Episode two starts with little Oh Du-sik (Park Kyu-bin) storming through Geosan as the undisputed leader of her pack, a whirlwind of courage and defiance. This pint-sized powerhouse commands the playground, her fiery temper feared by every boy, including the notorious ones like Cho Seok-hui (Shin Seo-woo), who targets her for her looks. Du-sik isn’t just brawn; she’s a fearless girl, catching snakes with a grin and scaring the shit out of everyone. Amidst her tough exterior, there’s a flicker of warmth for Kim Baek-du (Jang Dong-yoon), hinting at a deeper bond. With Ssireum in her blood, thanks to her father Oh Jun’s (Lim Chul-hyung) legacy, Du-sik dominates the ring, embodying her dad’s champion spirit.
And whoosh, we zoom back to the present, and Baek-du is completely bowled over – quite literally – by this mysterious woman. The way she floors him, Baek-du is sure she is the spitting image of our firecracker Oh, Du-sik. He’s like a mixtape on loop, in a tizzy, babbling away about the past, talking about how Du-sik left without a word, how much he’s missed her, and examining how she could leave him in the cold. It’s as if he’s trying to fill in the years with words. And just before the big, emotional reunion, bam! The woman looks him dead in the eye and drops the bombshell – she’s not Oh Du-sik.
In a spicy side chat, Joo Mi-ran (Kim Bo-ra) was baffled about mistaking Du-sik for a guy because Du-sik’s name was a byword for trouble. A lightbulb goes off when she recalls a drunken Baek-du chanting Du-sik’s name, hinting she knows more about the murder. Kwak Jin-su (Lee Jae-hoon), however, is playing his cards close to his chest, suggesting the story behind Du-sik’s vanishing act is a Pandora’s box that’s best left shut, known only Kim Tae-baek (Choi Moo-sung), Jun and Du-sik.
Geosan’s quirkiness escalates as Seok-hui and his team turn a murder scene into a dog hunt amidst neighborhood chatter about a mysterious new tenant in the vacant house. Tae-baek, upon spotting the mysterious woman, takes a mental note and walks away, adding to the intrigue.
Discussion heats up among the ajusshis and Tae-baek about the Ssireum team’s future, complicated by the coach’s disappearance and the mayor’s plans. Despite personal ties, they urge Tae-baek to intervene with the mayor. The logic’s a bit loopy, but in Geosan, it’s just another day of tangled tales and quirky conundrums.
At the police station, Baek-du is hounding Seok-hui (Lee Joo-seong) for a background check. Unsuccessful but persistent, Baek-du drags him to spy on the mysterious woman. There they are, comically peering over her fence, clueless that she’s overhearing everything. Seok-hui can’t believe Du-sik could transform so beautifully, but Baek-du, ever the dreamer, is convinced she looks just like Du-sik.
And there goes Baek-du again, wandering the streets of Geosan like a lost soul, muttering under his breath about the mysterious woman who’s got his mind in a twist. His path crosses with Jin-su, and the air is thick with unspoken words. Jin-su, with a hint of skepticism, probes Baek-du about his retirement. He begins to mention Baek-du’s last Ssireum match but leaves his sentence hanging, igniting Baek-du’s curiosity. Amid this awkward encounter, Mi-ran offers a cheerful distraction, waving from a nearby café. It’s another classic Geosan moment, full of half-spoken truths and intriguing encounters.
Geosan’s ahjummas are buzzing with gossip about the new mysterious woman, wondering about her stay. Suddenly, she appears, asking about the neighbourhood meet-up. This event, a village tradition, brings everyone together for dinner, this time at Baek-du’s house. As Baek-du walks in, he finds his brothers busy with meal prep and joins in. Amid meal prep at Baek-du’s house, the conversation among his brothers turns from reminiscing about Du-sik, often remembered as an ugly child, to the intriguing arrival of the new, notably attractive, mysterious woman in town.
At the neighborhood gathering, lively ahjummas enjoy dinner while gossiping openly about the mysterious lady, Oh Yu-gyeong (Lee Joo-myoung). Baek-du, seemingly out of place, remains unchallenged in the female-dominated scene, fixated on Yu-gyeong. When the ladies inquire, she introduces herself, surprising Baek-du. Like an overgrown kid, he tries to whisper to Ma Jin-sook (Jang Young-nam), who bluntly, openly, and loudly questions his interest in Yu-gyeong’s background.
Remaining professional, Yu-gyeong reveals she’s in town for work, skilfully dodging personal queries, frustrating Baek-du. Jin-sook shifts the focus to a serious agenda, mentioning a local accident in a neighboring village and a death in the reservoir, and Han-ju spices things up by suggesting it might be a murder.
