that way until 6:00 am the next morning.  She will turn into a dog every night at midnight until the same person kisses her in her dog form again. 

Enter fellow teacher, Jin Seo-won (Cha Eun-woo), the person who unwittingly kisses Hae-na and starts her nightly curse.  Hae-na must do everything she can to get Jin Seo-won to kiss her again to break the curse.  The problem is Seo-won is deathly afraid of dogs.  If only Lee Bo-gyeom, a history teacher at the same high school and Hae-na’s crush had kissed her instead.  He loves dogs.   Will Hae-na be able to break the curse before turning into a dog permanently?

• Series Title: A Good Day to Be a Dog (Korean: 오늘도 사랑스럽개)
• Starring:  Park Gyu-young, Cha Eun-woo, Lee Hyun-woo, Yoon Hyun-soo, Kim Yi-kyung
• Written by: Baek In-ah
• Directed by:  Kim Dae-woong
• Network:  MBC TV
• Where to watch in the US: Viki
• Year Released: 2023
• # of episodes: 14
• KafeNook Rating: 4.1 sips

A Good Day to Be a Dog Week by Week Review – – Questions and !!Spoilers!!

Initial Thoughts

I’m doing a little something different with this review.  Each week, I plan to watch and review the episode airing that week – then write my initial thoughts.  Should be fun!

Initial impressions of A Good Day to Be A Dog – two words – cuteness overload.  Can there be too much cuteness?  First there is Park Gyu-young with her fresh hairstyle, puppy dog eyes and winsome smile.  She is perfect as Han Hae-na, the language teacher with a curse.  She may like charming and personable Bo-gyeom but it’s her scenes with Seo-won that are filled with romantic tension.  There is something a bit mysterious about him and the way he disappears on her.   How can Seo-won resist as Hae-na delightfully convinces him (many times) to eat and drink (clug, clug, clug) with her?

It’s nice to see Cha Eun-woo graduate from playing a student- even if he is still in the classroom.  As math teacher Seo-won, he finds it easier to work math problems than explain his emotions to others.  Some may not be able to believe Seo-won’s intense fear of dogs but having had a traumatic experience with a dog when I was young, I can completely relate.  There are certain breeds of dogs that to this day, I am leery around. (Fortunately, my own two puppies are lovable nuggets.)  I’m curious to learn more about the character of Seo-won. 

Lee Hyun-woo as teacher Lee Bo-gyeom is clearly a favorite among the students, not just for his good looks but for his friendly, open teaching style.  He’s also a good friend to Seo-won, who he makes sure gets home safely. I think there is a lot more going on with him than what has been revealed so far and the drama has only touched the surface of his character. 

A Good Day to Be a Dog Episodes 1 and 2

So many questions from It’s a Good Day to Be a Dog, episodes 1 and 2.  Why does Hae-na and her family have a curse to begin with?  Does it have something to do with the historical scenes where someone looking like Seo-wan also appears?  (What a lovely scene with the cherry blossoms.) Why will Hae-na stay in her dog form if the curse isn’t broken in 100 days?  What is it that Seo-won keeps trying to say to Hae-na but can’t get the words out?  (A confession of his affection perhaps?)  What is Lee Bo-gyeom making outside of his camping car (RV)?  Why does he live in a camping car?  Does he have a secret? 

Hae-na in doggy form is super cute.  Most of the time, it’s a real dog but for the sake of some of the expressions she needs to convey in this form, the dog is sometimes animated.  The animation is not bad, but it’s pretty easy to tell when it’s animation vs the real dog.  I don’t mind though because there is Hae-na’s voiceover expressing all her frustrations at being in dog form.  (And sometimes happiness – like when Bo-gyeom picks her up and tells her how cute she is.)  I look forward to seeing more antics of doggy Hae-na.

At the end of episode 2, Hae-na retrieves her student, Choi Yul (Yoon Hyun-soo) from the police station and – since it is midnight, turns into doggy form in front of him.  Naturally, he is shocked by this.  Not knowing how long she will be in this form he has no choice but to take her home.  She wakes up as herself and begins dressing while Choi Yul’s uncle stirs in the house.  The uncle may only be shown from the back, but it is clear who he is.  Still – it’s pretty fun to see the shocked look on Seo-won’s face as he opens his nephew’s bedroom door and sees Hae-na sitting on the bed putting on her stockings.  How will she explain this one?

Episode 3

Miraculously, Hae-na and student Yul manage to talk their way out of the compromising situation Seo-won found them in.  Too bad Hae-na throws Yul under the bus with his uncle to do it.  I suppose its better that Seo-won learns his nephew was at the police station vs the fact that Hae-na turns into a dog.  (Love seeing Cha Eun-woo in uncle mode, BTW – making that amazing looking dinner, worrying about his nephew!)

