Hierarchy – K-drama Episode 3 Recap & Review

Hierarchy: A League Of Their Own

Episode 3 of Hierarchy picks up right where we left off. Jae-i questions why Ha came to the school and as they stare into one another’s eyes, there seems to be a mutual understanding. He claims he’s here to take her place as the top student. It throws her completely off-guard, especially as his file states that he has no siblings and she assumed it would relating to In-han. Is this a forgery? Jae-i isn’t the only one rattled though.

Ri-an is caught up over Jae-i’s kiss with Kang Ha and acts like a man possessed. He goes all-in with this fake relationship with He-ra, although he begrudgingly goes along with her enthusiastic take on it.

While they ride to school together, Jae-i shows up in her car and rides with Kang Ha. She’s curious over his bracelet, which he claims is a friendship bracelet as part of being in the orchestra. Jae-i and Kang Ha are the talk of the town, especially as they walk in, hand in hand. The Principal is shocked when she sees them together, given Jae-i has never held hands with anyone else other than Ri-an. And he’s even part of the prestigious class too, given Jae-i has helped sort out his tuition.

Back in class, the ties between the students continues to grow. One of the kids, Kim Seon-u, shows up with chocolates for Hera. He’s madly in love with her but she doesn’t even bat an eyelid. Apparently they slept together at Woo-jin’s party and since then, he’s been interested. It’s ironic really because you can tell that He-ra likes him and she’s using this fake relationship to push her own agenda. She wants to come public with it but Ri-an tells her to calm it down.

Tae-ho drops down and apologizes to Kang Ha in the school hall after initially bullying him. He’s incredulous to the whole encounter and eventually walks away, realizing that nobody at this school has a spine nor can they stand up for themselves. All because of Ri-an and Jaeyul’s influence.

Kang-ha receives a note in his locker not long after, warning him about Ri-an and provoking him. Whoever wrote this claims that this is “how it started” last time. He drops it on the floor and Ri-an reads it though, but he doesn’t act on it. He suspects that it may be Tae-ho and messages, asking to meet and talk about this. Ju-won sees all.

In the middle of this, He-ra and Ri-an kiss in the middle of playing a rugby game. Jae-i sees and hardly bats an eye but Seon-u is crushed. With He-ra playing for Queen, Seon-u rides up on his bike and they talk in private. She slaps him and points out she only slept with him to see what he was like in bed. And her reaction? She thinks he’s… mediocre. Seon-u is crushed, especially as he really likes her. However, He-ra is heartless and eventually walks away.

While this is going on, the Principal is caught under Ri-an’s family’s thumb. Specifically, her mother. She wants a parents evening to be hosted to try and give her son some “attention” like he’s been craving. However, she wants her affiliated companies to also attend so she can do business at the same time.

Kang Ha and Tae-ho meet to discuss Ri-an’s past. Unbeknownst to them, Ju-won happens to be spying on them from afar. He wonders whether the big charade outside the school was just one big show or not. In private, Tae-ho appears to be part of this, given Ha mentions the hit and run and In-han. He needs Ri-an’s locker code as he’s convinced that Yun-seok is supplying drugs to Ri-an. Unfortunately, their entire conversation is being eavesdropped on by Ju-won, who happens to be nearby.

That night, Jae-i speaks to Ri-an and wants to know why he’s getting He-ra involved. Just before they finish speaking, He-ra messages and she’s put on speakerphone and invited over. When they part ways, Jae-i tells He-ra not to play Ri-an’s “games”. She scoffs at the notion and shows up at Ri-an’s mansion, ready to play queen of the castle.

As for Jae-i, she heads home and receives another set of videos. Her dread is undone a little by Kang Ha who shows to take her out on his bike. He promises her that he won’t overplay anything but knows that his role as her boyfriend involves having feelings for her. Jae-i though walks away without revealing very much.

Speaking of revealing, Hae-i confronts He-ra and asks for information on what she’s found out. He-ra plays the victim and claims that it was all Ri-an and he’s the one who instigated this fake relationship. Jae-i though simply says that she won’t stand for this and tells her straight up that she won’t allow their relationship. She also demands He-ra get the anonymous account issue resolved immediately.

That night, Jae-i’s father picks out his daughter’s outfit ahead of parent’s evening. She stays silent the whole time, remembering Ha’s words about how her eyes are lonely but she herself acts indifferent.

Elsewhere, He-ra’s father speaks to his daughter about her ties with Jae-i. He wants to use the parent’s evening as a way of broaching a new business deal. He wants to approach Jaeyul and strike a deal by going through Chairman Jung. He wants He-ra to be the one whose friendship will get his foot in the door. It doesn’t go to plan, especially when Jae-i shrugs him off and decides not to do He-ra a favour.

Kang Ha continues to work his magic with Jae-i but she’s cautious around his smile and wonders what may be hidden there. Ha plays a good game and he’s part of the orchestra as he pays music for the whole event. I mean, given Ha is supposed to be one of the students as well I’m not sure why his parents aren’t here? But there we go.

In the middle of this swanky soiree, a business deal between Jooshin and Jaeyul is proposed, bringing the two companies together to create a big union with massive power. To further solidify this, he mentions how Ri-an and Jae-i are in a relationship already. But before Ri-an can speak up, the business deal falls through. Instead, He-ra decides to drop a grenade, and introduces Kang Ha as Jae-i’s boyfriend.

The Episode Review

So Kang-Ha and Jae-i have been introduced together and given we know exactly what Jae-i’s father is like, how will he react to all of this? It certainly poses an interesting conundrum but it also looks like we’re gearing up for the “evil Chairman” twist. Could it be that Jae-i’s father covered up the murder as he disapproved of his daughter’s relationship? It certainly looks that way right now given what we’ve seen.

Meanwhile, the kids continue to scheme and we get more of that trademark Elite flavour start to bleed through here.

On the whole, Hierarchy is a decent enough watch and as we reach the halfway point, things do look like they’re about to pick up in a big way.