Sep 3, 2014

Cheongdam-dong Alice -short recapping Episode 8 - conclusion

Follow on from  Episode 1-8

Seung-jo isn’t happy to see Tommy at his party, since Tommy wasn’t invited. Seung-jo tells Tommy not to appear in front of Se-kyung  or him. Se-kyung heads back to her work studio in college and takes out her sketch pad. Slowly, she writes out a list, everything going through in her head presently.

By the end of the list, tears are streaming down her cheeks. She wasted a lot of effort to win the heart of a man who likes her for her.
Seung-jo goes home sadly, and he hugs the Happy Bunny for comfort. He doesn’t know Se-kyung is standing outside his home, thinking about their relationship. She sits outside her house, crying for a bit before finally resolving to be the girl she was before her “change.”


Se-kyung writes a letter to Cha Seung-jo, and gives it to Ah-jung for a read-through. Se-kyung is convinced that a letter is the surefire way to win his heart, since it worked with resolving In-chan’s problem. Ah-jung agrees hesitatingly.

Deuk-gi comes up to her room and asks why she’s not picking up the phone. That’s only when Se-kyung realizes she never brought it home. He tells her to look for the phone later, as she has a friend outside waiting for her.

Seung-jo still cannot understand why Se-kyung would leave, when she had been so insistent upon meeting the CEO. On top of that, she won’t even pick up her phone. He’s confused by the mixed messages. He likes her so much he just wants to see her right away and tell her everything and get the truth out in the open.

Se-kyung follows Yoon-joo to a fancy hotel, where Yoon-joo has booked an expensive room. After a glass of water, Yoon-joo explains that when she was working in the store in Cheongdam-dong several years ago, she had always wanted to book a room like this. She resolved to spend her following Christmas in the same room, and the following year, she married Min-hyuk and was able to. Now that she’s so rich though, booking the room is nothing special for her anymore.

Se-kyung doesn’t like what Yoon-joo is suggesting, especially since it’s hypocritical to have lived a life of luxury, only to tell others not to go down the same path. Yoon-joo backs down, as years ago she felt the same way. She asks if her “love crisis” has been resolved, and Se-kyung says that she didn’t succeed – because it ended up not being a love crisis. Yoon-joo pieces together that Se-kyung had fallen in love with the secretary. But Se-kyung reveals that the secretary is also her White Rabbit for Cheongdam-dong, and he’s in love with her.

Yoon-joo flashes back her history in France, without names of course. She married Seung-jo in front of a priest, exchanging the metal bracelets instead of rings. She had been very happy in France, and she truly loved Seung-jo. The love came first, and the realization that he came from a very good family came second. 

Back then, she wondered if she could possibly be so lucky as to have met him. But then, their whole marriage fell apart because of their love for each other. Because his family was against her, Seung-jo had given up his inheritance and his family.

Yoon-joo also points out that love isn’t just love – it also includes everything like family background and personality. However, if the relationship were just a business, then only one thing was important – his background. Yoon-joo finds love and business much too different.

But Se-kyung wants to have both. Yoon-joo wishes Se-kyung luck.

Seung-jo he finds the letter and his package on his desk from her. At the same time, Tommy learns from his detective assistant that Se-kyung had sought pardon for her boyfriend, and Seung-jo had granted it, forming a crush on her at the same time because she was a straight forward candy girl. But Tommy realizes she is no longer an honest, hardworking candy because she had come to his party in the hope of meeting a match. He only can’t figure out why she didn’t pursue Seung-jo and went to him for help instead.

The assistant just so happened to also have cracked Se-kyung’s password on her phone, so Tommy goes through her recent calls. He notices a lot are from a Secretary Kim…

Seung-jo opens the letter; it’s addressed to Jean Thierry Cha, and Se-kyung is formally handing her resignation through this letter.

Seung-jo rushes to GN Fashion only to find out Se-kyung has gone on sick leave. He calls up Se-kyung, and Tommy picks up without saying a word. He hears Seung-jo’s voice calling out to her, introducing himself as Secretary Kim. Shocked, Tommy hangs up, and he goes through Se-kyung’s texts to find Ah-jung’s message that Secretary Kim is Jean Thierry Cha.

That evening, Seung-jo heads over to Se-kyung’s home. He bumps into Se-jin and their mother outside the front gate, and they recognize him as the kind secretary. They don’t know where Se-kyung went, as she disappeared without a word. Se-jin offers to pass along a message, but he declines. He calls up Se-kyung instead and leaves her a voicemail, then heads to her college to see if she’s there, but she’s not.

Se-jin watches Seung-jo from her room and immediately calls up Ah-jung, who’s in a sauna with Se-kyung. Ah-jung was right – Seung-jo did visit!

Meanwhile, Tommy figures out the truth and orders his assistant to find out where Se-kyung is hiding now; he may be able to resolve this quickly.

Min-hyuk updates his mother it’s likely Jean Thierry Cha and Cha Seung-jo are the same. Yoon-joo is disturbed hearing this, especially since Min-hyuk finds this marriage very beneficial. Besides, if In-hwa gains a position with Royal Group, she won’t have to fight her brother for control over GN Fashion.

Seung-jo asks Dong-wook for advice. Dong-wook muses that Se-kyung is running away from the truth, like what Seung-jo had done before.

Dong-wook helpss Seung-jo to search for Se-kyung by visiting her home. He sees Se-jin instead, and once he proves to be a rich doctor friend of Seung-jo’s, Se-jin likes him.

Se-jin coerced Dong-wook into buying seven pairs of specs, but told him that Se-kyung is in a sauna. Then, Se-jin calls up Ah-jung at work to warn her that she told Dong-wook where Se-kyung is, so they’ll need to warn her sister. Ah-jung manages to warn Se-kyung in time to get out of there, and she gets out of the spa.

 She ends up in the parking lot, and spots Seung-jo’s car. She tries to hide around the staircase, but he’s seen her. From another parking lot across the street, Tommy watches everything.

Se-kyung addresses him as Secretary Kim still, and he goes forth with his apology. Seung-jo confesses his true identity, and Se-kyung pretends to be shocked. This time Tommy is parked right behind Seung-jo so he hears everything.

Se-kyung says that being Jean Thierry Cha, then he’s too far above her in status. Tommy watches all this unfold, amused. Se-kyung finds herself at a church, and prays for forgiveness for deceiving Seung-jo,  and hopes that she can continue to love him freely without any further obstacles.

Dong-wook is hankering for updates regarding his confession. Seung-jo effectively says that she didn’t quite accept his confession, but he’s okay.

Seung-jo buys soju and snacks and heads over to Se-kyung’s house. Her family greets him at the door, confused and bows to them in greeting and stated that he wanted to court their daughter.

He says that he was rejected because he wasn’t really Secretary Kim.

Se-kyung arrives home, but Tommy was waiting for her there. They head to a cafe for a a talk. Tommy has seen right through Se-kyung. Tommy threatens to send those texts from Ah-jung to Seung-jo, thus revealing that Se-kyung knew everything before his confession and was stringing him along. She could confess herself, but that would make her lose Seung-jo.

Tommy offers her another option in the shape of an acceptance letter to a design school in Paris. Tommy says Seung-jo will only have good memories of her, and she will be able to come back more successful and able to marry someone better than Seung-jo. Tommy will make sure of that. To explain why he’s going to such lengths for her, he explains being tasked with removing obstacles that stand in the way of marriage between Seung-jo and In-hwa. Se-kyung seems sad that Seung-jo is going to be completely out of her reach now.

Tommy finds her quite scary, as it appears to him that Se-kyung knew exactly how to succeed in Cheongdam-dong (by making the rich fall for her). Even though he graduated at the top of his class, it took him five years to understand the key to success. She knows what she must do and how to get it, and to him that marks a successful and ambitious person. He tells her not to think too long as she contemplates her future. Instead of picking up the letter, she picks up her phone first, and looks through the messages Ah-jung sent her about Seung-jo. Tommy makes note of this.

Se-kyung heads home, Seung-jo catches sight of Se-kyung and starts asking her father and mother if he’s really still too far out of her reach socially. Her parents say no, having taken a liking to him. But even so Se-kyung turns away and escapes to her room, still at a loss over what to do.

The following morning, Se-kyung heads to the office  and In-hwa finds some time with Se-kyung. She asks Se-Kyung’s relationship with the CEO. Se-kyung denies any personal relationship, saying that her ex-boyfriend used to work at Artemis and was involved in the illegal distribution scandal.

In-hwa’s ask how Se-kyung managed to get Jean Thierry Cha to pardon her ex-boyfriend, and Se-kyung admits it was through a handwritten letter.

Seung-jo arrives at the party and is greeted with respect from the GN Fashion employees. He finds In-hwa writing thank-you cards to the VVIP guests and drawing original designs on them. He is impressed with her personalized touch and even gives her a smile. They took some media photos together, Il-nam arrives, with Min-hyuk and Yoon-joo.

Min-hyuk introduces his wife to Il-nam officially, and they greet each other as if meeting for the first time. Yoon-joo joins her husband to greet Seung-jo, and Seung-jo’s restlessness is noticed by Il-nam.

The party ends, and the GN Fashion employees leave Se-kyung behind to clean up. Se-kyung begins removing the clothing from the mannequins, and hears a whisper calling out her name. It’s Seung-jo, hiding behind the sign. He wants to grab a bite with her but she dismisses him, saying she’s still got work to do. He leaves, somewhat hurt.