Episode 3 shows Hae-na valiantly saving Seo-won all day from doggie Mandeuk at school. When he thanks her, she reveals that she knows of his fear of dogs.  Glad that is now out in the open.  This episode also involves some yummy looks cakes.  Seo-won anonymously leaves a tiramisu cake shaped like a bear for Hae-na and then the two of them gaze at mouthwatering cakes at the cake shop.  (Now I really want cake.) Hae-na mentions that she can’t have chocolate before bed – since in her doggie form chocolate is bad!  Will this come into play in a future episode and lead to a health crisis for doggy Hae-na?  Later, when the two of them go shopping for a wedding gift for their fellow teachers, I couldn’t stop laughing while they were in the lingerie shop and overheard another couple shopping.  Awkward!

Teacher Yoon Cae-ah (Lee Seo-el), who is your typical spoiled, rich girl spends her time this episode hitting on Seo-won and trying to keep Seo-won and Hae-na apart.  Will she have a tragic backstory that explains her obnoxious behavior?

Few answers and many more questions concerning Hyun-woo.  He lives outside for a reason and he has a secret lair under the school filled with antiques, plus a box with a scarf worn by the young woman in the historical scenes.  What is he up to?  He is clearly trying to get Hae-na and Seo-won together but why?  Is it for them or does it have something to do with historical scarf girl?

A remix of the song Jealousy sung by Cha Eun-woo is finally revealed in episode 3.  It’s catchy.  Plus, how can you beat his Cha Eun-woo’s mellow tones?  “I don’t want much, I just need a look of love…  Please stay not too far away. Someday you’ll tell me you love me.”  The placement of the song definitely hints at Seo-won’s feelings for the lovely Hae-na.

Bummer of the week – I found out that the show only airs one episode a week, and – the next one will not be available on Viki until Nov. 1.  Sigh.  That’s okay.  I’ll just start Guardian:  The Lonely and Great God in the meantime.

Episode 4

After what seems like forever, Episode 4 of A Good Day to Be a Dog has finally arrived. Hae-na and Seo-won head to their fellow teachers’ wedding in Seo-won’s car but the trip is far from a joy ride. Hae-na learns that Sao-won has only had his driver’s license for three months, and in spite of watching a video on how to look cool while driving (LOL), he looks anything but. I can’t blame Hae-na for holding tightly to her seat belt.

Things smooth out once they get to the wedding – especially with the “hurry we’re late” running-while-holding-hands scene. Hae-na is as confused as I am about where Seo-won disappears to at the wedding until he steps up to sing the wedding song. I like that Cha Eun-woo sings the song less than perfectly here showing the nerves his character must feel. Unfortunately, obnoxious Teacher Yoon Cae-ah finds an excuse to ride home with Seo-won, leaving cheerful Bo-gyeom free to take Hae-na to the beach. There, after a flashback to the historical past, he makes a cryptic comment about people not always staying. Then dark, swirly, vein-looking things spread across the beach from where he is standing. (Oh? Is it a tiger?) So curious as to what his deal is.

Later, Hae-na wonders if she can simply tell Seo-won about her curse so that he’ll help her break in. Her sister squashes that hope by revealing the bad things that happened to her with her ex-boyfriend when he learned her secret. They rope in Yul to take doggie form Hae-na to Seo-won’s bedroom while he is sleeping so that she can kiss him. Much time is spent lingering on Seo-won’s face here as Hae-na ponders how to best kiss him. (While looking up Cha Eun Woo solo songs, I came across a comment saying he is considered a (the?) face genius. I’m not sure exactly what that is, but I’m willing to consider this scene part of my research in finding out.) Seo-won wakes up with doggie Hae-na in his face and it takes some fast work by Yul to get him to think he was dreaming. Sadly, the kiss does not break Hae-na’s curse. According to the curse logic, it doesn’t work if the person needed to break the curse is asleep. Of course – because it’s way too early in the series for that.

Hae-na hatches her next plan which includes helping Seo-won overcome his fear of dogs. Because this means he will get to spend more time with her, he happily agrees. This doesn’t stop him from imagining legions of dogs attacking him, though. Fortunately, Hae-na understands they need to go slowly. Things go well at first until an off-the-leash dog at the park threatens to destroy their progress. Hae-na saves the day by pulling her jacket over her and Seo-won’s heads, blocking them from the dog. (Let’s forget about the fact that the dog can still smell them.). This seems to be deterrent enough and, bonus they have a chance to gaze into each other’s eyes.

The next episode (in something like 10 days – ugh) looks to take a different turn from the previous episodes and deal more with Hae-na and Seo-won in their roles as teachers. Counting the days!

A Good Day to Be a Dog Episodes 5 and 6

The wait is over! This week marks the return of A Good Day to Be a Dog with not one but two episodes! Episode 5 takes a dark turn with the topic of school bullying. Seo-won suspects one of the girls in another class of being bullied and pushes for a review of the situation. The students are sneaky though and try to disguise their antics as rehearsing for an anti-bullying video. Hae-na sees the bullied girl take a key to the equipment room and later, with Seo-won in tow, finds the girl hiding there to escape her persecutors. Seo-won fights for the rights of the victim, knowing firsthand the scars that bullying can leave. He vents his frustration to Hae-na and describes the bullying incident he experienced in high school. Then, in shades of Prince Dowan from Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung, Seo-won leans into Hae-na as she comforts him.

