Entourage: Episode 7

by chickachunga

One of the downsides of falling in love is the tendency to let the hearts in your eyes obscure your vision of everything else. You find yourself spending the majority of your time with your significant other and away from the friends you normally hang out with. Love also tends to shift your priorities, which is less than ideal for a budding celebrity who didn’t have all his ducks in a row in the first place.

 
EPISODE 7 RECAP

Lovebirds Young-bin and So-hee enter the movie theater holding hands, but Ho-jin immediately breaks their grip and places himself in between them, even as they’re seated. He serves as the reluctant messenger, awkwardly delivering So-hee’s words to Young-bin and vice versa. Joon, Turtle, and So-hee’s friend are also present since traveling in a group makes Young-bin and So-hee’s date less conspicuous.

At the agency, Eun-gab catches CEO Kang meeting with board members without him, and her continued exclusion of him rubs him the wrong way. Then, CEO Jo arrives and joins the meeting, too. He decides to invite himself in an effort to shame them for conducting business without him and talking behind his back, but CEO Kang ends up demeaning him in front of CEO Jo.

CEO Jo wonders if Young-bin and So-hee are dating; she heard they’re hanging out a lot and reporters are hungry for some dirt, but the last thing she wants is a scandal right before production begins. Eun-gab reassures her that they’re merely school buddies hanging out, but CEO Kang pointedly remarks that Eun-gab slept with an actress, too, no matter that he ended up marrying her and is still happily married. CEO Jo gets into a giggle fit because she’s so amused by the salty banter between CEO Kang and Eun-gab.

When the movie ends, Young-bin ignores Ho-jin’s advice and hops into So-hee’s car instead of riding with the boys. Eun-gab calls Ho-jin for the 411 on Young-bin and So-hee, and Ho-jin expertly lies, saying they meet infrequently and only hang out in groups. He assures Eun-gab that they’re just friends. Turtle and Joon joke that Ho-jin’s a real manager now because his fibbing skills have improved significantly.

The boys drop trou as soon as they get home because they’re hot and tired. Turtle’s excited for an exclusive sneaker launch, and Young-bin’s all smiles because of So-hee. Joon warns his cousin to be more discreet about his relationship, and Ho-jin begs him not to anger Eun-gab or provide fodder for the reporters. Young-bin says he understands; he doesn’t fear reporters, but So-hee decided to keep their relationship a secret from her agency too, so he promises to be careful.

The doorbell rings, and it’s Ji-ahn. Ho-jin forgot that she would stop by for final touches on his room and scrambles to grab his pants, but the boys decide to play keep-away with them and make him work for it. Eventually, he’s fully clothed and watches as Ji-ahn places a vintage video camera in his room. She says it wasn’t easy to find, but thought it’d be perfect for him since he’s a cinephile.

He appreciates the thoughtful gesture, but Turtle ruins the moment when he quips that Ho-jin must be happy since the girl he likes just gave him a camera. Turtle tries to retract what he said, but the damage has already been done, and Ji-ahn leaves looking quite upset. Later, Turtle apologizes for his big mouth, but Ho-jin’s more distressed by the fact that he’ll never be able to look Ji-ahn in the eye again.

The boys fail at cheering him up since they continue to tease him for getting dumped before he even asked her out. Turtle leaves with Joon to wait in line overnight for the latest Yeezy Boost sneakers, and he promises to buy an extra pair for Ho-jin as an apology gift.

There’s already a long line of people waiting outside the mall to acquire tickets to purchase the rare shoes. Joon and Turtle are nowhere near the front, but Turtle remains optimistic. Young-bin calls for an update, and Joon informs him that they have no chance for the shoes. He notes that while he’s waiting in the sweltering heat and Ho-jin is moping, Young-bin sounds too happy for his own good.

Young-bin ends his call with Joon to answer So-hee’s. She can’t fall asleep and suggests they meet up, to Young-bin’s glee, so he tries to leave the house unnoticed, but Ho-jin catches him. Ho-jin advises against meeting up with her and even suggests accompanying him, but Young-bin insists he’ll be quick and won’t be needing a chaperone. Ho-jin reminds him about tomorrow’s photo shoot, and then Young-bin skedaddles. In an isolated area, Young-bin waits for So-hee inside his car. As soon as she arrives, he eagerly steps out, and the two make out in the open.

