High School King of Savvy: Episode 10

by purplecow

This episode might start out cute, but it sure doesn’t stay that way. The simmering conflict between Min-seok and Jin-woo finally comes to a boil, and the lies Min-seok has been piling up begin to come crashing down. Public opinion, which has been split so far on the controversial issue of Jin-woo, is sure to become even more divided now. Is he a misguided puppy who just needs a hug, or an utter and irredeemable jerkface? The jury’s still out, but after this episode our second lead has a long way to go.

 
EPISODE 10 RECAP

Jin-woo is about to click on the tantalizing email from Hyung-seok, when the bumbling Team Leader Kim walks into the office. Jin-woo throws off suspicion by claiming to have left his cellphone in Director Lee’s office earlier. He has no choice but to leave with Team Leader Kim, who is still over the moon about being in a friendlier relationship with Jin-woo. Jin-woo doesn’t exactly look thrilled, but he agrees that they can speak comfortably when it’s just the two of them. He postpones their coffee date, however, so he can go back inside and read Min-seok’s email.

Meanwhile, Min-seok and Soo-young are having yet another nauseatingly cute date. Then Hyung-seok’s email arrives, which Min-seok deletes immediately after reading. Hyung-seok apologizes for asking so much of his little brother, but asks him to hold on a little longer because the end is in sight.

Jin-woo goes back to breaking and entering, only to find that the message is gone. In the restaurant, Min-seok lies to Soo-young that the message was porn sent by his younger brother. Really, Min-seok?! That’s the explanation that just springs to mind, huh?

Hand in hand, our lovebirds stroll down a tree-lined avenue. It’s the longest time they’ve spent together so far, and they chuckle that it’s going to be difficult to explain to others. Soo-young in particular will have a tough time convincing Yoo-ah that all she did was skate all night with her handsome director.

Soo-young drags Min-seok to a fortuneteller in spite of his lack of enthusiasm. The tarot reader says their love is like the beautiful days of spring… but that’s not all. The brick wall card represents an obstacle to their love. One of them has a secret, she warns, or a difficult situation that will cause trouble for them. Whoever could that be, I wonder?

Min-seok gripes to Soo-young that she should have just listened to him, instead of going to that quack fortuneteller and ruining her mood. Then, as fate (or a meddling writer) would have it, they run into Tae-seok and Duk-hwan walking in the opposite direction. “Min-seok!” Tae-seok calls out, before Duk-hwan smacks him upside the head. Min-seok greets his “younger” friends with a strained grin and a whispered warning to Duk-hwan.

Time to introduce the girlfriend to the best friends! Min-seok tries to keep his deception going, while Duk-hwan and Tae-seok stay on their best behavior. The lies pile up, as Min-seok has to explain how he met these boys when he so recently arrived from Germany. “They’re my brother’s friends,” he begins, then backtracks when Tae-seok flashes him the danger sign. “They’re my friends’ younger brothers,” he amends.

Min-seok lays it on thick, saying that Duk-hwan and Tae-seok idolize him and want to be just like him. He tries to wrap up the meeting before it can go too far, and Duk-hwan asks “hyungsoonim” (the term for an older brother’s wife) to take good care of Min-seok. “He may not look it,” he says, patting Min-seok’s face, “but he has a young and innocent side.” He also asks her to be understanding and stick with him through any obstacles, trying (and failing) to keep a straight face.

When Min-seok comes running home after his extended date, Duk-hwan and Tae-seok are on the steps waiting for him. They tease him about how he was so adamant that it wasn’t that kind of getaway, when the first thing he does is spend the night. Duk-hwan invites him to spill the beans. Instead, Min-seok gathers some rocks and pelts his dirty-minded friends.

Relaxing on the steps, they talk about Min-seok’s new relationship. Duk-hwan observes that Soo-young is like no woman he’s seen before, almost like she came from space. Min-seok laughs that that’s “my Secretary Jung’s charm,” and his endearment gives the other boys goosebumps. But as Tae-seok points out, there are problems beyond the nausea-inducing cuteness. First is what happens when Soo-young finds out the truth — she’ll be really hurt. Second is Yoo-ah, who still has no clue that her Husband Lee is seeing someone else.

Min-seok’s dad comes outside with the trash, startling the boys. He scolds Min-seok for staying out all night, and accuses him of scheming with Hyung-seok and keeping him in the dark. Min-seok claims to have fallen asleep at a friend’s house after playing video games, apologizes, and laughs sheepishly. Stop making Dad worry, Min-seok!

