Soo Hyun had easily agreed, though she’d asked for clarification of one of the clauses. Chairwoman Kim had explained that Soo Hyun must never behave in a way that would harm her family’s reputation even after the divorce.
In the present, Chairwoman Kim visits Soo Hyun in her office. She immediately brings up the morality clause in Soo Hyun’s divorce agreement, angry about the scandal in the news of Soo Hyun having been photographed with a younger man.
Soo Hyun tells Chairwoman Kim that she didn’t violate the morality clause — she simply had lunch with someone she owed a favor. Chairwoman Kim pulls out an entire dossier she’s built on Jin Hyuk, and she says that regardless of the truth, it’s shameful that Soo Hyun, daughter-in-law of the Taekyung Group, got involved in scandalous gossip.
Soo Hyun argues that she’s no longer Chairwoman Kim’s daughter-in-law, but Chairwoman Kim sneers that a divorce doesn’t mean their families have completely cut ties and reminds her how her father got where he is today, running for prime minister. She says that Soo Hyun will be a member of the Taekyung family until she dies.
Just before she leaves, she accuses Soo Hyun of hiring Jin Hyuk (played by Park Bo Gum) for his looks. She warns Soo Hyun to fire him, or else she’ll invoke the morality clause in her divorce contract and revoke Soo Hyun’s ownership of her hotel.
Over in Hongdae-dong, Jin Hyuk’s friend Hye In meets him at the playground to confirm that it was him in the scandal articles with Soo Hyun. He doesn’t deny it, telling her how they met in Cuba and that it was coincidence that he got the job at Donghwa Hotel.
She doesn’t understand how they ended up eating ramyun at a rest stop together, but Jin Hyuk just says that the articles got it all wrong. He’s worried whether Soo Hyun is okay, but Hye In snaps that Soo Hyun is used to living under a media microscope, so he should be worried for himself.
That evening, Chairwoman Kim calls the editor of a newspaper where her company advertises to thank him for doing a good job on the article about Soo Hyun. She gets a report from her employee, Director Choi, on the reaction of Donghwa Hotel employees to the scandal. He reports that Soo Hyun isn’t saying anything to defend herself, but that she generally treats her staff so well that they are just writing it off as gossip. He says that she even won her bid for the hotel in Cuba, and that she’s too well-liked and respected for one article to do much damage.
Chairwoman Kim muses that she’ll have to work a little harder to make Soo Hyun quit. She says that Soo Hyun’s place is at home supporting Woo Seok, and she promises Director Choi that he’ll be in charge of Donghwa Hotel once Soo Hyun steps down.
The following day, Soo Hyun’s mother forces her way into Soo Hyun’s office, angry that Soo Hyun refused to answer her calls yesterday. Soo Hyun says she’s sick of talking about this and that her mother could have just ignored it until it blows over, but her mom says she and Chairwoman Kim plan to make Jin Hyuk out to be a stalker in order to salvage Soo Hyun’s reputation.
Soo Hyun naturally objects to that, knowing that Jin Hyuk is a good, kind person. Her mother says that if Soo Hyun just sits back and runs the business, then Chairwoman Kim will take her back and she can remarry Woo Seok. She has the nerve to tell Soo Hyun to apologize to Woo Seok for this scandal, when he’s the one who asked for the divorce because he fell for another woman.
Soo Hyun says that she was sold off once by her mother, and that she won’t be sold a second time. Her mother warns that it will be Soo Hyun’s fault if her father loses out on his dream to be president, but Soo Hyun snaps that that’s her mother’s dream. Her mom just tells her that her father can’t get the presidency without the Taekyung Group, so Soo Hyun will be remarrying Woo Seok.
On his way in to work, Jin Hyuk counts the building’s floors to find Soo Hyun’s office from the outside and wish her “fighting” from a distance.
Soo Hyun meets with Woo Seok to discuss how his mother is trying to make Jin Hyuk out to be a stalker and get him fired. She asks him why he never married Soo Ah, the girl he divorced her for. He asks if she’s bothered that he’s still single, but she says she doesn’t care, only that she doesn’t like the talk of them reconciling.
Instead of taking her seriously, Woo Seok is amused that she had a ramyun date at a rest stop, so she warns him not to be flippant. He promises to do his best to put the brakes on his mother, agreeing that Jin Hyuk hasn’t done anything wrong, though he’s not convinced that it’s as innocent as Soo Hyun claims.
