shin joon young

As he's getting ready for the K-pop festival, Joon-young overhears Gook-young talking to Ajusshi on the phone trying to convince Joon-young's mother to come to the event. She's refusing to attend, no matter how important it is to Joon-young, no matter how many important people will be there.

Joon-young hides his disappointment, but he perks up when his stylist says that Eul is here, even though he told her not to come. He hides his face and goes to find her, but he's surprised to see her confronting Assemblyman Choi and Haru. He watches as the assemblyman offers Eul money to pay her back for her ruined memorial food, and he can't stand it anymore.

He strides over to them and says that Assemblyman Choi should apologize first, grabbing the money and angrily throwing it to the ground. Choi frowns and says that Joon-young should apologize first, for interrupting their conversation. Joon-young says that he only asked the assemblyman to admit his mistake and ask for forgiveness.

Assemblyman Choi scoffs at the idea of apologizing for the actions of a stray kitten, but Joon-young just repeats himself: "Admit your mistake, and ask for forgiveness." I don't think he's talking about the cat anymore.

Assemblyman Choi says that he was wrong about Joon-young, and even criticizes Joon-young's parents for raising him wrong. He says he wasted his time waiting for Joon-young, unable to throw away that law book he was going to give him, but now sees that Joon-young has turned into a disappointment. Joon-young fumes, but remains silent.

Assemblyman Choi leads Haru away, and Joon-young turns on Eul, angry that she came here when he said not to. He yells even louder when she stoops to pick up the money on the ground, but she ignores him and sighs that she should have asked for more. Joon-young takes the money from her pocket and rips it up, and when she bends to pick up the shreds, he really loses his temper and asks if she's a beggar.

Eul finally barks back at him, saying that yes, she's a beggar — he knows that about her. He lets go of her arm and she crouches to pick up the money, telling him to mind his own business. He turns and goes back inside, leaving Eul there on the ground, scrounging for scraps of cash.

Joon-young calls his mother from Gook-young's phone and she answers by yelling that she won't go to the ceremony no matter what. But awww, she's actually in the restroom all fixed up pretty, but scared to death to go in.

She stops when she hears Joon-young's voice, asking what he did so wrong. Was becoming a celebrity instead of a prosecutor so terrible? He raises his voice, saying that she's hated him for five years and disowned him — was what he did that bad?

He yells that he believes a prosecutor should always tell the truth, punish wrongdoers, and help the innocent. But he's not like that — he screams that he's told her dozens of times that he's not qualified to be a prosecutor. He's nearly in tears as he says that if he became a prosecutor, poor people like her would suffer.

This time Mom argues back, saying that of course he's qualified. He even saved that girl from the school bullies, and got suspended for it. She slowly asks if he feels that way because she used to work in a bar, or because she stole meat once when he was a kid.

Calmer now, Joon-young says that she shouldn't come, and he'll refuse the award on her behalf. It sounds harsh, but it's obvious that his intent is to let her off the hook if she feels that badly about it. He hangs up and Mom looks at herself in the mirror, and with a shaking hand, wipes off her lipstick.

Joon-young undresses and prepares to leave, but Gook-young stops him. Considering the people that are here at this festival, pulling a no-show could be professional suicide for Joon-young, but Gook-young has no idea how little that matters anymore.

One hundred percent done with this day, Joon-young screams at Gook-young to move. Even the news that President Namgoong just collapsed doesn't move him — he just says to take him to the hospital, and leaves.

He goes looking for Eul and calls her when she's not in the venue, but she doesn't answer. Meanwhile Ji-tae's mother isn't feeling well, so Assemblyman Choi and Haru get ready to take her home, not that Haru is happy about it. Choi loads his wife and daughter in their car and says he's staying, since it would look bad if the whole family left.

As he leans down to kiss his wife goodbye, Joon-young's mother walks in front of their car. Assemblyman Choi sends his family off and doesn't see her. Nearby, Eul hangs her head in her car and avoids Joon-young's calls until another driver honks at her.

She looks up to move her car, and right in front of her is the source of all her problems… Assemblyman Choi. He's on the phone, and the fact that he's smiling and laughing just adds salt to Eul's wounds, and she's overcome by a memory of her father.

He'd been so proud of Eul, beaming over her report card, happy that she'd risen nearly eighty places in class ranking. Eul had preened and Dad crowed, while little Jik just rolled his eyes. When Eul asks for a treat, Jik tattles on her — she'd actually fallen in rank and altered her report card. Dad had motioned her closer and grabbed her face, and Eul had aegyo'd for him in a desperate bid for forgiveness.

Eul next remembers her father lying broken in the street, his killer speeding away, and how Assemblyman Choi had gotten an innocent person to lie about causing the accident. Her father had died, and never seen justice.

Now Eul sees the man who lied about her father's true killer right there in her headlights, and it's almost like she goes on autopilot. She hits the gas and aims the car at Assemblyman Choi, her face a mask of calm.

Joon-young sees the car heading for Assemblyman Choi, and realizes it's Eul at the wheel. He runs and pushes the man out of the car's path, but not before he gets a good look at Eul's face. Eul yanks the wheel to the side at the last second, and her van smashes into a column.

Joon-young is injured in the fall, but he shakes off Assemblyman Choi's hand to go to Eul, and the sight of her bloodied and unconscious terrifies him. He carries her to the hospital, screaming desperately for a doctor.

Haru acts like a complete brat on the way home, angry at missing the festival. Her mother gets a call that her husband was nearly hit by a car but Joon-young saved him, and when Ji-tae gets the news he's struck silent with shock.

Assemblyman Choi is fine physically but his his mind is preoccupied trying to figure out Eul's behavior, wondering if spilled soju warranted such rage. He tells his aide to call the police and tell them it was just an accident, in order to let her off the hook.

Joon-young accepts treatment for his injured shoulder, and he's confused when Ji-tae comes to see him, looking very different from the scruffy man he knows. Ji-tae formally introduces himself with his real name and business card, and thanks Joon-young stiffly for saving Assemblyman Choi.

Ji-tae is honest, explaining that Assemblyman Choi is his father, which is why he gave up on Eul. Joon-young is surprised, but he's not interested in discussing this, and he rips out his IV and leaves the room.

He goes to Eul's room, where she's lying still unconscious and covered in bandages. He holds her hand, feeling guilty for leaving her in anger earlier tonight, and he apologizes over and over.

As Eul is recuperating, she takes a call from Jik, who thinks she's been working around the clock on editing. He turns the tables on her and demands photos of her eating three meals a day, hee. As he hangs up, he approaches Haru in a nearby playground to get his cat back, but she shakes her head that it's lost.