Nevertheless – K-Drama Episode 2 Recap & Review

Red Flags

Episode 2 of Nevertheless begins with Na-Bi contemplating whether Jae-Eon is the real deal or not. She’s warned by Bit-Na that Jae-Eon is a player, which certainly unsettles her. Well, after rocking the boat the two are left alone at lunch.

Granting him his wish, Ja-Eon takes Na-Bi into a nightclub for them to hang out. However, she’s taken aback by the volume level. He eventually encourages her to dance with him though, as the pair stare into one another’s eyes.

Things soon go awry though when Jae-Eon heads outside for a cigarette. A girl wearing leather appears and seems to know Jae-Eon quite well. She even has a butterfly tattoo on her wrist. It certainly makes Na-Bi feel uncomfortable. According to Jae-Eon, they went to the same academy but don’t have much history.

Still reeling over what she was told earlier on in the episode, Na-Bi eventually decides to part ways with him and head home.

In the studio, Na-Bi has her picture taken by Bit-Na. Midway through shooting though, Jae-Eon suddenly comes bounding in and fusses over her, asking if she’s okay. He quickly encourages her to head out and eat, holding Na-Bi’s hand and deciding they should eat together. He also sends numerous messages to her. When I say numerous I mean an absolutely relentless barrage of text messages.

After a pretty raunchy dream, Jae-Eon wakes Na-Bi up with another missed call (red flag girl, red flag!) and she hurries into school. She’s late for her class but Jae-Eon happens to be in the same lecture. He eventually parks himself next to her but she pretends to be asleep, especially when a spot appears on her face overnight.

Na-Bi’s presentation begins but things immediately go awry when she feels her period come on. Oh man, what awful timing. She hurries out class but Jae-Eon follows. He helps her out, promising not to tell anyone about her accident.

Up on the rooftop, the rest of the group join together and arrange heading out for drinks. Here we learn Se-Hun has a crush on Sol and has decided he wants to open up and admit how he feels later that evening.

Na-Bi shows up too, although she’s immediately on edge when she hears the other girls discussing Jae-Eon’s popularity. Among the others in the restaurant, Na-Bi is sat next to Min-Sang and Eun-Han. The party really gets started though when Jae-Eon shows up.

As they head outside for some air, Min-Sang gets involved again. He asks outright about Na-Bi’s mood but Jae-Eon interjects. He nonchalantly claims there’s nothing going on between them. Poor Na-Bi, you can see the joy drain from her face.

Na-Bi heads off to the bathroom to cool off, where Bit-Na follows and encourages her to see the bigger picture. According to her, Jae-Eon does like Na-Bi, especially with the whole lime-drink gig. When they do talk again, Jae-Eon decides against them dating and queries whether they can just be close.

Eventually the party heads back to the dorms. The kids all loudly play spin the bottle but neighbours arrive to tell them to keep the noise down. When Na-Bi confronts them, Jae-Eon tellingly puts his arm round her.

In the midst of all this drama, the whole Sol/Se-Hun situation is complicated further by Ji-Wan’s inclusion. It’s very Obvious that she has the hots for her, and their spin the bottle game ends in disappointment when she’s not able to kiss her.

After the party, Na-Bi heads outside and notices Jae-Eon with another girl. He’s clearly seeing other people and Na-Bi catches him in the act. When they’re alone, he admits he wanted to kiss her. Eventually the pair do lock lips, as lots of question marks are left over where this one may end up next.

The Episode Review

Run Na-Bi, run away! Honestly, Jae-Eon is giving off so many red flags that it’s tough to watch Na-Bi fall headfirst into what’s likely to end in heartbreak.

Nevertheless has done a good job depicting the trials and tribulations of romance though. All the ups and downs are here, including the jealousy, heartache and euphoria of love, wrapped up in a heady cocktail of obsession and toxicity.

Seeing Jae-Eon’s hot and cold attitude to Na-Bi, including messaging her constantly, should be enough to run a mile. I get that the pair aren’t officially dating but seeing Jae-Eon off kissing other girls while acting so close to Na-Bi doesn’t feel right and it definitely makes him look like a player.

Either way, the pair do end up kissing by the end but it also feels like this one is going to end in heartache and disappointment. Poor Na-Bi, hopefully she gets a happy ending.