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Strongest Deliveryman: Episode 6

What a fantastic episode! It feels like the show has finally found its rhythm as it balances the lighthearted situational humor with the gut-wrenching emotional moments of truth, all the while fighting a neighborhood turf war over soup. I’m not sure how one can root for all the characters when their goals are diametrically opposed, but somehow it works, and works wonderfully.

 
EPISODE 6 RECAP

 

Jin-gyu is the new manager for Jung Family’s soon-to-open soup restaurant, and when he sees Dan-ah and Kang-soo stopped outside the restaurant, staring at him in disbelief, he goes to greet them. Kang-soo demands to know what happened with the trial.

Jin-gyu snarks that it’s obvious he was released, since he’s standing right there. Besides, twas no need to go to trial for what was considered to be a minor offense, and Jin-gyu got off by just having to pay a three million won fine. He’s sorry that all of Kang-soo’s efforts to lock Jin-gyu up were wasted, but it doesn’t sound like a very sincere apology. Kang-soo grabs Jin-gyu by the collar, ready to punch him.

Jin-gyu taunts Kang-soo: “Go ahead and hit me.” Dan-ah intervenes, telling Kang-soo to calm down and ordering Jin-gyu to leave. Jin-gyu nonchalantly walks away and Kang-soo gets back on his bike, asking Dan-ah to take over his deliveries.

Kang-soo gets the name of the prosecutor on Jin-gyu’s case and heads to the prosecutor’s office. He’s able to waltz past security by flashing his jajangmyun delivery box, saying that it’s for Prosecutor Kim. Except the prosecutor didn’t order jajangmyun — Kang-soo just needed a way to see him, knowing the prosecutor would deny Kang-soo’s attempt to visit through official means.

 

Kang-soo demands to know why Prosecutor Kim let Jin-gyu get off with just a fine instead of fighting for jail time, like Kang-soo originally was told would happen. Prosecutor Kim says it’s none of Kang-soo’s business. He then has Kang-soo arrested for trespassing.

At the restaurant, Chef Jang and Soon-ae are ready to fire Kang-soo because he’s been gone for hours and hasn’t completed his deliveries. Chef Jang starts to call up someone to immediately replace Kang-soo but Dan-ah hangs up the phone, pleading for a second chance on Kang-soo’s behalf.

Chef Jang and Soon-ae find her reaction strange, since Dan-ah is usually the first one to demand an incompetent deliveryman should be fired. Soon-ae ponders for a moment, then asks if Dan-ah likes Kang-soo — and if they really were kissing when Soon-ae surprised them in the kitchen.

 

Chef Jang can’t believe Dan-ah would fall for a guy with such wild hair (heh) and picks the phone again to call for a replacement, saying if she’s really not dating him, then Kang-soo will definitely be fired. At the last second, Dan-ah grabs the phone from him and stutters out that she likes Kang-soo.

Soon-ae is thrilled, Chef Jang is disappointed, and Dan-ah looks like she’s about to be sick. But at least she saved Kang-soo’s job.

The Jung Family employees are prepping the restaurant for its grand opening, and the manager walks Jin-gyu through the restaurant, explaining how the deliveries work. Jin-gyu is shocked that the food is delivered each morning at 5am (so early!), wondering who has to sign for them.

 

The restaurant manager doesn’t seem impressed by Jin-gyu’s lack of restaurant management experience as she patiently explains that Jin-gyu is the one who signs for them. She then asks if Jin-gyu’s read the Jung Family Food Manual, because that’s where all the policies are written. Jin-gyu says of course he has, he was just testing her. Yeah, uh-huh, sure.

Hye-ran and Jin-gyu stop for coffee — at Ji-yoon’s coffee shop. Ji-yoon is surprised to see her mother there, but even more shocked to realize that Jin-gyu is no longer in jail. Hye-ran tells her daughter to just focus on taking their order, and as Ji-yoon runs through her endless spiel (“What size? In a mug or paper cup? Do you have a loyalty card? “) which brings the satisfaction of annoying her mother, Jin-gyu tries to hide his amused grin.

 

As they drink their coffee, Jin-gyu reassures Hye-ran that even though he has no clue what he’s doing, he’ll do whatever it takes to make sure the restaurant is successful. Hahaha, as Jin-gyu takes a swig of coffee, he nearly chokes, then discretely spits out a couple of whole coffee beans. Ji-yoon’s smirk makes it clear those beans were no accident. At least it wasn’t an earring.

The delivery guys are at the prosecutor’s office, protesting that Kang-soo was arrested for no reason. When the guards won’t let them see Kang-soo, they stage a sit-in right in front of the gates.

 

Thanks to Reporter Unni’s broadcast about the peaceful protest, we learn that the chief prosecutor resigned during the case and became Jin-gyu’s defense attorney instead. That makes the prosecutor’s office suspect, and in order to avoid the bad publicity, Prosecutor Kim is ordered to release Kang-soo.

The prosecutor’s office have been trying to dig up anything on Kang-soo’s past as an excuse to hold him longer and paint him as a thug, but Kang-soo could be the poster boy for a “good citizen” award (or ten awards, actually), so they have no choice but to let him go.

It’s late when Kang-soo returns to the restaurant. He finds Dan-ah there, waiting for him. He’s surprised to see her, but she couldn’t just leave without knowing what happened to him.

 

Kang-soo explains that he went to see Prosecutor Kim. Kang-soo bitterly adds that the prosecutor told him they were just following the law, so Kang-soo should stop bothering them and leave.

Dan-ah gently tells Kang-soo that not everyone is good like him — in fact there are a lot of crazy things that can happen to make you aware of just how many unscrupulous people there are in the world. She realizes that her words aren’t exactly comforting, but she just wants him to know the reality that trying to always be good will only make him disappointed and upset.

Kang-soo silently heads upstairs to his room. He sits in the darkness and cries as he apologizes to Hyun-soo, feeling the weight of the guilt that he was the one who yelled at Hyun-soo to visit his mother that night. Kang-soo blames himself for Hyun-soo’s accident.

 

Jin-gyu studies the Jung Family Food Manual, remembering how Hye-ran got him out of jail. She’d promised him a new start if, within six months, he managed to make the soup restaurant the most successful restaurant in the neighborhood and won over Ji-yoon’s heart. If he failed at either of those tasks, then her support would end.

Jung Family soup restaurant’s grand opening is in full swing, and the local restaurant owners come out to watch and complain about what it will mean for their own businesses. Kang-soo peers in at Grandma’s restaurant, but the once bustling place is devoid of customers.

Later, Kang-soo and Dan-ah prep for delivery, and Kang-soo is bewildered by Soon-ae’s gleeful serenade of love songs and squeeing every time he and Dan-ah bump into each other. Dan-ah reluctantly informs him that the only way she was able to keep him from being fired yesterday was by convincing Soon-ae and Chef Jang that she and Kang-soo are dating.

 

In shock, Kang-soo drops his delivery box. When he protests the absurd lie, she grumbles that it’s not like she had a choice. Then she orders him to play along and at least pretend like she’s his girlfriend. Neither are particularly happy about this ruse.

Ji-yoon calls Kang-soo to ask him to stop by the coffee shop. Hahaha, she also declares herself to be his girlfriend, saying that she can since no one else has claimed him. If she only knew. Kang-soo just laughs to himself at the bizarre way he’s suddenly found himself with two “girlfriends.”

Ji-yoon gives Kang-soo a coffee and tells him not to be worried about Jin-gyu — she’s sure Jin-gyu will be punished. But Kang-soo isn’t quite so confident, especially now that Jin-gyu is the head manager of Jung Family’s new restaurant. Kang-soo especially doesn’t respect Jung Family’s aggressive business tactics to make their restaurants succeed and make the long-standing local restaurants fail.

As Kang-soo drives off, Ji-yoon sadly wonders how much Kang-soo would hate her if he found out she’s the Jung Family heiress.

