Again My Life: Episodes 11-12

by DaebakGrits

Things move slowly this week as our hero continues to lay the elaborate groundwork for the next phase of his plot to take down the ultimate Bad Guy, but he now treads more cautiously. Not only did his recent setback remind him that his opponent should not be underestimated, but he also realizes that his movements in this timeline have unexpected — and deadly — consequences.

 
EPISODES 11-12 WEECAP

We open this week to the continuing drama surrounding Chunha Group, namely the identity of Geong-young’s successor. Tae-sub, as always, has an opinion on the matter, and when he visits Geong-young in the hospital, he acts as though he has the authority to appoint Yong-joon as the future chairman. Tae-sub insists he wants what’s best for the company and the country, but — as Geong-young points out — Tae-sub is only looking out for himself. Otherwise, he would want Hee-ah in charge, too.

Since Geong-young doesn’t immediately toe the line, Tae-sub leaks to the media that Geong-young is in the hospital and in poor health, which leads to rumors and speculation about who will inherit the company. With all eyes on the future of Chunha Group, Tae-sub has Seok-hoon put together a team of loyal prosecutors to investigate the succession process of Chunha Group, looking for potential corruption. Sung-joon is arrested for embezzlement as part of the investigation, and it’s a subtle warning that if Geong-young doesn’t back down, Hee-ah will be next on the chopping block.

Except, Tae-sub doesn’t realize that Geong-young has a recording of their 1993 conversation, when Tae-sub first asked Geong-young to join hands with him in exchange for covering up Geong-young’s crimes. Unfortunately, Tae-sub does not react well to Geong-young’s blackmail attempt, and his shady hitman pays Geong-young a visit at the hospital.

As news of Geong-young’s death breaks, Hee-woo realizes Tae-sub must have been involved because, in his past life, Geong-young lived for a few more years. Hee-woo attends the funeral and pays his respects to Hee-ah. He also cryptically offers her his help, and she’s immediately suspicious of his motives (and his ability to help). While she has him investigated, he begins setting the next part of his plan in motion.

I’m not going to lie, Hee-woo’s scheme is a bit hard to follow, but the gist of it is that he intends to drive a wedge between Tae-sub and Seok-hoon while simultaneously weakening Tae-sub’s grip on Chunha. Hee-woo knows it’s only a matter of time before Seok-hoon begins turning against his master, and sure enough, Seok-hoon doesn’t respond well when Tae-sub also invites prosecutor YOON JONG-GI (Choi Beom-ho), Gyu-ri’s boss, to dinner. It’s a not-so-subtle reminder that Tae-sub could easily replace Seok-hoon and set someone else up as the next prosecutor general.

Seok-hoon counters by recruiting Hee-woo to investigate the CEO of Bando Bank, who not only manages Tae-sub’s money but also owns 15% of Chunha Group. Hee-woo does as instructed (because he’s already been building a case against Bando Bank in order to take down Tae-sub), but he also uses the investigation as an opportunity to approach Tae-sub and pretend that he’s on Tae-sub’s side. Tae-sub thanks Hee-woo for the heads up and quiets Seok-hoon’s little rebellion.

Except, Hee-woo knew Seok-hoon was only using the Bando Bank case as a warning to Tae-sub and never intended for it to see the light of day. So Hee-woo preemptively taps into Han-mi’s tabloid connections and leaks info about the investigation. As instructed, the tabloid claims their source is Assemblyman Hwang Jin-yong, and with such a credible source, the investigation cannot be kept hush-hush like Tae-sub and Seok-hoon intended.

After the investigation goes public, Tae-sub decides to retaliate against Seok-hoon. He summons Hee-woo and instructs him to take down and discredit Seok-hoon by investigating his son KIM YOUNG-IL (Han Gi-chan), the managing director of JQ Construction. It’s also worth noting that Young-il owns another 5% of Chunha Group, which was paid for using a loan he obtained illegally from Bando Bank. When Tae-sub finds out that Bando Bank is connected to Young-il’s illegal activities and that Young-il owns another 5% of the company he’s plotting to take over, Tae-sub tries to put a halt to the investigation he initially green lit.

Hee-woo calmly agrees to stand down, but what Tae-sub doesn’t know is that Hee-woo has already handed off the JQ Construction case and evidence to Gyu-ri. Hee-woo has also instructed Sang-man to liquidate his assets and begin acquiring stock in JQ Construction as part of his plan to set up a legitimate investment company. I can only assume, given all the talk of Chunha Group’s stock, Hee-woo plans to purchase a percentage of her company and help her maintain the managing rights.

The investigation into JQ Construction moves forward under Gyu-ri, and her boss, eager to take out his competition for prosecutor general, encourages her to arrest Young-il. Tae-sub, of course, orders him to back down, and after briefly protesting, he eventually cowers to Tae-sub’s demands.

Not Gyu-ri, though. She continues forward, despite her superior’s wishes. So Tae-sub sends his hitman out to discourage her and GU SEUNG-HYUK (Lee Gyeong-min). Hitman, pretending to be a witness for their case against JQ Construction, lures Seung-hyuk out to a secluded location and tries to “discourage” Seung-hyuk from continuing his investigation. Despite the beating he’s given, Seung-hyuk stands his ground, so Hitman pulls out a syringe of his favorite drug cocktail.

Luckily, Hee-woo knew Gyu-ri and Seung-hyuk would be Tae-sub’s next targets and had Sang-man and Yeon-suk follow them around to protect them. Sang-man calls Hee-woo at the first sign of trouble, and Hee-woo (wearing a mask) shows up just in time to hear Hitman threaten to kill Seung-hyuk and make it appear as though he’s a disgraced druggy prosecutor who took his own life.

Hee-woo ridicules Hitman’s familiar and outdated speech — although, wouldn’t it technically be ahead of its time? — and introduces himself as one of Hitman’s former victims. Hitman boasts that he never fails to kill his target, so Hee-woo vaguely explains he was “resurrected,” creating an aura of mystery that’s a bit laughable when you remember that Hitman has absolutely no idea that he killed Hee-woo in an alternate future. Even so, Hitman seems intrigued, and this week’s episodes end with Hee-woo getting in his fighting stance.

I’m disappointed that the scene cuts off before we get to see any of the action because this week’s episodes were otherwise a major snooze fest. Logically, I understand that a villain like Tae-sub needs to be strategically taken down because he’s well-connected and a master at covering his tracks, but there has to be a more interesting way to thread everything together and reveal it to the audience bit by bit.

Plus, the more we are dragged into this behind-the-scenes world of insider trading and hostile company take overs, the less villainous Tae-sub becomes because his crimes are now too high collar to be relatable to the average viewer. Maybe if the story had done a better job establishing Hee-ah’s character, I’d care that Tae-sub was plotting to take over her family’s company and steal her father’s legacy away from her, but as it is, I don’t. Instead, Tae-sub is starting to feel like just another corrupt — albeit better connected — politician. Yawn.

 
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