She continues cleaning up, then gets a text message. As she opens to read the text from Secretary Kim, Seung-jo sneaks up behind to peek over her shoulder. 

Se-kyung turns around, and her lips meet Seung-jo’s.

Both are surprised but he runs off happily! At least Se-kyung gives him a little smile before he leaves.
Se-kyung and Yoon-joo go off for some drinks. Se-kyung wonders if wanting to give up and run away means she doesn’t love that person enough; she’s in need of guidance that Yoon-joo isn’t giving. She also wonders if Yoon-joo’s ever gone to a church or a temple to pray.

As Yoon-joo heads to the restroom, Se-kyung steps outside to call Tommy. She begs him to forgive her, to just let her off the hook and not have to choose between leaving and staying. Wasn’t Tommy in her position before? Surely he must know how she feels. Tommy says he know what she’s going through, and had begged just as she did – but it didn’t work for him. He’s giving her a good opportunity for when she comes back, so she shouldn’t despair. He’ll call again the following day for her decision.

Yoon-joo and Se-kyung drank until they’re both drunk. Se-kyung puts her head down at the table first, and realize her phone is buzzing

Yoon-joo picks up the cell phone from Se-kyung while trying to wake her. The contact person says Secretary Kim, so Yoon-joo surmises that this is Se-kyung’s Magic Rabbit. She texts him back, saying that Se-kyung is passed out drunk at the restaurant. Seung-jo quickly rushes over in his car.

Yoon-joo came out of restroom, to see Secretary Kim or rather Seung-jo rushing to Se-kyung’s side. Yoon-joo pieces together all the clues she’s heard from Seung-jo and Se-kyung.

Seung-jo takes Se-kyung piggyback style and skips home, excited that he’s carrying her. Arriving home, her parents berate him for bringing her home drunk when she can’t drink. He says he only picked her up, and she drank with someone else. He drops her off in her room, gently clearing the hair from her face.

Seung-jo leaves the apartment to find Se-jin waiting for him. “Do you know what this Thursday is?” she asks. Seung-jo has no idea and she tsks; no wonder her sister doesn’t like him. It hits him like thunder – is it Se-kyung’s birthday? Se-jin learns how much Seung-jo worships the ground her sister walks on.

Se-kyung wakes up to find Se-jin and Ah-jung waiting by her bed. Ah-jung wants to know if she has any plans tonight, as a former classmate of theirs is having a gallery show that evening. Se-jin wants to go with Se-kyung. Se-kyung becomes suspicious . Clearly they have a plan, even though they claim otherwise. Se-kyung grudgingly agrees to go with the two of them to the show.

Se-kyung went to see Tommy . He passes her the admission papers to the design school and a contract to sign. It states that she must relinquish everything that belongs to Seung-jo immediately and have no contact with him, now or after she returns to Korea.

Se-kyung doesn’t sign; she’s scared to. She tries to tell Tommy that Seung-jo really does love her. Tommy scoffs at her

Tommy doesn’t believe in love, and the rich don’t understand love either. As a matchmaker, he creates “love” for them.

Seung-jo arrives at the gallery to find everything prepared – piano, candlelight dinner, rose petals. The problem is, Ah-jung and Se-jin arrive without Se-kyung in tow. Se-kyung calls Seung-jo. She knew that her sister and Ah-jung were taking her to meet him. Everything he plans for Se-kyung becomes a failure.

Dong-wook reminds him that it’s not over until it’s over. If anything, he should still go find Se-kyung, show her everything he prepared and see if she still rejects him.

Seung-jo finally locates her below some steps at the river, standing near the edge. He runs down and hugged her, pleading for her not to go. He tells Se-kyung the truth. He’s scared, and he’s always been. When he was young, his mother packed her things and abandoned him. The one person he loved left him, and he’s afraid that Se-kyung will do the same. Now she should know that he’s not the perfect, suave, cool man that others think he is. He is just a simple man who loves Se-kyung, and is in great need of her rescuing him. If she can accept him, then he hopes she can stay with him instead of running away.

Everyone else arrived, willing Se-kyung to accept his confession. With tear-filled eyes, Se-kyung has one request – to wait just one hour.

And with that, she runs off, ignoring everyone, and beelines for Tommy’s studio. She barges in to his office and returns the unsigned contract, and Tommy’s jaw hardens.
She may lose her love if she tells the truth, but at that point, she knows she can just give up. He on the other hand has a finished career.

Besides, she’s learned never to sign contracts with the rich, because it just means she’ll be in debt and she may never get out of it.

Seung-jo remains standing outside in the cold by the river because Se-kyung told him to. The others have huddled up inside the car . Seung-jo is happy that Se-kyung came back, as it most likely means she’s accepted him. But Se-kyung wants to reveal her truth first.

They come out to congratulate the happy couple and Ah-jung takes some pictures to commemorate it. Se-kyung brings Seung-jo to a convenience store to get him some coffee. She holds it against his cheek and cradles his frozen face – a gesture that makes Seung-jo infinitely happier because now he feels like they’re a couple.

Se-kyung takes Seung-jo home first, wanting to be the one to drop him off instead for once. He can’t part with her, calling out her name repeatedly every time she turns to leave. She promises to meet him tomorrow, and the knowledge of having won the girl he loves makes Seung-jo tear up in joy.

The following morning, Seung-jo is waiting for Se-kyung outside GN Fashion by his car. He ushers her into the car immediately once she arrives and takes off – they’re headed to Paris. Of course, Se-kyung thinks he’s just exaggerating… until he really takes her to the airport.

But Se-kyung doesn’t own a passport

He’s shocked that a girl who wanted to go to Paris so badly doesn’t even have a passport. Se-kyung figured she’d apply for one the day she finally could. Seung-jo is upset, as he made reservations at the Parisian cafes and restaurants. Se-kyung is impressed – so this is what dating a rich, powerful man is like? Seung-jo worries that this might distance the both of them again by status, but she appreciates his gesture.

They promise to go to Paris one day together. He tells her they’ll start the application process now, and guides her to a photo booth to take pictures. But instead, he decides to just jump in with her – and a montage of cute couple pics ensues.

They go to a bakery and feed each other slices of cake, taking another picture with Seung-jo’s phone to commemorate their date. Then, he takes her to a special tea parlor, and Se-kyung realizes this might be the time and place for her to tell him.

They sit by one of the paintings that Seung-jo had made while in Paris. He admits that he didn’t just break his relationship with his father over his move to Paris, but also because he had fallen in love with a woman his father disapproved of. He let go of his father first, and in return, his father made him sign a contract to give up his inheritance and cut him off entirely. Seung-jo was left with only 150 Euros to his name, swore to never see his father again, and changed his name.

What’s worse is that his relationship with the woman took a downturn as well, so while he was homeless, he painted that painting and entered it in a patronage auction. Surprisingly, it garnered him 30,000 Euros. And made a living with his painting. One of his clients was the head of Artemis.

 The thing is, he still does not know who the original purchaser is, the one who paid 30,000 Euros and gave him a reputation and a new life.

Once he was offered a job at Artemis, he left behind painting as he had something else to do. What that thing was would be revealed in that USB. He thinks that Se-kyung will hate him once she sees the USB, so he hesitates in giving it to her right away. Now, Se-kyung feels it’s her turn to tell her truth. She is afraid that Seung-jo may dislike her just as well, and again, he stops her from saying anything. It’s possible that whatever “truth” she needs to say, it won’t be as big as his. Therefore, he hopes that she can just wait a while longer; once he reveals his secret, and she still accepts him, then he’ll hear hers.

On the ride back, Se-kyung wonders how Seung-jo’s father must have felt when he saw his son come back successful. Seung-jo thinks his father hates seeing him doing so well, since they still have petty fights whenever they see each other. But Se-kyung offers a different view: perhaps his father is proud of him, but doesn’t know how to express it. After all, her father never praised her for all her awards and certificates, but he quietly collected these treasures.

Se-kyung hopes that she can hear the truth from Seung-jo soon, as she doesn’t want to lose her nerve and never tell him her truth. Hopefully it’ll be soon – because as soon as Seung-jo gets home, he drops the USB into an envelope and addresses it to Se-kyung.

In-hwa tours the store with Seung-jo, talking about the simpler designs she had in mind to emulate the simple styles seen in European clothing in the late 1700s-1800s. Seung-jo likes her ideas, so she thinks she’s getting closer to him. When she steps away for a call, he sees his father in the store, having come to see him.

Il-nam asks when his son’s work day will end. Seung-jo joins him for dinner after an awkward invitation.

They head to a Japanese restaurant, and Il-nam mistakenly dips his sushi into his son’s soy sauce bowl. He asks after work, and if things are going well with Se-kyung and her family. He just warns that marriage is serious business – look at the other company presidents who had daughters-in-law from a poor background.

Seung-jo points out that some of the sons’ arranged marriages ended in divorce, which is worse than love matches. Seung-jo argues that arranged marriages done pure for business don’t work out as well.

In-hwa and Mrs. Shin hope that Tommy’s chat with Il-nam was successful. If Il-nam and Seung-jo work with each other more often, it’s possible they’ll have a better relationship and look upon In-hwa more favorably. Even though they were spotted eating together, Yoon-joo knows that it happened all because of Se-kyung.

In-hwa thinks that she’ll get along with Seung-jo, but Yoon-joo knows better. This family and Seung-jo will never be one.

