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Radiant Office: Episode 5

Ho-won and the guys find themselves faced with a near-impossible challenge, and once again, their jobs depend on whether or not they’re successful. Luck seems to be on their side, but life has a way of throwing a wrench into one’s plans just when you think you’re coming out on top. Ho-won is starting to learn that nothing in life is fair, so if she wants to be successful in the time she has left, she’s going to have to stop placing blame and start taking responsibility.

 
EPISODE 5 RECAP

Woo-jin is very unhappy to learn that Ho-won, Kang-ho, and Ki-taek didn’t get their jobs with Hauline on the strength of their experience or education, but because Manager Park specifically requested them. The HR employee takes offense to Woo-jin’s accusations of unfair hiring practices and snaps at him to take his complaints to Manager Park.

Manager Park storms into Woo-jin’s office later, incensed, having heard about Woo-jin’s dissatisfaction with his hiring decision. Woo-jin argues that he has every reason to ask why those three were hired… particularly Ki-taek, who didn’t even go to his interview.

Manager Park insists that connections had nothing to do with his decision, just his own intuition about them. Woo-jin says that he will manage his team based on his own beliefs, and he refuses to work with the three newcomers based on his disagreement with how they were hired.

So Manager Park brings everyone into the same room for a belated interview. Ho-won asks if they’re here because Woo-jin suspects them of something, but Manager Park says that in fact, he’s the one Woo-jin suspects. Woo-jin clarifies that he finds all of them suspicious.

Woo-jin says that he still hasn’t heard a satisfactory explanation as to why they were hired, especially Ki-taek. Ho-won insists that she doesn’t have any connections, so she’d assumed they were hired on standards outside of their resumes.

Woo-jin asks the three if they know that they’re eligible for permanent hire after their three month contracts end, only to tell them that that’s no longer the case. Ho-won asks what they can do to change his mind, then points out that it’s actually Manager Park’s responsibility to justify their right to be here.

Manager Park takes the problem to Hyun, who originally asked him to hire those particular applicants. Park complains about Woo-jin’s accusations of unfair hiring practices and mentions in the process that he’s planning to get rid of him when the sales and marketing teams merge.

But instead of offering advice, Hyun says that he’s disappointed in Manager Park for being unable to handle such a minor issue. His manner is very different than the sunny personality that he shows to Ho-won, since he’s dark and angry with Manager Park. He asks if the new hires are adjusting well, and while they talk, someone secretly snaps pictures of the two men.

In private, Ji-na asks Ki-taek why Woo-jin was asking questions about him. Ki-taek understands why Woo-jin is suspicious, since he didn’t even show up for his interview. He thinks Ji-na is too nervous about it, but she thinks he’s not nervous enough, afraid that Ki-taek will blab that they used to date.

Ki-taek decides that he’s the main reason Woo-jin disagrees with their hiring, so he tells Ho-won that he’ll handle it. Ji-na freaks out and runs to Woo-jin’s office, calling an emergency team meeting to delay Ki-taek from confronting him. During the meeting, she texts Ki-taek to keep his big mouth shut.

Manager Park and Woo-jin argue about whether online sales are necessary — Woo-jin thinks they’re needed to sell older inventory, but Manager Park wants to simply pressure their stores to sell more. Everyone else doodles and passes notes, and Ho-won has to poke Kang-ho to keep him from falling asleep.

Manager Park opens a window and a huge gust of wind blows everyone’s papers around the room. Yong-jae is mortified when his doodle page ends up on Manager Park’s face, and everyone sees that he was doing a childish love compatibility test, which only came to two percent, hee.

Disgusted, Manager Park abandons the meeting, so Woo-jin carries on. He announces that he wants to change suppliers for a cushion their home shopping channel gives away. But Ji-na says that while the company he wants, Modern Goods, offers a superior product, they’ve had conflicts with them in the past, so they won’t work with Hauline.

Woo-jin accuses Ji-na of just being too lazy to try, and at that moment, she gets a text from Ki-taek saying that he can’t keep quiet. So in retaliation, Ji-na volunteers the temp employees to secure a contract with Modern Goods.

Woo-jin decides that this would be an excellent way to gauge the trio’s skills, and he tells them that this will be their employment test: If they get the contract, they can keep their jobs. Meanwhile, Yong-jae doodles a compatibility test between Ho-won and Woo-jin, which calculates them as ninety-six percent compatible.

Ho-won, Kang-ho, and Ki-taek nervously go to Modern Goods, and though Ho-won is worried about the company’s reputation for being tough, Ki-taek is determined to make this happen. The company president seems friendly at first, but it’s all an act – he shoves them out the door, yelling that he tried to sell to Hauline once, but they humiliated him.

Ho-won tries the same tactic that worked with the mattress customer, whining that they’ll be in huge trouble if they don’t get this contract. But this time it doesn’t work, so Ki-taek decides to try a different angle.

The three pitch in to load a truck with orders, but the president says that nothing they do will change his mind. He hands Ki-taek some money to pay them for the work they did, and as he walks away, he doesn’t hear Ho-won trying to get his attention.

Gu-dong shows the pictures that were taken of Manager Park and Hyun to Woo-jin, informing him that the two have been meeting often. He says that hasn’t been able to discover who Hyun is yet, then adds that someone would like to talk to Woo-jin.

Woo-jin finds himself meeting Chairman Seo, the owner of Hauline, who is friendly, if a bit frail of health. Chairman Seo tells Woo-jin that he inherited Hauline from his father, and that early in his ownership, Gu-dong was hired at the factory.

Woo-jin mentions that he’s heard that Chairman Seo doesn’t manage the company anymore, and Chairman Seo compares it to raising a child — when it was younger and smaller he felt very close to it, but now that it’s grown, it no longer feels like his. He says that Hauline belongs to the customers and the employees who run it.

Woo-jin tells Chairman Seo that he’s not here to win the approval of his superiors and that he thinks of Hauline as a company whose owner doesn’t abuse his authority. He says that he hopes it’s a place where his hard work is recognized, and where his colleagues’ efforts are rewarded. Chairman Seo completely agrees, adding that Gu-dong can help Woo-jin.

