High School King of Savvy: Episode 11

by dramallama

The big reveal is finally here. It’s time for Soo-young to face the truth and decide what’s more important for her. Family? Love? Employment? She takes her time to deal with the betrayal and heartbreak, as does Min-seok. If she were to think for herself only, the answer to her dilemma seems pretty obvious, but that’s never the case. With the reveal, it’s a new game with new players. Time for all our characters to step up their game.

 
EPISODE 11 RECAP

All the paths intersect as we await the big reveal. Min-seok and Soo-young stare at each other, Duk-hwan and Tae-seok watch the scene, and Yoo-ah stands in the middle, confused. A tense moment of silence passes as Soo-young recalls all the coincidences: Yoo-ah’s Hubby Lee, the handwriting from work and the hospital.

Min-seok forces a smile as he calls out to Soo-young: “Secretary Jung…” Yoo-ah looks confused at why Min-seok would call her sister that, but before she can get an explanation, Soo-young walks away with the realization. Min-seok follows after her and his friends drag Yoo-ah away, who’s utterly confused by this whole situation. How does Min-seok know her sister?

Min-seok follows Soo-young in a separate taxi, desperate to call her and explain everything. When he finally catches up to her, Soo-young tries to ignore him, but he demands an opportunity to explain. They sit on a bench, now with an awkward gap between them, and Soo-young asks if that’s his real name: Lee Min-seok. She even changes to banmal when she addresses him, now that she knows he’s a high-schooler.

Soo-young then asks who the real Lee Hyung-seok is, and Min-seok tells her the truth. She shakes her head, unable to comprehend this situation: “Unbelievable…”

Yoo-ah echos those words, “I can’t believe it.” Duk-hwan and Tae-seok try to insist that it’s the truth, but Yoo-ah’s in denial. “I won’t believe it until I see it.” She walks away distraught. Duk-hwan comments on how they live in a small world; how could Popcorn Sister be Yoo-ah’s actual sister? He worries about Min-seok, but Tae-seok seems more worried about Yoo-ah.

Walking away alone, Yoo-ah convinces herself that everything doesn’t matter. “I was first. I liked Min-seok first. I’m first…”

Back at the awkward bench, Soo-young confirms Min-seok’s age. Eighteen. She asks why he asked her out, and Min-seok gives the simple answer: because he likes her. She sits there with repeated sighs and aigos, which provokes Min-seok to erupt with his pleas. “Sure, everything is fake. My name, my age… they’re all fake. But Secretary Jung, Popcorn Sister, Neighbor, Jung Soo-young, my feelings for you are real. You know, right?”

Soo-young interrupts him to ask if he knew that Yoo-ah was her sister. She looks visibly more defensive when asking about Yoo-ah. He says he had no idea and continues with his explanation. He wanted to tell her everything, but he just couldn’t find the right time to disclose the truth. He asks again if she knows that he really does like her, but she shakes her head. “No, I don’t know. I don’t believe anything.”

With that, she walks away. Min-seok trails after her but quickly turns around when he spots two retail team ladies walking towards them. They try to catch Soo-young’s attention, but she’s too shocked to acknowledge them and glances back at Min-seok, who’s keeping his distance to maintain his cover.

Unable to wrap her head around the situation, Soo-young carelessly crosses the street with a car racing at her. Thankfully she’s pushed out of the way by Jin-woo, who looks genuinely worried. Soo-young still hasn’t come to her senses when Jin-woo apologizes for his big mistake before. He sheepishly notes that he only seems to apologize to Soo-young, but she doesn’t seem to comprehend anything he’s saying and walks away.

When she returns to the office, Team Leader Kim orders Soo-young to connect him to one of their working partners, but she mindlessly connects him to President Yoo. As a result, Team Leader Kim gets scolded for calling without a reason. He calls Soo-young over, but she doesn’t hear him until Assistant Manager Yoon taps her on the shoulder. She receives the scolding and apologizes just as Min-seok arrives, but she’s clearly still out of it.