Over dinner, Chef Jang asks Grandma how busy she’s been. Grandma sadly says that she barely served ten meals, which is quite the change from the packed house she used to have. She wonders how long her restaurant will last, and then tries to cheerfully change the subject.

 

Soon-ae reveals that Dan-ah and Kang-soo are dating, and Grandma asks what Dan-ah likes most about Kang-soo. Dan-ah awkwardly says she just likes “everything,” and Kang-soo chokes on his water. Dan-ah uses a little too much force as she “helpfully” pounds on his back, and they grit their teeth as they try to pretend they’re a happy couple.

It’s convincing enough for Soon-ae, and as she leaves for the night, she sighs that she wants to fall in love, too. Chef Jang says that she can, and the music swells as he turns to look at her with an expectant smile. But Soon-ae curtails that dramatic moment with a “Get lost.”

 

Seems like there might be some past history between them as Chef Jang starts to make his case, but when Soon-ae orders him to leave, Chef Jang obediently turns and heads the opposite way.

The loan shark steps out of the shadows, pointing out to another gangster buddy that Chef Jang really is the gangster Jang Dong-soo they used to know. The loan shark is ready to deal with Chef Jang now, but the other gangster says they should wait until “the boys” get there.

 

Gong-gi and his guys hang out and complain about how Jin-gyu put Hyun-soo in a coma and is now proceeding to destroy Grandma’s restaurant. but they all quickly scramble to their feet when they realize Yeon-ji is walking by. Gong-gi also gets up. This is his first time seeing Yeon-ji, and he’s utterly mesmerized by her beauty. Looks like he’s got a new crush. Sorry, Dan-ah!

Yeon-ji arrives home to find Dan-ah studying her English, as per usual. Dan-ah grumbles that Yeon-ji is late, and then realizes that Yeon-ji reeks of alcohol and cigarettes. Yeon-ji insists that she didn’t smoke and only went out to drink with the other yoga instructors.

 

Dan-ah is suspicious, though, because Yeon-ji is late every night. Yeon-ji finally admits she’s been teaching yoga classes on the side, late at night for those who can’t come during the day. The alcohol is just because her students want to go out and drink afterwards.

Dan-ah doesn’t seem totally convinced, but Yeon-ji reassures Dan-ah that she’s not working in a hostess club. Once Yeon-ji is alone in the bathroom, her cheerful attitude disappears. Hmm, so maybe her extra part-time job is a hostess club, after all.

In the early morning, Dan-ah heads out for her job at the English learning center. Her usual route is blocked by a car — it’s Jin-gyu, headed to the restaurant for that 5am delivery, and he smiles and waves at her. Sighing, she stops to greet him.

 

After the initial awkward pleasantries, Jin-gyu quietly apologizes. Dan-ah tells him to forget it — it’s all in the past, anyway. But she’s curious how he was able to afford a high-priced defense lawyer when his family disowned him and the public uncharitably thinks of him as a careless chaebol. Jin-gyu says it’s all because of Hye-ran.

He’s not sure why the Jung Family CEO is the only one who seems to believe in him, but he’s determined to do his best to pay her back and live like a human being. Jin-gyu also hasn’t forgotten his promise to Dan-ah, and says that he’ll save up his own money to give her for her savings.

Dan-ah says it’s not necessary, since Kang-soo helped her recover a lot of the money she lost. Jin-gyu curiously asks how much money Kang-soo has, and Dan-ah sighs, telling Jin-gyu that his problem is always thinking about money first.

She adds that if he’s told that someone was hurt because of him, Jin-gyu shouldn’t bring up the hospital fees first thing, but instead visit the injured person in the hospital, see how they’re doing, and then get on his knees and apologize to the victim’s family. Jin-gyu protests that he shouldn’t have to do that when it wasn’t his car that hit Hyun-soo. Dan-ah points out that Jin-gyu likes to spend his money but doesn’t want to lose his pride.

She turns to leave, telling Jin-gyu she doesn’t want his money. She’ll make it on her own. Jin-gyu wonders why she’ll accept Kang-soo’s help but not his, and Dan-ah responds that when he finds out the reason, then Jin-gyu really will be a human being.

 

As Jin-gyu tries to unlock the restaurant front door, a guy dressed all in black and wearing a motorcycle helmet tries to attack him with a long pipe. The man in black only gets in a few kicks before the delivery truck arrives, scaring him off.

The man in black runs around the corner and raises his visor — it’s Sung-jae. Kang-soo’s on his way to the hospital to visit Hyun-soo, surprised to see Sung-jae out at that hour of the morning. When he sees the pipe in Sung-jae’s hands, he demands to know what’s going on.

 

Furious that Sung-jae attempted to kill Jin-gyu, especially when it could mean Sung-jae would be throwing his own life away, Kang-soo orders Sung-jae to leave the neighborhood and never come back. Kang-soo picks up the pipe Sung-jae dropped and takes it to a spot where it will be reasonably hidden — a spot that is visible on CCTV. Uh-oh.

Kang-soo arrives at the hospital to see Hyun-soo, but is surprised to discover Grandma is also there at that hour of the morning. She explains that she just wanted to be near Hyun-soo. Kang-soo asks how the restaurant is doing, and Grandma confesses that she hardly has any customers now that the Jung Famiy restaurant opened up. She’s not sure how long she’ll be able to pay Hyun-soo’s hospital bills.

 

In order to save Grandma’s restaurant, Kang-soo rounds up the neighborhood delivery guys to do some unofficial delivery for Grandma between their own deliveries. Her restaurant has never offered delivery before, so this is a way to gain new customers. Because they have so many drivers available with all the neighborhood guys willing to help out, they can deliver her soup almost immediately. Ha, I love that Gong-gi even hands out a flyer to a glowering Jin-gyu.

Dan-ah is worried about Kang-soo taking on yet another unofficial job, reminding him he’s already on thin ice because of his disappearance the other day. But Kang-soo is confident he won’t be caught — until Dan-ah has to hurriedly shut his delivery box once she sees that he’s brought back Grandma’s soup bowls instead of the jajangmyun dishes.

Thanks to the delivery guys’ efforts, they actually manage to make a noticiable dent in Jung Family’s sales. Hye-ran’s assistant wonders if they shouldn’t send in a more experienced manager to the restaurant, but Hye-ran decides to help Jin-gyu by offering to buy Grandma’s restaurant at a billion won over the market price.

On a Sunday when the noodle restaurant should be quiet and empty, Kang-soo makes a ruckus as he slams dough on the table, having decided to try to make noodles by hand the way Chef Jang does instead of by a machine. Dan-ah yells at him for being too loud and someone will notice, getting them in trouble for running their secret restaurant.

Then he drops the dough he’s holding, making Dan-ah even more annoyed about the amount of flour he’s just wasted.

But they both freeze when they see Soon-ae suddenly appear. When she sees Kang-soo and Dan-ah in the kitchen, her eyes narrow suspiciously as she says she’s figured out what’s really going on. They hold their breath, and then sigh in relief when she asks if Kang-soo was making a special lunch for Dan-ah. Aw.

Awkward as ever, they play up their fake relationship until Soon-ae leaves. Then Dan-ah slips on the dough on the floor and Kang-soo catches her in his arms. He leans in, and Dan-ah gulps as she closes her eyes, assuming he’s going to kiss her — but he just blows the flour off her cheek. Ha!

She practically chokes him in anger as she pushes him away, ordering him never to do that again. Kang-soo asks why she’s acting so flustered, wondering if she thought he was going to kiss her, but she just kicks him in the shins and orders him to clean up his mess.

Jin-gyu picks up Ji-yoon at her goshiwon for a date. She clearly doesn’t want to do anything with him, even when he suggests a movie, knowing how much she loves them. Pffft. The date is one series of mishaps after another, as Ji-yoon purposefully tries to be “accidentally” obnoxious. But Jin-gyu gracefully and patiently endures, no matter how much it may be killing him inside.

 

When he finally brings her back home, Ji-yoon yells in frustration that dating him is like trying to fight Gandhi. Haha! She demands to know why he keeps dating her when she treats him that way — he should just reject her already.

