Clean With Passion for Now: Episode 10

by TeriYaki

The legal troubles that plague our protagonist’s brother force her to accept a secret assignment designed to have her spend more time with her crush, the germaphobe CEO. Confronted by an invasion of his personal space, Seon-gyeol takes matters into his own hands but he soon realizes that it’s not so easy for a germaphobe to run away from home.

 
EPISODE 10: “Secrets and lies”

Secretary Kwon explains that she wants Oh-sol to stay at Seon-gyeol’s home to cure his mysophobia. When Oh-sol hesitates, Secretary Kwon offers to make all of her brother’s legal troubles disappear.

Now sporting shorter hair, Oh-sol packs for her “assignment” in Busan where Cleaning Fairy is supposedly opening a second store. Oh-sol’s father apologizes for being so busy with Oh-dol’s troubles and urges Oh-sol not to worry about her brother.

Oh-dol can’t get through taekwondo practice because he’s worried that his college acceptance is in jeopardy. Joo-yeon brings some food to make up for calling Oh-dol when his father was in trouble, but he has no appetite. When Oh-dol sees Joo-yeon’s downcast face, he samples her food and is surprised to discover that it’s delicious.

Later, Oh-sol confides in Joo-yeon that she’s moving to Seon-gyeol’s place. Joo-yeon can’t understand how that’s supposed to help Seon-gyeol’s mysophobia or how Secretary Kwon can solve Oh-dol’s legal troubles. Oh-sol asks Joo-yeon to keep the truth from her father and Oh-dol to prevent any further trouble.

Oh-sol pays a late-night visit to Mr. Choi to let him know that she won’t be around since she’ll be working in Busan. Mr. Choi asks why Oh-sol decided to return to her company and when she confesses that she believes it’s the right thing to do, he expresses relief that Oh-sol isn’t punishing herself after a negative experience.

Secretary Kwon meets Oh-sol’s father, Oh-dol and Joo-yeon when she picks up Oh-sol. Oh-sol asks Oh-dol to take care of their father while she’s gone and then leaves with Secretary Kwon. Mr. Choi runs to Secretary Kwon’s car with a yogurt drink for Oh-sol but they can only exchange a parting glance.

While Seon-gyeol is at work, Secretary Kwon drops Oh-sol off at his house and warns her not to mention her real purpose — that she’s there to treat Seon-gyeol’s mysophobia. As she leaves, Secretary Kwon mentions someone wants to meet Oh-sol and promises to arrange a meeting soon.

Oh-sol surprises Seon-gyeol when he comes home and explains that she’s there as his live-in housekeeper. Seon-gyeol is distressed at the sight of her suitcase but Oh-sol ignores his many questions to unpack. Seon-gyeol reminds Oh-sol that he has a housekeeper only to be told that she quit. Seon-gyeol calls Secretary Kwon, who admits that she hired Oh-sol as a live-in housekeeper after careful consideration.

When Seon-gyeol protests she should have checked with him first, Secretary Kwon reminds him that she’s always been responsible for hiring his household help. Secretary Kwon argues that a live-in housekeeper became necessary to meet Seon-gyeol’s high standards and promises to discuss the matter at work before she hangs up.

After Seon-gyeol catches Oh-sol eavesdropping on his phone call, she slams her door shut and is startled when he opens it. Flustered, Seon-gyeol asks if they can speak and when she joins him in the kitchen, he explains that Oh-sol can go home.

Oh-sol tells Seon-gyeol that she signed a contract and accuses him of firing her. Seon-gyeol assures Oh-sol that’s not the case, he just needs time to think about the sudden changes. Suddenly curious, Seon-gyeol asks Oh-sol why she’s ignored his calls since she quit.

Oh-sol doesn’t get the chance to answer because Seon-gyeol’s mother walks in with her assistant. Seon-gyeol’s mother is surprised to find Seon-gyeol at home, and even more surprised that he’s there with Oh-sol. When Oh-sol introduces herself as the new live-in housekeeper, Mae-hwa points out that Seon-gyeol can’t even live with his own mother. Mae-hwa’s assistant chuckles that mothers and girlfriends are completely different.

