My Strange Hero: Episodes 27-28

by SailorJumun

Seolsong High has begun to fall apart at the seams, with the baddies scrambling to put it back together and our heroes fighting to start anew. And with both sides equally determined, it looks like there may be no ending this dangerous tug of war. If only our heroes had one more person to make their side stronger.

 
EPISODE 27 RECAP

Se-ho walks up to the roof’s ledge, where Chae-min stands, and tells him to go ahead and kill himself. Behind him, Bok-soo and Soo-jung watch, dumbfounded. With a shaky voice, Se-ho continues that whether Chae-min lives or dies, he’ll regret jumping. For one, no one will bother remembering him, and second, it won’t fix whatever mistake he made–nothing will.

When Chae-min starts hyperventilating, Bok-soo steps forward and tells Se-ho to stop talking nonsense. “As long as you’re alive,” Bok-soo says, “you can always start over.” He turns to Chae-min and reassures him that he can live differently now; he’ll have plenty of chances. He holds out his hand and urges Chae-min to take it. And though Chae-min is looking more frightened than ever, he slowly reaches out and lets Bok-soo guide him down.

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Same rooftop, different conclusion

Bok-soo brings him into a tight hug, telling him that he did well and that he’s free to cry. Chae-min does just that, still shaking like a leaf, while Soo-jung sighs with relief and Se-ho looks on with sadness.

Later, Soo-jung and Bok-soo discuss how there will always be a Se-ho or a Chae-min if the adults continue ruining these kids’ lives. They just feel lucky that they were able to save Chae-min.

After hearing about Chae-min’s suicide attempt, the Wildflower kids are really worried about him. Suddenly determined, Young-min leaves for the Ivy class and wordlessly retrieves Chae-min’s belongings.

Young-min sees Chae-min following his mom out of the school and catches up to hand him his backpack. He then reminds Chae-min that he was once like him, obsessed with his grades, until Bok-soo taught him that he was the only one who could free himself. He sincerely hopes that Chae-min can become free as well.

Bok-soo heads outside and finds Se-ho looking up at the roof, no doubt thinking about the past. He approaches him and asks, “If I had saved you back then, would things be different now?” But Se-ho reminds him that that day, he purposely let go of Bok-soo’s hand.

So, Bok-soo figures, Se-ho was trying to run away from himself. Bok-soo says that he’s felt that way too, but it’s time that Se-ho stop running away before he really does something he’ll regret. Se-ho sighs, actually letting Bok-soo’s words sink in for once.

Principal Kim heads over to the police station for interrogation, still insisting that he’s the only one responsible. The prosecutor isn’t buying any of it, that is, until someone comes by and hands him a note. After that, he sends Kim home instead of throwing him in jail.

Bok-soo meets with this prosecutor to tell him that Kim couldn’t have hoarded all the money, but the prosecutor replies that the case is pretty much over. Yeah, not on Bok-soo’s watch; he rejoins Gyung-hyun and Min-ji to come up with the next plan. And since Chairwoman Im is clearly pulling all the strings, she’s become Enemy #1.

Chairwoman Im is with a few of her supporters, thanking them for handling the investigation for her. Since that’s all dealt with, she can’t wait to start developing Seolsong University.

She then takes Se-ho’s office as her own, ordering the secretary to fire anyone Se-ho hired. Unfortunately (or fortunately), that includes Kim Myung-ho. And since Kim has done so much dirty work that could get him into trouble, he can’t say much.

Vice Principal Song informs Soo-jung that the chairwoman wants her to transfer Young-min and Seung-woo to the Ivy class right away. Before Soo-jung can argue, she’s called in to the chairwoman’s office.

When she enters the office, Chairwoman Im tosses a stack of photos her way–the pictures of her and Bok-soo. Im won’t tolerate having a whistleblower in her school, so she threatens Soo-jung not to testify.

Soo-jung merely smiles and drops a resignation letter on Im’s desk. She says that she already broke up with Bok-soo, so Im can’t use him against her. “And please don’t speak to me informally, Chairwoman,” she says, heading for the door. “You should keep your manners.” Daaaang, girl. You rock.

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When blackmail becomes a couple pictorial

Im smirks at Soo-jung’s boldness, thinking she’ll just have to use another method. And the very next day, Bok-soo’s past blows up all over the internet. Everyone learns that he’d been kicked out for violence and that he’s dating a teacher.

Gyung-hyun calls Bok-soo to give him the heads-up, but he already knows. He tells his friend that he can handle it. However, as Bok-soo makes his way down the hall, past his whispering classmates, he’s reminded of the day he was escorted down that same hall by the police.

He starts to lose his composure as he remembers his mom begging every other high school to accept him. Soo-jung, having read all the news articles, hurries out to the hall and sees Bok-soo near tears.

She’s about to step forward when the Wildflower boys catch up to Bok-soo and jokingly ask why he’s looking so serious. They walk him the rest of the way down, so Soo-jung steps back, relieved to see him smiling again.

Meanwhile, in the teachers’ office, some teachers find it hard to believe that Bok-soo would’ve hurt someone, while others believe he’s fully capable.

