Recap - It Started With a Kiss (Ep. 1)

ISWAK is our most favorite, most loved drama because of the characters, plot and all around hilarity. Even though the characters may seem slightly extreme at times, it makes the drama funny and interesting. And if we look hard, we can see glimpses of the characters in each of us, whether it's Xiang Qin's determination and stupidity or Zhi Shu's coldness and frustration.

The drama starts off with Xiang Qin giving Zhi Shu (the boy she has had a crush on for 2 years) a love letter.

Yuan Xiang Qin (Ariel Lin) - main protagonist.

She's extremely dumb (IQ 75, Class F) but so stubborn and determined. She is extremely courageous and always follows her heart. Having been brought up by only her father, she is independent and self-motivated. She's head-over-heels obsessed with Zhi Shu.


Jiang Zhi Shu (Joe Cheng) - 2nd-most main character/ Xiang Qin's crush

He's extremely smart (IQ 200, always top of class A) and doesn't need to try at school at all. He's rich, the idol guy at the school and everyone loves him. He's also good at sports. However, his personality is quite cold most of the time and he is often standoffish. He has a younger brother and two loving parents.


However, even though XQ has worked up all her courage to give ZS her letter, he doesn't even look at her and walks right past. In shock, XQ falls down, with the entire school to witness her embarrassment and failure.

Basically, her entire day is terrible as every where she goes, she only can remember ZS-- she is not even safe in the girl's bathroom! She hides away from everyone in a far off room in the school, but her friends come to meet her. It is now that we meet Ah Jin.

Jin Yuan Feng, Ah Jin (Jiro Wang) - Xiang Qin's friend

Ah Jin is Xiang Qin's overzealous friend that also happens to be in love with her. She doesn't think of him as any more than a friend, but he thinks he has already "registered" her (lol). He's very compassionate and hates ZS for his coldness towards XQ.


He's so angry at Zhi Shu's coldness and even tries confronting him with his posse, asking him why he did not even take a look at XQ's love letter. But Zhi Shu effectively gives him and XQ a slap in the face by saying "I hate women without a brain". (!!!)

XQ goes home later to her new house, that her father has been building by himself. However, XQ does not like this home at all as she wishes for a "European style house with white lace curtains" (remember this). XQ expresses concern about the stability of her house to her father but he dismisses it. Her friends, Chun Mei, Liu Nong and Ah Jin show up to see her new house, bringing gifts. Here, Ah Jin rushes in calling XQ's father "Dad" and confesses his love for ZQ to her dad, claiming that they are the "it couple" the school. Later, he sits on one of her father's handmade stools and breaks it.

As luck would have it, a 1-2 Richter scale hits her house, and because her father has not built it properly, her house crumbles to pieces. All the homes around hers are completely safe, but her house, including everything in it, has been demolished. All the people inside escape safely, but sadly, the beloved photo collage of XQ's mother is buried in the rubble. This causes a frantic search and confuses the reporter at the scene into thinking that there is another body inside (lol).

The scene cuts to a married couple watching this all play out on television, who appear to be long-lost friends of XQ's father. Later, Ah Cai, her father, is seen rummaging through the ruins looking for this collage. When he finally finds it, he looks up to see the couple waiting for him. We learn that they are high school best friends and Ah Cai was their matchmaker as well.

The next day at school, XQ is even more mortified, as she has been publicly embarrassed with her love note to ZS, but also her house has fallen down. She is the talk of the school and everyone wants to ask her about it. She has to resort to wearing a mask and hat to cover her face in an attempt to hide from all the attention. Of course, Ah Jin is further embarrassing her by starting a collection box and forcing people to donate to XQ.

ZS walks by at this moment and Ah Jin harasses him into donating some money. However, XQ, who is already mad at ZS, throws the note on the floor asking him not to look down on people and saying that she does not want any help from him. He coolly replies "Remember that you said that" (remember this).

Meanwhile, XQ's father Ah Cai has been searching in the debris of her old home for the collage of his late wife.
At the end of the day, we see XQ and her dad getting ready to move into a new home. XQ dejectedly asks her father if this place will be sturdier than their last, and he says yes, and tells her that they will be staying with his high school best friend. He mentions that they have a boy who is in high school as well and goes to the same school. Hilariously, Ah Cai says that all high school buys are wolves and to be careful. LOL

As they pull up to the house, XQ notices how big it is and that the name plate says "Jiang"... Just a coincidence right? she thinks. After hesistating a little, they ring the bell and the uncle from before opens the door. Seeing as the man is quite rotund and not very attractive, XQ was reassured that he could not be related. But then the uncle called for his high school son to help them move their luggage.

XQ moves to try to lift some luggage. A figure appears beside her. She turns, the breeze is gentle and there, in all his glory is Jiang Zhi Shu himself, smiling from ear to ear.

When they go in, we briefly meet ZS's mom (so hilarious) who has baked a cake for XQ and plans to going shopping and teaching her how to cook and all kinds of girly things with her new daughter. She asks ZS if he knows XQ and he says condescendingly something to the effect of "Even though our classes are separated by VERY far, we've gotten to know each other recently, isn't that right Classmate Yuan?" We also meet ZS's angry, chubby little bro (bios on these characters later)

~ End of Episode 1 ~