Joon and Turtle stayed up all night for the sneakers only to come home empty-handed. But Turtle plans to sell some of his sneakers to buy the rare Yeezy Boosts, and Joon comments that if he were as dedicated to life as he is to sneakers, he’d never be jobless. Meanwhile, Ho-jin calls Young-bin repeatedly, but there’s no answer, and he starts to worry about Young-bin making it to today’s photo shoot.

Ho-jin and the boys end up waiting for Young-bin in the garage of So-hee’s apartment complex. Ho-jin’s getting antsy since they’re running late, but luckily Young-bin emerges. He apologizes for keeping them, and So-hee steps out, too, reluctant to say goodbye. Joon notices a stealthy photographer with her lens in the direction of Young-bin and So-hee, but no one else sees her and his concern is dismissed.

Young-bin models winter parkas for his photo shoot amidst fake snow in the middle of summer. Ho-jin receives a call from Eun-gab, and judging from Ho-jin’s cringe, Eun-gab most likely isn’t in a good mood. Ho-jin pulls into the agency office building and is surprised to find Eun-gab practicing his baseball pitch in the stuffy garage.

Eun-gab laments that his body just isn’t what it used to be, but that his instincts remain as sharp as ever. He brings up Young-bin’s tardiness for today’s photo shoot, and Ho-jin answers that he overslept and it was his fault that Young-bin was late. But then Eun-gab asks point-blank if Young-bin and So-hee are dating, and Ho-jin stammers that they’re not. Eun-gab asks Ho-jin to hand over his keys because if the two are dating, Young-bin wouldn’t use his own car and the black box camera would have recorded So-hee’s voice.

Ho-jin finally admits to Eun-gab that Young-bin and So-hee are dating, and Eun-gab rejoices because his suspicions were correct. But then he erupts in anger and grabs Ho-jin by the collar, demanding to know why Ho-jin let this happen, and the sweat cascades down his face as his anger rises.

Ho-jin replies desperately that he tried to prevent the relationship from happening, but he can’t control how they feel and he didn’t anticipate So-hee liking Young-bin back. None of his responses work in appeasing Eun-gab, who then hollers at Ho-jin to take responsibility. Ho-jin answers that he will by quitting as manager. This response stuns Eun-gab, and he insists they continue the conversation inside Ho-jin’s car.

Eun-gab says he understands what it’s like to get reprimanded all the time since that’s how it went down with CEO Kang when he was younger. He also notes that Ho-jin has a temper, and Ho-jin apologizes, admitting that nothing Eun-gab says is actually wrong. Eun-gab instructs Ho-jin to never quit, especially at a dire time like this, because that’s the opposite of taking responsibility. He then adds for Ho-jin to stop glaring when talking back, and to end all the lies going forward.

Eun-gab heads inside after he observes CEO Kang walking into work with a group of professional-looking men. He pulls Joey into his office to see if she caught wind of anything, and she informs him that CEO Kang is meeting with lawyers and discussing clauses. Eun-gab remains suspicious of CEO Kang’s repeated meetings taking place without him.

That evening, Ho-jin joins his friends at a bar where they’re dancing and chilling with rapper Simon D. So-hee’s also there, glued to Young-bin’s side. Ho-jin updates them and regrets that he wasn’t able to keep their relationship a secret from Eun-gab. Young-bin proceeds to give Eun-gab a call and apologize for withholding information from him.

Turtle eagerly agrees to do Simon D a favor in exchange for his Yeezy Boosts. Simon D insists it’s a simple task, and Joon merely sighs at his sneaker-obsessed friend. For the second time, Joon spots a photographer snapping away and approaches her. He asks if they’ve met before and if she photographed Young-bin, but she plays dumb and exits. Joon expresses his concern about the photographer to Turtle, but Turtle’s too excited by the prospect of acquiring Yeezy Boosts to care.

Young-bin can’t take his eyes off of So-hee, who’s chatting with Joon downstairs, and Ho-jin notices. Young-bin says he’s incredibly happy, and jokes that Ho-jin will be lonely since Joon and Turtle have each other and he’ll be with So-hee. Ho-jin dryly answers that he’s always got Eun-gab.

