Red Swan: Episodes 3-4

by starrygazer

The melodrama lands full force this week in Red Swan! Our leading couple are growing to rely on each other and I think they are going to need this bond in the coming weeks. There are stones thrown at our heroine and while she’s white-knuckling it to survive, our hero is trying to help her while staying under the radar. How long he can keep this up is yet to be seen.

 
EPISODES 3-4

Wan-soo is getting hit from all angles this week. She goes to meet with Tae-ra and suggests that Tae-ra should make herself scarce. Wan-soo tells Tae-ra to take her son and go to Switzerland — basically telling her to not rock the boat and stay out of sight. Tae-ra being the money-grabbing mistress she is, bites back. She throws some nasty jibes about Wan-soo being childless (we learn her son died in a skiing accident, so this is just too cruel). Tae-ra demands Wan-soo get a divorce as she informs Wan-soo that her marriage was a lie from the start.

Tae-ra tells Wan-soo that Yong-kook was previously engaged. Yong-kook was sleeping with an actress, on the side, and she overdosed whilst the two of them were together in a hotel room. Yong-kook’s fiancée at the time found out and called off the engagement. In order to avoid a scandal, Chairwoman Park had given Yong-kook a bag of money to go to Africa and target Wan-soo. Wan-soo had a great image for them: Rags to riches! Angel of charity! Chairwoman Park is so over-the-top diabolical I can believe she did this, but I’m still undecided about Yong-kook. Yong-kook comes across as someone who is spoiled, but I’m not sure if he’s that cunning. He openly admits he doesn’t need to take responsibility for anything – a sad way to live if you ask me.

In addition to Tae-ra, Chairwoman Park is doing her utmost to hurl stones at our heroine, too. Tae-ra visits Chairwoman Park and complains about Wan-soo wanting her to leave the country. Chairwoman Park obviously thinks Tae-ra is beneath her (I suspect she thinks everyone is), but decides to use her as a pawn to try and keep Wan-soo in her place. Chairwoman Park has Tae-ra and her son come to the family photoshoot the next day, to knock our heroine off her stride. Wan-soo is not so easily shaken, but when Chairwoman Park moves all of her deceased son’s things out of his room and replaces them with Tae-ra’s son’s things, it hits her hard.

Chairwoman Park shows Wan-soo the paternity test for Tae-ra’s child and tips the press off about the death of Wan-soo’s son. Wan-soo had wanted to keep it quiet — it seems she carries a lot of guilt for going to work instead of staying with him the day he passed. Wan-soo is getting a little suffocated with the nasty attacks on her and takes off for the beach for breather, with Do-yoon in tow.

At the beach, Do-yoon stays close but not too close, giving her room to breathe. When Wan-soo goes back to the car, Do-yoon dusts the sand off her feet and carefully places her shoes back on. Do-yoon’s respectful yet caring gesture obviously affects Wan-soo — and me. But Wan-soo draws a line between them and tells Do-yoon to stick to his bodyguard tasks, because she doesn’t trust him yet.

Heading home from the beach but avoiding the family prison mansion, Do-yoon takes Wan-soo to her vacation home… where Yong-kook is waiting for her. Wan-soo, as fearless as ever – which I love her for – heads inside and confronts Yong-kook about his motives for approaching her in the first place. Yong-kook tells Wan-soo that those may have been his mother’s motives (Chairwoman Park), but he fell in love at first sight. (Did you though…?) Yong-kook proceeds to say they should have another child and launches himself at Wan-soo. Wan-soo screams because she can’t get him off and Do-yoon swoops in to rescue her. Excuse me while I pause and enjoy this for a moment…

Do-yoon has been making my heart flutter during these two episodes! Do-yoon has realized the link between the CHAIRMAN KIM’S (Jo Won-hee) death, Ju-hyuk’s death, and the attempted assassination of Wan-soo. Do-yoon tells Wan-soo that the incidents are all connected, but she is very untrusting of him. Wan-soo wants Do-yoon to bring her evidence and tries to storm off — but Do-yoon’s greatly-timed wrist-grab and request for her to trust him, stay by him and he will protect her, made my little heart swoon. (He gets bonus points from me just for this scene.)

We also gain a little insight into why Do-yoon and Ju-hyuk were in Manila. Do-yoon has a flashback to when he was appointed to the president’s detail and Ju-hyuk was appointed to the Intelligence Bureau. Do-yoon was told to report every detail of the president’s movements to the commissioner general of the NIS (National Intelligence Bureau), and this made him uncomfortable thinking something was off. Ju-hyuk was told to investigate any conglomerates the president met with and look into their slush fund activities. Ju-hyuk was also ordered to report everything back to the commissioner general and they were both told to keep it top secret. This is all very dodgy if you ask me.

Still in flashback mode, Ju-kyuk tells Do-yoon he is investigating the death of Chairman Kim. Ju-kyuk had found out that the Hwa-in Group laundered their money through the “eight star gang,” who sound like a right lot of bandits. Ju-hyuk was heading to their headquarters in Manila, and that’s about the time he was murdered in front of Do-yoon (as we saw last week). After his death, the investigation had been stopped, but Do-yoon pleaded with the commissioner general to re-open the investigation, or better yet just let him investigate alone. However, the commissioner general said there was no evidence and gave Do-yoon a firm no. Wow, that’s fishy in itself.