Seon-gyeol’s mother orders Oh-sol to leave and when she argues that she can’t, Mae-hwa tells her assistant, Mr. Kim, to drag her out. An exasperated Seon-gyeol tells everyone to go home and when Oh-sol insists that she has to stay, Mae-hwa sends Mr. Kim for her things. Seon-gyeol tries one more time to get everyone to leave and when no one budges, he leaves.

Seon-gyeol enters a hotel suite where a quick inspection almost convinces him to return home. Back at his place, Mae-hwa worries about Seon-gyeol when he ignores her calls and yells at Oh-sol for causing trouble. Seon-gyeol’s mother eventually calls Secretary Kwon, who confirms that she hired Oh-sol. After she hangs up, Mae-hwa eyes Oh-sol suspiciously and wonders, “What’s behind all of this?”

At the hotel, Seon-gyeol calls the reception desk and is assured by the perky receptionist that all rooms are properly sterilized with steam cleaners. Her enthusiasm quickly disappears when she has to answer multiple calls from Seon-gyeol as he checks every room in his suite.

Seon-gyeol makes a flurry of phone calls when he gets to the bathroom and the poor receptionist now has dark circles under her eyes. Seon-gyeol interrupts his detailed inspection when Oh-sol calls, asking why he won’t answer his mother’s calls. Seon-gyeol wants to know if his mother has left his place and when he learns that she’s still there, he hangs up.

Seon-gyeol’s mother barks that she asked for a glass of water and wonders what’s taking so long. After Oh-sol brings her water, Mae-hwa yells, “He should be back by now. Seon-gyeol can’t sleep outside.”

Dong-hyun, Jae-min and Yeong-shik create a stir when they strut through the hotel lobby on their way to Seon-gyeol’s suite. They’re in the middle of a detailed cleaning when security pounds on the door to tell Seon-gyeol that he has to leave. As Seon-gyul makes his way through the hotel lobby, followed by his humiliated team, Jae-min grumbles, “He ran away from home and now he’s making a scene.”

Secretary Kwon calls Seon-gyeol’s mother in the morning to inform her that Seon-gyeol spent the night in his office after being kicked out of a hotel. Oh-sol overhears the conversation while peeling an apple, which she offers to Mae-hwa. When Mae-hwa sees how Oh-sol cuts an apple, she demonstrates how to properly slice it. Mae-hwa brags that even though she can’t cook, she did learn how to prepare an attractive fruit plate. The two women finally relax when Mae-hwa offers Oh-sol an apple slice that looks like a rabbit, which she allows Oh-sol to feed to her.

Yeong-shik tries to hide his surprise when Oh-dol confides that Oh-sol is in Busan on business. He quickly changes the subject to discuss how the thugs hastily settled the lawsuit against Oh-dol. Oh-dol glumly reminds Yeong-shik that if the disciplinary committee suspends him, he can forget about college.

Oh-sol returns to the Cleaning Fairy offices just when Yeong-shik calls to ask her about the second store in Busan, Oh-sol guesses that Yeong-shik is with Oh-dol and warns him to keep his mouth shut.

Seon-gyeol fidgets on the couch in his office and wonders if he should go home. His tells himself, “It should be all right to live with Oh-sol…,” and his cheeks turn bright red. Seon-gyeol shakes off the thought and tries to settle down until someone activates the air shower.

Oh-sol stumbles into Seon-gyeol’s office to ask him to return home, but he reminds her that he won’t go back until both women are gone. Oh-sol confesses that she’s in a bit of trouble and needs to stay at his place for the time being and asks him to give in this one time.

When Seon-gyeol offers to help, Oh-sol explains that returning home will help her the most. Seon-gyeol’s mother calls Oh-sol, who passes her phone to Seon-gyeol in spite of his protests. Seon-gyeol’s mother tearfully begs Seon-gyeol to return home before he hangs up. Defeated, Seon-gyeol puts on his coat and shoes and asks Oh-sol, “What are you looking at? You told me to go home.”

