Triangle: Episode 25

by gummimochi

We’re finally in the finale week for Triangle, where even more death threats are issued, more conversations are played out from beginning to end, and more plans are set into motion. Getting through to youngest brother Yang-ha proves to be more difficult than either Young-dal or Dong-soo expected, but perhaps they can make some kind of breakthrough before it’s too late.

In its last week, Triangle still led the pack with 9.2%, as Temptation is still hot on its tail with 9.0%, and Trot Lovers pulled in at 7.5%,

SONG OF THE DAY

Noh Min-woo – “더 늦기전에 (Before You Go)” [ Download ]

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EPISODE 25 RECAP

Although Yang-ha is aware that Director Hyun has been a constant threat, he’s told that the current situation is much more dire: “He’s trying to kill you.”

If it’s true, then Yang-ha is in grave danger, and he already knows what Director Hyun is capable of—he knows who tried to kill Young-dal and Jung-hee before. It’s possible that Director Hyun and Chairman Go have joined hands, and are using the knowledge of their brotherly connection and Yang-ha’s deteriorating relationship with his father to their advantage.

Without any clear evidence, all they can do is be cautious and prepared for the worst. But Yang-ha couldn’t care less about his two brothers’ concern for him and tells them to mind their own business.

Young-dal pulls Yang-ha back to call him out for acting like a petulant child to his hyungs’ concern for, you know, his life. But Yang-ha pulls the “I have no brothers and Chairman Yoon raised me, therefore he is my father” card again, adding that in his eyes, Young-dal and Dong-soo are two men who are trying to bring him down.

Dong-soo prevents Young-dal from launching after their youngest brother again, assuring him that Yang-ha isn’t prepared to accept their words just yet. After asking about the recent-ish attempt on Young-dal’s life, Dong-soo muses that something terrible will happen if they don’t end this war soon. ‘s what I’ve been sayin’.

At the very least, we see that this conversation has had an effect on Yang-ha, who downs more of his pills.

After Young-dal gives Boss Min the go-ahead to execute whatever-it-is that will take Chairman Yoon down (for good this time, maybe), Manbong remembers why the man whom he crossed paths with downstairs looked so familiar: he was Scarred Man’s knife-lovin’ protégé.

While we know that Outsourced Assassin is out for Yang-ha’s life, Team Young-dal worries that Young-dal is being targeted. But Young-dal knows that it’s Yang-ha’s who’s in danger, and instead of reviewing security camera footage at Daejung for a visual on the guy, they decide on the long way of having Detective Gook look up Outsourced Assassin’s picture because everyone in this dramaverse clearly needs a job to do.

The good news is that it doesn’t take long to get Outsourced Assassin’s picture, and Manbong’s men are already on the move. Still feeling uneasy, Young-dal takes matters into his own hands and tries to get ahold of Yang-ha, though his calls go ignored.

Young-dal makes it downstairs to the parking garage just in time to see Outsourced Assassin pull a knife on an unaware Yang-ha. Young-dal yells at his brother to watch out, then takes the assassin down and kicks the knife away, though Outsourced Assassin still manages a speedy getaway.

After Young-dal asks if Yang-ha’s all right, he gives him Outsourced Assassin’s picture—he’ll abide by Yang-ha’s wishes and let him take care of his own problems. Although Yang-ha doesn’t say anything, he’s moved by how Young-dal saved his life.

Since nearly all news and strategy sessions must be seen in this show, Dong-soo hears about the assassination attempt from Young-dal in person. Young-dal believes that Chairman Go provided Director Hyun with Outsourced Assassin’s services—they’ll need to tread lightly since Director Hyun isn’t one to leave a paper trail. You could always eavesdrop on his loud enough declarations to off people anywhere in Daejung, though.

When Director Hyun asks for updates on, er, killing Yang-ha, Chairman Go tells him to be patient. They agree that combining their shares in Daejung won’t be enough to overthrow Yang-ha in the company, but acquiring Young-dal’s shares (given by Elder Ahn) would be, and Director Hyun is confident that it’ll be possible.

It’s borderline hilarious when Chairman Go’s lackey Soo-chang comes running to deliver more bad news: people are cashing in their Chungjin bonds, and they’re short on funds. By a lot. Despite being involved in an on-again, off-again battle with Boss Min, Chairman Go doesn’t know who was behind it.

Furthermore, he could be arrested if he doesn’t pay up, and Daejung wouldn’t be able to cover the difference. We know that Boss Min was behind the order; she plans to make Chairman Go penniless.

While Young-dal’s buddies break into Director Hyun’s office after hours to install recording devices, Dong-soo meets with Manbong and his crew to find Outsourced Assassin, beaten and bloody. He demands to know who ordered the hit on Yang-ha, warning Outsourced Assassin that he’ll die here if he doesn’t squeal.