Jin-gyu sincerely apologizes, but he can’t stop dating her, so he asks her to find a way to suffer through it. He promises to find a way to make it more enjoyable for her. She grumbles that she can’t stand being around him any more, and he politely tells her that he’ll see her next week.

Dan-ah and Kang-soo count their secret earnings for the day, and Dan-ah feels guilty that Kang-soo continues to give her the full amount when he does all the cooking. But Kang-soo insists that it’s his fault that she’s so far behind her goal, refusing to take even a single cent.

 

Dan-ah’s bought him a “thank you” gift, anyway. He opens it up to reveal a flowery dress. He doesn’t understand why she’d give him such a thing, but Dan-ah just grins and says she knows his secret.

Kang-soo takes her upstairs so she can see his room without all of Ji-yoon’s belongings, explaining the a woman was secretly living there before. Dan-ah sheepishly apologizes for her wrong assumption that Kang-soo likes to wear women’s clothes. But she tells him to keep the gift — “it’s the thought that counts.”

Some detectives arrive just then to arrest Kang-soo for assault. Kang-soo doesn’t know what’s going on, but the detectives have footage of Kang-soo (or at least someone who likes like Kang-soo) attempting to attack Jin-gyu with a pipe. They also found the pipe with his fingerprints on it.

 

As the detectives cuff Kang-soo, Jin-gyu enters, telling Kang-soo (in words reminiscent of the way Kang-soo had asked him about the street racing) that even up until this moment, he was convinced his attacker couldn’t be Kang-soo. Jin-gyu asks if he really tried to attack him, and Kang-soo looks Jin-gyu straight in the eye: “Yes, I did it.”

Jin-gyu says that they’ll do this by the law, then, and orders the detectives to take Kang-soo away.

 
COMMENTS

Noble idiocy is the worst, especially when you realize that it’s the only thing that makes sense (does that make it Noble Not-Quite-Idiocy? Noble Smarty? Noble Argh-I-Know-Why-You’re-Doing-This-And-Respect-It-But-Doesn’t-Mean-I-Like-It…y?). Kang-soo may be angry at Sung-jae for attempting to attack Jin-gyu, but that doesn’t mean Kang-soo will sell out one of his boys, especially if Sung-jae’s life would be ruined because of it. That’s not to say Kang-soo hasn’t wanted to pummel Jin-gyu with his own hands. But I can’t see squishy, heart-of-gold Kang-soo actually killing someone (or seriously maiming them), no matter how fueled he was by righteous rage. I think there’s also a sense of self-flagellation in his acceptance of the arrest, since Kang-soo already blames himself for Hyun-soo’s coma and the effect it has had on Grandma and her business. There could still have been a struggle against the Jung Family for purposefully stealing Grandma’s customers with their lower-priced product, but at least Grandma might have had the option of naturally closing up shop instead of worrying about how to pay for Hyun-soo’s medical bills for the unforeseeable future.

I’ve been enjoying the show more and more each episode, but this episode tipped me over into fully loving it. It’s finally the show I’d been wanting since the beginning, one that focuses on the neighborhood and the delivery drivers as they support their community, battling what they perceive to be an unwanted corporate outsider who’s already harmed one of their own. Perhaps we needed those prior five episodes to fully establish the motivations of all our characters, but part of me wishes we could have reached this point a week sooner. I really hope we get to spend the rest of the series in the small neighborhood, watching everyone fight for what they believe in as they continue to grow as human beings. I don’t need big dramatic plot devices — I just want Kang-soo and his Deliverymen Army to make the world a better place, even if it’s just those dozen blocks in their neighborhood. I want to see Jin-gyu to continue to learn humility even as he becomes confident in skills that will ideally prove that he’s more than just a carefree idiot. I want Ji-yoon and Dan-ah to finally meet, dammit, and become friends (but not rivals).

At least everyone now is in the same neighborhood, and it seems like they’re there to stay. I love that Ji-yoon is still in her teeny-tiny goshiwon, determined to make it on her own. She’s so spunky and adorable and hilariously obnoxious in her attempts to make Jin-gyu reject her so she can be freed to live her own life. It’s a pity she doesn’t know Jin-gyu is also under an ultimatum from her mother — I feel like if the two of them were honest that they’re only dating each other because of Hye-ran’s crazy schemes, they could actually have some mutual fun. Contract dating that allows each other to date their respective beloved jjajangmyun delivery drivers, even while those two delivery drivers are fake-dating each other? Exactly the kind of farcical insanity that promises to delight. The more fake dating, the merrier, especially if means making me perpetually confused about which relationship I’m rooting for.

Even though Hye-ran is the corporate villain in our underdog story, I’m struggling to really hate her. Yes, she’s controlling, but she’s also in charge of large corporation that she’s very proud of and wants to continue to see it grow. I can’t really despise someone for finding slightly underhanded but ambitious ways of achieving their business goals, even if it makes me angry on behalf of those who want to preserve the local, true family-run restaurants that have been around for decades. I still don’t understand Hye-ran’s goal in using Jin-gyu — especially now that he’s been cut off from his family and his name has been raked through the mud — but I have to respect that she sees something in him that’s worth fostering. He needs someone to believe in him, and as we’ve seen previously, Jin-gyu seems to flourish when he’s given tasks that he can accomplish.

So now I can only hope that he’s able to succeed and prove Hye-ran right. But then I also want him to fail because I don’t want all the independent restaurants — especially Grandma’s — to be swallowed up by the Jung Family. I also want him to succeed in wooing Ji-yoon because these two are delightful together. But I also want Ji-yoon to live her independent life. Ahh, the quandaries this show puts me in.

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Pure fun. Finally a show this cycle is exceeding my expectations

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"Ji-yoon yells in frustration that dating him is like trying to fight Gandhi."

This line made me burst out laughing, something I don't really do while watching TV (though I'm doing it during "Live Up To Your Name" as well). It was just so perfectly summing up the entire frustrating situation.

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Wild theory - I believe that Jin-gyu is Kang-soo birth mother.

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Cut copy and paste error! Hye-ran is Kang-soo's birth mother. Man do i feel silly. My first comment would really mess up the plot. He is 2 years older than Ji-yoon which makes sense time wise. Abandoning a child would explain her evilness and drive to succeed. It would allow her to be redeemable. Ji-yoon and Kang-soo would be step siblings. With his knowledge and skills he is the natural heir to the family business.

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I thought she was his mom too, but he looked right at her outside the restaurant and didn't seem to recognize her. And honestly, that would make the crush super-weird. Nothing like your half-sister trying to kiss you on camera.

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Some people were guessing that before, but now we have to explain why Kang-soo didn't recognize Hye-ran. Maybe he was just so shocked to see Jin-gyu that he didn't even notice her??? Or she had a lot of cosmetic work done??? The laws of the kdramaverse almost require this kind of birth / sibling mix-up no matter what kind of contortions we have to go thru to get it.

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I'm on the fence about it still. The laws do seem to demand it (I mean, we don't actually have another contender at all, in terms of a right-aged woman). It could be plausible that she left them when he was a baby and he doesn't know what she looks like, EXCEPT then how does his plan of working for 2 months in every neighbourhood in Seoul make sense? The writing seems solid enough not to leave a plot hole like that lying around, so... I'm on the fence.

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The 2 months in every neighborhood in Seoul makes sense if he never knew his mother, but did know she worked at a noodle restaurant. Maybe there was a clue left when he was abandoned. I believe that he has no memories of his birth mother. Remember 2 year gap in Ji-yoon and Kang-soo ages. His plan was to find her by searching every noodle restaurants. Pretty interesting coincidence that her company is a national noodle restaurant chain. With the proper background information there could be no plot holes. There are still plenty of episodes left to fill them.

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@caeparius that's what I think too! That he doesn't remember how his mother looked, she might've left him and his father when he was too little and the only thing he knows is she is in Seoul and works for a noodle restaurant!