Soo-young can’t stop talking about Director Lee, although first she has to convince Yoo-ah that nothing inappropriate happened overnight. She brags about how her director is so popular with his guy friends, and how his eyes seem to light up when he smiles. Yoo-ah notes that her Husband Lee shares those traits… yeah, I’ll bet he does. Yoo-ah soon tires of her sister’s gushing, leaving Soo-young to ask, “Don’t you want to hear about my date?” “No,” Yoo-ah replies, but Soo-young starts sharing anyway.

Min-seok takes off for a clandestine lunch with Soo-young. When Team Leader Kim asks where he’s going, he scolds the team leader for always nagging at him. It cracks me up whenever Min-seok takes advantage of his fake identity to give Team Leader Kim a hard time. Min-seok taps Soo-young’s desk not-so-subtly on the way out.

Dae-han tries to ask Yoon-ju out for lunch, but she heads out with the other office ladies instead. Dae-han ends up on a man-date with Assistant Manager Park. Team Leader Kim watches everyone filing out of the office and asks forlornly why no one’s asking him to eat lunch. Aww, poor buddy.

Min-seok and Soo-young eat lunch at a noodle restaurant, but it turns out to be the same one Dae-han and Assistant Manager Park choose. They duck out quickly, and Min-seok pulls a pretty slick move to pay with his credit card from around the corner.

Assistant Manager Park confides that he’s thinking of making a move on Go Yoon-ju, which is the last thing Dae-han wants to hear. He begins a litany of Yoon-ju’s faults, including her gangly long limbs that make her look like a giraffe. He declares that even if they were on a deserted island together, he wouldn’t see her as a woman. Methinks the lady doth protest too much…

Min-seok and Soo-young chuckle over the close call. They nudge each other lovingly, until Soo-young misjudges her own strength and knocks Min-seok over.

After lunch, Min-seok runs into a frazzled Team Leader Kim in the bathroom. “Where did you go? Who did you eat lunch with?” he demands, prompting Min-seok to protest that they’re not lovers or anything, so why does he need to know? Team Leader Kim admits that he’s going crazy with all this subterfuge, blurring the line between keeping control and becoming obsessed. He tells Min-seok about the upcoming meeting that will take place in Suwon.

The Retail Team meets with Jin-woo’s crew for a briefing. Team Leader Kim arrives late and tries to laugh it off, convinced that his new relationship with Jin-woo will buy him some slack. Jin-woo politely reprimands him, but it still doesn’t dim the team leader’s giddy belief that they are secretly BFFs.

Jin-woo seems determined to put on his Ass Hat for this meeting. He asks Soo-young to bring iced coffee for everyone, ostentatiously offering her his credit card and specifying a further-away place to get the coffee from. Min-seok can only watch, getting angrier with each moment. It gets worse when Jin-woo asks Soo-young to leave the meeting after bringing coffee, saying that she will be more useful answering phones. Min-seok protests, but Soo-young leaves as requested in order to avoid a scene.

Min-seok tears off after Jin-woo once the meeting ends. He grabs him and demands to know what he thinks he’s doing. Jin-woo is coldly and deliberately insulting as he says that while Min-seok might have a “special relationship” with Soo-young, to him she’s just a secretary. Min-seok is ready to throw down, but Soo-young comes around the corner before he can launch the first punch. She manages to hustle him away, saying that Jin-woo isn’t worth getting mad over.

Jin-woo slumps back in his chair in his office, looking utterly exhausted. Min-seok gets to his office and kicks his desk, venting his frustration. A text arrives from Tae-seok informing him of a mandatory meeting for the hockey team. He informs Team Leader Kim (who shouts “Again?!” only belatedly tacking on the polite ending), then leaves the office early.

Assistant Manager Park starts his office seduction strategy, scooting his chair over to Yoon-ju with a puppy video to watch together. Dae-han can’t stand seeing the two of them cozying up so he jumps between them, laughing heartily at a video that hasn’t started yet. Pfft.

It’s time to leave work, and Soo-young receives a text from Min-seok asking to meet later. Assistant Manager Park ups his game with a pair of movie tickets, asking Yoon-ju if she’d like to watch with him. Dae-han isn’t having any of that, and rudely pushes Yoon-ju into her seat and raises his hand eagerly, demanding to watch the movie with Assistant Manager Park instead. He drags him off, with Yoon-ju looking very confused indeed.

