Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha season 1, episode 11 recap – sweetness overload!

This recap of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha season 1, episode 11 contains spoilers.

Do you know what you need other than chemistry? Timing. After giving us a rollercoaster of emotions, today SikHye couple decides to drop the entire honey and make us suffer from diabetes. We’re not even 10 minutes into the series but my cheeks are already hurting from all of the cheeky dialogues and overflowing chemistry. After receiving an epiphany and kisses on another, they are awkwardly facing each other. Hye-Jin tries to run away from the situation, but Du-Sik holds her back. “I like you, Ms. Dentist,” he finally says it, and holds her hand afterward. The new couple walks together towards Hye-Jin’s home while teasing each other. 

Upon arriving, Hye-Jin asks Du-Sik to hold their official relationship for a few days because she wants to have proper closure with Sung-Hyun. Du-Sik already knows what’s coming between Sung-Hyun and Hye-Jin but still surprises with the timing. Out of curiosity, Hye-Jin asks why Du-Sik does not do anything despite knowing about Sung-Hyun’s feelings. He awkwardly answers because he is not yet aware that he likes her that much. His answers trigger our witty Hye-Jin more. “How much do you like me?” asks Hye-Jin. “Just like Lake Baikal,” he answers.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha season 1, episode 11 recap

Our dimple couple bid goodbye for the night. Hye-Jin asks him to not call her tonight since they’re not yet in a relationship. Well, it is not a secret anymore how Hye-Jin’s actions often contradict her words. She searches about Lake Baikal, which happens to be the deepest lake in the world, located in Rusia. Touched by the metaphors, Hye-Jin breaks her own rules and calls Du-Sik. The two share another lovey-dovey conversation and I am not even complaining.

Du-Sik asks Hye-Jin to walks towards her desk and looks at her childhood photo–the ones that his grandpa took. Hye-Jin starts to reminisce that she is bawling so much that day. “Do you remember the boy that makes you laugh that day? It’s me!” says Du-Sik. She finally remembers him. Later, Hye-Jin also shares her memories of a boy that she encountered at a convenience store when she runs away to Gongjin during the high-school days. Du-Sik realizes that he is the boy after confirming that he gives her 100 won to buy milk. The two begin to have goosebumps after realizing they already had two unexpected encounters at Gongjin before. As if their fate intertwines, timing is everything.

On the other side, Sung-Hyun is facing his fate as he comes face to face with Hye-Jin. Honestly, as much as I adore our dimple couple, Sung-Hyun and Hye-Jin’s story is as warm as a cup of tea that you sip during sunset. The heartfelt confrontation starts with Hye-Jin reminiscing about their college days. She is grateful because Sung-Hyun is the first person to ever show concern for her well-being. His “Let’s eat,” “Let’s play,” “Let’s be happy,” is like a magic spell that brings lots of comfort to her. Moreover, Hye-Jin is a person who is always busy and on the run. Their throwbacks are truly heartwarming.

Hye-Jin finally comes clear with her feelings. She expresses her regrets for not being confident enough to confess sooner because of the thoughts that he always sees her during the lowest point. “I have always had feelings for you… But right now, I have feelings for someone else,” says Hye-Jin. He already knows what’s coming but my heart aches from his gaze. Even after the twist of fate, Sung-Hyun reassures Hye-Jin that her lowest point is actually not her lowest, rather it is the point that makes her radiate the most. “I am truly honored that someone like you is my first love, Hye-Jin,” says Sung-Hyun. “Likewise,” she replies as she wipes her tears. Even Chun-Jae wipes his tears upon hearing their confession from behind the bar.

It’s a bittersweet scene yet wraps delicately. Time flies, people change. The wind has changed its direction. While the fall starts to fill the West with rustic colors, a rainy day is pouring heavily in the South. Everyone, timing is everything. If you have something to say to someone, I hope you’ll find the courage to say whatever you want to confess. Also, a simple act of kindness such as “Let’s eat” can mean so much for someone. So, my dearest readers… Don’t skip your meal, okay?

Moving on. After the heartfelt confrontation, Sung-Hyun and Du-Sik encounter one another. While Hye-Jin is overreacting by thinking they’ll fight over her, the truth is they’re casually out there repairing Gam-Ri’s table. Sung-Hyun confronts Du-Sik that Hye-Jin turns him down for someone else. Du-Sik awkwardly tries to avoid the conversation, but he already knows. Sung-Hyun continues that even though Hye-Jin does not reveal the person she likes, his intuition is telling him that the person does not deserve her. Du-Sik is highly triggered which makes him so easy to read. 

But don’t worry. The writer-nim choose to put closure on the love triangle in the healthiest way. Just like Sung-Hyun says, “love triangles aren’t for me.” He asks Du-Sik to take good care of Hye-Jin and take her to eat lots of delicious food. “I like her, but I think I am more fond of you,” says Sung-Hyun. Hearing those words brings a great relief to Du-Sik. After that, they’re back to teasing one another. Sung-Hyun even continues to ask him for surfing lessons. Their bromance is everything.