Unfortunately, the bullies aren’t done causing trouble. They plan to stage a sexual harassment situation featuring Seo-won. Hae-na hops into doggie mode, complete with adorable hat and mini-camera, and records the students plotting. Warned about what is happening to his uncle, Yul arrives in time to help catch the culprits red-handed. But now he has some explaining to do. Seo-won seems to buy Yul’s explanation about his friend’s dog catching the kids on camera and even convinces Seo-won to help out his friend by letting the “dog” stay over for several nights. This gives Hae-na a few nights to try to break the curse before the school trip arrives. Both times, her attempts fail, the last time by teacher Bo-gyeom who continues to act mysterious and even threatening (to the bully) in this episode.

Episode 6 brings with it the event Hae-na has been dreading – the school trip – where the teachers and students stay over several nights. You’ve got to love Yul who thinks of everything Hae-na will need in doggie form – a little tent, puppy toys, treats – even pee pads! What would she do without him? But – what is it with the prediction by the young, shaman girl who tells Yul that getting involved with a dog will lead to trouble? That doesn’t sound good. Thanks to Yul’s doggie tent, Hae-na makes it through the first night. The next day, the teachers pair off for boat rides – Bo-gyeom with Hae-na in one boat and Seo-won with another teacher in a different boat – the song, Jealously, sung by Cha Eun-woo, playing. As Seo-won watches Hae-na and Bo-gyeom laughing together, it is as apparent as the song’s lyrics that his jealousy is raging!

Trouble arrives the second evening when several of Hae-na’s female students venture out to a market. Hae-na recruits Seo-won to go retrieve the girls with her but midnight arrives before they find them. Slipping into doggie form, Hae-na manages to escape from Seo-won’s sight. After seeing the wayward students off safely with another teacher, Seo-won desperately tries to find Hae-na. In the meantime, an old woman who runs a restaurant takes doggie Hae-na. As the woman prepares broth and other meats, Hae-na worries she will be next on the menu. She escapes the old woman’s clutches only to fall into a steep ditch. Yul, having learning where his uncle and Hae-na went off to, arrives to help her. All he can do is throw down her clothes before leaving to find some rope. As dawn approaches, Hae-na returns to herself shortly before Seo-won finds her. (Gotta love his determination!) After helping her out of the ditch, he offers her a piggy-back ride. This gives Hae-na the perfect opportunity to tell him she is no longer interested in Bo-gyeom. Seo-won looks pleased by the news.

Bo-gyeom watches the budding relationships between Hae-na and Seo-won, noting that they do have to get closer before they can become distant. Does this mean he has something up his sleeve or is he just predicting what will happen? He seems to have things figured out until he is genuinely surprised – and alarmed – to see the young, shaman girl standing before him. Queue flashback to historical times where he is looking at the same girl. Who is she and what is their relationship? Will she thwart any plans he has involving Hae-na and Seo-won? Here’s hoping episode 7 provides some answers. Finally, Hae-na’s sister’s ex-boyfriend sees Hae-na and Seo-won together and looks like he is plotting something. Uh oh.

Episode 7

I have to admit this is my least favorite episode so far. What I love most about this show is the cute premise featuring puppy Hae-na and the adorable moments between the leads. This episode is low on the cuteness meter.

It all starts with Hae-na going to Seo-won’s house to tell him the truth about her curse. Finally! But no. Instead, she sees Seo-won talking with the person who bullied him in school, Kang Eun-hwan (Kim Min-seok), and is forced to leave before turning into a dog. Now a trash reporter, Eun-hwan notices her, follows and sees a puppy walking away from Hae-na’s personal belongings. He is following a lead by non-other than the ex-boyfriend of Hae-na’s sister Han Yu-na (Ryu Abel). Even better for him, Seo-won seems to be involved. The more Seo-won warns Eun-hwan to stay away from Hae-na, the more determined Eun-hwan becomes to reveal everything. After planting a camera at the vet where Hae-na’s doggy uncle lives, Eun-hwan and his accomplish obtain footage of Yu-na turning into a dog from her ex-boyfriend. Bad things are definitely coming Hae-na and Seo-won’s way.

There are some light moments in the episode including the hilarious but awkward scenes of Yul posing as Hae-na’s boyfriend in front of her mother. Fortunately, Hae-na comes clean before Yul is forced to stay the night and kiss her in puppy form. Later, Hae-na surprises Seo-won by joining Yul for his uncle’s birthday dinner. Seo-won is delighted. Yul – who is definitely crushing on his teacher – feels like the third wheel and leaves. Alone with Seo-won, Hae-na decides to tell him about her curse while he works up the courage to tell her how he feels. They both fail.

What I really want to see more of is teacher Bo-gyeom and the historical scenes teased in previous episodes. I find that story line much more interesting than the antics with bully/reporter Eun-hwan. In this episode, shaman girl has a vision of Bo-gyeom in a place filled with antiques. Afterwards, she goes to Bo-gyrom’s locked basement under the school. Yul shows up, tries to help her with the lock, and ask for more information about the warning she gave him. An angry looking Bo-gyeom interrupts them. Still waiting for answer to this storyline. . .