Woo-jin goes back to Gu-dong, impressed by his powerful friend in Chairman Seo. Gu-dong says that with salaries being directly deposited into employee bank accounts these days, he feels sorry that Woo-jin will never know the feeling of being handed his pay in an envelope and feeling the security of holding it in his hand.

Gu-dong says that he wants to make Hauline like that again, then he calls Woo-jin a coward for running away every time a job gets uncomfortable instead of staying to try and fix the problem. Woo-jin doesn’t respond and just listens to Gu-dong’s challenge to stick around and help make Hauline into a place he can be proud of.

But when he’s alone later, Woo-jin says that he’s not running away, just avoiding the fire. But he admits — to himself at least — that Hauline is his last chance, and he has nowhere else to run.

Ho-won takes Ki-taek and Kang-ho to her old convenience store, and she tells the boss she never felt like he trusted her when she worked there. He says that he actually trusts her a lot, which cheers her up a bit.

She takes the drinks to Kang-ho and Ki-taek, and Ki-taek apologizes for getting them into this situation. Ho-won says that Woo-jin is suspicious of her too, and they wonder what to do now. Ki-taek decides they should show up at Modern Goods bright and early the next morning, and they vow not to give up.

Ki-taek stands to get them some real food, leaving his wallet in his chair. Ho-won picks it up and sees a picture of Ji-na, but she hides it again. Later, she sighs that Ki-taek is unlucky in love, then decides that at least he’s dated someone.

She sees a vision of Hyun on a mannequin winking at her from a store window and remembers that he asked her to buy him a meal. She nearly calls him, then chickens out, deciding that he probably didn’t mean it.

Instead, she stays up all night making kimbap for the president of Modern Goods, and Kang-go brings a bottle from his dad’s liquor collection. Unfortunately, the president throws their gifts back in their faces, still angry at how he was treated by Hauline in the past, and says that he already has more orders than he can fill. He tries to shove past them, and when Ho-won reaches out to beg him not to go, she accidentally tears his shirt halfway off his body, revealing several angry-looking marks on his chest.

The three go to the park, trying to think of another way to make the contract with Modern Goods happen. Ho-won apologizes, explaining that she got carried away because the president reminds her of her dad. Kang-ho wonders if they’ll have to find another company to supply the cushions.

Back at the office that evening, talk turns to Ji-na’s love life. Word is that she’s been dating the same guy forever, and Yong-jae asks if she’s getting married soon, since she said her boyfriend passed the civil service exam last year. Ki-taek stares at her, surprised, knowing full well that he never passed the exam and that Ji-na lied.

Ki-taek finds Ji-na at the bus stop later and says that he now understands that she didn’t want him calling her late when they were dating because she was exhausted from work. Ji-na refuses to apologize for lying to her coworkers, and Ki-taek apologizes for making her feel as though she had to lie in the first place.

The trio go to Woo-jin to ask for more time to secure the Modern Goods contract, but he stands firm on their timeline. Just as he’s declaring they aren’t eligible for rehire, Ho-won gets a call from the Modern Goods president.

He thanks her for her advice to see a doctor, because he learned he has cirrhosis — she literally saved his life. He says that he’ll sign a contract with Hauline and give them top priority for deliveries. Woo-jin just heads back to his office, but once there he grudgingly admits that the trio did a good job.

Ho-won explains to secretary Kkot-bi that she recognized the symptoms of cirrhosis in Modern Goods’ president because her own father suffers from it. Kkot-bi sighs that Woo-jin’s bad attitude gives him charm, but Ho-won disagrees, thinking he’s just plain evil.

Ho-won asks Ji-na to sign off on an order of one thousand cushions from Modern Goods, which Ji-na does without even looking at the contract. Kang-ho gets a call and heads out to have ice cream with an adorable little girl who tells him that her daddy moved out a few months ago.

When her mother arrives to pick her up, we see that it’s Suk-kyung, who apologizes to Kang-ho for having to take time out of the office to take care of her daughter. She sends him back to work, asking him not to tell any of their coworkers about this. He watches Suk-kyung for a moment, who’s warm and loving with her daughter, seeing no sign of the Ice Witch.

Ho-won is thrilled to see Hyun in the Hauline halls, here to drop off some employee health paperwork. He gives her a huge smile and asks about work and the other two new hires she mentioned. Ho-won says that he’d never believe how the three met, and he asks for the story, curious.

Woo-jin spots the two talking from down the hall and grumbles to see Ho-won all smiling and flirty. Then he recognizes Hyun from the pictures Gu-dong showed him, who Woo-jin suspects is a headhunter.

Woo-jin is still frowning when Ho-won returns to the office skipping and smiling. And as Hyun leaves the building, he calls someone about sending them a manuscript, asking when the book will be published.

When Modern Goods makes their first delivery to Hauline, Ji-na is horrified to learn that she signed off on one thousand cushions when she was only supposed to order one hundred. She whines to Ki-taek that Woo-jin already hates her and this will make it worse, so Ki-taek tells her to blame him for the mistake.

He goes to tell Woo-jin but Ho-won stops him, prepared to take the blame for ordering the wrong amount. Plus, she adds that Woo-jin is most suspicious of Ki-taek, and Ho-won wouldn’t be able to accept a full-time position even if it were offered to her.

She enters Woo-jin’s office, interrupting a conversation between him and Gu-dong, and explains that they ordered too many cushions. She says she’ll think of a way to fix this, but the simple idea of using the extra cushions in the next show isn’t good enough, so Woo-jin tells Ho-won that she’s fired.

He’d warned her this would happen if she made another mistake, and this is a pretty huge mistake. He tells Ho-won to leave right now, but she marvels that this seems so easy for him. She tells him that sometimes, people have reasons they can’t reveal, but he rightly argues that the company shouldn’t have to pay for her unsaid excuses.

Woo-jin says that Ho-won shouldn’t even be doing things she can’t explain and tells her to stand behind her own actions. He repeats that this was her last chance, so Ho-won goes to collect her things. After she leaves, Gu-dong asks Woo-jin if he thinks that Ho-won was hired unfairly.