Back to the present, Do-yoon is introduced to the other security members who are sparring. Do-yoon is challenged by one macho dude who is definitely bigger than Do-yoon. Do-yoon doesn’t even break a sweat! It’s awesome! *Seal clapping* Do-yoon beats him hands down and Mr. Macho wants a rematch. Yes please! Do-yoon gets kitted up and in the octagon he takes a few blows but he is quicker and more skilled and takes down Mr. Macho for a second time – I’ll just be over here with my popcorn getting all bloodthirsty, haha. Do-yoon takes the opportunity after the fight to ask Mr. Park a few carefully pointed questions about Chairman Kim’s death. Mr. Park however, is not about to give up any information, which sends Do-yoon to go and seek it out for himself.

Meanwhile, the nasty attacks on Wan-soo are still going full force. Chairwoman Park has decided that Mr. Han (her right-hand man), will make Wan-soo’s brother the new Director of the NOW Foundation and make her resign. Wan-soo’s brother tells Wan-soo what the plan is, so she asks him to leak Yong-kook’s affair and illegitimate child – hahaha, what a beautiful counter attack. Tae-ra and her mum go scurrying to Wan-soo’s office after the cat has been let out of the bag, to beg her to block the tabloids, but I’m pretty sure she has no intention of doing this. *Snickers behind hands*

Wan-soo is called to see Chairwoman Park, Yong-kook, and Mr. Han for a crisis meeting following the story being leaked. Mr. Han states that the stock prices are plummeting and suggests Wan-soo has the best image to clear this up for them. Wan-soo says she will, but Chairwoman Park needs to rethink her dismissal. (Nicely played Wan-soo!) Chairwoman Park retorts by telling Wan-soo to keep her hands off the foundation and to stay home – ouch! Wan-soo is definitely not as timid as they think she is, and she instructs her secretary to call a press conference for the next day.

Chairwoman Park tries to stop Wan-soo from attending the press conference by inviting her to a meeting with a minister. Chairwoman Park is full of shrill laughter and bum-kissing as Wan-soo makes an elegant break for it — with trusty Do-yoon by her side. Wan-soo makes it to the press conference and surprisingly defends Yong-kook. Along with the press, and Do-yoon, I thought she was going to announce her divorce! Instead, Wan-soo announces that the illegitimate child (Tae-ra’s son) is… the deceased Chairman’s Kim son. Wow, I did not see that coming! Tae-ra is hysterical as she shouts, “She just made me the concubine of a man in his seventies!” *Rolls around on floor*

After that debacle, Chairwoman Park calls Wan-soo for an audience — and no, she doesn’t slap her. But Chairwoman Park does call Wan-soo a bottom feeder, and demands she resign immediately. Wan-soo announces she wants to make the world a better place and doesn’t want Chairwoman Park to sully her life’s work with money. Chairwoman Park has been laundering money through the foundation and trying to manipulate Wan-soo into bribing a Chinese ambassador. Chairwoman Park is trying to help her other son KIM YONG-MIN (Go Yoon) and his in-laws’ business break into China.

Wan-soo stands her ground, awe-inspiringly as always, telling Chairwoman Park in no uncertain terms that she cannot take the foundation away from her. Wan-soo adds that Chairwoman Park may be able to manipulate the prosecutors and police, but not the press — she will protect the foundation at all costs. Chairwoman Park retorts that she has no one to blame but herself for what is about to happen…

Cut to: Tae-ra and her son move into the Hwa-in residence and Chairwoman Park tells Wan-soo as she created this family tree, so she can show them to their room, haha. Wan-soo purposefully calls Tae-in a mistress/concubine to her face, and Tae-ra later has to check with her mum that this is an insult haha and she is not happy. In short, Wan-soo firmly puts her in her place and it seems all of the staff of the house will be following suit.

Continuing the chaos, Wan-soo and Chairwoman Park attend an opening event for the foundation – and unfortunately they’re both wearing the exact same tomato red outfit! Wan-soo and Chairwoman Park are forced by reporters to link arms and put their cheeks together. This was absolute gold for me lol. Chairwoman Park can not hide the uneasiness on her face and is in a foul mood when she gets home. She decides to go to the sparring area and practice her judo with the security team, and it’s so strange to see this grey hair bobbing about throwing all these huge guys. Chairwoman Park picks Do-yoon as her next opponent, and all credit to Do-yoon as he doesn’t let her win — unlike the others. Chairwoman Park is surprisingly pleased he didn’t, and comments on knowing everything about her opponent from their smell. Chairwoman Park starts questioning him about his smell which I just found creepy haha.

In her next move, Chairwoman Park calls for Wan-soo, and her parting shot this week is to gleefully tell Wan-soo her mum is in a locked ward of a secure psychiatric hospital and doesn’t have much time left. Huh? The next day, Do-yoon drives Wan-soo and her brother to the facility and Wan-soo comments it’s like a prison. Wan-soo’s brother tells her it’s the best he could do under Chairwoman Park’s orders. Wan-soo goes in to see her mum alone (with Do-yoon nearby), and we hear her scream as Do-yoon goes running and the episode cuts. Talk about a cliffhanger!

 
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