Episode 8

It’s a good day to watch episode 8 of A Good Day to Be a Dog. The moment I’ve been waiting for is here – Seo-won finally learns Hae-na’s secret. How it happens is not exactly as I expected but it’s exciting nonetheless. Bad guy/former bully Eun-hwan attempts to blackmail Hae-na, saying he will reveal her secret to everyone if she doesn’t give him all of the money she and her family have. (Side note: Just realized that Kim Min-seok, who plays Eun-hwan, is also my favorite young soldier in Descendants of the Sun. I thought he looked familiar!) Meanwhile, Seo-won learns that dog Cocoa is really a virtual dog and grills nephew Yul about what he knows. Yul tries to convince his uncle that his friend has a real dog named Cocoa, but Seo-won isn’t buying it.

After seeing a video posted by Eun-hwan threatening to expose a person with a curse who turns into a dog, Seo-won goes after his former bully. Eun-hwan gets the upper hand on Seo-won, however, by threatening him with a dog and then clocking him over the head. Next, he lures Hae-na out of her house by sending her a picture of unconscious Seo-won. Cut to a tied-up Hae-na who is now a featured guest on Eun-hwan’s live stream. Before she can turn into a dog, Seo-won shows up to save her. Hae-na runs, afraid of Seo-won seeing her transformation but he’s fast and catches up to her. She has one more chance to tell him the truth, but alas, fails this time as well. Instead, she becomes a dog in front of his eyes.

Seo-won’s eyes are wide as he picks up puppy Hae-na and gives her a kiss. Next thing he knows, human Hae-na is in his arms. (I won’t go into why she is fully clothed this time. Censors, anyone?) After a brief discussion about who is weirder that goes something like – you are no weirder than me – do you not like me? Seo-won confesses that he likes Hae-na and the two of them finally kiss — and kiss and kiss! Phew- curse ended at least where Seo-won kissing Hae-na is concerned (i.e. meaning they can kiss a whole lot more and she won’t turn into a dog). I have this bad feeling that in future episodes someone else is going to kiss Hae-na and she either won’t know who or they will refuse to kiss her back.

Back to our favorite mystery man, Bo-gyeom. Flashbacks reveal that he is a mountain spirit/god. That certainly explains all of his powers and why he is able to throw bad guy Eun-hwan around, as well as remove his memory after Seo-won saves Hae-na. A look-a-like of shaman girl in the past gives gifts to the mountain spirit and there is definitely some chemistry between her and mountain spirit, Bo-gyeom. Now that Hae-na’s curse is out of the way, it seems the show will finally focus on this plotline. Well – after giving Hae-na and Seo-won some happy dating time, that is.

Episode 9

Episode 9 of a Good Day to Be a Dog is filled with shenanigans. The fun kind involve the newly dubbed Seo-Hae couple. The mysterious kind involves Bo-gyeom, aka the Mountain Spirit.

Hae-na and Seo-won are finally dating, and they are adorable. How fun it is to watch them navigate dating at school – passing notes, holding pinky fingers, stealing a few moments in the gym (before being rudely interrupted by gym class). They may think they’ve done a good job of hiding their new relationship, but they didn’t take into account a keen-eyed student, or teacher Yoon Cae-ah. Hae-na is also struggling with some serious daydreaming concerning Seo-won – especially where it comes to eating strawberries. Fortunately, they finally get some alone time at Seo-won’s place where they don’t have to worry about prying eyes.

That is until – Bo-gyeom barges in and decides to stay awhile forcing Hae-na to hide in nephew Yul’s wardrobe. Speaking of Yul, he also shows up after ditching the “study” session at his friend’s house. Seo-won cleverly suggests they all watch the most boring movie possible (Henry Fonda in a black and white Abraham Lincoln movie of all things), hoping his guests will fall asleep. Which they do. Seo-won then sneaks back into Yul’s room where Hae-na is dosing and gently wakes her. She holds his palm to her face and smiles – a “go ahead and kiss me” signal if Seo-won has ever seen one. For the ensuing (lengthy) kiss, let’s just say that Cha Eun-woo has successfully moved past the teenage kissing stage. Afterwards, he sneaks Hae-na passed the sleepy heads but it’s clear Bo-gyeom knows exactly what is going on.

The storyline following Bo-gyeom is finally moving to the fore-front. Shaman girl, also known as student Min Ji-ah, wanders into the historical archive’s basement. There she finds a scarf that triggers memories from her possible past-life involving Bo-gyeom, as well as a picture of someone in historical dress that looks exactly like her. Before she can ask too many questions, Bo-gyeom arrives and she “faints”. A worried Yul is there in the school infirmary when she wakes up, pouring salt around her to ward off evil spirits. Min Ji-ah doesn’t know how she got to the infirmary, but she does remember what she saw in the basement.

Another development concerning Bo-gyeom is the reveal that the Vice Principle is in league (as in working for or a minion of) Bo-gyeom. The Vice Principle questions the need for Bo-gyeom to go any further concerning Hae-na and Seo-won. Bo-gyeom replies: “Those two must lose what I’ve lost. They must feel what I feel.” Not dire at all! In the final scenes of the episode, Bo-gyeom calls Seo-won over to his camper and then holds a sword to his neck. Cut to an historical scene where historical Seo-won look-a-like is holding a sword to the neck of Min Ji-ah’s historical look-a-like as they stand on the edge of a cliff. I’m definitely anxious to find out what happened in the past.