Ki-taek and Kang-ho follow Ho-won out of the office, and Ki-taek says that he’ll tell Woo-jin about Ji-na erroneously signing off on the order. Ho-won refuses, explaining that she forgot the promise she made to Woo-jin when she joined the marketing team. She tells the guys that she wouldn’t have been with Hauline for long, anyway.

CEO Han is annoyed when Woo-jin’s home shopping show sale sells out, proving that his new ideas produce great results. But the marketing team is thrilled, having met all of their goals for this show.

Ho-won buys beer to share with her roommate Hyo-ri, though she doesn’t feel like talking about getting fired. Hyo-ri sets Ho-won up with a part-time housekeeping job, and Ho-won gasps when the place turns out to be a total pigsty.

She grumbles that the nitpicky list left by the homeowner reminds her of Woo-jin, then she gets to work. Of course, the place does belong to Woo-jin, and he’s impressed when he arrives home to find a spotless apartment and dinner simmering on the stove.

When Manager Park returns from his business trip, he’s furious to find that Woo-jin fired someone that he hired. Woo-jin points out that Manager Park dumped Ho-won onto his team, which made her his employee to fire as he likes.

Ho-won arrives at Woo-jin’s place to clean again and finds a note thanking her for the stew. With a smile, she sets to work doing laundry, then re-pots his half-dead plants in cute little cups. When Woo-jin sees this, he chuckles to himself that he wouldn’t worry about his employees if they worked as hard as this housekeeper.

The next day, Woo-jin gets a call from Modern Goods asking for the person in charge of the cushion order. Woo-jin tells them that Eun Ho-won was let go, but the caller says that the name on the order is Ha Ji-na. Woo-jin checks his copy of the order and sees that it’s true — Ji-na signed off on the incorrect order.

At Woo-jin’s house again, Ho-won lowers the blinds for the first time, and actually falls over when she sees the larger-than-life print of Woo-jin’s face on the fabric. HA, that’s hilarious. She tries to run out of there but Woo-jin comes home, so she hides in his closet.

She tries again to scuttle out when he goes to the restroom, but has to run back to the closet when he comes out. Woo-jin grabs a beer and wonders to himself why Ho-won would cover for Ji-na, then decides to call her. He hears Ho-won’s phone ringing in his bedroom, and creeps in to investigate (wielding a mop as a weapon, hee).

Woo-jin yells and flails around the room, then realizes that the intruder must be in the closet. He freaks out screaming when Ho-won slowly opens the closet door, then stares in shock when he sees her face.

 
COMMENTS

I’m beginning to find Hyun both intriguing and a bit creepy, because I can’t figure out what his game is — he’s so mysterious, and he seems to be a different person every time we see him. He says he’s not interested in business, but he’s getting himself involved with Hauline at least to the point of pulling strings to get Ho-won, Kang-ho, and Ki-taek jobs, and I don’t know that I believe that his only business connection to Hauline is employee physicals. Until this episode I thought he got Ho-won and the boys their jobs because he felt bad for them, knowing that they all three tried to kill themselves over their inability to land respectable jobs. But the conversation with Manager Park worried me when Hyun went all dark and scary, and I can’t help but wonder what kind of pull he has over Manager Park. His demeanor was so dramatically different from the cheerful, friendly, joking face he shows to Ho-won, and I don’t know which is worse… that the dark Hyun may be the real man, or that both sides are really him. Actually, now that I think about it, the second option is a lot more frightening.

I’ve also wondered if Hyun and Woo-jin are related, maybe even brothers, as there have been some clues indicating there may be a connection. We heard Hyun talking to his father about how he wasn’t interested in competing with his business-minded brother, which does sound like it could describe Woo-jin. Plus, they have the same family name — not that that’s unusual, but it could be a clue. Even Manager Park has wondered if Woo-jin is hiding a connection to someone high-up at Hauline, which would explain his confidence. But then this episode made it obvious that Woo-jin doesn’t know either Chairman Seo or Hyun, which blows that theory out of the water. At the very least I’m assuming right now that Hyun is Chairman Seo’s son, since we’d been led to believe that’s the case and it explains Hyun’s pull at Hauline, and that Woo-jin isn’t.

Speaking of Woo-jin, I appreciated seeing Gu-dong call out his bad behavior like he did, especially his bad habit of escaping difficult situations and never even attempting to be a part of any solutions. And we know that Woo-jin has been telling himself that he just has high ideals, so I respect that when the truth was laid out for him, he didn’t argue or justify his actions, but he actually stayed and listened to what Gu-dong had to say. It takes a lot of courage to listen to someone tell you how you need to change, even if you don’t agree, and I didn’t expect Woo-jin to take Gu-dong’s constructive criticism so calmly. I don’t think he’s ready to admit to himself yet that his “quit when things get hard” attitude isn’t a virtue, but a severe character flaw, but at least he respects Gu-dong’s opinion enough to listen.

The show seems to be settling into an episodic rhythm, with each episode throwing the three new hires a challenge to prove their right to keep their jobs at Hauline. An episodic format can be entertaining as long as the thing they’re working for is different each time, but right now, it’s starting to stretch my ability to stay emotionally invested when every single challenge is their last, very last, no-really-we-mean-it-this-time absolute last chance to stay. If every episode is about the trio fighting for their jobs then it’s going to quickly lose its sense of urgency, because we’ll know that even if they fail, they’ll find a way to hang around anyway. I’ll honestly be fine if every episode is about them trying to accomplish something together by thinking creatively and relying on each other, so long as they aren’t always playing for the exact same stakes.

But Ho-won has been fired a couple of times now, both for very good reasons (for accusing her boss of taking bribes, and for costing the company a lot of money — even though Ji-na signed off on the order, it was Ho-won who wrote the contract incorrectly in the first place), so it’s getting hard to understand why Hauline would hire Ho-won back a third time. If she were fired for things that truly weren’t her fault, that would be one thing, and I would be cheering for her as she fights for justice. But that’s not the case, and her fighting spirit isn’t enough to make me believe that she deserves to be rehired again. She hasn’t even solved her work challenges with legitimate professional solutions, but by lying about her identity the first time, and blind luck the second time. I’m going to need the conflicts to be genuinely unfair, Ho-won’s work successes to be actually work-related, and the reasons for keeping her on more compelling than a popularity vote if the show wants to keep me emotionally on board with Ho-won’s struggle.

