Record of Youth: Episode 5

by dramallama

Our budding actor dives straight into his acting career and loses himself in the craft. It seems like his career is on the upswing, with his eager manager, supportive friends, and a cheerleader grandpa at his side. As he navigates the unwavering support from his childhood friend, who he reluctantly accepts as his competition, he also grows closer to his fangirl-now-friend and starts to notice a curiosity about their relationship.

EPISODE 5

On his way to the script reading, Hae-hyo picks up Jung-ha, who’s agreed to be his make-up artist for the movie. He notices that Jung-ha looks uncharacteristically nervous, and she admits that she’s nervous because she’s getting closer to her dream of creating her own namesake brand. She explains that most budding make-up artists start off by borrowing the fame of celebrity clients, and though Hae-hyo denies that he’s a famous celebrity, he seems pleased by his implied status.

Jung-ha expresses her gratitude, and Hae-hyo tells her to treat him well. She leans in close to pick a piece of hair off of his white shirt, and Hae-hyo looks flustered by her proximity. He pretends to be unbothered and says that she owes him twice now because he’s keeping her secret about being Hye-joon’s fan.

Jung-ha shares that she revealed her fan status to Hye-joon, so she only owes him on this one count. He notes that her accurate count, and Jung-ha responds that she doesn’t like to be in debt, especially with kindness.

At the script reading, Hye-joon runs into ex-agent Tae-soo in the bathroom, and Tae-soo brags about his newfound wealth after selling his company. Uninterested, Hye-joon congratulates him and tries to leave, but Tae-soo continues to taunt him. Hye-joon doesn’t let the taunting get to him and dismisses Tae-soo’s empty threats to ruin him.

In the lobby, Hye-joon greets Jung-ha as she enters with Hae-hyo and teases her for being overexcited about doing make-up on her first movie. Hae-hyo notes Hye-joon’s friendliness and asks why he never treats him this warmly. Jung-ha asks if Hae-hyo is jealous and if they’re dating. They both repulsively deny in unison and then call jinx on each other. Jung-ha laughs at their childish antics.

Meanwhile, Ae-sook prepares to go to work in nice secondhand clothes, and Young-nam wonders why she wears used clothes so proudly. Having grown up with many siblings, Ae-sook is used to secondhand clothes, and she adds that strangers can be better than family, citing her brother-in-law, who never contacts Young-nam despite Young-nam funding his education. Young-nam says that he doesn’t expect anything in return from his brother, and Ae-sook tells him to have that same attitude toward his father. Gramps timidly overhears the conversation and curses this thin-walled house.

Kyung-joon returns from viewing apartments and tells his mother to stop working, offering to give her an allowance. Mom advises him to save his money for marriage, but Kyung-joon isn’t interested. He exchanges glances with Dad and finally breaks it to Mom that he’s going to move out to live on his own. Mom doesn’t approve, and when Kyung-joon shares how much the rent is, she gasps.

Kyung-joon’s immature spending plan earns him a beating from Mom, who says that Kyung-joon resembles Gramps. Inside his room, Gramps nods in agreement. Then, he thinks about the resemblance and finds it troubling that Kyung-joon takes after his poor money management. Ha!

Dad denies that Kyung-joon resembles Gramps in the slightest, but Mom further proves her point by asking how much Kyung-joon has saved — nothing, despite his parents covering his college tuition. Mom reflects that Hye-joon always knew how to spend on his scale while Kyung-joon always overspent and often made impulsive purchases.

Mom starts to persuade Dad of the resemblance, adding that Gramps also disregarded his family for his own interests, just like Kyung-joon wants to do now. Kyung-joon seems offended, but Mom stays firm on her disapproval. She proposes that they decide in a family meeting, and when Kyung-joon complains, she tells him to do just move out. She’s frustrated with his poor judgement and says that she’ll probably need to work until her later years at this rate.

After Mom storms out, Kyung-joon looks convinced that Mom is hiding something. He recalls Mom frequently reading Girl With a Pearl Earring and wonders if she relates to the story of a maid who has an affair with the owner of the house. Cut to Ae-sook with a Pearl Earring, lol. Dad calls him crazy, but Kyung-joon insists on questioning why Mom would continue to work at Hae-hyo’s house for ten years despite the difficulty. Kyung-joon looks confident about this suspicion, but Dad smacks him on the head.

Ae-sook enters Hae-hyo’s home, and she narrates her reflections: “My job is deeply involved in someone’s personal life, and I know things that I don’t want to know.” When she enters, Hae-na excitedly greets her and shares the news of her law school admission. Yi-young pouts that Hae-na doesn’t want to celebrate with her family, but Hae-na obliges to her desires. Brightening up, Yi-young offers to plan the celebration, and Hae-na notes that her mom is so simple.

