Another episode that doesn't lose time with the side-characters. Nice!
The formula, so far, has been this: they say goodbye and make it sound
like they mean it. But then, something happens to throw them together
again. Sometimes, she is more on top of things and in control,
sometimes, it's him. In this episode, it's him. I am SO GLAD Joo Sang-wook took this role.
Episode 4
Poor Ae-ra is in the interrogation room. She thinks she went home straight after dinner, but ... oupsie. She begins to remember ... slowly. The security guys have proof of her entering the data room, but she informs them that she has lost her badge. And she remembers more ... she went into the parking garage. Uh-oh .. But the security guard has another theory, one that involves her entering the company all mission impossible style in sexy leather. Get a life, man.
In the meantime, Jung-woo is being quizzed by his boy-assistant about Ae-ra. Boy-assistant L seems to know she is his ex-wife (must have missed the moment he found out) and thinks it's quite possible she came just to do harm. Women who hold grudges can make it snow in May. Jung-woo has a sudden inspiration (after wanting to glue L's mouth shut ) and goes down to his car. Only ... it's vandalized! Someone sprayed something on its hood ... 개ㅅ...
And that someone is ... Ae-ra, of coursy course! Her rather hilarious escapade is captured in its entirety by the car's camera. The good thing about it: she is no longer a suspect. The bad thing ... well, the whole security team gets to see her embarrassment AND she has to clean Jung-woo's car with soap and a sponge afterwards.
Jung-woo cannot understand who an intern's card gave the thief access to their client database room, and he wants to cover things up as long as possible. Also, the data needs to be recovered before the thief can do anything with it (that's so not going to work, dear). Afterwards, he marvels over what it is that she had wanted to write ... could it have been ... son of a bitch??! (
개새끼) I vote YES!
The next day, Ae-ra has decided to let Jung-woo know that she is (a bit) sorry. She finds out when he is leaving the company and waits at the elevators. The elevator comes down, he is in it and lo-behold! so is our heroine. She starts talking to him and he ... simply ignores her. She could as well be a dead fish. On his way out, he briefly stops and congratulates a random employee on her birthday. The women squeeeeeeeee. Me tooooooooo.
There's more squeeeeeeing over the fact that one of the women in the marketing team will get to eat dinner with their heavenly CEO (it's an event for the 3rd anniversary). Who, by the way, is going to a house. Alone. Does he have a woman? (is what Director Oh Byung-Joon, who followed him, asks). But no ... its Ae-ra and Jung-woo's dream house. The model they cooed over is there, on the table. Jung-woo smiles at the memories .. until he doesn't.
Ae-ra's superior gives her an "impossible" task, to make her fail miserably. Seung-hyun hears two colleagues speaking about it and immediately wants in: if this is about certainly being fired afterwards, he wants in. Of course, he doesn't do anything to get the deal (it's about breakfast coupons at an expensive hotel), but what the angered Ae-ra doesn't know, of course, is that Seung-hyun and the hotel CEO are buddies.
Venting her anger about Seung-hyun on the roof, Ae-ra meets Second Lead who is sighing and drinking beer. She is conflicted about the betrayal of her first love, whom she promised to never forget. Ae-ra gives her some relationship advise, i.e. to go all in and that it's better to be embarrassed than having a worry in your heart. That makes an impression on Gook Yeo-Jin and she calls uri sexy CEO with all kinds of excuses shortly after. He realizes it's late and she lies about not having her car, so he drives her home. She makes a tiny little move on him but man, this man can stone-wall. The look he gives her is almost disgusted.
Na Ae-ra succeeds! Well, with a little help from a friend ... hehe. And because she did such a good job, she is the one that gets to eat with the CEO. Poor CEO is trying to cook. With little success. And his boy-assistant L is going away for a trip with his girlfriend. Poor Jung-woo is really worried about the date and wants to cancel ... until he hear WHO won the date.
They have dinner at this wonderful penthouse. Smiiiiiiile, smile, smile. She compliments him on the great cooking (the meat is terrible burned), and whenever she says something out loud, they both think something a little less friendly. The even-coordinator asks Ae-ra to get advise from the CEO. She says she hurt someone in the past and regrets it, what should she do? He says the past cannot be changed. What's done is done. She should have been prudent. She says she regrets very much. If that is so, he replies, she should get down on her knees and beg. With all her sincerity of course. Though he is unsure whether that person would accept it.
