Persevere, Gu Hae-ra: Episode 7

by dramallama

It’s an episode full of love triangles, red herrings, revealed secrets, and interrupted bliss, with all the characters getting a chance to express themselves for good or for bad. Team Persevere faces a new challenge with a change to the group, which strains relationships. Se-jong, meanwhile, deals with the baggage he carries from Hwangje, and learns that his silent ways may not be the best way to resettle back into his home.

 
EPISODE 7: “Everyone has a secret”

After picking up Hae-ra, who’s injured her foot running out to meet him, Se-jong stares down Ray with her on his shoulder. But her constant protests eventually force him to let her down. There’s tension between the two guys, and even greater tension among Team Persevere when Se-jong wants back in.

They’re wary about letting Se-jong back in, especially with this ties to Hwangje and his recent accident, because they won’t want him to taint their group’s reputation. Ray surprisingly takes Se-jong’s side and reminds them that they’re all gathered to fulfill Se-chan’s bucket list. Since Se-jong was an original member of Team Persevere, he should be included. Tae-poong decides that they should vote, but we don’t see the outcome.

In the twins’ room, Se-jong provokes Ray, asking how he’s so comfortable here. Ray confronts Se-jong about disliking him so much, and Se-jong tells him, “The fact that you’re in this room, that you’re trying to fulfill Se-chan’s bucket list, that you’re standing in front of me with the same face as Se-chan. I dislike it all.”

He says that he’ll never acknowledge Ray as Se-chan’s hyung and adds a warning to stop confusing Hae-ra. She’s only wavering because he looks like Se-chan. Ray tells him that he’s not confusing Hae-ra — he’s actually developed true feelings for her. That is, my friends, the birth of a love triangle.

Henry enters the room and feels the cold air running between them, and cautiously maneuvers the room to grab his things. He tells “Se-jong Man” that he should thank Ray, since everyone except for Jang Goon voted him in because of Ray’s support. Then it’s lights out, and before Ray can turn off the lights, Se-jong throws his tennis ball at the switch — that’s the proper way to turn off the lights in this room.

Looking at the gift — a musical note keychain — he bought for Hae-ra, Se-jong broods on the balcony. In a quick flashback, we see that he went back to retrieve the gift after leaving it on the door handle of the guitar shop, where he saw Ray and Hae-ra together. Hae-ra comes out on the balcony as well, and Se-jong quickly hides the gift.

She says that she can’t sleep and that she has so many questions for him. She asks if he’ll answer them, and in true Se-jong fashion, he says no. But he offers to answer just one. She rejects a series of questions (Did you really hit the pedestrian? Why did you suddenly drive? Why didn’t you pick up my calls?) and ends up thanking him for coming home safely, which he notes isn’t a question.

Hae-ra tells him not to be hurt by Team Persevere’s reluctance to him joining the group and offers to show him their new remake song. She takes out her phone to play the music, and Se-jong sadly notes that she replaced her old phone. She sings Kim Kwang-jin’s “Sincere,” which sounds like an encouragement for Se-jong, as he thinks back to all he’s gone through since the ill-fated Superstar K audition. As she finishes singing, we see Ray watching her from behind.

Mom tells everyone that chicken and drinks are unlimited and free tonight in celebration of Se-jong’s return. Henry gives Se-jong a cheerful hug, but Jang Goon doesn’t seem too happy with Se-jong’s presence. Hae-ra welcomes Se-jong, and Ray intercepts by clinking glasses with Hae-ra, to Se-jong’s annoyance.

Jang Goon gets a notification on his phone, and Woo-ri wants a look at it. So he sanitizes her hand before handing her his phone, which shows a blind item about a celebrity caught for his porn collection, which causes Woo-ri to laugh and point fingers at Henry.

The next news is about an idol who recently quit his group making an unspecified contract with his agency president. They all look to Se-jong, but he gives them nothing.

Henry carefully makes a call to “Mr. Hwang,” and Woo-ri hides around the corner to listen. He tells Mr. Hwang not to worry — it’s a little difficult now, but bearable. Hmm, another secret?

Ray asks Hae-ra to accompany him on a walk, where he asks her to hold his speakers as he sings to her. Singing Ra.D’s “I’m In Love,” Ray confesses his feelings to Hae-ra. She doesn’t seem to take it too seriously, singing along and enjoying his performance.

