The Whirlwind – K-drama Episode 6 Recap & Review

The Supreme Art of War

The Whirlwind episode 6 picks up where we left off; after Su-jin leaves, Dong-ho dismantles the watch as he watches the news about Sang-woon’s dad, Yeong-ik, getting a special pardon due to his declining health. It turns out that Dong-ho was the one who gave him a special pardon after serving only two of his 12-year sentence.

Yeong-ik quickly gets to work by meeting with Su-jin and plotting their next move. Su-jin still worries that Dong-ho is up to something but wants to control him by herself. They are also running out of time because Sang-woon’s trial is around the corner, and if they try to defend him, they will end up exposing his economic crimes. Yeonng-ik allows Su-jin to control Dong-ho and make sure their people are appointed to the new government.

She is given a list of all the cabinet and ministerial positions to suggest to Dong-ho. However, when she meets with Dong-ho, she pretends she needs a week to come up with a list. Dong-ho accuses her of trying to embarrass him further and gives her a day to send the list to him.

He is horrified by the names suggested given that most of the names are involved in different scandals. However, Su-jin points out that Dong-ho is not clean himself, so he can’t point his fingers at others. 

In a flashback, we learn that Dong-ho knew about the listening device the very day he got the watch. However, he decided to use it to lure Su-jin further. He played her like a fiddle and wanted her to hand over the list of the people on Daejin’s payroll. After he gets the list, he makes his own and ignores the 200 names suggested by Su-jin. 

Speaking of Su-jin, she continues to be wary of her husband’s tactless behaviours. She is shocked when Dong-ho announces a different list from the one she gave him. She meets him at the Blue House, and he invites her for lunch. However, she is in no mood to eat. In fact, she is planning on giving the recording to the media right after their meeting.

Surprisingly, Dong-ho plays her a recording of herself admitting to killing  President  Jang II Jun. Apparently, Jeong-yeon and Mang-l used to date, and Jeong-yeon installed a listening device in the engagement ring before returning it to him. The ring helped Dong-ho record Su-jin talking about how she killed  President  Jang II Jun.

Feeling trapped, Su-jin is forced to listen to Dong-ho’s plans. For the first time, they engage in an open conversation about their respective journeys to this point. Su-jin, grappling with the question of whether Dong-ho’s resentment towards her stems from her role in Gi-tae’s death or their shared traits, wonders, if things would have been different had President Jang II Jun approached Dong-ho first about his son’s issues.

She tries to justify her actions, claiming she only sought to preserve the President’s legacy. In response, Dong-ho admits to harbouring multiple reasons for his hatred towards Su-jin. Ultimately, they agree to destroy the evidence against them and move forward.

Elsewhere, Yeon-suk prepares for all hell to break sincs she is under the impression that the recording is being taken to the media that day. She believes Dong-ho will keep his word and turn himself in since it has been a month. She is surprised when Jeong-yeon tells her that Dong-ho made no plans to vacate the office. If anything, he gave her orders to make plans on his schedule. Yeon-suk rushes to Dong-ho and arrives just in time to see him destroy both recordings. He announces that he won’t give up his seat until he has eradicated all the corruption.

Shortly after, Dong-ho requests Yeon-suk’s resignation. However, before he can elaborate, he heads into a meeting with Chairman Park. In a surprising turn of events, Dong-ho proposes Chairman Park as his Prime Minister, cautioning him to ensure a clean record for the confirmation hearing.

Dong-ho hopes that Chairman Park will spearhead the charges against the corrupt officials on Daejin’s payroll, using it as a launchpad for his future political campaigns. He also plans for Yeon-suk to assume Chairman Park’s former position. However, their meeting is abruptly interrupted when Chairman Park receives news that his son is being held in an overseas casino for failing to settle his gambling debts.

Meanwhile, Su-jin visits Yeong-ik to humbly dismiss herself since she failed him. However, the old man gives her a second chance, saying she is still useful to him. He wants her to focus on stopping Chairman Park’s ascension to the Prime Minister position. They don’t want the Chairman to come after their people. Su-jin quickly sends Pil-gyu to inform Janng-seok about the arising gambling issue in Chairman Park’s house. As expected, Jang-seok calls Dong-ho to warn him. 

Dong-ho visits Chairman Park and tries to convince him to abandon his son and focus on the confirmation hearing. He argues that Chairman Park’s son is a grown man who made his own decisions and should deal with the consequences. He also warns the Chairman that if he pays the money, it will be a violation of the Foreign Exchange Act since this is an international gambling case.

However, Chairman Park worries his wife will die in the hospital from the stress of abandoning their kid. He asks Dongho to talk to Jang-seok to withdraw the case, and in turn he will give him all his support. 

The next morning, Jang-seok is disappointed when Dong-ho calls him for a meeting at Gi-tae’s grave and asks him to stall the case. He gives Dong-ho his resignation letter, saying he is not a pushover and they had long agreed to go all the way. Dong-ho is disappointed in himself.

Soon, the confirmation hearing day rolls by and Su-jin watches the show in her office. She already set the stage for Chairman Park’s downfall by meeting with Mr Min, a local MP, asking him to bring up the gambling issue and giving him the necessary evidence. However, Mr Min also met with Chairman Park, who offered an even sweeter deal to act like he had no evidence against him.

Su-jin is surprised when Mr Min asks the question as planned but then drops the matter, saying he has no evidence of Chairman Park saving his son by paying his debt. The facade continues, and Chairman Park gets comfortable, charming the assembly. However, things take a drastic turn when the media does a breaking story on how Chairman Park used his brother-in-law to get money for his son. Chairman Park is publicly embarrassed, and he starts crying during the hearing.

On the other hand, after a deep reflection, Dong-ho calls Jang-seok and asks him to keep going. He asks his friend not to change, but he says he will change the world. He meets with his team after Chairman Park’s failed hearing and decides that they should nominate Su-jin as she is the only one best suited for the job. She is also the only one who won’t turn it down.

The news comes as a good surprise to Su-jin. However, Dong-ho is planning to use her hearing to expose her dirty secrets. He anonymously informs Chairman Park that Su-jin was responsible for his failed hearing. He also anonymously tells Sang-cheon that Su-jin was responsible for the truth about his half-brother coming out during the debate. He then sits back, ready to enjoy the show as the two men plot their revenge against Su-jin. He is sure she won’t be able to withstand fighting two battles at once. 

The Episode Review

Dong-ho is on another level of hate, and we apologise for underestimating him. We weren’t familiar with his game. He is literally sending Su-jin to the lion pit without any warning and waiting to see which lion will tear her to shreds. He might as well grab popcorn and enjoy the show. However, we know that Su-jin is formidable and quick on her feet. Will she manage to turn the lions against each other and save her skin? We have faith in her diabolical ways and can’t wait to see if this is the end of her reputable career or, like a phoenix, she will rise. Things are certainly getting interesting, so let’s see what happens in the next chapter.

It is also concerning that Dong-ho continues to waver and even had the guts to ask Jang-seok to withdraw the gambling case as a favour for Chairman Park. Dong-ho is slowly turning into President  Jang II Jun and can clearly see how slippery the road to corruption is. He is not immune, but he ultimately made the right choice and stayed on the path.