Beauty Inside: Episode 7

by dramallama

The tension and chemistry between our leads is palpable, and I am living for this. There’s no doubt that our fake couple have crossed the line from business to romantic intimacy, but they clumsily navigate that transition from business partners to romantic partners because of their insecurities and uncertainties. Though resorting to their business relationship eliminates the ambivalence, Se-kye and Do-jae find it difficult to ignore the undeniable affection that they’ve developed.

 
EPISODE 7 RECAP

After Se-kye softly kisses Do-jae, she apologizes upon realizing her sudden advance. Then, Do-jae pulls her in for another kiss in the tower, overlooking the lights of the airport. When he pulls away, Do-jae stiffly justifies that he kissed her out of obligation and walks away.

Do-jae says that he’s going home to sleep, and when Se-kye asks if they’re sleeping together, he responds that they have no reason to sleep together anymore. Se-kye walks out in dismay while Do-jae looks unaffected.

When they arrive at Se-kye’s house, she claims that she also kissed him out of obligation to that moment and asks if he has anything to say to her. He doesn’t, so she rambles about not feeling like herself with these complicated emotions. Do-jae leans in to confirm that she’s still Han Se-kye, and she’s irritated by his irrelevant response.

As Se-kye gets out of the car, Do-jae admits that he suspects what Se-kye wants to hear from him, but he refuses to say those words. He simply wishes her a good night, and Se-kye marches into her house.

Wide awake in bed, Se-kye checks her phone, waiting for a message from Do-jae. She gives in and texts him first, but she doesn’t get a response. She doesn’t believe that Do-jae could be sleeping in this situation and gets riled up at the thought that Do-jae is ignoring her text.

The next morning, Se-kye continues to stare at her ignored message over breakfast with Woo-mi, who eats meat while Se-kye nibbles on a cucumber in preparation for Director Lee’s movie. Se-kye asks why a man would pretend a kiss never happened, and Woo-mi presumes that the man probably didn’t want the kiss.

Se-kye’s face falls ever so slightly, and Woo-mi wonders if Se-kye kissed someone recently. Se-kye denies this and recalls not feeling any emotions after filming a kiss scene over twenty times. She channels that disinterest as she looks at her ignored message again.

Woo-mi suspects Se-kye is dating and demonstrates that dating is as simple as peeling shrimp for your significant other. Seeing Woo-mi peel shrimp for her, Se-kye jokingly asks if they’re dating, and Woo-mi clarifies that they’re in a deeper relationship: business. The realization dawns on Se-kye, and she justifies the kiss with Do-jae as business relations.

At the church, Aram drops off Eun-ho’s luggage and says that his rebellion caused their mom to be bedridden. She points a finger gun to Eun-ho’s head, saying that Eun-ho would have been dead to their dad if he wasn’t so busy with work. We see policeman Dad trying to comfort Mom about their bad son before rushing out to capture the real bad guys.

Do-jae zones out as Secretary Jung updates him about their successful airline promotion, and he wonders what it means when someone apologizes after a kiss. He asks Secretary Jung how he should respond, and Secretary Jung says that he has two options: “Sorry” or “I love you.”

Do-jae doesn’t want to apologize and finds the second option too difficult, but Secretary Jung refuses to provide any further advice without compensation. Secretary Jung reminds Do-jae of his doctor’s appointment and says that he has a more frightening appointment. Do-jae assumes that Secretary Jung means his mother and warns him not to misunderstand what his mother tells him.

Se-kye and her style team present their character outfits to Director Lee, but he notices that they’re all the same clothes that Yoo-ri presented. He calls Yoo-ri into the meeting, and Se-kye questions Yoo-ri’s choice of a bright flowery dress for her fugitive character. Noticing Se-kye’s anger, Yoo-ri puts on her good hoobae act and offers to change her wardrobe. She bows in apology with a sly twitch of a smile, confounding Se-kye.

During their drive from the meeting, Woo-mi curses Yoo-ri for tracking down their style team, and Se-kye acknowledges Yoo-ri’s deliberate efforts to screw her over. She turns her attention back to her ignored message and tries to convince herself not engage. Unfortunately that’s not possible, as Woo-mi reminds her of another scheduled date with Do-jae tomorrow.

Secretary Jung meets with Do-jae’s mother and asks for a raise, since he can sense another secret he needs to protect. He’s right about the secret, but Do-jae’s mother can’t seem to admit her suspicions about Do-jae’s sexuality. She tackles the issue from another angle and expresses her approval of Se-kye and Do-jae for marriage.