He invites her to drink some wine ... it's a Cheval Blanc (that wine also played a role in one of the episodes in TEN2). And a wine expert told him it resembles him ... a prince on a white horse. The coordinator almost faints as she asks whether this is the wine that costs over $1'000
. And of course it is: Premier Grand Cru Classé A wines don't come cheap, baby! The stupid woman gulps it all down in one go. Nooooooo!
Afterwards, the event-coordinator and the photographer leave and they're alone. Ae-ra immediately goes into seductive mode. She says how much he has changed and how he has the confidence of a successful man. She is happy that he succeeded - since she knows best how much he had to go through. But ... she misses the old him. Ah, so should they go somewhere and talk a bit more about the old times? he asks. He wants to take her "home".
When they're there (she takes a looooooong look at him in that car), he asks whether she remembers. Everything is there, like she imagined it and wished for. Big windows, furniture, dishes, potted plants to see how much happiness grows. She is deeply moved. When did he do all this? Little by little is his answer. This was his dream. Yes, she says, now crying, our dream. And she puts her head on his chest.
But it's not OUR dream, he says and pushes her away. It is MY dream. Does she think he's stupid? He knows why she approached him; she still has feelings for him. She is just greedy. Marriage to her wasn't a promise, but greed. He wants nothing to do with a woman like her anymore and never again: he wants to be happy now (that's the words she said in the TV show). So this is why he brought her here? For revenge? Ah, but he showed her this so she will know how he will live with the woman he is going to marry. Someone who will stick with him and be with him until the end.
It seems like a final goodbye indeed, and Ae-ra prepares her resignation letter the next day. But before she can hand it in, she goes and drinks with Yummy Babyface. Awww, so cute. While they are having fun with an empty soju bottle and its lid, the Badge-Robber from the other day, who is also there, gets up to pay. She thinks it's strange he looks at her and then leaves, and Yummy Babyface goes after him, all suspicious, and ... judo! Data thief is caught, there isn't any damage done because he has not yet sold the data.
Oh, but Second Lead is angry now ... how did she not hear about this before? Heads will roll. Yeah, and she will be much angrier if she finds out who covered this up and why ... Anyway the two brave interns who arrested the culprit are celebrated heroes now. When CEO grudgingly shakes Ae-ra's hand she grabs his with both of hers and vows to work even harder.
The Rest
There's not a lot of the rest! Still, almost no annoying Second Lead. No Gook-family boringness. Some Na-family semi-boringness: Jung-woo is taking a looooooong leak on the toilet when Ae'ra's father corners him. In a new suit. He is growing on me a tiny little bit, because he is quite funny. Anyway, he finds out that Na Soo-Cheol (Ae-ra's brother) received money from Jung-woo - but not because Jung-woo called him (that's the version Ae-ra believes) but because he went there himself. Soo-cheol is kicked out of the house.
Comments
The scene with the dream-house was very cruel. It was well prepared by him to establish his superiority over her first as an incredibly successful and rich businessman and then, to crush all her hopes of ever being with him again.
So he thinks she still has feelings for him? Or rather ... that she still has enough greed in her to come after him. But which of the two is it? Yes, her reasons for marrying him the first time were (all?) greed related. But she clearly is not devoid of feelings for him - feelings maybe related to his new self, but definitely feelings that are also based on something deeper and more honest than he gives her credit for.
As for him ... he is absolutely obsessed with this woman. He even built their dream-house?! Oh boy. His hurt makes him vengeful, and the thought of showing her what she lost is indeed the great motivator in his life. He absolutely needs her near him to be able to make her suffer - and thus, he has already lost this game, as Ae-ra's friend pointed out. At the moment, he is on top of things and seems to have full control over his feelings ... sometimes. But we're already seeing cracks in his armor. When he is around her or when he thinks of her, his old, nerdy self shows itself. It is incredibly cute and very vulnerable. Of course, he will fall for her again, hard, and I pray she doesn't hurt him again. I want those two to be happy!