She returns to her seat, except she doesn’t. She ends up sitting on Assistant Park’s lap, resulting in weird looks from the whole team. Getting back to her senses, she apologizes and starts to return to her actual seat until she meets eyes with Min-seok. At that point, she runs out of the office like someone who’s lost her mind. But I guess finding out that the boss you’re dating is actually a high-schooler can do that to you.

Min-seok helplessly enters his office, looking quite depressed. Team Leader Kim follows him in and jumps on the couch, nagging him about not picking up his calls and being late. But this time it gets to him, and Min-seok defends himself, saying he’s doing what he can. “Am I doing this because I want to?! What do you want me to do…” Team Leader Kim hugs a pillow and looks like he’s about to cry.

Min-seok storms out of his office, ignoring Assistant Park. The ladies notice the cold vibes coming from Min-seok today and fangirl over how it’s so fresh and cool, as he’s different from his usual self. Yoo-ju comments on his charisma, but when Ji Dae-han clears his throat, she adds that she’s kind of into the cute type nowadays. Ha.

On the roof, Soo-young hesitates to call Yoo-ah, and she’s approached by Assistant Manager Yoon. He asks if she and Min-seok got into a fight and explains that he caught onto their relationship. She starts to explain, but she can’t seem to get the words out. He advises her to make up with Min-seok quickly and tells her that he’s always available to listen to her dilemmas. But even with his comforting words, Soo-young still looks considerably upset.

President Yoo calls Director Nam into his office and asks him to look into Chauffeur Choi. He also asks him to dismiss Soo-young from her position, as she was just unlucky and saw too much for his comfort. Like father, like son.

Yoon-ju and Dae-han secretly make plans just as everyone starts to take off for the day. Min-seok asks about Soo-young, and he’s told that she left earlier. He nods and sadly walks out.

Soo-young gets a call from Min-seok but looks at the caller ID – Chief Director Lee Hyung-seok – with disbelief. She ignores the call and heads home, where she’s forced to confront Yoo-ah. She carefully asks Yoo-ah if she’s okay, but she obviously isn’t. Yoo-ah calls her sister shameless, and although Soo-young defends herself saying that she’s as shocked and confused as her, she seems baffled that Soo-young is playing the victim.

Soo-young explains to her that she had no idea until a few hours ago. “I understand you’re distressed, but I’m the one who’s more upset. I just found out that the person I love is a mere high-schooler and your Husband Lee.”

Yoo-ah can’t believe her sister. “Do you really think that you and Min-seok go well together? He’s my age, a high-schooler, eighteen! You’re a grandma compared to him. Unni, you’re really the worst.” She tells her sister to get lost and hits her with a pillow. Soo-young grabs a pillow herself, and a hateful pillow fight ensues, with feathers flying everywhere.

The sisters sit on the ground covered in feathers post-pillow fight, but they’re not done fighting. They call each other out for being selfish, and Yoo-ah leaves the house. Soo-young seems hurt from being called a grandma, but she thinks back to all the intimate moments with Min-seok and crawls back into her hole of shame.

The hours pass by, but Yoo-ah doesn’t return home. As it gets later into the night, Soo-young’s worry surpasses her anger, so she heads out to look for her sister. She eventually finds Yoo-ah being harassed by two high school boys, and she runs to protect her. Soo-young bites one boy’s hand and swings her arms in a threatening yet hilarious fashion, making Yoo-ah drop her head and walk off in embarrassment.

Min-seok lets out his anger on his punching bag, and Gramps joins behind him in imitation. When Min-seok collapses, he thinks back to Soo-young’s words about not believing him all while Gramps does his knockdown count. Aw, Gramps.

Wanting to resolve the conflict, Min-seok calls Soo-young out that night. As he tries to approach her, she steps back and tells him to keep his distance. She even furthers the distance by talking down to him, explaining their age gap, and asking if he’s allowed to roam around this late. Offended, Min-seok tells her that the ten-year gap doesn’t matter and that he’s basically an adult. But Soo-young can’t think that way. “You probably don’t know because you’re young, but the world isn’t a simple and easy place. I’ll pretend that none of this happened, so go home and sleep.”

Min-seok grabs Soo-young before she can leave and asks her for the truth. She still likes him, right? He seems desperate for Soo-young’s reassurance, but she doesn’t give it to him. She says that her feelings were for the 28-year-old Comfo Chief Director, not the Min-seok she knows now.