Soo-young is leaving when the Managing Director flags her down and asks her to take some documents up to the president’s office. Once again, he gets her name wrong (he can remember Robert Pattinson’s name, sure, but not his own employees).

Jin-woo walks into his father’s office as the president is cleaning one of his golf clubs. I’m thinking he should wait until Dad puts the golf club down, but Jin-woo immediately requests that he visit Jin-woo’s mother at the center. He even gets down on his knees, begging the president to go just once, because his son asks it of him. Of course this is when Soo-young arrives with the documents. She leaves them and gets out of there at top speed.

Just as Soo-young exits the building, a car comes speeding around and gets into an accident. Jin-woo is the driver, and the man whose car he rear-ended starts yelling at him. The shattered glass from the brake light catches Jin-woo’s eye and triggers a panic attack. His vision fades to black.

When he comes back to his senses he sees Soo-young, who has stayed to make sure he’s all right. He staggers when he gets up, and Soo-young tries to stop him from driving. She offers to call a driver, interfering with his efforts to start the car until he shouts: “Don’t worry about me and just GO!” But Soo-young is the one who ends up driving, while Jin-woo sleeps, completely worn out, in the back seat.

Meanwhile, Min-seok and the hockey team are doing punishment squats for poor academic performance (Min-seok in particular has been a bit of a “dummy” in class lately…). Once he’s finished he runs to meet Soo-young in the park, but she’s not there. He checks his phone, wondering if she would leave simply because he’s a little late.

Soo-young drops Jin-woo off in the parking lot of his apartment. She’s about to leave, but Jin-woo wants to know why she keeps appearing before him. He asks her to stay with him, even if it’s just for a moment. “I’m sorry,” she replies, “but I have an appointment.”

Jin-woo guesses that it’s with Director Lee, and Soo-young starts to leave. Jin-woo strides after her, turning her around and kissing her forcefully on the mouth. She pushes him away, the strap on her purse tearing in the process. Then she slaps him across the face and leaves without another word. Jin-woo stays in the parking lot, holding a hand to his cheek.

Soo-young meets Min-seok in the park. He’s worried about her and asks where she’s been, to which Soo-young lies that she met a friend and that her purse strap tore on the bus.

Dae-han and Assistant Manager Park finish watching the movie and leave the theater. The assistant manager thinks that Dae-han has a crush on him, what with his recent clinginess and all. Dae-han denies it, and then denies the shrewd follow-up accusation that he must like Yoon-ju instead.

To prove his disinterest Dae-han continues to list Yoon-ju’s flaws, although in doing so he shows exactly how closely he’s been watching her. He suggests all of the other women in the office as alternatives, even Soo-young. Interestingly, Assistant Manager Park is much more vehement about not liking Han Sang-hee than the others, just as he was earlier in the noodle restaurant.

Min-seok walks Soo-young home until he gets a text from Tae-seok saying that Duk-hwan has a bad fever. He opens his arms for the cheesiest goodbye hug ever, then runs to check on his friend.

The emergency turns out to be a surprise party orchestrated by Yoo-ah. She and the boys are wearing party hats, and Yoo-ah has prepared a feast in addition to the skates she bought with the money from her part-time job.

When she takes a call from her sister the boys explain everything to Min-seok. He learns about Yoo-ah’s misconceptions about his family situation, and how hard she worked to buy him such a nice gift. He looks at the skates, marveling that they look really expensive.

Min-seok tries to give the skates back to Yoo-ah after the party. He even tells her that he has someone he likes, but Yoo-ah thinks he’s lying because he feels bad about accepting the gift. She says he should keep the skates, since she gave them as a friend and a fan, and wear them whenever the old pair gives out. He can only sigh as she walks away. Min-seok looks like he’s really starting to feel the weight of all his lies.

Soo-young is about to ride the elevator to her office when Jin-woo appears. They stand awkwardly next to each other, then Soo-young leaves just as Jin-woo starts to say her name.

Yoon-ju corners Dae-han in the stairwell, scolding him for talking about her behind her back. She’s heard everything from Assistant Manager Park, and takes the opportunity to confront Dae-han about his words. She calls him out on all his insults, including the comment about her body shape and lingerie. “Have you seen it? Have you?!” she demands, cornering him like a gangster out to collect a debt.

She begins to lay out the importance of maintaining the status quo in the workplace, when Dae-han musters his courage and kisses her. “I like you!” he says breathlessly. “Would you shut up?” she asks, then kisses him again, pushing him back against the wall — rawr! Hurrah for Office Romance #2!

