Start-Up Season 1 Episode 12 Recap – Acqhire

[00:01:00] Ji-pyeong rushes to the 2STO office to stop the contract signing. As he heads up, Do-san and Dal-mi go down. They had already signed the contract, and there is nothing Ji-pyeong can do about it. Dal-mi goes home to teach Won-deok how she can live on her own. She teaches her how to start a video call so they can keep in touch with each other. Dal-mi tells Won-deok to check the time zone so she can call her at the proper time.

[00:04:30] Dal-mi worries about Won-deok, so she thinks she shouldn’t come to San Francisco. A-hyun tells Dal-mi she’s going to take care of Won-deok. Dal-mi is doubtful, so she takes the pill bottle to demonstrate she understands which medicines are for cholesterol and blood pressure. Won-deok tells A-hyun she has already mixed the bottles up. A-hyun tells them the text on the bottle is too small to read, so she got it mixed up. Dal-mi takes the pill bottles, but she also has difficulty reading them.

[00:06:00] Do-san’s mother helps him pack up his things for San Francisco. She asks Do-san if Dal-mi is coming to the U.S. with him. She wants to know if Dal-mi likes Do-san, but he doesn’t have any clue. Do-san’s mother is sure Dal-mi gave Do-san a hint if she likes him, but he wouldn’t have noticed because he’s slow. She teaches Do-san how to recognize the signs Dal-mi likes him. As they talk about Dal-mi, she sends Do-san a message. He is about to respond to the message when his mother tells him to delete his response and call Dal-mi instead. Do-san calls Dal-mi, and she tells him about her pill problem. She wonders if Do-san can make their application recognize pills and other medicines so they can also help other people.

[00:09:00] Do-san tells Dal-mi he only needs the proper data to make her plan work. They talk about their upcoming trip. Dal-mi worries about many things, but Do-san tells her he will be there for her. Do-san tells Dal-mi why he gave her the signed baseball, but she doesn’t hear it; Dal-mi has already fallen asleep. Both Dal-mi and Do-san fall asleep with their phones still on their ears.

[00:12:00] Dal-mi heads out for work while Won-deok prepares for another day at the food stall. A-hyun tells Won-deok she should accompany her as she comes out of the room wearing the complete uniform. Dal-mi calls A-hyun her “mom,” which surprises her. It’s been a long time since she heard Dal-mi call her “mom.” Dal-mi tells A-hyun she’s wearing the face mask backward. Won-deok assists A-hyun as Dal-mi leaves the house. Do-san waits for Dal-mi outside her home. He tells Dal-mi it’s a coincidence they bumped into each other when he is waiting for her all along. Do-san’s mother tells him if Dal-mi remembers his birthday, it’s a sign Dal-mi likes him. Dal-mi asks Do-san if his birthday is next week. Do-san happily confirms his birthday is next week.

[00:14:00] Sa-ha is also on her way to work, and she sees a 1 + 1 deal on Iced Vanilla lattes. She buys the promo; she wants to give the other one to Chul-san, but Dal-mi and Do-san spot her on the way out. Do-san takes the drink instead. She can’t tell them it is for Chul-san because they would give it a different meaning, so she just allows Do-san to take the drink. Dal-mi suggests they only speak English so they can practice before flying to San Francisco. Sa-ha disagrees; she doesn’t see the benefit of speaking English in advance. She asks Dal-mi if she heard anything from 2STO, but she hasn’t. Dal-mi tells them to go on without her because she needs to speak with In-jae.

[00:16:00] Dal-mi confronts In-jae as her colleague congratulates Dal-mi for their deal with 2STO. She really wants to win over In-jae, so she wants her to congratulate her, but In-jae refuses. In-jae tells Dal-mi to stop looking at the past and focus on the present and the future. Dal-mi insists In-jae is jealous of her success, but In-jae tells her otherwise. Alex appears and goes over to speak with Dal-mi. In-jae tells Dal-mi she’s about to learn why she doesn’t deserve to be congratulated for what happened to Samsan Tech. Alex appears and asks to speak with Dal-mi. Sa-ha and Do-san are on their way to the office. Do-san doesn’t know what happened between Ji-pyeong and Yong-san, so she fills him in on the details. Once the elevator doors open, they see many people talking outside their office.

[00:19:00] Sa-ha and Do-san rush inside the office to find Alex and his associate speaking with the rest of the team. Dal-mi is doing her best not to cry as Do-san is about to discover how 2STO screwed with them. Dong-cheon rushes to Ji-pyeong to tell him what’s happening at Samsan Tech’s office. He leaves the offices and rushes over to help them. Do-san is mad at Alex. He tells him what he’s doing is a fraud, but it is stated in the contract, and they didn’t see it. Even though Alex tells them he would take the whole team, his words are powerless over the contract.

[00:21:00] Do-san can’t accept what is happening. They now realize Ji-pyeong is right all along. Dal-mi also realizes Alex knows everything from the start. He only asked them technical questions during Demo Day, meaning he’s not interested in the company’s visions and goals; he only wants to acquire their developers. Do-san wants to cancel the contract and return the money 2STO gave them, but the contract has a clause to prevent cancellation: pay double the acquisition rate to cancel the contract. Samsan Tech only has 3 billion won; they don’t know where they would even try to get another 3 billion won just to cancel a contract. Everyone is in tears. Alex played them, and there is nothing they can do about it.

