Happiness: Episode 5

by quirkycase

Skepticism further divides our already divided residents, and they begin turning on each other in fear. Our leads struggle to keep things afloat and ensure everyone’s safety, particularly with a certain resident scheming for his own benefit. The stress is a lot for everyone to take, and even our steadfast cop finds himself feeling the strain.

 
EPISODE 5 RECAP

Sae-bom rushes back to the apartment and checks on Seo-yoon (while also retrieving a bat in case she needs to beat back a zombie horde). They no longer have cell or television service. All that’s on TV is a message telling everyone to stay put and wait for rescue, as if they have a choice.

Back in the lobby, trainer Seung-beom is frantically barricading the doors while Yi-hyun and Jung-kook stand guard. Young-ok enters and is horrified to see this undignified state of affairs.

Upstairs, Sung-shil wonders if her racing heart and itchy wound are signs of infection. Dong-hyun dismisses her symptoms as old age and heads out. He runs into siblings Hyun-kyung and Soo-min in the hall and gets excited to hear other buildings’ residents are infected.

Everyone makes their way to the basement where Yi-hyun and the cleaning ajumma show bloodstains on the door as proof that there really was a zombie. Naturally, Dong-hyun immediately starts recording.

Young-ok pulls Yi-hyun aside and seriously asks if he’s gunning for her building representative status. Pfft. Yi-hyun is speechless and assures her he couldn’t care less about that. He rushes over to stop everyone from stupidly opening the door, but they seem intent on checking things out for themselves.

Sae-bom arrives and flings open the door, saying whoever wants to go is free to leave. Suddenly, everyone get cold feet and decide it might be better to stay inside after all. Yi-hyun reminds Young-ok they’ll need to inform all the residents of the situation. Since there’s no intercom or internet right now, they’ll have to do it in person.

In 601, Hae-sung consults with Joo-hyung about his arrest. As they discuss strategy, Hae-sung “drops” his pen and uses that as an excuse to stare at Sang-hee’s legs under the table. She catches his drift and runs her foot up his leg with his wife seated right beside him. Their legal session is interrupted by Andrew announcing from the doorway that everyone is meeting in the gym.

Meanwhile, Yi-hyun and Sae-bom go down to the basement to make sure all doors to the garage are locked. He claims he’s better with a bat and trades her his gun. (She reminds him he was a pitcher.)

When they don’t see any zombies, Sae-bom hypothesizes they must’ve gone home after regaining their senses. They’re probably horrified and trying to erase the evidence of what they did. Sure enough, we see the security guard trembling and wiping blood off himself.

Elsewhere, Tae-seok’s soldiers occupy a nightclub that deals Next. The dealers somehow got wind that there’d be raid and locked themselves inside the basement. Tae-seok orders the power cut. In the silence, there are some definite zombie noises coming from beyond the door. He orders the building evacuated and the door barricaded.

Back in 601, Joo-hyung is in a good mood, which can’t bode well. He reasons since everyone is infected, there’s no way he’ll be going to jail anytime soon. As long as he convinces Yi-hyun and Sae-bom, he might just go free.

Pretty much everyone goes to the meeting this time, including the usually absent Hae-sung and even Joo-hyung, although Sang-hee stays behind. On their way, they run into Sung-shil staring at the bloodstain on the basement window, looking frightened.

At the meeting, people question whether there truly are infected out there. Hae-sung condescendingly asks if there’s anyone from the upper floors who witnessed this horde and might provide sound judgment. Young-ok intervenes when Hyun-kyung starts fighting with him over his elitism.

Young-ok admits she didn’t personally witness the zombies either, but she’s choosing to trust the matching accounts of those who did. Joo-hyung interrupts to offer money to anyone who ventures out to assess the situation.

Many are disgusted at his proposition – which obviously would only be attractive to the poorer residents – but cleaning crew Se-kyu, Moon-hee, and Andrew volunteer. Dong-hyun records the scene.

