Still my favourite weekender and I guess I'll have to take my eyes off the ratings in order for me to fully concentrate without worries.
An eventful week just as you said, it was packed. So my highlights:
1. Yu-jeong finally slapping the senses into Ye-na, I know everyone sees your pain but the last thing you should do is to pour it on others who are merely trying to help. So thank you for the slap.
2. Since when did the 2nd Leads get to earn the swooniest and funniest kisses before the MLs? First the sneeze kiss now the CCTV kiss and I'm all in for it.😁
3. Hae-seong finally introducing himself properly. Normal k-drama style would have been to drop hints here and there for Su-A to catch but come on, if you like her, introduce yourself properly and get the free pass childhood tropes give to romance. So, thank you for that.
2025 started with promising dramas like this and I hope more comes.

The storyline takes turns in every corner and is still enjoyable for me. I love that Haejong and Sua support each other in their investigation. I have MANY favorite scenes this week! The top is that the casual chat of Haejong reveals their childhoold relationship with Sua, the smiles, and the awkward wave hands that follow. Love it - not dragging the plotline and not overly dramatic reveals. It is just in a casual chat on their way home from restaurant.

Thanks Writernim to cut unnecessary dragging of childhood connection trope. The show has many plots to cover (missing dad, evil Chairwoman, gold treasure hunt, student's score markups scandal, anything else?), so the story can move on. I want Haesong and Sua dating era please!

Hope the show sticks to its fun and thrilling storyline till the end!!

The plot of drama is absolutely cuckoo banana pants, but somehow it still works, which I credit to the actors. Where do I start.... The ONLY time they can get into the Director's office is during an crowded event staffed by numerous security guards?! Common South Korean NIS, you are better than this! If Hae-sung is supposed to be an undercover high school student, maybe don't dress him up like James Bond! Your put the link to your secret plan to rig the system for the 1% on a physical business card?! You guys haven't hear of Whatsapp?! The Director knows they are going to break into her office but leaves the evidence that she knows of this plan on her desk top?! The top 1% of society is cahoots to rig the system in favor of the top 1%?! Ok, that actually makes sense.

Ridiculous plot, but I'm still here for it....

Who knew I would find myself swooning over the OTP in this drama?? I absolutely love the leads and each of their interactions. The show continues to set the bar high for swoony romance in the simplest moments.
I love him. I love her a little more. I love them together. I love them by themselves. I love their dance fight. I love them work together. I love their flirty-ness. I love them talking to each other. U love hoe comfortable they are with each other. I love how they steal looks at each other.

Chairman is creepy scary. The scene in the toilet. Yikes.

I enjoyed how casually the childhood connection was revealed. No fanfare, no angsty moment. Just a simple reveal. Absolutely wonderful.

🥰🥰🥰. I am rewatching the scenes to keep this feels till next weekend.

Kinda surprised there are still 4 episodes left because it feels like we are literally at the climax of the story, so I'm curious to see if the drama has some more surprises in store.

Lots of romance this week too, sometimes in the most unexpected of places. Ye-na & Yoo-jung fight and make up, and then the drama decides to... play a love song?! Well, on that note, I will now be treating this as a romance (admittedly, my initial theory was that Ye-na had a secret crush on Yoo-jung and that's why she was keeping her around).

Everything with our leads continues to be a whole lot of fun, and their dynamic is an absolute joy to watch, and I really like how involved Soo-ah has gotten in everything. Her getting injured was slightly predictable, though I initially expected this to happen in the last 2 episodes, so we're ahead of schedule in that department. Also surprised at how quickly the childhood connection was resolved. Good communication skills are always gre

I’m really hoping you’re right and Seok-ho isn’t the mole! I have a hard time he would do that except maybe if someone was threatening Yoo-jeong. But Hae-seong is like a son to him too. I think the director is fairly likely, but isn’t there that deputy guy too? The one who keeps sneaking around and being rude - he seems ambitious enough, nosy enough, and pointless enough as a character to be the betrayer for sure.

I love watching our leads catch more and more feelings for each other! Their expressions when they are around each other or thinking about the other are just adorable. Su-ah coming in hot with advice and empathy, Hae-seong retaliating with mischievous smiles and a dose of nostalgia! I don’t even mind the childhood connection here - it’s cute and I’m so glad he told her about it without much delay.

Lee Jun-ho is the teacher who has a crush on Su-ah, right? I knew her teacher friend probably didn’t have anything to do with the grade-fixing because she was encouraging Su-ah to look into it just in case, but the other guy has just been hovering in the back of this story for a while. Good on them for digging up the evidence they need, and now I just hope that the stabber didn’t take it all with them. You gotta take photos of these things people! I’m not worried for Su-ah at all - this isn’t that kind of show - and her hospital time will hopefully result in some confessions!