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Omo Omo Omo! I cried and laughed during this episode.

Thanks for the recap. Off to read!

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When the blind with Woo-jin's picture came down I died laughing. Why just why would you have that. lol

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That was probably one of the most disturbing things I've seen in a kdrama. Why would you have a pic of yourself in a t shirt made into a blind? What kind of mind thinks that is a good idea?! I wonder if he has a pillow case with his face on it too.

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Hahaha...that would be creepy!

Either he is narcissistic or a blinds vendor customize one for him as a sort of gift. Still, he needn't hang it up. Or he's just being practical and didn't want to waste the blind.

Maybe it was just for laughs?

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I died with you. LOL

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Ho Won is really in my shit list right now. I absolutely love Go Ah Sung in Heard it Through Grapevine but man, this one, I have major issues with how incompetent her character is here. I am giving this show two more episodes, then goodbye drama.

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Actually I do want Hyun to be actually darker than what we have seen him so far. We cannot figure his motive yet, but I just hope at least his friendship with Ho Won is a genuine one. Kim Dong Wook is a great actor that it will be a waste if we cannot see more of him.

About Ho Won's mistake, I don't agree the fault is on her solely. Jina as the superior needs to check her staff's works before approve it. Ji Na also is not that busy that she cannot check it. Ho Won is at fault too, but she cannot be the only one to be blamed. That's the difference, the higher your position is, the more responsibilities you will bear included your staff's mistake.

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TBH, Ho-won has been pretty annoying this whole time. I'm rather fed up with her. Today, I stopped watching this halfway through because I didn't like her attitude at all.

I thought she was going to be someone fun and sassy and determined, and instead, she's rather whiny.

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"She hasn’t even solved her work challenges with legitimate professional solutions... I’m going to need the conflicts to be genuinely unfair, Ho-won’s work successes to be actually work-related..."

Exactly my thoughts. In this episode, I felt let down by the writing. I really want her to solve her work challenges with professional solutions.

Other than that, I am still enjoying the drama. Looking forward to episode 6.

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I know what you mean, but I do think the drama is maybe trying to put across the message that you can't just get ahead on just work-smarts alone. I don't know if I'm reading too much into it, but the impression I'm getting is that you don't just have to be a robot to succeed. She doesn't have the connections or the experience or the amazing CV, but she has a great personality and a lot of resourcefulness and determination. She was never given a chance because of the inherent prejudice in the system, and people around her continue to show that prejudice every time she does anything wrong, and even when she gets stuff right!

When she solved the problem with the subcontractors in the previous episode, she used a non professional means to get the relevant data, but then she did all the research etc. and put her report together in a purely professional way. It just goes to show she can do it, but she has to be given a chance. I think it also shows what she can to by using her personality and not just the meagre resources afforded to her, and what happens when people pay a little bit more attention to the humans they're dealing with than usual. Again I'm probably reading too much into it!!! It's entertaining anyhow!!!

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I do agree that sometimes there are other non-professional ways to achieve a certain work challenge. She has a great personality and that's why I love her. I can emotionally connect with her. My only problem was the way they got the Modern Goods contract. I just wish it was achieve through a more professional way in a different scenario. I guess I was a bit let down/disappointed that she got it because she saved the man's life but I wish instead of saving him, the trio could've prove that Hauline and Modern Goods would make a great team. I blamed it on the writing for being lazy and not really creative. Maybe I'm asking for too much?? I still love the show. This little issue I have isn't going to stop me. Lol.

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<I guess I was a bit let down/disappointed that she got it because she saved the man’s life

I didn't see the problem. The trio has been using their persistence to convince the guy – IMO Ho-won saving the guy is essentially the finally thing he needed to be convinced since he'd actually warmed to them quite a bit already.

Plus, it's not like most people in that office actually have more professionalism/talent/determination or work harder. Woo-jin maybe does and Mrs. Cho seems to be pretty capable, but the rest of them lazes around and just use their higher position/power/ to achieve things.

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I wonder about the caliber of some of the officemates, like Jina and the suckup guy. The drama made the job search process to be cuthroat and I can't imagine them being qualified enough to pass the interviews. I guess this was before Woo Jin took over interviews.

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I also wish the Show didn't just use the excuse that Ho-won recognized the signs of cirrhosis (because father also suffers from it).

I don't recall it accurately, but there was this TWdrama where the female lead didn't really have great professional skills either. But she was great at relationships. She convinced a coffee bean farmer of signing a contract by asking/talking to him about the meaning of his farm products, and how her boss actually had the same values, etc (to something like that). This Show could have shown something similar, about how one can also resolve an issue through understanding, compassion, etc but still in a professional way.

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Yes. That is definitely the kind of method that I would prefer instead of her recognizing the signs of cirrhosis.

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Seriously!

He made it very clear that he hates Hauline because of something that the company did to him in the past, and they ignored that and immediately went full "bribe-mode": Let's show our sincerity to him by kissing his ass for a short while so that our company can continue to exploit him in the way it did before.

Yes, I know this is how K-drama portrays sincerity, but to completely ignore the actual reason he is mad at Hauline, something that is essential to what little we see of his character, and instead go with a completely unrelated disease-at-machina ...

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Thank you for the recap!!! Im loving this drama so far!!! Great characters and storylines, just right amount of comedy and such a sexy lead!! I know he is being an arrogant jerk but at least he is no spoiled chaebol, he is where he is through hardwork.
Favourite moments:
Closet scene: Hillarious!!! Such joy seeing the contrast between office Woo-jin and terrified home puppy Woo-jin, seriously, just how scared was he??!! ;))))

Ice witch and Kang Ho, warm and nice scene. The show is starting to shape out characters outside the office and it makes them a lot more complex and enjoyable

On a side note, I'm really enjoying the female lead. I would agree on her previous mistakes before but today, she did ask Ji na if it was ok to order 1000 and then she asked her to sign. That is double checking for me and it is her superior's fault for totally ignoring her. Plus, she is trying hard to do a good job. She did research all those companies and did the imposible when assigned such impossible tasks. Just give the girl proper guidance and sensible tasks and Im sure she will be amazing!!