But he says he can’t do anything about the plans for them to remarry, adding that neither of them has ever had any real control over their lives. Soo Hyun tells him that that makes no sense but that she’ll trust him, and leaves. He says out loud to nobody, “When will I become a man who makes sense to you? If I tell my mother how I truly feel, it will become harder for you.”
Driver Nam and Director Kim have another convenience store beer after work. Driver Nam thinks that Soo Hyun’s father must be worried about her, but Director Kim grumbles that he’s terrible for using his daughter for political gain. Driver Nam, Congressman Cha, and Director Kim’s brother used to be reporters together, and Director Kim talks wistfully of the old days when they were like the Avengers.
With a sigh, Director Kim admits that she hired a private detective to follow her husband, who she thinks is cheating. The thought of it upsets Driver Nam so much that he stops eating his ramyun and stalks off.
The next morning, Jin Hyuk’s younger brother Jin Myung (played by Pyo Ji Hoon/P.O. of Block B) shocks the family by showing up unexpectedly after being discharged from his army duty. Hilariously, there’s not enough breakfast for him, and Mom wails that next time he should tell her when he’s discharged.
When Jin Myung hears that his big brother got a fancy new job, he hits him up for money. Dad tells Jin Myung that he expects him to work in the store, and he angles for a raise, making Mom quip that she hopes he has a second son exactly like himself someday.
Soo Hyun learns that some art that was supposed to arrive for an exhibit isn’t coming, and Secretary Jang can’t reach the artist. It’s a huge blow, because they’ve been planning this exhibit for two years. Secretary Jang says that she thinks Chairwoman Kim is behind the artist’s sudden disappearance, and Soo Hyun decides to visit the artist in person and find out what’s going on.
She passes Jin Hyuk in the lobby on her way out of the office, and she barely gives him a nod. He gets that worried look on his face again, and Hye In growls at him to mind his own business. Driver Nam invites Jin Hyuk to lunch later, and although he watches Jin Hyuk closely, he barely mentions Soo Hyun.
The missing artist is on a trip according to his assistant, but Soo Hyun senses that she’s not getting the truth. She tells Secretary Jang that she’s going to stay in the area for a few days in the hopes that he returns, looking forward to taking a little break from work.
Woo Seok talks to his mother about Soo Hyun, as he promised, asking her to leave Jin Hyuk alone. He argues that it could make the scandal worse if Jin Hyuk is made out as a stalker and fired, but Chairwoman Kim just says he’s a nobody who doesn’t matter. She says that she finds Soo Hyun arrogant, and hopes that this knocks her off her high horse.
She tells Woo Seok that it’s already settled that he and Soo Hyun will remarry, but he refuses. His mother correctly guesses that he hasn’t remarried because he’s been hoping Soo Hyun would come back to him. She asks why he’s willing to let that hope go, so Woo Seok says that forcing Soo Hyun back would be pointless.
Chairwoman Kim claims that she doesn’t want to force Soo Hyun back because she’d only sulk. She wants to make her come back on her own by proving that she’s not the hotshot she thinks she is, and that she’s better off as Woo Seok’s obedient wife.
She says that once Soo Hyun’s hotel is gone, she’ll soon come crawling back to Woo Seok. In a hard voice, Woo Seok tells his mother to leave Donghwa Hotel alone.
The hotel where Soo Hyun decides to stay for the weekend hasn’t opened yet, but she says that she likes the quiet atmosphere. In her room, she turns on the TV only to see reporters discussing her scandal, so she turns it right back off again.
She calls her father to apologize for the problems this scandal will cause his campaign, but he apologizes for making her live in the spotlight. He tells her sweetly not to worry about him and just to take care of herself.
Secretary Jang sends Driver Nam to take Soo Hyun a suitcase of her things, and he takes it upon himself to call Jin Hyuk and say they need to take a little business trip. Soo Hyun is out taking a walk when they arrive at her hotel, so Driver Nam leaves Jin Hyuk to wait for her while he runs a personal errand.
Jin Hyuk heads down to the beach to take some photos, and when Soo Hyun spots him there, he’s obviously thrilled to see her. Soo Hyun says that Jin Hyuk must be shocked by the news articles about them, but Jin Hyuk says he’s mostly shocked by people’s mean comments about her.
He gives her a copy of the photo he took of her, saying that she’s much prettier in person, along with a book of poetry that he likes. Soo Hyun notes that he’s very well-read, and he explains that he spent a lot of time alone as a kid since his parents worked their store, so he’d kill time at the library.