Yi-young wonders if she was just manipulated by her daughter, and Ae-sook wisely says that parents always lose to their children. In her head, Yi-young disapproves of Ae-sook’s “preachy” tone and changes the subject.

As Ae-sook starts working, she continues her narration, “I didn’t enjoy this job at first, but as I continued working, I understood — not learned — that humans are all equal.” As she cleans, she shares her priority, “The most important rule of cleaning is putting items exactly where they were after moving them.”

When Ae-sook walks to the kitchen, she accepts Yi-young’s offer for coffee and asks why she doesn’t hire more people to help clean the house. Yi-young starts to say it’s hard to find people she likes, but unwilling to give Ae-sook too much credit, she filters her words to say that she’s uncomfortable with letting in strangers. When Yi-young tells her to take a seat, Ae-sook refuses to sit with her client. Yi-young comments that it’s unusual that Ae-sook is the one–not her–setting boundaries.

Ae-sook reflects on when she previously quit this job and remembers Yi-young’s implied suspicion that Ae-sook misplaced her watch. Unhappy with her new housekeeper, Yi-young staged a run-in with Ae-sook after learning where she worked. She asked Ae-sook to return, offering a higher pay, and wondered if she disliked her. Ae-sook explained that choosing to work at her son’s friend’s home was difficult, but she was relieved to get Hye-joon’s approval because it confirmed his high self-esteem.

Ae-sook acknowledged that she felt attached to Hae-hyo’s home because it was her first workplace, and thanks to her training by a picky first client, she was in high demand. Yi-young pouted that she didn’t seek out Ae-sook to hear about her popularity, and Ae-sook finds affirmation in Yi-young’s need for her. She offered to return to Hae-hyo’s home if Yi-young really needed her.

After the movie script reading, Hye-joon receives a message in their family group chat about their family meeting that night. He shares the notification with Hae-hyo and Jung-ha, and Hae-hyo says that he also has a family meeting to celebrate Hae-na’s law school admission. Jung-ha seems like the odd one out here.

As they discuss their lunch menu, Hye-joon and Jung-ha banter about her coming out as his fangirl, and hmm, is that envy I see in Hae-hyo’s expression? When Min-jae arrives, Hye-joon decides that they’re having jjajangmyun and tells Jung-ha to get in the car. Hae-hyo stops her and tells her to get in his van. The two friends lightly bicker about which car Jung-ha will ride, and Jung-ha interrupts them to say that she’s a person with her own opinion.

Hae-hyo reminds Jung-ha that she owes him one, and Jung-ha’s ears perk up at the opportunity to be debt-free. Then, Hae-hyo decides to save his favor for later, so Jung-ha joins Min-jae’s car, but not before Hae-hyo and Hye-joon childishly bicker some more.

Hye-joon takes the wheel since he knows the way to the jjajangmyung place, and Jung-ha seems surprised. He boasts that it’s hard to find something he can’t do, and she’s taken aback by his oozing confidence. Min-jae asks for Jung-ha’s understanding and credits the soccer videos for inspiring Hye-joon’s vanity. Haaa.

Jerk actor Park Do-ha tells Tae-soo that a fellow actress is really nice, and Tae-soo interprets that as Do-ha wanting to get her number. Do-ha then tells Tae-soo to call him “actor-nim” instead of by name, and Tae-soo gets a bitter taste of his own medicine.

While Hye-joon parks the car, he comes to an abrupt stop when a kid unexpectedly runs in front of the car. He reaches out to stop Jung-ha from jerking forward and scolds her for prematurely unbuckling her belt. He adds that you can’t be too cautious because an accident can occur at any time. Jung-ha notes that he has a tendency to teach her, and when he denies this, she says that one of his merits is self-acknowledgement. At this, Hye-joon acknowledges her observation.

Jung-ha complains that he overreacted, and Hye-joon threatens to give her a proper scolding. She leans in and dares him to scold her, and Min-jae asks if they’re dating. They both yell at her in alarm, and Min-jae defends her perspective. She starts to credit Hye-joon’s inherent acting talent for her misunderstanding, and the bickering friends now turn on Min-jae for her repetitive praise.

Sick of these two, Min-jae decides to go insides and order. She asks what they want to eat, and both say jjajangmyun at the same time. Jung-ha timidly calls jinx and sheepishly says that she’ll have three years of bad luck if she doesn’t call it. At that, Hye-joon also calls jinx, and Min-jae storms out of the car in annoyance.