She runs off, but as soon as she turns the corner, she stops. Min-seok stands frozen behind in disbelief, and Soo-young stands alone in regret.

The next morning, Soo-young and Yoo-ah run into each other while preparing for their day, but they don’t acknowledge each other at all. Soo-young doesn’t seem to be preparing for work and sits on the bed with heavy shoulders.

At school, Min-seok spaces out as his friends check on him. He gives no response to their questions, nor does he respond to Yoo-ah, who comes in like nothing’s happened and cheerfully drops off food for him.

When Min-seok arrives at work, Soo-young has yet to come. The retail team members assume she’s late as she always was, but when Min-seok goes into his office, he finds a resignation letter from her. He immediately calls Soo-young, but she’s already long gone on a trip by herself.

On the bus, Soo-young gets Min-seok’s call. She thinks back to yesterday, when she found Yoo-ah’s notebook dedicated to Min-seok called “Making Hubby Lee the Best Athlete Project.” She looks through the pictures and health notes, a tangible representation of Yoo-ah’s care for Min-seok. It was then when Min-seok called her out at night and also probably when Soo-young decided to give up her feelings for him.

Back in the present, Soo-young ignores Min-seok’s calls and blocks his number. She convinces herself that she’s doing the right thing. She also texts Yoo-ah that she’s going down home to Kangchon for a while and that she’s sorry. Yoo-ah’s still in anger mode and thinks that her sister should obviously be the one to apologize.

When she gets off the bus, Soo-young sees her mother advertising the bungee jump, and she runs over to give her mama a big hug. Her mother assumes that she’s been fired, but Soo-young lies that she was given a few days off for being a model employee.

Unable to get in contact with Soo-young, Min-seok paces in his office. Team Leader Kim walks in to remind him about their meeting, and Min-seok covers up Soo-young’s absence by saying she took a few days off for some family business. Team Leader Kim starts to complain, but Min-seok yells at him to just leave it at that. Unaccustomed to Min-seok’s prickly personality, Team Leader Kim asks what’s wrong, but Min-seok just walks out.

At the meeting, the retail team looks for Soo-young, and Team Leader Kim notifies them that she’s taking a few days off. The ladies suggest that they start off with some iced coffee, but Min-seok shuts down the idea, wanting to get the meeting over with. Team Leader Kim tries to calm him down, but Jin-woo and the rest of the team notice Min-seok’s change of attitude.

Worried, Jin-woo waits in front of Soo-young’s house. Yoo-ah recognizes him, and they go out for burgers. As she’s eating, Yoo-ah comments on Jin-woo’s paleness and compares it to rice cakes. She asks if he likes her sister, and Jin-woo asks why he has to answer. Yoo-ah takes that as a yes and puts her number into his phone, saving his number as “Rice Cake Ajusshi.” Ha.

She proposes that they form a pact to share information. She begins by telling him that her sister had some problems with her boyfriend and is currently back home in Kangchon. This is his chance! They seal the alliance with a fist bump and before she leaves, Yoo-ah asks Jin-woo for 10,000 won to refill her bus card, and he lends her the money.

At home, Dad looks around the house for Min-seok but finds him outside brooding. He wonders if Min-seok has concerns of some sort and heads back inside.

Down in Kangchon, Soo-young takes time to relax, advising grandpas in their board game and riding on a swing. She walks down the dirt path, and when she spots a girl with a coveted popsicle, she asks for a bite. The girl refuses, so Soo-young threatens her with an old folk tale, saying that if she doesn’t share, she’ll grow a large lump on her face. In the end, she reluctantly shares her ice cream. Haha.

Soo-young sits alone on a bench as we hear the village ajummas gossiping about her. They talk about how she’s still immature for her age and that she’s sort of spacey. They wonder why she’s sitting alone, like someone who’s lost her mind, but we see that she’s sitting there crying. Aw, poor Soo-young.

