Was It Love: Episode 5

by lovepark

After accomplishing what seemed like an impossible task, our protagonist’s dreams of producing her own movie don’t sound so farfetched anymore. However, every step forward is met with a new obstacle, but it’ll take a lot more than that to make her give up. With some new allies by her side, there’s no where but up for our protagonist to go.

 
EPISODE 5 RECAP

On the school roof, Dae-oh and Yeon-woo grab Ae-jung’s arms and glare at each other. Recognizing Dae-oh’s name from Ae-jung’s past, Yeon-woo stands his ground and refuses to leave. Exasperated with their petty battle, Ae-jung yells at them to stop and orders Yeon-woo to go back to the classroom.

While the rooftop standoff transpires, Ryu Jin arrives at school and runs into Ha-nee. She cries at the sight of him and announces her identity as his daughter. He breaks into tears as well and tells Ha-nee to call him dad. Alas, the teary reunion is merely a figment of his imagination, and in reality, Ha-nee is dry-eyed and down to business.

Surrounded by a crowd of angry mothers, Yeon-woo takes responsibility for the missing lecturer, but the other parents blame Ae-jung. As their grumbles get louder, Ha-nee appears, and everyone gapes as Ryu Jin walks towards them. Ha-nee stammers while trying to explain the situation, so Ryu Jin places a reassuring hand on her shoulder and introduces himself.

Still on the rooftop, Ae-jung asks Dae-oh why he’s causing such a ruckus, and he admits to being curious about her. Since she promised to tell him the reason for their breakup, he wants to hear it now, starting with her husband. Ae-jung tells him that he died, and her answer shuts him up immediately. She asks that he never mention it again, and Dae-oh hangs his head in shame.

Much to Ha-nee’s disdain, her classmates are curious about Ryu Jin’s love life, specifically his first love. Ae-jung enters the classroom at that moment, and everything around Ryu Jin seems to disappear as he locks eyes with her. He tells the class that his first love helped him become an actor, and the rest of the room is oblivious to the overtone except for Ha-nee and Yeon-woo.

After the lecture, Ha-nee asks Dong-chan who she resembles more between the two father-candidates, but he doesn’t know. Instead, he asks who she likes more, and this time, Ha-nee is the one who is lost for words.

While Ryu Jin signs autographs, Manager Myung pushes his way into the classroom and cuts the impromptu fan meeting short. Though Ryu Jin protests, he quickly shuts his mouth when Manager Myung shows him the online posts speculating that he might be a father.

As Manager Myung drives away, Ae-jung pops out of nowhere and blocks their van. She thinks that they came to accept her proposal, and before Manager Myung can object, Ryu Jin gets out to talk to her. He explains to his manager that they went to university together, and Ae-jung smiles, happy to see him after all these years.

She asks how he knew about the lecture today, but Ryu Jin stumbles for an answer since Ha-nee pleads with him from the back to keep their meeting a secret. As he darts back and forth between all the faces staring up at him, Ryu Jin blurts out, “I’ll do it, the movie.”

After they leave the school, Manager Myung lists all the problems this may cause, but Ryu Jin has bigger worries on his mind. He asks his manager what would happen if he had a child, and Manager Myung tells him that his career would be over.

Grasping onto straws, Ryu Jin wonders if some people might find him admirable for taking responsibility. Manager Myung laughs nervously at his hypothetical scenario and asks if one of the students is his child. When Ryu Jin doesn’t answer, Manager Myung slams the breaks in the middle of the road and begs Ryu Jin to deny it.

At school, Yeon-woo texts Ae-jung if she’s okay but decides not to send it. His indecision reminds him of the past when he first practiced his confession. Back in 2006, college-aged Yeon-woo traveled over an hour to take a class with Ae-jung, but she seemed unaware of his feelings. Unfortunately, the day he planned to confess was also the day he learned about her boyfriend, Dae-oh.

With all the investment requirements met, Ae-jung holds a party with Hye-jin at Sook-hee’s bar, but apparently, Hye-jin thought she meant a celebration with everyone. However, it’s too late to cancel since all the men have arrived. While Dae-oh, Ryu Jin and Pa-do wait for the ladies to join them, they exchange greetings—though it’s mostly Dae-oh throwing some not-so-veiled barbs at their investor.