Prepare your heart for a dose of swoon-worthy things that squeeze your heart. After the man-talk finishes, Du-Sik comes to Hye-Jin’s house. He explains everything is already settled and calls Sung-Hyun a great person. But after all the hassle, Hye-Jin demands to keep their relationship a secret from the villagers. Our dentist is afraid of the possible ongoing rumors like pregnancy, marriages, and other stuff that might cause damages to their relationship. Du-Sik refuses because he thinks that they’ll eventually find out but finally agrees to play along in the end. The mood shifts as they declare that day as their first. Suddenly honey is dripping from their eyes that makes our hearts flutter. The two adorably hug each other until Mi-Seon appears out of nowhere invading their privacy. “Next time don’t forget to lock the door, okay?“ But hey, Mi-Seon represents all of us, right?

Meanwhile, while the two happily cuddle, Sung-Hyun is spending the night drinking with Mr. Chang. The two of them bond over their twist of fate and their hate for the love triangle. Mr. Chang is still desperate to know the reason behind his divorce. At the same time, he just can’t contain his jealousy over the thought of Hwa-Jeong being with someone else. He starts to blame the timing when Hwa-Jeong is asking for a divorce while he is already fond of their marriage, also the timing where Cho-Hui leaves Gongjin before their marriage. If you look closely at the dialogue, it shows that his greatest concern lies within Hwa-Jeong over Cho-Hui:

“I thought it was fate… The timing just never seems to be on my side,” says Sung-Hyun before he completely knocks out with the reality of his unrequited first love. 

Let me warn you. Starting from this episode, Hye-Jin has completely turned into a triple C’s girlfriend: Clingy, cringy, cutesy. But if you ever want to be in a secretive relationship with Yoon Hye-Jin, then you better prepare a great deal of protection over your body unless… You want to end up like Du-Sik.

Afraid of being caught, Hye-Jin has turned their swoon-worthy moments into a tragic comedy. The next morning, Hye-Jin encounters Du-Sik at Chun-Jae’s coffee shop like usual. Du-Sik asks Hye-Jin to come into the bar. He shows her how to make whipped cream. Unfortunately, the mixers do not work well and splash all the cream on his face. Hye-Jin adorably makes fun of him while poking and removing the dots of whipped cream from his face. Everything is cutesy until Chun-Jae comes in and the cutesy Hye-Jin who pokes Du-Sik’s cheeks suddenly turns into a Cruella. She slaps him on purpose. Even Du-Sik himself is bewildered. 

During the day, Du-Sik delivers food to her clinics. Hye-Jin once again turns into that clingy girlfriend who can’t seem to spend days apart from her lover. Hye-Jin follows him outside. She apologizes for slapping him earlier and adorably blows the slapped cheeks. Everything is going swoon-worthy until Ms. Cho juggles in to deliver free dumplings. This time, it is not a slap. It’s a kick on the legs. Oh, my Hye-Jin…

The saga continues. During the lunch break, they meet again at Yeon-Seok’s market. Traumatized, Du-Sik asks Hye-Jin to stay 2 meters away from him for the sake of his safety. Well too bad, Hye-Jin can’t keep her hands to herself. She stubbornly tempts his rules by slowly taking tiny little steps. She adorably approaches Du-Sik by asking him out for a first date. The safe zone has crumbled. Du-Sik strikes back by asking what kind of date that she wants to have. Hye-Jin wittily answers, “We can take a walk together, watch movies, or we can do something else..”

Du-Sik playfully messes with her hair. By this time, SikHye supporters are having a high level of blood sugar due to their overflowing chemistry and cuteness until Yoon-Kyeong and Geum-Cheol interrupt their moment. The adorable patting on the head suddenly turns into a headbutt followed by a nosebleed. It’s only been one day since they’re dating and Du-Sik has turned into a punchbag and it’s not even the end of the day yet.

After the headbutt, Du-Sik goes M.I.A. He does not reply to her messages nor answer her calls. Hye-Jin now has to turn into a clingy type of girlfriend that spams your phone and sulks while waiting for your response. Even Mi-Seon can’t take it. Luckily, although it’s cringy, it’s Shin Min-ah we’re talking about. Due to this, Hye-Jin goes straight into Du-Sik’s house but he’s not home yet. She goes around looking at his stuff where she finds his childhood photo with his late grandpa. The ones that they took after taking photos of Hye-Jin’s family at the beach. She also strolls upon his bookshelf where she almost grabs the book with the mysterious photo inside because Du-Sik is back with the grandmothers! She quickly put the book back and finds a place to hide.

After Du-Sik finds out that Hye-Jin is inside his house, he anxiously checks all the rooms while the grandmother squad is inside. He tries to make them come home quickly by giving all the candles they ask without serving them something to drink. The grandmother squad thinks Du-Sik is acting oddly. Well, the truth is, he is just in love, grandmas. After all the hassle, Du-Sik sweetly smiles after finding Hye-Jin is hiding inside his closet. Hye-Jin begins to sulk that she is a worry because Du-Sik does not answer her messages. He apologizes because he is too busy and he has no idea where he put his phone.