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@caeparius, of course! That makes a lot of sense! So he's assuming that she's at a little neighbourhood shop...

Which ads to the awesome irony that she's looking for a successor who has her business acumen, and meanwhile the son she's abandoned is using the gifts she gave him to create a major competitor. Nice :)

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I had the same guess too! Ji-Yoon would then have this revelation that the "crush" she has been having is a natural admiration towards her half blood brother, ha!

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Definitely loving this show. Perfect balance of heart, humor and real life lessons. Not to mention healthy nourishment for a budding (nope, definitely flowering by now) appreciation of Go Kyung Po. Thanks for the recap!

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Those are some quandaries, indeed, @odilettante! And I would bet that they are the ones that propel you to tune each and every week! That's the case for me, at least. Besides having a refreshing set up (I mean, I would have never thought of rooting for the delivery community as I'm doing now!), the writing, the acting, and the quick pace keep me invested. The main characters' stories are so relatable. Their superb acting and chemistry, along with the wonderful balance of sweet and dark moments, transform a seemingly uneventful storyline into something unique ... ?

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Cant ty p e properlyy, stil blinded by Go K yung Pyos smile . ?

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i love this drama too especially the cliffhangers haha
I hated the ending how the detectives easily found evidence of Kang-soo and the pipe when they had zero evidence of the drag racing and all the deliverymen had to search everywhere just for that vid!
ain't justice favorable to those that have money?
Shame!
But i like how this drama shows us that...the harsh realities of South Korea but still keeping it light and fluffy and funny.
Exactly what I wanted in a drama light happy romcom that is sensible and not depressing.
Looking forward to episode 7!

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It's been a while since I've seen a show with two female characters as fun to watch as Dan-ah & Ji-yoon. I'm especially impressed by Go Won-Hee / Ji-yoon because I haven't seen her in much before. Chae Soo-bin / Dan-ah wasn't so much of a surprise.

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This show feels like a cousin of Drinking solo to me idk why.
Anyone else feel that way?

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Yes! This comment made me laugh because I was just reading along through all the comments above and then had a sudden, unexplained urge to rewatch Drinking Solo two comments above reading yours. Now, THAT's weird! I can't quite identify why they feel similar, but I love it!

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I really liked that they basically have Jin-gyu taking advantage of an opportunity because it made sense, but that he hasn't been holding grudges. It's helping with the balance of fun/serious moments (not to mention that strange chemistry of making us root for everyone).

I really loved that he was sure Kang-Soo didn't attack him... it shows that he understands, at least to some degree, why Kang-soo did what he did. The reversal at the end was also great, because it felt like a true reversal, not simply trading out the lines for dramatic effect, but a moment when Kang-Soo and Jin-gyu are feeling, to at least some degree, what the other had felt in the original moment of confrontation.

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I'm finding this drama very annoying and am seriously peeved at Dan-ah and Kang Soo. Kang Soo prides himself as a good person who fights for the underdogs but doesn't he realize that what he and Dan ah are doing to their bosses is basically dishonest? And they are lying to their bosses too. So what gives them the right to feel morally superior to Jingyu who is trying hard to overcome his circumstances?

It's like they feel morally superior because they are poor while he is rich. But poverty isn't a virtue, while being rich doesn't make one a villain. I feel sorry for Jin Gyu because he really has no one on his side, and the one person who empathized with him, turned her back on him.

I agree with Dan ah that he should stop throwing money at problems and show concern for the people who were hurt by his actions. But asking him to beg the halmoni for the grandson being in a coma was a tad too much. Jin Gyu didn't cause the accident, nor was he directly connected with the accident in any way so why should he beg? He could go over to see the injured man, though.

I can't help thinking what if the roads were closed by a legitimate circumstance such as heavy traffic or construction, who would they blame for the outcome, then? Jin Gyu makes for an easy scapegoat when there's plenty of blame to go around.

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I agree with you.
A lot of things is this drama worked great except the main problem of kang soo and jingyu.

I feel like kangsoo morality is depend on how close he is to that person rather than the actual truth.

What happen to jingyu is a real threat and he is right to report it. Jingyu is doing the right things on that. Someone attack him with steel pipe, almost injured him badly if the worker didn't come, that person planned the attack means and he has a new bussines in town. Jingyu also didn't name anyone. This is actually what kangsoo should do for hyun soo, report to the police and wait until their investigation is completed (you can correct me if he had report it).
Police find kang soo based on cctv with fingerprints on the steel, come on. He should've defends himself. Taking the blame from someone wrongdoing, as much as it believable, it's not heroic or even noble at this case. Just bc it's a friend?

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Agree with everything you said. I feel like the drama is trying too hard to paint the big corporations as the ultimate evil; while the underdogs, which include the deliverymen and the regular neighbourhood shop owners were portrayed as innocent beings who were always wronged by the big wigs.

However in business there's always going to be some competition, even if it doesn't necessarily come in the form of a big corporation (plus have we established that the Jung Family restaurant is running its business unethically? Trying to compete by slashing prices and reducing profit margin is a legitimate business model, as far as I know)

And as it turns out, Kang-soo's friend tried to take matters into his own hands by assaulting Jin-gyu, so he's not so innocent after all. I'm mainly disappointed that no one tries to understand Jin-gyu or see things from his perspective, everyone just flat out rejects him. Who can blame him for turning to the only person who extends their hand? With that reversal at the end of the episode, I hope Kang-soo will soon realise that things may not be what they seem on the surface. He needs to grow too.

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@adal1 I know what you mean but I vaguely remember them saying they are going to refill the stock once using it? Or did I hear it wrong? I'm not sure.
About jin gyu, I did feel it makes sense to ask for forgiveness to that boy's mom who's in a coma. And whether a construction case or traffic congestion would lessen the chance of being blamed or not, the coma did occur because he was brought to the hospital late. And we can't overlook his fault considering the gravity of the situation. In any case, I am hoping that jin gyu redeems himself since he's the cutest chaebol in the whole world lol. It's funny how every single drama makes me fall for the second leads lol. Dae hwi on school and now jin gyu on SDM.
I also found kang soo's righteous attitude quite refreshing, considering this is kdramaworld. I don't think until now we have ever had any righteous hero, and that's why whenever kang soo takes the time to do things in an honest way it makes me look at myself differently lol, and at the other characters of the drama too. Like dan ah herself isn't so righteous either, since she always does things that will suit her, or work for her favor. So to see Kang soo always making things by earning it in a hard way, or by making sure nobody gets hurt in an unfair way was wonderful. It just gives you hope that right will always win over wrong.

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*refill the stock after using it.

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< I vaguely remember them saying they are going to refill the stock once using it?

That's DA and KS's Sunday business while their restaurant is closed. They did say would restock but they still should have asked their employers if they can use the facilities. And, are they paying for electricity/gas? Water or cleaning materials they use? Equipment too wears down.

But the other thing they are doing now is deliver for grandma *during their own work hours*. Other than essentially 'stealing' time, chances are their gas is paid for in some way by their employers, so while what they are doing is nice for their friend/the grandma, it's not exactly right – not when their employers haven't agreed to it. If it was a one off (one day emergency) sure, but this is likely to go on for a while (days, weeks, more?).

<makes sense to ask for forgiveness to that boy's mom who's in a coma

In this situation, it's probably normal within Korean society to offer an apology, but mostly it's also simply a thing a decent human being would do.

<I also found kang soo's righteous attitude quite refreshing

Sure, but I wish they had done it in a more compelling way. Like JG actually hitting HS, KS chasing everyone somehow involved in the accident and/or KS not arguing that getting evidence will magically make HS wake up (I know he's being emotional, but he says it more than once in different situations and hundreds of people hear it and no one even shakes their head...).

As for not 'selling out his friend', I'm not sure it fits. If Kang Soo is so righteous, wouldn't he make his friend at least go apologise to JG? I would hope that at least if that friend had actually hurt JG, KS would take him to the police not cover up...

