K-Drama Couch Recap: “Hotel Del Luna” Episode 11

Jang Man Wol is finally coming to terms that there is already something she fears losing the most.

Hotel del Luna episode 11 was quite an emotional episode, not all of it were happy ones. It touched on pain and sorrow, as well as fear and forgiveness. Jang Man Wol also displayed a vulnerable side to her that the other Ma Go eagerly pointed out. Goo Chan Seong was able to show his friend his place of work, but it was under a sad circumstance.

A former general manager of Hotel del Luna reappeared with a favor to ask. This caused excitement to all of the employees.

Episode 11 Recap

Special Telephone Call Service

Goo Chan Seong wakes up from, yet another dream concerning Man Wol’s past. He wonders if Goo Chung Myung was waiting for her at the riverbank. Sanchez calls out for him and shows him a gift box with a card attached. When he opens it, he sees Man Wol’s writing that says, “thank you”. Sanchez teases him but Chan Seong brushes it off. However, when he opens the box, he sees a pair of suit in tiger prints.

Sanchez admires the quality of the clothes but continues to tease Chan Seong. He tells him that perhaps Man Wol bought it the day she was able to sell the pure-bred horses.

Chan Seong put the pieces together and realizes that the chairman’s payment for that special call must have been the precious animals. He confronts Man Wol and demands she extends the same service to all guests since Chairman Wang somehow paid for it.

The Hotel del Luna owner counter argues that not all guests deserve the service since not all of them has good intentions for calling the living. Acknowledging her point, Chan Seong promises to screen the guests and come up with the list of qualified callers.

Reluctantly agreeing with Chan Seong, Man Wol starts to provide the special call and scoffs at most of them. When a father and son come in, Chan Seong tells her that it was their last day at the hotel and he wants to talk to his wife. However, the father asks if he could only make one call.

They say yes and he changes his mind. He tells them he now wants to talk to the truck driver who accidentally killed them. Man Wol refuses but the father assures her that he only wants to apologize to the man.

The father’s conversation to the truck driver moves Man Wol as he asks for forgiveness. He tells the driver that it was their fault for crossing the road so suddenly. The father wants the driver to move on with his life. As well as to forgive himself because he has no reason to feel guilty. Chan Seong sees that the father’s gesture touched Man Wol. He asks her if she wants to rest but Man Wol refuses. She says they still have a lot of guests to attend to.

After the day’s task, Chan Seong invites Man Wol to eat with him. He reveals he already made reservations to the restaurant she was not able to get into last time. The two share a meal and enjoy their time together.

A Past Employee Pays A Surprise Visit

Three men wearing black suits are waiting for Chan Seong at his place. The men brought him to an old lady. He later finds out she used to work as Hotel del Luna’s general manager years ago. She confirms if he is indeed working at the hotel and requests for him to bring her to the current location of the establishment.

Chan Seong grants her request. Ji Hyun Joong, as well as all the senior staff, are extremely happy seeing the guest he brought. Miss Hwang wants to talk to Jang Man Wol to ask for a special favor. Man Wol is unsure to grant the request but when the woman hands her a “gift” she eagerly hears her out.

Man Wol later reveals that during the woman’s tenure, a human couple ended up staying at the hotel. They usually turn down human customers, especially during the full lunar eclipse, which makes the hotel visible to the human eye but once in a while, a human or two could check in.

The newly-wed couple was one of the exceptions. They stayed and spent their honeymoon in Room 404 (the designated room for humans). She conceived a child which later become a famous soccer player in Korea.

The woman believes that the room can bring good luck and since her daughter is marrying the son of that couple, she wants the children to spend their honeymoon in the same room. As Man Wol gives her permission, the entire staff get excited as the lunar eclipse is fast approaching. They prepare well for the day the couple comes to the hotel.

The Death of Veronica

Meanwhile, Sanchez is also excited as he is planning to propose to his girlfriend Veronica the day she lands in Korea from China. He begs Chan Seong to let him do it at the hotel on top of the infamous “Sky Bar” he hears a lot from Chan Seong. His friend refuses and comes up with an excuse but Sanchez dismisses it, saying that he is probably not working at a reputable hotel and that they are actually struggling. Chan Seong has no choice but to let Sanchez have that impression.

A day before Veronica arrives in Korea, she and Sanchez talk to each other via video call. Both express their excitement in finally being together. He gives a subtle hint about his surprise. The day comes, which also coincides with the full lunar eclipse and while everyone at the hotel is busy welcoming the bride and groom, Sanchez is waiting for his girlfriend in another restaurant. The romantic evening seems to have a downturn, on Sanchez’ end as Veronica is late. He talks to Chan Seong over the phone and tells him his concern.

