I Cannot Hug You Season 2 Episode 1 Recap
> I Cannot Hug You Season 2 Recap
Jiang Zhihao, a thriller novel writer, had always lived a reclusive life due to his severe germaphobia, avoiding interaction with others and sealing himself off from the world. However, this changed when his mysterious neighbor, Li Shiya, moved in. She burst into his life, curing his germaphobia and introducing him to experiences he once loathed, like eating out, watching movies, and visiting the zoo.
He realized that it wasn't that he disliked such a life, but rather that he never dared to hope for it. Now, he desires to continue living this way with her. While Li Shiya slept, Jiang Zhihao reflected on her being a vampire. He felt no panic or fear, realizing he had accepted her unusual nature from the start. His main concern was whether he, a seemingly alone human, could truly merge into her world.
Despite his nervousness, he was hopeful and determined to be with Shiya. He quietly deleted the message confirming her vampiric nature from his phone, resolving to act normally so she wouldn't suspect anything. The next morning, Jiang Zhihao subtly picked up a newspaper at breakfast. He tried to hide it after reading a negative report about Li Shiya, detailing how NL Pharmaceuticals was under investigation and her popularity had plummeted, earning her the name "Poisonous Drug of the Ad World."
He casually asked Shiya about her work. Li Shiya initially said it was going well and that her agent, Qingran, had found her a TV series role where the crew treated her well. In reality, as revealed to the audience, she was working as a stand-in, acting as a corpse, which suggested her career was not as thriving as she made it seem.
Aware from the newspaper that her work was not going well, Jiang Zhihao told her that if she ever needed help or wanted to confide in someone, he hoped that person would be him. Shiya happily agreed. Later, Jiang Zhihao visited Li Shiya at her workplace, sending flowers. She thanked him warmly and hugged him, telling him his encouragement had made her day perfect. Meanwhile, after a concert, Xin Ba was approached by a female fan for an autograph.
He surprised her by offering a handshake instead. The fan, who had liked him for a long time, eagerly accepted. As he shook her hand, Xin Ba absorbed her energy, causing her to faint. Yoon Shihwan, witnessing the scene, was incredulous. He questioned Xin Ba, asking what had happened to him and stating that he wasn't like this before.
Xin Ba coldly replied that he was merely hunting, like other vampires, and that he hated humans because they constantly stole things from him. He even included Yoon Shihwan in his hatred, explaining that he just hadn't acted this way before, but it didn't mean he couldn't. Yoon Shihwan watched in dismay as Xin Ba walked away. Feeling low, Xin Ba went to a bar. He saw several male vampires harassing a female vampire.
Although usually one to avoid trouble, Xin Ba intervened, leading to a brawl outside the bar. He fought bravely, seemingly wanting to vent his frustrations, but was soon overwhelmed. Just then, Cui Junhe arrived and helped him fight off the attackers. Xin Ba thanked Cui Junhe, who simply smiled and said, "No extra trouble for me," before departing. Jiang Zhihao then drove Li Shiya to an elegant restaurant.
Li Shiya was initially apprehensive about his driving, recalling his past struggles with the car, confusing the accelerator and brake. She joked about leaving her life in his hands. He reassured her that he was more afraid of her being uncomfortable than the exhaust fumes.
At the restaurant, Jiang Zhihao tried multiple times to confess his feelings and his acceptance of her being a vampire, but he kept getting interrupted or losing his nerve, unsure how a human should confess to a vampire. After dinner, as they walked outside, Jiang Zhihao finally gathered his courage. He told Li Shiya that she wasn't his ideal type—she was too loud, sometimes quite insane, kept secrets (belonging to a world he didn't understand), and didn't clean her room.
Li Shiya's expression saddened as she heard this. However, Jiang Zhihao leaned in closer and softly confessed that despite all these things, he still liked her. Overjoyed and disbelieving, Li Shiya looked up at him. Jiang Zhihao then leaned down and kissed her. As Li Shiya savored the sweet kiss, Jiang Zhihao suddenly fainted. She struggled to carry him back to his apartment, having remembered his house password from an earlier conversation.
Early the next morning, Jiang Zhihao awoke and realized Li Shiya was not beside him. Disturbed, he tried to call her, but her phone was off. Meanwhile, Li Shiya had been taken home by her father. He sternly rebuked her for running away and interacting with humans, asking if she ever learned.
Li Shiya tried to justify her actions, saying she was just hunting normally, but her father reiterated that interaction with humans should be limited to hunting and that he couldn't let her continue unchecked. He confiscated her phone and grounded her. Later, at the family dinner, Li Shiya's father lectured his children, reminding them that humans were merely food and they must maintain distance, especially Li Shiya, who was young and lacked self-control.
He stressed the importance of adhering to the hunting rules he had established. Just then, Xin Ba arrived. Jiang Zhihao, still worried about Li Shiya, received a call from Cui Junhe. Cui Junhe wanted to discuss the progress of Jiang Zhihao's novel and invited him to a boxing gym.
At the gym, after a warm-up sparring session, Jiang Zhihao explained that his vampire love story was stuck because the female lead had returned to the vampire world, and he didn't know how to proceed with the relationship. Cui Junhe offered his perspective, stating that the darkness and strangeness of the vampire world were beyond human comprehension. He suggested that the female lead might have been accepted back into her world only to become a sacrifice for some evil scheme. Hearing this, Jiang Zhihao's concern for Li Shiya intensified.