Once he finishes, Ray puts on his serious face and tells Hae-ra, “I like you.” She’s taken aback, but he continues, “At first, I was just curious who this Gu Hae-ra was, who my brother liked so much. It was just curiosity, but I quickly figured out why Se-chan liked you. I was conflicted about whether I could like someone my brother liked, but I hate seeing you cry. I always want to make you smile.”

Before Hae-ra can respond, Ray asks her heart ever fluttered for him, and she thinks back to the guitar shop hug. He asks her to give him a chance, to think about their relationship and then respond. She nods, saying, “I can think about it, but…” That’s enough for Ray, as he sighs in relief that he thought he would get rejected before he was even given a chance. She smiles, and he tells her that she’s the most beautiful when she smiles.

Upon his return, Ray tells Se-jong that he confessed to Hae-ra and warns him not to make her waver. Se-jong notes that Hae-ra hasn’t responded to him, but Ray says that it was more important for him to express his feelings. Hae-ra struggles to fall asleep, thinking back to Ray’s confession.

The next morning, Hae-ra’s mom makes kimchi and notes that all the kids are still sleeping. She offers Tae-poong some kimchi, and he tells her that his ideal woman is someone who makes kimchi well. She tells him that her ideal type is someone who eats kimchi well.

He immediately comes behind her and sensually licks the kimchi sauce off her fingers. Then they proceed to parody the pottery scene from Ghost, and then Mom and Tae-poong both bite opposite sides of a kimchi strip, their lips slowly approaching each other.

The twins’ mom wakes her up from her deep sleep, and she protests that she was just getting to the best part. As they go to prepare breakfast, Hae-ra’s mom runs into Tae-poong, which causes her to quickly divert her eyes and cover her lips. Hehe.

Tae-poong turns on the TV and looks shocked as their new song, “Sincere,” gets played. The rest of Team Persevere file in and are struck with the same shock, as they watch Impact sing their exact same song.

Hae-ra asks how Impact’s song could be so similar to their song, and Tae-poong gets a call from their investor about plagiarism. Se-jong quickly stands up to leave, claiming he has to buy something. Jang Goon and the rest of the team look at him suspiciously. There’s something fishy going on.

At their investor’s office, Team Persevere stands conflicted at the accusation: Either they plagiarized the song or there’s a snitch in their midst. Tae-poong swears that their team isn’t like that, but it’s too late and the investor is canceling his funding. Team Persevere — suspiciously missing Se-jong and Henry — try to convince him to reconsider, but he shows them his packed calendar, saying that he’s a busy person.

Se-jong makes a call outside Hwangje and just misses Henry walking past him. They both glance at each other just as the other turns away. Woo-ri finds herself at the convenience store to find food to stress eat, and she sees Henry walking in on the phone. She hides in the aisle as he thanks Mr. Hwang for helping him out and proceeds to withdraw a wad of cash from the ATM. Suspiiicious.

Tae-poong meets up with a familiar PD — or more like grabs him before he gets avoided. The PD asks if he has some conflict with Hwangje again, since President Hwang gathered all the PDs yesterday to place a ban on Team Perseverance’s TV appearances.

Woo-ri and Jang Goon tell each other about their suspicions, with Woo-ri pointing to Henry and Jang Goon pointing to Se-jong. Ray and Hae-ra overhear their accusations, and the four of them sit down to discuss the issue. Ray defends Henry, saying that he’s known him through high school, and Hae-ra defends Se-jong, having known him since they were eleven. They both claim the two would never do such a thing.

Tae-poong leaves the building, dispirited by the rejections, but brightens up at a familiar face. He runs towards his friend, yelling, “Sung-mo yaaaaaa!” Yes, it’s Jo Sung-mo (cameo as himself). They greet each other as old friends, and when Sung-mo mentions his concert plans, Tae-poong doesn’t miss a beat, asking if he’d consider having Team Persevere as a guest. Sung-mo replies that he’ll consider.

Woo-ri returns to her bedroom, where Hae-ra is working on her music composition practice. She looks for her laxatives and accuses Hae-ra of taking them. Hae-ra insists that she didn’t, and when Woo-ri continues to accuse her, Hae-ra gets extra defensive, saying that Woo-ri keeps suspecting people for no reason.

While Team Persevere helps the mothers peel garlic, Tae-poong gets a call from Jo Sung-mo and thanks his friend for the opportunity, which sounds like good news.

Woo-ri and Hae-ra continue to argue, and Henry barges in with the good news. They all sit in the living room, Woo-ri and Hae-ra purposely sitting on opposite sides. Se-jong notes how this will be their first official concert performance, but Tae-poong clarifies that Sung-mo only needs a female guest to sing a duet with him. It’s going to be either Woo-ri or Hae-ra, like they needed something more to polarize them.

