The Spies Who Loved Me: Episode 3

by TeriYaki

Determined to find out what happened to her friend, our designer inevitably runs into her ex-husband again. Unfortunately, that means that her new husband runs into him as well and he becomes suspicious when he realizes that his wife isn’t being honest with him. Although they pretend that they don’t know about their connection, disguising their mutual hostility is something that may be beyond their abilities.

 
EPISODE 3 RECAP

Jin-min and Ji-hoon meet with the CIA director who immediately notices that their witness is missing. Jin-min confesses that Interpol is really after the man that his agent is working for and after confiding that their witness was killed, the CIA director agrees to give them two weeks to find her killer and the files that were promised to Helmes.

As soon as they’re alone, Jin-min strategizes that they’ll need to use Harrison Young to catch Helmes. Jin-min guesses that Ji-hoon’s been crying and reminds him not to get too attached to his cases.

At her boutique, Ah-reum sets a white flower before a photo of Sophie in her wedding dress. Her friend and associate, DU-RAE, walks in and the women hug as they mourn their friend.

Du-rae finds it odd that Sophie’s death hasn’t been widely reported when she was a well known scientist. Du-rae did find an article that reported that Sophie died of an opioid overdose which is at odds with Ah-reum’s report that someone was chasing her. Angered by the article, Ah-reum calls the news outlet and is told that the reporter is on vacation.

Jin-min, Tae-ryong, and Ji-hoon swing a bookcase aside to join Young-gu in a secret conference room at Gulliver Publishers. Tae-ryong reports that headquarters planted the story of Sophie’s overdose to conceal the fact that she was involved in corporate espionage.

Young-gu, who’s a KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) graduate, read Sophie’s research papers and he can’t understand why a gifted scientist would sell her research. Jin-min uses comic book lore to remind Young-gu, “All the villains are evil scientists who are trying to blow up the world.”

The Interpol team’s meeting parallels Ahreum’s and Du-rae’s discussion and they both conclude that Sophie’s secrets may have led to her death. We learn that Sophie was a top student which made her parents’ cram school financially successful. When Sophie’s dad lost everything in a real estate scam, Sophie started her own company and the Interpol team is instructed to dig into her financials to find out how she financed it.

Du-rae learns that Sophie’s fiancé, a Chinese National that she met while studying in Hong Kong, is already on his way back to the States. While discussing why he would leave so soon, Ah-reum remembers Sophie’s stalker just the Interpol team is shown a photo of Peter.

Jin-min gives Sophie’s phone to Young-gu for analysis even though she likely used a different one for secret communications. When asked how Sophie contacted him, Ji-hoon explains that a Dr. Philip Yoon got in touch with him. Jin-min has one more person of interest that he wants questioned just as a photo of Ah-reum appears on a screen.

At the boutique, Ah-reum confesses that she ran into Ji-hoon on Jeju Island and when she adds that he was a a male entertainer at Sophie’s bachelorette party, Du-rae asks for photos.

Back at Gulliver Publishers, Tae-ryong reports that after her divorce, Ah-reum launched a successful business and married Hyun Dae-hyun/Derek Hyun, a career diplomat with both good looks and money. Suspicious of Ah-reum, Jin-min orders Ji-hoon to investigate his ex.

Ji-hoon insists that Ah-reum can’t be involved but Jin-min isn’t convinced and wants to know if he was ever suspicious of her. Ji-hoon asks to be excused from the case but Jin-min won’t allow it because Sophie promised to show him a VIP, which they surmise is a top Helmes agent, and a special gift that they believe is the stolen EcoSun files.

Jin-min warns Ji-hoon that Sophie may have passed some sensitive information to Ah-reum which means she’s in danger. Jin-min wants Ah-reum brought in for protection and he assigns Young-gu to join Ji-hoon in the field.

Tae-ryong follows Jin-min out and suggests assigning Seo-ra to assist Ji-hoon instead. Jin-min fears that Ji-hoon is vulnerable after the loss of another source and his hope is that Young-gu will help him focus. Tae-ryong recalls that Ji-hoon lost his first source around the same time as his divorce. Jin-min’s final order is for Tae-ryong to find someone at the nuclear fusion lab who’s willing to talk about what they’re working on.

At the boutique, Ah-reum stares at her makeshift bulletin board that covers Sophie’s movements and interactions. When Du-rae asks about her last conversation with Sophie, Ah-reum murmurs, “Don’t trust the person next to you.”

Doo-bong returns home and realizes that someone entered while he was gone. Doo-bong sits on his couch as if he doesn’t suspect a thing and when he uses his phone to check his hair, he sees Peter behind him. Doo-bong barely escapes being tased and wrestles with Peter, who’s convinced that Doo-bong killed Sophie.