A relieved Oh-sol explains that Seon-gyeol’s mother was so worried that she couldn’t eat or sleep. Oh-sol is confused when he asks, “If she worries about me that much, she should’ve never left me to begin with.” Seon-gyeol wants to know if Oh-sol was worried about him and he’s pleased when she admits, “I was also worried about you…That’s why I came all the way here.”

In the elevator, Oh-sol laughs and confesses that it reminds her of the fun that she had working there. Seon-gyeol invites her to return to work since he never processed her resignation. He adds that the lawsuit against the company was dropped, which means that Oh-sol no longer bears any responsibility for the missing document.

Relieved to see her son back home, Seon-gyeol’s mother leaves him in Oh-sol’s care. When Seon-gyeol suggests that his mother should stay the night since it’s so late, Mae-hwa excitedly asks Oh-sol if she heard Seon-gyeol correctly.

Seon-gyeol can’t sleep so he texts Oh-sol in the living room to see if she’s still awake. He falls onto his pillow happily when Oh-sol wishes Seon-gyeol a good night. Later, Seon-gyeol gets up for some water and is about to pull up Oh-sol’s kicked off blanket when he hears his mother’s door. Seon-gyeol is forced to hover over a sleeping Oh-sol while his mother walks to the kitchen.

Once Oh-sol wakes up, Seon-gyeol signals for her to stay quiet and points to the kitchen, where Mae-hwa can be heard. Their hearts pound as Seon-gyeol and Oh-sol look at each other, but they squeeze their eyes shut while Mae-hwa posts a “make-up free” selfie. 
A happy Mae-hwa pauses by Oh-sol, who’s now alone on the couch, on her way back to her room.

Crouched on the floor, Seon-gyeol crawls out of sight when his mother passes by. Flustered, he cautions Oh-sol not to damage his couch and then brings out his comforter with the excuse that it’s too hot for him. When Seon-gyeol tells Oh-sol, “You can use it or throw it out,” she recognizes that’s what he says when he’s trying to be thoughtful.

In the morning, Seon-gyeol’s mother and her boyfriend greet Chairman Cha at the airport and she can’t wait to tell him that Seon-gyeol invited her to spend the night at his place. Chairman Cha stifles a cough as he downplays the news but pauses when his daughter asks, “I must say, that girl is pretty good. Dad, how did you even know?” When Chairman Cha reaches his car, he instructs his assistant to call Secretary Kwon.

At Cleaning Fairy, Secretary Kwon promises over the phone, “Yes, Chairman Cha. I’ll schedule it right away.” She contacts Oh-sol at Seon-gyeol’s place, who replies that she’s available anytime.

Seon-gyeol walks out of his room just as Oh-sol finishes mixing him a breakfast drink. On his way out, Seon-gyeol notices that Oh-sol’s slippers are too large. When Seon-gyeol tells Oh-sol, “See you in the evening,” his face turns red, and when Oh-sol answers, “Yes, see you in the evening,” her cheeks redden too.

At Cleaning Fairy, Jae-min glares at Dong-hyun when he steps out to answer a call and complains that he keeps secrets. Yeong-shik wants them to make up, but Jae-min complains that he’s the victim. Yeong-shik sighs that he misses Oh-sol and murmurs, “Is she really in Busan?”

Oh-sol reads Seon-gyeol’s note, which basically instructs her to make herself comfortable. Oh-sol tours the house and blushes when she sees the bathtub, “I must be crazy. What am I thinking?” In the bedroom, Oh-sol greets Geum-ja and realizes, “He must have been very lonely to name a robot vacuum.” A text from Jae-min that he knows that Oh-sol isn’t in Busan lets her know that Yeong-shik broke her confidence.

Secretary Kwon braves the air shower to speak with Seon-gyeol and is pleasantly surprised to find that he’s gone for the day. At Seon-gyeol’s place, Oh-sol tapes his note into her journal while she enjoys an assortment of messy snacks. When Oh-sol gets a video call from her father, everything falls on the floor when she jumps up to take the call.

