Je Ha is a Knight in Shining Armor for Yoo Jin and Anna.
The K2 Episode 5 Recap
We begin the episode with Kim Je Ha (Ji Chang Wook) spotting flashes of light on the rooftop near Anna’s room. Je Ha calls Agent J4 Mi Ran to investigate but she doesn’t pick up as she’s fast asleep (on the job). He’s forced to scale the roof to investigate. What he finds, is not an intruder, but Ko An Na (Yoona) (aka Anna) with a kitten. He watches them. After the kitten leaves, Anna cries remembering and sleeping pills she gave her mother. Eventually Anna goes back into the house through the roof access which is adjacent to her bedroom. Anna cleverly pulls a heating pad from her bed which tricked the thermal sensors she was in bed (not on the roof). She crawls into bed. Je Ha crawls into attic room and spies Anna in bed. He notices the heating pad and is impressed with her resourcefulness. He sees all the books around the room, but it is a picture of young Anna with her father, Assemblyman Jang, and her mother, that tugs at his heartstrings. I’m okay that Je Ha is interested in Anna but there should be no romance on his part yet. I’m all for them finding their way to each other, but I don’t want Je Ha to “love from afar” with Anna. Je Ha is a man that guards himself, so I don’t see him as someone that would watch a girl and fall in like. He’s drawn to her plight, but that’s not romance. Just watching Anna has a bit of a stalker vibe. Bottom line, I want them to interact and free Je Ha from just watching her. I need more. Je Ha needs more. Anna needs more. Viewers need more too.
The next morning Agent J4 sees a phone call from Je Ha the previous evening. Initially she’s upset because she was asleep on the job. But then she considers that maybe he called her for personal reasons. She gets dolled up and takes food to the observation room. But to her dismay, Je Ha isn’t there, instead Agent K1 is there. He’s thrilled and eats the food with relish. J4 asks about K2 and learns that he’s already left. K1 asks her if she’s sensitive to heat. J4 realizes that K1 was watching her when she pranced about in her shirt, not K2. Irritated she leaves confusing K1.
Assemblyman Park has lunch with his soccer buddies who turn out to be political cronies. Each man receives a package as a parting gift, and it contains a cash bribe. Assemblyman Park’s assistant tells him that Yoo Jin’s aunt has died. Thrilled that something has upset the world of Yoo Jin, he plans to go to the funeral. As he gets in the car, we see Je Ha observing Assemblyman Park from his telescope. I find Assemblyman Parks obsession with Yoo Jin interesting. He obviously finds her a worthy opponent, and enjoys seeing her knocked down a peg or two whenever possible. He’s your “smile and stab” opponent.
Choi Yoo Jin (Song Yoon A) prepares for the funeral. She’s a depressed that her aunt died alone in a nursing home. Assistant Kim tells her that her aunt had her support during her final years. Yoo Jin says that she only supported her aunt to get the shares in the company. Assistant Kim chides her saying that that’s not true. The two women genuinely cared about each other. Yoo Jin corrects her and says that she sympathized with her lonely childless aunt. She wonders how useful her aunt’s inheritance will be to her now.
Je Ha and Col Jo drive to the funeral. Col Jo counsels Je Ha to be patient and wait for his revenge against Assemblyman Park. When they get to the funeral, they see the JSS agents standing next to the road to the temple. Team Leader So informs them that without an invitation they can go no further. Who you think drives up with an invitation? It’s Assemblyman Park and his assistant. Je Ha chafes seeing the easy access of the powerful Assemblyman Park has.
Assemblyman Jang Se Joon (Cho Seong Ha) tells his wife that she must be happy this day has finally come. Yoo Jin states that she doesn’t even know whether or not she will inherit her aunt’s stocks. Assemblyman Jang says that she’s the only blood relative. Yoo Jin notes that her Aunt’s husband’s son may put up a fight for the shares. She gets a dig in when she states that sons tend to be pathetic. Assemblyman Jang laughs at his wife’s words. Does he care what his wife thinks? Or has their relationship dissolved so that he doesn’t care about Yoo Jin?