Seung-jo tells Dong-wook he just had a meal with his father. Dong-wook finds the whole thing funny but is miffed that Seung-jo still won’t listen to his advice – such as sending that USB now. Seung-jo is still scared to reveal the truth, because he’s afraid of losing her. So Dong-wook snatches the envelope and offers to send it himself.

Yoon-joo calls Se-kyung  to find out how things are going between her and Secretary Kim. Se-kyung wants to do things her own way now, and that does mean confessing.

Se-kyung is musing over Yoon-joo’s words when her sister brings in a package. She finds a card with gibberish on it, and the envelope with the USB.

Seung-jo frets in his apartment, but when doorbell rings, it’s Yoon-joo. She unleashes on him – no matter what she did to hurt him, he committed many more wrongs against her. She blames him for using her, for ending their relationship, for “giving up everything” for her, because in reality he didn’t love her. She thinks that when he gave up his inheritance for her, it was his way of testing her love for him.

Seung-jo still does not know why he decided to exact revenge – whether it was because he hated Yoon-joo and his father enough, or because he needed to do something to save himself from despair. However, he regrets having their relationship end without a proper good-bye. With some distance, he now realizes that he was wrong. He’s sorry for not truly protecting her and for not trusting her love, and hopes that she can live well from now on. Yoon-joo collapses into her own puddle of tears.

Se-kyung finds that the USB contains the videos he took of him talking to his father when he declared revenge, and talking to Yoon-joo about his mental breakdown in Paris. At the end Seung-jo appears, directly addressing Se-kyung. He explains that he’s practically written out movie scripts when confronting the people who hurt him in the past, and wanted to see and hear them suffer numerous times by recording their conversations.

Seung-jo admits that he’s a petty person by nature. When he signed off his inheritance years ago, he did it willingly, knowing that he was still wearing an expensive watch that could help him survive a few extra months. However, his father knew exactly what he planned to do and forced him to hand over the watch (as well as his wallet). Seung-jo didn’t like being caught that way. The gibberish on the card is his online username, and Googling it will lead to numerous negative comments he made against Royal Group. It was completely immature of him but he encourages her to look up his comments, though he is afraid that he may just ruin all her happiness.

But he stands by his belief – if they can accept each other, flaws and all, then they must have true love.

Se-kyung grabs her coat and phone and rushes out the door, texting that she’s going to his place. Seung-jo doesn’t hear his phone go off and misses them. As Yoon-joo is about to go back home, she sees Se-kyung head into Seung-jo’s building. Yoon-joo chases after her. Seung-jo sees Se-kyung’s texts, and hurries out the door to meet her. Just before Se-kyung rings the bell, Yoon-joo drags her into the elevator.

Yoon-joo pulls Se-kyung to her side of the building, behind a pillar that shields them from Seung-jo’s view. Yoon-joo doesn’t want Se-kyung to confess. Se-kyung’s confused and says she will tell the truth since he shared his secret.

Yoon-joo finally admits that she’s the woman who dumped him years ago. When she got married in France, her husband was none other than Cha Seung-jo. She tells Se-kyung that Seung-jo suffered greatly from post-traumatic stress disorder after she left, so much so that he could have died of depression. If Se-kyung tells him the truth, won’t it tear him apart?

Yoon-joo returns home, and Se-kyung leaves the apartment complex – only to bump into Seung-jo waiting for her outside. He warms up her cold hands and warily asks if she saw the video. Her face doesn’t look happy or loving though, and Seung-jo figures it’s because she’s worried about her own confession. He embraces her gratefully, and then tells her that they have somewhere to go together tomorrow.

Se-kyung heads home, piecing together the clues Seung-jo and Yoon-joo gave her to figure out their relationship. She receives a text from Seung-jo about the time and place where they’ll meet tomorrow, and she responds with a simple ‘Yes.’

The following day, it’s the Royal Charity bazaar. Some other rich folks greet the Shins and Tommy at the door, and are aware of rumors swirling around In-hwa and Seung-jo’s possible engagement. Se-kyung doesn’t realize this is the event she’s attending since she meets Seung-jo at the lobby first.

He takes her upstairs to meet Il-nam, and the Shins and Tommy freeze at the sight of her. In-hwa’s expression hardens, while Min-hyuk and Mrs. Shin are confused over who she is. Se-kyung is dismayed to see her employers there.

Seung-jo takes her by the hand and goes right up to Il-nam and introduced Se-Kyung as his girlfriend . Il-nam regards Se-kyung carefully. Il-nam’s jaw drops  when his son introduced him as his father to Se-kyung. He acknowledged their relationship, and their ties as heads of two companies.

Min-hyuk is surprisingly the angriest towards Tommy Hong for making them feel like In-hwa and Seung-jo’s marriage was a done deal. He dislikes the idea that a part-timer at his company won the heart of the Artemis CEO

Se-kyung can see Tommy’s pride being torn to pieces. Min-hyuk tells Tommy that he can never escape unscathed. Tommy can never become successful now, and he reminds him that he is a lowly matchmaker, not even a designer. When Min-hyuk sees Se-kyung at the hallway, he gives her a cold smile and tells her to quit her job since she’s marrying Jean Thierry Cha.

Tommy finally emerges from the room, and he glares at Se-kyung. But Seung-jo comes out of his room at the same time and warns Tommy to back off from his girl. When Il-nam comes out of the room last, Tommy bows in apology for what just happened. Unfortunately, Il-nam tells Tommy to kiss the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics sponsorship goodbye.

Tommy is in a bad mood when he returns to his office but Hae-joon has some good news – he saw Se-kyung and the woman talking again, and shows him a recording of their conversation. It’s the one between Se-kyung and Yoon-joo outside her building, where she admits to being the one first lover of Seung-jo, and how Se-kyung approached Seung-jo for money.

Tommy sends Se-kyung a video message, in which he plays back the video and says that she has two options now: Paris or hell. He wants to know her final decision.

 Se-kyung starts crying. Seung-jo is concerned over why she didn’t accept his proposal right away and stands outside the bathroom door. He knows it’s sudden, but he believes that his new life is with Se-kyung, and he is waiting for her to accept him.

She finally emerges from the bathroom composed than. She then bids him to put the ring on her, and makes her promise

Despite holding a perfect piece of blackmail, Tommy is still frustrated. He sees himself in Se-kyung, how she’s being stepped on by other people like he was. And now he’s the one doing the stepping and blackmailing but he is not enjoying it.

Yoon-joo escapes to her car and calls Se-kyung to ask what on earth she is doing with Seung-jo. She, warns her that In-hwa just asked for details about her. She didn’t say anything to her sister-in-law, but pointed out that Seung-jo is kind of weird mentally, and therefore Se-kyung ending up with him is an odd choice. In-hwa wonders if Yoon-joo knows something, and thinks back to how oddly she had reacted when Seung-jo gave her a present when they hosted a dinner at their home.

Se-kyung meets up with Yoon-joo and shows her the video that Tommy sent her. Yoon-joo is immediately fatalistic, believing that this is truly the end.

Se-kyung adds that Seung-jo can give her everything she wants – money and love. With that, she will promise to succeed in both business and love.

The following day, In-hwa visits Tommy in his office. She brushes him off for what happened, since the variable known as human emotion can ruin any matchmaking plan. But what In-hwa can’t understand is why Seung-jo chose Se-kyung over her, when she could have provided a good business connection. Tommy has another important  appointment to attend to, and In-hwa takes a seat. She takes a look at the folders on the coffee table and spies one labeled Cha Seung-jo. 

Curious, she picks it up, but it’s stuck to the cover of his tablet, which shows the video he was last viewing. The screenshot displays Yoon-joo and Se-kyung talking and In-hwa cautiously reaches to press the play button. But before she can, the secretary returns to the room to ask if she wants anything to drink. In-hwa chooses to excuse herself, citing another appointment, and leaves.

Tommy meets with Se-kyung in his private lounge, assuming she’s here to pick either Paris or hell. 

Se-kyung counters with her own proposition instead. She thinks Royal Group will be beneficial to him, and tells him that if the relationship between father and son is repaired, then Tommy just might be able to get the Pyeongchang sponsorship deal. She believes she can be the one to mend that bridge, but Tommy has to help her too. That’s the world of Cheongdam-dong – give and take.
Tommy is sceptical but willing to listen.  She gives him two days for a response and leaves.

Se-kyung meets with Seung-jo that night, who has already put in a request to be relocated to the head office in Paris. He wants to marry there and move so that Se-kyung can study in Paris, and he can work at the head office again.

Se-kyung gets a text from Il-nam, who wants to meet with her the following day.

He interrogates her about her family, and of course her poor background does not satisfy him. He tries to dissuade her from marrying Seung-jo, saying that he’s only obsessed with rebelling against him. But that obsession has nothing to do with Se-kyung – it’s purely between father and son. After all, hasn’t Il-nam ever tried to understand his own son? He gets up and leaves.

Se-kyung looks to Dong-wook for help. She wants to know if she can mend the relationship between Seung-jo and Il-nam. Dong-wook reveals Seung-jo’s recurring nightmare is visiting his father at a funeral. That dream means that he feels guilty towards his father for letting him go, even though he can’t breathe around him to an extent. He’s afraid of being rejected by his father, so all of his antics are just a call for attention.

That gives Se-kyung an idea, and she hurries home to take out all her awards and drawings that were lovingly kept by her father. She visits Il-nam the following day without notice and gets to the point: If Seung-jo is really rebelling against his father and doesn’t want to see him, then why does he keep showing up around Il-nam. She shows Il-nam all of her artwork; her father never praised her for her accomplishments either, but he showed his pride and approval by keeping every single one of her awards and drawings. She hopes that Il-nam can eventually reach out to his son first. Even a sign of approval can go a long way.

