Step By Step – Season 1 Episode 8 Recap & Review

“I Like Men”

Episode 8 of Step-by-step starts at Put’s house. Pat is ready to give Put an answer to his question about them getting back together. Put suddenly tells Pat that he seriously is in love with him, but wants to know why Pat can’t love him back again. Even though Put’s been good to Pat, he does not feel the same way about him. Put left Pat before and the hurt still lingers. No matter what Put does now, Pat feels it cannot make up for the past. Put cannot change Pat’s mind, this is the end of PutPat and they both hug.

The next scene is at Baan Jay and the team is having a photoshoot. Chot asks Pat about the relationship between him and Put, which reminds Pat of the breakup and he becomes saddened by it. Just then, Put arrives, and soon after Jeng arrives too. Jeng tries to remind Pat of the promise he had made about helping him scout hotels.

When he feels like Pat has forgotten, he intends to let it go. However, Pat remembers but he asks to postpone. Seeing the interaction between the two Put seems concerned. Jen and Jaab have a quarrel putting Kanun in the middle. Kanun informs Jaab that Jen resigned and will be going back home to Phetchabun.

Jeng and Put have a slight confrontation in the break room. Put mentions that Pat and Jeng seem too close for a boss and a subordinate. Jeng wants to brush off his comments pretending not to understand Put’s comments but Put ain’t having it. He calls out Jeng for acting clueless. Put reminds Jeng that Pat is dating him. However, Jeng seems to be informed and he knows that they broke up.

Put plays the first love card saying Pat will never forget him. Jeng has a comeback, “But some say that first love is like a mistake one will never repeat in the next love, isn’t it?” Put’s next words stomp on Jeng’s already conflicted heart. He reminds Jeng that it is most likely that Pat’s next love won’t be his boss and he was certain that Pat never thinks of Jeng as anything more than the boss. Toh calls Jeng for his next meeting.

Ae, Beam, and Pat are at the hospital taking Ae for a checkout. People at the hospital keep looking at them since it’s a pregnant lady taken for a checkout by two men. To get on people’s nerves, Ae shouts that Pat is the baby daddy while Beam is the husband. Beam jokes that he wants to be the father and not the husband to which Ae responds that she wants her baby to look cute just like Pat. Pat seems to be lost in thoughts.

He breaks it to his friends that he broke up with Put. They want to invite him out but Pat does not want to telling them he also cancelled an appointment with Jeng. Ae and Beam think Jeng is acting suspiciously inviting Pat out for non-work related appointments but Pat seems clueless.

Jeng is at the restaurant drinking his sorrows for the rejection even before he confesses. His friend joins him. Jeng asks Tae whether he was afraid that people might mistake him for a gay couple since they were always together. Tae laughs it out saying he was already used to it and jokes asking Jeng if he has feelings for him. He also tells Jeng to find a partner so that his fans can stop coming to Tae.

Jeng opens up to Tae. Even though with his status he could pick anyone, this time it was different because the one he likes never looks at him the same way Jeng does look at him. Tae suggests that Jeng should tell his crush how he feels but Jeng is afraid to spoil what they have at the moment. Jeng is worried that it might be time for him to forget about his crush and move on. He says this is the last time he is letting himself like someone and then he will stop completely.

Just then, Pat texts saying that he had changed his mind and asked if they could still meet up. Jeng suddenly is asking about confessing and Tae chocks. Jeng thinks that Pat accepting his invitation means that he might like him back. Tae stomps on his happiness when he says that probably he thinks that the invitation is a job since his boss invited him. Tae knows Jeng’s crush is Pat and he reminds Jeng that the boss and subordinate relationship may make it hard for them to be together in the long run. He encourages Jeng to follow his heart and go for what he wants.

Jeng and Pat visit the first restaurant. Jeng arrives earlier and gets the place set up like it’s a date but does not admit it to when Pat notices. Just when they are about done, Chot calls Pat, telling him he’s in the area and wants to join him for a meal since he’s around the restaurant Pat had posted in his Instagram stories.

Jeng and Pat plan to run away through the back door but Chot arrives before Pat can also run. After a brief, awkward chat between Chot and Pat, Pat leaves but Chot follows, calling after Pat. Jeng and Pat run away hand in hand to avoid Chot seeing them together.

The second restaurant has a plate-breaking tradition where someone can write something on a plate and then break it on the floor. Pat gets drunk and talks about how he felt when he first met Jeng and when he became their boss. Jeng also shares the photos he was sent from the Forge campaign. Among these are Put’s photos, which get to Pat. He excuses himself and Jeng writes something on his plate. He brings Pat a drink and in his head, wants to confess but he ends up not saying a word. Pat also writes something on his plate.

After the second restaurant, Pat wants to leave but Jeng does not want to let him go home feeling sad. He invites Pat to a secret place but declines saying he was tired. Just then, Ae texts Pat and tells him that Put had blackened all his social media accounts. Pat agrees to join Jeng in the secret place, which is an underground club. They have some cocktails, and Pat gets drunk and forces Jeng to dance.

Jaab arrives at the same bar, he is also very drunk and heartbroken too. He is mad about Jen dumping him (which he never did). Just as he runs to the toilet to buff, Jen arrives. He seems to be following Jaab. He tries calling Jaab but he doesn’t pick up his phone.

The songs become slow on the dance floor and Pat opens up about the second restaurant being a place he used to visit with his ex. After reconciling, they promise to visit the restaurant. He opens up about hurting, even though he was the one who broke up with Put. Pat is thankful to Jeng for making him feel good throughout the day and wonders what to give Jeng back in return. Jeng’s wish is to be Pat’s safe zone. He is no longer concerned about becoming Pat’s boyfriend, he only wants Pat to let him take care of him.

Pat rushes to the toilet to buff too and when he comes out, he sees Jeng talking to Aaron. Pat thinks Aaron is Jeng’s friend. However, Aaron is Jeng’s ex-boyfriend. At first Pat thinks that Jeng is joking but he is shocked at the realization that Jeng likes men.

At the end of the episode, Pat tries to stumble away from Jeng not believing what he just heard but he falls. Jeng goes to help him up and the episode ends with them looking into each other’s eyes.

The Episode Review

The series took us step by step and it is even hard to pinpoint when Jeng started liking Pat. However, it seems that Jeng is so into Pat, and at the scene when he was contemplating letting him go completely; he seemed so sad and hurt. His face lit up though when Pat texted that he had changed his mind.

Jeng seems so excited about spending some time out with Pat but knowing Pat is hurting from his recent breakup seems to get him conflicted. What did they write on the plates? Pat finally knows that Jeng likes men. Will that help him finally understand his feelings or will it push him away from Jeng due to the boss-subordinate relationship?