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I like Ho-Won. I know she's made some mistakes, and some of them really a little too clumsy, but I don't think that makes her an unlikeable character. I thought the show was trying to put across a message that all workers are human and not machines with high specs and perfect scores, and really they've given her literally no training and keep lumping the hardest jobs on her. I think the fact that she can be a bit emotional and 'whiney' in keeping with her character, and she stands up for herself enough that I don't find it annoying. I think the actress is doing a really good job of making her character quite real, and I really like her! Just my opinion anyway.

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Her 'whiney' is actually really relatable. Lol. I don't mind her whiney as I do whine too. I love that her character is expressive and isn't really Candy. She can stand up for herself and she's quite selfless. I love her and her flaws.

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Agree, and she is relatable. I was like her too. I don't know maybe some viewers were wonderful in their job that they never even committed any stupid mistakes, so that's why they find her annoying. She is not flawless, she is careless and can be clumsy, but she is also has some good points that people failed to credit her. This drama will show us her development to become better employee, imo.

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I really, really like Ho-Won. I don't find her whiny at all. Full of flaws and still green in the office – but if we go by how she excels in everything else she's ever had a part-timer job in, I'm pretty sure she'll turn out to be a top talent by the end.

I also don't see the show as trying to be 100% realistic – it's tackling some serious issues in terms of work culture, but through quirky and slightly over-the-top approach, so I don't take everything that's given to us as to be taken literally. This isn't Misaeng after all, even if the issues dealt with are the same/similar.

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It is interesting to see in every office drama I watched, there is always a reference and comparison to Misaeng, the drama that I found boring and couldn't finish it.

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How do you not find her whiny?

Her "sales pitch" is literally to whine: "If you don't help me out, I'll lose my job and die", teary puppy eyes and all.

I'm okay with her character (not with how her character is implemented into the story though), but she definitely IS whiny.

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So far each week, she either quits her job or gets fired ... I need both to make up their minds!

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Ho-won could actually be a good assistant to the doctor (Hyun). She seems of the amiable type, which could be great when dealing with many patients. She seems to be at ease with Hyun too. And she could become a skilled nurse.

But the true identity of Hyun is getting darker, so I wouldn't want her to get too close to him yet.

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It is bothering me how ho won keeps solving these problems in these random personal ways. I want to see some business savvy, and in this case i wanted the trio to work together in a business savvy way. It really doesn't make sense why ho won keeps getting fired or rehired. Anyway, the ending of this episode was hysterical. I love how the show hasn't made woojin overly perfect- he's good at his job and presents himself proffesionally there....But at home he's a total slob. And the whole using the mop as defense haha i really love hyun and him with ho won and I'm sad that we are starting to see his dark side :( also that moment with hang ho and manager cho was interesting - a bit of side noona romance coming up?

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I do wonder if it's a sort of savvy to use personal experiences to connect with clients. Even parts of that email in the email disaster sounds like a testimonial of how great the Hauline beds are. I think she'll do well in marketing, as long as she stays at her job for more than 2 days at a time.

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Also loved the expose of "non office" Woo-jin! Am glad also to know he was really bothered by Ho-won taking the blame for something she didn't do, consistent with his character hating people getting what they don't deserve, be it getting jobs by connection or getting fired unjustly. Ha Seok-Jin never fails in delivering lovable jerks...

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<also that moment with hang ho and manager cho was interesting – a bit of side noona romance coming up?

There might be a hint of that, but I saw this as him seeing a loving Mom – the opposite of what he has known his whole life.

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I didn't think of that but it makes more sense. Scrap the romance, giving kang ho an older sister to mother him would also be adorable

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I disagree with Lollypop that Ho-won deserved to be fired both times. Her boss Park WAS taking bribes, as well as taking advantage of his position to force her to drink excessively while singing and dancing for him, then slinging his arm around her for duets. IMO that is sexual harassment, and at the very least he deserved to be strongly reprimanded and apologize in writing to Ho-won and the rest of the team. And there's still the bribery, which has to at least be against company policy if not out and out illegal. (Thinking mainly it'd be hard to prove the cash was freely given in court, but that's just a guess)

With the order, Ho-won asked Ji-na outloud and gave her the written version to review. How is it her fault that Ji-na wasn't paying attention? If you have to sign off on a document, it's because you are the responsible party / it's your @ss on the line. Further, I don't think it was a typo (100 to 1000), as Ji-na said that she was told to order 100 FIRST, and then order more as needed based on sales. So it sounded like they had been talking about ordering a 1000, and she had the details about ordering that 1000 piecemeal. Again, not Ho-won's fault that she wasn't told the details.

The cirrhosis issue didn't bother me. The president of the manufacturing company was being unprofessional, so the only past that was to connect on another level. No company in sales would act that way. Even if he's got lots of orders now, that could always change and he might need Hauline's business at some point. He should have turned them down politely by citing other orders (even if it was really due to past bad treatment) and kept that potential income avenue open. Bad-mouth customers behind their backs, never EVER to their faces. I don't think the writers have worked in sales or for a small business. Or else they just wanted to tell a different story.

Lastly, I've worked in an office for 10 years. Sometimes stuff gets thrown at you that you have no way of knowing how to deal with, but you still get blamed if you mess up. If you want to keep your job, you apologize outwardly and seethe inwardly. Because Ho-won only plans on staying three months, she's free to speak up and complain about an unfair system. I don't find that whining.

Again, just my opinion. I'm really liking the show overall, and loved the wimpy mop-based self-defense at the end of this ep. Classic.

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Whoops - (Thinking mainly it’d be hard to prove the cash was NOT freely given in court, but that’s just a guess)

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I agree with you about the second firing. I did not think Ho Won was at fault for the reasons you stated, though she was justifiably fired for taking the blame. In fact, I liked her selflessness and willingness to accept the unanticipated punishment without throwing another pity party. There was no reason to keep her after she fell asleep on the mattress and sent a private email badmouthing her superior to everyone, however. Yes, her superior's behavior was inappropriate, but her behavior was problematic, as well, and she had no history or permanent position with the company.