Doo-bong swears that he didn’t kill her and shows Peter his bare wrist, “I just pawned my luxury watch…It was like selling a kidney…If I had been able to cut a deal with Sophie, I wouldn’t be in this situation.” They’re both crying when Doo-bong confirms that he’s left Felix’s employ and Peter proposes, “If you find out who did it, I’ll consider taking your offer.”

Doo-bong promises to find Sophie’s killer as he reaches for the taser-pen that Peter dropped. Doo-bong tasers Peter, “Now we’re even,” and then runs off with his cash.

At the amusement park, Seo-ra learns that the security camera was out of order the day that Sophie was killed. In the field with Ji-hoon, Young-gu confesses that he can’t wait to see Ah-reum’s reaction when she learns that her ex-husband is a secret agent.

Young-gu parks his car outside of Ah-reum’s boutique and he’s surprised to discover that Ji-hoon has never been there before. Ji-hoon claims that he made a clean break because he couldn’t allow himself to have any lingering feelings for his ex-wife.

When Ah-reum gets into her car, Young-gu follows her. During her drive, Derek calls Ah-reum and she shares her concerns — the reporter responsible for the overdose story can’t be reached, Sophie’s fiancé fled the country and her parents haven’t returned her calls.

Derek suggests that Ah-reum should take a day off but she insists that work is the distraction she needs, in fact, she’s on her way to meet a client. After hanging up, Derek calls Harrison Young’s wife and learns that he left suddenly on a business trip.

While Young-gu follows Ah-reum, Ji-hoon explains that between being detected or losing the target, “Never lose the target.” When Ah-reum weaves in and out of traffic, Ji-hoon points out that she’s not breaking any traffic laws, “That’s what she’s like. She’s smooth but also rough. She can be cold but she’s generous.” When a driver cuts off Ah-reum, she yells at him before speeding away and Ji-hoon adds, “She’s tough as nails.”

Ah-reum parks at a museum and on the way inside, she pauses in front of a window. With a chuckle, Ji-hoon reports that she’s studying her reflection. Ji-hoon wants Young-gu to follow Ah-reum so he dons a large pair of eyeglasses that connect to the car’s screen and promises, “Get ready to be impressed.”

In the museum Young-gu scans the room, unaware that his eyeglasses are experiencing connectivity problems. Ah-reum introduces herself to Ms. Kim, who explains that she’s in a wheelchair after breaking her leg on some greased stairs, convinced it was an attempt on her life. In spite of the injury, Ms. Kim plans to go ahead with her wedding.

Recognizing Ms. Kim, Young-gu looks up DDK Corporation and confirms that she’s KIM DONG-RAN, the secret lovechild of the company’s founder. Dong-ran is currently battling her half-brother, Kim Dong-taek, to be named heir to the company.

Ms. Kim asks if Ah-reum has met her half-brother and she answers that it’s her husband who’s met him. Ms. Kim warns, “None of my brother’s friends are normal… He hangs out with psychopaths.” Finding the designs in Ah-reum’s portfolio too sweet, Ms. Kim tasks Ah-reum with designing a dress that better suits her personality.

The connection is working when Ah-reum sees that her client’s feet are swollen. After confirming that they share the same shoe size, Ah-reum places her shoes on Ms. Kim’s feet and after Ms. Kim leaves with both pairs of shoes, she sighs, “It must be tough to live with your guard up like that.” Ji-hoon watches Ah-reum walk out on tip toe and predicts, “Now she’ll go and eat noodles.”

Ah-reum does just that back at the boutique while telling Du-rae about her meeting with the prickly Ms. Kim. Du-rae heard that the half-brother uses drugs but his father still supports him. Ms. Kim is marrying into a powerful family and is reportedly spreading the word that she’s taking over her father’s company.

Seo-ra sends Ji-hoon a video clip of his dancing at the bachelorette party and Young-gu quips, “You took dancing lessons, didn’t you?” Ji-hoon’s pawnbroker contact calls with the news that Doo-bong sold his watch and he’s asked to find out if Doo-bong is still on Jeju Island. Ji-hoon decides to go inside the boutique to gather intelligence in spite of Young-gu’s objections.

Du-rae rants after calling Sophie’s lab to ask why they haven’t disputed the overdose article. Ah-reum summarizes, “A leading scientist dies under mysterious circumstances, but someone is covering it up.” Du-rae and Ah-reum conclude that whoever discovers the truth will surely be in danger.