Young-bin grows serious when he states his desire to drop everything and spend all his time with So-hee. Ho-jin can’t believe he’d be willing to give up his career for her and reminds him that So-hee prioritizes work. Young-bin’s aware, but to him, So-hee comes first, and all he can think about these days is how much he wants to give up acting and just marry her, so they can enjoy each other’s company without worrying about other people. Ho-jin scoffs in disbelief.

The next morning, the dynamic at the breakfast table feels slightly different because Young-bin isn’t present. Ho-jin worries about Young-bin spending every spare minute with So-hee and wonders if So-hee’s neglecting her work obligations, but Joon assures him that she definitely isn’t. Turtle’s ecstatic because all he has to do today is babysit Simon D’s cat at his house and the Yeezy Boosts will be his.

After receiving a frantic call from Eun-gab, Ho-jin arrives at the agency. Joey informs him that So-hee’s reps are here, and that Eun-gab cursed before meeting with them. Ho-jin joins the meeting and So-hee’s agent wastes no time in addressing him. He says So-hee’s been shirking her work duties and ignoring their calls, which she never used to do, and blames Young-bin for being a negative influence on her.

He goes on to wonder if Young-bin messes around with lots of girls, and Ho-jin clarifies that Young-bin is dating So-hee because he genuinely likes her, and advises against speaking so brashly about Young-bin. But So-hee’s agent maintains that a punk like Young-bin ruined an innocent girl like So-hee. This is the last straw for Ho-jin, and he angrily shouts, “What did Young-bin do that was so wrong?!”

Ho-jin requests for So-hee’s agent to watch what he says about Young-bin, but the agent refuses to take Ho-jin seriously and yells at him for disrespecting a superior. Eun-gab steps in and pulls rank as his sunbae, and criticizes the agent for talking smack about Young-bin and disrespecting him and Ho-jin. He ends the meeting by suggesting they look after their respective clients and spooks the agent by pretending to slap him.

Eun-gab advises Ho-jin to toughen up and be more aggressive as a manager. CEO Kang learns about Young-bin and So-hee’s relationship and chews Eun-gab out over it while Joey and Ho-jin stand around awkwardly listening to the two quarrel.

Turtle and Joon get to Simon D’s sprawling home and marvel at how nice it is. Joon makes kissy noises at the adorable cat while Turtle prepares its meal. Joon notes that the cat isn’t very affectionate, and Turtle quips that even cats have standards. Joon adds that he’d rather live with a cute cat than an unemployed moocher.

They move outside and sit on the front lawn, taking in the scenery in front of them while eating BBQ. Joon wishes to buy a nice house like Simon D’s as soon as he makes it big, but Turtle says it’ll take him a century, and Joon says he’d still be faster than Turtle. Turtle argues that he’s not unemployed because he wants to be, and that he just wants everyone to succeed and be content.

Joon laments their unemployed selves and wonders if Turtle ever worries since he seems so carefree all the time. Turtle states that he does worry, but very little, just like the size of Joon’s package.

Joon suggests that Turtle think about what he enjoys, but they’re all things that cost money and are fun, like fashion and games. Turtle doesn’t even know if he genuinely enjoys all that stuff. He recommends that they just smile and relish how nice their situation is right now. After eating, they head back into the house, and hear an unfamiliar voice call out Simon D’s name.

They open the front door and find a bizarre wannabe rapper looking for Simon D to show off his rapping skills. They’re stunned by how terrible he is at rapping, but even though they inform him that Simon D isn’t home, he doesn’t believe them and tries to get into the house. Luckily, Joon and Turtle lock the door on him, but they’re still spooked by the strange man.

They hear footsteps, and Joon comes to the frightening realization that the wannabe may enter the house via the terrace. The two scream when the weirdo hops inside the house and greets them, but he exits soon after messing with them. Joon recommends they look around and check to see that nothing was stolen. Simon D’s cat, however, is nowhere in sight, and they freak out.

They enlist Ho-jin’s help (Young-bin was unreachable), and the three of them search for the cat outside, with no luck. Turtle is upset because he figures losing the cat means he won’t get the Yeezy Boosts. Ho-jin suggests they take another look inside the home. But as they’re searching, Turtle accidentally flips off the power in the entire home, causing Joon to knock over a wine glass onto the expensive carpet. Beyond frustrated, all three of them holler at each other because everything just sucks.