When Assemblyman Jang and Yoo Jin pull up to the entrance to the temple, Col Jo gets in the car and explains that all the agents are stuck outside of the temple, blocked from entering. He says the drone showed tight security and he’s concerned that if something were to happen, as Assemblyman Jang and Yoo Jin would be unprotected. Yoo Jin doesn’t care and just wants to go to the funeral. Col Joe has an alternative. Col Jo sends Je Ha and Team Leader So in with Assemblyman Jang and Yoo Jin.
As Assemblyman Jang and Yoo Jin pay her respects inside the temple. Her Aunt’s son and husband offered to escort them. When Je Ha sees them strolling past, he walks up to them and tells Yoo Jin that she received a phone call from the house. Curious, Yoo Jin sends her husband, and her Aunt’s son and husband on ahead. Alone with Je Ha, she wonders with phone call was. His answer is to place something in her purse. He tells her to press once if something is amiss, and press twice if she’s in serious danger. She asks he’ll do if she presses the button, Je Ha cryptically answers “who knows?” He walks away leaving Yoo Jin staring after him. Yes, she is definitely intrigued. Je Ha’s confidence is solid demonstrated by his willingness to interrupt to make sure that Yoo Jin had a “call button”. We saw last episode that she was drawn to him, it was unclear if it was her reaction was only physical when he saved her from the burning car. With Assemblyman Jang as her husband, Je Ha must be a breath of fresh air. Who wouldn’t be intrigued with the good-looking Je Ha?
Yoo Jin enters a room with the family of the deceased. Her husband, her brother, her Aunt’s son and husband are all there. She notices the security team locks the door behind her. She sits at the table to wait for the reading of the will.
As Je Ha gets into the car, Team Leader So asks him what he gave Yoo Jin. Je Ha says that he gave her a pin, specifically a listening pen. He says the downside is that the distance between Yoo Jin and their listening device can’t be too great. Impressed Team Leader So and Je Ha settle in.
The lawyer tells the family that the briefcase has a copy of the will. However, he does not have a key to the briefcase. He knows that someone in the room has been entrusted with the key to the briefcase. He asks that person to reveal themselves and hand him the key. Everyone looks expectantly at Yoo Jin. No one is surprised when she offers the key she draws from her purse. She holds the pen that Je Ha gave her. The lawyer begins to read. He states that the Aunt is leaving her entire fortune to the scholarship foundation.
Team leader asks Je Ha why he has no respect for his supervisors. Je Ha maintains he never respects his supervisors. He’s unimpressed when Team Leader So tells him that respect for authority is a cornerstone of any good organization. Je Ha laughs and says he’ll just have to consider him rude.
The negotiations for the money start immediately. Feeling the pressure, Yoo Jin turns on the microphone. Team leader and Je Ha begin to listen to the negotiations. Yoo Jin’s brother’s father-in-law is not happy that Yoo Jin now controls the foundation which has implicit insight into the company her brother runs. He offers to buy the deceased aunt’s shares at twice the value. When Yoo Jin just stares at him, father-in-law declares he’ll buy the shares at three times the value and that’s the final offer. He points out that with kind of money Assemblyman Jang and Yoo Jin will have sufficient funds for the campaign to get Assemblyman Jang elected as president. Always thinking of himself first, Assemblyman Jang tells his wife they should consider the offer. Yoo Jin counters saying that she doesn’t even officially own the shares yet, so she can’t sell them. Father-in-law switches to threats and tells Yoo Jin that he’ll call a meeting of the Board of Directors of the foundation to replace her as CEO. That angers Yoo Jin and she stands up knocking the pen across the table. Her brother picks up the pen and clicks it off.
Inside the car Yoo Jin and Team Leader So immediately notice the audio is off.