Driver Nam calls Soo Hyun to say that he’ll be a while, so Jin Hyuk suggests they go for a drive. As they drive along the coast, Soo Hyun notes that Jin Hyuk speaks in a unique way, probably because he reads a lot. She says a little sadly that she thinks the food they ate in Cuba was better because they were in Cuba, but Jin Hyuk grins that that’s nonsense.
They stop for coffee and potato rice cakes, which they both say their fathers love. Jin Hyuk jokes that they have a lot in common, but Soo Hyun says that’s going a bit far just for some rice cakes, so he cheerfully takes it back. He tries a rice cake and says that it’s his first time having them, then gives Soo Hyun a little scare by saying, “It’s our Day One…” but he means him and the rice cakes.
He mentions that she and Driver Nam seem close, so she tells him that Driver Nam and her father used to work together at a broadcasting station. She says he’s someone both she and her father trust, unaware that instead of helping a friend like he claims, he’s currently sleeping in a restaurant after enjoying a huge meal.
Driver Nam finally wakes and calls Soo Hyun to ask if she enjoyed her time with Jin Hyuk… oops, he means he’s sorry for making them wait so long. They happen to be close enough to see him, and Soo Hyun gives him the stink-eye until he confesses that he just ate dinner.
Woo Seok wants to buy a dress that someone has already put on hold, so he purchases several dresses for the store manager in exchange for selling him the one he wants. He calls Secretary Jang, who says that Soo Hyun is in Sokcho on business and warns him not to go there.
Driver Nam tricks Jin Hyuk and Soo Hyun into playing a game on the beach, where you put a stick in a pile of sand them take turns scooping sand until the stick falls. While they play, he calls Soo Hyun’s father to report that she seems to be doing well in the wake of the scandal.
Her dad says that when Soo Hyun was little, she always wanted Driver Nam when she was upset. But as he watches Soo Hyun and Jin Hyuk playing like children in the sand, Driver Nam grins that he doesn’t think he’ll be the one she looks to for consolation anymore.
Jin Myung whines his way into a job at Jin Hyuk’s friend Dae Chan’s restaurant, ignoring Dae Chan whenever he tries to fire him. Hye In comes looking for Jin Hyuk, and she frowns when she hears that he’s supposedly on a business trip. Jin Myung agrees that it’s weird and wonders if Jin Hyuk has a girlfriend, and Dae Chan jokes that Jin Hyuk only dates books.
Driver Nam offers to stay with Soo Hyun until she finds the artist, but she says she’s already sent food to his house for his father’s memorial day tomorrow. Jin Hyuk tentatively asks if he should stay, then retracts the offer at a sharp look from Driver Nam. Soo Hyun says she’s fine alone.
Driver Nam takes her sleeping pills, leaving her only one just in case. Jin Hyuk suggests she listen to the radio to help her sleep, and she dismisses both of them.
Jin Hyuk seems down on the drive back to the city, so Driver Nam tells him not to worry about Soo Hyun, who’s used to being alone. Jin Hyuk wonders if she’s alone because she likes it, or if she just doesn’t have a choice.
He gets home around 3 a.m., turns down bouncy Jin Myung’s offer of ramyun, and goes to bed listening to the radio. The DJ plays a song for a caller who said they were lonely, and Jin Hyuk perks up to hear Si Llego a Besarte by Omara Portuondo — the song he had Soo Hyun listen to by the ocean in Cuba.
He correctly guesses that it’s Soo Hyun, who’s still awake and reading the book of poetry he left her. She reads his favorite poem, which says:
There are roads I want to take when I’m told not to.
There are people I want to see when we agreed not to.
There are things I want to do more when I’m told not to.
That is life and yearning.
That is you.
Jin Hyuk pounds on Dae Chan’s door until he wakes up and lends Jin Hyuk his truck. He drives all the way back to Sokcho, where Soo Hyun finally fell asleep on the sofa. He fidgets nervously as he waits for her to open the door, and when she does, he looks like he has no idea what to do now.
When Soo Hyun asks why he came back, he blurts out that there’s a hangover soup restaurant nearby that he wanted to try. He seems to realize how transparent he’s being and ducks his head, missing Soo Hyun’s knowing smile.
When she agrees to eat with him, he looks so relieved, awww. Soo Hyun insists on riding in the battered old truck, and Jin Hyuk jumps in first then offers her a gentlemanly arm to climb in.
As they leave the hotel parking garage, they pass Woo Seok on his way in. He learns that Soo Hyun must be out and goes looking for her.
Soo Hyun tries the soup and tells Jin Hyuk that it’s not good enough for her to understand why he came all this way. She asks why he really came, so he confesses that he heard the music they listened to together on the radio. He asks her straight out, “What should our relationship be?”
