Under the Gun – K-drama Episode 1 Recap & Review

Episode 1

Episode 1 of Under The Gun kicks off with Go Gun, a high schooler, being dragged into a mid-stakes poker game by Mr. Jung. Despite his young age, Go Gun is a poker prodigy, outsmarting many seasoned players who rarely lose. As the game heats up, Go Gun sizes up his opponents, predicting their moves before they make them.

His bold moves and confidence make it impossible to tell if he’s bluffing or not. In poker terms, Go Gun is what we call a total genius. When he’s not hustling at the gambling bar, Go Gun juggles a job at a convenience store to support his father and sister. 

On the other hand, we have Cha Se Young, a girl who’s back in Korea to pursue her studies after living it up in LA. She gets a ride from Joo Tae Ha when she lands at the airport, and it seems like Tae Ha might have a bit of a crush on her.

During the ride to Se Young’s parents’ place, Tae Ha playfully pops the question and asks Se Young to marry him, but Se Young just sees Tae Ha as a friend, a big brother figure who’s always there to lend a helping hand.

Se Young’s first day at school starts with her being seated next to Go Gun. She tries to strike up a conversation and befriend him, but Go Gun seems uninterested. Curious about his story, Se Young asks around and learns that everyone calls him HZ, short for Hot Zombie. Apparently, he used to be quite talkative in his first year but became completely isolated by the second.

His family faced financial ruin to the extent that he couldn’t even afford lunch at school. There are rumours that he works as a male escort. Se Young is cautioned that it’s pointless to try to befriend him as Go Gun keeps everyone at arm’s length. Surprisingly, a friendship starts to blossom between Se Young and Go Gun when she intervenes to save him from a couple of bullies trying to extort money from him.

She invites Go Gun to join her for dinner, knowing he works hard and often doesn’t have time to eat, but he doesn’t respond. Se Young shows clear interest in Go Gun, even asking if he thinks she’s pretty, but as usual, Go Gun brushes her off and walks away.

The next morning, Se Young is playing the piano in the school music room, lost in her thoughts. She’s reminded of her dream to become a great pianist, but despite trying her best, she could only achieve second or third place. Se Young never gave up and worked even harder.

However, her mother asked her to forget about playing the piano and focus on her studies instead. Se Young was then sent to LA for her studies, but her heart always longed to be back in Korea.

The Episode Review

Under the Gun is off to an amazing start! Despite having just six episodes, it promises to deliver all the drama, romance, and everything else we love about Korean dramas. Even though Go Gun is trying to distance himself from Se Young, we all know he’ll come around, and even if he doesn’t, Se Young isn’t going anywhere.

Plus, Tae Ha is in love with Se Young, so you should prepare for a dicey love triangle situation. Looking ahead, we can expect to find out why Go Gun’s family ended up in financial trouble and how he plans to use his poker skills to get out of it.