Jung-ha has trouble getting out of the car, so Hye-joon leans over to unlock the car door. He observes that she’s unexpectedly high maintenance, and Jung-ha says that she never hears that. But then, she leaves her phone in the car, and Hye-joon takes it with a mischievous look. He asks Jung-ha to borrow her phone, and she panics when she can’t find it. Hye-joon hands her the lost phone, making the point that she’s high maintenance.

Jung-ha disagrees and argues that she’s always the one taking care of other people. Hye-joon says that he’ll take her word for it, but Jung-ha finds issue with him not actually believing her because she doesn’t want to be like her mom. Hye-joon is surprised at the sudden mention of her mom, and Jung-ha explains that her mom never earned her trust. Jung-ha elaborates that her mom lied about not divorcing her dad and not remarrying a poor man.

Hye-joon observes that Jung-ha talks about difficult topics with ease. Jung-ha responds that it took a long time to be comfortable with her struggles and shares that she’s relieved about her good relationship with her dad. Hye-joon then shares that he has a tough relationship with his father, and from this information, Jung-ha presumes that he often clashes with authority. Hye-joon denies this and claims that the owner of the barbeque restaurant he works at offered to pass on his store to him.

Jung-ha nods that she’ll take his word for it, and Hye-joon argues that this is different that believing him. Ha, touché. Hye-joon says that he believes Jung-ha, and she seems satisfied. As she walks into the restaurant, she responds that she also believes him. Aw, these two flirts.

Tae-soo golfs with an old colleague who wants to cast Do-ha, and he tells the colleague to wait. The colleague notes that Tae-soo has changed a lot, and Tae-soo shares the background on his change, which involves Hye-joon. Remembering when Hye-joon stood by him through tough times, Tae-soo describes Hye-joon as someone with an aura and excellent character. He thought that Hye-joon was someone who would make it, but then reality hit him. Hye-joon was just a dream.

Realizing that he needs to make ends meet and join the competition, he stooped down to his competitors’ level. He further proves his point by mentioning how this colleague never bothered to apologize to him for neglecting him in the past. He then goes back to business and agrees to Do-ha’s participation in the project.

When Hye-joon gets home, Kyung-joon eagerly greets him and asks for him support the move-out plan. He figures that Hye-joon must want his own room and tells Hye-joon to make this argument to Mom. Hye-joon looks at his brother pathetically and doubts that this argument will convince her.

While Mom prepares the snacks, she tells Hye-joon to retrieve Dad from his room. Hye-joon finds Dad reading through Girl With a Pearl Earring and asks if Hye-joon has also seen Mom read this. He wonders why she likes the book and seems embarrassed by his insecurity. Hye-joon recalls asking Mom why she liked reading the book, and Mom showed him a line in the book that aligned with her cleaning philosophy: always putting items back where they belong when you clean.

Mom had no idea what the story was, but she was proud that she shared the same thoughts as an author. Then, Hye-joon asked if the work was hard, and Mom reflected that everything in life is hard, starting at birth. She told Hye-joon that he needs to find fun in the hardship because nobody gives you fun for free.

Meanwhile, at the other family gathering, Yi-young and husband Tae-kyung congratulate Hae-na’s expected admission to law school. Yi-young proudly claims credit for their two productions (read: children), and Hae-hyo reminds them that the parents don’t hold any ownership. Tae-kyung makes a toast to Hae-na’s utility to society while Yi-young toasts to their happiness with their parents having their backs.

At the Sa family gathering, Mom goes right in and strongly opposes Kyung-joon moving out. She explains that he’ll never save enough money if he moves out now and argues that he should save enough for deposit on a house.

Kyung-joon argues that he wants to live freely and adds that Hye-joon doesn’t want to share a room with Gramps. Hye-joon tells Kyung-joon to keep him out of his argument and says that Kyung-joon unfairly framed Hye-joon’s desire for his own room as not wanting to share a room with Gramps.

Dad scolds the brothers for always fighting but ultimately blames Hye-joon for his defiance. Gramps says brothers should respect each other and reminds Young-nam of how well he got along with his brother.

Then, Gramps adds that Kyung-joon doesn’t resemble him, and Ae-sook realizes that Gramps overheard their conversation. Gramps defends himself, admitting that he neglected his family out of ignorance and not neglect of his family.

Kyung-joon forces the argument that his move will benefit the family by creating more space. He blames the lack of space for the tension between him and Hye-joon, which Hye-joon instigated when he infringed on Kyung-joon’s space. He frames his move as a benevolent act of creating a more spacious environment for the family. Dad applauds Kyung-joon’s smart logic, and Hye-joon looks incredulous at Kyung-joon misplaced blame.