Having heard enough, Teacher Ma slams his fists on his desk and exclaims that Bok-soo isn’t that kind of person. In fact, Ma continues, Bok-soo is a much better person than all the teachers in Seolsong; at least Bok-soo is trying to fix what’s broken.

In the Wildflower class, the kids surround Bok-soo and chide him for getting caught. They tried so hard to keep his relationship with Soo-jung a secret. Bok-soo’s eyes widen, as do Seung-woo’s–everyone knew?

They all grin, saying Bok-soo and Soo-jung were way too obvious. Cameraman Do-hyun even got some of their lovey-dovey moments on film, haha.

Bok-soo laughs, though he does wonder why the kids aren’t asking about what happened nine years ago. In-ho quickly chimes in to defend his uncle, but it turns out he doesn’t have to.

“Do we really have to ask?” Seung-woo says. Young-min agrees, saying they already know what kind of person he is based on the glass booth incident. They tell him to just worry about his love life.

At that, Bok-soo states that they broke up, and the kids are all like Uh-huh, suuuure. They stare at him knowingly, and he can’t help but laugh again.

EPISODE 28 RECAP

Knowing Bok-soo will be feeling down, Gyung-hyun and Min-ji suggest Soo-jung go cheer him up. They lend her the company van and credit card and send her on her way.

She surprises Bok-soo at his house, nearly running him over, to take him away for the day. And though he’s terrified of her reckless driving, he quietly mentions that he’s always wanted to go on a school trip. Since his wish is her command, she slams on the gas and happily says they’ll visit the beach.

On the way, they get a snack at a rest stop, and Bok-soo tells Soo-jung to order more if she’d like. But he regrets those words when she goes back and forth with way too many treats for him to try. And back in Seoul, Gyung-hyun fumes to see all the purchases they’re making on the credit card.

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Soo-jung’s school trip (featuring a terrified Bok-soo)

Now that Bok-soo is exceptionally full, they’re ready for the beach. They walk by the water, sweetly holding hands before chasing after each other (though Bok-soo is no match for Soo-jung’s speed, lol).

When night falls, they set up a fire, and Soo-jung explains what else people do on these trips. She can’t be sure, though, since she couldn’t bring herself to participate in school activities after Bok-soo was expelled. She then reveals that she handed in her resignation letter.

She’s sorry for not being able to stay with him at school, so she promises to give him all of her time from here on out. “Let’s start over, Bok-soo,” she says. “Our second first love.” And she doesn’t have to tell him twice–he instantly brings her into his arms and kisses her. They stay like that, smiling at each other by the waves.

Back at the Kang restaurant, Mom hears a customer walk in and is surprised to see that it’s Teacher Park, all cleaned up and dressed in a suit. Ssaem! I missed you!

Mom sits him down and expresses how sorry she is that he lost his job, but he tells her not to worry about it; he did what he had to do to protect Bok-soo. And besides, he’s about to start something new, and he’d love her support.

Once Bok-soo returns from his trip with Soo-jung, he meets with Park as well and chides him for worrying them and for contacting his mom first. He reminds Park that his mom has high standards, and Park just smiles, saying he’s a good catch.

Soo-jung returns to her house and stops short when she sees Se-ho there waiting for her. She’s not really in the mood to talk, but he insists that he has one last thing to tell her. After that, he won’t bother her anymore.

He takes out her resignation letter, explaining that his secretary gave it to him. She says that she wanted to give it to him anyway, since he’s the one who hired her full-time, but he says that he wanted to return it.

To her confusion, he continues that he didn’t release Bok-soo’s past online. And he knows she may not believe this, but his feelings for her were real. She starts to cut in, so he quickly admits that he wronged her and Bok-soo many times.

He tries to reassure her that she’s a good teacher, but she says that it doesn’t change the fact that she gave Kim Myung-ho her money. Plus, she’d prefer dating Bok-soo without feeling ashamed.

Her voice softening, she encourages Se-ho to admit his wrongdoings to Bok-soo as well; it would be better if he showed him with actions rather than words. With that, she walks away, leaving the resignation letter with him.

Se-ho rips up the letter before walking away too. Afterwards, he secretly meets his secretary and learns of Seolsong’s upcoming hearing. His mom will be present, and she still has no idea that Se-ho knows all her secrets.

The next day, Chae-min waits outside the main office, listening to the teachers inform his mom of his expulsion. Soo-jung joins him and reveals that she also made a big mistake when she was younger. However, she waited until the issue got bigger and bigger, whereas Chae-min was able to nip his issue in the bud.

“You’ll become a much better adult than I am,” she says with a smile. He simply turns to her and thanks her for stopping him. His mom then steps out, sees Soo-jung and says she should be ashamed for ruining a student’s life. But Chae-min grabs his mom and states that he’s more ashamed of everything they did.

Elsewhere, Se-ho meets with Teacher Park, greeting him in a more respectable manner than usual. Park smiles and says that he missed him.

