Blood Free – K-Drama Episode 4 Recap & Review

Ja-yu in Danger

Blood Free Episode 4 starts with Chae-woon giving the Vietnamese gang leader a piece of paper. It has Sin-gu’s details. Chae-woon tells the broker to find Sin-gu’s new identity and let him know, in exchange for the reward money.

We then move to the year-end party of the US embassy. Ja-yu is there as well as the other three CEOs who were at the bombing incident. Seonu Jae arrives and greets his father, Chairman Seonu. The chairman speaks to Ja-yu and tells her to sell him her company, particularly the cell culture technology.

A flashback shows Chae-woon visiting Mungyu after the bombing. He asks about the other officer who was with Chae-woon and the latter admits that he died. Seonu Jae and his father, Mungyu’s son-in-law, enter. Chairman Seonu is angry at Chae-woon.

At present, Ja-yu tells the chairman that she’ll think about his offer. When she comes out of the room, she’s told that Chae-woon had to leave due to an emergency. Aside, Chairman Seonu and Seonu Jae talk and we realise the chairman knows Chae-woon is a spy.

In the car, Ja-yu thinks over the large offer of 32 trillion that the chairman proposed. Back at work, she asks On San if they could sell the cultured meat tech to Seonu Geun without him knowing of the ‘other part’ of the facility.

Chae-woon then calls her and gives her Sin-gu’s new identity, which the Vietnamese broker gave him. Ja-yu makes an official report immediately. When Chae-woon is back, Ja-yu gives him a company phone connected to Yeongsil. Ja-yu then goes through a series of coincidences that make her suspicious of Chae-woon. He explains his connection with the brokers.

Seonu Jae hears that Kim Sin-gu is on his way to France. He’ll be arrested at the airport in Paris. Ja-yu then asks Chae-woon to not work for another company even if he leaves BF. He respectfully declines. Ja-yu then hears that Kim Sin-gu died on the flight to Paris.

Over time, the news breaks and reporters hound Ja-yu. There is speculation that she got Sin-gu killed herself. Even the protestors outside her office believe so. Chae-woon advises Ja-yu to not go to her BF office. They look for a hotel but it seems difficult to find one. Chae-woon ends up taking her to his own house.

Meanwhile, a sinister-looking man is driving a car. He arrives at Chae-woon’s house and is about to pick the lock but Chae-woon and Ja-yu arrive then. Chae-woon sees his car but doesn’t think anything of it. The man escapes.

While Ja-yu settled in, Chae-woon and the other bodyguard take turns patrolling. Chae-woon tells Ja-yu that this was his parents’ house but they’re currently in the US. She seems to get along with his cat Man-sik. He wonders at the fact that she’s not upset about the accusations. She seems to think there’s no point in being upset. Hae-deun comes over with a set of guns for the bodyguards. She says Ja-yu will have to stay there until after New Year’s since the hotels are all full.

While patrolling, Chae-woon thinks about how he asked Ja-yu if she was responsible for Sin-gu’s wife’s death. She didn’t respond. At present, Chae-woon reads online about how Ja-yu lost her sister and was cut off from her parents after her mother committed financial fraud.

Later, Seonu Jae tells his grandfather that Ja-yu refused his father’s offer. Lee Mungyu isn’t surprised and looks at photos of the BF labs. He seems to be looking for something. Meanwhile, Seonu Jae is getting some sort of IV drip.

Sometime later, Ja-yu gets a call from Seonu Jae. She arrives to meet him but the prime minister has to rush somewhere else due to an armoury raid at a police station. While driving back, Ja-yu’s car is forced to take a detour due to road construction. They suddenly find their way blocked by a car, from which armed men begin to shoot.

More men come out from the woods and the car’s tire gets punctured, forcing it to crash to a stop. Ja-yu, Seo Hui, and the two bodyguards run out of the car. While hiding behind rocks, Ja-yu seems to have a panic attack, recalling the bombing incident. Chae-woon assures her he will keep her safe. In the ensuing fight, Chae-woon ends up getting injured at the end of Blood Free Episode 4.

The Episode Review

Blood Free Episode 4 takes the tension to a higher level. We learn about Sin-gu’s death and see the backlash that Ja-yu faces, although she does it all with a stoic expression. Things definitely get a little more intimate with Chae-woon and Ja-yu as she has to stay at his house. But the back and forth of suspicion between them is quite interesting, with each one questioning the other.

It’s still a little hard to feel emotionally connected to this show. Ja-yu is as closed off from the viewer as she is from everyone else and we’ve only gotten little flashes of her past life to explain her personality. It makes it difficult to root for her and in a plot-heavy show where there is so much going on, it’s important for the viewers to feel invested in the story. As of now, Blood Free hasn’t quite captured this.