She leaves, and Il-nam takes a look at her childhood drawings.
 It brings a smile to his face, and a fond memory of when Seung-jo’s art teacher had shown him Seung-jo’s paintings long ago.

Se-kyung receives a text from Tommy to meet at a certain cafe. On her way out, In-hwa asks if she is particularly close to Yoon-joo.

In-hwa gets an idea, and has her manager find a tablet cover with a design exactly the same as Tommy’s.

The cafe where Tommy and Se-kyung meet at is particularly memorable for him because many years ago, he had to get on his knees and beg someone for a chance to succeed. Years later, many people were begging him for help and he’s had to turn down many of them. He’s seen people become frustrated and angry, but he no longer sees it in Se-kyung; once again, he sees the desire for a better life in her eyes, the greed. He asks if she has the confidence to be the lady of the household; if she becomes the madam of Royal Group, she has to promise to give him his wings as a full-fledged designer. This time, he’s the one asking for help.

He arrives at his studio just as In-hwa gets off the phone with someone, waiting outside. But just as they sit down for their meeting, Tommy is called away to sign for a delivery. In-hwa takes the opportunity to switch out the tablets, replacing his with one with the same cover. When the secretary comes to ask what she wants to drink, In-hwa asks for the bathroom and excuses herself.

Once in the bathroom, In-hwa unlocks Tommy’s finds the video and adds it to her Dropbox to view later. She manages to slide back into Tommy’s office before he comes back. A lingering glance and we know that the delivery man was hired by In-hwa to distract Tommy.

Seung-jo greets Se-kyung’s parents formally and asks for their permission to marry. Everyone is surprised at the suddenness of this announcement, and Deuk-gi refuses to give his permission. Even though Seung-jo is a good man, he knows that Se-kyung had a hard time because of him. He hopes that she can marry a man from a normal family background.

Seung-jo assures him that he’s really a normal man, and wishes to live a normal life with Se-kyung. But Deuk-gi stands his ground – he will not send his daughter to a man who has cut ties with his own father.

Se-kyung pleads for him to make the first move and go see his father, then shows him a small news article about Seung-jo’s grandfather’s memorial rites being held that evening.

Seung-jo enters his father’s house to join his grandfather’s memorial. His relatives are happy to see him, and despite his father’s gruffness, Seung-jo takes his place beside his father and performs the memorial rites together.

Se-kyung is waiting for him outside in his car, and he finally comes back to her. She’s happy that he did it, and though he feigns indifference, Seung-jo is kind of bashful about what he just did.

Meanwhile, In-hwa finally reviews that video from Tommy’s tablet, and she gasps in shock. Her sister-in-law is Seung-jo’s former flame. Her part-timer approached Seung-jo for money. The door to her room opens, and she quickly switches to a different app so that Yoon-joo won’t see. In-hwa greets Yoon-joo coldly.

When Yoon-joo leaves the room though, she does feel a bit unsettled with how oddly In-hwa is acting. In-hwa wants to know how much Min-hyuk loved Yoon-joo when he married her. Min-hyuk thinks In-hwa is still hurting over Seung-jo and tells her to forget it. Yoon-joo’s been listening outside the door the entire time, and quickly moves away when she hears In-hwa coming out. 

While Yoon-joo is trying to be pleasant, In-hwa just snarls at her and grips her tablet more tightly before leaving.

The memorial rites have concluded, and Il-nam once again looks at the photo of Se-kyung washing dishes, which she had given him earlier with her artwork. He laughs heartily to himself, and then thinks of how his son actually showed up at the memorial rite ceremony.

 Seung-jo wants a reward from Se-kyung for being so good. He brings Se-kyung to his home because he has something for her. In-hwa witnesses them go up the building and sees which apartment lights turn on.

Seung-jo unwraps a box and presents Se-kyung her newly issued passport. He promises they’ll fill it up with stamps together. Se-kyung invites him to have dinner with her parents as a way to also win her father’s approval.

The following day, the secretary informs Il-nam that there are a lot of media outlets asking for confirmation on whether or not Seung-jo is his son. Il-nam tells him to confirm with only one media outlet, and the article that comes out mentions his attendance at his grandfather’s memorial service. When Tommy sees the article, he laughs to himself, seeing Se-kyung’s influence written all over Seung-jo’s actions.

Yoon-joo is  incredulous over Tommy’s change in attitude . Tommy isn’t the type to just make any deals with anyone. Se-kyung explains to her that he must have accepted her proposal because he realized that working with her is beneficial to him in the long run.

Cha Il-nam looks at all relationships as a business, so Se-kyung ought to do something that will make her invaluable to his company as well.

Se-kyung then visits Il-nam in his office to invite him to dinner that evening with her parents.. She appeals to his ego by saying that she’s not trying to impress him with her good manners, but wants him to go for Seung-jo. Attending the memorial service was Seung-jo’s way of extending the olive branch, she says, and so attending this dinner would show that Il-nam is supporting his son. She tells him the location of the restaurant and hopes to see him there.

She then heads to the bakery to beg her father to come to the dinner.


As she leaves, Il-nam arrives at the bakery to have a little chat with his  favorite baker Deuk-gi. He’s really curious to know if Deuk-gi’s already had a formal meeting with the in-laws regarding the boy his daughter likes. Deuk-gi admits that he was invited to meet them, but doesn’t approve of the boy because he comes from a very different economical background, and the family is a bit of a “mess.” 

Il-nam likewise reveals that he has been invited to meet his son’s in-laws but doesn’t approve of the girl because she and her family have nothing. While Deuk-gi can understand Il-nam’s reservations about the girl, he does encourage him to connect with his son more.

That evening, Deuk-gi arrives at the arranged restaurant first, while Se-kyung and Seung-jo head over with her mother and sister separately. When the sliding door into the private room opens, he’s shocked to find Il-nam there. Both fathers engage in a shouting match. Their shouting can be heard outside the room, much to the horror of Se-kyung and Seung-jo when they arrive.

Seung-jo asks if Se-kyung is still mad at him, and thus giving him a silent treatment. She only wishes he’d understand that his father is trying to reach out to him, but is just an awkward guy. She wants them to try harder but Seung-jo doesn’t want to. His father’s hard to please, and he’s afraid that it’ll be too much for Se-kyung to bear that she’ll eventually leave

Yoon-joo still cannot dispel her doubts over Tommy’s motives and why he’d agree to help Se-kyung so readily. She meets him in his office to confirm that he deleted the video. As Yoon-joo leaves, she notices his tablet and the unique pattern cover.

In-hwa is doing her own investigation. She visits the boutique that Yoon-joo used to work at and has one of the employees look for Yoon-joo’s resume . In-hwa takes a look at the resume when she gets it. Everything checks out, except her reference is none other than Cha Il-nam. In-hwa is shocked when she realizes that Il-nam is also “in” on this charade.

After the disastrous meeting, Il-nam heads over to Tommy’s studio. Tommy is still extremely apologetic over the failed match, but Il-nam wants to know more about Se-kyung. Tommy says that the couple truly loves each other, and so it might be best if he just accepts Se-kyung. Il-nam regrets the loss of In-hwa, as she was a perfect blend of business savvy and charming wife. And is not sure if Se-kyung compare.

The following day, Min-hyuk picks his father up from the airport and updates him on the latest news. Artemis is nearly done in taking over Roman and their outlets, while GN Fashion is close to tying up their deal with Royal Group. When GN Fashion gets tied up with Roman, then the three main companies will once again be tied up together.

Mr. Shin arrives at home in the arms of his doting daughter, daughter-in-law, and wife. They get together to eat lunch, but In-hwa is noticeably absent from the table. That’s because she’s thinking of revealing Yoon-joo’s treachery through the video during lunch. In-hwa looks around nervously, gripping her tablet, waiting for the right time to speak up. Yoon-joo, sitting across from her, can’t help but stare and wonder what’s going on with In-hwa. She gets a little worried that In-hwa is up to something, especially when she recognizes the identical tablet case.

In-hwa speaks up, as she has something to share with the family. She is interrupted by a phone call when Min-hyuk is notified that Chairman Robert just arrived in Korea. Mr. Shin then announces to the family that they are close to signing a deal with Artemis as well, one that will bring Royal Group on board in dealing with Artemis. With all these deals at stake, In-hwa can no longer reveal the truth and ruin all of her brother and father’s efforts.

Seung-jo prepares Se-kyung for her meeting with Chairman Robert. The chairman is like a father to him, having trusted and listened to him all these years. That makes Se-kyung nervous, as she’s adamant about doing well. She must be a girlfriend worthy of Seung-jo.

Seung-jo describes the numerous branches to Artemis and how Chairman Robert only uses Artemis products. He describes the chairman’s tastes in art, taking the opportunity to show her his favorite painting too and kissing her numerous times on the lips, and introduces her to the most luxurious and expensive wine that Robert enjoys.

Tommy also gives her a call, as he now wants to offer his help; he takes her to a France-based bookstore where all the books about Artemis and its branches exist. If she reads any of the books there, she will certainly have the leg up to impress the men there. He points out that men usually bring women to business meetings to help give that “feminine touch,” since the men can only provide all business. Se-kyung is confident she can do it, and flips open a random book. She looks at one of the pages’ intricate designs and remembers an article describing Artemis as a spider with all of its branches in a web, and it gives her an idea.