I love the cast, but Ho Won is probably one of the few characters I have had big problems with on this show. In general, when not being a self-absorbed crybaby, she has at times seemed uncaring, unapologetic, unethical, and occasionally stupid. She is ridiculously fatalistic about a possible health condition she refuses to investigate. She gushes over the doctor like a hopeless groupie. She is a deadbeat roommate, and I hated that she turned a rare moment of decency from her former boss into a ploy to get food on credit. She did not hesitate to keep the money she found on the floor last week, even though the trail of other items seemed to suggest it could have belonged to her superior. She volunteered to work overtime and then acted as if the work she was given was too much. She was opportunistic even when she believed she had no future, and she seemed to complain about everything. She groveled and begged one moment, then had a chip on her shoulder the next. While others complained about her lack of confidence, I wanted her to have a reason to be confident. Moreover, my own experiences as an office temp made me question her attitude. I would happily stand in a corner for a day to get a job I wanted, but how would that effort equal years of experience, school, or the debts that accompany the usual requirements? Did she have any goals (aside from owning a beautiful bedroom)? Why did she think she would be hired?

Despite all that, she showed a few redeeming qualities this episode. She seemed genuinely concerned about her prospective client's health. She protected her co-worker and then maturely accepted the consequences. She was a fantastic maid with admirable cooking skills. Perhaps seeing that she actually had prospects made me overlook her lack of professionalism for a change. Or perhaps I disliked that she and the other contractors tried to ply the disgruntled manager with gifts and free labor. By comparison, Cirrhosis seemed like a plausible and less manipulative minor victory, even though I, too, hope this is the end of such cheap wins. For now, I am just happy to see Ho Won be a decent person.

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How does Ho Won qualify as a self-absorbed crybaby? The girl thinks she has less than 6 months to live and other than crying at valid occasions, she is in my opinion, incredibly cheerful. Do people who are terminally ill think of saving the world and help others? Items on a bucket list are always about self. Even if you want to do something for someone else, it's still what you want to make yourself happy. The fact that her bucket list priority is to experience life working in a proper office makes her a sad character indeed.

I don't blame her for not investigating her health condition. More people than we think do not go for health checks because they are prefer not to know. Sometimes, it is ridiculous to the point that even if all symptoms point to an illness, they still refuse to see a doctor. For Ho Won, not investigating means there is still hope. Hope that there was a mistake, hope that neither the two guys nor she has terminal illness.

She has a rather forgiving nature because I won't be so nice to the ex-boss. Why should she be grateful that her former boss exhibit a rare moment of decency when he showed probably none during the time she was working under him? To me, he owes her a lot more than that bag of snacks! This is a guy deducted from her pay whenever he had an excuse and treated her like 2nd class citizen.

One thing which shocked me a little was when she picked up the note from the floor although she should have known it belonged to Mr Heo. Well, I can accept that flaw.

Ho Won isn't Miss Perfect. She has her shortcomings, temper and idiosyncrasies. I don't always agree with her actions, shake my head at her carelessness and shooting off her mouth but she is one of the better heroines I have seen in kdramas. At least she has a spine, dare to speak up and spunk to boot.

I guess this is where we viewers have different expectations of kdrama heroines.

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How does Ho Won qualify as a self-absorbed crybaby?

Because she is too absorbed with herself most of the time to stay professional and she is too sorry for herself most of the time to stay professional?

Yes, she has a very good reason for being a self-absorbed crybaby. Being terminally ill, incompetent and self-conscious about it gives her a very good reason to be a self-absorbed cry-baby. It also makes her a fun character. It doesn't make her a good employee though.

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That's often heard criticism about Ho Won - unprofessional.

At this point, I can only think of 2 incidents where she was at fault and unprofessional - 1) her tirade at Woo Jin during the interview at Hauline 2) falling asleep on the bed in Hauline's showroom.

Probably you might say that telling her sob story to that disgruntled customer in ep 2, lying about being the Chairman's niece and brown nosing Modern Goods President as unprofessional. I'd like to know how Ho Won can solve these issues professionally.

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My impression of her as an unprofessional worker is mostly based on how she is presented on the show, like how she seemed to spend most of her energy on shenanigans about writing and stealing resignation letters or trying not to be assigned to Woo-jin's team.

We've seen her being professional: during her part-time jobs and this episode when she was house-keeping. At Hauline, I can assume she must have been professional off-screen between the scenes, but I've yet to see it. (I don't blame Ho-won, I blame the writer. But then again it's not easy to write an office-comedy around a difficult character like Ho-won).

One of the things I also see as unprofessional is her entitlement. She has been incredibly lucky not only to get this job, but also to have powerful allies thrust upon her from day 1. She takes it for granted. She doesn't care how she might hurt other people with her careless mistakes. Instead of developing her alliances in the office, she tries to cash them in immediately to cover up for her mistakes. Then again she throws herself under the bus needlessly and doesn't understand when she is being run over.

She sure is an extremely interesting character, being the female lead and the show's central character at that. But so far the show did not convince me she should be working for Hauline at all. It's not good for her nor her company.

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<But so far the show did not convince me she should be working for Hauline at all. It’s not good for her nor her company.

But I would say that about at least half the employees at Hauline – and they have been there for years.

Ho Won at least has the potential to become professional if she's assigned tasks appropriate to her level (which professional company would let a temporary employee with no experience negotiate a contract when they haven't even shown her how to use the company email system?). I see the potential in her, because with all the part-time jobs she's done in the past, we know she's a whizz. Because she ended up acquiring skills after spending months rolling kimbap etc etc.

Her co-workers – they have higher positions, but I'm not seeing actual skill & hard work (I do see laziness, in-company-manipulations, and lots of whining on their part). Only Woo-jin, Manager Cho and the secretary seems to be doing anything.

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Despite all that, she showed a few redeeming qualities this episode. She seemed genuinely concerned about her prospective client’s health. She protected her co-worker and then maturely accepted the consequences. She was a fantastic maid with admirable cooking skills. Perhaps seeing that she actually had prospects made me overlook her lack of professionalism for a change.

