No Gain No Love – K-drama Episode 7 Recap & Review

Episode 7

Episode 7 of No Gain No Love picks back up from the drunken dinner in the previous episode. Gyu-hyun, Ha-jun and Yi-lin carry Hae-yeong, Ji-uk and Woo-jae up to their respective hotel rooms. At some point in the night, Woo-jae drunkenly stumbles into the couple’s room and that’s how the three of them wake up in the same bed.

Yi-lin visits them in the morning and berates Woo-jae for disturbing the other two. She then drops a shocking piece of news — since Hae-yeong and Ji-uk made excellent PR for the company, she found a way to keep them together. Woo-jae will now head a second team in Hae-yeong’s department, with Ji-uk working under him so there is no conflict of interest.

Later, Hae-yeong says she regrets getting married because of the mess they’ve landed in. Ji-uk looks disheartened but promises to give her a divorce whenever she wants it. Unfortunately for them, Woo-jae overhears the whole conversation.

Ji-uk comes home to find mystery man waiting for him, otherwise known as Manager Jang. Ji-uk says he’s accepted the job but doesn’t want anything more. He plans to move out of the apartment. Elsewhere, Hae-yeong goes to Tae-hyeong’s studio to meet Hui-seong but ends up seeing Tae-hyeong embracing another woman. She is ready to attack him when Hui-seong arrives and stops her.

At home, Ja-yeon gets a call from the orphanage director who says that Gyu-hyun has sent the orphanage a bunch of dryers. Hae-yeong and Hui-seong then arrive home in the midst of a fight. Hui-seong reveals that she’s in a polyamorous relationship with Tae-hyeong.

Hae-yeong can’t understand how they can love more than one person at a time. Ja-yeon forces them to hold hands and talk it out. Hae-yeong says she’s worried but Hui-seong says that as long as she has Ja-yeon and Hae-yeong by her side, she doesn’t care what the world thinks.

Gyu-hyun gets another talking to from his father when the newspapers print an article about a Kkulbee employee who registered fake children to take advantage of the employee benefits.

Back to Hae-yeong’s dilemma, Hui-seong warns her that Woo-jae knows what she’s like while in love and could see through her act with Ji-uk. Hae-yeong relates the same to Ji-uk on their way to work and makes him practice saying and doing romantic things (although the butterflies she feels are all too real). At work, she even pretends Ji-uk cooked gimbap for her.

Hae-yeong’s colleague then tells her that HR has people undercover spying on employees all the time. After that, Hae-yeong decides it’s best if Ji-uk moves into her house, specifically into the tiny room on the building’s roof. She brings him over to clean the place out and he sees the photograph of him with Hae-yeong’s mother. A flashback to nine years ago shows a young Ji-uk turning up to the house and being greeted by Hae-yeong’s mother.

At the orphanage, Gyu-hyun makes Ha-jun help dry the kids’ clothes in the new dryers. Ja-yeon comes by to question Gyu-hyun about his intentions in buying the machines. Before Ha-jun can see them, Gyu-hyun grabs her hand and runs. He pretends it was to protect her identity.

When he asks about the name of her story’s main character ‘Ha-jun’, she says it’s the name of the person she has a crush on. Afterwards, she ends up seeing Ha-jun and Gyu-hyun anyway but Gyu-hyun makes sure that Ha-jun doesn’t see her.

The next day, Gyu-hyun sees that Ja-yeon has gone on hiatus and isn’t writing. She hasn’t responded to his messages either. He then learns that Hae-yeong has invited Ha-jun to a housewarming/dinner party and that Ja-yeon is part of her family. Gyu-hyun speaks to Ji-uk to try and get himself invited but it doesn’t work.

Back home, Hui-seong and Ja-yeon pull out all the stops to prepare the house for the housewarming, even though Ja-yeon seems hesitant to see Ha-jun again. The whole party soon arrives and Hae-yeong and Ji-uk put on the perfect show of a married couple. When Gi-un boasts about how nice Ji-uk is and how many women are upset that he’s married, Hae-yeong feels a bit guilty.

After the party, she apologises that because of her, Ji-uk can’t experience the life of a newbie employee and date girls. He asks her if she really wants him to date other girls and she nods. He tells her that his body and heart are in the same place right now, inadvertently confessing his feelings.

After he goes upstairs, Hae-yeong keeps thinking about him. Recalling Hui-seong’s words about life being short, Hae-yeong goes upstairs and walks up to Ji-uk, kissing him.

An epilogue of No Gain No Love Episode 7 shows Hae-yeong and Ji-uk, drunk in their hotel room.  Ji-uk helps Hae-yeong remove her necklace. When she’s about to remove the wedding ring, he tells her to keep it on. He says while she’s wearing it, she’s on his side. He bought his own ring because he wanted her to be on his side. She smiles and says he’s cute.

The Episode Review

No Gain No Love continues to be a riot in terms of romance, comedy, office politics and more. This show has hit the nail on the head with its specific brand of humour. More than halfway into the show, the gags, antics, and small animated graphics continue to be hilarious.

Hae-yeong’s tendency to go out of the way to ensure her success is a joy to watch particularly as the more level-headed Ji-uk is forced to put up with her shenanigans. Needless to say, their chemistry is hot as ever and Kim Young-dae’s heart-eyes expression is a swoonworthy one as evident in Episode 7.

With Hui-seong’s storyline and Hae-yeong’s box of shame in the attic, the K-drama considerably opens up its approach to sexuality. This is not only incredibly intriguing but also a pleasant surprise from a K-drama, I hope they continue to treat the subject with respect. Gyu-hyun and Ja-yeon’s story feels a bit dragged compared to the rollercoaster of Hae-yeong’s life but hopefully, things will move on soon.