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kang Soo did get mad at this friend for trying to beat up jin gyu, I'm not sure how you can compare two things, one is an accident in a coma and another is getting hit one time. Kang soo knew his friend did wrong and rebuked him duly for that, he took the blame and went to the police to repent for his friend's mistake since he doesn't want him to go to jail thinking about his economic condition maybe? If it was a severe accident I'm sure kang soo would be the first person to take his friend to the jail.
Also, helping dan ah isn't a crime like you're implying. They basically run the restaurant, two of them, Dan ah and Kang soo cleans up the place, the utensils, helps the chef in making the noodles. The only thing extra they are using is the electricity and water, and it's four times a month if you think about it. I think the chef won't mind either if he knew if it was for saving dan ah from the loan-mongers.
Also about running the delivery for the grandma, have you seen how Kang soo goes to her restaurant 'after' he is done with his job? The drama has shown it quite clearly, all these time. And Kang soo, dan ah uses their bikes all the time ?. When they're out doing their own business, like meeting friends or going to the English tuition classes. It's getting quite tiresome honestly to see that a guy is being seen in a wrong light just cause he told oh jin gyu to apologize, to repent for his mistakes. And you can't expect Kang soo to empathize with oh jin gyu out of nowhere, since he doesn't know him personally. There are people, [though a very few of them], who would, but kang soo is of the same age as oh jin gyu, and coming from that, has his own shortcomings too I guess in understanding people. Also in the recent episodes you can see how he treats oh jin gyu, and I felt since he worked with oh jin gyu for a while, he expected better from him.
While using the electricity and water and keeping it a secret from their employers is a bad thing, but I will give them an upper hand in this since they said they're going to refill the stock, and it can't be that they will try to use their boss for their own gain.

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Agree so much with you. KS is very righteous but he has never claimed to be perfect. Some things from work (or at work) I feel must be allowed since they work there, they also bring profit to the business. That with electricity and water and gas is a relative thing. Maybe, what would be totally totally righteous to do is to ask permission from the boss, but then again: they are not perfect.
In the case of Dan ah, I would at least accept money to pay the hospital, because she didn't want to be in a VIP room, and JG made her, with the promise he would pay, but I think she was so upset with him, she acted out of it.

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I don't agree, in this case I don't think it is about moral superiority in any way. Kang soo's friend may have broken the law by running a red light and for that he could have been punished after he recovered from the accident. However although Jin-Gyu might not have caused the accident he blocked a road that didn't allow Kang Soo's friend to get to the hospital on time and that is the cause of his coma. If it was the opposite situation I frankly believe that the poor guy would be in prison if such a situation happen to a rich person like Jin Gyu.

I also really don't get why Jin Gyu's wish to become a better person would exclude him from being punished for what he did when others without the connections and wealthy he has enjoyed throughout his life would not even get that opportunity to make it right again talk less of avoiding prison.

I think the show does a great job of fleshing out Jin Gyu character that is why it is so easy to empathize with him but I don't think he is been made out as a scape goat.Kang Soo's friend is already facing his own punishment by being in a coma its only equal that Jin Gyu faces his own too since he avoided the legal ramifications of his actions.

About Kang Soo and Dan Ah tricking their boss, its certainly wrong but i appreciate the fact that the have the initiative to return what they used back to its original place. Ultimately its a drama and everyone will always have different opinions about it so i am hoping our four lead actually get to a good places regarding their relationship with each other.

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> I don't agree, in this case I don't think it is about moral superiority in any way. Kang soo's friend may have broken the law by running a red light and for that he could have been punished after he recovered from the accident. However, although Jin-Gyu might not have caused the accident he blocked a road that didn't allow Kang Soo's friend to get to the hospital on time and that is the cause of his coma.

The moral superiority portrayed in the drama by multiple things like how can no one question Kang soo decision?
the prosecutor who can't even explain why and proceed to portrayed them as someone who doesn't has time, even for news
or there is no scene of kang soo team searching for the right punishment and procedure before taking it all to the heart, everything is based on Kang Soo's incomplete knowledge as the main goal and the truth, it's all the show choices to not having that scenes. Also the cheer, triumph and all the motivational wish about hyun soo. The drama presented their motive, that punishing jin gyu bring justice to hyun soo.

> If it was the opposite situation I frankly believe that the poor guy would be in prison if such a situation happen to a rich person like Jin Gyu

I think they will find try to find a cctv to know what happens in the accident.

> but I don't think he is been made out as a scape goat. Kang Soo's friend is already facing his own punishment by being in a coma its only equal that Jin Gyu faces his own too since he avoided the legal ramifications of his actions.

What the commenter been saying is that Jin Gyu needs to get the punishment for the illegal race and the drama need to be clear on that but the drama show that the punishment is all for Hyun so's justice, which doesn't make sense.
.....

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....
what happen on the accident

hyun soo speed up in the yellow light and when it turn red he doesn't stop, then we see he already on the road, bleeding.
The next scene, hyun soo is on the back of the taxi, the taxi driver bring him to the hospital. The taxi driver arrive on the road that suddenly blocked so he has to turn around.

In the hospital,
the doctor said that if they come early, they may saved him.
The friend says that one of the roads leading to the hospital was under construction and the taxi driver is just unlucky.
They take another route but that one also happens to have an accident there so there's a lot of traffic.
The road to the hospital usually takes 7 minutes but because of the problem in both roads, it took 30 minutes today.

- He was in the pretty busy road before, should we blame the taxi driver who didn't know the road blocked?
maybe he didn't crash with anyone but can't control his speed, but the racing is not on hyun soo original route, it just blocked the path the driver took for the hospital which means had the driver took another route from the 1st place, he may be saved.
is this the driver fault too?

- What if instead of bringing him, the driver called an ambulance?

- then how about the other accident on the other road? should we blamed them too
Why not blaming the person who is really bad at controlling the traffic after the accident
If they are good, hyun soo probably has enough time.

- also, blame other for having the accident when someone is on the way to the hospital?

- If it took 7 minutes, isn't that mean they can actually call someone for the emergency from the other side and asked for assistance with a bike to go hyun soo accident place?
If they meet the accident on the other road, can't they meet other people who help the 1st accident to help hyun soo?

yes, just if jin gyu didn't go to the race that night, hyun soo will be saved but that's the same with hyun soo, just if he got accident the day later, he'll be saved.

The fact that the blockade is not only because of the race but also another accident make the "If JG hadn't raced" as the same with "if there's no accident that night" which is both falls into coincidence regarding hyun soo.

Then why JG need to be punished to bring justice for hyun soo?
JG isn't the sole reason he got into a coma.
The reason that we know are
- not calling ambulance 1st
- JG race
- the other accident
- no 1st hand helping
- hyun soo's speeding

I get that JG should be punished for the race but he didn't intentionally or knowingly make hyun soo suffered, it's hyun soo bad judgement for speed that met a bad luck.

If the other road hadn't been blocked, do you think JG still responsible for what happens to Hyun soo?

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*** Come early on the doctor means even10 minutes earlier is okay, so 20 minutes on the road

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... on the hospital the day after,
Kang soo investigated by himself because he realised that there's no construction.
they met he taxi driver, the taxi driver says that someone arrived 20 minutes after him and the road is clear, no construction vehicle pulling out but an expensive car.
The other driver testimony is about the 15 cars and girls and envelope he saw given by someone at the end of the race and handshaking the people who guard the road. Saying that they blocked the road for entertainment.

If the race just started after the taxi is on the blocked road, meaning that the race is not even more than 1 hour long, around 40-50 minutes long, so if hyun soo get accident earlier or later, he'll be saved

then should we blame all there "what if" more than hyun soo speeding fault?
and should we let all those "what if" people to take responsibility for hyun soo condition?

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elorej, very good observations!

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I agree completely. I am also just having a very hard time taking a drama about a mafia of delivery drivers seriously. It's a conceptual problem. I know anyone CAN be, but I've never personally known any delivery drivers who were particularly badass. Lol! I mean, you might have one or two, but this drama is kind of what you'd get if you put the Sharks and the Jets in Rydell High with John Travolta, and it's just weird.

