Early Access: Yumi's Cells 2 E7 (Patreon)

E7. I suppose it shouldn't be that much of a surprise, that Show speeds us up to a point in time, where things are starting to be less shiny and happy for Yumi and Babi, because Show does tend to reflect real life very well, and ups and downs are part of real life, after all.

I feel bad for Yumi, that she's not making any noticeable headway in her writing dreams, and that her finances are tight enough, that she needs to take on a part time job at the bookstore, in order to make ends meet.

And, it's also not great, that Babi's been promoted, and transferred to the Jeju branch, as a result.

I can imagine it's tough on Yumi, to deal with all of that, at the same time.

Either of those things are hard on their own, but to combine them like this, and have her be far away from Babi, and dealing with the challenges of a long-distance relationship, while dealing with the bumps in the road of her writing dreams, just feels like it's kind of too much.

When Yumi doesn't place in the eleventh contest, which she'd actually secretly had high hopes for, it feels like she's so isolated, as she deals with all of the emotions that come with that. Her parents are not in Seoul, and neither is Babi.

She literally doesn't have anyone in whom she can confide, and with whom she can talk things over.

I actually felt really sorry for Yumi, as she grapples with the reality of her circumstances, and acknowledges to herself, that she has no talent. Oof. That's gotta hurt.

And, because Yumi's the type to internalize her feelings first, and then share them later, she's not letting on how she truly feels, during her calls with Babi.

I do wish that she would just come out and tell him what's going on, and how she feels, but I think that's just the way Yumi is. She'll tell him when she's ready, but she's just not ready, right now.

What a rollercoaster of emotions Yumi ends up going through, when Section Chief Nam calls, and asks her to work part-time, and then offers her a full-time position - which Yumi actually decides to take - before withdrawing the offer, all within such a short span of time.

This, when she's now spent money that she can't afford to spend, on new work clothes, and even told her mom, that she's very likely going back to work.

Poor Yumi. It must feel like her entire world is falling apart on her; her writing isn't going well, and now, even her chance at going back to her old job, is gone too, just like that.

I'm glad that Yumi's on a trip to Jeju to see Babi, and I'm glad that Babi's intuitive enough to pick up on the fact that Yumi's not as ok as she insists, and I'm so glad that he responds to her accordingly, telling her gently that it's ok.

I can see why Yumi would cry in Babi's embrace.

She's been trying to hard to keep up a strong front, and here he is, all gentle and sweet, seeing through that front, and holding her, and telling her that it's all ok. Melt. 🫠

Which is when Yumi gets the biggest surprise news ever, that even though her submission for the contest didn't win, the Editor-in-Chief is impressed enough with it, that he'd like to publish her work. Ahhh! What happy news!

I do think that Yumi's a little reckless in celebrating so soon, ie, before even signing a contract, because I'd expected that Yumi, being quite practical, would realize that things could go awry with the publishing deal, just like her potential job with Daehan Noodles had appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Still, it's nice to see Yi Da and Ruby get so excited for Yumi that they fly to Jeju immediately, to celebrate with her.

On a side note, though, how underwhelming, that Yi Da and Ruby finding out that Yumi and Babi are dating, is such a non-event. All Ruby does is tease them with a single line, and that's it.

I'm rather surprised, honestly, but I suppose Show is being selective in where it wants to spent its time.

I'm glad that Yumi is so cognizant of how grateful she is to Babi, for all the support that he's shown her, during her entire writing journey.

That beat, where she chooses to simply tell him that she's grateful for "everything," instead of the itemized list that Love comes up with, is very true to life as well.

That's what a lot of people do, I think, although I personally do wish that Yumi had given Babi the long, detailed version; I do think he would have appreciated it.

I love the scene where Babi picks a tipsy Yumi up for a walk by the beach, so that they can look at the stars together.

It's so endearing, that Babi is enamored with a tipsy Yumi, even when she says cuss words, or giggles like a loon. Augh. That's so loving. 🥰

It's no wonder Yumi feels so loved, and it's no wonder Naughty cell gets all puffed up and eager to kiss Babi, hee.