I can’t forget to mention the hint of a possible relationship between Hae-na’s sister Yu-na and her long-time friend, vet Woo-taek. I’ve wondered if the two of them will end up together – they make a great couple. On a sad note, doggie uncle seems to be in the final stages of his life. As Seo-won suggests to Hae-na, if they determine what caused the curse, will they be able to break it completely? And if so, is it too late save uncle?

Episode 10

I’m still sorting out my feelings about episode 10 of A Good Day to Be a Dog. I definitely wanted to learn more about the mystery surrounding Bo-gyeom (aka Mountain Spirit/God San-sin). I should be careful what I wish for. While the episode is filled with scenes in the historical setting, it brings up even more questions than it answers.

As usual, what I like about this episode are the scenes between Hae-na and Seo-won. When Hae-na is sick, her sister, Yu-na, not so-subtly leaves her in the care of a flustered Seo-won. He finds Hae-na in bed and at her fevered behest, joins her for cuddles. What a good boyfriend – even if he is clueless about illnesses. I wanted to tell him, “Seo-won, you’re going to get sick now!” Sure enough, both of them are coughing during the art gallery field trip leaving several people suspicious about their relationship. This includes shaman/student Min Ji-ah but not because she thinks they are couple. In a foreshadowing of events from the distant past, her “sight” sees the two of them walking together while in historical dress.

Not only are Hae-na and Seo-won a cute couple in the present, but it turns out that their historical counterparts are just as adorable. Mak-soon, Hae-na’s historical persona, is a servant for non-other than Min Ji-ah’s look-a-like, a pregnant Cho-young. Soo-hyun, Seo-won’s doppelganger, is an inspector who develops a crush on Mak-soon. Soo-hyun and Mak-soon share several memorably interactions including her telling him not to be too nice to her or they could get in trouble. He takes this a little too seriously leaving himself open for Mak-soon’s teasing. Then the drama begins…

Cho-young’s husband is branded a traitor and killed. Guards set out to capture and kill pregnant Cho-young as well, but Soo-hyun gets there in time to warn her and Mak-soon. During their escape, Cho-young is separated from the others and becomes injured. She ends up being cared for by Bo-gyeom and his fox companion (non-other than the vice-principle in the present). Though she is alive, she loses her baby. Mak-soon eventually finds Cho-young with Bo-gyeom and helps care of her. However, she is worried about Soo-hyun who she can’t find.

With Bo-gyeom’s reluctant help, Cho-young eventually overcomes her sorrow. This includes telling her that her unborn son’s soul escaped into a puppy who now just wants to be near its mother. Bo-gyeom tries to remain distant from Cho-young as her human life will be short compared to his. Once they play “house” together, however, it’s clear he has feelings for her. At the same time, he is suspicious of Mak-soon who keeps sneaking back into the village to find Soo-hyun. It turns out Soo-hyun was captured and is being interrogated as to Cho-young’s whereabouts.

Because the remaining historical scenes are all from Bo-gyeom’s viewpoint, what happens next makes it seem as though someone (either Soo-hyun or Mak-soon) has given up Cho-young’s whereabouts. The guards appear and chase after Cho-young. Bo-gyeom uses his power to stop them. Then he turns to see an injured Soo-hyun holding a sword to Cho-young’s neck as Mak-soon looks on. The three of them stand on the edge of a cliff. Bo-gyeom is suddenly distracted by the guards. When he looks back to the cliff – the sword is sticking out of Cho-young and she falls off the cliff’s edge.

Obviously – there is an entire side of this story still to be revealed. There is no way that Mak-soon and Soo-hyun ratted out Cho-young or that Soo-hyun killed her. I get why the episode mostly shows Bo-gyeom’s point of view. It helps show his reasoning for the curse and why he feels justified in harming Hae-na and Seo-won. But— argh. It’s frustrating not to get more of Soo-hyun/Mak-soon’s point of view. Back in the future, Bo-gyeom is shown ending doggie-uncle’s life. Is it out of mercy or for revenge?

Episode 11

After watching episode 11 of A Good Day to Be a Dog, I have one word: NOOOOO!! But I’ll get to that in a moment. At the end of the last episode, it definitely looked like Bo-gyeom intended to send Hae-na’s uncle to the big dog park in the sky. Instead, Uncle recovers and to everyone’s surprise (including mine!) becomes human again. The family takes him out for a meal where his joy at eating fried chicken and drinking a Coke is infectious. (I literally had to get my own Coke to drink after this scene.) Uncle notices Hae-na’s bracelet, the one given to her by Fox in human form Vice Principal and says that it smells like tiger. This explains why she repelled dogs in the last episode.