Gramps reads through Kyung-joon’s grand empty words and says that he was scammed by well-spoken people like Kyung-joon. Dad criticizes Gramps for confidently sharing how he suffered through scams, and Gramps claims that he’s paid his debts by accepting his son’s criticism in front of the family.

Hye-joon looks at Gramps sympathetically as Gramps tells Young-nam that there’s no bigger punishment than being reproached by your children. Young-nam falls silent, and Hye-joon reaches out to hold Gramps’ hand.

After the family meeting, Ae-sook comes to a compromise with Kyung-joon and allows him to move out if he finds a place with lower rent. Then, she turns to Young-nam with the bigger concern of Gramps overhearing their conversation. She tells Young-nam to apologize and stop bringing up faults from the past, but Young-nam refuses to.

In their room, Gramps tells Hye-joon that he’s going to model and show Young-nam what he’s capable of. Hye-joon approves of Gramps’ determination, and they cheer each other on with an adorable hug. The warm mood is interrupted by Ae-sook and Young-nam, who ask for some privacy with Gramps.

Ae-sook apologizes to Gramps for talking about him behind his back, but Gramps doesn’t mind. He emphasizes that Kyung-joon really doesn’t resemble him but that Young-nam does. Young-nam firmly denies this, but Gramps knows it’s true. He says that he hopes that he wins the lottery so that he can move out, and he goes to bed.

Kyung-joon confronts Hye-joon about dropping his grudge about their middle school fight, but Hye-joon won’t let go that his brother hit him because Kyung-joon hasn’t become any more decent since then. Hye-joon isn’t convinced by Kyung-joon’s insistence that they’re coming from similar circumstances because Kyung-joon at least had his own room.

Hye-joon returns to his room and quietly prepares to practice his lines, careful not to wake Gramps. He posts a photo of his script book on his social media and gives the post its first like. Then, he dives into memorizing his script.

Hae-na and Jin-woo anxiously count down the time at a PC-bang for Hae-na’s law school class registration. They’re all competitive classes to get into, and she manages to get into them all. They celebrate at a café, and Jin-woo shows her something else to celebrate: his HPV vaccine progress. She notes that he has two of three done, and he excitedly tells her that he’s almost there.

Min-jae nervously glances at Hye-joon as she drives him to his movie shoot, and she’s unsettled by Hye-joon’s calmness. Hye-joon says that he’s been thinking about his character so much that the character is starting to talk to him. Though Min-jae doesn’t understand this process, she supports his immersion in his character. She’s off to meet with another movie director, and she boasts that Hye-joon’s career is working out in her hands.

As Jung-ha prepares for the shoot, Soo-bin runs into the break room and fangirls over Hye-joon after seeing him suited up. Their fangirl moment is ruined by Jin Joo, who sneers that Jung-ha must be excited to visit the movie set. Jung-ha clarifies that she’s going to work on set and walks out.

Jung-ha meets up with Hye-joon and Hae-hyo, who are about to head out to their shoot. Hye-joon feigns confidence about his violent scenes, but then he admits that he’s worried. Jung-ha and Hae-hyo decide to stick around after his scenes to watch Hye-joon’s action scenes.

On set, Hye-joon rehearses the action scene where he beats Do-ha with a club, but his movements look a bit awkward because he doesn’t want to hurt Do-ha. Annoyed, Do-ha doesn’t cooperate with the rehearsal and insists that he’s stronger while in the action anyway.

From afar, Hae-hyo comments that his friend seems like a different person, and Jung-ha nods that Hye-joon is truly an actor. Fishing for a compliment, Hae-hyo asks if Jung-ha also thought that while watching him, and Jung-ha offers her affirmation. Hae-hyo smiles in satisfaction.

Hye-joon’s roommate is also busy pursuing his dream of modeling — we see Gramps stretching and working hard at modeling classes. His classmates struggle to maintain their posture against the wall, but Gramps stands firm and receives praise from the instructor.

On set, Hye-joon goes off-script in his scene with Do-ha, and Do-ha complains about him going rogue. But the director finds Hye-joon’s ad-lib intriguing and tells him to go with this alternative scene. As a result, Hye-joon beats Do-ha with his fists, and the aggressive beating offers the slightest bit of amends from episode 1.

Min-jae meets with Director Yoon, who shares that he looked into Hye-joon after Tae-soo spoke highly of him. She seems puzzled by the referral, but when she hears about the lead casting, she brightens up about the opportunity.