Team Leader Kim shows up at Min-seok’s school to take his fake director to Suwon for the project meeting. He starts scolding Min-seok in his usual harried, frenetic style, only to pause when two women walk by. “I’m his uncle,” he says with a fake laugh. “I’m teaching him a lesson. He took some money from his classmates. Can’t you tell he’s like that just from looking at him?” Pfft.

Soo-young takes a call from Min-seok up on the rooftop. She’s about to leave for the Suwon meeting as well, although she falls silent when Jin-woo comes up to the rooftop. “It’s nothing,” she says over the phone, walking past Jin-woo as though he doesn’t exist.

Jin-woo waits for her with his car and offers to drive her to Suwon, saying he would offer a ride to any employee. She declines and tries to walk away. “Shouldn’t you give me a chance to apologize?” he demands. But Soo-young quietly replies that he shouldn’t have done something to be sorry for. “It’s because it’s you that I’m not getting in the car.”

Min-seok and Soo-young are like two kids in a candy factory at the reception, scurrying around trying all the food. In the background Jin-woo knocks back glass after glass of champagne. The Comfo president comes over to introduce a business partner to Min-seok, and tells Soo-young that she’s doing a good job. She gets a call from Yoo-ah and rushes out to the hallway to talk in private.

Min-seok goes out after her to bring her back to where the food is, but Jin-woo comes out and blocks their way back into the main hall. He asks after her purse, deliberately revealing that it broke when she was with him. He further apologizes for his actions, saying that he thought girls liked “bad boys,” but now he knows she isn’t that type of girl. With every new insult Min-seok gets angrier, until he can’t take it any more and punches Jin-woo in the face. Yeah… Jin-woo definitely had that coming.

Jin-woo pauses for a second after Min-seok and Soo-young return to the main hall. Then he bursts inside, goes after Min-seok, and catches him flush in the jaw. The fight is on, as the assembled businessmen and the president watch the brawling directors. It takes quite a few hands to pull them apart, but the damage has already been done.

Soo-young patches up Min-seok after the fight. He wants to know why she lied about meeting Jin-woo, wondering if it was because she thought he wouldn’t understand. But the real reason was that Soo-young feared that Min-seok would get angry, and then lash out in a way that could hurt his career. She lied to protect him, and knowing Min-seok’s fiery temper as we do, she has a point.

But the day’s events have convinced Soo-young that she was wrong. She remembers what the fortuneteller said about secrets, and she feels bad about the secret she kept. She promises to tell Min-seok everything from now on, no exceptions, since strong relationships are built on trust. That’s a hint, Min-seok — take it.

Jin-woo drowns his sorrows at a bar, throwing back something a little stronger than champagne. He knocks into another customer when he stumbles, and almost provokes a fight. He bows drunkenly and slurs out, “I’m sorry,” but then yells at the man who tries to usher him out of the bar.

Min-seok stares into space, still wracked by guilt over lying to Soo-young. Meanwhile Yoo-ah asks her sister if she’s going to the parent-teacher conference at school the next day, scolding her for thinking of her new boyfriend more than her only sister. Soo-young promises to take some time off work. Then Min-seok calls, asking to see her right away.

They meet outside of a convenience store, where Min-seok buys her a few beers and popcorn. He’s trying to tell her the truth, but by the time he musters up the courage, Soo-young is already plastered. She passes out before he can say anything, and Min-seok sighs that he can tell her later. Yeah… like that’s going to work out.

The next morning Min-seok eats breakfast with Dad and Gramps. Dad is adorably worried about the meeting at school, asking if he should wear a suit. He doesn’t want to look shabby when he appears at school so rarely. Gramps tells Min-seok to have a good day at work, calling him “Director,” and Min-seok is out the door. Dad reminds Gramps that Min-seok is going to school, not leaving for work, but Gramps stubbornly insists he’s heading to work.

Poor Team Leader Kim has to cover for Min-seok again, when he calls to say he has to be at school that morning. Then Soo-young requests some time off to go to her sister’s school. He lets her leave, muttering that everyone is going to school today.

He goes to get some coffee, only to interrupt Dae-han and Yoon-ju in the middle of some serious smooching. They pull apart just before he sees them, and Dae-han uses his paper coffee cup to hide the lipstick on his face. “You were eating something delicious, weren’t you?” Team Leader Kim says. Oh, Team Leader Kim…

Min-seok talks to Soo-young on the phone, neither one aware that they are at the same school, separated only by the window. They miss each other by seconds, as Soo-young goes to meet Yoo-ah and the teachers.