The next morning, Simon D returns home with his crew and finds Joon, Turtle, and Ho-jin looking worse for wear. Joon regretfully admits that he spilled wine onto his carpet, but Simon D says it’s okay. Turtle’s in tears as he’s about to disclose that they lost his cat when Joon spots it walking around on the lawn. Simon D explains that the cat likes to venture outside on its own.

Grateful for Turtle’s help in looking after his cat, Simon D hands him the Yeezy Boosts as promised. Turtle sheds tears of joy and cries into the shoebox. They return home, and Young-bin jokes that they all went out and did things without him, but Ho-jin’s quick to point out that Young-bin was the one who didn’t answer his phone. Joon adds that Young-bin’s been neglecting them and spending too much time with So-hee, and Young-bin apologizes. He proposes dinner and mentions So-hee, but the boys immediately shut him up, thinking he’s going to gush about her.

Actually, he was going to inform them that So-hee is here. She pops out of Young-bin’s room but turns away when she sees that Joon and Turtle don’t have their pants on. They frantically pull up their trousers and agree to grabbing dinner outside.

At the agency, Eun-gab fails to avoid CEO Kang on his way out, and reluctantly joins her for drinks. She urges him to accept one drink even though she knows he stopped drinking, and they bond over the crazy experiences they shared, working with industry people who were terrible drunks. She says she likes that they aren’t fighting for once.

Round two is karaoke, and CEO Kang tearfully sings a tune. She stops to wipe her tears, and Eun-gab, feeling uncomfortable, asks her why she’s crying all of a sudden. She replies that old memories of the two of them struggling together are flooding back to her, and she’s reminded of the time the both of them slept in the car during a shoot and almost froze to death when the car ran out of gas.

Eun-gab remembers, too, and remarks that it’s been over ten years since those tough times. CEO Kang apologizes and cries some more, causing Eun-gab to grow emotional and teary, too. I have a feeling she’s going to throw him under a bus. UGH.

Afterward, Eun-gab offers CEO Kang a ride, but she declines since she’s getting picked up at the office, and it’s within walking distance. Eun-gab watches her for a bit as she walks away before driving off in his car. CEO Kang’s drunken eyes suddenly turn determined, and she smiles. She answers a call, and remarks that they should do as the lawyer advised. No!

So-hee and the boys walk over to their cars to leave for dinner. Just then, Joon spots the cleaning lady secretly pointing a camera at Young-bin and So-hee. He grabs her and accuses her of being a reporter, but she insists she’s just a cleaning lady. Everyone thinks Joon is overreacting, but Joon’s convinced that the reporter’s in a getup to avoid suspicion.

A guard overhears the commotion and confirms to the boys that the cleaning lady was recently hired. But as soon as the boys leave, the cleaning lady smiles in relief and checks her photos. Why is it so hard for them to believe Joon for once?

Dinner takes place at a cozy little joint where there’s live music and books lining the shelves. Young-bin remarks how nice it is for all of them to hang out together, and Ho-jin reminds him to do it more often if he likes it so much. They happily clink their glasses and enjoy the music.

Upstairs, Turtle meets a couple. They recognize him as So-hee’s friend and are impressed by his Yeezy Boosts. They ask him what he does for a living, and Turtle says he just plays, but they misunderstand and assume he’s an investor or a businessman of sorts. Turtle clarifies that he just plays at home, and the air turns awkward once they realize he’s jobless. Turtle’s feeling rather down and inept after that, but his buddies below call him downstairs, and he cracks a tiny smile.

Ji-ahn arrives a little later, which takes Ho-jin by surprise. So-hee invited her, and no one else knew she’d be coming, so the boys all react awkwardly. There’s no way out of this, so Ho-jin asks Ji-ahn if he can have a word with her outside. As usual, the boys cheer him on and embarrass him even more.

Outside, Ho-jin apologizes to Ji-ahn for Turtle’s outburst last time. But Ji-ahn shocks him when she replies that she liked what was said. She explains that at the time, she was too stunned to process her thoughts in front of all his friends. But after giving it some thought, she liked it, and asks Ho-jin if what Turtle said was true, if Ho-jin really likes her.