This sudden reversal confuses Secretary Jung, so Do-jae’s mother explains her apprehension about Do-jae being sidelined for crossing the line with a high schooler. Secretary Jung still has no idea what she’s referencing, so Do-jae’s mother finally articulates that Do-jae also likes men, shocking Secretary Jung.

In his appointment with his doctor, Do-jae shares that he feels his heart fluttering and misses this person. He also admits that he doesn’t feel like himself because he’s usually good at business — saying what people want to hear to ultimately gain what he wants to hear — but lately, he hasn’t wanted to do this.

The doctor asks what words Do-jae’s counterpart wants to hear, and remembering Se-kye’s response after their kiss, Do-jae answers: “Sorry.” Doctor advises him to fearlessly say what he actually wants to say to the person he misses instead of apologizing and assures Do-jae that he’s merely discovering another side of himself.

As Sa-ra looks over Eun-ho’s list of necessary items for housekeeping, she notices his mismatched clothing. Eun-ho explains that he doesn’t get along with his sister, and this resonates with Sa-ra. Eun-ho suggests that she look at his face instead of his distracting clothing, and she asks if he knows that he’s handsome. He says that he’s more pretty than handsome, and she marvels at his lack of humility.

At the grocery store, Eun-ho thanks Sa-ra for agreeing to the cohabitation arrangement, and Sa-ra tells him not to misunderstand her motives, since they mutually benefit from this arrangement. Sa-ra also clarifies to Eun-ho that she’s not interested in younger men, as a belated response to Eun-ho’s claim that he’s not interested in women.

The grocery store ajummas recognize Eun-ho and ask when he’s returning to increase their sales, and Sa-ra wonders if Eun-ho earns money through his popularity. He describes his popularity as a public good, but Sa-ra says that it’s a private commodity now since she’s paying him. Sa-ra comments that he could even get paid to smile and clarifies that this is an evaluation — not a compliment. When Eun-ho smiles at her, she offers to pay, but he declines in amusement.

Woo-mi notices Se-kye mindlessly responding to other wardrobe options and asks where her head’s at. In a daze, Se-kye responds that her mind is at the air traffic control tower a.k.a. the kiss. Woo-mi notices an incoming call from “Uncle,” and Se-kye quickly snatches her phone to take the call from Do-jae. He asks to meet up by her house, as he has something to tell her.

Se-kye spots Do-jae inside the café and fixes her hair in the window reflection. As she enters, Do-jae looks at her intently and explains that he almost didn’t recognize her since he hadn’t seen her hair tied before. He hands her an envelope with interview questions for their date tomorrow, and Se-kye looks noticeably disappointed.

Adopting her aloof business persona, Se-kye tells Do-jae that their kiss at the air traffic control tower was a mistake, so he can stop avoiding her now. She ignores his attempt to explain his lack of response to her message and expresses her disapproval of doing business this late into the night.

At their photographed date the next day, Do-jae peels shrimp and puts it on Se-kye’s plate, but she rejects it because she’s on a diet. He takes her hand and says that it must be hard, but Se-kye seethes through her smile it’s not as hard as their job right now.

Do-jae then hands her a gift, and Se-kye admires the heart-shaped earrings for the camera. She snidely remarks that he’s putting a lot of effort into their act, but Do-jae tells her that this isn’t an act. He wanted to give her this gift because he thought it would look good on her, and he knew that he couldn’t replace her necklace.

In the interview, Do-jae claims that he confessed first by telling Se-kye that she was the kindest person he’s met. Se-kye looks alarmed by his confusingly accurate response. Do-jae also truthfully responds that Se-kye’s number is saved as “Aunt” on his phone, and Se-kye follows up by explaining that these pseudonyms would be less suspicious.

Then, the interviewer asks when their first kiss was, and Se-kye decides not to comment on that question while Do-jae responds that they haven’t had their first kiss. Ouch, yikes, oof — Se-kye looks hurt. He warns the interviewer not to stray from the script and decides that they’ve shared enough for a news article. He takes Se-kye’s hand and leaves.

When they arrive at Se-kye’s house, she tells him that he doesn’t need to drive her home. He disagrees, and Se-kye derisively acknowledges Do-jae’s proficiency in doing business. Do-jae asks what she’s doing in the next few days, and Se-kye says that she’s busy with work. Speaking of work, Se-kye asks how much longer they need to keep up their couple act. She wants to end the act so that they can terminate their contract, as the whole situation is making her uncomfortable.