After meeting Yoo-ah’s teacher, Soo-young laments that she didn’t bring a gift. She heard that teachers these days don’t even accept drinks, but after seeing the other guardians with gifts, she regrets not bringing anything. Yoo-ah tells her not to worry, and asks if she wants to meet Husband Lee. Thankfully Soo-young says she has to go back to work, and leaves after admonishing Yoo-ah to study diligently.

Duk-hwan and Tae-seok run into Soo-young, who recognizes the young and handsome friends of her Director Lee. They turn down her offer to buy them food, then escort her politely — and very quickly — to the front gate.

They report the close call to Min-seok, unaware that Soo-young has returned to school. Duk-hwan, Tae-seok, Min-seok, and Soo-young all reach the front entrance at the same time, walking from three different directions. Soo-young and Min-seok lock eyes, freezing. Yoo-ah’s cheerful voice rings out: “Husband Lee!” She rushes to Min-seok to hug his arm playfully, then stops when she sees her sister. “Unni… why’d you come back?” she asks. Min-seok can only stare at Soo-young, shell-shocked.

 
COMMENTS

Yikes, that didn’t end well. We’ve had a few close calls before, but I don’t see how Min-seok is going to get out of this one without telling the truth. Oh well… we’ve had our cuteness (and quite a bit of it, especially last episode), and now we need our share of heartbreak. With an ending like that, I can imagine that the betrayal Soo-young and Yoo-ah are going to feel will not disappear quickly, or easily. Min-seok has been lying to both of them, if not in fact than at least by omission, and he’s passed up enough opportunities to tell the truth that the damage will be even worse.

Jin-woo also hit rock bottom this episode. He humbled himself into the dust before his father, without any success. Then Soo-young tries to help him, and he repays her kindness with anger and sexual harassment. I feel for Jin-woo, I really do — he is as alone as it is humanly possible to be, and he is only now realizing what kind of person he threw away when he rejected Soo-young. That said, taking out his misdirected rage on Soo-young and Min-seok is not the way to deal with things, and no amount of personal suffering makes it acceptable to act the way he did.

Considering what happened this episode I’d say there’s nowhere left for Jin-woo to go but up, but Jin-woo has consistently amazed me with his ability to make himself and everyone around him more miserable. Then again, they say that misery loves company, and it looks to me like Min-seok and Jin-woo are both going to be pretty miserable for a while. Maybe they’ll have a chance to clear the air somewhat, coming to an understanding that doesn’t involve fistfights or displays of dominance in front of Soo-young.

The ending of this episode really frustrated me. I suppose it had to happen sometime, but Min-seok really did make it worse than it had to be. Did he honestly think it was a good idea to get Soo-young drunk before he tried to confess to her? That’s the kind of conversation that should happen sober, and he’s seen Soo-young drunk enough times to know that. His desire to clear up everyone’s misunderstandings “later” has led directly to the current disaster, which I hope he realizes in time to earn the forgiveness of the people who trusted and loved him. Prepare to grovel, Min-seok — and even that might not be enough.

Even with the prominence of the main couple and Jin-woo this episode, the show still found time for the tertiary characters to shine. Team Leader Kim’s running gag with Jin-woo this episode was strangely moving, even as it was hilarious. His obvious glee at being on close, personal terms with Jin-woo was actually kind of heartbreaking, since it is so clear to the audience that Jin-woo was only using him for his own ends. Team Leader Kim might be a neurotic goofball, but even he deserves to have a friend who genuinely cares for him.

And last but certainly not least, this episode embedded the budding romance between Dae-han and Yoon-ju within the major plot in a way that, to me, felt very natural. The rest of the world doesn’t freeze when the main couple approaches a crisis, even though many dramas make it seem that way. Life goes on, and there are other loves, other crises, even if they don’t necessarily make the spotlight. Dae-han’s misguided but earnest efforts to keep Assistant Manager Park from hitting on Yoon-ju were both funny and moving, which is a balance that Savvy manages so well. I cheered whole-heartedly when Yoon-ju backed Dae-han into a corner (literally and figuratively), where he had no choice but to declare his love.

My only worry now is that the Retail Team is becoming more incestuous than a bunch of teenagers at band camp. We have two official office romances so far, with (I think) potential for another between Assistant Manager Park and Han Sang-hee. All it would take now is a tempestuous affair between Assistant Manager Yoon and Team Leader Kim, and nobody on that team would get any work done ever again. Retail Team, fighting!

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