After an employee announces Ji-hoon’s visit, Ah-reum hurries out and shows him to the men’s fitting room. Ji-hoon sees all the tuxedos and can’t resist trying on a jacket which reminds him of Ah-reum’s mother, who thought he looked good in a tux.

When Ji-hoon mentions seeing the article about Ah-reum’s friend, she mentions the same concerns that she brought up to Derek — the alleged overdose, a fiancé who acts like he’s on the run and parents who can’t be reached. Ji-hoon asks why Ah-reum went to the amusement park and she confides that Sophie called in tears and that it sounded as if she was being chased. Ji-hoon asks about Sophie’s wedding guests and learns that Ah-reum’s husband was invited because it was Sophie who introduced them.

Ah-reum asks when Ji-hoon is returning to Jeju Island but he’s not going back. When asked if he has a place to stay, Ji-hoon admits that he came to ask Ah-reum for a loan.

Derek parks outside the boutique just when Du-rae has to abandon her eavesdropping spot to greet Ah-reum’s client. When Du-rae calls Ah-reum to remind her about the appointment, she absentmindedly leaves her phone behind after ordering Ji-hoon, “Wait here.”

Derek is directed to the men’s fitting room while Ji-hoon installs a tracking app on Ah-reum’s phone. A text comes in with the details of Sophie’s wake and Ji-hoon reads it before spinning around to face Derek.

Seeing Ah-reum’s phone, Derek is immediately suspicious. He asks if they’ve met before and Ji-hoon answers that he’s often mistaken for an army buddy. Asked about his service, Ji-hoon admits that he was a sniper because of his background as a competitive sharpshooter. Derek was an interpreter which impresses Ji-hoon because he doesn’t speak any English.

When Ji-hoon fumbles with a necktie, Derek comes to his aid. While focused on the tie, Derek explains that prisoners aren’t allowed to wear neckties because they can be lethal. Derek confesses that’s why they make him feel safe, especially when his wife ties his necktie, “When she looks at me to tie it for me, it’s like watching her kiss me. It brings me great joy.”

Derek steps away when Ji-hoon gets a call from Young-gu who warns that Ah-reum’s husband is at the shop. Ji-hoon carefully confirms that he’s with Derek and after hanging up, he announces that he has to go. Derek pleasantly congratulates Ji-hoon on his upcoming wedding as he leaves and as soon as he’s out the door, Ji-hoon gives in to some imagined slaps and punches.

After Ah-reum’s meeting, the receptionist reports that Derek is waiting in the men’s fitting room. Ah-reum and Du-rae burst into the room and distractedly greet Derek while searching for Ji-hoon. Derek helpfully holds up Ah-reum’s phone and she pretends that’s what they were looking for.

Ah-reum suggests going out to dinner but Derek has an appointment. Ah-reum walks Derek to his car and when she tries to straighten his tie, he stops her. Derek struggles with his seatbelt and when he drives away, a cold blast makes Ah-reum shiver.

Derek angrily storms past his mechanic on his way to his office. He sits in a restored convertible while listening to music and reads one of Ji-hoon’s travel books. His mechanic walks in and he picks up the book when Derek tosses it to the floor and sees that Ji-hoon eye’s have been scratched out.

Ji-hoon takes out his frustrations at the shooting range where he calls his target, “Sucker.” An older man who hasn’t seen Ji-hoon in a long time reports on the girlfriend that he once brought, “She’s a really good shooter now.”

At the boutique, Ah-reum sews black lace onto a veil for Sophie’s wake. At the church for the wake, Ji-hoon and Young-gu approach one of Sophie’s fellow scientists, PARK SUNG-HWAN. Ji-hoon poses as a recruiter and claims that Sophie described Sung-hwan as the best in the nuclear fusion field and that she even wrote him a recommendation letter before she died.

Overwhelmed by Sophie’s generosity, Sung-hwan rages about the lab managers who have forbidden the researchers from talking to the press. Young-gu returns with juice that he deliberately dumps in Sung-hwan’s lap, forcing him to remove his phone from his pocket.

Ji-hoon takes Sung-hwan’s phone and passes it to Young-gu when Sung-hwan leaves to clean up. Young-gu is hopeful that the VIP will make an appearance and Ji-hoon confidently predicts, “Someone important is coming…Someone who I met at a church.”

Young-gu takes photos from the loft while Ji-hoon watches Ah-reum take a seat in a pew. Ah-reum whispers to Sung-hwan when he walks by and after he joins her, they commiserate over the poorly attended service.

Ah-reum asks if Sophie had a stalker but Sung-hwan can’t see how when she spent all of her time in the lab and then went straight home. Ah-reum then asks about anything unusual in the days before the wedding and Sung-hwan remembers visiting Sophie’s house after being asked to take care of it during her honeymoon.