Yoo Jin is livid her brother’s father-in-law would dare replace her as CEO. He smiles and says once she’s gone, and the board will agree to sell the shares to him, then and only then, will she be able to return to the foundation as CEO. Realizing that she’s fallen into their trap, Yoo Jin laughs an angry laugh. She stares at her brother’s father-in-law and tells him that her father established the company. She tells her brother’s mother that the only thing of value she did was service her father’s needs for sex and produce her half-brother. Needless to say her father’s second wife doesn’t take kindly to those words.
Je Ha has a feeling that something isn’t right in the room with Yoo Jin and Assemblyman Jang. Team Leader So has the opposite opinion. He guesses that Yoo Jin turn the microphone off because she didn’t want them to hear the internal negotiations about money. Je Ha doesn’t buy that. Je Ha gets out of the car and tells Team Leader So to start the car and wait inside. He goes to the trunk grabs an umbrella. How will he get creative with that?
Father’s second wife tells Yoo Jin that her father didn’t choose her as successor to the company because he didn’t love her. Ouch! With family like that, you don’t need enemies. Father’s second wife says that her father knew that Yoo Jin would use the company for own personal power. She’s almost frothing when she tells Yoo Jin that everyone knows that Yoo Jin married Assemblyman Jang with the sole intent of piggybacking on her husband’s power when he became president. She declares Yoo Jin married Assemblyman Jang with an evil intent in her heart. Yoo Jin’s brother stands up and tells both women to back down. Yoo Jin is livid, tears in her eyes, and Assemblyman Jang won’t support her.
Je Ha enters the hallway to the conference room where the discussions, or should I say arm-twisting, is going on. Je Ha approaches the guards. He tells them he’s there to bring Yoo Jin home. They refuse to give him access to the room. Je Ha fights his way down the hallway and disarms every guard. That’s an ode to Old Boy. Love the way he brushes himself off when he’s done fighting. A guy has to look good, even after he fights! He then goes to the restroom and starts a fire. The fire alarm goes off and everyone in the conference room clamors to exit. As they open the doors, Je Ha is standing there. They all rush past him leaving Yoo Jin sitting alone in the chair. Je Ha approaches her and opens the umbrella to block her from the sprinkler system. So that’s why he took the umbrella. Je Ha looks into Yoo Jin’s eyes and tells her that there won’t be an emergency board meeting to replace her. He gallantly offer his handkerchief. With tears in her eyes she stares up at a man is willing to take a risk for her, a man that is willing to save her, a man of action. Even if she’s not romantically interested in Je Ha, she has to see him as a knight in shining armor. And for a woman that goes through life alone, his support is a balm in her desolate world. Nice cinematography in this scene. JCW looks yummy wet.
As Je Ha escorts Yoo Jin down the hallway the umbrella over her head, she thinks to herself that she didn’t press the button twice, but Je Ha knew that she needed him. She realizes that no one has ever come to her aid without her specifically demanding support. She reassesses that Je Ha is not hunting dog, but rather he’s a wolf, one “she may never be able to tame”. As they reach the end of the hallway Je Ha touches the small of her back stopping her. He urges her to straighten her back and raise her chin, because her enemies are watching. I don’t know how you don’t fall for a man that is that strong and courageous. She’s got to notice his total hotness too.
As Yoo Jin walks through her relatives who all glare at her, her step brother’s father-in-law’s receives phone call stating that the Board of Directors emergency meeting has been canceled. Just like Je Ha stated! As Je Ha escorts Yoo Jin through the crowd, Assemblyman Park sits in the temple eating and watching the actions likes it’s his own personal movie. He chuckles at the misery this family is suffering. The guards block Yoo Jin’s accident. Je Ha stares him down. Her aunt’s husband tells the guards to back off. Her voice tight, Yoo Jin wishes her uncle condolences on the loss of his wife. Assemblyman Jang walks up beside her relaxed and unconcerned that his wife is emotionally hurt. She tells him to take another car home, even better, he can take tons of time before he comes home. A second car seems to be the way she tells her husband she needs distance from him. Assemblyman Jang can do nothing but laugh and act like it doesn’t bother him. Assemblyman Park sits in the temple relishing the angst. He shrugs knowing that the fight again another day, and says “nothing ventured nothing gained”. So was Assemblyman Park behind the whole power-play?
