Was It Love? – Netflix Episode 2 Recap and Review

The Diary

Was It Love returns with a slightly slower slice of drama in episode 2 as it concentrates on Dae-Oh and his past with Ae-Jeong. While we don’t know the full story yet, we can see that this has affected him deeply and their journey may not be over yet.

The drama remains interesting though as we learn more about each character and their connections with our main heroine, who seems to be getting deeper and deeper into trouble.

The episode starts in 2010 with a young Dae-Oh deciding to drop out of college. Ryu-Jin arrives and confronts him about it so Dae-Oh shows him the transcript he wrote, “Love is Nonexistent”, and wonders if this will bring Ae-Jeong back to him.

As we cut back to the present, we learn that Cheon Eok-Man is actually Oh Dae-Oh and that he has never shown himself in public. While on the phone to his editor, Dae-Oh saw an email from a certain Ae-Jeong and realised that she is the Ae-Jeong he knew from his college days.

As we cut back to the coffee shop, Dae-Oh asks her why he should work with her as he knows her company is not doing well. She tries to convince him but he wonders how she feels after seeing him for 14 years.

In a flashback of 2005, we see that it was Dae-Oh who threw up on Ae-Jeong’s shoes. She confronted him about it but he admitted to liking her and they almost kissed. Back in the coffee shop, Dae-Oh tells her that he missed her but declines her offer. As he leaves, Ae-Jeong receives a text from Nine Capital for an update. This prompts her to chase after Dae-Oh and beg him to reconsider but unfortunately this act ends up in vain.

Meanwhile, Ryu-Jin is busy rehearsing for his upcoming movie. Dae-Oh visits him and reveals that he saw Ae-Jeong for the first time in 14 years and that his plan finally worked as his manuscript has brought Ae-Jeong back to him.

This seems to surprise Ryu-Jin who tells him that it sounds like Ae-Jeong has changed after Dae-Oh explains that she begged him to let her produce his movie. After leaving the hotel, Dae-Oh remembers how heartbroken and devastated he was when Ae-Jeong left him.

In the evening, Ae-Jeong vents her frustration to her friend Sook-Hee. On her way home, she’s kidnapped by Pa-Do and is threatened to have her hand cut off. Thankfully, it was all a dream as she wakes up and finds all her limbs intact.

On her way to work, she is startled to find Yeon-Woo in front of her as we see that he has been waiting. They sit together where she reveals that she has been very pre-occupied with work but wants to be there for her daughter. She goes on to explain that she has had trouble with a certain man so Yeon-Woo jokingly offers to take care of him.

In a flashback to 2005, we see the day they met as Ae-Jeong came to clean the men’s bathhouse and found Yeon-Woo stuck there after his friends pulled a prank on him. She helped him out and sided with him against his friends.

As she heads into the school, Ae-Jeong is shocked to find Pa-Do there too. She confronts him and tries stopping him with a mop, scared that he is coming after her daughter. Pa-Do actually turns out to be Dong-Chan’s father so Ae-Jeong has no other choice but to apologize to him.

During lunch, Ha-Nee sits next to Dong-Chan and they eat together. She finds out that his mother passed away so she tells him she understands as she has decided that her father doesn’t exist.

During the meeting, Ae-Jeong’s mother offers to have the author Cheon Eok-man come to give a lecture at the school. When she finds out, Ae-Jeong becomes angry with her mother as this is going to cause her more grief. Back in her office, Ae-Jeong despairs at her situation.

Hye-Jin mentions the author and the books and how the heroine sounds very much like Ae-Jeong. In the evening, the latter reads the book again which reminds her of some of the things she once told Dae-Oh.

The next day, a determined Ae-Jeong brings the copyright contract to Dae-Oh’s editor. The latter tries to dismiss it for not being a real contract but Ae-Jeong insists. The editor then relays this to Dae-Oh who asks him to arrange a meeting with her and explains that he has enough money to pay for the penalty.

The book concert starts with Ae-Jeong and Hye-Jin in the audience. Dae-Oh makes his first appearance in public and apologises for not meeting his fans sooner. The interviewer asks him if his latest book is based on his personal life. He replies that he wrote it after breaking up with someone he loved 14 years ago who broke his heart. Afterwards, he stopped eating and drinking but this is what brought him to write his first novel.

He then decides to ask the audience how the hero should feel and, of course, chooses Ae-Jeong to answer. She eventually replies that it would have been horrendous for the heroine as she suggests that the hero may have taken everything from her as well.

On her way out, Ae-Jeong replays everything Dae-Oh said in her mind but starts to feel dizzy and collapses on the floor. She wakes up in hospital and is surprised to find Pa-Do by her bedside. He tells her that he almost ran her over and offers to compensate her. She wishes he could pay for all her debt but settles for her hospital fees instead.

She tells him she is determined to succeed with her task, heading to her meeting with Dae-Oh. Unfortunately, he stands her up as his editor has arranged something else for him.

At home, Ha-Nee asks her grandmother how she knows Yeon-Woo. She replies that she used to live in the same neighbourhood. Ha-Nee then heads up to the attic and finds a diary in her mum’s old college things. On the cover she sees that someone has written “To my future baby”. The episode ends with Yeon-Woo ringing their bell while Dae-Oh brings an umbrella to Ae-Jeong who is sitting outside in the rain.

The second episode of Was It Love ends with quite the interesting cliffhanger. Is Yeon-Woo really Ha-Nee’s father? This would be the best scenario for Ha-Nee and Ae-Jeong as he seems the nicer man out of the potential love interests. However, I do wonder what happened between the two in the past.

Before we get that far, I’d imagine we’ll see more of Dae-Oh and Ae-Jeong’s story and just why she broke up with him. So far the drama may not be the strongest this year but it’s an interesting and fun K-drama worth watching.