She hesitates, then says that they’re just employer and employee. Jin Hyuk nods, disappointed, and says that he also thought about why he was traveling so far to see the CEO of his company, when he’s normally so responsible. He admits that their relationship seemed unclear, but that truthfully, he missed her.
Jin Hyuk tells Soo Hyun honestly that he came back to Sokcho because he missed her. She replies that it’s nice that someone missed her, but that it’s a dangerous thing to say, so she’ll pretend she didn’t hear it.
Jin Hyuk says that in this huge world, they met and spent a day together in a city far away, then met again as employer and employee at home and spent another lovely day together.
He thinks that’s all pretty amazing, and he smiles despite Soo Hyun’s obvious discomfort.
After they eat, Jin Hyuk wants to have coffee, and they find a bench on the beach to sit. He gives Soo Hyun his coat, saying that being with her keeps him warm. He’d claimed not to be at all tired after his sleepless night, but he starts to nod off right away and topples over onto Soo Hyun’s shoulder.
While he naps, Soo Hyun says that she didn’t have friends when she was little because her mother wouldn’t allow it, so any time she got close to someone she’d have to break things off again.
She says that she forgot how fun it can be to spend time with a friend, and that having to become distant is still very painful. “That’s why I’m trying to stop.
Jin Hyuk wakes when his phone rings, and he apologizes for crashing on her. She teases him for having a heavy head, and they finish their coffee in companionable silence.
Unable to find Soo Hyun, Woo Seok leaves a note for her at the hotel desk, but as he’s about to leave, he sees Jin Hyuk and Soo Hyun pull into the parking garage together. He watches as Jin Hyuk gives Soo Hyun some more of the potato rice cakes they ate together, and asks her if it wasn’t nicer to eat breakfast with a friend than alone.
In her room, Soo Hyun finds a package from Woo Seok — the expensive dress he purchased for her. But it’s the potato rice cakes from Jin Hyuk that she opens and that make her smile.
Woo Seok stays in the area and follows Soo Hyun to the artist’s studio, where she’s told that Artist Jang is still out of town. One call from Woo Seok to the artist’s assistant reveals that Artist Jang is hiding from Soo Hyun nearby, so he goes to see her.
She reluctantly admits to Woo Seok that as her sponsor, his mother is pressuring her to back out on Soo Hyun’s exhibit. Woo Seok acknowledges her tough position, between his mother being her sponsor and Soo Hyun being her biggest fan. He tells Artist Jang that the only thing that ever earned him brownie points with Soo Hyun was driving from Spain to Portugal when they were first married, just because she wanted to see the sunflower field that inspired one of Artist Jang’s pieces.
Convinced, Artist Jang calls Soo Hyun and tells her that she can have the painting for her exhibit, but that she won’t take money for it. She says it’s a gift for a fan who went a long way to understand her art.
Chairwoman Kim is unhappy when she hears what Woo Seok did for Soo Hyun. He tells her to treat Soo Hyun better as her ex-daughter-in-law, but Chairwoman Kim argues that as a former family member, Soo Hyun should think twice before getting involved in scandals, so she’s punishing her.
Woo Seok says they had no right to punish Soo Hyun even when she was family, but his mother promises to be nice once Soo Hyun is family again. He says that it’s up to him and Soo Hyun to get back together or not, but Chairwoman Kim counters that the two families are already involved, snarling that Soo Hyun is just like her useless father.
She tells Woo Seok to let her handle Soo Hyun, but he argues that she’s not an object and can make her own decisions. He says again that he will decide if he wants to remarry Soo Hyun, warning his mother that if she keeps pushing the issue, he’ll cut ties with her.
Jin Hyuk is so tired by the time he returns Dae Chan’s truck that he borrows Dae Chan’s room for a nap. As he lies there, he thinks about Soo Hyun saying that it hurts to make herself distant to someone she cares about — unknown to Soo Hyun, he was still awake. He smiles to himself at this proof that she does care about him.
Dae Chan complains to Jin Myung and Hye In about Jin Hyuk borrowing his truck in the middle of the night. He says that the only reason a man acts like that is because of his parents, or a woman (Jin-myung: “Our parents are fine.” Dae Chan: “So it’s a woman!”). Hye In finds Jin Hyuk still sleeping, and she wonders what’s happening to him.