When Outsourced Assassin says he doesn’t know, Dong-soo proceeds to kick him repeatedly until he has to physically rein in his characteristic temper. Given one last chance to say a name, Outsourced Assassin gives it: Soo-chang.

Chairman Go is infuriated to hear that Young-dal and Boss Min are behind the attempt to bankrupt Chungjin Construction. He immediately orders to have Young-dal found, but Soo-chang says they need to come up with the funds to save the company. Quick.

So Chairman Go literally comes begging on his knees for Chairman Yoon’s help, only to be refused. His threats against Daejung fall short too—Chairman Yoon simply scoffs, saying it doesn’t matter what Chairman Go threatens to do.

The only way to save Chungjin is to sell their Daejung shares, Soo-chang presses, but Chairman Go isn’t willing to do anything of the sort. Time is of the essence, and Chairman Go needs to make a decision.

Yoo-jin watches Yang-ha chuck back drink after drink until she finally tells him to get to the point. It mostly seems like Yang-ha just wants some company than actual conversation, so Yoo-jin asks if he remembers when they first met about a decade ago.

He doesn’t, but she does and says that he was infamous within their social circles due to his multiple suicide attempts. She found it weirdly attractive that he always kept to himself, and she’s harbored these sincere feelings for him since then. When she realized that her feelings were unrequited, what does he think that made her feel?

“I thought you were like me… that you really didn’t feel anything for me. But if you were sincere, I’m sorry,” Yang-ha confesses. She says his eyes look sad and lonely just like when they first met.

Dong-soo and Young-dal come by to see Grandma, and Dong-soo insists on greeting the old woman with a formal bow. After spending a few dismal minutes on the brothers’ deceased parents, Young-dal attempts to lighten up the mood by asking what his brother was like at a young age.

Grandma laughs that Dong-soo was kind and mature for his age, to which Young-dal jokes, “Why do you have such a nasty temper now?” Ha. Dong-soo replies that all he was left with was bitterness.

The mood turns somber again at the mention of Yang-ha, whom Dong-soo has to say it was good that his brother grew up in a wealthy household. Speaking of whom, Yang-ha pays a visit to the underground casino in his drunken state looking for a card game against Young-dal. He’s confident that Young-dal will come.

Jung-hee sees Young-dal and Dong-soo out, and it’s adorable how the couple blushes when Dong-soo refers to Jung-hee as “sister-in-law” already. Young-dal heads over to the casino after getting a call from Madame Jang to see his brother in his pitiful and drunken state.

Yang-ha insists on a game, though—being drunk doesn’t mean he can’t play cards, so how about a round? But playing for money is no fun, so Yang-ha suggests they up the stakes: if Young-dal loses, then he must leave Daejung, but if he wins, then he can ask for whatever he desires.

When Young-dal doesn’t answer right away, Yang-ha smirks, “What? Not confident you’ll win?”

So Young-dal agrees to the hold ’em poker game, and there’s no need for chips for this one hand, wins all game. All there’s left to do after the cards are dealt is for the players to reveal their own. Young-dal wins with a pair of twos.

It’s the lowest hand one can possibly have to win at this game, which makes Yang-ha’s defeat that much more pitiful. Yang-ha admits as much, then turns to Young-dal to name his prize. “What should I do to make you feel satisfied, Young-dal-sshi?” he asks.

“I’m your hyung, you punk,” Young-dal answers. “Stop calling me ‘Young-dal-sshi’ and call me hyung. That’s what I want. Call me ‘hyung.'”

Yang-ha scoffs at this request before he passes out right then and there at the table.

Thanks to those hidden cameras installed in Director Hyun’s office, Young-dal is able to listen in on Director Hyun’s conversation with Chairman Go. He’s pleased to hear that Chairman Go is contemplating selling his Daejung shares, and gives Boss Min the go-ahead to let Chairman Go know that his Daejung shares were bought up by Young-dal after the purchase goes through.

Yang-ha doesn’t remember a thing about last night when he wakes at the underground casino. So Madame Jang fills him in on the entire story, including the part about how Yang-ha had to address Young-dal as “hyung.” So Yang-ha remains silent when he runs into Young-dal at the workplace and asked if he remembers what happened last night.

While Jang-soo encourages his father to spread the rumor that Young-dal apparently started about how Lucky Casino (the rival casino in Seoul and owned by Hanchang Group) plans to opens its doors to the public, the female casino manager announces that they’ll be choosing their representative for the casino dealers competition next week.

Apparently everyone in Sabuk has heard about the Lucky Casino going public rumor by now, and Hyun-mi says she’s even heard how that could ruin Daejung since everyone would gamble in the city than in Sabuk. The female casino manager takes that news directly to Director Hyun, who quickly denies it.