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Great recap!
This was my turning point episode too! I went from like to love. I especially like how the show surprises me with the direction it goes in each episode. I'm invested in all my characters struggles and relationships.
Loving the friendship developing between Kang Soo and Dan ah.

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I loved this episode and I agree with Odilettante on wanting to root for all characters!

The moment Kang-soo picked that steel pipe I knew what was going to happen especially there was a CCTV, and of course he would never tell them that it wasn't him! I loved how when asked Jin-kyu told the police that Kang-soo isn't that kind of a person, I loved that he still trusted him but the last scene is going to break that now! Ugh!

I laughed at Kang-soo's expressions everytime someone mentioned that he and Dan-ah were dating, that choking on water was hilarious and also blowing the flour, when she closed her eyes, I couldn't stop laughing! It's good that Dan-ah finally knows that Kang-soo isn't a weirdo and into that stuff, I was waiting for him to tell her since Ji-yoon left!

Jin-kyu and Ji-yoon's date was funny but I felt bad for him, he's trying hard, he doesn't want to disappoint Hye-ran and he desperately wants to make it and prove himself, I feel really bad everytime he says he wants to be a proper human, I'm a little wary of Hye-ran, I'm really not sure why she's doing this when his own family abandoned him, I just don't want him to get hurt!

Thank you for the recap.

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This ep really was such a treat. I FEEL THE CHEMISTRY! I like how they built up to the first inkling's of kangsoo's business. It made sense and was natural. Each character has a goal and even though they conflict, esp with kangsoo and jingyu, i somehow want them all to succeed! I still don't fully understand why Jiyoon's mom has so much faith in Jingyu's potential, but I do want to see him learn how to takr the high road and understand why dan-ah turned out his "help". Also, sorry jiyoon, but I want to see kangsoo and dan-ah's relationship grow more as they work together and depend on one another. I kinda feel like throwing kangsoo in jail is unnecessary drama, but the 4 MC's and the rest of the cast are well thought out so I hope it doesn't hold back the story for long.

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I don't think throwing him jail is unnecessary drama, because I think that Kang-soo needs this in order to see how hypocritical he is acting right now. He is willing to overlook the law and justice when it comes to his friend, who assaulted someone, yet when it came to Jin-Kyu, he was all for fighting for the right side of justice for his friend in a coma. It seems very one sided...but I hope it will lead to more character development. I'm excited for what will come. :)

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Strongest Deliveryman is still the show I look forward to the most all week, followed by Live Up to Your Name, although the premiere of Age of Youth 2 this weekend may or may not change my priority.

What can I do? I'm so attached to and rooting for the characters already, so all I can ask the writer is please don't fail me. I'm partial to Jin-gyu and Ji-yoon and I can't get enough of their dynamic and chemistry. So I really hope that a good story for them is waiting to be told.

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This drama should have more fans here in dramabeans!
It is young, it is catchy, it defies some chichés...
I just love it! I love it from the beginning.
And also, i am also rooting for all of them.

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I'll flipped a table if kangsoo sentence in prison get demonstration and comparing it to jingyu.

Ofc kangsoo would be harsher.
He admit to a planned assault that actually hurts someone.
Jingyu is 1st time illegal race that didn't harm anyone.
I am not saying jingyu is right and kang soo is wrong, both are wrong but the punishments doesn't seem like a stretch for poor vs rich.

I think the main reason that drama isn't reasonate with me is how I can't understand kangsoo and the neighbourhood that victimise the rich people for what happened to them.
Isn't the department store want to buy their store for a high price? it's a legitimate bussiness deal.
Isn't having delivery add the profit for hyun soo grandma? so they actually can do something.

I understand how big bussiness is a threat but until they do a bad things like manipulated their food, threatens people or doing illegal thing, why not accepting them?
They open job opportunity for other people too. It's not like they aren't hiring anyone.

Kangsoo vs jingyu also mask in poor vs rich but it sounds like generalization without fact ans just resentment.
Just bc jingyu is a jerk and rich, he must have done that bad things and bc kangsoo is poor and nice, he must be innocent.
It's a double standard and the show keep glorifying kang soo "heroic" but missguided action.

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"Jingyu is 1st time illegal race that didn't harm anyone."

except, y'know, for the part where an injured person ended up in a coma because precious Jingyu's roadblock for his illegal race prevented him from getting to hospital in time.

And about that so-called "1st time", didn't he admit to Kang-soo at the restaurant that closing off the road to race was a habitual thing? The race whose roadblock led to Hyun-soo's coma was just their most recent.

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it's about the law
in the law, this is his 1st time so his sentences will be lower

did he block the road to make people in the coma?
then why can't we ask them to not have the accident in the 1st place?
What I am getting at is how the drama character antagonised JG but if they try to think about it for once,
Is the blame all for him?

He didn't make hyun soo fall and he is not the only factor that make the road to the hospital is longer.

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The problem is he never even thought of what kind of consequences will blocking the roads have, I'm sure he never intended to hurt anyone but someone did get hurt and he didn't even know about it, it would've not been fair to Hyun-soo if the show just decided to drop this!

And I don't think the show is trying to make Jin-kyu into a villain or something! It made sure to show us that even though Jin-kyu made mistakes (blocking the roads, running away from the police..etc), he isn't really a bad person just that he's struggling to become a good one! I feel like the show is actually trying to make us want to root for him by showing us how hard he's willing to work to become a proper human being!

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Poor JinKyu!! That date!!! Couldn't be more pitiful!! I hated JiYoon there!! Yes you heard me right.. I hated her there!! She is so funky and rebellious in her own way!! I loved the cafe scene with her mother and JinKyu so much!! JinKyu's smile when she was tormenting her mother was hilarious and kind of cute!!! I am more invested in how this JinKyu character is going to turn out rather than our main couple!!! And wouldn't mind pairing him up with JiYeon!!! He is such a puppy!!! With proper guidance and Friendship, he may be the best person!! He has goodness inside him, he just needs someone good to bring it out of himself!!! The way Dan Ah put him in place was also so good!!! Overall this show is a good ride!! I am waiting to watch how the tides turn!! And exactly when KangSoo is going to begin his journey to becoming a CEO of a app company as claimed by the wiki synopsis!!!

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Isn't it ironic that Dan Ah accuses Jin Kyu to think money solves everything when her own concern is always money?

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yes.. that's what i thought too!!

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Is it really? Her actions do not actually match her words. Granted she did not bailout her brother when he partied and lost his scholarship, but every person has a breaking point. Does he actually deserve to be bailed out? If she was truly only driven by money, she would have asked for a larger reward for saving Jin-kyu's life. She asked for the exact amount to emigrate. This was a very conservative amount and Jin-kyu even questioned her about it. This is not the action of a greedy person. The second major revelation into her true character is her unwillingness to take the money from Jin-kyu after she found out what he had done. Again not the action of a greedy person. To a greedy person all money is good, no matter the source. To Dan-ah her target money is the key that unlocks her prison it allows her to be free to live a happy life. She just wants to live a happy life somewhere the cards are not stacked against her. Somewhere she has a future.

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Exactly.

Dan-Ah's concern might be money, but there's no comparison with Jin-gyu...

She is working sweat and tears to earn money to survive. Jin-Gyu is using other people's money (his brother's) for luxurious treats and to buy himself out of trouble.

Irony? There's no irony here.

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I don't understand why everyone blames only JinKyu!!! What about the officer who took the bribe??? Isn't he the actual one who is responsible for all this mess!!

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I like your comment. I feel very identified with Dan ah, because I come from a poor family. I even prevented having children in order not to bring a child to live in poverty, and now I am an in migrant and i want to work hard, not to buy myself stuffs, but to be able to help my family. I also think a lot about money, but not for me. There is where people like JG, although hello, I like him, won't be able to understand Dan ah or me, they don't know what is not no have, or have to work for anything.
It is not their fault, I must agree, but still, I find her right to put him in his place and want him out of her life.