Meanwhile, at the police station, Seok-hui is engrossed in a murder investigation, perplexed by the lack of media coverage and the suspicious transfer of CCTV footage to Seoul, hinting at a larger conspiracy.
The dinner’s atmosphere briefly lightens with humor over Seok-hui’s clumsiness, shared with Baek-du. However, Han-ju’s pointed question to Baek-du about his last interaction with the victim reintroduces tension, with Mi-ran advising silence, leaving Baek-du bewildered. The mention of Hun-ja’s restaurant’s TV feature provides a momentary distraction from the evening’s undercurrents of secrecy.
Plot twist alert! Choi Chil-seyong’s (Won Hyun-joon) demise wasn’t a simple accident – it was a chilling murder by strangulation!
After the meeting, while Yu-gyeong is strolling through the market alone, she finds Baek-du tailing her like a detective on a mission, his mind consumed by some compelling thought. Suddenly, Yu-gyeong confronts him, and the poor guy is scared out of his wits – haha! Baek-du stammers, claiming he’s just escorting her through the well-lit, definitely-not-scary lane.
She also points out he did the same outside her house. Ever the timid soul, Baek-du awkwardly mumbles about having something on his mind. As she confidently walks towards him, he can’t even raise his eyes to face her. Sheepishly, he admits he understands she’s not Du-sik, yet he can’t shake the feeling she might be. It’s hilarious as Baek-du continues his rambling, convinced she’s somehow connected to Du-sik.
Yu-gyeong, uninterested in his nonsensical musings, keeps walking. Baek-du, still fixated, spills the beans about Du-sik smacking boys’ heads, turning Seok-hui into a “dumb head”, how she was his soulmate, and so on. Yu-gyeong cuts in, asking why he isn’t training if he is a Ssireum wrestler. Baek-du drops the bombshell that he retired yesterday. Yu-gyeong glares at him in dismay, scolding him for quitting and swiftly changing the subject.
She starts weaving a tale, imagining if she were Du-sik, expressing disappointment and disapproval for Baek-du’s decision. She would have smacked his head, rooted for him to win all these years, and so on. Starry-eyed and thoroughly convinced, Baek-du now sees her as the embodiment of Du-sik. Tae-baek boldly confronts Mayor Man-sik, pleading to save the Ssireum team. Despite the mayor’s initial intentions to flex power, Tae-baek without escalating the situation calmly leaves the office. In a surprising turn, Mayor Man-sik announces that the Ssireum team won’t be disbanded, at least for the time being.
Back on his bed, Baek-du is lost in his thoughts about Du-sik and mumbling as usual, utterly oblivious to his mom’s relentless chatter about his father’s devastation over retirement. In his self-induced frenzy, he needs a literal wake-up call – a slap from his mother – to snap out of it. Oddly enough, this seems like a usual occurrence.
Jin-sook, undeterred, shifts her blabbering to the missing underpants of Baek-du. She paints a vivid picture, claiming that if all the stolen underpants from the males in their house were piled up, it would rival a mountain. It is a wild imagination, but apparently, there’s a superstition about stealing champions’ underpants. Baek-du, asserting he’s not a champion, assures he can’t be stolen, insisting they must be in the gym.
At first, Jin-sook, soft in her request, sends him to the gym to retrieve them. However, she unleashes a thunderous command when he attempts to return to his slumber. With his trolley bag in tow, Baek-du starts mumbling to himself again on his way to the gym.
Sneaking into the gym from the backside to avoid prying eyes, Baek-du opens his locker, revealing a nostalgic collection of memories. Among them is a cherished photo of him and Du-sik, encapsulating the essence of their enduring friendship.
Attention, folks! As Baek-du strolls down memory lane in the gym, a sleek black car arrives, and a mysterious man steps out, turning heads and adding intrigue to the scene.
Back in the heart of the neighborhood drama, Baek-du, attempting to make a quiet exit, accidentally stumbles upon a gathering of his friends. They’re all huddled together, and there’s someone new in charge. Unable to resist his curiosity, Baek-du positions himself by a window, providing his amusing self-commentary as he tries to eavesdrop on what’s happening.
The bomb drops – the Governor has appointed a new General Manager, and guess who it is? None other than Oh Yu-gyeong. Baek-du is left flustered, questioning why Du-sik is there in the first place. The hefty wrestlers, not impressed by what they see as a “skinny girl” start doubting her knowledge of Ssireum.
From his vantage point, Baek-du, always the simpleton, warns them not to underestimate her. He emphasizes her Ssireum expertise, saying she knows how to tie satba better than how to tie her hair.
