Is This A Revenge Drama?
Episode 4 of Call It Love starts with Woo-ju telling Jun what happened at the office over pizza. They discuss how Hee-ja didn’t recognize her and Woo-ju was the only one who had to carry those hurtful memories. So, of course, she had to do something. Jun takes her side and tells her she did good but she should end it here.
Sun-woo tells Dong-jin that Director Kim isn’t at home so he must be abroad. He tells Dong-jin to not go back to the office just as the former reaches the building’s entrance. Meanwhile, Director Kim watches Sun-woo drive away from his apartment complex.
Hae-sung sees Dong-jin and calls Woo-ju, telling her and Jun to not come to the pub. They head toward the pub anyway. Meanwhile, Hae-sung approaches Dong-jin and introduces herself. She asks him what his relationship with Woo-ju is. She pesters Dong-jin into having a drink with her even when he insists he and Woo-ju are colleagues. Ji-gu arrives and joins them. Dong-jin steps out to take a call which is when Woo-ju and Jun arrive. Hae-sung is all smug about getting them together. Woo-ju is shocked. She drags Dong-jin outside and asks if he knew her sister. He assures her they’ve only met once before at the bank. She tells him to leave because she doesn’t want him around her family. He seems to get angry and asks if she enjoys saying whatever’s on her mind irrespective of who gets hurt because of it.
Hae-sung and Jun fight about what she just did as well as her tendency to date lousy men. Jun claims he was there to pick up the pieces every time
While having dinner at home, Woo-ju makes it clear that nothing is going on between her and Dong-jin. Hae-sung tells Woo-ju she looked beautiful next to him. She pesters Woo-ju to at least try dating him. She reveals that Dong-jin was going to leave but chose to come in when he heard that Woo-ju was coming too. She says he’s lonely and it’s 100% because of a girl.
At a camping area, a man approaches Min-young, who is packing up. She thanks him for never asking her any questions. He tells her to just meet Dong-jin and stop avoiding him.
Dae-hong, the old man, sends a message to Dong-jin with a photograph of wood for camping, asking him to visit.
A flashback shows Min-young and Dong-jin packing up their camping equipment. She says she wants to break up. He asks her to do it at home otherwise he won’t be able to come camping again. She tells him she’s getting married next month. At present, he gets a paper cut and thinks about the cut he had on his hand on that day.
Dong-jin goes out to take out the trash. Behind him, a cab drops off Min-young. When he comes back, he finds strawberries by his door, left there by his neighbour. He rings the doorbell but no one opens.
CEO Shin meets Young-min, who is worried that Dong-jin knows everything. A flashback reveals that Shin enticed another company out of Dong-jin’s exhibition. Director Kim is also on his side now.
Woo-ju comes across Dong-jin at the office kitchen. She’s forgotten to bring his bag from the night before. He tells her not to feel sorry about how she spoke to him the other night.
Sun-woo goes to check on Director Kim and sees him getting into his car. Kim tells him to forget the contract and apologise to Dong-jin.
Hae-sung waits until the security guard, Su-ho, comes out for his break. She asks him out for lunch but he says he enjoys eating alone. Woo-ju arrives, having seen everything. They have lunch together.
Sun-woo is at the bank to see about a business loan. He lies to Dong-jin on the phone saying things with Director Kim are fine. Dong-jin realises Sunwoo is at the bank and comes to join him.
Woo-ju and Hae-sung talk as the latter has her coffee. She asks Woo-ju why she doesn’t like Dong-jin. Woo-ju says she doesn’t like his back because of how it looks weighed down and sad. Sun-woo and Dong-jin, who are walking nearby, hear the whole thing. Dong-jin says they didn’t mean to eavesdrop but Woo-ju doesn’t care that he knows and walks off.
Min-young and Sun-woo have a drink together. She asks if the company’s alright and Sun-woo asks if she really wants to know about Dong-jin.
At work, after everyone else leaves, Woo-ju gets a text message. She goes to a restaurant and meets Young-min there. He says Best Fair is going down soon so she should find another job.
Sun-woo tells Min-young about Director Kim. She asks about CEO Shin, making Sunwoo surprised that she knows. She says he was the one that told him. When they leave, Min-young tells him she’s moved back to the place where she used to stay. Sun-woo drops her off and asks her why she suddenly came back. She doesn’t answer and he agrees to pretend to not know she lives in this building. A series of flashbacks show that it was Min-young who would bang on Dong-jin’s front door and she was the one who left the strawberries. Dong-jin arrives at that moment and Min-young hurries upstairs while Sun-woo pretends he’s here to see him.
Woo-ju convinces Young-min to tell her his plan on destroying Best Fairs. He says CEO Shin and him are recruiting all the companies and the fair will be a massive failure, taking every penny of the company with it.
Dong-jin goes to meet Director Kim. Kim says he can’t sign this contract despite his friendship with Dong-jin. He apologises but Dong-jin says he would have believed it if the apology came earlier. He says he was worried about Kim. When Min-young left him he thought about dying every day but didn’t because he didn’t want people to gossip about why he died. He leaves a bag of supplies as he leaves.
Min-young tries calling Sun-woo but can’t get through. She thinks about her recent meeting with CEO Shin where he revealed his tactics and the fact that Director Kim was working with him now. She rushes to Dong-jin’s workplace instead.
Dong-jin enters the building and sees her but just turns and walks away. He goes up the stairs, stops, collects himself and then goes back to meet her. He tells her to come outside. Woo-ju watches them leave from the lobby.
Dong-jin tells Min-young to show at least a bit of respect and not just show up in front of him like this. She tells him she moved to where she used to stay and thought she should let him know. She promises to avoid him and Dong-jin replies that this is very like her.
Dong-jin drinks alone at a bar and drops a bottle while leaving, cutting his hand on the glass. Sun-woo tries to desperately get in touch with Dong-jin. When he finally does, Dong-jin asks Sun-woo when he found out she was living in his building. Dong-jin confesses that she left him with a wedding invitation and then cuts the phone.
While crossing the road he stops and stands in the way of an oncoming car but gets pulled out of the way. It’s none other than Woo-ju. She asks him what’s wrong with him and goes to smack him on the shoulder but he catches her hand midway.
The Episode Review
Episode 4 continues to feel more like an office drama than a revenge drama. Somehow Woo-ju’s actions are still not matching up to all her words and fiery feelings. I do like that she seems unsure about Dong-jin and reluctantly sympathetic towards him. But this would have had more impact if she was the one running the revenge scheme rather than playing a marginal role in someone else’s plot.
This, honestly, makes Woo-ju’s character a little disappointing. It’s a shame to watch such a strong, complex and unique character just meander in between people and events rather than moving the plot herself. The Jun and Hae-sung love line is so obvious and I’m not really invested in them as a couple. It is made ever so slightly better by the fact that both their characters are quirky and enjoyable.
Kim Young-kwang continues to play Dong-jin very, very well. From the scene where he has to collect himself on the staircase to his confrontation with Min-young and his heartbreaking confession to Sun-woo, the performance was nuanced and moving.
I also noticed that he did stand up for himself once or twice in this episode but it was always around Woo-ju. And doesn’t that really say it all about the effect they’re already having on each other?
Overall though, an average episode made better by Young-kwang’s performance and the revelations about Min-young.
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