Se-kye storms into her house and digs her head into the couch in rage about Do-jae claiming that they haven’t kissed. Then, Do-jae rings her doorbell, sensing that she’s angry about the interview. Do-jae claims that he was trying to be considerate, but Se-kye found his actions inconsiderate of all good things in the world, like expectations, trust, and hope.

Se-kye says that Do-jae wouldn’t know what she’s feeling, since he can’t even recognize her. He asks if she wants to hear an apology and says that he doesn’t want to say those words. Se-kye says that it’s too late for an apology anyway and shuts the door on Do-jae.

Annoyed and hurt, Se-kye mindlessly flips through the TV channels as tears fall down her face. When Do-jae returns home, the white porcelain from his father reminds him of Se-kye, and he rips up the contract that preserves their secrets.

The next morning, Woo-mi loads Se-kye’s luggage for the movie production retreat and notices Se-kye’s sunken eyes. Se-kye explains that she couldn’t sleep because of the cries, and Woo-mi asks if the cries were from her heart. Se-kye looks at Woo-mi curiously and wonders how much her friend knows, to which Woo-mi claims that she knows everything but pretends not to notice.

Before they take off, Se-kye receives a message from Eun-ho with an attached article about the wardrobe conflict with Yoo-ri for Director Lee’s movie. The article frames Se-kye as the prima donna star that forced Yoo-ri to change her outfits out of jealousy over the stolen lead role.

Se-kye begins to curse this article, but Woo-mi beats her to it, jumping out of the car and yelling out profanities about this outrageous article. Se-kye gapes at her hysterical friend. Aww, true friendship.

Do-jae unenthusiastically plays golf with Gramps and the airline directors. The dating news hasn’t reached analog Gramps yet, and Do-jae sneers that Gramps should really check the internet. Gramps swings at Do-jae, prompting the directors and Secretary Jung to golf clap at Gramps’ nice swing.

Gramps realizes that this is the Se-kye that his daughter (Do-jae’s mother) wanted, so he tells Do-jae to bring her over for dinner. He wants to procure Se-kye for his daughter, but Do-jae informs Gramps that there are things in this world that you can’t buy with money.

After their round, the directors bring Do-jae a glass of juice, and Do-jae suspects that they spiked it. He tells Secretary Jung to take the first sip, but Secretary Jung says that he’s not paid enough to be susceptible to these threats, lol.

Director Kim tells Do-jae that Sa-ra attended the airline representatives’ meeting as their first woman representative attendee and mocks Sa-ra for being obsequious at the meeting. He says that Do-jae needs to learn that ambition from her.

Do-jae corrects Director Kim’s reference to Sa-ra by pointing out that he forgot to add -nim (a formal suffix to show respect) to her name. He says that an airline owner deserves that level of respect and that his sister’s excellence doesn’t need compliments from a person of Director Kim’s status. Do-jae grabs the juice and makes Director Kim flinch, but he stops himself and warns him that Sa-ra would have thrown the glass itself.

At the movie production retreat, Yoo-ri reads her lines and excuses herself to go to the bathroom just as she starts her lines with Se-kye. When she returns, Se-kye starts up again, but Yoo-ri deliberately tries to annoy Se-kye by interrupting and suggesting that the team wrap up for the day.

Yoo-ri orders her team to bring in her treat — boxes of her sponsored soju — but Se-kye isn’t one to lose this battle. She orders Woo-mi inside with boxes of her sponsored soju, and they stand facing off with their soju.

Se-kye calls Eun-ho about her dog and asks where he’s living. When he says that he’s living as a slave, working at his owner’s house and sleeping in the cupboard, Se-kye offers to buy him a house. He requests cash instead, and Se-kye quickly retreats from the conversation.

Sa-ra arrives at the café where Eun-ho is working, and he bribes her with a little box of chocolates, saying that she does good work. He asks if she likes dogs and says that good people like dogs. He flashes his money-making smile.

Do-jae enters the airline representatives’ meeting, where they’ve hosted a newbie actress to entertain them. Do-jae has never attended before, despite their constant invitations, and he says that he was in the mood for a drink. He pours a glass of wine for a representative and continues to overfill the glass as it spills onto the table.

Once the bottle is empty, Do-jae says that he’s poured enough alcohol for whoever needs to fill his seat. He tells the representative to stop inviting them to these useless meetings, as he and Sa-ra are not the type to waste their time there. He offers to pay the bill and walks out like a boss.