Things take a heated turn as they question her capability as a woman. Baek-du, fully aware of Du-sik’s temper, braces for impact. In a surprising twist, Yu-gyeong reveals her knowledge by pointing out errors in their last match, which she watched online. Then, as if defying gravity, she topples a hefty wrestler before everyone’s eyes. Baek-du, left in awe, can’t help but wonder, She still denies she’s Du-sik?
Back at Han-ju’s restaurant, the ahjusshis ponder the sudden GM appointment, with Han-ju offering her pearls of Geosan wisdom: people act out of the blue when they’re about to die or have ulterior motives. Classic Geosan logic!
Meanwhile, the mysterious man is seen lunching at the restaurant, adding to the intrigue. As he explores the town, he stumbles upon Mi-ran’s café, further deepening the mystery in Geosan.
The usually composed Yu-gyeong finds herself flustered after inadvertently revealing a secret. When asked about her Ssireum background, she admits to dabbling in it as a child, though the advanced technique she displayed hints at a deeper connection, perhaps even a wrestler in her family. Her reaction speaks volumes.
Turning to the coach for guidance, they learn he’s on an unreachable sabbatical, upset over Lim Dong-seok (Kim Tae-jung) joining another team after winning against Baek-du. The coach had invested a lot in Lim Dong-seok, leaving a sense of disappointment lingering.
As the tension mounts, we witness a mysterious man parked by the reservoir, visibly distressed and ignoring Coach Park’s calls. Another eerie moment sends shivers down the spine.
As Baek-du walks out of the gym, contemplating and mumbling about Du-sik, he encounters his father, wrestling with comments about Baek-du’s retirement. In an attempt to guide his son, Tae-baek invites Baek-du to the gym for a match, believing that only through a bout can he decide whether retirement is the right call.
The sand becomes a battleground where Tae-baek repeatedly topples Baek-du, aiming to reprimand him for various aspects—his skills, seriousness, and attitude. However, a peculiar stubbornness gleams in Baek-du’s eyes as he rises each time as if clinging to something that fuels his determination. Despite exhaustion, Baek-du remains resilient, getting up after every defeat.
Fatigue sets in, and Tae-baek, desperately urging Baek-du to prove everyone wrong, questions why he isn’t upset after all the training and snide remarks. Baek-du’s response reveals he fears getting up, failing again, and never winning, making him hesitant to prove others wrong. Initially sad that no one stopped him from retiring, he planned to return after faking it for a few days, but the lack of intervention made him believe it was futile. He feels like a loser, sorry for himself and disappointing his father. His self-reflection and admission of feeling like a loser tug at the heartstrings, painting a poignant picture of grief and the weight of failure that Baek-du carries.
Zoom to the quietude by the lake, the mysterious man remains entrenched in his thoughts. With an unwavering gaze, he studies the signages, extracting clues that fuel his calculations and speculations. In her office, Yu-gyeong gazes at Baek-du’s form, reminiscing about his endearing qualities in her rural tone, pondering what went wrong with the once-promising prodigy. Witnessing him repeatedly topple into the sand, she’s overcome with frustration. Venturing the arena, she confronts him, urging him to rise from his melancholy. But Baek-du, consumed by sadness, seeks solitude. Understanding his need, Yu-gyeong switches off the lights, leaving him to his thoughts.
Meanwhile, the mysterious man arrives at the gym, lurking in the shadows until he reaches the sand arena. There, he finds Yu-gyeong berating Baek-du for his retirement and his insistence that she is Du-sik. Frustrated by his stubbornness, Yu-gyeong reprimands him in her village tone, expressing concern for his well-being. As Baek-du continues his bickering about Du-sik, Yu-gyeong is on the verge of revealing the truth when the mysterious man interjects the conversation by addressing her “Yeobo.”
All these scenes, folks, are like pieces of a puzzle, intricately linked and moving in sync. It’s like the drama’s got its rhythm, guiding you through the winding paths of Geosan, hint by hint, clue by clue. You’re always on the edge, trying to guess where the story zigs and zags next, but it’s all happening at once, pulling you deeper into the village’s heart.
Meet our guest contributor, Poulomi: I am an undercover enthusiast, tucked away in my snug hideout, secretly feasting on the delightful buffet of human interactions. My introverted spirit finds its haven on the fringes, a place where I can silently root for the triumphs and delve into the intricacies of humanity. With an eye sensitive to the subtlest nuances and a heart that echoes each observation, I’m all in for the people-watching game. Life, in its essence, mirrors my beloved K-dramas, offering a sanctuary of stories spiced with intrigue and emotion, and I savour every scene, relishing the unfolding drama with a sly grin and a knowing nod.
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