Yoon-joo heads over to Tommy’s studio again and informs him that In-hwa has the exact same tablet case as he does. It could be coincidental, but it makes her very suspicious since Tommy’s tablet contained the video. At least they’re safe for now in knowing that In-hwa can’t reveal anything until at least all the deals are signed.
Chairman Robert arrives. Seung-jo introduces the chairman to Il-nam, Mr. Shin, Min-hyuk, and In-hwa, and Chairman Robert is very much taken with In-hwa’s designing talent. Secretary Moon then brings out a wine bottle for them to drink with to celebrate, and Chairman Robert is surprised to see that though it is his favorite wine, it is not the vineyard’s label. Secretary Moon explains that Se-kyung had specially designed the label for this location, drawing instead a vine with each petal representing an Artemis brand. It was her take on twisting the public’s perception of Artemis as a spider weaving its web.

Se-kyung arrives at the party. Seung-jo introduces Se-kyung as his fiancee and she greets him in French. Chairman Robert loudly shows his approval for Se-kyung, and says that Seung-jo is lucky to have someone like her.

They  gather around for some wine, and Chairman Robert asks why the suggestion for a collaboration over the outlet came from GN Fashion and not from Royal Group, when Il-nam is Seung-jo’s father. No one quite knows how to answer without revealing too much of their inner motivations, and so Se-kyung pipes up. In French, she says that Il-nam is still young and didn’t want to piggyback on his son’s success and connection to get the deal with Artemis. Il-nam didn’t want to be a burden upon his son, which is a nice way of glossing over the fact that father and son want nothing to do with each other. Il-nam agrees, saying that he was confident he could win the deal on his own merits by collaborating with GN Fashion than directly with his son.

Satisfied with that answer, Chairman Robert leads a toast for their new working relationship, and they all clink glasses. He also toasts to Se-kyung and Seung-jo’s impending marriage, and this time In-hwa refuse to raise her glass. Reporters come swarming to take photos, and practically push the Shins away from the table.

As the photographers snap away, Se-kyung brings Il-nam over to Seung-jo’s side so that father and son stand next to each other. While it makes them a little uncomfortable, they are presented as a reconciled pair, and In-hwa seethes even more at how good Se-kyung looks now to everyone.

Il-nam and the Shins depart from the party together, with Mr. Shin congratulating Il-nam on his new daughter-in-law. He can objectively say that Se-kyung is a very talented young lady, and even Min-hyuk has to grudgingly admit that she is smart.

Yoon-joo has taken the opportunity to sneak into In-hwa’s office and look for her tablet. She can’t find it anywhere, but spies a sketch book with the design of the tablet cover drawn in it. She asks the manager what that is all about, and he cheerfully says that In-hwa had him buy that tablet cover for her a few days ago.

As In-hwa gets into her car outside the department store, she sees Seung-jo coming out with Se-kyung and swinging her around in happiness. Their happiness just makes In-hwa even more jealous. She calls up Tommy and tells him that she doesn’t care what he’s planning now – he’s failed. She hangs up, and Tommy’s secretary bursts in with news: the person who bought the painting gifted to him was from GN Fashion.

Tommy calls Se-kyung to check if is she all right. She’s at a dress shop for a wedding dress fitting. He tells her to stay put, and warns her that In-hwa might know something. He then calls up Yoon-joo, but she rejects his call as her husband has just come back from the party. He goes to the bathroom first, and that’s when Yoon-joo sees that he’s gotten a text on his phone. Suspicious, she doesn’t tell her husband and looks into it herself.

It’s a video from an unknown number – the video of Yoon-joo and Se-kyung. Freaking out, Yoon-joo runs out of her husband’s office and deletes the video. She tries calling Se-kyung but there’s no response, so she calls up Tommy. Though it was an unknown number, the logical assumption is that In-hwa sent it. Both of them freak out when they realize that Se-kyung will be targeted as well, and that she’s not picking up her phone, so Tommy runs to the dress shop she said she was at.

In-hwa is not done with her revenge just yet, as she has to send the video to Seung-jo but he doesn’t notice it as he’s pacing back and forth, anticipating Se-kyung’s dress.
Bored with waiting, he checks his phone and sees the text. And at that moment, the curtains open, and Se-kyung stands before him in all her bridal glory. Seung-jo’s face lights up, and it’s this happy scene that Tommy intrudes upon. The couple don’t notice him at first, but Tommy can see that if Seung-jo is this happy, he hasn’t seen the video. His eyes fall on to Seung-jo’s phone on the table, where the video has been opened up.

Tommy gives Se-kyung a worried look, and she catches sight of him. Her gaze prompts Seung-jo to look as well, and he wonders why Tommy is standing there.

Seung-jo is clearly not too pleased to see Tommy burst into their private dressing room, especially since he warned him to stay away. But seeing her secret-comrade-at-arms prompts Se-kyung to step in and calm her man down. It’s enough to distract his attention for a moment so that Tommy can swipe the phone. He then congratulates Seung-jo and Se-kyung again and quickly exits the room to delete the video. It takes some gall from Tommy to go back into the room and offer to sponsor Seung-jo and Se-kyung’s wedding. Seung-jo’s all, “Why do I want you to sponsor my wedding?” so Se-kyung tries to calm him again. In that split second, Tommy leaves the phone back on the coffee table, hopes that Seung-jo will consider his proposal, and leaves. This time, Se-kyung notices Tommy returning the phone, and she starts putting the pieces together.

Tommy informs Yoon-joo that all is well , for now. In-hwa bursts into the office, carrying the tablet that holds the video. She dares them to erase that video, since clearly Yoon-joo must have erased the one sent to Min-hyuk. Yoon-joo is the most desperate of the three, and she quickly falls to her knees, begging for forgiveness.

In-hwa states that her sole motivation in sending those videos is not because she wants to take revenge on Se-kyung and Tommy for ruining her arranged marriage, but to punish the two gold-diggers. The only difference between them is that both come from different financial backgrounds, and because of that, In-hwa will never be called a gold-digger. Se-kyung also points out that Seung-jo means the whole world to her, while he’s just a business transaction to In-hwa.

Yoon-joo blames Se-kyung for everything – if she had never shown up in Cheongdam-dong, no one would have ended up in this mess.

The following day, articles come out regarding the new outlet opening, with Se-kyung pictured beside Il-nam and Seung-jo. The family’s excited except for Deuk-gi, who’s still on the fence about Seung-jo. Il-nam isn’t though  and he visits Deuk-gi’s bakery to apologize to him for ruining the dinner meeting. He admits that he likes Se-kyung because she was the first person that truly tried to mend his relationship with Seung-jo, and even brought them closer. He doesn’t want to stand in the way of his son’s marriage, so if he could repair his relationship with his son, would Deuk-gi approve of him.

That evening, Seung-jo invites Se-kyung over to show her Chairman Robert’s gift – a treasured painting. Despite the grand gesture, Se-kyung still has a shadow of sadness all over her face, which Seung-jo interprets to be sadness over her dad’s disapproval of him. As great timing would have it, Il-nam calls up Se-kyung to have a meeting with her, while Deuk-gi calls up Seung-jo. Without telling each other why, they both head out… and end up in front of the same karaoke bar.

It’s a sight to behold when they see their fathers drunkenly singing together. When they spot their children, Deuk-gi quickly invites his “son-in-law” to sing with him first. Approval won. Sitting with Se-kyung, Il-nam confides that he was jealous Deuk-gi got to sing and drink with Seung-jo. Today is a happy day for him, because now he gets to see his son sing, and it’s all thanks to Se-kyung.

Il-nam finally gets up to sing “My Way” with his son, and both start off awkwardly, since they’ve never sung together before. With Deuk-gi’s encouragement, Il-nam’s voice strengthens, and father and son both take a moment to appreciate the other’s singing. Se-kyung sings along too, hoping that she can go about her path “her way.” When they all head home for the night, Il-nam instructs Seung-jo to bring his fiancee around for dinner.

As soon as Se-kyung reaches her room, she gets a call from Tommy. Se-kyung assures him that nothing happened, and that Il-nam finally approved of the marriage and even asked her father for approval.

Yoon-joo heads to GN Fashion, where In-hwa spots her going into Min-hyuk’s office. It’s clear Yoon-joo is contemplating on telling him the whole truth, but she first asks her husband if he loves her.

Min-hyuk finds his wife in the hallway. Yoon-joo makes up the excuse that In-hwa wanted to talk about her matchmaking, and Min-hyuk also apologizes for not having replied to her question sooner. He embraces and tells her that he does love her.

Il-nam’s secretary has made arrangements so that he will have time to attend dinner, but unfortunately he has In-hwa waiting outside to see him. In-hwa’s purpose in visiting is to show him something – the video of Se-kyung and Yoon-joo. Il-nam’s face is unreadable as he watches the video, and In-hwa explains that she is showing him because if Se-kyung enters his house, his and Seung-jo’s name would be smeared. Yoon-joo herself would be “taken care of” by the Shin family.

 Il-nam thanks her and In-hwa smiles until Il-nam asks her of a favor to keep this news a secret. It will not benefit any of the parties, and as Seung-jo’s father he knows that his son will be unable to handle it. In-hwa can barely conceal her shock over his request, even though she has no choice but to acquiesce.