Ae-jung goes to the back to grab a bottle, and Ryu Jin follows after her. She thanks him for the help—with the bottle as well as her movie—but he apologizes for not contacting her sooner. Registering his look of concern, she reassures Ryu Jin that she’s happy with her life, and he agrees with her statement.

Hye-jin leaves the table to retrieve Ae-jung and Ryu Jin, which leaves only Dae-oh and Pa-do behind. With his silly competitiveness flaring up, Dae-oh is even peeved that Pa-do is a better drinker. Pa-do explains that it’s the best cure for his insomnia, which spurs Dae-oh to ask how many terrible things he committed to not be able to sleep.

His comment hits a nerve, and Pa-do finally confronts Dae-oh, asking if he has a problem with him. Dae-oh doesn’t deny it, but before their conversation turns into an argument, Sook-hee appears and defuses the situation.

With everyone gathered, Ae-jung thanks Pa-do for investing, but Dae-oh scoffs, accusing Pa-do for being more troublesome than helpful. Instead of expressing their gratitude, the party becomes a fight over who was the most difficult, but Hye-jin puts a stop to it all: “The three of you are all the same.”

Hye-jin begins her drunken tirade, going down the list for each man and explaining the pain they caused Ae-jung. Both Ryu Jin and Dae-oh were a pain to recruit, and as for Pa-do, he was simply “too scary” according to Hye-jin. Pfft, only Pa-do could make flowers and a letter threatening.

While Ae-jung and Hye-jin reaffirm their friendship, Pa-do offers to pay the tab to show his appreciation towards Ae-jung. Not to be outdone, Ryu Jin asks for an expensive bottle, and Sook-hee chuckles at their antics.

Ae-jung ends up roaring drunk, so the three men help her home—Ryu Jin and Dae-oh are tasked with carrying her while Pa-do holds her bag and acts as their navigator. After getting directions from Hye-jin, Pa-do finds the right house, but to his surprise, he runs into Yeon-woo who’s taking out the trash.

Grandma is shocked to find her daughter intoxicated and asks Yeon-woo to bring her inside. Turning to the three men, she thanks them for taking care of her daughter and invites them inside for a drink. Ha-nee comes outside to check out the commotion, but stops in her tracks when she spots Ryu Jin.

Receiving a text from his manager, Ryu Jin declines Grandma’s offer, which disappoints Ha-nee. As Ryu Jin grabs the others to leave, Pa-do asks for a moment and quickly returns Ae-jung’s bag before letting himself be herded away.

Yeon-woo gently lays Ae-jung on her bed and tucks her in for the night. Flailing around, she grabs his sweater and pulls him forward. He catches himself at the last moment, and their faces end up almost touching. The close proximity makes his heart thump, and Yeon-woo bolts up to regain his composure.

Once Ryu Jin returns to the office, he reads a text message from Ha-nee asking if he’s avoiding her. While he contemplates on her words, Manager Myung calls him, but Ryu Jin doesn’t heed his warnings as he enters CEO Song’s room.

As soon as Ryu Jin enters, the staff erupts into cheers, and CEO Song congratulates him on his Hollywood debut. She immediately picks up on his lackluster response, so Ryu Jin admits the truth: he’s not going to Hollywood.

It goes over as well as you’d think (a.k.a., very poorly), and CEO Song raises the cake to chuck at Manager Myung. Ryu Jin steps in and tells her to throw it at him since he’s the one to blame. To prove his decision is final, Ryu Jin calls a reporter and tells him that he’s not going to Hollywood. In a rage, CEO Song flings his phone to the ground, but it’s too late.

The next morning, Grandma makes Ae-jung soup and treats her warmly, but it only scares Ae-jung more. Grandma asks why she kept her wonderful work environment a secret, and the details of last night finally come back to her.