Still thinking about Jin Hyuk’s admission that he missed her, Soo Hyun asks Secretary Jang to return the dress that Woo Seok left for her. He says it was just an early birthday present, but Secretary Jang tells him that it was the fact that he went all the way to Sokcho that makes Soo Hyun uncomfortable. Woo Seok sends some advice to Soo Hyun through Secretary Jang — it’s been hectic because of the scandal articles, so she should be more careful.
Secretary Jang passes on the message, though she doesn’t understand what he means. She complains that the Artist Jang situation was obviously a warning, but Soo Hyun just says that she won’t be left alone even if nothing happens.
At work, Jin Hyuk tells Hye In that he heard she was at Dae Chan’s, and she asks why he was so tired. He just says he had his reasons. Their manager, Han Gil, wants to do something for Soo Hyun for her birthday. Director Kim says Soo Hyun doesn’t like things like that, but Hye In sees Jin Hyuk make note of the date.
Jin Hyuk also learns that Han Gil shares the same birthday with Soo Hyun, which is this coming Saturday. Han Gil tells him not to get him a gift, but that if he does, which he shouldn’t, that he prefers women’s skincare products.
Secretary Jang literally chases Driver Nam down in the parking garage to demand the truth about what’s going on. She yells at him for taking Jin Hyuk to Sokcho, but he says that nothing happened, though he kind of hopes something does happen.
He snaps that Soo Hyun’s happiness is more important than a hotel, and that he hasn’t seen her smile like she does with Jin Hyuk since she was a child. Secretary Jang mutters that she’d support Soo Hyun if the person she was dating was good enough for her, and Driver Nam tells her she’ll never get married with that attitude.
Jin Hyuk’s whole family sees the picture of Jin Hyuk and Soo Hyun on the news, and although Jin Hyuk’s face is blurred, Jin Myung recognizes Jin Hyuk’s sweater (which he’s currently wearing). He asks Jin Hyuk if he’s met Soo Hyun, and Jin Hyuk says stiffly that yes, he has and yes, she’s pretty in person. Mom says haughtily that a woman should just have a husband and family instead of being rich and famous, and she snaps at Jin Myung for saying that he’d like to find a woman like Soo Hyun.
As Driver Nam walks Director Kim home, he asks if she’s heard anything from the private detective she hired to find out if he husband is cheating, She hasn’t yet, but she says she has a strong intuition, reminding Driver Nam that she even sensed when her brother died.
Chairwoman Kim is having Soo Hyun followed, and she receives several photos of Soo Hyun and Jin Hyuk together in Sokcho. There’s also a picture of Jin Hyuk with Hye In, and Chairwoman Kim learns that Hye In is his friend and a long-time employee at Donghwa Hotel.
Jin Hyuk waits until the end of the day to give Han Gil the birthday gift he was told not to get him, making Han Gil’s day. As they wait for their bus, Hye In gets a call from someone asking her to meet him regarding Jin Hyuk. She leaves, telling Jin Hyuk that she decided to take the subway.
Soo Hyun passes Jin Hyuk sitting at the bus stop, and in her distraction she slams on the brakes and gets rear-ended. Jin Hyuk runs over, and he gives the other guy his card and promises on Soo Hyun’s behalf to pay for the damages.
He pulls Soo Hyun aside and offers to drive her home, but she snaps at him that she’s fine, all while avoiding looking at him. Jin Hyuk says that she seems like she’s screaming for help, and she finally turns to him, yelling that he knows nothing about her.
He figures that as long as she’s mad he may as well double down, so he pulls her by the wrist to the passenger side, puts her in the car, and gets behind the wheel. He says that she can yell at him later, but tonight he’s calling the shots. His attempt to be the alpha male is undermined when he unzips his tie, and Soo Hyun gets the giggles. Jin Hyuk just zips it back up and says it’s worth it if it makes her laugh.
Hye In meets with Chairwoman Kim’s man, who tells her to put a message on the company bulletin board about Jin Hyuk and Soo Hyun, and in return she’ll get a promotion. She refuses to do anything to hurt Jin Hyuk, and even when the man tries to fan her jealousy, she tells him that it’s wrong to interfere when it’s not even true.
Soo Hyun stops Jin Hyuk a ways from her house to drop him off in case reporters are still at her place. He says to wait, sitting very still until the clock ticks to midnight, and he wishes her happy birthday. He gives her a small gift, saying that it’s just a lipstick, but that he thought it would suit her.
Soo Hyun thanks him but declines to take the gift, and Jin Hyuk assumes that it’s too plain. She says that she doesn’t want to be involved with him anymore, that she’s not used to it and it makes her uncomfortable. Jin Hyuk wilts, disappointed, then gives her a brave smile and says that he just got too excited.