Shaman girl, Min Ji-ah, visits Bo-gyeom at his mobile home to tell him she knows who he is. Their conversations are always a bit cryptic so it’s not clear what she means when she says she will help him. Hopefully, in means she will help him understand what really happened in the past. Later, Bo-gyeom approaches Hae-na in front of her house and confesses that he knows all about her families curse because he is the one who put it on them. To convince her, he temporarily turns sister Yu-na into a dog. In a flashback, Mak-soon kneels before Mountain Spirit, Bo-gyeom, as he tells her he will curse the child in her belly (yep – she is pregnant) for what she has done, and that the curse will span generations. Soo-hyun, with blood on him, lies unresponsive on the ground next to her. Is state of livingness is in question.

Back in the present, Bo-gyeom gives Hae-na a choice. Door #1: lift the family curse by giving up Seo-won, in which case Bo-gyeom will turn back time to a point where they had no feelings for each other. This will also save Uncle who has turned back into a dog. Door #2 – well, there really is no door #2 because Hae-na does not want to be responsible for the continuation of the family curse. An angry Seo-won then confronts Bo-gyeom about what he is doing and finds out just how powerful Bo-gyeom is.

Knowing they have little time left together, Hae-na and Seo-won do what every couple in a Kdrama does just before they part/break-up – they go to the beach. Having witnessed exactly what Bo-gyeom can do, they seem resigned to door #1 – otherwise, wouldn’t they try to find out more about why Bo-gyrom cursed Hae-na’s family in the first place? Seo-won assures Hae-na that even if their memories of loving each other are gone, their feelings will remain. They will find a way back to each other.

In a funny montage of the past, Soo-hyun brings gifts during his many visits to Mak-soon. The doorman proudly announces Soo-hyun’s arrival each time until the point Soo-hyun visiting is no longer a big event. Finally, the door is left open for Soo-hyun to enter. Mak-soon becomes upset to learn that Soo-hyun’s family is discussing his marriage to someone else. This prompts him to suggests they run away together. Then he shows Mak-soon just how much (wink, wink) he cares for her. After a recap of the events surrounding Cho-young’s escape, Soo-hyun is captured and imprisoned. Even after being tortured, he steadfastly refuses to give up Cho-young.

While Mak-soon continues her search for Soo-hyun, Fox asks Mountain Spirit Bo-gyeom if he can trust Mak-soon. After all, she is carrying Soo-hyun’s child and could give up Cho-young to save Soo-hyun and their baby. Bo-gyeom doesn’t believe Mak-soon will give up her friend. Then it appears Mak-soon does just that after learning Soo-hyun will be beheaded. What she doesn’t know is that Soo-hyun has escaped prison. (I refuse to believe that Mak-soon gave up her friend’s location – even to save Soo-hyun. I’m holding out hope that there is more to the story.)

Back to my – NOOOOO! Hae-na and Seo-won went through a lot to be together. It breaks my heart to see them forced apart (even though I knew it was coming). The good news is with only three episodes left it won’t take as long for them to fall back in love.

Episode 12

I actually like episode 12 of A Good Day to Be a Dog, better than the last one. My biggest surprise for this episode (which I’ll title “Seo-won’s Struggle”) is the fact that Seo-won’s memories are left intact while Hae-na’s have been erased. This creates some of the most heart wrenching moments of the drama so far. Once Seo-won realizes that only he remembers their time together, he immediately tries to ask Hae-na out. Her response: “Why would I go out with you?” Harsh. In a flashback to their conversation from the last episode, Hae-na tells Seo-won that once their memories are gone, he will have to seduce her – preferably with food. Remaining determined, Seo-won tries that tact with mixed results. He also gets up the courage to tell Hae-na that he likes her, only to have her confess she likes someone else. Talk about a gut punch.

When Seo-won confronts Bo-gyeom about the situation, a fist fight ensues. Hae-na rushes to break it up but it’s Bo-gyeom who she seems concerned about. A dejected Seo-won, blood dripping from his injured hand, tries to regain his courage. Instead, learning that Bo-gyeom has asked Hae-na out for three dates, he appears lost. As he tells Hae-na: “I think I told you I would approach you without wandering. I think I might wander for a bit.”

Proving that he hasn’t given up completely, Seo-won tortures himself by attending the same movie as Hae-na and Bo-gyeom on their first date. (The classic and incredibly long Gone with the Wind.) By the end of the movie, Hae-na is crying right along with Scarlet when she loses Rhett. But it’s the sad, miserable look on Seo-won’s face as he tearfully gazes at Hae-na, that kills me. Does he fear that, like Scarlet, he has lost his true love forever? Later, when Hae-na asks Seo-won if he enjoyed the movie, he tells her he couldn’t enjoy it because the person who was supposed to be sitting with him was sitting in front of him with someone else. (How much more can my heart take?!)

In a good bit of news, Doggie Uncle is back in his human form – to the shock of the family (again). They hilariously wonder why the situation feels so familiar. And – sister Yu-na and vet Woo-taek move out of the friend zone. Walking home from their date, Hae-na and Bo-gyeom see the pair together. Hae-na is shocked by her sister’s relationship but even more confused as to why Bo-gyeom says he knows Yu-na while Yu-na confirms the two have never met.

