Work Later Drink Now: Episodes 7-8

by solstices

Our girls face a very adorable — and very bewildering — problem this week, in the form of an unexpected addition to the household. With that comes lots of hilarity, as well as a poignant message. More often than not, all we need is someone to stay by our side and offer a listening ear.

 
EPISODES 7-8 WEECAP

Ever wondered how our trio manages to survive their drinking sessions in one piece? Well, it turns out they’re one another’s “return buttons” — in other words, they know just how to pull their besties back to reality.

So-hee, who wails over anything she finds pitiful, sobers up in an instant when Ji-goo calls her name in her signature deadpan tone. Ji-goo stops picking fights and flipping tables when faced with the even crazier Ji-yeon. And Ji-yeon snaps out of her overly-sociable giggly mode with just a few words from So-hee: “Let’s go, Ji-yeon. Ji-goo’s coming.”

This theme continues throughout this week, in which we see our girls giving much-needed wakeup calls to the people around them. Another coincidental run-in with Origami Guy (the show still refuses to give us his name!) has him inviting Ji-goo to teach origami at a correctional facility. Her no-nonsense attitude cuts through the juveniles’ low self-worth, effectively jolting them out of their complacency.

Ji-yeon displays her thoughtful and tactful side this week, when she prevents a drunk Instructor Kim from embarrassing herself in front of her employees. Patiently chaperoning her boss through her wild antics, Ji-yeon encourages Instructor Kim to allow herself an outlet for her pent-up anger, instead of suppressing it until it explodes in her face.

Meanwhile, So-hee finds herself struggling with her growing attraction to Buk-goo, and they wind up kissing their way into a hotel room. Except they sober up before they can take it any further, and a late-night drinking session ends up being the catalyst that pushes Buk-goo to open up about his past weight issues and late alcoholic mother.

So-hee ends up having to piggyback the lightweight Buk-goo home after he passes out, and it turns out that she once did the same in the past, back when they were strangers and he was several kilos heavier.

The true challenge for our trio comes when Ji-goo takes on a babysitting errand. Ji-goo gets saddled with the baby when the mother goes unresponsive, leading to much hilarity as our three girls struggle to decode the baby’s cries and figure out how to placate her.

Eventually, it’s a combination of factors that finally gets the baby to quiet down — Ji-yeon’s musical box, which was a thank you gift from Instructor Kim, as well as a children’s toy, helpfully pilfered from the office by Buk-goo.

Most effective of all is Origami Guy, who’s an expert at babysitting thanks to his experience taking care of his younger brother. In no time at all, the baby falls asleep peacefully in his arms. Hilariously, neither So-hee nor Ji-yeon believe that there’s nothing going on between the two, despite Ji-goo’s protests. (Ji-yeon: “You don’t need to come up with an Alibaba!” Ji-goo: “Alibi.”)

That night, the baby’s mother KANG YE-JIN (Kim Do-kyung) finally returns, but it’s not to take her baby back. Instead, she begs our trio to keep the baby — she can’t handle the heavy responsibility of raising a child any longer. Not only did her husband walk out on their family, but she also dearly misses the peace and freedom that is no longer within her grasp.

Our girls quickly recognize the root of the problem — Ye-jin doesn’t need someone to take her baby away from her, she needs someone to be her friend. They pour soju for her, chat with her, and play games through the night. The porridge cooked by Ji-goo’s mother ends up becoming the baby’s favorite dish, and Ji-yeon teaches Ye-jin how to take care of both her mind and body through a yoga session.

The next morning, Ye-jin wakes up to a home-cooked meal courtesy of our girls, alongside a note welcoming her to return any time she desires companionship. Their kindness moves Ye-jin to tears, and it’s clear that she’s ready to be a responsible and loving mother from now on. Sometimes, all we need is a compassionate reminder that we’re not alone.

 
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