Oh-sol answers her phone and is greeted by her father and Mr. Choi. She assures them that she’s doing well and boasts about the good weather. After they hang up, Oh-sol’s father runs into the kitchen just as a televised report warns of heavy rainfall and wind in Busan with an advisory to stay inside. Mr. Choi turns off the television and wonders what’s really going on.

Back at Seon-gyeol’s place, Oh-sol searches for her journal just when Seon-gyeol rings the doorbell before letting himself in. He’s shocked by the mess in the kitchen and when he reaches the dining room where his dinner is set out, Seon-gyeol sees the mess in the living room.

Seon-gyeol asks, “Was there a war in the living room,” but Oh-sol laughs that she’ll clean everything. Seon-gyeol can’t contain his anxiety any longer and yells, “Don’t touch anything,” but then he calms himself enough to call the mess in his kitchen “natural”.

Later, Oh-sol sneaks out to the living room to search for her missing journal and sees Seon-gyeol cleaning the kitchen. He’s so focused that he doesn’t notice Oh-sol and she overhears him say, “I’m not sure if I hired a live-in housekeeper or I’ve become a live-in housekeeper myself.”

As Oh-sol watches Seon-gyeol attack the mess on the cooktop, she recalls Secretary Kwon’s explanation that even though she’s a live-in housekeeper, Oh-sol was hired to cure Seon-gyeol’s mysophobia. Secretary Kwon advised Oh-sol to make a mess and to be herself.

The next day, Seon-gyeol asks Secretary Kwon what items women need at home besides clothes. She lists toiletries and cosmetics and Seon-gyeol explains that he’s asking for his “friend” in the States.

When Seon-gyeol gets home he hands Oh-sol a bag and points to her feet, “Put them on. Yours look uncomfortable.” Oh-sol pulls out a pair of white bunny slippers and smiles. Later, when Oh-sol enters the bathroom, she finds a pink pair of shower shoes next to Seon-gyeol’s. Oh-sol also finds that Seon-gyeol installed non-skid pads on the floor and that he bought her a cute toothbrush. Seon-gyeol even placed women’s skincare products next the ones that he uses.

Out in the living room, Seon-gyeol worries that he did too much. When he spies Oh-sol’s journal behind the couch, he sits down to inspect it. Seon-gyeol sees his note taped inside Oh-sol’s journal just as she exits the bathroom and he shoves it between some cushions.

When Seon-gyeol excuses himself to take a shower, Oh-sol finds her journal and worries, “He didn’t see it, did he?” In the bathroom, Seon-gyeol turns on the water at sink #2 and realizes that it’s already hot. As steam rises, Seon-gyeol smiles when he sees that Oh-sol traced a heart on the mirror.

At a teahouse, Oh-sol looks subdued over tea with Seon-gyeol’s grandfather. Seon-gyeol calls Secretary Kwon, who’s on standby at the teahouse, to inform her that his “friend” decided to confess. Secretary Kwon informs Seon-gyeol that at this point his friend needs encouragement, not advice.

Secretary Kwon greets Oh-sol when she emerges from her meeting with Chairman Cha and is assured that everything went well, but Oh-sol’s face says otherwise. Chairman Cha watches the women as they walk away.

Nervous Seon-gyeol sits in his car and surveys the flowers and gift that he bought for Oh-sol. Meanwhile, Oh-sol recalls what Seon-gyeol’s grandfather asked of her, “Please don’t develop feelings for Seon-gyeol,” with a promise that if she followed that one rule, he would support her brother through college and afterwards. With a deep sigh, Oh-sol puts some away some utensils and finds her missing mug, “The Love.”

Once Seon-gyeol is inside, he hides the flowers and gift behind his back. Oh-sol exits her room when Seon-gyeol calls her name and catches a peek of the flowers. When Seon-gyeol mentions that he has something to say, Oh-sol interrupts to ask, “Why is my cup at your place?”