A landline in Sophie’s house rang while Sung-hwan was there and he noticed that it was dusty, as if it was only used it once a year. After the call, Sophie went outside and when Sang-hwan threw out some trash, a sports car drove away and he saw that she was crying.

Ah-reum leaves the wake to visit Sophie’s office and finds the door open as someone pretends to work on the lock. After seeing papers and clothes strewn on the floor, Ah-reum ducks into a stairwell to alert Sung-hwan.

When Ah-reum tries to leave, she’s knocked down by the suspicious stranger and she grabs him by the ankle. After he gets away, Ah-reum hurls a dropped wrench at him and he takes it with him. Thanks to the tracking app on Ah-reum’s phone, Ji-hoon and Young-gu arrive in time to see the attacker running from the building.

Ah-reum limps after her attacker and plants herself in front of his car but she’s forced to jump to safety just when the sports car speeds away. Ji-hoon pushes Young-gu out of his car with orders to look after Ah-reum and gets behind the wheel.

Ji-hoon stays with the car for miles but when it turns onto a side road, a truck swerves to miss it and blocks Ji-hoon. As the load of goats empties onto the street, the car gets away.

After Young-gu takes Ah-reum to the ER, Tae-ryong summons him back to the office. Tae-ryong then contacts Ji-hoon, who reports that the target got away even though he drove like an F1 race driver, which means they’re dealing with a professional. When Ji-hoon asks about Ah-reum, he’s told that she’s all right.

Ji-hoon calls Ah-reum who suggests talking later since she’s at the hospital. Ji-hoon brings up the loan and when Ah-reum hangs up in annoyance, he knows without a doubt that she’s fine.

After taking Ah-reum’s car key from the ER, Young-gu removes the chip from her dash cam. When he tries to copy it he gets an error message and returns the chip to the car’s camera.

Derek is in a meeting when his mechanic, TINKER, texts, “Emergency. The radiator broke.” Distressed, Derek steps out to call Tinker and asks, “She went there?”

Ah-reum is still at the ER when Derek calls but she doesn’t answer and texts, “I’m in a meeting.” Ah-reum asks a nurse about Young-gu and learns that he left without leaving a number.

When Sung-hwan arrives at the ER, Ah-reum asks, “You said you saw a sports car that night, right?” While Ji-hoon races back to the office, a stunned Derek shuts his phone.

 
COMMENTS

It appears that it’s only a matter of time before Ah-reum discovers that she was married to a secret agent, which is the first step in changing the dynamic between her and Ji-hoon. I didn’t expect Ah-reum to learn the truth about Ji-hoon so soon but Jin-min clearly doesn’t trust her and at the very least, he wants to keep her safe in case she knows something important. So instead of having Ji-hoon and Ah-reum constantly at odds with one another, they’ll be working together to catch Sophie’s killer. But what if that killer turns out to be Derek?

Derek is careful to play the devoted husband whenever he’s with Ah-reum so she has no idea that there’s a dangerous side to him as well. After that necktie episode, I’m pretty sure that Ji-hoon knows that there’s more to Ah-reum’s husband than meets the eye and he’s obviously dying to wipe that ever present smile from his face. Ji-hoon’s pretend slaps and punches will be real soon enough and the fact that he was a sniper in the military promises that the intensity factor is going to be turned up.

What I can’t understand is how Ah-reum can be so perceptive when it comes to investigating Sophie’s death yet be so out of touch about the men in her life. The truth is going to hit her hard when everything comes out and not only will she be in danger, but Ji-hoon and Derek will be at risk as well. Until now, The Spies Who Loved Me has been pretty delightful but I’m holding my breath, waiting for that moment when everything suddenly shifts.

I completely agree with @LollyPip that the chemistry between Yoo Inna and Eric makes the potential rekindling of a love connection between Ah-reum and Ji-hoon so appealing. On the flip side, the simmering contempt between Ji-hoon and Derek promises an epic showdown that is appealing in an altogether different way. There’s terrific chemistry between Eric and Im Joo-hwan too and they’re doing a great job of selling that competitiveness that men have when they’re interested in the same woman. I could practically see Ji-hoon and Derek flexing their muscles when they divulged what they did in the military. And for sure Derek had to restrain himself from cinching that necktie tight enough to kill Ji-hoon. But they both have secret identities that they’re trying to protect, unaware for now that they’re natural enemies for other reasons than Ah-reum. I’m positive that Derek is the top agent at Helmes that Interpol is after, the VIP that Sophie referred to. What will Ji-hoon do when he discovers that and more importantly, what will Ah-reum do? She just may be the most dangerous one of all.

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