The Scent of First Crushes in "The Girl Who Sees Smells" Episodes 5 and 6

We’re six episodes into “The Girl Who Sees Smells” now and if you hadn’t already been hooked into the plot and characters yet like me, then this week is the point of no return, because they sure know how to snag someone’s attention!

Just like in previous episodes, this week was packed full of development, both in character and plot. I love how the five senses are continuously being incorporated into the show while adding in a little something extra at the same time. It is because of the attention to small details that makes some of my favorite scenes and moments so memorable.

The Sense of Touch

It’s so subtle that it often passes by without much given thought, but I adore the brief physical contact between Choi Moo Gak and Oh Cho Rim. From the way he gently caressed her hair to the way he reached for her hand after rescuing her from the murderer. From the look on Choi Moo Gak’s face when he realized he had been sleeping on Oh Cho Rim’s lap to how he gingerly pats her down to make sure she’s not injured after the fall at the illegal gambling house. All of these subconscious actions really makes my heart skip a beat as I sincerely root for our OTP. The growing fondness that they have for each other is heartwarming, especially because they pair together so well.

But beyond that, we also had the somber handshake between Choi Moo Gak and Tak Jae Suk (Choi Jae Hwan), Lieutenant Yeom’s (Yoon Jin Seo) physical restraint against Choi Moo Gak when he practically attacked Doctor Chun Baek Gyeong (Song Jong Ho), and even the hilarious finger flicks during the Go-Stop game.

The Sense of Hearing

I can’t be the only one who very nearly shot out of my seat in shock with the loud, unexpected sound of shattering glass, immediately followed by the chaotic screams and cries of bystanders, as Chef Hong came crashing down on Detective Ki’s (Jo Hee Bong) “new” car. Talk about suffering from a heart attack at the hands of a suspenseful romantic comedy!

The Sense of Taste

There’s always a downside to watching an abundance of K-Dramas. Most of the time, it’s salivating over the delicious food that appears on screen and “The Girl Who Sees Smells” is certainly no exception. While Oh Cho Rim always thoroughly enjoys her food, poor Choi Moo Gak can’t taste a single thing and only eats in a futile attempt to fill his empty heart.

But I wonder, how would people feel knowing that the same talented hands used to produce such beautifully presented and equally as exquisite food… is the same pair of hands that has so viciously spilled innocent blood?

The Sense of Sight

While I knew the true villain probably was not Dr. Chun, since that would be far too simplistic and uncreative, I had only half suspected the barcode murderer to be none other than our warm and friendly Chef Kwon Jae Hee (Namgoong Min). From winning me over with his million-watt smile to sending me running with his spine chilling stare, I’m eager to find out what’s going to happen next and just how clever our Chef-nim is.

After all, he’s been getting away with murder so far and even with the assistance of Oh Cho Rim, it might not be much help in this case since he’ll have the perfect reason as to why he’s surrounded by the scent of Joo Ma Ri (Park Han Byul) and Dr. Chun.

On the other hand, Dr. Chun isn’t exactly an innocent either since his sin has now been revealed. It’s a great change of pace to see smiling Chef Kwon looking like he’s going to commit murder (oh wait, he is!) and seeing an evil faced Dr. Chun scared for both his and Oh Cho Rim’s life.

At this point, I can only assume that while Kwon Jae Hee had stared her in the face the night he killed Oh Cho Rim’s parents, he didn’t really get a good look at her. That would be the only logical reason behind why he had accidentally murdered Choi Moo Gak’s sister, Choi Eun Seol (Kim So Hyun), in broad florescent lights (as opposed to daylight) and why he seems genuinely friendly towards Oh Cho Rim.

The Sense of Smell

Without Oh Cho Rim, there wouldn’t be a plot, so I’m thankful to her on plenty of levels… and so should the police force. Because of her special ability, the detectives managed to arrest, not only a cultivator of marijuana, but an entire ring of illegal gamblers in a secret gambling house.

My Thoughts

To be honest, going into “The Girl Who Sees Smells,” I was a bit nervous because of all the initial negativity surrounding Shin Se Kyung being a part of the main cast, but her natural depiction of Oh Cho Rim’s personality has been nothing short of amazing for me and Park Yoochun is still, without a doubt, blowing me out of the water with his versatility. Individually, the two characters are wonderful, flaws and all, but as a duo, they are the makings of a perfect pair.

I love watching Oh Cho Rim slowly falling for Choi Moo Gak just as I love watching Choi Moo Gak coming to care for her (meeting with the director of the comedy troupe one-on-one), for her safety (asking her to quit assisting him out of fear she’ll get hurt), and for her feelings (attempting to explain the buy one get one promotional bear), however subconscious it may be on his part. Their cute banters and disagreements, the flawless way in which they work together, and how they each attempt to go out of their way to assist each other depicts some of the most basics in relationship growth, but I adore watching it happen because it is just portrayed so well.

In particular, the emotions behind the scene in which Oh Cho Rim is so certain of Choi Moo Gak’s ability to protect her that it startles yet touches him was simply spot on. They bring out the best in each other and it’s one of the aspects that I look forward to each week – watching them grow beyond their own limitations and becoming closer to one another.

The comedy, too, is refreshing and pleasant, although I prefer the natural, everyday funny to the obnoxious comedy performances from the troupe. Of course, the credit can’t go solely to the two main leads because all of the supporting cast has been doing a remarkable job in portraying their characters as well. It is this kind of team work, between all cast, staff, writer, and director that makes a drama worthwhile and I hope this is what I see all the way to end because it’s been fun and enjoyable so far.

“The Girl Who Sees Smells” isn’t without logical flaws though, as I still couldn’t help but question how, exactly, does Choi Moo Gak financially support his monstrous eating habits on a meager police officer’s salary? How, also, did Lieutenant Yeom fail to stop Choi Moo Gak from storming to Dr. Chun’s office and manhandling him? It wasn’t like he was just down the hall at the precinct. There was distance to be traveled and, in that duration, there wasn’t a single opportunity for Lieutenant Yeom to interfere? Choi Moo Gak didn’t have a car, so he must have had to take public transportation… or walk there. She, on the other hand, had a car.

But you know what? Illogical happenings in Dramaland are fairly normal and what we were shown here doesn’t take away from the show itself. So, for me, I have no issues with laughing it off as funnily absurd and moving on to the interesting parts. That’s why I can’t wait until next week!

What did you think about this week’s episodes and the latest developments? Let us know in the comments below!

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