Min-ji visits Gyung-hyun at their office to gift him a scarf, acting all flirty again. She wraps it around his neck, and he gets a burst of courage, saying that this is their real first kiss. But before their lips meet, Bok-soo and Soo-jung come in and make them break apart.

As Min-ji stumbles her way through a lame excuse, another person opens the door. All four turn in surprise to find none other than Se-ho.

The day of the hearing comes, and the room is filled with reporters, as well as a determined Soo-jung and annoyed Chairwoman Im. Im’s jaw drops, however, when Teacher Park enters the room and takes his seat as the official chairperson. *gasp* No way! This was your new job?

Park commences the hearing, stating that they’ll have a huge focus on the witnesses due to the seriousness of today’s issue. The first witness to speak is Chae-min’s mom, who explains that she only made her donations to Seolsong because the principal and chairwoman offered to help her son.

Next up is Kim Myung-ho, who admits that the principal made him scam all the teachers. But looking at Chairwoman Im, Kim states that he and the principal were only instruments who did what they were told.

When Soo-jung takes the stand, she admits that she fell for Kim’s scams. And she repeats what Kim said–the one with all the authority isn’t them but Chairwoman Im. Moving on, Teacher Park calls in the final witness, while in a different location, Se-ho faces another group of reporters.

Se-ho announces that he’ll be talking about Seolsong’s controversy as the former director, as well as the “victim” of Kang Bok-soo’s case. And back at the hearing, Bok-soo takes the stand as the final witness, a folder full of evidence in hand.

He presents that evidence on the big screen, showing a picture of the Seolsong University construction site. Chairwoman Im nearly bolts up from shock, having thought her plans were a well-kept secret.

Listed as the site’s owner, Bok-soo continues, is Im’s younger brother. Im tries to lie that she doesn’t have a younger brother, but Bok-soo cuts in that her parents’ divorce could’ve taken him off their family registry.

Bok-soo concludes his testimony by revealing that the cost of the construction site is the exact amount that Seolsong High received throughout its corruption. He hopes that the law won’t let the school take advantage of the country like this.

Teacher Park then has to question Chairwoman Im, as she’s now suspected of embezzling tax money, but Im claims that Bok-soo’s word can’t be trusted. She says that Bok-soo attempted to kill her son and that he only returned to school for revenge.

Furious, Soo-jung stands and reveals that she recently heard from the victim himself that he intentionally jumped. And she can say with full confidence that Bok-soo isn’t a bad person.

Im glares at Soo-jung and says that her word can’t be trusted either–she’s dating Bok-soo while he’s a student. The statement takes everyone aback, and Im smirks, thinking she’s won.

As the cameras flash all around them, Soo-jung struggles to speak up. But she doesn’t let any of the judgement in the room intimidate her. She faces Im again and answers, “Yes, that’s right. I love Kang Bok-soo.”

Bok-soo looks up at her with surprise, but it’s already been said. And it looks like Soo-jung will be standing her ground.

  
COMMENTS

Oh, My Strange Hero. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love that it was Bok-soo that talked Chae-min down and not Se-ho. It would’ve been nice having Se-ho finally become the big hero, but it wouldn’t have made sense with his character at the time. Not only did the actual outcome make sense, but it also served as a huge turning point for all of our characters. Chae-min realized that a second chance was worth living for, Se-ho realized that, what the heck, a one-hundredth chance was still possible, and Bok-soo was more than willing to help them take these chances. But as we’ve learned so far, Bok-soo can only do so much. Chae-min and Se-ho have to take the necessary steps to recovery themselves, and they’ve already accomplished so much by simply accepting their mistakes.

I love that in Bok-soo’s moment of weakness, his Wildflower buds (har) were there to steady him. I might even go as far to say that this is my favorite ensemble in a school drama to date. The Wildflowers are obviously very lovable, but I also enjoy the complexities of the Ivy students, the goofiness of the childlike teachers, and, of course, the fearless four themselves, the Your Favors gang. The sense of community in this drama is overwhelming, in the best way, which I find incredible since the beginning felt pretty dark and lonely. We were solely focused on three characters, all of whom were stuck in their own bubble of pain and resentment, and we gradually worked our way up to this point. How amazing is that?

I love, love, LOVE that Teacher Park came back even better than ever. I thought it was satisfying when he met with Mama Kang, Bok-soo, and later, Se-ho, but nothing tops that epic entrance at the start of the hearing. I’m not exactly sure how he could’ve obtained that job, and it almost seems too easy to be realistic, but I don’t care. That scene was awesome. I do hope, however, that we get more from the scene with Park and Se-ho. That was the first time in a long time that we got to see Se-ho in casual clothes with his hair down. It was like seeing the younger Se-ho again, especially when he greeted Park with a respectful bow. And to have Se-ho acting like Park’s former student instead of his boss… I need more. I need apologies, I need emotions, the whole shebang.

And finally, I love where all of this is going. This tug of war between our heroes and the baddies has been entertaining, but it’s about time that the characters we love get the upper hand. Chairwoman Im has put these kids through enough. She’s put her own freaking son through enough. Thankfully, Bok-soo and his friends are one giant step closer to freeing everyone from Im’s grasp.

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