Min-seok walks into work in a depressed mood while Team Leader Kim freaks out about a fax that was sent prematurely. He demands to know who sent it, and Sang-hee raises her hand, explaining that Min-seok approved it. Team Leader Kim storms into Min-seok’s office and asks him how he’s going to fix this situation. But Min-seok is clearly out of it and claims to not remember anything about the fax. Team Leader Kim tells him to take responsibility, so Min-seok comes up with a simple solution: fire him.

They both know that’s not possible and end up in President Yoo’s office with Director Han. After the three of them are reprimanded for their mistake in the contract, Director Han gives Team Leader Kim another scolding outside. He tells Min-seok to go and do absolutely nothing as they try to fix the situation.

Director Nam relays this good news to Jin-woo, saying that this mistake is a big loss for the company but a chance for their team. Jin-woo gets a text from Yoo-ah urgently asking if he’s gone to Kangchon yet to seize the opportunity. He laughs at the text, but his smile quickly fades when Director Nam asks about why President Yoo would want to fire Soo-young. Apparently, she’s seen something she wasn’t supposed to.

Jin-woo addresses President Yoo with this issue and asks him not to fire Soo-young because she’s the woman he likes. President Yoo says that’s not his concern and doesn’t want her around, but Jin-woo knows his father’s weakness. He threatens to disclose his identity along with his mother’s. President Yoo wouldn’t want that now, would he?

Jin-woo and Min-seok meet in the elevator and discuss the Soo-young situation. Jin-woo asks if they’ve run into problems, but Min-seok tells him to mind his own business. But it is now Jin-woo’s business, since he’s deciding whether or not to make a move. As he exits the elevator, Jin-woo makes a call to Yoo-ah for some information. Ohhh, it’s on.

After a stressful morning, Director Han and Team Leader Kim are out for some day drinking. Team Leader Kim notes that there seems to be something off about Min-seok nowadays. He usually comes to work in a good mood, but for some reason, he’s seems to be quite volatile lately. To avoid any slip of the tongue, Director Han directs Team Leader Kim to stick by Min-seok’s side and coax him into doing well at work.

And Team Leader Kim does so right away. He tells Min-seok that everything is being taken care of and that he has nothing to worry about. Hearing that Min-seok hasn’t eaten yet, Team Leader Kim offers to treat him, but Min-seok refuses. He’s really not in the mood.

But Team Leader Kim has a last resort: his USB. He hands it to Min-seok, saying that it’s a compilation of everything from the Korea, U.S., China, and Japan. Min-seok has no idea what he’s referring to, but Team Leader Kim gives him the nudge nudge wink wink. Even with the hint, Min-seok has no interest and puts down the USB. Finally, Team Leader Kim offers to listen to Min-seok’s dilemmas and tells him to talk to him comfortably like an uncle. So Min-seok does: “Uncle, please get out. I want to be alone.” So out he goes.

Soo-young’s playing hopscotch with the village kids when Jin-woo suddenly appears. She asks how he got here, and he vaguely explains that he has a source. He’s not sure why he came all the way here, but he was worried about her. He asks her to be his tour guide, since it’s his first time in Kangchon, but they’re interrupted by a phone call.

It’s a nurse notifying Jin-woo that his mother slit her wrists and is in urgent need of attention. He drops the phone in shock, and Soo-young hears the situation when she picks up the phone. He sits down to catch his breath before they leave for the hospital.

The retail team is feeling Soo-young’s empty spot, and Yoon-ju considers giving her a call. But Assistant Manager Yoon already did so and tells them loud and clear – mostly for Min-seok to hear – that Soo-young went back home to Kangchon to help out her mother.

At the moment, however, Soo-young is with Jin-woo. They run into the hospital, and Jin-woo rushes to his mother’s side. He cries by his mother’s bedside, and Soo-young silently leaves the room. She leaves his car keys with a note, hoping for his mother’s recovery.

When Min-seok returns home, he’s still in a grouchy mood, and he explodes when he sees that Gramps is making food with Soo-young’s moss plant. Dad immediately scolds him for yelling at Gramps, who’s hiding behind Dad in fear. But Min-seok insists that this plant is important to him and runs out of the house with the word of Soo-young’s whereabouts echoing in his head. He tries to grab a taxi to head down to Kangchon, but of course, no taxi wants to head all the way down there.