Young-ok catches Yi-hyun and Sae-bom in the hall, happy to hear they found no zombies in the building. Yi-hyun gives the okay to start up the elevators again, although Sae-bom reminds Young-ok that there’d be no escape from a zombie if you get caught inside with one. (Ha, Young-ok’s face when Sae-bom calls her ajummeoni.)

When Yi-hyun sees Joo-hyung walking around, he loudly wonders if everyone is aware he’s a murderer. Joo-hyung tries to do damage control, but people are now looking at him sideways. Sae-bom grabs Joo-hyung before he leaves and whispers that she’ll kill him if he touches Sang-hee.

They return to the gym and find Woo-chang leading a prayer with the anxious Sung-shil. Jung-kook clues Sae-bom and Yi-hyun in on Joo-hyung paying people to go outside. He managed to convince them not to go until daylight, but that’s all he could do. On a positive note, Hyun-kyung and So-yoon volunteered to provide the nonresidents with food if they need it, so that issue is solved.

On their way up, Joo-hyung asks why Hae-sung didn’t take him up on the offer to go outside; he doesn’t seem to believe the witnesses either. When Hae-sung says he doesn’t need the money, Joo-hyung offers a higher sum. So-yoon grows angry and ushers Hae-sung inside.

Once they’re inside, Hae-sung gets all mad and asks why So-yoon stopped him from pummeling Joo-hyung. Ha, right, like he wasn’t just standing there silently. She thinks they should turn Joo-hyung down as a client, but Hae-sung thinks of pretty Sang-hee and says they’ll keep on for now.

In 401, Soo-min is surprised that his sister took his side at the meeting. Like most siblings, she takes the stance that only she gets to talk bad about her brother. Even so, Hyun-kyung isn’t giving him the money.

In the gym office, Yi-hyun and Sae-bom continue questioning Seung-beom, but he swears he didn’t take Next. Yi-hyun finds security footage of Seung-beom guzzling water straight from the keg dispenser, but Seung-beom still won’t admit anything. They again lock him in the gym for the night.

While the cleaning crew prepares the ramyeon Hyun-kyung gave them, Jung-kook brings the building cleaning ajumma over. Her room is in the basement, but she’s scared to sleep there alone, so they agree to let her stay with them. Andrew turns around to take off his mask and eat.

Elsewhere, Yi-hyun wonders if they should block people from going outside tomorrow, but Sae-bom practically notes that’s not possible. Before they go inside, Sae-bom asks him to keep the situation a secret from Seo-yoon. The second they walk in, Seo-yoon asks if it’s true that there are infected people outside.

Sae-bom glares at Jung-kook for spilling the beans and manages to keep Seo-yoon calm by assuring her their building is okay and her parents are safe outside. After a talking to from Yi-hyun, Jung-kook calls Seo-yoon over for some damage control.

Elsewhere, Jin-soo gives a briefing about the virus (officially named the Lytta virus). It’s known to affect the nervous system like rabies and symptoms manifest once it reaches the brain. Next is believed to be the origin, and the only other way to contract it is by being bitten or scratched by someone infected.

The issue with treatment is that they aren’t sure how to pass the protective blood-brain barrier. Tae-seok takes over to announce they’re studying an antibody that can directly affect the brain, but they need a month for research. For Lytta not to take over the whole nation in the meantime, it’s vital the quarantines are kept in effect.

Afterward, Ji-soo confronts Tae-seok – he knows the tests aren’t showing promise for the treatment. Tae-seok counters that if they believed there were no chance, all the infected would be killed as a precaution.

Ji-soo is surprised he cares whether the infected die, but Tae-seok says people who kill others should have to take responsibility for their actions. For now, they’ll continue stalling to save more lives until Sae-bom’s blood yields an answer.