Hae-ra’s mom feeds Tae-poong a taste of stew, and he asks why she was looking at him that way earlier. She shies away and admits that she’s not very good at hiding her feelings. He gets close and tells her that she’s the first woman to be so forward with him. He’s about to go in for a smooch, but he starts sniffing something burning. Hae-ra’s mom says that it must be her heart burning. HA.

Her eyes open from another dream, and Se-jong’s mom scolds her for burning stew on the day that their kids meet Jo Sung-mo. Hae-ra’s mom admits that all she dreams about nowadays is Tae-poong, which earns her another scolding.

Team Persevere greets Jo Sung-mo with disbelief, as they see how close Tae-poong and Sung-mo are. (Jang Goon doesn’t seem too excited.) Then Tae-poong introduces the girls, who one-up each other singing a medley of his songs to prove their devotion as fans.

For their tryout, Hae-ra sings and plays the accompaniment for Fink.L’s “Always Like This Moment” while Woo-ri performs with a bit of dance. They sing beautifully for the audience but glare at each other every so often.

However, Jo Sung-mo admits that neither seems to fit with what he’s looking for. But their disappointment is quickly reversed when he tells them that they’re really good and would like a duet pair as guests at his concert. They erupt in cheers, but that means even more competition within the group to decide which pair.

Tae-poong tells Woo-ri and Hae-ra to pick a partner for their duet audition. When Hae-ra hesitates, he assigns her to practice with Ray and Se-jong, so Woo-ri gets assigned with Jang Goon and Henry.

At the bus stop, Henry refuses to sit down, and Woo-ri compares him to a dog who has to poo. Jang Goon stares at a picture of Lee Young-ju (the singer that Hae-ra and Woo-ri were competing to replace at Jo Sung-mo’s concert) on a poster, and Woo-ri notices. She asks if he liked her, and he mindlessly excuses his staring by saying that he was admiring her clothes. Woo-ri takes note of her outfit.

Hae-ra asks Se-jong and Ray what song they should sing. Ray says that whatever song Hae-ra likes is good with him, but Se-jong disagrees. This is a competition, and he tells Peanut to pick a song that she’s confident in singing. She agrees to both, saying that she’ll find a song that she likes and feels confident with.

Se-jong gets a call, and in the process of taking the phone out of his pocket, he drops the keychain that he bought for Hae-ra. She picks it up and admires it while Ray notices the person calling: Ki-joon. Se-jong quickly grabs the keychain from her and walks out to pick up the call.

With Henry trailing behind, Woo-ri asks Jang Goon what song they should sing. He suggests a love ballad, and Woo-ri delightfully agrees. When Henry catches up and hears that the audition is Friday, he says he won’t be able to make it because he has something very important that day. He tells Woo-ri and Jang Goon to do well, and goes on his way.

Woo-ri finds Henry increasingly suspicious, so she follows him and finds him staring at the Hwangje building, and that’s enough evidence for her to reveal herself. Ray does the same with Se-jong, watching him meet with Ki-joon and speaking in vague terms about meeting President Hwang.

Ray confronts Se-jong, stating his suspicions. Se-jong says that it’s not what he thinks, but he can’t give any further explanation. Ray tells him that he’s being a coward — not ‘fessing up to his faults while also not explaining anything about his actions. Se-jong spits back that there’s more than what you see, and everyone has matters beyond their control. He challenges Ray to ask himself if he’s more interested in finding out the truth or doubting Se-jong.

At a quiet dinner table, Woo-ri announces that Henry has something to tell them all. He starts by saying that he wanted to keep this a secret but struggles to get the words out. So Woo-ri blurts the truth: Henry’s suffering from hemorrhoids, and his doctor’s clinic is next to the Hwangje building. Woo-ri also admits to Hae-ra that it was Henry who stole her laxatives, and apologizes.

Jang Goon gets a notification on his phone about Se-jong meeting with Ki-joon, which quickly dumps all the burden of proof on him. The whole team is already jumping to conclusions about his intentions on returning, and they all look to him for explanation. Hae-ra tells everyone to stop suspecting Se-jong, but they’re already doubting him. Se-jong tells them that it’s no use explaining if they’re already treating him as guilty and offers to leave.