While Grandma gushes about the handsome men, Ha-nee jumps in to talk about Ryu Jin and his lecture. She mentions his story about his first love and gauges Ae-jung’s reaction for any clues. She then asks her mom about her type, and Grandma tells her that Ae-jung takes after her and likes big facial features.

When Grandma comments on the three men last night, Ae-jung vehemently denies any romantic connotations and claims to not like that style. Ha-nee says that she must not resemble her dad, then, and the whole table grows quiet. She nonchalantly points out that her facial features are large which isn’t Ae-jung’s type and leaves to go to school.

On her way to work, Ae-jung crosses path with Yeon-woo who’s on his morning run. She asks how Ha-nee is doing at school and wonders if attending parent meetings might help her daughter. Yeon-woo tells her not to worry since Ha-nee is adjusting well, and asks if something is bothering Ae-jung.

His question raises flags, and Ae-jung asks if she made a mistake last night. Yeon-woo thinks back to the incident on her bed and doesn’t outright refute it. She apologizes for her behavior, promising to make it up to him, and runs away. Yeon-woo trails after her, asking what she’ll do, and suggests going out to the movies as they promised before.

After receiving a call, Ae-jung goes to a café to meet with CEO Song and Manager Myung. She thanks them for letting Ryu Jin act in her movie and assures them that she knows when he shines the brightest. However, her words have the opposite effect, and CEO Song describes Ae-jung as just another freeloader who wants something from her star.

In order for Ae-jung to prove that her movie is worth more than a Hollywood debut, CEO Song wants her to cast a famous actress opposite Ryu Jin. She gives her a list of approved actresses, and Ae-jung informs the others of the new condition.

It’s clear to everyone that it’s an impossible task aimed to stop their production, but Ae-jung refuses to give up. She tells the others that she can do it, though she doesn’t reveal the fact of another stipulation: If Ae-jung fails, then she is now responsible for the cost of Ryu Jin breaching his Hollywood contract.

The three men meet outside where Ryu Jin and Pa-do take turns placing the blame on themselves. They offer to solve the problem, but Dae-oh stops them since either of their involvement would scratch Ae-jung’s pride. On the other hand, his meddling would be justified since he’s the director.

When asked what he’ll do, Dae-oh admits that he doesn’t have a plan yet, and the others scoff at his naiveite. The once enemies now tag-team to drag Dae-oh and point out his lack of connections to make this casting a reality.

At work, Yeon-woo looks up Writer Cheon when announcements are made. The school needs a new PTA representative, which reminds Yeon-woo of Ae-jung’s comment earlier. He raises his hand to volunteer, but Teacher Jang does as well.

The two fight over the position by playing rock-paper-scissors, and Ha-nee witnesses it all from the classroom. She shakes her head at her teacher but is even more frustrated with Ryu Jin for ignoring her calls. Dong-chan suggests the possibility of Ryu Jin having a secret he can’t reveal, which piques her interest.

After crossing off all but one name on the list, Ae-jung’s only choice is top star JOO AH-RIN (Dasom). She and Hye-jin hope to meet her at a pop-up store event since all the other potential actors are either pregnant, getting married, or under flak for DUIs.

As predicted, Ah-rin is at the mall for the event, and with her manager’s directing, she poses for the hidden cameras snapping her picture. To help her public image as “Asia’s angel,” Manager Do suggests a photo opportunity with a crying child, so Ah-rin approaches the child, fully aware of the cameras flashing around her.

She crouches down to calm the child but reels back when she notices the melted ice cream all over her face. Keeping her smile, Ah-rin whispers at the child to stay away, but the crying toddler waddles over to her and hugs her.

In the privacy of her van, Ah-rin drops the act and blames Manager Do for the botched photo-op. She pulls out a cigarette, and her manager reminds her that she’s the anti-smoking ambassador. That doesn’t stop her from smoking, so Manager Do leaves to empty the tumbler full of cigarette butts.

Ae-jung and Hye-rin find Manager Do in the parking garage, but as they hand him their script, Ah-rin’s fan club interrupts their meeting. As the gang of pink-cladded, diehard fans come stampeding towards them, Manager Do runs back to the car, leaving Ae-jung and Hye-jin to fend for themselves.

