Learning the dynamics of the real world cannot be taught by reading books alone. Immersion is needed in order to understand its curves and edges. And now that our naive hero left the comfort of his chaebol life to pursue the world of the girl he likes, will he blend in or will he choose to go back to his old ways?
The Tale of Two Sons
Although I believe Je-hoon is trapped in his own misery caused by his defiance to speak up against the mighty, I still feel bad for him for enduring all these alone. Can just everyone cut him some slack? He can’t even have a decent coffee break with own father! I admit I want to slap Hyuk sometimes for always thinking about Joon while being clueless about the sacrifices of Je-hoon for him. While Hyuk was sleeping at the police station (un)comfortably, Je-hoon was wide awake all night watching over him.
This familial-turned-political company drama is slowly evolving into a full blown war of tactics as the father and eldest son started using Je-hoon to monitor the wayward second son. CEO Byun tasked Je-hoon to always keep an eye on Hyuk and report regularly what Hyuk is up to, without telling anyone else. On the other hand, Woo-sung (Lee Jae-yoon) also asked Je-hoon to report everything first to him before telling his father. Je-hoon both agreed to the two’s instructions. Now… what is Je-hoon planning? Who will he trust?
Also, as much as I am frustrated with Je-hoon for looking after this stupid elite family, I can’t blame him for this. He was brought up by a father who only thought of the welfare of the Hyuk household. I also think this is what makes Woo-sung so confident in asking Je-hoon to filter his reports to CEO Byun.
The Diligent Daughter
I never really believed Joon’s friend Ha Yeon-hee (Kim Ye-won) when she told Hyuk (Siwon) about Joon’s mom milking her daughter of money. So as Joon’s mom (Hwang Young-hee) visited her at home, I warmed myself up to her more when she apologized to Joon for being incompetent. It even seemed like she was an ordinary mother who cooked her hardworking daughter a meal. But after realizing that she immediately left her daughter’s house after receiving money, I fully understood Joon for despising her so much. Argh, Joon even cancelled her insurance savings to lend her the 10 million won she was asking!
Of Gukbap and Humility
Haha, as much as I admired Hyuk’s voluntary submission to the police for his sexual harassment case, I really don’t think he is in the position to turn himself in like that. LOL! He was so clueless, and he did not have a concrete plan. If not because of those lawyers sent by his powerful father, he would be rotting in jail for a crime he did not commit. I know the fact stays that Yeon-hee was still sexually violated, but in all fairness to Hyuk, it was really accidental. So props to him for admitting it and apologizing to her. Baby steps! 🤗
Now that Hyuk is slowly realizing that monetary settlement is not enough, he also begins to see how the real world works. But his innocence still brings in the light moments in the drama! I was really laughing hard while he offered to be handcuffed inside the police station and requested a jail cell full of people just because he gets bored easily.
Also, is 아버지 trying to teach Hyukie a lesson? Though it may seem that Dad is kicking Hyuk out of the Byun household stark naked, I feel like he is also letting him to spread his wings on his own. Who knows? Sometimes drastic measures are what Hyuk needs in order to survive the outside world without asking any help from his parents or through the connection of his powerful family.
GRUMPY ALLEY
I really love this group of construction chingu surrounding our main couple! Of all people, these elderly trio helped Hyuk from starving when he was stark naked on the street! Kim Ki-sub ahjussi (Seo Hyun-chul), An Mi-yeon ahjumma (Hwang Jung-min), Lee Tae-kyung ahjussi (Choi Dae-chul), and of course, Joon – all of them are barely surviving their daily lives, but they managed to get Hyuk decent clothes and feed him.
I swear poetic Hyuk is the best version of Hyuk!
That day, just like that
I was cast out into a world outside I did not know
I thought it was a journey I would soon return from
But I did not know then
A matrix once shattered
cannot be returned to.
I cannot go back
to who I was before swallowing the red pill.”-Byun Hyuk, Episode 4
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