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I know a lot of the viewers are fans of Kang-soo but unfortunately, he comes off as sanctimonious to me. And in choosing to take responsibility for Sung-jae’s foolish actions that could have potentially killed Jin-gyu, don’t you think he’s being inconsistent with his righteous attitude? Your friend could’ve killed a person or put him in a coma like Hyun-soo, yet you advised him to leave and not take responsibility for his reprehensible actions.

Rants aside, I sure hope the show’s writers will try to explore the grayness of corporate giants versus mom-and-pop stores. As some of the beanies here pointed out, corporations employ people who also have the same dreams and aspirations as those small business owners and workers. Whether rich or poor, we all struggle with our identities and how to become better versions of ourselves in the long run.

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cant miss out the part where jingyu told the cops it cant be Kangsoo who attacked him. he only believed ths cops after he was shown the cctv footage.

maybe there's still hope of a friendship between KS and JG. haha

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I like how that shows that even with their bad blood, Jin-gyu still respects Kang-soo. When the're just two guys they get along pretty well! It's only when social status and those prejudices come into play do they clash. I'm still hopeful for their friendship too T_T

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still love Jingyu.

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still love Jingyu <3

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The amount of defense for rich folks in the comments section is surprising... Their not bad cause their rich, but because they are used to using money to get what they want regardless of the reprecussions. While Jin-gyu did not directly hurt Hyun-soo, he was still using his money to illegally race w/o THINKING about what other people would have to go through. Dan-ah even stated that Kang-soo would have proabbly forgiven Jin-gyu if he had owned up to it and gone to see Hyun-soo and apologize to the fam, but instead he took the easy way out by trying to buy himself out. He should have done BOTH of those things. Same with Jiyoon's mom, in ep 1 she clearly said she wanted to run all of the businesses out of the nieghborhood and monopolize it all for profit. Those businesses are working to make a living, not just increase their huge corporation's profits. The only reason she wants to buy out the grandma's place is to make Jin-gyu feel better, she would have been happy to just run them out of business if she could, but Kang-soo stepped in to help.

IMO the bad guys are not so black and white, Jiyoon's mom is helping Jin-gyu and for that I am kinda grateful, but she's still scheming... Also as Jiyoon's mom I'm sure she cares for her daughter and wants her living a luxurious wealthy life, even Jiyoon has her own dreams. Kang-soo's righteousness is a bit trope-like, but even the characters acknowledge that (dan-ah says he has a one track mind). Jin-gyu too wants to try is hardest even though he's totally clueless, so that is endearing, but he's still relying on wealth for the most part. Hopefully he slowly is able to stand on his own two feet and be free.

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I also am baffled by the amount of readers commenting in defense of the wealthy. I am a little surprised at how in awe everyone seems to be for Jin-Gyu. I truly hope it isn't because of his attractiveness and killer smile. I remember what a nasty person he was at the beginning of the drama. True, he did mellow the more he hung out with DanAh and Kang-Soo. There is no doubt that he is responsible for the motorcyclists lapse into a more serious condition because Jin-Gyu paid to have the public street closed illegally for the racing. I think the people who accepted the money and closed the street should also be held accountable. In looking at the episodes this week, Jin-Gyu is now participating in activities that will bring about disaster to the grandmother/mother? of the motorcyclist. It also seems that Jiyoon's mom will be making an offer to the grandma that would save her.... but that has nothing to do with Jin-Gyu. He is still going to work passionately to destroy the small restaurants in the neighborhood in an effort to save himself. The good guy, so far in this drama, is Kang-soo... even though he has his faults and is not perfect, he works very hard to take care of people he feels need help and he puts the needs of those people above the needs of himself time and time again. Generally the wealthy put their own needs and lust for power and money ahead of everyone and everything else (at least in Korean dramaland) So some of the comments here are rather surprising...

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I am quite honestly staggered by the insistence (cumulatively, over the course of several recaps/comments) that Jin-gyu's little roadblock stunt was just a thing he did because racing made him feel better, that because he didn't actually hit Hyun-soo with the car he didn't hurt anyone by his actions, and that his being an entitled, self-serving jerk with no concept of taking responsibility for his actions is totally ok because the actor has dimples or because the (adult) character's father beats him and calls him names, and that any depiction of him in a negative light is the writer being mean and manipulative, he's just a to-be-redeemed antihero.

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And more than anything, I'm really taken aback by the insistence that Kang-soo's supposed sins (for which he's going to pay a price) somehow outweigh Jin-gyu's (for which he was punished.....oh wait, not really), or that Jin-gyu's roadblock was no big deal and going after him was wrong or something.

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I wish I could upvote this comment!

I'm honestly taken aback by the extent to which some comments are bending over backwards to defend Jin-gyu and insist that any negative depiction of his character's choices and actions (trying to evade arrest, trying to throw money at the problem to make it go away, lying to the cops and to Dan-ah when she first asked) is not really him, he's actually just suffering and desperate, but the writer trying to set him up to be disliked.

Except that the writing has always been consistent that he's a self-centred, entitled brat who wouldn't know the meaning of the word responsibility even if it stood on his head, and puts his enjoyment ahead of everything else (racing makes you 'feel alive'? Then go do it on an actual track, you spoilt brat!).

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I'm not even sure Jin-gyu is being defended... more like he's done nothing bad so there's nothing to defend, he's just lovable (dimples and all that).

Probably he's now hard-working in the eyes of some, but even that job (manager! with zero experience – well a few days of delivery service –) was handed to him on a silver platter... he should be scrubbing the toilets really.

But then again, although I think the writer has been consistent with Jin-gyu, I don't think the writing for this drama is very compelling.

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But actually, it is very realistic. Rich people get good positions when they are not ready or not knowing, just because they happen to have the good connections.

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I feel somewhat implicated in this discussion, so I will reply :)

I don't think that he did "nothing wrong", but the accident clearly had many components, from Kang-soo yelling at his friend to visit his mother, the friend's bad driving, the taxi-driver's inability to stop in time, the taxi-driver not calling the ambulance and going himself instead, and the road being closed.

Now, the most criminal act was certainly closing the road, but even so, it's not the case that the friend's coma could have been anticipated by Jin-gyu, so the *kind* of crime it is different than, say, the kind of crime committed by the hit-and-run driver in the first scene of the show. So the comments I've noticed (and made) are more about Kang-soo's lack of perspective on the degree of Jin-gyu's criminal responsibility rather than denying any wrongdoing at all.

And in this episode we do indeed find out that Kang-soo feels responsible--wholly responsible. He's wrong about that, too, but it puts in perspective that his anger at Jin-gyu was really about more than the closed road. It was about his own guilt.

As for defending the character more broadly, Jin-gyu may be self-centred and a jerk, but he doesn't really set out to hurt people for fun, or even to hurt people to get ahead. That's what makes him interesting to me. I think that in personality, Kang-soo and Jin-gyu aren't maybe as far apart as they currently seem. So rather than it being about excusing rich people, what the show is doing is making us see them as people first--people who benefit or suffer differently in an unequal system. And--for me as an audience member--that is much more interesting that just hating the designated rich guy or rooting for the designated hero.

As for taking a sweet job and a get-out-of-jail card, I'm not sure why people are mad at Jin-gyu for that. In real life, most people, including perfectly good and reasonable people, don't try to serve the maximum. They ask for the lightest possible penalty and, if they're good people, make a personal, moral commitment to doing better. Time will tell if that is what Jin-gyu has done, but there's no particular reason to assume he's worse than the average person for not serving time.

