The Teacher & The Student

Dare to Love Me Episode 3 lands us back under the umbrella Yoon-bok holds over Hong-do. On the way back, they argue over Yoon-bok holding the umbrella solicitously for Hong-do but getting wet himself. Later at home, Hong-do wonders if he’s always been that handsome.

At work, Hong-do is the center of gossip. Fed up, she shares video evidence that her bag was taken and copied. When Hyang-gi says she’ll quit over being accused of copying a lowly assistant’s design, the boss won’t hear of it. Losing her cool, Hong-do shouts about her treatment and quits but her team leader is happy to see her go.

In steps Camille, head of the Camille brand that they’d all been drooling over. She immediately scouts Hong-do for the bag she’d seen posted online – the one Hyang-gi had imitated. And Hong-do is swept off to her new place of work.

Camille tells her she must answer her calls immediately and appear within 30 minutes when called in any country at any time of day or night. And that she hates workaholics. Hong-do celebrates that she’s progressed from lowly servant to fancy servant. Camille tells her to bring her everything that’s Korean.

READ MORE: Click for more K-drama and K-movie reviews 

Along with the investigator, Yoon-bok and Yoon-ah discuss the case, deciding to review evidence from the crime 17 years ago. Considering the Village could be the target, Yoon-bok suggests raising security at home.

Hong-hak is drawing anime characters at home, thinking of the girl who helped him at the nightclub. From the roof, he overhears Yoon-ah talk about being Yoon-bok’s bodyguard and Yoon-bok brushing off her concern for his fever.

Lying in bed feeling sorry for himself, Yoon-bok recalls being home sick as a child. His mother and sister had left the village and his father told him not to bother waiting for them, that he should only trust himself.

Yoon-ah discovers Hong-hak lurking, but he’s joking about Yoon-bok’s ability to demarcate relationships. He asks her name so he can add it to his drawing and she stalks away. He stops at Yoon-bok’s to ask about his bodyguard but finds him passed out. Unnerved, he calls his sister for help – who races home to make porridge.

Working again, Yoon-bok answers the door to Hong-do and her container of food. They go back and forth over appropriate places to sit and he forces her to have porridge too. Before she’s finished cleaning, he’s already fast asleep. So, she tells his sleeping form her great news and his part in bolstering her spine.

Camille goes through Hong-do’s photos of ‘Korean’ things, displeased with the result as she’s not operating at a designer level. ‘Newness and harmony’ are the watchwords. Marketing Head Franky Leroy displays Camille’s magic to inspire Hong-do. Yet, after tons of research, she strikes out again.

Now at home with one chance left, Hong-do recalls meeting a man as a child with the same decoration as she’d seen in a photo at Yoon-bok’s house. The design becomes inspiration for her next submission to Camille. She gains approval to explore the concept further.

The Cultural Heritage Administrator and Camille have lunch at the Jun-ho’s Joseon-style restaurant. The Administrator offers her palaces or the Blue House as venues for her show but she’s only interested in the previously untapped – such as Seongsan Village.

Yoon-bok gets a call from his sister but hangs up before she can say that she’s at a hospital. When he meets Hong-do outside, he asks her to go for a drink. Again, they sit back-to-a-back as he talks of being left alone. She promises he can lean on her but she’s caught off guard by both his grateful words and when he actually leans back.

Of course, he’s passed out again, this time from drink. She sits him down to wait while she gets him a drink of water, but once she finally finds a convenience store, her boss calls with a 30-minute deadline. Waiting, Yoon-bok counts to 100 recalling when his mother and sister left, telling him they’d be back by the time he’d finished counting.

When Yoon-bok reaches 100 he’s distraught, but here she comes running – the only person who never got tired of his ways. They make a plan for the next day and she finally gets him inside his house. And runs to meet her boss, only making it by the last minute.

The Episode Review

A bit more backstory on Yoon-bok, we find out why he’d rather avoid relationships. It’s not just his ancient scholar lifestyle. But an early-built fear of abandonment. With that tiny glimpse of his sister at what looked to be a hospital, it seems like it’s something he’ll need to confront again shortly. Is he the sort to forgive and forget? Let’s see. 

Meanwhile, I can’t help but pause at the completely far-fetched, magical job with Camille showing up at just the right time. So abrupt, it almost had me turning the channel. But as the drama is focused on romance, I guess reality is not a bothersome factor. Which means anything can happen. Am I the only one questioning? Perhaps. It could invalidate the underlying mystery. But let’s give it a chance and see. We’ve got another bite coming tomorrow. Think we’ll meet Yoon-bok’s Eomeoni?

How you likin’ Dare to Love Me? Fallen for Yoon-bok yet? Let us know in the comments below. 

READ MORE: Click for more K-drama and K-movie reviews