Dinner in the Cha household is a quiet affair, though Seung-jo presents his father possible dates for the wedding. Il-nam gives Se-kyung a tour of Seung-jo’s old playroom, where all of his toy models are on display. These models were all Seung-jo ever loved, and when Il-nam tried to throw them away, his son just spent the entire day scouring the neighborhood for them. He was starved for love, but Il-nam could not bring himself to say “I love you” to his own son every day. He hopes that Se-kyung can, and she solemnly promises. Il-nam then asks her if she has the confidence to keep her secret for the rest of your life and confirms that he knows everything thanks to In-hwa. He is so tempted to kick her out and tell Seung-jo off for being a fool about love. But Il-nam knows that his son would rather die than believe in the truth about Se-kyung, so it’s futile to tell him anything. He won’t allow for Se-kyung to ever tell the truth, even if it’s just to make herself feel better.

After the tour, Il-nam invites Seung-jo to stay for the night. Father and son retreat to the living room for drinks. Il-nam asks Seung-jo if he likes Se-kyung a lot, and he does. It’s because Se-kyung has so much more than them, and can give so much love. He hopes Il-nam can treat the girl he loves well. It’s painful for Il-nam, whom you can see is practically suffocating from his inability to tell his son the truth out of love.

Se-kyung meets Tommy and tells him that Il-nam knows everything because of In-hwa. Luckily enough, she and In-hwa were ordered to bury the secret, so now Se-kyung thinks she can fulfill her promise to Tommy and be Royal Group’ daughter in law

Tommy offers her another chance to go to Paris , he can easily get her a ticket and cover all her expenses, and just take the fall for everything. He’s that afraid that things could still fall apart this late in the game.

In Tommy’s opinion, Se-kyung should have worked the system within Cheongdam-dong and kept her desire and greed alive. Now it looks to him like she’s pretty much decided to take whatever chance she can get to preserve herself and be as sincere as possible, when before she was willing to manipulate to protect her love. If her plans eventually crumble, her sincerity will not necessarily help her in the end.

Seung-jo assists his father into bed after several drinks, and his father finally opens up to him. He knows he’s been very harsh on everyone around him, and his manner cost him Seung-jo’s mother. She didn’t leave because she hated her son, but because she hated her husband. Il-nam apologizes for that, and it brings tears to both their eyes.

Tommy fills Yoon-joo in about In-hwa and Il-nam’s exchange, and the fact that Se-kyung was instructed to hide it from Seung-jo forever. They can only hope that In-hwa will abide by Il-nam’s wish; if he told her to keep the secret for business, she most likely would. Tommy receives a call from his spy that In-hwa has just arrived at Artemis to meet Seung-jo, taking Min-hyuk’s place at the meeting.

Seung-jo greets In-hwa in the conference room, and he apologizes for the failed marriage talks between their families. In-hwa brushes it aside and suggests they discuss the outlet’s location while watching a video.  In-hwa prefaces the video with the pros about the location, and then clicks play. It’s the video of Se-kyung and Yoon-joo.

In-hwa watches Seung-jo’s reaction but a smile grows on his face. In-hwa can barely believe Seung-jo’s calm reaction. Didn’t he watch it carefully? Seung-jo assures he did, and tells her he will get back to her once he’s reviewed the documents regarding the outlet’s location. He leaves In-hwa more confused than ever before.

Seung-jo returns to his office, and as the truth registers slowly, his smile slowly turns to a grimace, and his brows furrow in confusion and anger. Se-kyung finds the apartment door unlocked, and searches through the rooms, but he’s not there. It worries her that he might have run away because he learned the truth somehow. She finds him in the kitchen, where he sets up two glasses of wine for the both of them. It looks like he’s in a good mood, and once Se-kyung feels assured of that, then she can enjoy her wine.

Tommy gets a call from his spy and learns that the meeting ended early, but Seung-jo seemed to have left the office in a good mood. In-hwa storms back into the office, leaving her manager feeling perplexed.

Se-kyung looks over Seung-jo’s child pictures and compliments how his eyes have remained pretty since he was young.

Tommy is surprised to hear that she’s at Seung-jo’s apartment, and that nothing has happened so far. In-hwa had told Seung-jo everything that afternoon. Se-kyung can barely breathe as the world around her swims before her eyes. She finally registers hearing Seung-jo calling out for her and quickly hangs up with Tommy.

Tommy tries to call Se-kyung back but she’s already turned off her phone. He’s reaching a breaking point in nervousness, as he can’t figure out what’s going on in Seung-jo’s mind. Seung-jo drinks himself to a stupor, so Se-kyung tucks him into bed. Il-nam and Dong-wook’s words go through her mind – both of them want her to stay by Seung-jo’s side no matter what, as they know only she can help make Seung-jo better. She holds onto Seung-jo’s hand and silently reaffirms her vow to stay by his side no matter what, even if their relationship came to an end right now.

The following morning, Seung-jo wakes up with the image of Se-kyung on the video seared in his head. Doubts start filling his mind again, but he hears plates clattering in the kitchen. It’s Se-kyung preparing breakfast – she had stayed in the living room overnight. He smiles as she scolds him for having such low tolerance for alcohol, and it does warm his heart that she seems to care so much for him.

She hopes that he can show her different sides to him, rather than always the good side. Her conversation is veering too close to revealing her secret, and Seung-jo wants to take her somewhere, so they should eat quickly.

It’s a quiet car ride as Seung-jo takes her to a secluded, small church. He envisions white flowers along the side, their close friends and family sitting in the rows near the front, greeting them. She joins in on the fantasy, waving at Dong-wook and greeting Il-nam. It’s hilarious how his face is brimming with pride, and then when he sees her, he gives her a disapproving glare.
They reach the altar, and the priest asks for their vows. Seung-jo replies, “I do,” and Se-kyung follows suit. They pretend to exchange rings, and repeat their vows. The priest then asks if there is anyone with any objection to the wedding. Seung-jo has none, but when the priest asks Se-kyung, she freezes up. Memories of Seung-jo once again believing in love rip her to pieces, and she finally speaks up.

Seung-jo’s smiling face disappears. He warns her not to say another word, as nothing has changed between them. And he leaves her in the church to deal with her guilt and heartbreak.

Se-kyung frantically calls Dong-wook without an explanation to see if he can get in touch with Seung-jo. He gets the voicemail too, and when they rush over to his home, Seung-jo is nowhere to be found. She instructs Dong-wook to stay in case Seung-jo returns.

Seung-jo isn’t in his office either, and Secretary Moon can’t get in contact with him. Il-nam learns of Seung-jo’s disappearance when his secretary can’t confirm their meeting time, and he immediately suspects Se-kyung. Il-nam roars that she should have lied and denied everything, but Se-kyung couldn’t. She couldn’t continue when she saw how much it was tearing Seung-jo up inside.

As she walks through the streets of Cheongdam-dong, she passes by the tea parlor he took her to before. His painting has been removed, and one of the waitresses mentions that Seung-jo had arrived earlier and asked the same thing. She directs Se-kyung to another gallery.

Il-nam has sent his secretary to contact the police to see if any accidents have been reported yet. Scary how the father’s first thought goes there. The meeting with GN Fashion is still happening though, as they’ve all arrived. Before they can even start discussing, Il-nam informs Mr. Shin that he will not work with GN Fashion; Royal Group will find another partner to work with on the outlet because of In-hwa

In-hwa plays the video back for her mother and brother so that they’d understand why the deal was cut off. Before the video ends, Mr. Shin orders the tablet to be shut off. Mrs. Shin grabs her glass of water and splashes it on Yoon-joo’s face. She never should have accepted a nobody like her into her family!

Mr. Shin tells his wife to shut up and then Min-hyuk leads Yoon-joo away for a private talk. And then, Mr. Shin turns on In-hwa, and asked her who taught her to act so low. Mr. Shin said that the deal was worth hundreds of millions of dollars and In-hwa wasted it on her feelings and ended up showing her true colors, and hit rock bottom. If a business partner changes partners, then it’s simply their loss.
Min-hyuk is disgusted with Yoon-joo, thinking that she must have wanted to beg him for forgiveness earlier so that he would let her stay in the family. Yoon-joo tearfully says it wasn’t all greed that motivated her. She wanted to protect her marriage, and to be the best wife to her husband. It was difficult for her too. At least Min-hyuk could understand a little of her plight, as he softens a little. He’s not willing to completely end his marriage yet, even though Mrs. Shin is pushing for a divorce based on the prenuptial so that Yoon-joo won’t get a cent.
Divorce is the least of Mr. Shin’s worries – he needs to find a way to salvage this deal. He worked too hard to get the outlet to come to Korea, so he’s not going to let Royal Group take all the profits. Before the divorce can happen, he orders Min-hyuk to find use in his wife to help them.
Se-kyung races to the gallery where she sees Seung-jo’s painting. One of the ladies there remembers seeing him staring at the painting for the longest time, and notes that he only left two hours ago. She runs back out again, and nearly gets hit by an oncoming car. Startled, she returns to the curb to catch her breath, and gets a call from Tommy. He’s heard from Yoon-joo – it’s game over for all of them now. Se-kyung can only  cry  and Tommy rushes out of his office to look for her.

He sees her walking on the street and tries to send her home. But Se-kyung wants to find him. There’s still a lot she needs to do for him, including proving to him that love really does exist, and showing her true self to him. Tommy suggests that he may have returned home already, and drives her back to Seung-jo’s place.

Seung-jo is not at home. Se-kyung goes into his study to find a picture of Paris that she had drawn up. She gets a call from Secretary Moon and they simultaneously tell each other of their discovery. Secretary Moon tracks Seung-jo down and found him on the 10:30 PM flight to Paris.