He gets out of the car and leaves without another word, and Soo Hyun watches him go in the mirror. She honks, then rolls down the window and holds out her hand, and Jin Hyuk runs back to give her the lipstick. She says she just doesn’t want to seem ungrateful, but when she’s alone, she sighs that she just can’t help herself.
Secretary Jang shows up to start the birthday celebrations, and she finds the brand-new lipstick. She guesses who it’s from, but Soo Hyun threatens to end the party if she nags. She tells Secretary Jang about the car accident and how Jin Hyuk happened to be there, and that the lipstick is a birthday present.
Soo Hyun says she knows she’s acting weird lately, and Secretary Jang agrees that she’s more like the “lunatic Soo Hyun” she was before her father got into politics. They talk about their days together in school, how they’d play hooky to go to a concert.
Secretary Jang says sadly that Soo Hyun needs to stop this. Soo Hyun tells her that she’s thought the same thing ever since Cuba, but she keeps running into Jin Hyuk. Secretary Jang offers to return the lipstick like she returned Woo Seok’s gift, but Soo Hyun just grabs it away from her.
Over dinner, Chairwoman Kim gives Soo Hyun’s mother a gift for Soo Hyun, and she tells her to discuss things with her husband, who’s still against the merging of parties that Chairwoman Kim wants. She explains that he would run unopposed if they merge, and Soo Hyun’s mother reacts with abject gratitude.
Soo Hyun gets ready to go to her parents’ place for her birthday, though she grumbles that being left alone would be the best gift. She invites Secretary Jang along, who says that she’d love to see Soo Hyun’s dad, but not her mom.
Soo Hyun’s mother gives her Chairwoman Kim’s gift along with an admonition to be nicer to her. Her dad tells her mom to stop nagging, and he gives her a book of poetry — the same one Jin Hyuk gave to her.
Secretary Jang asks to meet with Jin Hyuk, and he suggests Dae Chan’s restaurant, which she finds confusing and a little beneath her. Her attitude offends Dae Chan, who tells her snippily to leave and find a nice cafe (is it too early to ship it?). Jin Hyuk shows up in time to break up the fight, and he asks why she wanted to see him on the weekend.
She asks him to stop getting involved with Soo Hyun, because she’s not as strong as she looks. Jin Hyuk asks if Soo Hyun has any power over her own life, and why it’s necessary for her secretary to monitor her friendships.
Secretary Jang points out that for regular people like them, relationships are private, but that’s not the case for people like Soo Hyun. She shows him that even last night’s fender-bender is news today because the other driver recognized Soo Hyun and tweeted about it (luckily he thought Jin Hyuk was her secretary).
She tells Jin Hyuk that this must all seem new and exciting to him, but for Soo Hyun, the slightest mistake can destroy her world. She leaves Jin Hyuk stunned, but after a moment he goes after her.
He tells her, “I’m not having fun exploring a new world. I’m just surprised every day. I realize that we live in different worlds. It’s surprising. I’ll make sure not to cause more problems with my feelings, but my feelings aren’t based on curiosity. Letting a person into your heart, even for a brief moment — I believe it’s meaningful.”
Despite Hye In’s refusal to publicly out Soo Hyun and Jin Hyuk, a notice is posted on the company website anyway. It accuses Soo Hyun of harassing an employee with her “personal desires,” painting her as the aggressor and saying that the employee can’t refuse her for fear of losing his job. Hye In reads the posting and wonders who could have written it.
Jin Hyuk reads the comments on the slanderous posting incredulously — the employees are starting to turn on Soo Hyun, and they sympathize with the employee she’s accused of harassing.
The HR office still supports Soo Hyun, though Manager Lee is suspiciously quiet on the subject…
Director Choi reports to Chairwoman Kim that their plan is going well, and that a board meeting will be held soon to accuse Soo Hyun of damaging the hotel’s reputation. When Woo Seok hears about the situation, he orders his secretary to find out who posted the message at Donghwa, and to have a hacker bring down the server so nobody else can read it.
In the hotel cafeteria, Jin Hyuk overhears employees criticizing Soo Hyun and speculating on who the object of her affections could be. Secretary Jang advises Soo Hyun to go home, but Soo Hyun refuses, saying that she’s done nothing wrong and that acting guilty will only make things worse.
At the end of the day, Director Choi ambushes Soo Hyun in the hotel lobby to publicly accuse her of avoiding his calls. She tells him to his face that there’s nothing to discuss, but he sneers loudly that she’s upset everyone at the hotel. A crowd is gathering (including Jin Hyuk and Hye In), so he invites Soo Hyun to explain herself, here and now.