What a lovely set of episodes these were!
I adore every interaction between the leads... They are simply magical together. Their easy camaraderie, and the way she manages to elicit those beautiful smiles from him, no matter how grumpy he may be, is so cute.
I may have watched the scene where Soo Ah enters the party and Hye Seung's gobsmacked expression a few too many times!
Still a few ROFL moments... My favourite being the security guard slapping himself 😂
I also loved the dinner scene between Ye Na and Yu Jeong at home with mum, and I wonder if they'll go the way the lovesong portends.
I'm so sad the show seems to be dipping in popularity, because it deserves so much more love.

Loved this set of episodes. Just squeeing through all the cute scenes. This series has been getting better each week, and now I'm just rewatching scenes until we get the next episode. I love how Hae-seong and Soo-ah look like they really like each other (not in a romantic sense) and they enjoy hanging out with each other.

I had been side-eying how the other NIS agents on Hae-seong's team seem to be contributing nothing, but they really brought it with their "acting" during the office break in. Complete with makjang violin music followed by a refrain of the soundtrack theme from that old school student- teacher romance drama.

I love how Hae-seong's shower scene was really just him being doused with water in a cold pool at a public bath house.

Jin Ki-joo is so adorable - adorably funny and adorably tough! Too bad that Soo-ah likes being a teacher, since she would make a really good NIS agent. I love how she cracked the piano mystery.

Ahh these virginal males are a trip haha
Are we supposed to believe he, at 31, doesn't know why his body, heart, and mind is reacting to her the way it is? Haha
(I mean it's possible but for him, it seems unlikely haha)

But in other news, I did like the confrontation between Yu Jeong & Yena. I also liked that it was shown that Yu Jeong could be friendly with other people so contrary to what Yena may have believed, Yu Jeong doesn't have to put up with such treatment. I also liked Yena standing up for her friendship and reaching out first.

I liked Hae Seong revealing everything and her reaction haha ("that was alot of shocks back to back" haha)

I liked Hae Seong and Yu Jeong's moments.

Man, the actress playing the chairwoman seems like she's having such fun with the role. I don't even know how to describe her.

Thanks for the recap @quirkycase. I was a bit late in starting this and was perfectly happy waiting for it to appear in the evening on viki. . .until The Art of Negotiation was released much earlier in the day and I'm totally hooked on that one. I'll catch up my viewing time of this drama mid-week (it's a good thing I don't mind spoilers).

Meanwhile. . . “The bead shall shine like gold in the red sun.”. I've been convinced since the beginning that the OBSERVATORY was going to be key and with that final clue, I'm even more convinced. But, of course, I could be very wrong, lol.

I think the mole is the Director's underling but then that makes me wonder how he would know the mission details only the director and team are suppose to know.

This couple is so adorable! I love every scene with them! I like their honesty, they don't hide anything from each other. He told her he was her childhood friend, there was a mole at NIS and the directrice knew she was investigating the past results. There was no hesitation and everytime it brought them closer. Hae-sung has a lot on his shoulders but he has Soo-ah who is the cutest and best support.

For the rest, it's still fun. I didn't really feel bad for the student being hit by Myung-joo. Maybe he won't hurt Yena anymore. Her mother is way enough.

I wonder when I last saw such empathy between two leading characters (maybe in Dr. Slump?): Su-ah being very perceptive of what was worrying Hae-song, and finding just the right words of encouragement. (“You are not alone. You’ll find out everyone is with you.” or “I’m sure you’ll find your dad”) While he was suddenly aware that his words about how she “has no idea or just didn’t care what’s happening in her classroom” might have hurt her - or even did her injustice. Or when he came to find her at school because he knew she’d be there, trying to find evidence against the chairwoman on her own. (And yes, he also knew that she wanted to hear that she looked beautiful in her evening dress! 😆)
It’s such a joy to watch! 🥹

The comedy is -of course- still on point! The self-defense lesson, the phone call (“… why did you lower your voice?” 🤣) and last but not least the dance fight and NIS agents’ distraction techniques (Yeong-hun’s eyes almost popped out then and there 👀🤣) being among my favorite scenes.