Seeing Ae-jung return to the office emptyhanded, Dae-oh comments on how CEO Song only gave them a list of unavailable actors. Ae-jung refuses to believe this was a set-up, which makes Dae-oh sigh. Hye-jin wonders if his annoyance is actually worry, but both Ae-jung and Dae-oh deny it.

As they leave for work, Dae-oh reiterates to Ae-jung that he’s not worried about her and warns her not to fall in love with him. When she points out that he isn’t that great, Dae-oh argues that he’s pretty tall… and then instantly regrets it after remembering the heights of all the other suitors.

He admits that he’s average in height but not when it comes to appearances. Ae-jung gives him a withering look, and Dae-oh backs down once more. As the four men stand in a lineup, Dae-oh bends down in defeat.

Refusing to give up, Dae-oh claims that sensibility is what’s really important in a man, and he has plenty of it. It starts to rain as they talk, and Dae-oh offers to drive Ae-jung home. She turns him down and runs out into the rain.

As Ae-jung uses her bag as a shield, an umbrella suddenly appears above her. She looks up to see Dae-oh, and he tells her that he bought it. He explains that he couldn’t steal one again, and motions towards the patio umbrellas nearby. The image makes Ae-jung recall an old memory of Dae-oh, and it brings a smile to her face.

Though he tells her to take the umbrella, Ae-jung pushes it away and gets on the bus. Despite her attempts to keep him at a distance, Ae-jung is transported back to that rainy day when they were both young and in love.

Running late, Ae-jung decided to run through the rain with her backpack when Dae-oh came to her rescue. Holding a patio umbrella that he stole from the café, he offered to share it with her. He asked if she fell for him, and Ae-jung shuffled her feet, unable to respond.

Cutting their moment short, a café employee yelled at Dae-oh for stealing their umbrella, so they bolted. Grabbing Dae-oh’s arm, Ae-jung ran besides him, both of them smiling without a care in the world.

Dae-oh reads a proposal for a social media challenge, and to his editor’s disbelief, he accepts right away. In exchange, he wants to nominate anyone of his choosing.

Manager Myung arrives at Ryu Jin’s apartment and stumbles across his unguarded phone. Ha-nee texts him just then, asking if he knows her dad, and Manager Myung reads the messages with a grim face. He calls Ha-nee to ask her to not contact Ryu Jin anymore, and she listens with a sinking heart as he tells her to stop looking for her dad.

Ryu Jin overhears the last part of their conversation and snatches his phone out of his manager’s hand. Manager Myung defends his actions, but Ryu Jin yells at him to leave. He calls Ha-nee back to explain, but she cries at him for ordering her around and hangs up.

As Ryu Jin reads over Ha-nee’s messages, he thinks back to the day Ae-jung texted him to meet. Ryu Jin chased after Ae-jung in the rain, and once he caught her, she leaned into his shoulder and cried. The next morning, he woke up in his bed and found a note from Ae-jung, telling him to forget about last night.

Ah-rin’s manager interrupts her day off with big news: Writer Cheon nominated her for a challenge. A flash of recognition flitters across her face once she sees Dae-oh, and she pulls out her high school yearbook. Pointing at her old photo, she asks Manager Do if he would recognize her now, but he laughs at her old picture—earning himself a swift kick to the shin.

Manager Do tells her that no one would recognize her since she changed her name, age, and personality. That’s enough to satisfy Ah-rin, and she decides to do the project on the spot—clarifying to her surprised manager that she’s talking about the challenge, not the movie. She sends Dae-oh a direct message and asks to meet since it would be an honor to act in his movie.

Once he reads the message, Dae-oh questions Ah-rin’s response at first, doubting his own clout, but it doesn’t take much time for super-confident Dae-oh to return. He calls Ae-jung right away to share the good news, but her phone is off because she’s watching a movie with Yeon-woo.

In the theater, Yeon-woo stares at Ae-jung instead of the screen, but when she catches him looking at her, he shoves the entire container of popcorn into his mouth. Ae-jung points out a crumb on his face, and leans in to help him get it. The moment plays out in slow motion for Yeon-woo, and he falls in love with her all over again.