Yoo Jin cries in the back of the car. To try and get the back in control, she tells Je Ha to never act on his own as he did today. Je Ha shrugs and says whatever. Team Leader So is horrified by his lack of manners and apologizes. She directs Team Leader So to drive her to cloud nine.
As Yoo Jin enters the lobby, the JSS President runs up to her and declares that he personally stopped emergency board meeting. Yoo Jin smiles and tells him he did a good job. The president actually he’s never heard praise from her before and is thrilled. She asked them to take her to cloud nine. They asked for her to the elevators. Col. Joanna Pres. get on with Yoo Jin. When Je Ha goes to enter the elevator, Team Leader So stops him. Col Jo’s slight shake of his head lets Je Ha know that he cannot come. Yoo Jin looks into his eyes and smiles. The elevator doors close. The wolf is left behind.
The doctor calls agent J4 and gives her the blow-by-blow of Je Ha’s gallant rescue of Yoo Jin. Both women giggle and swoon over his actions. Mr. Song, that Je Ha bested is obviously interested in the doctor and refuses to leave listening to her descriptions of Je Ha’s masterful handling of the situation.
Mr. Song walks down the hallway dejected that the doctor can only wax poetic about Je Ha. When he sees Je Ha he stops him and asks him to eat with him. As he plies Je Ha with a delicious meal, Je Ha wonders why all of a sudden Mr. Song is nice to him.
When the doctor leaves for the day, she sees the Mr. Song scolding Je Ha. Forced to say the lines that the meal paid for, Je Ha pretends to defer to the older man. As the doctor rushes to see what’s going on, the Mr. Song tells Je Ha that he’ll be as gentle as he can. He flips Je Ha to the ground. Horrified that Je Ha is being abused by the Mr. Song, she pounces on his head knocking him to the ground. His head cracks on the floor. Je Ha is horrified and helps the old man to set up. Mr. Song’s plan did not go as expected.
The doctor tends to Mr. Song’s wound and tells him to not do that again. She berates Je Ha for going along with the farce. Je Ha defends himself saying that he only wanted to help their relationship advance. Mr. Song plays the dejected suitor to perfection and shuffles out of the room. The doctor feels terrible as you are his feelings and takes off after him. Maybe the plan worked after all! Je Ha watches unable to believe what he just witnessed.
Mr. Song treats Je Ha to a cup of coffee. He thanks Je Ha for all his help. Je Ha demurs and says that it is master solves charisma that made all the difference. Je Ha tells Mr. Song that he owes him another round of Korean barbecue. Mr. Song suggests that they invite the doctor too. Je Ha can only chuckle at Mr. Song’s constant angling to get close to the good doctor.
It’s time for Anna to take her shower. Agent J4 and the housekeeper/agent cleans and rifles through her room. Housekeeper/agent notices that Anna isn’t eating much. She leaves the food for Anna on the dining room table and leaves for the evening. Je Ha appears. Want to bet he’s going to make Anna ramen?
Je Ha waits like a child on Christmas for Anna to discover his surprise…Anna comes to the kitchen and finds the water boiling on the stove with the ramen package next to it. She’s thrilled. Je Ha is thrilled. She makes the ramen and happily moves her feet. Je Ha happily moves his feet. She realizes she’s being watched and covers the kitchen CCTV. Je Ha is unhappy that his view is blocked. Have no fear, Je Ha selects an alternative camera and zooms in. He watches her happily eat the ramen. Just like last episode, this scene went on a bit long.
His good deed for Anna complete, Je Ha goes outside for a smoke break. Before he can light up, Agent J4 interrupts. He’s never actually lit up in this series. She sits next to him on a bench and bemoans the assignment of caring for Anna. Several times she touches Je Ha but doesn’t understand that he’s pulling away from her and not enjoying her advances. She is blind to his reaction believing he’s digging her. Je Ha asks about Anna’s father’s relationship with his daughter. J4 explains that in Barcelona Anna repeatedly ran away to try and get to her father but they always caught her. Je Ha closes his eyes realizing when he met Anna in the subway in Barcelona she was trying to escape and find her father. J4 notes the Anna’s father never visited her, even when he traveled to Spain. Je Ha feels empathy for Anna, rejected prisoner. Je Ha gets a call requesting he come to “Cloud Nine”. Agent J4 is awestruck and thrilled for him.