🤔 At this point, my only concern is why other dramas I’m watching are not as hilarious and swoony as this. 🫠 I am melting. And laughing. And kicking my feet! 😆 I admit I was hoping for The Magic of the 8th Episode, but I’m not mad that they’re taking their sweet time growing fonder of each other very naturally: they’re just too adorable! 🫰💖

Not something I'd say often, but I'm glad we got the childhood connection here because that reveal was the best. So casual, and Su-ah's whole reaction was too cute. The comfortable dynamic they have is so sweet. I love our OTP 🥰

Less comedy this week, but still lots of laughs like the dance fight and the two NIS agents, but my favorite moment was that cheer sound effect with the shifty math teacher when Ri-an shot down the possibility of Su-ah's "friend's" romance 😂

My absolute favorite scene in these two episodes is when HS comes into her office and leans on her desk, while he listens to her. It was so sweet and adorable. I just melted. They are one of my favorite kdrama couples ever. Su Ah is so adorable and cute and HS is so cute and adorable. Their cuteness is absolutely squee worthy. In the words of Viki commenters, "NOW KISS"

I enjoy this show and I'm enjoying these recaps! Thanks.
I love it that Ye-na is growing as a character even though her mother is trying very hard to stop her. Yu-jeong is ready to be a spy, because she can see all the ways that Ye-na is hurting. Everyone else only sees her obnoxiousness and her stress when she comes in second. She also sees that Ye-na actually wants to be friends, which is why she ignored all the bullying stuff. I was not ready for the OST to play a love song when they finally resolved their fight, though.

Speaking of Ye-na's mother, what was up with that scene where Myeong-ju expresses her admiration for the brutal discipline of the Japanese army--to the Korean history teacher? Eh? EEEHH? What was that?!? OK, yes, she also beat a student, but that was in private.

Is Myeong-ju Hae-sung's mother, and is she imprisoning his beloved father in the basement of the school? I know that seems like a wild prediction, but I want to record it here just in case. That would explain a whole lot of plot--she could be blackmailing whoever the mole is because they want their agent back.

Or the father is the bad guy. The actor playing the flashback dad--Oh Eui-shik--is so extremely sweet looking, that would be very shocking.

I really like how the OTP characters smile at each other. It's one of the things that makes the show for me.

Shout out to the two security officers swooning at the CCTV kiss. Their expressions were hilarious!.

I don't really care about the plot anymore. Just give me more Hae-seong and Soo-ah.

"Soo-ah ya"🫠

LOVED how they totally underplayed the childhood connection trope! That's how you do it, ppl - casually, but still getting it in there! In terms of the original plot thread (if I can find it in the warm gooey chocolate that is Hae-sung's eyes and in the depths of Su-Ah's cutest dimples!), my prediction is that the Chairwoman has solved all 4 stories, but need Haesung to unlock something, because his father also found the gold and locked it away somewhere (leaving the clues that will eventually lead Haesung to solve it). This probably means the Director of NIS is her mole, since he would have encouraged the recruitment of Hae-sung into NIS. I am still 50-50 on whether the dad is alive..it seems impossible, but maybe the Chairwoman has kept him alive somewhere and would use that as the last leverage on Hae-sung. I do hope in the end, the Director is tried for reason, and his uncle can become the new Director, and Haesung gets a promotion! Su-ah will be the one to fully expose the GPA scandal and will become a full-time teacher at the school. And I need about 30 minutes of cutesy, coupley things they do in the last episode! :P

They are the cutest couple in the making, especially the FL with that little thing she does with her nose. And the way Hae-sung's face lights up only for her is just adorable!
Also, it seems like kissing has now officially become a prerequisite for an NIS job

Thank you for the recap. 🏫🚌🎒👩‍🏫🕵️‍♂️

If anyone thought the drama was done giving Hae-seong the *hero* entry they can think again, because this time round uri Hae-seong got the legit 007 entry into the gala. Of course how can anyone believe that person is a school boy is anybody's guess. To their credit, the drama is not really asking us to suspend our disbelief, they are just saying that it is ridiculous for a 31 year old to pass off as a high-schooler but ottoke he had a bad batch of herbal medicine which made him old and *cough* handsome just roll with it. 🙄 🙃😂 And guess what - it works!! 🤣

Even uri Soo-ah got a beauty's entry into the gala and Hae-seong wasn't the only one who held his breath looking at the vision. 😊❤🥰

Aaah!! Love is in the air, and Hae-seong's cool as as a cucumber reveal of being Bong-ja's 첫사랑 has her heart aflutter. Of course anyone who knows anything about dramaland know the vital importance of first loves in our leads' lives. 🫰🏻

But of course the highlight-u was the waltz fight (or fighting waltz!?) of uri OTP where they merrily bashed the baddies while dancing together gracefully.💃