Hearing it still rattles Director Hyun’s nerves, though, and he has Manager Bae look into it. After Soo-chang sells off Chairman Go’s shares in Daejung, he asks to meet their mysterious buyer. Soo-chang puts the pieces together as soon as he sees Boss Min walk through the doors—she wouldn’t have the means herself, so this was Young-dal’s doing.

Acquiring Chairman Go’s stocks officially makes Young-dal the majority shareholder in Daejung, and while his buddies celebrate, Young-dal still looks at unease.

Hanchang Group invites Daejung in on that major investment deal with Anderson Group, all thanks to Yoo-jin. Chairman Yoon is a happy camper with Yang-ha again, only to hear moments later that Young-dal now holds the majority stake in Daejung.

At the same time, Chairman Go sinks in his chair, dispirited at the news that they weren’t able to scrounge up enough funds to save Chungjin after all. He lets out a maniacal laugh to hear that Young-dal was responsible for making him penniless, then growls out Young-dal’s name over and over again.

Director Hyun, on the other hand, views these turn of events as a minor setback—Young-dal will pay the price for driving Chairman Go to the edge.

After Jung-hee’s fellow co-workers sigh over her luck with all these handsome suitors around her, Jung-hee heads over to the Team Young-dal party. Everyone celebrates over Young-dal’s achievement to become Daejung’s majority shareholder like one big, happy family.

They insist that Young-dal give a speech, so he does and thanks them for coming to his mother’s funeral. It’s true that he was once a thug on the streets, but everyone here helped him along his way to success. “For that, I vow to protect and repay you all for your kindness for the rest of my life.”

And in front of everyone here, there’s something else he’d like to say to Jung-hee. “Thank you for believing in me. I love you.” Well, I was expecting something more along the lines of like, say, a marriage proposal, but that works for now. Everyone calls for a kiss, but the couple exchange wide smiles.

As Young-dal gets up to sing “Broken Promises” in front of everyone, we see Yang-ha walking along the streets, and Dong-soo drinking alone. Why… would you rob us of Jaejoong’s voice, Triangle? It’s a beautiful, sorrowful ballad, but now I feel robbed as a viewer.

Because messenger pigeon Jun-ho has been keeping tabs on Director Hyun’s office, he listens in as Chairman Go threatens to kill Young-dal. Tonight. Jun-ho breaks up the party to replay the death threat for Young-dal and everyone to hear.

Director Hyun had suggested that the best way to hurt Young-dal isn’t to take his life, but to kill Yang-ha. Doing so will surely torment his two older brothers, Chairman Go had agreed.

I don’t quite know why this particular death threat is more urgent than any that preceded it, but we’ll roll with it because it’s finale week. Manbong goes to gather his men to hunt Yang-ha down while Young-dal calls Dong-soo—their brother is in danger.

And as droves of men climb out of their vans, Dong-soo and Young-dal take off running to save their brother.

 
COMMENTS

The best news that I have about Triangle is that there’s only one more episode ahead of us, which means it will hopefully tie up some threads before it’s curtains on this show. I’ve long since given up taking the death threats on any of our three brothers’ lives seriously anymore, even if the characters on this show do. Bless their hearts, really. I can’t help but wonder if some of the events that occurred in this penultimate episode was what the show originally intended if the extension had never happened, because to see this show place first in ratings each week now feels much like Young-dal’s win against Yang-ha in this episode: a small, unsatisfying win.

I found the threat on Yang-ha’s life unintentionally hilarious in this hour, because we’d spent time building up the conflict which later quickly fizzled out (again). It’s almost as if Director Hyun and Chairman Go had forgotten that they planned on trying to kill Yang-ha and hired a professional (who needed a proper introduction in order to fill the empty space in this episode) to get the job done. I thought it was a mistake that they forgot about Outsourced Assassin by the end of the hour when they threatened to kill Yang-ha (again), but it turns out they weren’t really in that much of a rush in the first half of the hour, since Chairman Go told Director Hyun to be patient and was all, Assassinations take time, yunno.

I honestly thought it was rather smart of Young-dal to sneakily buy up Chairman Go’s shares in Daejung and spread false rumors to make his enemies feel uneasy. To a certain extent, I thought it was fine to make Chairman Go even more unhinged than ever in order to drive up the conflict, though I don’t think we ever had to worry about whether Chairman Go had a screw or two loose. What makes this turn fall flat, however, is that he and Director Hyun plan to do the same thing they’ve always threatened to do in this show: kill someone. And Yang-ha, at that. Because that worked out for them before?

In any case, now Dong-soo and Young-dal have to get hustlin’ on saving that one brother who says he doesn’t need to be rescued. Is it too late to ask for some brotherly telepathy to swoop in and save the last hour?

 
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