Name: Once Upon a Small Town episode 11
Director: Kwon Seok-jang
Released: 2022-09-27T17:30:00

Once Upon a Small Town episode 11 sees Ji-yul and Ja-young begin their relationship with a giddy fervor and embark on several dates they keep secret from others.

Recap

Episode 11 picks up at the scene where Ja-young and Ji-yul kiss, following which, both of them are startled upon hearing Yeong-suk’s approaching footsteps.

Ji-yul tells Ja-young to hide and they both understand that keeping their dating secret from the nosy and over-enthusiastic villagers would be the best way to go about it right now.

On their first secret date, Ji-yul takes Ja-young all the way to his clinic in Seoul. They eat, laugh, and open their hearts to each other as two love birds would.

Ji-yul even visits the station to meet Ja-young and later almost gets spotted kissing her inside the truck bg Seon-dong and Hui-won — two new lovers themselves. Ja-young expresses her concerns about the villagers finding out about them dating.

Ahn Ja-young exhibits a totally atypical behavior after she starts dating Han Ji-yul, with her extreme habit of helping everyone out all the time also subsiding. Even the village aunties and their fights don’t faze Ja-young, who’s gained new confidence and happiness.

The two go on another date, managing to keep their relationship, following which they visit Sang-hyun. Ja-young tells him that she’s dating Ji-yul now and is happy; Sang-hyun cheekily replies that he’ll be giving Ji-yul a tough time now.

The episode ends with the two love birds sharing a weird candy and a kiss. Shortly after the tender moment, they’re surprised by some approaching people and Ji-yul shields Ja-young, hiding her from the villagers in a funny cliffhanger moment.

Review

Once Upon a Small Town delivers a truly giddy ride of an episode, with Ji-yul and Ja-young sharing some of the best moments in the entire run so far.
There’s an undeniable sense of joie de vivre in episode 11 that exudes from almost every frame. The central couple is truly head over heels in the mutual love they have for each other and it can alleviate any and all cynicism.
It’s a great bit of quick development that Ji-yul’s character has gone through in a relatively short amount of time, something which even Ja-young takes note of.
An affair rife with the vivacity that comes with newfound love, Once Upon a Small Town episode 11 is one of the best installments in the entire run.