Je Ha gets in the car to be taken to Cloud Nine. The driver wants Je Ha to sit in the back but he refuses. When he arrives at JSS security, all the guards bow and defer to him. When he enters the elevator he selects the ninth floor but nothing happens. He uses his access key and the elevator begins to move. Surprising him, the elevator moves down not up. When he arrives in the below grade floor, the elevator doors open and he sees a long hallway of doors.
My Thoughts
I liked what this episode achieved though I wasn’t as enamored how it happened compared to the previous episode. The heart of the episode was Je Ha’s rescue of Yoo Jin which I thoroughly enjoyed. She was stunned to be cared for in that way. Je Ha’s viewing and caring for Anna doesn’t resonate as strongly. I look forward to this couple meeting and developing a real relationship. Watching Je Ha watch Anna doesn’t suffice as a relationship.
Kim Je Ha (Ji Chang Wook) is a Knight in Shining Armor. He saved Yoo Jin and Anna this episode. The way he saved Yoo Jin was superb with terrific cinematic shoots of the fight and holding the umbrella over Yoo Jin as the sprinkler system spewed water. What he did for Yoo Jin was swoon worthy. I agree with the doctor, Yoo Jin must be drawn to Je Ha. His setting the ramen out for Anna facilitating her heart’s desire was sweet. I’m hoping that the writer guides these two to have real interactions soon. Je Ha needs a solid woman to bestow affections to, not a video screen. Here’s what’s working for me about Je Ha’s character – he is ethical, he is no nonsense on the job, he is willing to take risks to achieve his goal, he’s willing to help those he cares about, etc. To sum it up, I like Je Ha, I respect Je Ha, and I want him to get something out of this assignment, not only those he serves.
Choi Yoo Jin (Song Yoon A) was saved by Je Ha and loved it. She loved his boldness, his protectiveness, his understanding of her distress and how she needed to show the world she coped with the trapped in the conference room betrayal by her family/pseudo family. Yoo Jin put it perfectly, Je Ha is not a hunting dog, he’s a wolf, and she may not be able to tame him. What’s a love starved lady to do? Reward him and bring him closer to him by granting him access to Cloud Nine. Do I think Assemblyman Jang will make a play for Je Ha? I think so. Will Yoo Jin becomes jealous of Je Ha’s affection for Anna? I think so.
Assemblyman Jang Se Joon (Cho Seong Ha) doesn’t vary; he is a self-serving guy. His support of Yoo Jin in the conference room was nonexistent. He was willing for his wife to be forced to sell the shares for the cash infusion it would give his Presidential campaign. What is the value of this cad?
Ko An Na (Yoona) was kind to a kitten and ate ramen. Again this actress has had little to do. I want more for this character. Right now she’s not worthy of Je Ha’s affection. She needs to be more. I want him to care about a functional woman, not a sliver a lost soul. Writer, give this character something to do besides eat and be captive in her bedroom. I want to like her, but I need her to be more substantial to justify Je Ha’s affection.
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Asian drama fan. I watch and blog dramas on https://kjtamusings.wordpress.com/.
