The latest episode brought several situations for Eun Ho, and for once the calm and collected man seemed a bit frazzled.
Warning: spoilers from episode 9 below.
Eun Ho’s face off with Ji Yun’s rivals
No one messes with the shrewd and calculating Chairman Woo and doing so will put yourself in dangerous territory. However, Yu Eun Ho doesn’t think twice as he steps in to shield Kang Ji Yun as she is being rebuked by the Chairman publicly. Eun Ho has put himself in a precarious situation with the Chairman, who not only mocks him but goads his loyalty as well. Eun Ho’s gesture carries a lot of weight—it is not just a secretary standing up for his boss but also a man standing up for his woman.
Ji Yun hits back at Eun Ho, accusing him for thinking she is pathetic and that he did what he did since he felt sorry for her. But his response is calm and replies that it is okay to be pathetic and less than perfect as well as vulnerable.
The moment at the party has also not gone unnoticed by either Park Hye Jin (Park Bo Kyung) or Jeong Hoon (Kim Do Hoon). Hye Jin takes the chance to insult and humiliate Ji Yun and disses her relationship with Eun Ho. But even before Ji Yun can retaliate, Eun Ho steps in and tersely tells Hye Jin to back off. He also rebukes her, asking her to play fair and not take recourse to petty games. When she openly slanders him and asks him to be careful in his support toward Ji Yun, Eun Ho answers back, saying Ji Yun is strong, stubborn, and resilient and doesn’t need anyone’s help. As a gobsmacked Hye Jin stares back at him, Ji Yun has a happy smile on her face. All viewers could do was cheer the man all the way for his unabashed support for Ji Yun.
Eun Ho has clearly put himself open to attack and has no qualms in taking the risks for Ji Yun. Though Jeong Hoon clearly warns him that no one messes with his father and that Ji Yun would have to pay the price for her retaliation, Eun Ho is unperturbed. It is apparent that he will stand for the woman he loves against all odds. There is no denying that he is a resilient man with strength of character.
Eun Ho’s feelings spiraling out of control
Love does strange things to people, and the serene and unruffled Eun Ho is no different. It is perhaps the first time that we see the even-tempered Eun Ho behaving out of character, especially as the pull of attraction between the two keeps getting stronger.
As Ji Yun openly acknowledges her relationship with him to both her friend Director Seo (Lee Sang Hee) and Jeong Hoon, she also doesn’t deny Hye Jin’s assumptions that she is indeed seeing Eun Ho. But they aren’t officially a couple in the public domain, and that seems to be bothering Eun Ho a bit. When he sees a prospective romantic rival in Jung Hyuk (Kwak Si Yang), a CEO of a designing firm, we get the chance to see his unbridled jealousy. Jung Hyuk visits Peoplez for a meeting, and seeing the excitement amongst his female colleagues, Eun Ho wonders what the big deal is all about. But when he spots Jung Hyuk, who is rather attentive toward Ji Yun, Eun Ho gets nervous. He refuses to leave Ji Yun’s side while she has a meeting with Jung Hyuk, and his expressions are cutely adorable as he makes his feelings very clear.
When Ji Yun confirms to meet Jung Hyuk for dinner, the jealousy has completely eaten Eun Ho. This new facet to his composed personality takes his friend and Ji Yun by surprise as well. But no one seems to be complaining since Eun Ho has, for most of his life, kept his feelings under a tight leash. A tender side to the stoic Eun Ho left viewers weak in the knees. It looks like everyone is for him as he wears his heart on his sleeve.
Eun Ho discovering his link to Ji Yun’s tragic past
Things are going well for our couple. Ji Yun has a spring in her step and is working hard to protect Peoplez with Eun Ho lending her the professional and emotional support she needs. But life has other things in store for the two, and it seems the past may just wreck havoc for Ji Yun yet again.
Eun Ho has been trying to investigate a fire incident from the past. We learn that as a young boy, he was trapped in a building and was saved by a school teacher. Eun Ho discovers the man who had saved him had succumbed to his death and left behind a daughter, who was shunted from one foster home to another. When he learns that the young girl in question is none other than Ji Yun, you can’t help but wonder if it’s a coincidence or if destiny is playing a cruel joke on him.
Ji Yun still suffers from the unhealed trauma of the incident and had revealed to Eun Ho that she resented her father for abandoning and leaving her. Director Seo also shared that Ji Yun’s childhood was tough with no one to look after her. Eun Ho blames himself—after all, if it wasn’t for him, Ji Yun’s father would be still alive. With the incident and revelation weighing heavily on him, Eun Ho visits the memorial of Ji Yun’s father and makes a promise to look after Ji Yun always. But he is in a dilemma—how does he confess the truth to Ji Yun, since he knows how the past continues to haunt her?
The upfront and honest man that he is, Eun Ho reveals the truth to Ji Yun. It is a tense moment as Eun Ho is aware the revelation could well mean the end of the road for him and Ji Yun. He wants her to heal and get closure from the incident, even if it means to forsake his future with her, as long as she can shed the baggage she carries.
With Ji Yun reacting with great shock, we are left wondering what comes next for the two. Knowing Eun Ho, it is clear he will stand by her, but will Ji Yun still want him in her life? Only this week will tell!
Start watching “Love Scout”:
Puja Talwar is a Soompi writer with a strong Yoo Yeon Seok and Lee Junho bias. A long time K-drama fan, she loves devising alternate scenarios to the narratives. She has interviewed Lee Min Ho, Gong Yoo, Cha Eun Woo, and Ji Chang Wook to name a few. You can follow her on @puja_talwar7 on Instagram.
Currently watching: “Love Scout”