Eun-ho cleans the house while Sa-ra tries to do work with Se-kye’s dog barking on the couch next to her. When the doorbell rings, Sa-ra assumes that Eun-ho invited another unwelcome guest since she has no friends, but Eun-ho sees that it’s her brother, Do-jae. Sa-ra rushes Eun-ho and the dog into his room to stay hidden.

When Sa-ra greets Do-jae at the door, he confesses that he admonished the airline representatives at the meeting. She yells at him as they enter the house, and Do-jae says that she should have yelled like this at the meeting. Cue a call from Representative Kim, who accuses Sa-ra for being a tattling damsel in distress, and Sa-ra uses this opportunity to berate the representative for his ignorance. Do-jae smiles in approval.

She disses the representative by saying he’s too ignorant to even realize he should be ashamed and hangs up. She blames Do-jae for causing this confrontation and clarifies that it’s not that she couldn’t say those harsh words — she chose not to. Do-jae knows that she’s good at berating others and tells her to live doing what she’s good at because he can’t stand seeing her lose to others.

Sa-ra asks what right he has to say this, and Do-jae reminds her that he’s her brother and has been for the past ten years. Sa-ra’s fierce glance softens the slightest bit, but their sibling moment is interrupted by a bark. Eun-ho quickly silences the dog, and Sa-ra insists that Do-jae misheard her cough as a bark. She suspiciously blocks his path, and Do-jae agrees to leave, telling Sa-ra to thank him later and to introduce him to the dog owner at some point.

After Do-jae leaves, Sa-ra looks distressed that she’s revealed another weakness to her brother, and Eun-ho tries to cheer her up with another little box of chocolates and a smile.

At the movie retreat, Se-kye goes on a walk with Director Lee and apologizes for ruining the mood for the production team. He asks if she’s eaten anything, and Se-kye admits that she hasn’t, as the script reading has made her sensitive. Director Lee notes that she’s the same Se-kye, and he knows that she’d rather take insults than make exhausting excuses.

Director Lee sympathizes that she must feel wronged by these false perceptions, but Se-kye says that she’s used to it. Even though it doesn’t get easier, Se-kye also has no choice.

Director Lee recalls Se-kye’s audition and her explanation that she killed the character out of pity. He asks if Se-kye refuses to pity herself because she fears she would kill herself. He comforts her by saying, “You could kill someone out of pity, but you could also embrace someone out of pity. Life is different than a movie, so just embrace yourself. Or find someone to embrace you.” He tells her to enjoy the evening stars before returning, and he leaves.

Se-kye looks up to the stars, noting how they all seem to be twinkling to lift her spirits. She ruminates on Director Lee’s advice to find someone to embrace her, which to her means someone who will recognize her.

When Se-kye returns to the team dinner, she finds Yoo-ri drinking with male production staff. Yoo-ri asks to take a break from drinking, but a director wants to record her drinking on his phone. When she hesitates, the staff accuse her of breaking the mood, so she offers to drink from the soju bottle.

Rolling her eyes in disgust at the scene, Se-kye takes the bottle from Yoo-ri and downs it. She scornfully offers to be their counterpart if they want to continue this roleplay, but the male staff remain silent. Se-kye walks out, and Yoo-ri looks alarmed by the intrusion.

Se-kye stumbles down the stairs, having drunk the soju on an empty stomach. She sits on the steps to answer a call from her mother, who asks about Do-jae. Her mom notices her slurring, and Se-kye drunkenly asks what it was like to date her father. Mom tells her that there wasn’t much — he suddenly appeared, suddenly became intimate, suddenly made her fall in love, and suddenly left.

Se-kye says that Dad was wrong to suddenly appear and suddenly become intimate, but Mom says that it’s worse to suddenly make her fall in love and suddenly leave. Mom suspects that Se-kye fought with her boyfriend, but Se-kye simply says that she was curious how other people date. She lies that she’s happy in her relationship, and Mom seems happy for her.

Sensing her tears coming, Se-kye quickly hangs up and hangs her head in dejection. Then, she lifts her head, pissed about her heartbreak.

Do-jae answers a video call from Se-kye, who drunkenly asks why he hasn’t called her. He explains that Se-kye claimed to be busy with work, but Se-kye argues that he should have kept calling her instead of making her call first. She expresses her annoyance with him suddenly appearing and suddenly becoming intimate.