Back in Kangchon, Soo-young takes out the trash and sees that Jin-woo has come again. She asks about his mother, and he thanks her for driving him. Soo-young tells him to drive back safely, but before he leaves, Jin-woo pulls Soo-young into an embrace. He asks her to stay like that for a moment, and she does so.

Min-seok arrives just in time to see this. Although his immediate reaction is one of anger, he notices Soo-young hugging Jin-woo back. He looks at the scene with genuine hurt in his eyes and slowly walks back.

Soo-young pulls herself out of the embrace, and Jin-woo finally confesses his feelings. “I don’t know why I’m like this. I was fine being alone until now, but I could feel your empty space when you left. Can you just stay by my side?” He blames himself for everything that’s happened, apologizes, and asks for one more chance.

But Soo-young doesn’t falter. “A person’s feelings are quite cunning. Even a few months ago, I would have felt fluttery just seeing you at a distance, even making up reasons for why we’re fated to be together. But in that short time, I’ve already grown feelings for someone else.”

Jin-woo interrupts her, acknowledging that their timing was not right and again apologizing for everything. He knows he was in the wrong for treating her badly and even missing his chance. But he asks for one more chance and pleads that she doesn’t push him away at the very least. Soo-young tries to end the conversation by telling Jin-woo to drive safely, but Min-seok walks back into the picture.

Min-seok grabs her to talk, but Jin-woo stops him. He tells Min-seok that he’s in no place to be dragging Soo-young around. They approach each other and face off, with Soo-young nervously looking at them.

 
COMMENTS

Aw, man. This was much sadder than I had expected, and I guess the previous cutesy romance makes this even sadder. The whole episode took a melancholic turn as our two usually cheery leads reacted in a rather depressing fashion. It’s obvious that Min-seok’s heartbreak is affecting more than himself; the whole retail team, Team Leader Kim, and poor Gramps are suffering the side effects of his anger and frustration. And there, we see the difference between Min-seok and Soo-young. Min-seok has always been one to be outward with his affections while Soo-young’s the exact opposite. She hides away, contemplates by herself, and takes the blame.

Denial, separation, and family are all heavy on Soo-young’s shoulders, even if it’s not entirely her fault. I’m glad we had more focus on her, as she was the one most affected by the reveal. Her side of the breakup is much more compelling, as she has many more factors to think about, the most important one being family. I can’t deny the bond these two sisters have, and Soo-young can’t either. She steps up to play the unni, forcing herself to keep her distance with Min-seok. It’s sad yet touching to see her make this sacrifice.

The reveal had a significant impact on the sisterhood, and there definitely isn’t an easy way to resolve the conflict. In such a situation, it’s natural for both sides to feel more hurt and more entitled to the pain. They’re both blaming each other for something that’s neither of their faults, and it’s causing them to hurt each other. The defense mechanisms are popping up, and as we know, it’s much easier to hurt the people closest to us because we know where they hurt and take for granted that they’ll understand.

One silver lining that came out of this cloud of gloom was the new alliance between Jin-woo and Yoo-ah. We know that Yoo-ah just made the pact in hopes of breaking up her hubby and sister for good, but I see lots of good potential for shenanigans. Jin-woo’s the only one in our complex love square who doesn’t know Min-seok’s secret, so I’m sure having Yoo-ah as his source will help him step up his game, as he already has in this episode.

After the previous episode, I was pretty sure that Jin-woo was out of the running, but he made a decent comeback this time around. He seems sincere in his apologies to Soo-young, and I can see that he means well. He’s slowly growing into a considerable rival, and I hope this growth continues in its upward trend. The only thing is that his growth just seems a bit… abrupt. Even until the last episode, he didn’t seem to have any idea how to express his emotions in a healthy way. And now, he’s suddenly learned this skill. Whether it’s inconsistency or just growth, I’m just glad we’re getting a better person out of Jin-woo. He deserves some healthier emotions in his life.

The heartbreak, the angst, and the tears were plenty necessary and fitting for this episode, but I’m hoping we get back to what this show does best: the quirky comedy. Soon. It’s too sad to see our lovely Soo-young cry lonely tears on a bench. Someone bring back her pizzazz! We desperately need it.

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