Back on set, Hye-joon continues to act through his improvised scene, where he’s a complete jerk, and kicks Do-ha. The blow hurts Do-ha, and Hye-joon immediately breaks out of character to check on him. Do-ha questions whether this scene is actually better and doesn’t trust the director’s judgement. They take a break to monitor the scene, and Do-ha continues to grumble about the inconvenient changes.

Min-jae visits Tae-soo’s office with a cake to thank him for talking up Hye-joon. He’s clearly confused but takes full credit for the unintentional good deed that earned Hye-joon a spot in an upcoming drama with Do-ha. She tells him that she has lots to learn as a budding manager and asks for his guidance. He’s flattered by her request and then asks if she knows why the movie filming is going long. She proudly credits Hye-joon’s passion for the unexpected delays.

Hae-hyo heads home and posts photos from set, but the filming continues for Hye-joon and Do-ha. The action intensifies, and Hye-joon gets a cut on his forehead from Do-ha throwing the club at him. Hye-joon doesn’t notice and continues to act until Do-ha points on the blood. The director quickly tells his team to capture this scene, and Jung-ha rushes to him in concern.

Jung-ha accompanies Hye-joon to the pharmacy to treat his cut, which is fortunately not serious. When she hands him the purchases from the pharmacy, Hye-joon asks her store it in her bag until she gets home, since he intends on accompanying her home. Jung-ha says that he should worry about himself, since he’s the patient, and he jokes that he’s not going to die. She doesn’t like his extreme language and walks off to the bus stop.

Hye-joon catches up to Jung-ha at the bus stop and hands her the pharmacy bag because it’s too heavy. Jung-ha loses to his cute complaint. As they sit together on the bus, Jung-ha notices Hye-joon reaching for his tender forehead, and she gets worked up about his injury. She gently checks the band-aid on his forehead, and Hye-joon looks slightly smitten by her care.

Jung-ha nags that he should have gone home instead of insisting that he take her home, and they bicker about who’s responsible for this situation. Hye-joon playfully asks if she like responsible people or if she feels responsible because she likes him. He’s in a cheerful mood, and Jung-ha accepts his playfulness.

As they walk together, Jung-ha reflects on her observations from the set. She realized that no work is easy, but Hye-joon says that he felt like he was on top of the world. He felt so happy that he didn’t think about anything. Jung-ha wonders if life viewed from the outside and the life you actually live are different, and Hye-joon thinks so.

Suddenly, it starts to rain, and Jung-ha observes that it always rains when she’s with him. She runs to find shelter, but Hye-joon doesn’t move as he realizes something. Hye-joon says that he wants to be in the rain, so Jung-ha runs back to him to remind him of his previous claim that he’s always rational.

Hye-joon admits, “I feel like I’m going to burst. I’m confused. I want to say something, but I don’t know if I should say it.” Jung-ha advises him not to say it, but Hye-joon disagrees. He confesses, “I think I like you.”

COMMENTS

Okay, maybe this is cute. Maybe this pair is growing on me, and maybe I’m falling right in line with the plan of the casting director. I don’t think that these two have chemistry (yet), but I still find their friendship and budding relationship enjoyable. I like them both individually (both the characters and actors), and I sense an ease in their relationship that seems mutually beneficial. Hye-joon doesn’t feel the same veiled competition with Jung-ha that he often feels with Hae-hyo, and it’s nice that he doesn’t have baggage in this relationship. Jung-ha still admires Hye-joon but her short-lived fangirl awe allows her to establish a more easy-going and closer relationship with him. There’s nothing super dramatic about their relationship, and that comfort is appealing to me.

Someone not super appealing to me: Tae-soo. The show only briefly attempted to humanize his struggles, and he remains a greedy dirtbag. He acknowledges his personal change for the worst, and I dislike him even more for choosing to be greedy and exploitative. He frames it as a survival tactic, but a spineless unprincipled man is merely an invertebrate. I don’t trust him, and I hope Min-jae doesn’t let her optimism mislead her read on Tae-soo. He’s in good company with Do-ha, and I hope their combined dirtbag energy leads to their downfall. The only thing he gets right is his read on Hye-joon’s aura, and he’s sure to regret his loss soon enough.

I do love the meta-ness of Bogummie being a budding actor, and seeing him play an evil badass in the movie reminded me of his role in I Remember You. Before puppy Bogummie, there was monster Bo-gum, and he was downright frightening. That last scene on the set where you can almost see the character’s entire sinister expression in Bogummie’s eyes and then he snaps out of that into puppy mode — just wow. Even though he’s a puppy in real life and a puppy in this show, he’s capable of so much more. I hope we see more moments like that to showcase Bogummie’s range. Give me more of that, and I’ll be just alright.

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