Gangnam B-Side – K-drama Episode 8 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

Episode 8

Episode 8 of Gangnam B-Side begins with the girls going through security check at HQ. K mocks Ye-seo but allows her to take her vape which has a hidden blade. Meanwhile, the thugs bring Gil-ho to HQ. However, the tranquilizer has worn off and he beats them up and escapes. He calls Dong-woo and both are surprised to find the other at the same place. Gil-ho crashes a van at the entry and covers for Dong-woo who searches for Ye-seo.

What is Choi Hak-gu’s plan?

Inside, the inner circle meeting is taking place. Prosecutor Min Seo-jin shares the contract regarding the drugs’ launch. Next, Choi introduces the two drugs – Leon the drug, and Leon Plus the cure. And the girls that have been selected by Su-in and K are part of an illegal clinical trial. The doctors inject the first girl with Leon who has an attack. It is followed by the cure, Leon Plus and she is instantly fine.

But it is not perfect as she has a seizure and dies. Everyone present is shocked but Choi claims it is part of the process and suggests injecting Ye-seo next. However, Min stops him by bringing everyone’s attention to signing the contract. Tak is upset as the profits are divided unfairly with Choi getting the biggest share.

How do Dong-woo and Gil-ho stop Choi?

Dong-woo barely makes it to the entrance when he is stopped by K and his thugs. To buy time, Dong-woo shares the video with the inner circle who are shocked to see themselves in such an incriminating position. Tak takes the reign as he tears the contract and tells Choi to fix everything. On top of it, he wants an equal share. However, Choi just shoots him, replaces him with Min and makes the rest of the inner circle sign the contract before they run off.

Outside, Dong-woo struggles but Gil-ho arrives and holds off the thugs while convincing the former cop to find Ye-seo. Gil-ho comes face to face with K and they take their anger out on each other. Soon, Gil-ho is overpowered as K slices his Achilles tendon and stabs him in the shoulder. But Gil-ho grabs the same knife, stabs K in the eye and pushes him off the stairs.

Inside, all the girls are dead except Ye-seo. Choi calls her to him and strikes up a conversation. She introduces herself as Jenny but he knows she is lying and mocks Jae-hee. Angry, Ye-seo tries to stab him but he easily stops her. He grabs Leon and calls out to Dong-woo who finally finds them.

He begs Choi to stop but the chairman injects Ye-seo with the drug. Dong-woo is distraught as Ye-seo has a seizure. Min frantically administers the cure and Ye-seo miraculously recovers. But in the confusion, Choi has escaped.

Dong-woo goes after him and shoots his car. It crashes into Gil-ho’s van and Dong-woo grabs Choi, beating him to within an inch of his life. He points the gun and Choi mocks him when Ye-seo arrives and tells Dong-woo to stop. However, Gil-ho arrives, takes the gun and shoots Choi point-blank in the head. As he limps away he recalls his time with Jae-hee.

What happens in the aftermath?

Dong-woo and Ye-seo patch up. A while later, they visit Jung-hwa and Jae-hee’s graves. Ye-seo sadly recalls her time with Jae-hee and how they had fun together.

Jae-hee’s video goes public and the inner circle is arrested. Hae-il Tech is under investigation and Leon and Leon Plus’ launch has been delayed. Min gives an interview and admits that she is an accomplice as she was initially seduced by ambition. However, when she realised the extent of the corruption, she decided to stop it. She will cooperate and pay the price for her weakness.

At the end of Gangnam B-Side Episode 8, we see that Dong-woo is a cop again. There is a fire in a club and he finds a burning stash of drugs which includes Neon. He realises that it is Gil-ho’s doing as he runs out and spots the pimp limping away. They catch each other’s eye and smile before going their separate ways.

The Episode Review

Gangnam B-Side Episode 8 finally brings an end to this crime thriller. Disney+’s K-dramas are usually a hit or miss and this one falls in the second category. Unfortunate, as we had all expected a The Worst of Evil 2.0 with Ji Chang-wook and BIBI reuniting. 

Min continues to be the weak link from start to finish but guess with the way this show ends, this is as close to redemption as we can get for her. While the interview tries to explain her initial actions, it once again puts her under scrutiny. If she knew what she had signed up for, why did she constantly act appalled when Captain Yun and Joon-seo confided all their corrupt ways to her? 

However, Gangnam B-Side is able to give us enough closure and a complete ending despite the messy and convoluted run-time. Most of the finale’s action is focused on getting to Ye-seo and Choi but with the show losing its fuel and going downhill, we get to relax and enjoy the climax unfold.

Dong-woo beating up Choi repeatedly was super satisfying and arguably the highlight of the finale. The second one was Ye-seo and Jae-hee’s flashback. We barely get a glimpse into their relationship but we won’t be complaining if the showrunners decide to cast the girls together in another show.