The next morning, Sae-bom finds Yi-hyun donning a catcher’s mask and other protective gear. She reminds him he’s not on duty, and he’s just another person in quarantine. Even so, Yi-hyun can’t leave the uninfected from other buildings to fend for themselves out there.

When he asks Jung-kook if he’s going, Jung-kook candidly says he stays away from dangerous places. Ha. Sae-bom blocks the door and says she won’t let Yi-hyun leave. “Is it me or the apartment residents?”

Downstairs, Joo-hyung passes out the money to the cleaning crew who preps to go outside. Yi-hyun comes down with a grumpy Sae-bom in tow. I guess he won this round. She asks for her cut from Joo-hyung, but Yi-hyun refuses any money since it’s illegal.

While Yi-hyun leads the group out, Sung-shil says a prayer upstairs. Hak-je touches her arm and is flabbergasted when she tells him not to touch her. Then, she goes running out of the apartment. Hak-je fails to notice the bloody bandages in the trash.

As the group begins exploring the grounds, Dong-hyun runs up and asks to join. He promises to get permission before posting any footage, so they let tag along. Joo-hyung watches safely from inside.

They run into four residents from other buildings gathered at the perimeter. One is the security guard who’s infected. He doesn’t appear to recognize Sae-bom or Yi-hyun from the incident, but Yi-hyun stops Sae-bom from saying anything.

The guard assures Yi-hyun they locked the infected in the library, and everything is fine now. They claim they’re waiting for the lunchboxes to arrive, but Yi-hyun tells Sae-bom they’re more likely trying to leave before they turn again.

In the gym, Young-ok confronts Seung-beom about taking Next, which he denies. Her demeanor entirely shifts as she angrily accuses him of just getting high when she put him here to get close to the residents. When he calls her noona, she tells him not to act like they know each other. Whoa.

Before she leaves, Young-ok asks if it’s truly dangerous outside. Seung-beom says he would never go out. In the hall, Young-ok hears a thud. A man hits the glass from the garage and asks her to let him in. He says he’s getting away from the infected and has information.

Young-ok starts to unlock the door (nooo) but notices a bandage on his neck. Then, she sees blood under his fingernails. She drops her water bottle, spilling some on the floor, and it captivates his attention. She tests him by spilling more, and he completely turns. Now she has her proof.

Meanwhile, Yi-hyun’s group makes their way into the supermarket for supplies. Sae-bom marvels at Yi-hyun’s straightlaced ways when he asks how they should pay for what they take. He self-consciously argues that it’s best to observe rules so they don’t descend into chaos.

They spot Bo-ram hiding behind the register and approach slowly. She’s trembling in fear and screams when Yi-hyun grabs her shoulder. Meanwhile, the others load up on whatever they can get their hands on (only Andrew seems to be choosing thoughtfully).

When they spot a trail of blood, Se-kyu and Moon-hee go running the other way. Dong-hyun, of course, starts recording and investigates. He comes face to face with two zombies and stands there frozen in panic. Lucky for him, Andrew is calm in a crisis and pulls him behind some boxes.

At the register, Bo-ram shares that a bunch of infected barged in, so she hid. She’s not sure if they ever left. Moon-hee and Se-kyu come running up to report the blood trail. Yi-hyun instructs them to leave, but Se-kyu sets off the alarm with the alcohol he put in his cart.

The zombies start going nuts, so Andrew and Dong-hyun make a run for it. They make it outside just as Yi-hyun prepares to go back in to find them. Sae-bom and Yi-hyun pull down the metal fence/gate in the nick of time.

In a very abrupt scene change, we cut to Seo-yoon checking her phone. She wakes Jung-kook up and asks to go downstairs. Sae-bom told her to go to the first floor if they weren’t back by 10:00.

In the lobby, Young-ok stares anxiously outside until the group makes it back, but she refuses to open the door. What if they’re infected? Joo-hyung watches with interest and cues up an audio file of Min-ji’s zombie noises. He tells Sang-hee that the police couple can’t put him in prison if they’re dead.

