Extracurricular – Netflix K-Drama Episode 3 Recap & Review

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Desperate to find his Father, episode 3 of Extracurricular begins with Ji-Soo trying to use his contacts to track him down. At the same time, Gyuri pleads with Ji-Soo to let her join his operation, blackmailing him by withholding the phone in the hope of getting a yes.

Begrudgingly he lets her tag along to the address he’s uncovered for where his Father is staying, where he talks to her about his operation. He tells her it’s all about protecting these young girls and that he’s in the business of security. She’s not so sure however and after an awkward conversation, the two stake out in the dingy living room.

Eventually, Ji-Soo’s father arrives back home and tells them he’s invested their money into a new crypto-currency scheme. Unfortunately it crashes and they lose all the money. Realizing he’s lost everything, Ji-Soo heads back on the bus in silence, refusing to speak to Gyuri who feels bad for her part in this whole ordeal. With no money left, he’s forced to skip the academy for the upcoming month and when he receives messages on his work phone from Min-Hee and the others, Ji-Soo wonders just what to do surrounding his operation.

Sung-Mi and Mr Lee meanwhile discuss Uncle’s absence. When Ji-Soo calls and asks him to mobilize, Mr Lee instead decides to ask for his money. Of course, Ji-Soo no longer has those sort of fees but tells him to mobilize and wait for his signal nonetheless.

Min-Hee heads to the internet cafe and speaks to Ki-Tae, who admits he’s only dating her because of her money and ches. it’s a harsh home truth for her and enough to have her hurry back to Mr Lee and decide to start working again. Only, he believes she’s mentally not ready for this and especially after her ordeal, it may not be the wisest move.

Midterm exam time arrives and Gyuri takes her opportunity to talk to Min-Hee about her work. Although she mentions being a waitress and how the business hasn’t been paid, she senses that trouble may be brewing given how similar it echoes with what’s happening with Ji-Soo right now. 

Our protagonist meanwhile works hard for his money with a new full-time job but it’s not enough to cover his expenses. Given Gyuri does have money, he’s forced to team up with her.,Down on his luck, Gyuri gives him some hope by handing over the amount he owes Mr Lee and encouraging him to start the business back up. He refuses to do this though and walks away. Tired from working so hard, Ji-Soo starts to fall behind at school and falls asleep in class.

Mr Cho takes him aside and talks to Ji-Soo about what’s going on, including his feelings for Gyuri and the application form for his club. Unfortunately the exams are a complete disaster for Ji-Soo and he snaps when he learns he got less than half the answers right. After punching one of the boys in the face, he confronts Gyuri and allows her to join his business.

With the foundations now set for this dysfunctional duo to team up together, the added inclusion of the police investigation helps to give the show an extra later of depth. There’s some decent character work for Min-Hee in this, and it’s backed up by some nice stylistic ticks, including split screens, lots of swearing and vaping and expository on-screen text.  The door is certainly left open for the next episode and it’ll be interesting to see where the drama goes from here.