Love Your Enemy – K-drama Episode 9 Recap & Review

Episode 9

Episode 9 of Love Your Enemy begins with Ji-hye assisting Yoon Ji-won and Seok Ji-won by taking Seok Ji-won’s father to a different room and alerting the couple of his presence. The next day, Seok Ji-won ensures that Yoon Ji-won travels back with him in his car, and the couple spends some time together at a nearby stop. Unfortunately, they run into the other teachers, who have also stopped at the same location. This marks the end of their secret dating life.

Meanwhile, Hae-su and her friends discover that the new student, Jeong-yul, has also joined the gifted class. However, tensions arise when Hae-su and Jeong-yul get into a fight after Jeong-yul repeatedly disrupts the other students.

Seok Ji-won’s father then decides to reserve a school road for members of the golf resort, despite its critical importance for the students accessing the school. Elsewhere, Yoon Ji-won sneaks out to meet Seok Ji-won at his house but is surprised to find the other teachers there as well. The teachers question the couple about their relationship, but after they leave, the Ji-wons spend the night together, falling asleep until dawn.

At school, Seok Ji-won treats the entire school to breakfast in order to make up for Yoon Ji-won missing hers earlier in the morning. Following his assistant’s suggestion, Seok Ji-won finally decides to propose to Yoon Ji-won.

Elsewhere, suggestive pictures of Hae-su and Dr. Hong spread throughout the school, prompting the vice principal to interrogate Hae-su and Dr. Hong about their relationship. Soo-ah overhears the conversation and intervenes to protect both of them. In the process, Dr. Hong confesses that Hae-su is his daughter. He reveals that he only learned of her existence a year ago and has been agonizing over the revelation ever since. Soo-ah reflects on her initial reaction, realizing it may have been problematic.

Meanwhile, banners opposing Seok Ji-won’s father’s decision to reserve the school road emerge, with parents actively resisting the move. Gyung-hoon, suspecting Yoon Jae-ho is behind the protest, tries to shift his focus by revealing Yoon Ji-won’s relationship with Seok Ji-won. However, Jae-ho eventually accepts their relationship after witnessing the love in Seok Ji-won’s gaze toward Yoon Ji-won.

Later, Seok Ji-won refuses to step down as the school’s chairperson and openly declares his relationship with Yoon Ji-won to his furious father and supportive mother. He plans to propose to Yoon Ji-won and arranges to meet her, but just as she is about to leave, she encounters a man from her past and runs away in distress.

The Episode Review

Love Your Enemy has now shifted fully into romcom territory, thankfully leaving behind the chaos of its earlier episodes. That said, this drama is far from extraordinary – it relies heavily on tired romcom K-drama tropes and remains highly predictable, with shallowly written characters who lack depth.

By this episode, however, we do get to enjoy the heartwarming dynamic between the two childhood sweethearts, offering some respite from the otherwise uninspired plotline.

And, of course, true to the uncreative nature of this show, the writers had to introduce a superficial villain to stretch the series to at least 12 episodes. Without this, there’s little to sustain the plot, especially as the family rivalry trope gradually fizzles out.