* This review contains spoilers for Episode 3 of Doona!
Won-Jun and Doona discuss Jin-Ju’s response to his assurance that he and Doona weren’t dating. Doona believes that Jin-Ju does like him, but Won-Jun says he doesn’t want to ruin his friendship with Jin-Ju. Doona encourages him to pursue her anyway.
Won-Jun later reminisces about their high school days. He and Jin-Ju were once very close friends, with some people believing they were an item. At the time, he mentioned to Jin-Ju that he considered them to be ‘soulmates’.
READ | Doona! Episode 2 Recap & Review – Secrets and sparks
Later, Doona begins to feel paranoid after ‘P’ broke into her room to leave his present. She opens the electrical boxes to search for hidden cameras. She accidentally locks herself in the bathroom and panics, breaking the mirror.
At the café, Won-Jun plucks up the courage to ask Jin-Ju to join him to view the cherry blossoms. To his surprise, she agrees. He returns home and notices that Doona is missing. He manages to find her and frees her from the bathroom, and she hugs him gratefully.
Finding new ‘soulmates’
Doona later opens up to Won-Jun, telling him that it was really hard “to lose people who were there from the beginning”. Realizing that she has a lot of pent-up emotions, he invites her to play whack-a-mole at the arcade, as well as a game of basketball. She thanks him for helping her have fun, and he tells her that he asked Jin-Ju out on a date. She smiles and tells him not to run away from Jin-Ju.
The next day, Won-Jun and Jin-Ju’s plans are cut short when it begins to rain. By chance, Se-Hun stops by in his car and picks them up. Won-Jun gets a phone call from his housemate Yun-Taek telling him that they bought pizzas for dinner. Se-Hun turns out to be Yun-Teak’s best friend, and everyone ends up at the house for dinner.
Sensing Won-Jun’s discomfort, Doona asks Jin-Ju if Se-Hun is her boyfriend, only to have Se-Hun reply that they are both ‘soulmates’. Jin-Ju agrees, which leaves Won-Jun heartbroken. He excuses himself, offering to buy ice-cream for everyone. Doona joins him, and they walk back home together. He also gives her his jacket to keep warm. Jin-Ju notices Doona is wearing Won-Jun’s jacket, and appears a little hurt.
Stopping a stalker
Later, Jin-Ju and Doona look on as Se-Hun and Won-Jun play against each other during a college basketball game. After the match, Doona tells Won-Jun that both he and Jin-Ju definitely have feelings for each other, but are not doing anything about them. Won-Jun admits that he confessed his love for Jin-Ju back in high school, but she distanced herself from him. He adds that he is grateful that they can be friends again now.
Doona later realizes that she has a stalker. During a drinking session between the housemates and Jin-Ju, Doona notices him outside the window. The housemates manage to catch him and beat him up, but the experience leaves Doona shaken.
Won-Jun walks Jin-Ju to the bus stop, and she tells him that she is moving out of her family home soon. She receives a text message, which she hides from him. We later learn that it was from her controlling father, verbally abusing her for staying out late. Jin-Ju then sorrowfully looks at old photos on her phone showing her and Won-Jun in high school.
Back at the house, Won-Jun finds Doona asleep and notices her phone lying on the floor. He sees two incoming text messages from ‘P’ telling her that she has “gotten better at lying”, and to stop contacting him and “wait quietly”. He is disturbed by this, but says nothing to Doona. She later wakes up and finds him in the hall. They discuss the stalker incident, and Won-Jun tells her that he doesn’t want to see her get hurt again. He adds that he hopes that she would be loved by everyone again.
Doona doesn’t reply, but instead falls asleep in his lap. Won-Jun lets her hold his hand, as the episode ends.
What we thought of Doona! Episode 3
This episode finally gives us an insight into the complex emotions between Won-Jun, Doona and Jin-Ju. We discover that Doona is actually a lot more perceptive than people give her credit for, as she was able to accurately guess the unspoken feelings between Won-Jun and Jin-Ju. However, this may be because she herself is trying to hide her own growing feelings for Won-Jun.
We also get to see the effects of the trauma that Doona has experienced in her life, through the moments of anxiety and paranoia she goes through here. Fortunately, Won-Jun has an idea of her struggles, and appears to genuinely care for her wellbeing. However, it remains to be seen whether she is willing to accept his help.
We’re looking forward to seeing what happens next in Episode 4 of Doona!.
READ | Doona! Episode 4 Recap & Review – Unexpected turns & first kiss
Join Our Social Pages to keep up to date with the hottest K-Entertainment News. FACEBOOK | TWITTER (X) | INSTAGRAM