She repeats that there’s nothing to explain and turns to go. Director Choi tells her that as CEO, she should reveal whether the man she’s been seen with is an employee, or some guy she picked up in a host bar as some rumors claim. Soo Hyun’s silence has people assuming that she’s guilty, but when Driver Nam comes to collect her, she starts to go with him.
Suddenly, Jin Hyuk calls out, his voice ringing confidently. Soo Hyun slowly turns to see him smiling as he steps forward to stand in front of her. As if nobody is watching, he asks if she’s headed home, and she thinks, “Just live your life from now on. Don’t take another step towards me.”
But he replies silently, “I’ve made my choice. I’ve decided to take a step towards the world you’re standing in all alone.” Out loud, Jin Hyuk says that he has some money, and he invites Soo Hyun to get ramyun with him, his treat.
He makes it clear who he is by saying that there’s too much traffic to go to the rest stop this time, so they should eat at a convenience store. The crowd realizes two things at once: that the man from the scandal is Jin Hyuk, and that he’s been spending time with Soo Hyun because he wants to, not because he’s being harassed.
He narrates, “Don’t ask me what this feeling is. I don’t know yet, either. Right now, I just don’t want to leave you alone to be lonely. That’s all.”
She stares at Jin Hyuk for a long time, thinking of all the kind, generous things he’s done for her… then she returns his smile.
I know, a breaking scandal makes a complicated situation even more complicated, creating a rift between two people who were just getting to know one another. Soo Hyun gets pressure from all sides to break things off with Jin Hyuk – she’ll have to decide if his companionship is worth risking everything she’s worked so hard to achieve.
So far I’ve been able to believe that what Soo Hyun and Jin Hyuk feel for each other is nothing more than a sort of instant friendship and caring brought on by their shared experience in Cuba, and that it’s mostly been platonic. I don’t think that either of them were expecting or even wanting something more complicated than temporary companionship. But as soon as Jin Hyuk realized the depth of Soo Hyun’s loneliness, I think it got a lot more serious for him. If what’s happening is romantic, it’s still very early, but there’s an undeniable connection between them that seems deeper than romance — as if they’re kindred souls who just took a while to find each other. I really like Park Bo Gum's attitude in Boyfriend. He is the perfect image of staying true to himself. He follows his heart and to stay true to what he truly feels. He may not understand his feeling now, but intuitively, he knows what he wants and take action on that.
He is not afraid to take the risk to go forward to what he feels important to him and pursue it. He also is not afraid of what people would say about him, instead to whatever difficulties he would face, he is going to win over them. He truly finds happiness in simple thing and that's truly what I really want to be and to do in my life as well.
He is not afraid to take the risk to go forward to what he feels important to him and pursue it. He also is not afraid of what people would say about him, instead to whatever difficulties he would face, he is going to win over them. He truly finds happiness in simple thing and that's truly what I really want to be and to do in my life as well.
It was so sad to see Soo Hyun pulling back from Jin Hyuk when they finally spent some time together after the scandal broke, when you know it’s mostly because she worries about dragging him into her problems. And I liked that Jin Hyuk had kept a respectful distance until then, understanding that he needed to wait to hear from her first, and only running into her when they both got tricked by Driver Nam. In fact, so far this show seems to use a lot of familiar tropes, but executes them in unusual ways — the accidental meeting that’s orchestrated by a well-meaning father figure, the gender-reversal of the chaebol/Candy dynamic, the still-hung-up ex who actually opposes his overbearing mother’s plan to reunite him with the heroine.
Soo Hyun is particularly fascinating to me, because despite her cold-chaebol outward appearance, she’s obviously a warm, thoughtful person, and I’m so glad that her employees know this about her. Despite being surrounded by luxury, she’s not too good to ride in an old taxi or a van covered in restaurant advertisements, or to be seen with a man in beat-up sneakers. She genuinely seem to enjoy these experiences and even seeks them out when she lets herself relax, which you can see Jin Hyuk loves about her. He’s constantly taking her for humble food in humble restaurants, and I like that he seems to feel it an honor to introduce her to these simple things instead of being ashamed that it’s all he can afford.