Se-kyung and Tommy make a mad dash to the airport, where Seung-jo is waiting to board. Se-kyung locates him just as he’s next to go in, and drags him out of the line. Even though Seung-jo resists, she won’t let him go.

Seung-jo declares it’s over between them. He tried to forget about her and her betrayal, but he can’t erase it from his mind. He had hoped she could just disappeared.

Seung-jo got to reveal his entire self to her and she still stuck by him. Now, it’s her turn.
Seung-jo thinks there’s nothing more she needs to show. But Se-kyung points out one important fact – she is not Yoon-joo. She won’t run away, so he shouldn’t run away either.

He’s surprised when she says Dong-wook and Il-nam were worried about him, but is still angry that people think he’s so fragile. She mollifies him first by agreeing with him, but then points out that he wanted everyone to get sick with worry because he wanted the attention.

Dong-wook and Secretary Moon catch up to them, and their concerned faces rile Seung-jo even more. Seung-jo finally leaves with Dong-wook, Secretary Moon, and Chauffeur Kim. He realizes that Dong-wook and Secretary Moon must have been aware of Se-kyung’s betrayal to be so concerned over him. He doesn’t want his friend to meet Se-kyung on his behalf, or to even talk about him behind his back.

Meanwhile, Tommy drives Se-kyung home. She plans to meet him every day whether or not he has anything to ask her. Tommy wishes she’d just stop right here, as he once had a girlfriend whom he liked a lot, but broke up with her because there were too many difficulties. Even though Se-kyung broke up with her first boyfriend over similar issues too, she can’t give up on Seung-jo now.

Seung-jo arrives at home to find Il-nam waiting. Il-nam quietly says that in a few years, none of this will really matter. Seung-jo doesn’t want to hear it, and he kicks them all out while insisting that he’s fine. Il-nam is surprised to hear that Seung-jo willingly came home with Dong-wook after fighting with Se-kyung.

At the Han household, Se-kyung’s parents somehow learn of her deception towards Seung-jo. Her mother goes in a frenzy, aghast that her daughter would do something so low. Deuk-gi blames himself for not having been able to better provide for Se-kyung. If he had, perhaps she wouldn’t stoop so low in playing with people’s hearts.

Seung-jo can’t sleep, unable to differentiate when she was using him and when she was sincere. He calls up Secretary Moon to find out what date he had met with Ah-jung to find out that Se-kyung liked Secretary Kim. Secretary Moon hesitantly tells him that while drinking, he told Ah-jung that Secretary Kim and Seung-jo were one and the same. That’s all Seung-jo needs to know. That was the day before the Artemis Christmas party, and that’s proof enough that Se-kyung knew the truth long before he told her himself.

Ah-jung thinks that Se-kyung is crazy for wanting to see Seung-jo every single day, considering he must hate her so much. But that’s all Se-kyung knows how to do, to stick by the man even if he tries to send her away. She intends to start tomorrow, but there’s angry pounding on the door. Seung-jo beat her to it.

Seung-jo confronts her about the timeline of events. She knew about his identity since December 24. On Christmas day, she wrote him a letter saying that she liked Secretary Kim, knowing full well that Secretary Kim didn’t exist, then disappeared because she was “sick.” She knew he would chase after her, then went on to reject him because they were in different social classes.

Se-kyung says he got one thing wrong: before December 24th, he became her Magic Rabbit. Not understanding her reference, Se-kyung explains that she needed to use somebody to enter Cheongdam-dong, and she chose Seung-jo. She admits that she needed to use him, and that’s why she wanted to meet Jean Thierry Cha. She only planned to use Secretary Kim, and purposely cut him out because he was too poor for her.

Se-kyung admits she really like Secretary Kim. She told herself that it would be okay to manipulate him since she already liked him as Secretary Kim. What she can no longer differentiate is whether she’s just playing him or really liking him

After he’s gone, Ah-jung wonders aloud if it’s a good sign that he sought Se-kyung out first. It’s possible that he unconsciously doesn’t want Se-kyung to disappear.

The following morning, Se-kyung intends to see Seung-jo before heading to work, but once again, Seung-jo is pounding at their door with the bunnies all packed up in a box, wanting to know when he became her “Magic Rabbit.” She explains that it was from the moment he told her he was presenting her an opportunity to work as a stylist, and now he understands why she gave him the dolls and the questions. 

Well, if he insists on knowing… She takes the box of rabbits down to the recycling bin and starts tossing them away. If it no longer means anything to Seung-jo, then it’ll mean nothing to her. He freaks out – the day she gave it to him was the day she first asked for his name, and when she first said “Thank you.” Clearly that day means a lot to him, and he desperately wants to know if she was sincere.
 

Se-kyung told him that was his problem and that he hears what he wants to hear and see what he wants to see. He  doesn’t see the full person properly.

She walks off, and Seung-jo keeps the bunnies. And chases after her. Se-kyung gets into his car.
They head to the playground where she broke up with In-chan. That letter she had sent was essentially a fantasy, because even though it was meant to save In-chan from being prosecuted, it was her way to break up with him. He would be better off without her, a person that even GN Fashion didn’t see as a designer. For the years that she struggled, she had been regarded as a useless person. Unable to get a head start on her own career, she wanted someone else to save her. 
That’s why chose to try to enter Cheongdam-dong, because it was a way out of her hard life.

Seung-jo just happened to be her ticket. She thought he could really help her, so yes – she unashamedly ditched the poorer guys and chased after him. But as she soon found out, everyone around him told her to save him instead. She had to protect Seung-jo, and to that effect, she became someone useful. And, he valued her.

That’s all she can say in her defense, and she leaves him to brood. She receives a call from Il-nam, who wants her to leave Seung-jo now. Il-nam still regards his son as a weak person, even though when Seung-jo found out the truth, he didn’t fall apart as predicted. Se-kyung points out that Seung-jo is trying to make his father proud and prove he can be a successor to Royal Group in his own way. He entered Artemis because it allowed him to be in business management in a creative field that tapped into his skills as an artist.

As for the breaking up, Se-kyung asks that he allow her and Seung-jo to resolve it. They need to settle their issues before they can decide whether she will leave him or not.

Se-kyung heads in to work and finds a cardboard box waiting on her desk. The manager informs her that she’s been let go, per In-hwa’s orders.

She bumps into In-hwa as she leaves, and In-hwa finds that due justice has been meted out. While GN Fashion may have lost a huge financial deal, Se-kyung messed up her own plans to enter Cheongdam-dong. But Se-kyung notes that while In-hwa seems to have given up on the deal, she hasn’t given up on Seung-jo yet, and they’re working out their issues.

Min-hyuk calls his wife to his office, who’s already packed up her things in three small suitcases. He presents Yoon-joo one last chance: Since he cannot give up on the Roman outlet deal, he wants Yoon-joo to use her connection to Seung-jo to help save GN Fashion. The results will determine whether she can stay on in the Shin house, or be kicked out. He points out that since she’s been treating him as a business transaction, it’s about time he benefits from it.

Yoon-joo rightfully is hurt, and finds it a punishment. Min-hyuk merely calls it a good business deal, since he doesn’t think she’s actually worth the hundreds of billions of won.

In the elevator, Se-kyung joins Yoon-joo, carrying her belongings.

Se-kyung receives a call from Tommy, who’s heard of her termination. He had to go and close a few of his stores due to GN Fashion’s influence. The only good thing is that no one seeks him out as a matchmaker anymore so he can stop being a pimp, so to speak. He offers to pick her up as well. Seung-jo arrives in front of GN Fashion building in time to see Tommy usher Se-kyung into his car. Suspicious of their relationship, he follows as they head to Tommy’s studio.

When Se-kyung leaves, Seung-jo goes in asking why Tommy and Se-kyung, are so friendly. Tommy reveals that he is helping her enter Cheongdam-dong. Seung-jo: “What is Cheongdam-dong to you guys?”

Tommy admits to not having been on Se-kyung’s side from the start since he was supposed to match up Seung-jo and In-hwa. He even made that damning video of Se-kyung and Yoon-joo. However, he realized it didn’t work with Se-kyung’s persistent nature. He may not know Se-kyung well, but he knows that she is sincere.

As soon as Seung-jo leaves, Tommy calls Se-kyung to warn her. She thanks him for being truthful, because that means Seung-jo will go find her. Sure enough, the same pounding sounds on her door.
Seung-jo wants to know when she found out that Yoon-joo was his ex. She realized it when he sent her the USB with his confession of his past. And even though Tommy had threatened her with the video, she accepted his proposal because she didn’t want to lose to him. She would go to any lengths to be able to live while loving someone.

While Seung-jo finds loving the hardest thing to do, Se-kyung finds living the hardest. Seung-jo doesn’t think her poverty gives her an excuse to use someone’s love; he lived in poverty and painted until finally someone saw his worth. But Se-kyung thinks he was just lucky, because no one in her world has ever been able to become rich and happy solely from hard work. That frustrates Seung-jo who does not understand.

Dong-wook visits Seung-jo and is surprised to learn that his friend was grateful that Se-kyung came to the airport. It made him want to rely on her. However, he doesn’t think their relationship will work out. They both have different values regarding hard work, and it makes Seung-jo curious about his painting’s anonymous buyer. Seung-jo has his suspicions…

We see the painting on private display, visited by Il-nam. A flashback reveals that he did buy it through an agent. But instead of keeping it, he had it donated.