Oh-sol continues, “By any chance, do you have feelings for me?” Before Seon-gyeol can answer, Oh-sol tells him, “I have to say this to prevent any misunderstandings. I have no interest in dating you…I have no feelings for you. I’d appreciate it if you could refrain from doing things that could be misunderstood.” Oh-sol returns to her room where she has her mug, leaving behind a stunned Seon-gyeol.

In the morning the atmosphere is strained when Oh-sol runs into Seon-gyeol. She sees the flowers in the trash as Seon-gyeol leaves for work and is surprised when he returns and spins her around. Seon-gyeol tells her, “You have no feelings for me? Then I’ll make you develop some…I’ll make you fall for me.”

 
COMMENTS

What a difference a hairstyle makes! Oh-sol’s shorter hair successfully gives her a more mature look and goes a long way to lessen the impact of the significant age difference between Yoon Kyun-sang and Kim Yoo-jung. I’m guessing that means that we’re getting closer to some romance but you wouldn’t know it from this episode.

Even though the close proximity provided by shared quarters did hint at passion for Seon-gyeol and Oh-sol, the interference of Chairman Cha brought everything to a screeching halt. For someone who insisted that Seon-gyeol needed to date and eventually marry just a few episodes ago, his grandfather has a strange way of turning his wish into reality. What really confuses me is that Seon-gyeol’s grandfather and Secretary Kwon seem to be on different wavelengths. While Secretary Kwon seemed genuinely pleased to see Seon-gyeol’s relationship with Oh-sol advance, Chairman Cha just did his best to insure that they never get together.

Oh-sol already sacrificed her athletic career for Oh-dol’s sake, so it’s no surprise that she’s more that willing to sacrifice even more to protect her brother’s future. What Oh-sol doesn’t know is that every one of her recent crises has been orchestrated by Chairman Cha and Secretary Kwon for their own purposes. She’s been lied to and manipulated and both Oh-sol and Seon-gyeol are being misled. Who is going to figure out what’s going on in time to help them? My money is on Mr. Choi, Seon-gyeol’s mother and Secretary Kwon.

I get the feeling that Chairman Cha has been manipulating Seon-gyeol for a long time, which would partially explain why Mae-hwa wasn’t around when he was growing up. Seon-gyeol’s mother wants what’s best for her son and as a result, she accepted Oh-sol’s help to get Seon-gyeol to return home after his temporary escape. Having a mother’s approval always helps a girl in the end. As a psychiatrist, Mr. Choi understands better than anyone how cruel it is to take advantage of desperate individuals and to compromise their happiness without their knowledge. Secretary Kwon seems to want to see Seon-gyeol cured and happy with Oh-sol, so how will she react when she realizes that Chairman Cha wants something altogether different? If these three join forces to help Seon-gyeol, he may be able to overcome the damage that his grandfather is seemingly responsible for.

What no one grasps is the reason why Oh-sol is so influential. I think that Seon-gyeol bonded with Oh-sol when they were children, before his mysophobia really took hold of his life. Whatever mental strength that he still possessed at that time is somehow linked to Oh-sol, so he’s stronger whenever she’s around. It’s possible that Seon-gyeol’s grandfather suspects Oh-sol’s value, which makes his motives seem even more sinister, because by keeping Seon-gyeol and Oh-sol apart, he guarantees that his grandson will always remain weak.

The other individual who promises to bring Seon-gyeol and Oh-sol together is Seon-gyeol himself. Rather than crumple after Oh-sol’s rejection, Seon-gyeol reacted with determination and vowed to get Oh-sol to fall for him. I wanted to cheer for Seon-gyeol because he’s managing to stay focused on what is turning out to be the one genuine relationship in his life, in spite of outside machinations. How will Oh-sol manage to resist such an ardent suitor whom she already has feelings for?

RELATED POSTS

• Premiere Watch: Clean With Passion for Now, Boyfriend, Memories of the Alhambra
• The cute germ shakes up the germaphobe in JTBC’s First, Clean Passionately
• Cuteness and grime in JTBC drama First, Clean Passionately
• First look at First, Clean Passionately’s Kim Yoo-jung