The only other person who remembers Seo-won and Hae-na were going out is Min Ji-ah. Sadly, even Yul, the person who told Ji-ah about his uncle and teacher’s relationship, doesn’t remember. Ji-ah seeks out Bo-gyeom to ask him why he is so resentful that he took Hae-na’s memories and split the pair apart. She also wants to know how she died. Appearing shaken, he doesn’t answer. After challenging the Vice Principle to a series of games, Ji-ah learns the name of the mountain where she died. Yul and his friend offer to go with her on her quest. Yul believes what Ji-ah says about his uncle and Hae-na’s relationship – so, taking a pause from the hike, he calls Hae-na to tell her she needs to go to his home right away. Then, leaving out-of-shape Yul and his friend behind, Ji-ah reaches the cliff of sorrows and remembers the moment of her death.

Cutting her second date with Bo-gyeom short, Hae-na arrives at Yul’s house and let’s herself in. (Yul must have given her the code?) Since she doesn’t remember that Seo-won is Yul’s uncle, she is surprised to see him there. Before she can leave, he asks her if she’d like to stay for some Ramen. (Um. Yes!) Hae-na feels as though she has been there before. She confesses that her head and her heart seem to be acting differently and doesn’t know why. Seo-won offers to tell her – but instead kisses her. (I suppose showing is better.) Quick flashback to the closet kissing scene. As their latest kiss breaks off, Hae-na pushes Seo-won away and runs out.

In spite of the struggle Seo-won goes through in this episode, the fact that Hae-na’s feelings are surfacing is a good sign that the two are one their way to find each other again. Take that Bo-gyeom!

Episode 13

Episode 13 starts with Hae-na running away after Seo-won’s kiss because she thinks she is going to turn into a dog. I almost wished she had. I miss doggie Hae-na. She and sister, Yu-na are confused by this, only to be more confused when Uncle, back in human form, says Hae-na already broke the curse with the math teacher. Looks like Bo-gyeom forget to remove Uncle’s memories.

Uncle thinks maybe he got it wrong until he finds the photo booth strip with the pictures of Yul, Hae-na and Seo-won. Before he can show them to Hae-na, the sneaky Vice Principle takes them along with Uncle’s voice. A period of doggie/human charades ensues between Uncle and Hae-na but she eventually finds the photo-strip in the Vice Principal’s office.

Bits of her memory returning, Hae-na confronts Bo-gyeom. She wants her memories back. Ever cryptic, Bo-gyeom tells her to go to the mountain where it all began, at which point he will remove the gift of oblivion. Hae-na doesn’t want that particular gift, saying it’s a curse instead. Her and Seo-won may be apart at the moment, but they will find each other again. Bo-gyeom is a little amazed by this and wonders if it will take death for them to understand their sin. Exactly what are you planning, mister?

Vice Principal schemes to send Hae-na and some students to the shrine on the mountain under the guise of filming a horror video. After Min Ji-ah’s talk with Seo-won where she warns him that Bo-gyeom is planning something, the two of them, along with Yul tag, along with the video crew. At the shrine, the Vice Principal scares everyone, and they scatter with Seo-won following after Hae-na. Ji-ah ends up at the cliff of sorrows along with Bo-gyeom. Here, she reveals to him that she is the reincarnation of Cho-young and tells him what really happened in the past.

As I predicted, Mak-soon did not give up Cho-young to save Soo-hyun (there was no way she would rat out her friend!), even if she may have been tempted to do so. Instead, the inspectors follow her and find Cho-young as a result. Freed from jail, Soo-hyun appears in time to save Mak-soon and Cho-young. They flee but only get as far as the cliff of sorrows before more inspectors arrive – this time with bows and arrows. Soo-hyun fights them off valiantly until he takes an arrow in the chest. Hoping to save Mak-soon, Soo-hyun and their baby, Cho-young impales herself on Soo-hyun’s sword. This is the point where Mountain Spirit Bo-gyeom turns to see her fall off the cliff.

Mak-soon manages to get injured Soo-hyun away but he knows it’s the end for him. He wants her to tell their son (could be a daughter but he’s dying so I won’t correct him) that he was affectionate to her. He remembers desperately praying that the two of them can meet again – and then dies. If Bo-gyeom has a shred of decency, he better feel bad about the curse he laid on Mak-soon and Soo-hyun’s baby (and generations of babies). Not to mention what he put Hae-na and Seo-won through all because he missed some key moments on that cliff.

Back to Seo-won and Hae-na. Apparently, Bo-gyeom’s big plan was to send dogs after the two of them. Fortunately, Seo-won has learned how to deal with this from Hae-na and in a throwback to what happened at the park, uses his coat to shield the two of them from the dogs. A coat doesn’t seem like the best defense against these growling dogs but before that theory can be tested, the dogs disappear. Then, Hae-na, in a video montage, gets all of her memories back.

Sigh. I don’t know what happened to the adorable, light-hearted drama that I started watching back in, what – October? Maybe it’s because there were weeks where no episode aired and then weeks with only one episode but A Good Day to Be a Dog suddenly feels two episodes too long this week. This makes me sad because the show had so much promise. I still like it whenever Seo-won and Hae-na are together – which is not nearly enough. Bo-gyeom has become my least favorite character. Is it too much to ask that the final episode brings back some adorableness to this drama?