Jung-kook and Seo-yoon come down and take in the hectic scene. Jung-kook sees Joo-hyung with the phone in his hand and goes after him. Seo-yoon quietly removes the mop Young-ok used to barricade the door and yells for Sae-bom to hurry inside.

Everyone pushes inside, and it’s madness. Se-kyu goes for Young-ok, pinning her on the ground with his hands around her throat. Jung-kook can’t get the zombie screeching noises to stop, so Yi-hyun throws the phone against the ground.

In the silence, everyone stills. Jung-kook says this was all Joo-hyung’s doing. Yi-hyun grabs a bloody apron and runs upstairs, screaming Joo-hyung’s name. He pins him against the wall and rubs the blood on his face. When he says it’s blood from outside, Joo-hyung screams bloody murder.

Sae-bom runs in and pulls a livid, out-of-control Yi-hyun off the still screaming Joo-hyung. That shouldn’t be so satisfying, but I can’t lie that seeing him freak out like that isn’t cathartic. Elsewhere, Dong-hyun cries to realize he lost his phone in the chaos.

At home, Sae-bom watches quietly while Yi-hyun washes the blood off his hands. He smiles and apologizes for overreacting. Sae-bom says everyone would’ve been infected were it not for him today and hugs him while he looks lost.

In his watchtower, Tae-seok watches the large protest happening outside the apartment complex. When Ji-soo calls to inform him they captured an escaped infected man, he shocks her by ordering his release. “Pretend you lost him and let him go for the protestors to see.”

He instructs her to ensure no one is hurt, but they need the public to be afraid and not feel pity for the infected. That way, they’ll have time to stall for a treatment.

 
COMMENTS

Not that I’m surprised Tae-seok would do something so risky, but damn. If they lose the infected man in their little demonstration, this could prove disastrous. But now that we know their research on the cure isn’t looking good, I can understand the desperation. Without a cure, the entire nation – or even world – is doomed. They did mention that Lytta has broken out in other places around the world, but why does it seem like they’re the only ones trying to create a cure? If Sae-bom has this special antibody, I’d imagine there have to be some others somewhere who do as well.

Poor Yi-hyun finally broke. He’s been so steady and calm, managing the situation from the start. Sae-bom may be the flashier one, for lack of a better word, but Yi-hyun has this competent presence. With how he’s been taking so much responsibility onto himself for keeping everyone safe, it’s no wonder he cracked after Joo-hyung tried to freaking murder them all. Of all people to get stuck in a plague situation with, Joo-hyung has to be one of the worst. I’m not sure why Sang-hee looked so surprised by his psychopathic plan when she knows he killed his wife. They need to lock him back in his apartment before he gets them all killed.

And then we’ve got entitled, creepy Hae-sung. At first he just seemed a little wimpy and whiny, but the more we see of him, the more I dislike him. I feel bad for his wife because she seems nice. She’s polite to everyone and was one of the first to offer food to those who need it. So far, she’s the only one of the owners who seems decent. Of the renters, I really like Hyun-kyung. She does not take anyone’s nonsense, which I appreciate. Yet she’s also stuck with a whiny family member. Why are all these nice, capable women stuck with whiny men?

I did not expect the connection between Young-ok and Seung-beom. He mentioned earlier that he’s hiding something, but it isn’t relevant to the virus. I’m guessing he was referring to whatever Young-ok is having him do here. Did she plant him as her own personal spy to keep track of the residents or even get dirt on them? I wouldn’t be surprised if it were somehow all for her precious position as president of the association, but it might also be something more serious. We know little about Young-ok, so who knows what secrets she’s hiding?

RELATED POSTS

• Premiere Watch: Dr. Brain, Happiness
• Script reading for tvN thriller Happiness with Park Hyung-shik, Han Hyo-joo, Jo Woo-jin
• Park Hyung-shik eyes post-military comeback with new tvN thriller