Love at the Aegean Sea Episode 1 Recap

Love at the Aegean Sea follows a young musician who dreams of going to Greece. When her dream is actually realized, everything that can go wrong does. To top off the nightmare, two new men come into her life. One is a carefree man afraid of airplanes and police and the other is a rich man yearning for freedom and to escape his parents’ rigid control. Will something good come from the vacation from hell?

Guan Xiao Tong [South Korean actress Chae Rim] dreams that she is rescued at sea by a man whose face she cannot see. When she surfaces, the land of her dreams is before her eyes—Santorini, Greece. This dream is interrupted by the sound of an alarm clock ringing. Xiao Tong immediately springs out of bed as she realizes what day it is. As she busies herself getting ready she keeps calling for her older cousin to wake up. Hui Wen [Chen Zi Ying] shows no signs of moving. When Xiao Tong urges her yet again, Hui Wen complains of a pain in her stomach.

Xiao Tong struggles with her and her cousin’s suitcases as she heads to the hospital. There the doctor says Hui Wen is suffering from appendicitis. She can still travel right? Hui Wen then apologizes and the doctor says rest is needed for this. Ummmm, no. How can Xiao Tong not see through this as a blatant lie? Surgery is needed for appendicitis, not rest. Couldn’t they have chosen something else? Anywho, Xiao Tong is not happy. They’ve been planning this for months. Can Hui Wen try to suck it up and go? Nope. Besides, Xiao Tong will have Dong Da Wei [Wang Yu] and his friend to accompany her. This does not make Xiao Tong any happier.

When she arrives at the airport, Xiao Tong finds Da Wei practicing asking Hui Wen to be his girlfriend. She breaks the news that her cousin is not coming and Da Wei is crushed. Xiao Tong then asks after Da Wei’s friend. Where is he? Da Wei then breaks the news that he searched online for another male traveling companion. Xiao Tong is floored. So much for her free and easy vacation. The two wait in misery for their third party to join them. When he does finally arrive, he is carted in drunker than a skunk by his friends. They tell them that Li Yao Xiang [Taiwanese actor Peter Ho] is fearless…except when it comes to planes. He’s terrified of flying, so they accompanied him to drink all night to calm his nerves.

Xiao Tong unhappily takes his passport and stands in line to check in. When she asks for Da Wei’s passport he fakes looking for it and then said he must have forgotten it. Say what? He then abandons poor Xiao Tong to travel to Greece by herself with a drunk stranger that she knows nothing about. What is Da Wei doing? Seeking out his beloved Hui Wen, of course! I guess…at least he confirmed with Yao Xiang’s friend that he is a good person whose only vice is drinking…but can you really believe in someone you just met and let a strange man travel alone with your beloved’s cousin?

So, what is Xiao Tong’s cousin doing? She faked being ill and got her senior doctor friend to help her so she can be with her boss! She’s been working for him since she graduated and since he started his architecture firm. He just lost a big bid and is down in the dumps so she stayed to encourage and help him. Lu Liang Ping [Shi Da Sheng] is happy to see Hui Wen, but surprised. Why isn’t she on her way to Greece? She simply tells him that something came up. The people were blind that rejected him. Liang Ping says they were not. This time his plan was lacking. Next time it will be flawless. Hui Wen then takes him to the top of a building and starts mapping out all the wonderful things they will build together. She really like him even though he’s old enough to be her father.

On the plane, Yao Xiang vomits nonstop and Xiao Tong is forced to take care of him. He even throws up on her hand! Xiao Tong apologizes saying she just met him and had no idea he’d be like this. Once he stops vomiting, he apologizes for throwing up on her and then begins stripping. What a great start to their relationship, isn’t it? Can they survive travelling together alone in Greece? Later, Yao Xiang is dressed and everyone save the sleeping him are wearing oxygen masks. His head falls on Xiao Tong’s shoulder and she pushes it off.