Episode 14

A Good Day to Be a Dog may be one of the most narratively uneven Kdramas I’ve watched, but I have to admit to being a little sad it has come to an end. It’s been fun both watching and writing about it each week.

After a recap of last week’s show, episode 14 picks up one year later. (The choice of a one-year time jump is interesting. Wouldn’t a few weeks or months be sufficient?) The episode seems intent on doing three things: wrapping up the stories of the various characters, showing a bunch of flashbacks of Hae-na and Seo-won’s relationship timeline, and giving Hae-na and Seo-won happy moments together (finally!).

On the character wrap-up front, Teacher Yoon Cae-ah is dating Hae-na’s uncle until she hears him speaking in dog. Lucky for him, his stocks performed well during his dog years, and he is well off – even if he is still under the Vice Principle’s little curse. Sister Yu-na and boyfriend Woo-taek are preparing for their upcoming wedding by meeting with her parents and looking at wedding dresses – not to mention being super-cute when they are together. Yul still has a thing for shaman girl Ji-ah who continues to spurn him. (And here I thought she was smart.) Ji-ah is intent on finding the ex-Vice Principle, knowing that he can tell her the whereabouts of Bo-gyeom.

In one of the funnies moments of the episode, a reality show producer comes to the school hoping to recruit Seo-won for the next season of “Single Dogs Inferno”. His non-single status doesn’t seem to faze her, and she leans harder into her sales pitch. The other teachers pile on, telling Seo-won he could end up with someone rich or famous. Flustered by this talk about her boyfriend, Hae-na leaves the room. This is too much for Seo-won who confronts her in the hallway and asks why she doesn’t yell out – “This is my man!” (You go, Seo-won!) Holding hands, they return to the room, ready to confess their relationship to the other teachers. In a not surprising turn, the teachers already knew about it.

Proving that Seo-won is well on his way to overcoming his fear of dogs, he and Hae-na volunteer to walk dogs at animal shelter. Seo-won names the dog he walks Deok-gu and later can’t get the shaggy DA looking mutt out of his head. Hae-na is proud of him for his progress, even if he admits that sometimes he is still afraid of big, scary looking dogs. She reassures him that most people are as well. In the meantime, she is trying to plan something special for his birthday. How to top the cruise and fireworks he arranged for her birthday? Then she gets an idea and starts writing a play titled, “A Man and a Woman Who Became Each Other’s Gifts”. It will be the perfect thing for Hae-na’s students to perform at the upcoming festival which happens to fall on Seo-won’s birthday. And who better to star in the play? Yul.

At the Garam’s Night festival (looks pretty much like a Halloween festival), Hae-na asks Seo-won repeatedly to come to her classes’ performance at 8:00. Sadly, a bunch of unnecessary stuff happens that prevents him from showing up. Ji-ah successfully lures ex-Vice Principle out by offering his games for sale. Uncle, who is chatting with Seo-won in doggie language, sees ex-Vice Principle and a truly weird chase ensues. Once cornered by Ji-ah, Seo-won and Uncle – Vice Principle does his thing to remove Uncle’s voice curse. Seo-won drops Uncle off at Hae-na’s house and receives a text message with video of the missed performance. (It’s a lovely play and one of the best parts of the episode.) Seeing Hae-na coming home, he meets her on the street and says the play is the best birthday present he has ever received. (I’m glad he saw a recording of it, but how much better would it have been for him to see it live? Grrr!) Then, Seo-won takes his birthday kiss.

Having successfully learned Bo-gyeom’s location from ex-Vice Principal, Ji-ah pays the Mountain Spirit a visit to tell him that she has moved on (from her past life) and is leading a good life. He should move on too. They send off floating lanterns since they didn’t get a chance to do it in the past. Bo-gyeom does not seem all that remorseful for the harm he caused to generations of Hae-na’s family and to Hae-na and Seo-won. Did he learn anything at all?

For the final scene, Hae-na and Seo-won take newly adopted dog Deok-gu out to the park and show why they are still as cute as can be.

Final Thoughts

A Good Day to Be a Dog is a show with a lot of potential (and adorableness) that lost its step along the way. Tighter writing could have kept it down to 12 episodes. Fewer flashbacks. Better interspersing of Hae-na’s curse predicament with the historical story. Reducing uninteresting side stories (Ji-ah and Vice Principle). After the big events in episode 13, there didn’t seem to be too much left for episode 14. Much of the final episode – which should be the best one – feels like filler. Thankfully, Hae-na and Seo-won are back together in the end (not that I ever doubted it would happen), and still as cute as ever. I do wish for more. A proposal maybe?

A Good Day to Be a Dog Soundtrack

My favorite song from the A Good Day to Be a Dog soundtrack is Jealousy, sung by Cha Eun-woo. The soundtrack has a more Eun-woo-ified version vs the one he sings during the wedding in episode 4. Can’t Nobody with vocals by Woody and Minnie’s Timing are both fun songs that remind me of the many cute moments in the show. The ballad songs of The Secret Between Us sung by MeloMance and Imagination sung by Byeol Eun are also lovely.

My rating:  4.1 sips