While Dae-oh calls Ae-jung for the umpteenth time, she waits at the bus stop with Yeon-woo. She asks him about the movie, but all his responses are one word and nondescript. When she complains, he tells her that he liked it, but Ae-jung seems to pick up on his connotations and turns away.

Ae-jung pulls out her phone as a distraction and notices all the missed calls from Dae-oh. As she excuses herself to make a call, Yeon-woo grabs her wrist. While the two of them stand there, a bus comes by and goes, leaving Ae-jung and Yeon-woo alone at the stop. Looking her in the eye, Yeon-woo tells her that he doesn’t remember what he watched. She doesn’t understand, so he confesses, “I like you a lot.”

Ae-jung stares at him, not saying a word, and from down the street, Dae-oh watches them from his rearview mirror. He scowls at the sight of them, and suddenly puts his car in reverse. Ae-jung gasps as the car comes speeding towards them, and Yeon-woo spins her away as they get splashed with water.

 
COMMENTS

There are moments where I love Dae-oh and find his childish behavior adorable, but then there are moments like the end of the episode where I want to keep him very far away from Ae-jung. All too often, Dae-oh acts like your stereotypical boy who pulls pigtails of the girl he likes as a show of affection, and society has conditioned its viewers to see this behavior as juvenile and harmless. He’s only doing it because he wants her attention, but his feelings for her shouldn’t excuse his questionable actions. No matter how much he loves her, bullying is still bullying. I wish the writer wouldn’t resort to these childish happenings to garner laughs because it destroys the characters. For the most part, Dae-oh is caring, sensitive, and earnest. He’s funny as a character because his vanity is his undoing yet it’s also his charm. He’s very confident in himself which allows him to be bold and daring. Unlike the others, he was the first to confess to Ae-jung by making himself an opportunity rather than waiting for it. He also didn’t let his lack of money stop him from being with her, and instead, he used it to his advantage to create a sweet memory. The umbrella scene was great, and it makes sense why Ae-jung fell in love with him all those years ago. Now I just want the show to address his possessiveness and jealousy in a healthier manner, and I’ll be completely aboard the Dae-oh ship.

On the whole, the show is at its best when it’s just being silly, and my favorite scenes this episode were the party and the subsequent quest to bring Ae-jung back home. Hye-jin and her drunken rant was hilarious as she accused all the men for being equally terrible. It made me chuckle that Pa-do’s sin was being “too scary” when all he did was send them flowers and a letter. No matter what he does, everyone casts a sinister light on his actions. Then in the following scene, we see scary Pa-do holding Ae-jung’s bag, which was made even funnier by how seriously he took this responsibility. Though Ryu Jin was trying to get everyone to leave, Pa-do remembered the bag and was determined to return it. The juxtaposition of a scary gangster handing over a purse to an older lady and her granddaughter was hilarious, and I hope we get more fish out of water moments for Pa-do (pun intended).

Besides Pa-do, I also liked Dae-oh in that scene. When they’re first bringing Ae-jung home, Dae-oh gets mad at Pa-do for telling them where to go even though he’s their navigator, and it perfectly encompasses how petty and idiotic Dae-oh can be. He’s such a simpleton, but that’s his charm. I also loved the little detail of Dae-oh putting his hands together when Grandma comes out in order to look proper, even though he has Ae-jung hanging from his shoulder. Then to top it all off, it was adorable to watch him try to get Ha-nee’s attention when they first met, as if he was appealing to her, and then his comment about wanting to stay captured what I love about him so much. He’s such an easy character to read, and I like how he lives in the moment without a care.

After four episodes, we’re finally introduced to our last major player: Joo Ah-rin. I haven’t seen Dasom before in a drama, but so far, I’m enjoying her portrayal of the top star who isn’t like her tv personality. Once again, the character isn’t anything unique, but because every character has been a mix of tropes so far, she melds in nicely to the story. I’m looking forward to how Ah-rin will shake things up with her not-so-angel-like personality, and hopefully her presence will spur Ae-jung into action in the romance department.

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