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I don't think Jin-gyu taking the opportunity to get out of jail and get a job is "wrong" either. But using money to buy anyone out of trouble is usually viewed as under-handed, and we know Jiyoon's mom isn't doing this out of the kindness of her heart, she has conditions... This is his chance to do something for himself, even if it's been handed to him initially, but I don't blame Dan-ah for turning down his help either. They have different views of what responsibility is. Kang-soo obviously feels extremely responsible for Hyun-soo's situation (when he really shouldn't) and Jin-gyu doesn't really feel like he's responsible at all because he had no knowledge about it, it's so withdrawn from him and that made sense too. Jin-gyu has made a personal commitment to do better, but so far it's only about doing well socially and monetarily (although he is committed to helping Dan-ah emigrate), so hopefully we see how maybe he turns the tables and helps out the neighborhood instead of following Jiyoon's mom's orders maybe even winning over people with his determination (his date with jiyoon was hard to watch! poor guy just trying to be a good date but his partner was "my sassy girl" 2.0!) I view this drama as our 4 MC's vs. the System. Them trying to live in it, work around it, and even trying to turn it on it's head.

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I am not defending jingyu but I am not sitting right with how the writer portrayed the drama problem and the solution in this drama.

both are showcases in how the neighbourhood reaction to jingyu and jiyoon's mum.

In hyun soo's case, Jingyu is dislikeable but he is not at wrong, Kang soo is likeable but what he asked is wrong yet the show tries to make jingyu bear all the responsibility. At least make him a real wrong and not some grey area or when it actually makes sense under the law.

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as I write about this a lot, this is my perspective.

the reason I don't understand the drama is bc I know people that work for the big corporation [yeah cliche] but it's true, they open a lot of job market that isn't there when it just a local business, some local business also merger with the big corporation so they can have a bigger share, how the local bussiness actually renovated their shop, try to make it more presentable because of the new competitor and it helped, how the local people now sell more diverse food because of the competitor. Isn't people who closed down is actually selling their shop?

The world is changing and the local restaurant owner needs to be adaptable too

"Same with Jiyoon's mom, in ep 1 she clearly said she wanted to run all of the businesses out of the neighbourhood and monopolize it all for profit."

How is that wrong? she is a businesswoman, that is a legit bussiness strategy bc it's her company.
If you think it's evil bc they want to own a franchise then every person who wants to make a larger operation bussiness is wrong. The motive is bussiness and we saw that the drama might make her change it but motive, business strategy and illegal things are different.

"Their not bad cause their rich, but because they are used to using money to get what they want regardless of the reprecussions"

1st jiyoon's mum, she used the money to advance her local bussiness but it hasn't been known if she does bad things to obtain it yet the neighbourhood and all the people in the drama basically hated them.

2nd : Jingyu, he gets his punishment, yes he tried to avoid bc of personal circumstances but it doesn't work and he goes to jail.
Later he bailed by jiyoon's mum but is it all about money?
we haven't even see how and the hyun soo's accident is still not all about him, he is not the sole factor that makes hyun soo late arrive to the hospital yet the drama blame him for all that happen to hyun soo.

just for preference:
Drag racing can be either a misdemeanour or a felony crime depending upon the circumstances. The general rule is that a reckless driving charge for racing is a Class 1 misdemeanour. This type of misdemeanour is punishable in Virginia by up to one year in jail.

California law
The following are some of the penalties you can face if you street race: Be arrested and have your vehicle impounded for 30 days. Be imprisoned for up to three months if convicted of street racing, or aiding or abetting a street race. Be fined for up to $1,000.

The penalty is at most up to 3 years and in law, that's the maximum sentences, meaning they can get way lower in the actual sentences.
The reality is the race didn't cost anyone, perhaps the prosecutor only aiming for a misdemeanour which totally makes sense.

The accusation of jiyoon's mum bought jin gyu hadn't been cleared but all the characters are set up against jin gyu.

Again, the characters are fine but I...

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I see you've done a lot of research to defend jingyu, no one's saying he's the enemy... i'm pretty sure most people want him to do well. BUT the fact is he bribed people to close a highway for fun times and then didn't own up to it. The drama doesn't explore if other people were charged for it either because the drama's about our 4 main characters, real laws don't actually matter. All that needs to be known is that the cops had an arrest warrant out on him and he fled when he knew he was partially responsible. everyone's so stuck on the racing thing and forgetting that the main issue is that the police were looking for him and instead of confessing he lied and ran and was hoping to use his connections to get out of his partial responsibility. It's a fact that the drama clearly points out the hyun-soo would not be in his condition if he got their early, plot-wise they ARE saying that jingyu is partially responsible. but saying that kang-soo is partially responsible just because he told his friend to visit his mom is crazy, he even blames himself which he shouldn't. Would you blame someone in real life for someone's accident just cause they told them to go to the store?

It was a series of events that led to the accident and saying Jingyu had no part in that is obviously not what the writers want viewers to think. Also, money was used to get him out, not just bail but bribing them to lower the charges, which is illegal as well... It's okay for Jingyu to have that stain on his character, he's not evil for it and you don't have to feel like you're defending his honor. It gives his character space to grow. Something Kang-soo might not get as much since he's such a self-sacrificing "noble idiot" sometimes.

Also, yes it's just business but the company is directly underselling because they can, it's not competition when you are monopolizing. Big business destroying small, family owned businesses is a real thing too if u want to research that and it hurts people, probably why some see their tactics as heartless... You can clearly see the gma struggling to survive and pay for bills, it's only when they do well that the big corp wants to buy them out. idk dude, Jingyu's just a character, I think the actor playing him is doing really well, i don't see why ppl feel the need to defend his actions so much. and we do see gma's place add delivery to meet demands so there's the neighborhood development u wanted (obviously with kang-soo's app idea there will be development but i doubt the big corp is gonna be directly helping needy businesses adapt). might i add that the LOAN SHARKS are waiting to feed off of the desperate families that need help to make ends meet after the company buys up all the property. That's "legal business strategy" too, but it's also clearly taking advantage of people and trying to destroy them for gain. The company has not stated that it wants to "work together" with the neighborhood at all. why do...

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...ppl like to defend huge companies? This isn't real life, in real life the big corp wins, no one fights against another walmart or mcdonalds opening in their neighborhood, but uhhh this is a drama so the little guys get to have a fighting chance; if you're adverse to that imagery then maybe the show ain't for you cause that is the main plot...

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> BUT the fact is he bribed people to close a highway for fun times and then didn't own up to it.

Yes and he gets punished for that, he lost his family, his friends, his reputation and even got to spend the night in jail for the time we still didn't know, pay fine for that crime.

He is wrong and he had paid for it but the drama shows that the other character didn't think it's enough for him which I don't agree. What more do they want to happen??

> The drama doesn't explore if other people were charged for it either because the drama's about our 4 main characters, real laws don't actually matter.

so we have to abandon logic and narrative as long as it's about the main character?

What I complain about is how the ground logic of the main conflict between the lead is illogical.
Therefore we can't side with the supposedly good guy or even rooting on the main lead view of the world, the view that is heavily one sided and supported by almost every element of the drama.

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Thanks for the recap, odiletantte! I have read all the recaps of this drama so far but haven't commented. Also, currently watching dear my friends, after finishing each episode, I read your recaps, which are awesome!

I love the quirkiness of all the characters in this drama, my favorite are soon-ae and ji yoon. As much as I am glad that Kang soo isn't a typical drama male lead, I still can't wrap my mind over how good a person he is! Dan ah has her selfishness, ji yoon lied to save her job, but all this makes them relatable to me because I don't know if I would have behaved better had I been in their situations, but with Kang soo, he is just so good, I find it a little hard to relate to him. But, his character growth, according to me, would be for him to realise that not all things in life could be differentiated as fully right or fully wrong (which is how, I feel, he has been perceiving things so far), there are some grey areas too. Maybe, when his mom's storyline comes around, he ll realize that. As for Jin gyu, I sincerely hope he doesn't completely go over to the dark side. Because when he worked as a deliveryman, he was completely adorable (also, the dimples!). Also, I love that each episode is around 50 minutes only, so it doesn't feel draggy at all.

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Plz tell me how I become friend with Korean people because I am an Indian ....

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LOL! I am Latin from South America, and I love many aspects of the korean culture, their language their food and their music.

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