Hae-ra catches Se-jong outside as he walks off, asking him to explain himself before he builds more misunderstandings. He accuses her of doubting him as well, and she says she just wants to hear him confirm that it’s not true. He reminds her that he can tell when she’s lying, and he knows that she’s scared that the rumor will be true. It’s not worth it for him to explain himself to people who don’t trust him.

Ray looks through Impact’s music video and seems to catch something. He runs outside and finds Hae-ra crying, joining her there. She explains that ever since they were young, Se-jong would always take the blame, even when it was her or Se-chan’s fault.

Ray says that he believes her, and that if she says Se-jong is innocent, he must be. He jokes that he doesn’t feel all that great seeing her cry over another guy, then encourages her to prove Se-jong’s innocence.

Tae-poong sees them on his way home, and they update him on the conflict. Ray adds his suspicions about Impact’s plagiarism, because in their new music video, Impact’s singing was just like in Persevere’s behind-the-scenes video, including the part where Jang Goon made a timing mistake.

Ray says that they should suspect the investor, remembering that the investor showed them his calendar — which marked their single release date incorrectly. (It wasn’t Persevere’s planned release date, but it matches Impact’s release.)

Our suspicions are confirmed when the investor has dinner with President Hwang that night — he leaked Persevere’s information to President Hwang, who in turn gave investment advice and an Impact appearance at his daughter’s birthday. He asks why the president went to such lengths, and President Hwang replies that they’re traitors, runaways, and people who don’t deserve exposure. So he made sure they couldn’t do anything.

From the next room, they hear a loud laugh, and President Hwang opens the door to see Tae-poong. Over the phone, Team Persevere listens in while Tae-poong assures the investor that he won’t be sued (in exchange for complying with this setup) and tells President Hwang that he’ll let this go this one time. He warns, however, that he’ll take action if President Hwang acts up again. Woo, go Tae-poong!

Team Persevere sits at home in regret. Woo-ri and Jang Goon feel especially apologetic, and Hae-ra worries about Se-jong’s whereabouts. But not to worry, because Tae-poong has got that covered as well. He coincidentally walks into the same pojangmacha where Se-jong is drinking away his misery and joins him.

Se-jong asks Tae-poong if he suspects him as well, and Tae-poong tells him of course. If he doesn’t say anything, it’s obvious that everyone will suspect him. But he took care of clearing his name and assures Se-jong that he believes him.

But there’s one more incident needing clarification. Se-jong flashes back to his encounter with Ki-joon, when he’d asked whether Ki-joon knew the person he hit. Ki-joon defensively denies this, but we see that he did know the woman. During the car chases, his mom called him, crying that his dad wanted to get a divorce, and that he’s with that woman at the villa right now.

So when Ki-joon ditches his car race with Se-jong, he speeds to the villa and sees his Dad embracing this woman. As she crosses the street, Ki-joon trembles with anger and races towards her, only slamming on the brakes as he snaps out of his fit of rage. But it’s too late — he’s already hit her.

Se-jong calls 911, and the woman clearly recognizes Ki-joon, calling out his name. Manager Pyun calls President Hwang, and Ki-joon first begs the president for help, and then threatens, “I know a company secret. I know about Scarlet’s voice, so to keep that secret, you can’t kick me out. Instead…” He eyes Se-jong.

In a secret contract, Se-jong agrees to withdraw from Impact and reject his scandal with Scarlet. As long as he follow these two terms, Se-jong can leave Hwangje without paying the contract breach fee.

Back to the present, Se-jong tells Tae-poong that he’s more hurt by being mistrusted by someone he fully trusts than being falsely accused. Tae-poong nods in understanding and tells him that Ray played a big part in clearing his accusations. He advises Se-jong to warm up to him, no matter how hard it may be.

At home, Hae-ra confronts Se-jong and tells him that the team is sorry about the misunderstanding. She also personally apologizes for not trusting him. Ray walks into the conversation, and Se-jong thanks him for his help. There’s clearly less tension between the three as they agree to fair play in the competition for Hae-ra’s duet partner.

It’s competition day, and Woo-ri is dressed in a brand new pretty outfit, one that resembles the Lee Young-ju’s outfit in the poster. Jang Goon compliments her, much to her satisfaction. They practice one more time, singing IU’s “Friday” sweetly to each other.

They’re finishing up the song when the buttons on Woo-ri’s tight skirt pop off. But her embarrassment is short-lived, as Jang Goon covers her up with his cardigan. He tells her that she has nothing to be embarrassed about but asks her to wash the cardigan before returning it to him.