Ho-jin takes a deep breath and answers that he truly likes her, and Ji-ahn echoes the sentiment back to him. He can hardly believe his luck. They happily return to the party after clearing the air, but find everyone looking rather worried. Turtle informs Ho-jin that there’s an article online outing Young-bin and So-hee’s relationship.

Ho-jin gasps, and Joon shouts that he was right about the cleaning lady. Just then, Ho-jin, So-hee, and Young-bin start getting phone calls, and based on their looks of concern, they all know this doesn’t bode well for them.

 
COMMENTS

For two supposedly A-list and in-demand stars, Young-bin and So-hee are incredibly naive. They met with abandon and didn’t take any precautions. In this day and age where everyone has a camera and lives on social media as Joon said, is it any wonder that the media caught on to their relationship? When Young-bin told Ho-jin he wanted to give up acting to marry So-hee, I wondered if Young-bin was even passionate about acting in the first place. It seems Ho-jin cares more about Young-bin’s career than Young-bin himself, given all the poor decisions Young-bin’s been making. I’ve mentioned before that I’m unclear on how famous Young-bin’s supposed to be in this show, but it’s getting increasingly difficult to reconcile the fact that a hot, young, rising actor like Young-bin doesn’t care a modicum about his career and his future. He’s very much a do now and deal with the consequences later kind of guy, but does he not realize that Ho-jin’s always the one cleaning up after him? Ho-jin may be his manager, but Young-bin needs to clean up his act because there’s only so much Ho-jin can do to preserve Young-bin’s career if even Young-bin doesn’t take it seriously.

Maybe I’d understand Young-bin’s perspective more if it seemed like he and So-hee were destined to be together, but So-hee is so vanilla. I guess she’s perfect for Young-bin because he’s also very bland, but together, they’re even blander. They don’t look like they’re in love or that they’re better versions of themselves when they’re together. I’m just puzzled by this couple because nothing about them makes sense to me which makes Young-bin’s willingness to give everything up for So-hee all the more baffling. There was less screentime for Young-bin in this episode because he was busy hanging out with So-hee, but his presence wasn’t missed. I guess he’s being a good boyfriend, but he can’t just drop the acting like that when nabbing War Terminator was such an ordeal. Priorities!

One pairing I am satisfied with is Ho-jin and Ji-ahn. I’m glad they’re finally on the same page, and they seem like a good fit. They’re both mature and sincere with genuine personalities. Ji-ahn didn’t beat around the bush and simply asked if Ho-jin actually liked her, which I loved. And because she was comfortable enough to ask him directly, it gave Ho-jin the courage to express that he liked her, too. It wasn’t a complicated interaction because it didn’t need to be. The fact that they can communicate with each other without feeling inhibited shows that they’re probably on the right track to a healthy relationship.

Speaking of relationships, there’s one in particular that isn’t very healthy, and it’s whatever’s going on between Eun-gab and CEO Kang. I sense that a major betrayal is imminent, and that Eun-gab will be blindsided by whatever CEO Kang ends up doing. She may just drop him from the agency, which would make her the sole CEO. I’m not sure what she has to gain from doing that because I don’t think Eun-gab is hurting the business. Also, without Eun-gab, the agency would just be called “OK Agency,” and I’m pretty sure she’d want her company to be more than just okay. It’s cruel and ruthless of her to be open to the idea of dropping the ball on someone like Eun-gab. They’ve known each other and worked together for over ten years! Even though they clash, Eun-gab still respects her as his mentor, but it’s clear CEO Kang doesn’t hold the same respect for him, unfortunately. Poor Eun-gab.

I found the scene that took place at Simon D’s house involving the stalker/wannabe rapper to be pretty funny. I think it was the stalker’s ridiculously long and nonsensical rap intercut with Turtle and Joon’s befuddled expressions that made the whole thing humorous. It was nice to see Turtle and Joon have a somewhat serious conversation about their futures too. They may goof around a lot, but they’ve still got dreams and ambitions that have yet to be fully realized. They’re not where they want to be in life, which makes for a lot of uncertainty and insecurity. It’s a relatable and familiar sentiment, that fear of never achieving your dreams or not knowing what your dreams are in the first place. Strangely enough, Turtle’s downtrodden silence affected me more than any of his wisecracks.

 
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