The funny thing is: Her housekeeping sequence was kind of counterproductive for me. She seemed so in her element there, she looked like she enjoyed what she was doing, she did it with dedication. We've never been shown her like this at Hauline, a job that she does not only not enjoy, but doesn't seem to care too much about (except for, you know, "having" it).

If I was her friend, or her therapist, I'd tell her to become a house-keeper. It's her thing.

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I think we need some Gu-dong ahjussi in our lives.

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If she were fired for things that truly weren’t her fault, that would be one thing, and I would be cheering for her as she fights for justice. But that’s not the case, and her fighting spirit isn’t enough to make me believe that she deserves to be rehired again. She hasn’t even solved her work challenges with legitimate professional solutions, but by lying about her identity the first time, and blind luck the second time.

I disagree with this. How is telling the truth about Manager Park in the first instance her fault? The truth is Manager Park should be the one fired and sued for sexual harassment as well prosecuted for bribery. Yes, Ho Won did something very few employees would do and that is to speak up. Although it was at first unintentional through the wrongly sent email, she still held her ground when she was confronted in front of the management.

As for the case with the wrong order, I agree with @Carrie above. Ho Won didn't magically pull the number 1000 from the air. They probably wanted to order 1000 but not all at once. This detail was told only to Ji Na because she was the only responsible for it.

If there's anyone who needs to be fired, it's Ji Na, Yong Jae and Manager Park. We should be wondering why they aren't fired and not why Ho Won is rehired. However, this is sadly the reality in office life. It may not always be as dramatic but sometimes real life can be even more dramatic than reel. I have seen good people being asked to go and terrible ones stay on and even get promoted. Meritocracy doesn't always exist.

I also do not understand why people are expecting or demanding that Ho Won solve her work challenges with legitimate professional solutions. This is her first real job. Considering her past experience as waitress, convenience store worker etc, what kind of 'professional' solutions should we expect? In fact, I think she's very smart. Yes, she had good grades but I am surprised she was able to uncover that sub contractor issue which Ji Na was both too lazy and incompetent to handle. You may argue that lying about her identity is unprofessional but does anyone have a legitimate solution to obtain data from that corrupt contractor?

It's the same story with Modern Goods in this episode. Frankly, there was no way Hauline could get the President's co-operation. He bears a real grudge against the company. There is no professional or business strategy which can make him change his mind because it is all personal to him. Yes, Ho Won was lucky in this one but I doubt there exist a professional solution. Also, let us not forget too that relationships are very important in business deals.

This is a drama so I am willing to let some things pass like voting to keep an employee and the sheer number of incidents getting Ho Won into trouble. However, I do find most situations and issues realistic even if they are presented in a comical manner.

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I laughed so hard at the scene where Manager Park and Woo Jin argued so long at the meeting that everyone tuned out and did their own thing. Anyone who's worked in office would attest to sitting in this type of meetings once too often.

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LOL, yes that scene was gold!

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That seen was hilarious. And. So. True.

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I just don't understand why many peope hating Ho Won. I am not trying to be over protective, but she doesn't deserved to be hated that much. I saw in many sites complaining with her character. This is one of those reasons why female character in kdrama doesn't go anywhere.

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I don't think its hate. I can't relate to her character atleast not how she goes about her workplace and how she gets rehired after being fired for valid reason each time. I have known people in reality who has been fired unceremoniously for much less and never had a second chance at it. And those people were a million times more qualified than Ho Won and mire dedicated. And in kdramas most female character's don't go anywhere because most are written like Ho Won to be emotional and unprofessional and they get away with it with few exceptions. Come on, emotions don't solve issues in reality. Its not hating, some of us find it an extremely off-putting feature in the leading lady.

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From my POV, what viewers always want to see in female lead character is the one they can easily love, admire and sympathy with. When the character is different than this usual standard, then people starts making a fuss. For eg Introverted Boss. Yes the problem with the actress' acting too, but how the character written also was not on her favour. Oh Hae Young last year was successful because of Seo Hyun Jin's performance to make the flaw and annoying character relatable although many viewers also complaint the character. I dropped SWDBS but based on what I saw the heroine is also has many flaws.

To put it in brief, I just don't want to see female lead just become all sweet,kind hearted and strong in a cliche plot. I always love a badass female lead, but I also welcome a character will flaws like this. I want to see more of characters that are questionable, and we are taking time to like or dislike her by giving her time to develop.

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I agree!

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I don't remember saying I dislike flawed characters. Just not this one. I doubt with any other actress other than Go Ah Sung, I'd care to stick around. Although, I do agree abound Oh Hae Young again. Seo Hyun Jin sucked me into her imperfect world with her but when I rewatched it, to my own amazement, I found her character to be even more disturbing on some levels than pretty Oh Hae Young. Introverted Boss, I left that show pretty early so no comments. I can't comment on mass opinion but I do believe disliking a character does not equal to hating on it. You stated people hating her, I saw people disliking her. People connect to a character being played on a drama based on their preference mixed with their reality and expectations. I certainly understand why some can't like her and merely stated my opinion on that.

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I don't understand it either, though I do think the drama is being ridiculous by having her walk back and forth on working for Hauline, even though it's not her doing half the time. Other than that, her reactions make sense for someone with no white collar professional experience. However, it looks like she does try and has had one success that didn't involve luck (when she did that report on changing outsourcing companies). And while luck helped her with this case, one could also say that her natural perseverance and ability to get personal with the clients and to see herself and her family in them brought about this opportunity where her luck stepped in to help out. While she is someone who isn't exactly admirable, I found her sympathetic.

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I do think there was some flaws in writing especially on the firing and re-hiring. She definitely has no experience working in a corporation, and I also do think she do often find excuses for her actions. I will take it as someone who have flaws and throughout this drama, she will learn how correct her mistakes and use her weaknessess as her advantage. You are right, because she is not admirable that I love her. If this drama just go to cliche character - she is sassy, hardworking, don't make mistakes, admirable, I doubt Go Ah Sung will agree to do this.

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About her being continuously fired and rehired, there is a joke on it in the next episode.