At that point, Woo-ri blurts out that she likes him, just as Henry arrives and watches through the window. She tells Jang Goon that she’s liked him for a while and asks if he can return the same sentiment. He looks pretty shocked, and we don’t get to hear his answer.

Scarlet arrives at the Team Persevere building and looks startled when she sees Hae-ra walking by. When Scarlet asks why Hae-ra is there, Hae-ra explains that she and Se-jong are neighbors and returns the question. Scarlet’s waiting for Se-jong, of course, and tells Hae-ra that she and Se-jong are still together.

Hae-ra notices the keychain on Scarlet’s phone, the exact same one that Se-jong snatched from her when it dropped out of his pocket. Scarlet notices her staring at it and tells her that it’s a couple item. She warns Hae-ra to stay away from Se-jong and tells her that if she had a conscience, she would stay away from him. She knows that Hae-ra and Se-chan had something together.

Meanwhile, Woo-ri looks back at Jang Goon wide-eyed. He tells her bluntly that he’s never felt attracted to her, not even once. A tear falls down her cheek, and Henry watches from afar in shock.

Hae-ra asks in disbelief, “Did Kang Se-jong tell you that?” Scarlet replies with confidence, “Of course. How else would I know? I’m not some fortuneteller.”

 
EPILOGUE

Tae-poong calls out to Se-jong’s mom, and the door to her room swings open. He walks in, leans on the wall, and tells her to speak to him in banmal. She bashfully agrees. He admits that he’s having a hard time with Hae-ra’s mom because he isn’t quite sure how he feels. Then he walks over, grabs her face, and goes in for the smooch… just as she’s shaken awake by Hae-ra’s mom.

 
COMMENTS

Once again, Tae-poong does not fail to disappoint. The noona romance fantasy was bound to happen at some point, and this show sure does use its cast to their full potential. It’s so over-the-top ridiculous that I get super conscious of my surroundings while watching the scene and have to look over my shoulder to make sure no one is overlooking this part of the episode, even though I know nobody’s watching me. Imagine no context and just watching those scenes. Oh lord, that would be strange. Only in the context of this drama would I find sensual kimchi-making appropriate.

I guess it’s fitting that Tae-poong gets a love triangle with the noonas as our main love triangles emerge in this episode. I found Ray resembling Se-chan more in this episode, with his forward confession to Hae-ra. He’s much gentler, but he seems to approach Hae-ra with the same simplistic attitude that Se-chan did — anything to make Hae-ra smile and happy is good. It’s a nice contrast with Se-jong, who is so inward and secretive that you wonder when he’s going to explode. Hopefully, he’s learning that being frustratingly silent will get you nowhere, especially if you want to be trusted. I found his logic about mistrust and silence completely illogical. You can’t just expect someone you trust to completely trust you if you haven’t effectively communicated the facts to them. Even the strongest kind of trust requires communication, and it pained me to see him break down rather than build up his trust with Hae-ra. Someone give Hae-ra a mind reader so that she won’t be so confused and misled by his silence all the time.

The power struggle between Se-chan’s two hyungs is complex and flawed, which makes it more interesting to think about. From Ray’s standpoint, he’s trying to do something for his younger brother, someone he never met. He’s trying to understand who his brother was through the people who surrounded him and loved him, but in that process, I think he’s starting to get confused about his role in this family and most certainly in his relationship with Hae-ra. As sweet as Ray is, I still find something off with him and Hae-ra. Ray isn’t Se-chan, no matter how hard he tries, and that’s where Se-jong finds his frustrations.

It seems like Se-jong’s resentment is misdirected, but it makes sense that he attaches his anger to the only living thing that represents who Se-chan was. Se-jong seems mad at himself for not being able to fulfill the role he was meant to fill. His absence and lack of presence in the family is not entirely his fault — he was stuck in the dungeons of Hwangje — but he really needed to put more effort into restoring the relationships that were kept together by thin strings after Se-chan’s death. Now with someone else stepping on his toes, he’s definitely feeling the effects of his absence and inconvenient secrets.

Everyone’s got their own secrets, some of them revealed openly (as with Woo-ri’s confession to Jang Goon and Henry’s digestive issues) and others just revealed to the audience (Ki-joon’s pathetic escape of responsibility and the noonas’ dreams). We’ve got an interesting set-up going into the next episode, and though resolving misunderstandings and explaining secrets is important, I’m desperate to see Team Persevere finally making some upward movements in their career. They’ve got to make some moves quickly before Hwangje returns for payback. You can only fall so many times before you become crippled and can’t get back up.

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