Gangnam B-Side – K-drama Episode 4 Recap & Review

Episode 4

Episode 4 of Gangnam B-Side begins with Gil-ho heading to HYENA. Min texts him that it is a trap and sends him the subway photo. He doesn’t trust her and heads inside with Psyche. Min arrives as well and calls him. He asks her for proof and she leaves the call on and meets Joon-seo.

The girl they have is an escort who is wearing a fake tattoo. Having figured that Jae-hee isn’t there, Min, Dong-woo and Gil-ho regroup at the arcade. Joon-seo is annoyed they lost Gil-ho and beats up Psyche for it.

At the arcade, Min asks about Jung-hwa and Gil-ho tells them about Joon-seo’s events where they do whatever they want to escorts including killing them. Gil-ho left Jung-hwa’s body in a public place in hopes the cops would at least start an investigation.

Meanwhile, Jae-hee meets a colleague, Jin-young for money. Jin-young blames Jung-hwa for ruining their business and plans to go to Joon-seo’s Colosseum while ignoring Jae-hee’s warnings. Elsewhere, Tak is angry with Joon-seo for killing a cop and tells him to focus on destroying Jae-hee’s video.

As for our good guys, Min and Dong-woo ask for Moon’s help in bypassing Tak. He is hesitant but sends the Inspector General who questions Gil-ho. They learn that Gangnam Trading Company is a front, Joon-seo is its manager and he killed Gang-su and Jung-hwa. But till they find the evidence, they need to protect Gil-ho. Dong-woo takes him to Jang-ho’s, but the former cop hates Gil-ho as they are rivals.

Joon-seo is busy organising the Colosseum which is an event where millionaires bet on a fighting ring with no rules. He lashes out at Psyche for interrupting but the dealer has brought Jin-young who hopes to be rewarded for snitching on Jae-hee. However, Joon-seo simply has her tortured till she gives up their new base. Psyche finds Gil-ho’s friend, Jung-kwan and beats him up too.

Meanwhile, Gil-ho asks Dong-woo about his interest in Jae-hee. The cop tells him about Ye-seo’s request and turns out the pimp knows her. Jae-hee had brought her to get a tattoo to cover up her scars from all the bullying. They became friends but Dong-woo doesn’t believe him.

Tak shuts down Yun’s case since he is dead. As Min is heading out with the file, she sees him generously greet the Inspector General. Turns out, they are friends. Frustrated, she wants to publicise Gangnam Trading Company via the media. Dongwoo is against it as it would ruin the lives of the girls and they are at an impasse.

Things come to a head as Psyche texts Jae-hee a photo of beaten up Jin-young and Jung-kwon. To shut everything down once and for all, she texts Gil-ho that she will be going to the Colosseum alone. Upset, he too rushes to the event without informing anyone. Dong-woo finds him missing and calls him only to be shocked by the new developments. He too wants to go to the site but Min offers to get a warrant.

At the Colosseum, Jae-hee has tagged along with a VIP. He refuses to let her out of his car and she stabs him and ties him up. She sneaks backstage and finds Jin-young alone. The fight has begun and one of the players is Jung-kwon. Joon-seo announces that the winner will get 2 billion won and the VIPs all start betting.

At the entrance, Jang-ho crashes in and creates a distraction while Dong-woo searches for Gil-ho and Jae-hee. However, Gil-ho has entered the ring, disguised as one of the fighters. Joon-seo doesn’t notice as he has been informed of Jae-hee’s arrival. He heads backstage only for her to slice his face.

Angry, he carves up her face as retaliation while lamenting how he cannot kill her yet. He drags her out and a shocked Gil-ho reveals himself. But chaos ensues as Jae-hee has been livestreaming the event with the VIP’s phone. Min arrives with a warrant and the VIPs all start scattering. 

Psyche, Jae-hee and Joon-seo drive off but Gil-ho throws a brick at their car, startling Psyche. Annoyed, Joon-seo smacks Psyche and wants to drive as he gets out of the passenger seat. But Psyche drives off, angry at Joon-seo for always looking down on him. However, Psyche is intercepted by Min’s people outside and she rescues Jae-hee.

Meanwhile, a cocky Joon-seo provokes Gil-ho that Jae-hee is dead but he is untouchable as he has the cops on his side. Enraged, Gil-ho starts beating him up and refuses to listen when Joon-seo tries to tell him about Choi and that Jae-hee is alive. He wants to kill him to avenge his girls but Dong-woo finds him. He stops Gil-ho by revealing that Jae-hee is safe. 

At the end of Gangnam B-Side Episode 4, Gil-ho has run off. Dong-woo is looking after Jae-hee who is hospitalized. Min finds that Joon-seo has been killed and a thug has framed it as a suicide.

Chief Prosecutor Tak tells the media that he will personally make Joon-seo pay. It seems that he plans to pin everything on Joon-seo and Min confronts him. However, he threatens to fire her and tells her to walk away. As for Dong-woo, he gets a call that his daughter has been taken hostage.

The Episode Review

Gangnam B-Side Episode 4 finally picks up in terms of the action. The first half of the K-drama resolves the Jae-hee mystery and gives viewers enough to piece together the facade of Joon-seo and his illegal activities. Gil-ho confirms the role of Gangnam Trading Company as a front for these different trafficking rings.

Looks like the second half of the show will dig deeper into the case and finally introduce us to the #1 big baddie – Mr. Choi. We may also get an idea as to what it is that is in the video that Jae-hee recorded.

This episode was definitely a step up from the previous one as it also etches out the characters further and allows viewers to understand them. Jae-hee, Jung-hwa, Jung-kwon and Gil-ho truly see each other as family. They also seem to have taken in Ye-seo who was being bullied at school.

Min’s role is also solidified as the whole corrupt angle was a poorly-written red herring and prop to add a sense of fear over Gil-ho’s fate. From this episode, it seems that she is slightly righteous but doesn’t mind swaying to get things her way like publicizing the case even if it means besmirching the reputations of the girls.