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For me his viewing and caring for Ko An Na resonate pretty strongly and I like the pace that part of the plot is taking. This is because I think watching her is his call back to humanity, to kindness (I mean he is already kind as we saw with the old couple) but I feel like he is so broken inside that watching her and doing little things for her anonymously brings out the thrill of a kindness done for it’s own sake.These little actions are not carried out of the deep seated sense of obligation he has towards humanity but just the pure joy that doing something good(not violent) for it’s own sake and I think that is good for his healing process. She also makes him feel connected as he gets involved in her business,something he seems to have lost because of his life on the run. Even that crazy old trainer is drawing Je Ha out with his antics but not on the same level as his slowly getting involved in Ko An Na’s weird daily life. Am I making sense? I feel like I can’t find the right words to share my point of view concerning those particular plot points 😦
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SLIMY POLITICIANS—I don’t know which of these smarmy politicians is worse—Assemblyman Park or Assemblyman Jang? Yoo Jin’s husband wouldn’t even stand up for her when her own family was ganging up on her—probably since he would benefit from her defeat. I feel bad for the Korean people and their lousy presidential candidates…oh wait…this is fiction and in reality our U.S. presidential candidates are not much better…I feel bad for us!
YOO JIN—Yoo Jin may have appreciated JH’s boldness in protecting her, but she irked by not being the one to issue the order. I detest the demeaning animal analogies, so I was irritated Yoo Jin recognized our Je Ha as a wolf—on plus side she recognizes she cannot control him.
ANNA—Anna the shut-in is very cunning with escape plans, but there doesn’t seem to be much else going on. I concur with @KJT “Writer, give this character something to do besides eat and be captive in her bedroom. I want to like her, but I need her to be more substantial to justify Je Ha’s affection.”
JE HA—I don’t think JH is falling in love with Anna. He is a knight in shining armor that recognizes individuals in need of being saved. I think he feels guilt for leaving Anna behind in Spain. At this point I think he is concerned about her welfare and happiness. While the lengthy happy dance over ramen seems excessive; from the perspective a recluse it is not quite so peculiar. JH’s delight in making Anna happy seemed slightly over the top. I suppose given JH’s history and baggage it is a very good thing this knight in shining armor can take “pure joy that doing something good”
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JT and redbutterflys, I see the parallels with our elections too. Disheartening that power is the driver for politics.
Aside from the animal analogy which you detest, Yoo Jin calling Je Ha a wolf was a compliment. With the gaggle of security she pays for thinking of them as a pack is not unusual. I also think that Yoo Jin was turned on by Je Ha’s bold unrequested protection. For her, that was a swoon moment. How many years since someone protected her without her direct approval? Yoo Jin was digging it and she digs Je Ha.
“I don’t think JH is falling in love with Anna. He is a knight in shining armor that recognizes individuals in need of being saved. I think he feels guilt for leaving Anna behind in Spain. At this point I think he is concerned about her welfare and happiness. ”
Concur. As I said to rebutterflys above I’m touchy about leading men involving their heart before the leading lady. And yes I’m referencing Wang So and Scarlet Heart Ryeo. I don’t want Je Ha to suffer the same fate.
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redbutterflys, I get what you are driving at. You expressed yourself clearly “but I feel like he is so broken inside that watching her and doing little things for her anonymously brings out the thrill of a kindness done for it’s own sake.”
I’m a bit touchy about a leading man having a fantasy relationship not a real one with a leading lady. And no, I don’t think that Je Ha is in love with Anna. But I want their relationship to be rooted in real interactions.
I’ve enjoyed Je Ha’s interactions with Mr. Song and concur they add to Je Ha’s accessibility.
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I enjoy the side story of Master Song and his crush on the JSS physician! Master Song gives good comic relief!
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@Jane Tilly I am quite sad about what is going on in the USA as it is supposed to be the shining example to the rest of the world. That being said maybe this craziness can help the American people appreciate what they have and maybe as the next election cycle comes around people will do better. We have seen chaos here in Kenya that we never thought possible after indulging in an irresponsible election season (politicians and common citizens alike) and those consequences we faced in 2007 made us behave better (only slightly but progress is progress) when the next election came about. Hang in there and trust that things will change.And we can at least be sure that our slimy Kdrama politicians will get what they deserve this is a drama after all 🙂
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I do have great hope the slimy politicians in The K2 will get what they deserve. Thanks @redbutterflys for your thoughts, it gives me a little hope we may be able to advance past what seems to be a foreboding election aftermath.
Oh…wouldn’t it be pleasant if the only drama in our lives were Kdrama! 😛
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So true 🙂
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