A text message comes in and Sanchez rushes back to their house. The text contains the information that Veronica figured in an accident in Shanghai. Chan Seong also immediately goes home to find his friend about to leave. Sanchez is frantic and says he must hurry so he can be with her. Chan Seong nods his agreement and he is about to let go of Sanchez when he suddenly sees Veronica’s ghost.

With a heavy heart, Chan Seong reveals the truth. Seeing his friend’s sadness and pain, he thinks of a way to have them meet for the last time. He brings Sanchez to the hotel’s Sky bar and confesses the true nature of the hotel and its clientele.

Before the full moon returns to normal, Sanchez and Veronica are able to see each other, and she expresses her feelings of gratitude. Just as they are about to embrace, the lunar eclipse ends, and she vanishes as living people cannot see ghosts inside the hotel.

Much as Sanchez is hurting, Chan Seong is also feeling his friend’s pain as well. This makes Man Wol realize that she has spent her time engaging with the loses of ghosts that she almost forgets how living humans go through the same.

Chan Seong Meets A Former University Acquaintance

Yoo Na, who insists that the person the police arrested in connection to the serial murders, is not the same person she saw that day. She talks to the souls of the victims and confirms it is not the guy who killed them. Yoo Na then asks them to describe the person who harmed them.

Chan Seong warns Yoo Na not to get involved as it is dangerous, and she should just focus on her studies. She hands Chan Seong the car’s plate number and asks him to check it out. She also tells him that she will show him the final sketch once she finishes drawing it.

The man, who turns out to be Chan Seong’s acquaintance, is also doing an investigation of his own. After finding out that Chan Seong hired the delivery truck, Seol Ji Won, talks to the truck driver. He learns that, although he was hired by a man, a high school girl was with him that day.

He manages to get Yoo Na’s name and finds her face on SNS. Ji Won then goes to her school and asks around. Her classmates reveal that she is a weird one and they all suspect that she can actually see ghosts.

On her way back to school, a car almost hit Yoo Na. She is surprised to see the driver’s face, as well as the ghost at the back seat. Ji Won recognizes Yoo Na and tests her if she will follow his car, which she does. She ends up in the parking lot of Ji Won’s car unknowing that he is monitoring her from inside.

Yoo Na calls Chan Seong and tells him she finds the vehicle with the plate number she gave him. He instructs her to stay put as he is coming to her. At the parking lot, Yoo Na gives Chan Seong the finished sketch. The face depicted in the sketch is a face he recognizes.

He tells Yoo Na to go home and goes inside. Chan Seong tries to make his presence known by asking if anybody is around, but he gets no response. His suspicion is getting bigger as he sees a picture frame with Ji Won in it and he also suddenly appears from behind.

The Price Chan Seong will Pay

Man Wol seems to be attuned to Chan Seong. Because she senses something might be up with him as he meets with an old College contact. Her fears are brought to the surface when the executioner Ma Go appears before her. She scoffs at Man Wol’s arrogance and tells her that Chan Seong may be paying too high a price just for being associated with her.

Ma Go reiterates that when flowers bloom they also wilt. Even if she is saying she is not scared of seeing the flowers wither, it will still happen the moment she becomes afraid.

Episode 11 Afterthoughts

Things are definitely getting more and more interesting in Hotel del Luna as emotions are getting tangled. The characters are all undergoing realizations as much as they don’t want to or keep denying it. Man Wol is showing a lot of character development as she seems to be wearing her heart on her sleeves.

She displayed several reactions that were far from what she used to express. Although she still whines and throws a tantrum like a child, she is now able to empathize with Chan Seong and Hotel del Luna’s varied guests.

Man Wol has truly cared now for Chan Seong as she tried to set up his future. She talked to Miss Hwang about giving Chan Seong a job once he left Hotel del Luna. Though she did not divulge much information, the older woman felt her sincerity. She got confused when Chan Seong outspokenly said he was not going to leave the hotel. That scene where she felt the father’s genuine apology towards the man who killed him and his son, had already provided a glimpse that her tough exterior was beginning to crack.

Chan Seong was also coming to accept his feelings towards Man Wol, though he had voiced it out yet. His actions spoke volumes and Sanchez, the ever romantic, was only too glad to point it out. His concern for Man Wol ran deep, not only because of his “purpose” but because he really got through to her. Because Chan Seong knew their time was limited, he was trying to have each moment with Man Wol worthwhile.

There are still a lot to discover regarding Man Wol’s past, which I am keen to find out. I am also eager to know how Chan Seong continues to affect her present and how he will influence her future.

Watch the episodes of Hotel del Luna every Saturday and Sunday at 9:00PM KST via tvN, and catch it on Viu four hours after the Korean broadcast.

READ: RECAPS

Screengrab from tvN.