Juniper
“The Witch’s Diner” is my favourite Korean drama this year, it’s so good because every episode is interesting. It’s shorter than most other Korean dramas, I believe there are only 8 episodes and each episode is just 40 minutes long whereas some other K-dramas are over 1 hour long per episode.
The latest episodes 5 & 6 are entitled “Noodles That Bring People Together” and “Forgotten Memories & Mugwort Rice Cakes” respectively. Lee Bok-Nan is an old lady, the landlord of The Witch’s Diner and she pops by the diner to see Jung Jin bringing some delicious food. Her purpose is to find out whether Jung Jin would be interested in her still single 50-year old son, Koo Hyo-Sik. The old lady’s most fervent hope is to find a daughter-in-law to take care of her son. Jung Jin informs the old lady that she is seeing someone, much to the disappointment of the part-timer, teenager Lee Gil-Yong who has a major crush on her. Jung Jin is at least a decade older than Lee Gil-Yong but whoever said age matters in a relationship.
The disappointed old lady leaves the diner and bumps into Bae Yoon-Ki, one of the diner’s guests/customers who lost 2 fingers in exchange for his wish which came true. He now has a secure job and lands himself a wife, the woman he rescued and lost 2 fingers as a result. They talk and Bae Yoon-Ki tells the old lady about The Witch’s Diner granting wishes. The old lady returns to the diner as a guest and eats the noodles prepared by Miss Witch, Jo Hee-Ra (she’s so beautiful and mysterious!).
Of course there is a price to pay for granting the old lady her wish. Miss Witch wants the old lady’s past, all her memories which essentially means old lady will have dementia and even forget who her son is. The son is shocked that his mum suddenly has dementia and has a tough time running his restaurant and taking care of his mum. He has nio choice but to take her to a nursing home but in a few days, he regrets his decision and takes her home. He hires a caregiver who happens to be a lady he knew 2 decades ago. They re-connect and fall for each other, eventually marrying. The old lady’s wish has come true.
Meanwhile, Jung Jin is angry with Miss Witch and thinks the price for the old lady’s wish is too much so she leaves the diner. However when Jung Jin goes to visit the old lady, in a moment of lucidity, the old lady asks if her memories have been taken away. She tells Jung Jin she had no regrets and doesn’t blame Jung Jin.
After the talk with the old lady, Jung Jin goes back to work at The Witch’s Diner. Prior to this, when Jung Jin confronted Miss Witch about the old lady’s condition, Miss Witch had already advised her to see things till the last. The old lady was actually happy to have lost her memories in exchange for the happiness her son had gained with a new wife.
Jung Jin was being courted by the writer, Tom Kim but after they became a couple, he constantly brushes off appointments with her. Jung Jin asked Tom Kim to go to the wedding ceremony of Koo Hyo-Sik but at the last moment, he uses work as an excuse not to go with her. At the wedding venue, presumably a hotel, Jung Jin spots Tom Kim with a woman and a baby. It’s Tom Kim’s baby’s birthday party! That’s the end of episode 6, a real cliffhanger.