Speaking of interesting characters — at first I thought that Woo Seok was going to be a typical spoiled chaebol who’s only concerned with getting what he wants, but after this episode, I think he’s a lot more complicated than that. His comment that he and Soo Hyun have never been allowed to live their own lives was very telling… I get the sense that he’s probably very smart and capable, but that he’s given up on making his own decisions because of his overbearing mother. When Woo Seok said that things would be harder for Soo Hyun if she knew how he truly feels, I guessed before his mother confirmed it that he’s still in love with Soo Hyun, which would definitely make it harder for Soo Hyun to be independent if she knew. I’ll bet that he never married his mistress because he still loves Soo Hyun, though it’s still unclear why he asked for the divorce in the first place. But I can make a guess, that's because he loves her and know Soo Hyun would not be happy with him, that's why he decided to divorce her, for her happiness. Ohmy, I've been loving Jang Seung Jo since Familiar Wife and he got this complicated daddy long-legs role in this drama. But how could I put my eyes on him when I got Park Bo Gum who looks so innocent on the other side? It's hard to be honest to compare them both because in my opinion, they are both in different range. One is ahjussi, and the other one is oppa (well, though I am way older than him)
After Soo Hyun and Jin Hyuk themselves, I’m the most eager to learn more about Woo Seok, because I have a feeling that he’s much more than he appears. So far he’s on Soo Hyun’s side, but I’m scared that once he realizes that Jin Hyuk is a real threat, that could change.
After Soo Hyun and Jin Hyuk themselves, I’m the most eager to learn more about Woo Seok, because I have a feeling that he’s much more than he appears. So far he’s on Soo Hyun’s side, but I’m scared that once he realizes that Jin Hyuk is a real threat, that could change.
It looks like Soo Hyun’s struggle to keep what little independence she’s earned is going to be harder than she thinks, because a good reputation will only get you so far when people are determined to wear you down. Thank goodness she’s got people who believe in her no matter what, but even they aren’t strong enough to do more than offer sympathy. There’s only one person who can help her stand up to her enemies, but does he have the courage to risk everything on her behalf?
But here in the last episode, Jin Hyuk stood up for her. What Jin Hyuk just did would be monumentally stupid, but it was actually very smart of him to make his feelings known so that the rumors of Soo Hyun harassing him would be discredited. This is my favorite thing about him — that he’s not scared of how he feels, even if he’s not exactly sure what his feelings mean yet, and he’s not ashamed to let everyone know that he likes and respects Soo Hyun and wants to be her friend. He’s young, and he doesn’t have any experience in how things work in Soo Hyun’s world… But he’s not naïve, he knows what kinds of issues will crop up if they have any kind of relationship, friends or otherwise. However, he also knows that love is more important than money or status, and he cares for Soo Hyun enough to feel it’s worth it. Most importantly, he’s confident that despite her reticence, Soo Hyun feels the same way, if only she’d admit it to herself.
I think that that quality of Jin Hyuk’s is what Soo Hyun finds herself drawn to, they way he’s willing to go for what he wants even before figuring out why he wants it. She’s been forced to hold back her whole life, forced not to show what she wants for fear her controlling mother will take it from her, so she’s just convinced herself that she doesn’t need or want close relationships. But then, here comes this young man who isn’t scared to say what he wants and is willing to make himself vulnerable for her, and she just doesn’t know what to do with him. So she tells herself that she’s okay without him, when that’s quickly becoming untrue.
I really felt for Soo Hyun after she told the sleeping Jin Hyuk why she’s trying not to even start anything — because of her mother, she knows how painful it is to care for someone and have to distance herself from them. It makes their struggle that much more meaningful that Soo Hyun isn’t trying to put the brakes on things because she’s being threatened with losing her hotel, but because she’s personally scared of the pain she knows she’ll feel if she lets herself get any closer to him then has to break things off. I want her to see through Jin Hyuk that the important things in life are worth fighting for, worth risking everything for, because I believe that she already instinctively understands this. She’s just too afraid of what will happen if she goes for what she wants, so she tells herself that she doesn’t want anything. Jin Hyuk is going to change that, and I’m looking forward to the person Soo Hyun will be when she stops being afraid.
I have to mention the lovely artwork that’s highlighted at the beginning and end of each episode, and bookends exactly what’s happening in the story. In this episode, for example, the first painting was of two people standing back-to-back, facing a crowd of snakes that loom over them menacingly. It perfectly illustrates the issue of Soo Hyun and Jin Hyuk being threatened from all sides, but at the end, the snakes all fall away as the couple in the center clasps hands. I love the artwork itself, it’s absolutely gorgeous, but I also love how it condenses the events of each episode and makes even the hardships beautiful, reminding us that whatever Soo Hyun and Jin Hyuk will go through, it’s all just a part of their story and it all contributes to what I hope will be a beautiful love.
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