Du-Sik asks her to come out of the closet, but she got a leg cramp. He immediately carries her in a bridal style and successfully carries my heart with them. Hye-Jin reminds him to always finds time to answer her messages even though he is busy because she doesn’t like it when she can’t reach him. “What else that you don’t like? Let me hear it,” says Du-Sik. “Don’t lie to me. I don’t like it if there’s any secret between us,” answers Hye-Jin.

For a moment, we can see Du-Sik’s facial expression change. He does not give any response to it. Only silence fills with uncertainty and an empty smile. Lucky for him, Hye-Jin is distracted by his calendar. Yup, our Du-Sik is going all out by marking their first day as a couple on their calendars with big red hearts. He shyly denies the fact that he is whipped for her to the point that he slips his leg. Both of them fall into the bed. The tension rises. He slowly tries to go for another kiss… Until Hye-Jin’s phone rings. It’s none other than Pyo Mi-Seon unintentionally claiming our rights for SikHye to respect the singles!

After their romantic night goes offbeat, the two walk together hand-in-hand while happily talking about all the licenses that Du-Sik has. Everything is going smoothly until Hye-Jin notices the Gongjin Squad from afar. She immediately twists his hand out of panic. The squad immediately comes to separate them. They suggest that both of them should not meet each other and keep their distance. The next day, the Gongjin squad really do walk the walk as they hilariously try to keep them apart for safety reasons. From Chun-Jae is blocking Hye-Jin’s way to order her coffee directly from Du-Sik to Ms. Cho is taking charge to deliver food to Hye-Jin’s clinics. To add in the frustration, Du-Sik loses his phone so Hye-Jin is unable to reach him. It’s only 6 hours since their last meeting at Chun-Jae’s coffee and Hye-Jin is about to go crazy due to the distance. There comes a moment where they finally encounter each other on the street and Hye-Jin quickly runs towards him. They embrace one another but later Yoon-Kyeong and Geom-Cheol appear and separate the two lovebirds. 

Let’s talk about another love story for a moment. My heart aches for Sung-Hyun. He’s been having it quite rough with the heartbreak, but on the other side, it’s great seeing the development that might rise after this. Sung-Hyun suddenly falls ill during their business trip. He has to be taken to the hospital and the doctor suggests he take a rest. Due to this, the work has to be put on hold and the team needs to stay longer. Well, we’re all human anyways. Even a heartbreak can finally take a toll on our professional lives. Despite that, everyone deserves to pause and reset. The interesting part of the scene is the slow-burns between Writer Wang and Sung-Hyun. We’ve seen that Writer Wang always prioritizes work, but she takes care of him well. Hopefully, things can progress smoothly between them later on.

Meanwhile, Eun-Cheol suddenly comes to the clinic for a random scaling treatment. Mi-Seon gently treats him. Before the scaling begins, Eun-Cheol stops her as he tries to convey his sincere thoughts with his mouth open because he knows she will understand whatever he says anyway. “It’s not that I don’t like you. I just want to slowly know more about you,” says Eun-Cheol. And just like that, Mi-Seon’s world is coming back to life. 

It’s finally the day of their first date. Hye-Jin and Du-Sik wake up excitedly. They say when you fall in love, everything starts to feel like forever. That’s exactly what’s happening inside the world of our dimple couple. Hye-Jin and Du-Sik anxiously waiting for the time they’ll meet and hope the sun sets faster. Du-Sik even pretends that he is sick to leave his job early. The sun finally sets in Gongjin… while the villagers gather at the community hall, Hye-Jin excitedly calls Du-Sik’s name from afar as she runs towards him. Du-Sik happily opens her arms ready to embrace her. Both of them express that ever since they found each other everything seems to last forever and the loneliness intensifies. They tightly hug one another until the villagers suddenly appear out of nowhere. 

The two lovebirds are bewildered by the situation. Du-Sik tries to step in and make up excuses about their hug but Hye-Jin steps up and admits that they are dating. She expresses that she wants to love him openly which brings smiles to his face. But here comes the twist: the villagers already know everything. They purposely played dumb and tried to separate both of them so they’d miss one another and openly admit their relationship.

After successfully pranking our SikHye, Geom-Cheol gives back Du-Sik’s phone. It turns out, he left it at their minimarket where Hye-Jin’s messages suddenly pop out with heart emojis which shocks the married couple. The villagers congratulate their relationship and share their gratefulness. Mr. Cho finally did a great job by keeping her mouth shut from spreading rumors. Gam-Ri even says that she does not have any more wishes since Du-Sik finally finds someone to stay by his side while Joo-Ri can’t take all the cringes and is about to throw up. 

At last, our SikHye can finally express their love freely and safely.

After their first-ever phone call as a couple, Du-Sik marks the date of their first day as a couple on his calendar. He happily decorates it with stickers and shapes it into a heart. Meanwhile, Hye-Jin is having a nostalgic moment looking through her old diary. She’s fondly looking at her drawing of the beach day where she refers to Du-Sik as a prince of the sea while she is the princess. She laughs herself upon her taste in men. Oh my SikHye.

You can stream Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha season 1, episode 11 exclusively on Netflix.