Seung-jo can’t blame Se-kyung for the way she thought, because she was right in some aspects. However, he doesn’t know whether his grief over losing love from a lack of sincerity is worse than her throwing away love because of a lack of money. 

Then he follows as she struggles to get on to a train, then applies to be a saleslady in a boutique. The sight of a rich customer picking out her bags from a line of salesladies makes Seung-jo wonder what’s so great about entering Cheongdam-dong. For him, it’s just where he lives.

Seung-jo apologizes to Yoon-joo; if he had never sought her out or dated Se-kyung, she wouldn’t be in such a delicate situation with her in-laws. He offers his help in anything, but she won’t take it. He does have one question: Did she purchase his painting in Paris? After all, his father gave her 30,000 Euros, and the painting was bought for exactly that much. He suspected her of purchasing it.

Se-kyung tells Tommy that Seung-jo never suspected the identity of his painting’s buyer, when it should be the first person he should think of. Secretary Moon doesn’t know the identity either, but he’s 99% sure it’s one guy. Cha Il-Nam

When Seung-jo hears it from Yoon-joo, his eyes widen and his jaw drops.

As for Se-kyung, she remembers the ending to Alice in Wonderland – in the end, it was all a dream, and Alice woke up. Yoon-joo can’t believe that Seung-jo never thought his father bought him that painting. He’s a rich man’s son, so of course his rich father wouldn’t be able to stand to see him suffer. Seung-jo is in denial that his father could care for him; after all, he signed away his inheritance. That’s what differentiates him from Yoon-joo and Se-kyung: Seung-jo is willing to believe that good things can come out of nowhere, whereas Yoon-joo and Se-kyung are skeptical when good fortune like that befalls them.

Once Yoon-joo leaves, Seung-jo looks up the business card for Carrey Park Gallery, where his painting was eventually kept. One of the associates informs him that his painting was sold a few days ago to the man who originally donated it to the gallery. As it turns out, that man was the father of the painter. That’s enough confirmation for Seung-jo, and he races to his father’s office.

Il-nam isn’t around, so Seung-jo searches through the rooms to find his painting on display. He finally finds it in the grand hall, framed with a plaque beside formidable wooden doors. The truth hits him.

Il-nam appears behind him, and nonchalantly confirms that he did purchase the painting a long time ago. He doesn’t understand Seung-jo’s violent reaction, who feels like his father still dictated his path even though he tried to run away. But Il-nam never meant to control his son – he just didn’t want to see his son poor anymore. Buying the painting would allow Il-nam to give money without getting rejected.

 Seung-jo bitterly realizes that because his father purchased the painting, he was able to get to his current position in life. Il-nam points out that he didn’t get him into Artemis, or make him CEO, but Seung-jo doesn’t care. To him, he feels like his revenge against his father failed because he wanted to do everything on his own.

All Il-nam wanted was to be closer to his son as a father. Se-kyung was right when she noted that Seung-jo wanted to be closer to him by going into business. Seung-jo isn’t ready to accept that yet, and staggers away.

Yoon-joo heads to her husband’s office to tell him she chose divorce. She leaves the office confidently.

She bumps into her sister-in-law at the elevator. In-hwa is still bitter over the fact that the Roman outlet deal gets to rest on Yoon-joo’s shoulders rather than her own, which makes Yoon-joo laugh. 

She tells In-hwa to go cheer her brother as she chose to divorce the family and leaves In-hwa’s jaw hanging too.

Dong-wook rushes to Seung-jo’s place under Il-nam’s orders, both worried over where Seung-jo might have gone. Dong-wook finds him asleep in his bed, though he initially fears that Seung-jo could have overdosed on sleeping pills. Seung-jo just wants to sleep, as it’s his way of escaping his current reality. Even though his son is alive, it’s not comforting to know that Seung-jo chooses to sleep all day, so Il-nam texts Se-kyung. Perhaps she can help.

Seung-jo does get up for some cheese and crackers and wine, and then passes out on the couch. He hallucinates his younger self crying, and his mother comforting him. His cries transform into a doorbell ringing, and next thing he knows, Se-kyung is by his side, carrying that sketchbook.

He doesn’t want to see her, so Se-kyung grabs him in a back-hug. She only came because she missed him terribly. Whether he’s Jean Thierry Cha or Secretary Kim, she doesn’t care. All she knows is she misses Seung-jo, and if she doesn’t see him, she feels like she’d die and embraces him as tears run down their cheeks.

Seung-jo feels like he just woke up into a nightmare. Se-kyung tells him that the only way for them to stay together is if he can face the reality of who she is, and still accept her. Seung-jo is unwilling to accept the fact that she’s a gold-digger and wants her to prove her love. Since his father is worth a trillion won (~1 billion USD) and he’s worth 2.1 billion (~2 million USD), then she must make that much and then go back to him. Only then can she prove that she really loved him and not the money.

Se-kyung understands that they’re most definitely over, and she leaves with barely a look back. Seung-jo is left heartbroken as she shatters all his fantasies of her, but he strangely feels better because the burden is gone.

Some time passes, and Se-kyung heads to an expensive boutique to purchase a new outfit for an upcoming interview. Now instead of wearing all black, she at least has a white blazer on.

 Se-kyung arrives for her interview. Her interviewers give her a B for her fashion choices and appearance. Se-kyung does not divulge many details, giving only a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ to their questions. Her lack of details and study abroad merit her a D. They’re ready to dismiss her when she finally speaks up –she also worked as a personal stylist.

She gives the interviewers a portfolio, and they discovered that she was Jean Thierry Cha’s personal stylist. One of them recognizes her as his former fiancee, and suddenly they mark out all her B’s and D’s, and give her only A’s. In the end, Se-kyung did end up using him for her own career advancement.

Tommy picks Se-kyung up after her interview to go to lunch. Both are still having difficulty getting in contact with Yoon-joo and wonder where she’s gone. Tommy also has a gift for Se-kyung – the book Alice in Wonderland. Se-kyung feels that that is what it means to be an adult. Time to grow up.

Seung-jo arrives at the department store to look at the new line of jewelry recently launched, and he overhears a new intern rushing back into the store asking for a duplicate receipt. The saleslady kindly turns her down, and Seung-jo is once again reminded of the time Se-kyung came back to get a copy of the warranty.

As Chauffeur Kim drives him home, Seung-jo recognizes a familiar figure in the street. It’s Yoon-joo.
Yoon-joo invites him to her humble cramped apartment. He remembers that Yoon-joo was given a particular opportunity that he could have helped her with, which would have resulted in her staying in Cheongdam-dong. She does wonder if he and Se-kyung broke up, since there hasn’t been any news about them lately. Seung-jo says she ran away first because she couldn’t prove her love.

He suddenly realizes that what he thought was a dream was not a dream. When Se-kyung had given him the back-hug, that was real. And he had pushed her away and asked her to prove her love for him. He no longer wanted to doubt her feelings.

Se-kyung didn’t know how to prove it, and all she could show him was her sketchbook and her list. She can only prove that she loved Secretary Kim first, and when she learned that he was rich, she loved him more. Because she was happier, she felt guilty, but it doesn’t mean she loved him any less. But Seung-jo couldn’t accept that, and he then told her to earn that 1.002 trillion won to prove her love. Se-kyung understood that meant it was over, and so she disappeared from his life.

Seung-jo dashes over to Se-kyung’s home. She’s not home, but her sister is, and he barges into Se-kyung’s room looking for the sketchbook. Finally, he reads the list in its entirety. The  Se-kyung he loved was the same Se-kyung that manipulated him, Seung-jo runs in the hope of reuniting with his love.

Se-kyung just began her first day of work, this time as an intern designer. Seung-jo accuses her of running away when she promised to never leave and to show him her entire self. To him, it makes no sense that she’d leave him just because she couldn’t prove she loved him. Seung-jo loves the Se-kyung who’s in front of him right now.

And they embrace. Se-kyung pulls away first wondering if he believes in her. Seung-jo assures her that they may not understand each other quite perfectly yet, but they have to try. He turns around and declares, “Winston Churchill once said, ‘Immature love says I love you because I need you. 
Mature love says I need you because I love you. I need you because I love you, Se-kyung. Because I need you, I love you. Now I can no longer distinguish the difference between that.”

It’s Christmas again, and Tommy exits the Dongdaemun shopping center to see Yoon-joo dragging out bags of her clothing. They sit down to catch up. Tommy knows that she must have had a chance to keep her rich lifestyle, but wonders why she gave all of that up. Yoon-joo thought her situation was going to be hopeless, but then she realized that she could take it out against the Shin family by ruining their chance at making billions of won. She half regrets it.

Yoon-joo notes that Se-kyung must have rubbed off on her, and inspired her to give up everything she had to keep her pride. As for Tommy, he admits that though he’s happy not to be taking matchmaking commissions anymore, he’s not making as much money as he used to. Ho-min then arrives to tell her their bus has come, and she hands Tommy her card. Perhaps he can recommend her humble boutique and designs to someone.

They both reckon that Se-kyung has rekindled her romance with Seung-jo, and both are genuinely happy for her. Yoon-joo knows that she’ll do well; Se-kyung always succeeded doing things her way.

As for the in-laws, Il-nam tries to convince Se-kyung’s parents to move into a villa in Cheongdam-dong. Deuk-gi refuses to because he doesn’t want to make it seem like he sold his daughter into a rich family.


As for Seung-jo and Se-kyung? They lived happily ever after. 

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