Liang Ping drops Hui Wen off at home where a worried Da Wei waits. He comes with roses since Xiao Tong said her cousin wasn’t feeling well. He angrily scolds Hui Wen’s boss for forcing a sick person to work. This shames Liang Ping. If he had known she was not feeling well, he wouldn’t have had her accompany him and assign her work. He leaves and Hui Wen lights into Da Wei for interfering since she’s perfectly healthy. She calls him brainless and walks away.

In Greece, before we find our bickering travel companions, we meet another young man [Alec Su as Lu En Qi]. Is receives a phone call. Has it started yet? He assures the other party that he will not be late. We then cut to Yao Xiang and Xiao Tong. Yao Xiang is feeling refreshed while Xiao Tong is worn out. She didn’t get any sleep at all with the whole cabin reeking of Yao Xiang’s drunk stench. He looks taken aback but then says it happens when a person drinks. He then sees a pretty girl and exclaims over the bodies of the Greek women. Xiao Tong shakes her head and curses her luck. Yao Xiang finally realizes there is only two of them. Where are the other two? LOL.

At an auction, a jade dragon sculpture from the Ming Dynasty is brought out. Bidding begins as En Qi roars up in his convertible. He and another Chinese woman drive the bid higher and higher. The woman looks more and more nervous until she is finally outbid by a European man. As soon as the auction is over, En Qi rushes out and rides off. He gets a call from the woman who is his mother [Fu Yi Wei as Zhou Mei Ling]. He scared her to death when he got the bid up to 250,000 Euros. Luckily they were outbid. So what is her son up to now? He is getting a gift for Lian Yi Qian [Bao Yi Lin] who lent her name so that En Qi could participate in the auction. His mother praises him for his good sense.

On the bus, Yao Xiang starts yelling at a pretty girl out the window. This embarrasses Xiao Tong and she calls him a low class country bumpkin. Of course, when she catches site of the Acropolis, she acts just as unrefined as he did. They get off the bus uncertain of what to do next. Yao Xiang cannot read the map and Xiao Tong’s anger and intolerance goes up another notch. Yao Xiang admits this is his first overseas trip. Ok. Did he at least do his homework? Homework? This is a vacation, not some exam. Yao Xiang then scolds him for not understanding the meaning of a “free and easy vacation.” I mean, yes, preparations need to be made to go overseas, but Yao Xiang has a point as well, don’t you think?

Xiao Tong rushes off in the direction of ruins with Yao Xiang being the voice of reason. They haven’t found their accommodations yet. They should do that first. Xiao Tong ignores this and says they can just walk there (even though they don’t know where to go). She continues on towards the ruins when a group of children dressed in costume spit at her. What? Xiao Tong is upset. Yao Xiang tells her to calm down. It’s part of a carnival ritual where their spit is their good wishes. When the kids persist in wanting to spit at them, Yao Xiang returns the favor, but soon runs out of saliva.

We then cut to En Qi in a jewelry store looking for a present for Yi Qian. His eyes settle on a gold necklace called Plato’s Eternity. He chooses this. Meanwhile, Yi Qian is being pursued by men and Yao Xiang and Xiao Tong are really lost. Soon paths of these travelers will converge! Xiao Tong wants to ask the police for help, but that just freaks Yao Xiang out so he grabs her arm and runs which causes the police to give chase—only the guilty would run, right?

Yao Xiang and Xiao Tong are separated during this melee. He promises to come back for her and keeps running. In fact, he runs right into Yi Qian who was calling for help because of the men stalking her. The two me escape while poor Yao Xiang is dragged to the station. Meanwhile, Xiao Tong is crossing a road when her suitcase breaks. She bends to fix it and thus En Qi is not aware she is there and nearly crashes into her. While he does not hit Xiao Tong, her suitcase goes flying and her clothes break free. This is not her day. En Qi gets out of the car and checks on Xiao Tong. He finds her squatting in the road unharmed. He apologizes and she immediately lights into him for his driving. He apologizes again. Xiao Tong rushes over to her battered suitcase and starts picking up her things. En Qi again apologizes and tries to help, but Xiao Tong refuses. Her luck is just bad. She then tears up and cries that if Hui Wen jie was there, everything would be fine. En Qi seems to be at a loss when he sees her crying.