If a drama shows self awareness of its tropes, it can't be that bad, right?

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I am about to watch next epi now.

Just to say the rating increased to 6.0 for next epi. Although I am disappointed Chief Kim didnt manage to reach 20% for their finale epi, I still proud of them. 17.2% is still a huge number for a drama with no big names and romance. Hoping the same for Radiant Office too. Hopefully this week's rating is a good sign.

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Frankly, there was no way Hauline could get the President’s co-operation. He bears a real grudge against the company. There is no professional or business strategy which can make him change his mind because it is all personal to him. Yes, Ho Won was lucky in this one but I doubt there exist a professional solution.

We don't know that, because the show didn't bother to even consider exploring on that issue. Because nobody even had enough compassion for him to ask him about it.

When it comes to negotiating, understanding the other side is the professional way, and it's actually easy because it is also a basic human reflex. Unlike brown-nosing and getting a lucky punch in.

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So I guess Hauline is the unprofessional one? I would hardly fault the trio because they are new and completely unaware of the history of blood bad. They were thrown into hot soup and fed to the sharks. The only mistake I think they made was not finding out why Modern Goods refuses to work with Hauline. But that's assuming Hauline even knows why.

Should we expect Ki Taek, Kang Ho and Ho Won to sit at the negotiation table like they are Hauline employees with power to change things, offer amendments and make decisions? I blame Ji Na for her spite and Woo Jin for failing to see that this matter isn't a simple one which can be entrusted to powerless junior staff just so that he can fire them when they fail.

Maybe I am the one who is having difficulty seeing how the trio can solve this problem? Can you or anyone specify the professional way or business strategy with which they can convince President to work with Hauline?

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Yikes! I meant 'bad blood' and 'offer compensation'

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My initial gut reaction to the President was to wonder why he was so angry at Hauline. No matter what role I project myself into: audience member, writer, Hauline employee, bystander, my initial reaction is: I want to know why this man is so upset.

From a story-telling perspective, for the protagonists to try to find out about that would be the most logical thing to do (and it would allow Ho-won to use her empathetic skills to solve the problem in a non-cheap-victory kinda way).

From a Hauline employee perspective, for the people who want to get a contract with this guy, finding out about that would be the most logical thing to do.

From a human being perspective, for human beings standing there, finding out about that would be the most human thing to do.

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I don't understand Korean and I'm not sure if subtitles lost anything in translation. But my version went like this

President: "When I started out my business, I went to deliver goods to Hauline. Do you know how they humiliated me?!!!"

They didn't ask but was given the answer straight away. Do you think they should risk asking the infuriated man how exactly did Hauline humiliate him or failed to do to address its mistake?

In this situation, with the President still worked up at the mention of Hauline's name and refusing to consider anyone and anything from Hauline, what is the most professional, logical, humanistic way to convince the President?

In my simple thinking, Hauline has a near impossible job. Not only did they offend this man to the core, they didn't know how or where they went wrong and/or failed to apologize and salvage the relationship. They should start by acknowledging their mistake and offer an olive branch by way of some legitimate business deal attractive to Modern Goods as a sweetener. However, these are not things which the trio is empowered to do. They can only report back the situation to the management for appropriate action.

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Me too, I like Ho Won. Her slips do not bother me too much. After all this is comedy dramaland. But in her defense, I just want to point out that this is her first employment in a big company. On top of that, she has zero corporate work experience. I can somewhat relate. After college I got a permanent job in a bank. Everything seemed foreign and intimidating. I was initially given basic, non-challenging tasks like making copies, and filing docs., not the kind of projects that has been assigned to Ho Won. Those should have been directed to the permanent employees with established sales & marketing skills to handle. I would not even consider giving those tasks to temps... I like Ho Won.... for being naive, sassy, whiny, energetic, honest, brave, loyal, kind and so normally imperfect....she stubbornly embraces life, although she's very much aware it's running short.

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The last scene just scared me out and laughed out loud at the same time.

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It's a spoof of The Ring, right?

I wasn't really scared (it was just so funny!), but now I am imagining someone crawling out of my cupboard *shudder*

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Yes, it is.

The Ring was one of the scariest movie I've seen. I still don't understand how a simply made, no CGI movie can be so scary. The way Sadako climbed out of the well that freaked many out.

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Don't remind me on this, I will be home alone for few days ?

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Don't worry Sera, video tapes are obsolete these days. Unless it has moved to streaming videos...oooops!

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Yes! I think thats why he was terrified! She looked exactly like the girl in The Ring coming out the TV screen LOL he was sooo scared ;))))

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Ho won is one of many favourite character that I like. She is counting days to death, only wanting to have a job after failing for numerous time. She was fired and re-hired then fired again from Hauline. She have flaws and that is why I love her to the end. In respect of her first experience at Hauline, didn't she said a temporary worker still a worker when the staffs belittled the temps just because they can resign at any time? For others they might be a temp worker, but to the trio it carried a huge meanings. It gave them security and put food on the table. I don't have any problem with HW pretending to be the niece, I support the idea because I can bet that the communication company wouldn't let her get the contract. For the MG company, the president/owner is out for blood and Hauline will not be on his list after the humiliation that he had experienced. Didn't the trio try to get to the good side of the owner? They carries things, HW make some kimbap and KH bring wine from his father collection. They in no authorities to give any offer or negotiating deals to MG. To others it might be sheer luck that HW discovered the illness and basicly save the owner life. Like seriously in what professional way they can convinced the owner to work with them? The owner was saved and the trio secure the job. Both sides win.

For the wrong order, for me it is Ji Na to be blame. I have rewatched the scenes and she just sign the paper without proper look. Even HW did double check on the quantity, why she even have audacity to blame others?
At least HW takes the fall because she believed that she was the cause and she embraced it even it caused her the job she dreamed for so long to be taken away. If she didn't know that she will die, I thinks she still takes the blame and quitting the company. She is one hell of woman who take promise as good and wouldn't back out.
And awww, I have turn into poodle at KH and the ice queen daughter part. I hope for noona - dongsaeng love line. Make it rains of love, drama fairies.

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i love eun ho won

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LOL those blinds. Why Woo Jin? Why? ???

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