Do-jae asks where she’s at, and Se-kye voice breaks as she admits that although she wants him to appear in front of her, she wants to stop now. She wipes away her tears and says that she hates how foolish she’s become. Then, someone grabs her from behind, and Do-jae loses her.

Se-kye faces angry Yoo-ri, who shoves her for the undue interference. Se-kye notes that Yoo-ri didn’t look comfortable and explains that whatever disrespect the lead actress allows only multiplies for other actresses.

Noticing Do-jae’s call, Se-kye tries to reach for her phone on the ground, but Yoo-ri pulls her away. The sudden movement makes Se-kye dizzy, and Yoo-ri continues to rebuke her despite Se-kye’s request to table the conversation. As her vision blurs, Se-kye collapses, but Yoo-ri thinks she’s acting. Yoo-ri eventually realizes that Se-kye actually fainted and calls for help while Se-kye’s phone continues to ring.

Se-kye wakes up in the hospital, and Woo-mi scolds her for drinking after starving herself. Then, Do-jae walks into the hospital room, and Woo-mi explains that he called her because Se-kye wasn’t answering her phone. Before Do-jae can talk to her, Se-kye storms out of the room.

Do-jae finds Se-kye on the roof, but Se-kye denies that it’s her. He knows that she’s Se-kye, and she complains about the capricious nature of his recognition. Do-jae reminds her that they agreed not to run away, and Se-kye demands that they break their contracts. He complies and calls Secretary Jung to release the news about their break-up.

Se-kye asks why Do-jae kissed her, and he asks her the same question. She asks if he really doesn’t know, and he admits that he doesn’t because he’s unfamiliar with this and at guessing something he can’t see. He hates himself for this, and says that he hasn’t loved himself ever since the day he acquired his condition.

Do-jae share the two responses to their kiss: “Sorry” or “I love you.” He doesn’t want to apologize, which means he only has one other option, but he couldn’t say those words. Tightening his fists in self-loathing, he asks, “How could I say those words when I’m such a mess?”

As she cries, Se-kye tells him to say those words anyway because she’s also a mess. Do-jae warns her that if they name this feeling, then they won’t be able to pull back or forget this for a long time. She responds, “I wouldn’t forget anyway, even if I die, because you recognized me.”

Do-jae steps toward her and asks if she’s really fine with him. Se-kye can’t believe his sincerity and tells him to prove that he means it. So Do-jae wipes away her tears and goes in for the kiss.

 
COMMENTS

Squeeee! I love me some good romantic angst with a rewarding payoff at the end. Much of the angst came from the contrast in Se-kye and Do-jae’s respective paces in navigating their sudden intimacy, with Se-kye jumping to the next immediate conclusion and Do-jae patiently trying to express himself. Se-kye’s temperamental responses were super entertaining and relatable, and I absolutely love the versatility of Seo Hyun-jin being able to deliver a haughty top star one moment followed by a bumbling drunk demanding attention from her crush the next. Do-jae was the more thoughtful counterpart to Se-kye’s turmoil, and his careful approach to Se-kye at the end was heartwarming and heartbreaking. His rooftop confession encapsulated his fear and uncertainties with not just recognizing someone, but also reading someone’s emotions. I think that confession did a great job of illuminating the frightening nature of something that many of us take for granted.

Though the romance was in the spotlight, I appreciated the elaboration on family relationships alongside the romance. Do-jae’s relationship with Sa-ra has always seemed tense and nothing like family, but the protective gesture by Do-jae broke that illusion. Do-jae’s interruption of the airline boys’ club transcended their rivalry, and it was so satisfying to see both siblings essentially give the airline reps a big fat middle finger. That accurate portrayal of the sibling relationship showed that Do-jae actually cares for Sa-ra as a sister — you can complain and diss your sibling all you want, but when someone else disrespects your sibling, they are going down.

Se-kye’s brief conversations with her mother and father-figure Director Lee were also a highlight, as we could see how Se-kye’s world was framed by them. Director Lee’s warmth in his observations of Se-kye was a nice change-up from his groundless unforgiving demeanor, and I liked how he urged Se-kye to be gentler to herself. She tightens up like a prickly porcupine at any sign of harm, which was apparent in her distant business persona when addressing Do-jae after the kiss. I hope she takes those words to heart, to allow herself to be vulnerable so that she can embrace herself and be embraced by someone who suddenly appeared and suddenly became intimate with her.

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