Meanwhile, Yao Xiang is released and leaves the station with Yi Qian who scolds him for running for no reason. Yao Xiang then scolds her for yelling for help. Now he’s also wasted his time and lost his friend. Where can he possibly find her? Yi Qian bids him farewell. He follows her to the street and wonders where in the world he is. Yi Qian is not unfeeling. She asks if he has the address for his guest house. He does. Yi Qian is certain his friend will make her way there, so she will see to it that he gets there safely, too. Yi Qian hails a cab and the two get in. The driver then stops to let in a woman, her son, and a giant dog. Yao Xiang is squished in the back seat getting drooled on. Another culture shock for him.

When they arrive at the guest house, Yi Qian asks if he needs help getting a room. He knows English, right? Yao Xiang declines her help. He can do this much himself. He asks for her name and then gives his. Yi Qian leaves and he practices a few phrases of simple English before confidently heading in. At this time, En Qi and Xiao Tong arrive in his convertible. She thanks him for sending her to the guest house and goes to get out accidentally stepping on the jewelry bag. She picks it up and dusts it off, apologizing as she hands it over to him. She gets out and drags her bag. Since it is busted, she must pick it up instead of wheeling it. En Qi feels guilty. He should really replace it since he broke it. Xiao Tong says she was at fault, too, so there is no need. She goes to head inside, but he calls out for her to wait. He then takes the necklace and gives it to her as payment. He heads off before she can give it back, promising to drive safer. She opens the bag and is shocked to see an expensive necklace. Too much.

Xiao Tong rushes inside when she hears Yao Xiang’s loud voice trying to communicate in a mix of Mandarin and English. Inside, Yao Xiang is having trouble communicating with the owner. Apparently she gave away their reservations since they were late. There is only one room left and Xiao Tong mercilessly claims it for herself telling Yao Xiang to sleep in the lobby. Harsh. These two just refuse to get along. Shakes head. The owner had to stop the two from arguing incessantly so she can get a word in edgewise.

Yi Qian is preparing an elaborate Greek dinner and apologizes to Mei Ling for it not being ready. Mei Ling waves it off as being okay since En Qi has not arrived yet. This disappoints Yi Qian. Mei Ling says he is running late since he is buying Yi Qian a gift. Really? That must be Aunt Mei Ling’s doing, right? Mei Ling swears it was En Qi’s own idea as a thank you for helping them. Mei Ling then asks if En Qi has contacted Yi Qian since arriving in Greece. She shakes her head no. Enter En Qi who is scolded for being late. He apologizes saying he was walking around an Yi Qian says he should have told her so she could be his tour guide. He promises to do so next time. Yi Qian tells him she made his favorite dishes. He says he will go upstairs first to freshen up and then join them.

As he unpacks later, his mother enters his room and asks after the gift for Yi Qian. En Qi lies. He almost hit someone in the road and completely forgot. I guess it would sound bad that he gave away her present to another woman as compensation. This earns him a scolding from his mother. She also criticizes him for wearing his shirt half unbuttoned. She starts buttoning it up and he stops her, finishing it himself. She goes to leave and then turns to remind him to get that present and treat Yi Qian well as Mei Ling has chosen Yi Qian as her future daughter-in-law. A very domineering mother. Yeesh. Don’t like her. En Qi is a grown man, let him make his own decisions already.

Xiao Tong’s attitude grates in the first few episodes, but you can’t completely blame her 100%. It is hard when things are turned topsy turvy and she really didn’t start off on the right foot with Yao Xiang. That said, since they are stuck together for the remainder of their trip, she should have tried a little harder to be nicer to him. He should have also tried to be more understanding and a little less clueless. He is rash, but ultimately a good person. Yi Qian is a sweet woman, but that doesn’t make it right for En Qi’s mother to shove the woman down En Qi’s throat.

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