Also! Couple rings!! Eee!! The fact that Babi actually remembers their anniversary, while Yumi doesn't appear to, is somehow extra sweet.

This entire moment is utterly romantic, with the two of them smiling and drowning in kisses on the beach, under the stars, with fireworks going off behind them. Soo~ lovely. 🥰

..Which is when we get a rather subtle but still effective record scratching moment, with that flash of Hunch cell receiving some rather perplexing intel, during the aurora.

I don't know what this means yet, and I hate to think it, but.. this does make my mind go to the fact that Babi isn't endgame for Yumi, in the webtoon. 😭

AND THEN. Da Eun, the intern who works in Babi's office, enters the picture. Dun DUN DUN..?

I can see why Babi might have chosen to omit to mention that the intern who lives in his neighborhood, and whom he gives rides to sometimes, is a pretty young girl.

The way Yumi's cells go into overdrive, feeling insecure and anxious, and rationalizing that there's nothing to be anxious about, because Babi's just given her a ring, is so relatable. That's exactly how I think my insides would react, if I were in Yumi's situation.

Yumi eventually lands on the secure answer, but not before Anxiety cell's been beaten up and threatened thoroughly, by Love cell, oops.

And, OMGGG, the whole Popping cell thing is something I've never consciously thought of before, but it makes So! Much! Sense!

It's SO TRUE, that younger girls laugh and giggle a lot more easily, and that men tend to find this attractive.

I love how Show fleshes out this concept, by telling us that Popping cells have short lifespans, but are highly infectious. That feels so spot on!

Even though Babi doesn't appear to be amused by Da Eun's giggly response to the soot on his face, I can see why Yumi would feel insecure at the sight of Da Eun laughing so brightly while talking to Babi over the BBQ pit.

Yumi does the sensible Unni thing and is pleasant to Da Eun and very hospitable too, but then, with Da Eun's statement that Babi's sooo funny, I can't blame Yumi for feeling out of sorts and insecure, all over again.

After all, Babi isn't funny with her. And since Da Eun says that Babi's sooo funny, Yumi probably can't help but wonder if Babi's very different with Da Eun, than with her, right?

The way Yumi tests the waters with Babi, by remarking, "Da Eun's very cute, isn't she?" is just the sort of thing I would expect a girlfriend to say.

Babi's Reason cell's got it all covered, though.

The way he filters out the inappropriate answers, because he (correctly!) predicts the kind of wrong impression and response each answer would reap, reminds me again, that Babi is a very intuitive person, and just seems to know exactly how to navigate emotionally tricky situations.

"Da Eun is cute. And Yumi is adorable."

Ahhh! Babi sidesteps the potential disaster very neatly, while being truthful, and I'm pretty darn impressed.

As is Yumi, who remarks that he's a player.

Hm. Babi doesn't strike me as a player, though. Everything he's said and done so far, has felt genuinely sincere. But.. isn't that how the best players roll, though..? 🙈 Ok, we shall not think about that right now.

With Jeju being such a small town, it's not really that shocking that Babi would run into Da Eun outside the supermarket.

And, given that Da Eun's not wearing a jacket even though it's cold, and given that Babi's got a spare jacket that he keeps in the car, it does make sense that he would loan it to her, just to be kind and helpful.

But Yumi's girlfriend instincts perk right up, when she sees Da Eun wearing Babi's jacket; it makes her think of how he'd once given her his jacket off his own back, so that she wouldn't be cold without one.

To which I say, at least Babi doesn't give Da Eun the jacket off his own back, this time..? It's infinitely better that he gives her the jacket in his car, than the one on his back, right?

At the same time, I understand Yumi's question to Babi, which ends off this episode.

In asking Babi when he'd started liking her, she's trying to figure out whether his gesture back then, of lending her his jacket, had meant anything - and by extension, she can figure out whether his gesture now, of lending Da Eun his jacket, means anything.

Will Babi's answer satisfy Yumi, and will that put an end to this.. distraction?

Next episode notes will be out on: Saturday, 16 July 2022!