[00:23:00] In-jae’s colleagues talk about what is happening at Samsan Tech. In-jae tells them to stop gossiping about it; it isn’t nice. She changes the topic into their business matters to pay respect to Dal-mi’s downfall. Ji-pyeong doesn’t make it to the office in time, but he bumps into Alex in the hallway. Alex tells Ji-pyeong what happened during their meeting, and he wants him to make Samsan Tech understand there’s no way out of their contract. With a heavy heart, Ji-pyeong walks to Samsan Tech’s office to talk with them. Meanwhile, Chul-san starts blaming Yong-san for what happened to them. Yong-san stopped Ji-pyeong from calling them during the contract signing, so they signed it without hesitations.

[00:25:00] Yong-san tells Dal-mi why he stopped Ji-pyeong from canceling their contract with 2STO. It is about his brother’s company. Yong-san felt Ji-pyeong was doing the same thing he did with Dong-su’s company. Ji-pyeong nitpicked everything to the point Dong-su lost all of his investors and was forced to close his company. Dong-su felt inadequate, so he committed suicide. As Yong-san tells the story, Ji-pyeong appears, but he doesn’t apologize; he defends his position. He tells Yong-san his job is to tell the hard truth. Yong-san challenges Ji-pyeong to tell Dal-mi the hard truth. He doesn’t want to, but he needs to. He tells everyone they can’t do anything about the contract; they only need to accept it and move on.

[00:26:30] Dal-mi wants to know how they got played with the contract. Ji-pyeong explains 2STO isn’t paying for their application; they are paying for the accuracy of the application. 2STO isn’t interested in their application, only their developers, so Alex fired Dal-mi and Sa-ha and retained the rest. The hard truth is too painful to hear as it sounded like Dal-mi’s fault since she’s the CEO. Do-san tries to stop Ji-pyeong, but he continues to tell the truth. Ji-pyeong leaves the office after telling them what they need to hear. Do-san chases after Ji-pyeong to confront him. He knows the truth hurts, but Ji-pyeong tells him that if he can’t handle the truth, he shouldn’t have started a business.

[00:28:30] Ji-pyeong’s words triggered Do-san into punching him. The two end up having a fistfight right outside of Sandbox. Meanwhile, Chul-san still tries his best to look for another way out. He asks Sa-ha if they can get out of the contract without paying the penalty. Sa-ha tells him they can file a lawsuit against 2STO, but they have a very slim chance of winning. Chul-san apologizes to Dal-mi; they should’ve listened to Ji-pyeong. Yong-san can’t accept it is his fault, so he just leaves the room. In-jae sees Yong-san crying as he leaves the office. She takes a peek and sees Dal-mi crying inside the office. In-jae knows Dal-mi is once again in a difficult position, but she can’t do anything for her.

[00:30:00] Do-san and Ji-pyeong are tired, so they stop their fistfight. Ji-pyeong tells Do-san to just give up on their application and focus on better things. Ji-pyeong doesn’t know he made the application to help Won-deok. Do-san asks Ji-pyeong for help and tells him the truth. Ji-pyeong is shocked to hear Won-deok would soon go blind. Do-san begs for Ji-pyeong’s help, but there isn’t much he can do for Samsan Tech. Ji-pyeong is speechless upon hearing the bad news. That night, A-hyun and Won-deok are closing the food stall when Ji-pyeong arrives. Won-deok is trying to calculate their earnings, but she can’t read the small printout on the receipts.

[00:34:00] Ji-pyeong sees Won-deok using Do-san’s application so she can read the receipt. With a bloodied face, all he can do is cry as he remembers how he degraded Do-san’s application saying no one would invest in it. He doesn’t think anyone would need the application, but now he knows someone really needs it. Won-deok turns around and sees Ji-pyeong standing near her food stall. She notices his bruised face and asks him what happened. Ji-pyeong responds he got into a fight — his fault. Won-deok can’t believe someone would pick a fight with him. She always thought Ji-pyeong is a good boy. She never doubted his kindness ever since they met each other.

[00:35:30] Won-deok wants to hug Ji-pyeong to comfort him, but he knows he doesn’t deserve it. He tells Won-deok to stop calling him a good boy because he isn’t good. Ji-pyeong ends up breaking down in front of Won-deok. He tells her he is a bad person who keeps hurting other people with his harsh words. Ji-pyeong blames himself for everything that happened. He gives Won-deok a big hug as he continues to cry like a little boy. Ji-pyeong continues to apologize to Won-deok even though she doesn’t know what happened to him.

[00:37:30] Chul-san sits alone at Sandbox’s cafeteria. Sa-ha is on her way home when she sees Chul-san. She asks Chul-san why he hasn’t gone home yet. Chul-san tells her he has a lot on his mind. Sa-ha wants to know if Chul-san agrees to file a lawsuit. He agrees without hesitation and tells Sa-ha he wants everyone to go to the U.S. He can’t bear going to San Francisco knowing Sa-ha and Dal-mi will be left behind. Sa-ha tells Dal-mi filing a lawsuit is a long and tiresome process. She previously worked as a lawyer, and she no longer wants to go through all those hardships ever again.

[00:40:00] Dal-mi arrives just in time to see Ji-pyeong leave their house. He tells Dal-mi he went over to talk about something with Won-deok. She asks him what happened to his face, so he uses a lame excuse he fell. Ji-pyeong apologizes to Dal-mi for all the harsh words he told her earlier. As Ji-pyeong leaves, Dal-mi asks him to eat with her. Dal-mi wants Ji-pyeong’s advice on what she needs to do moving forward. Ji-pyeong hesitates to tell her the truth, but she wants to hear the truth instead of dreams that will never come true. Ji-pyeong tells Dal-mi she can’t fight 2STO. She can only accept defeat and join them.

[00:43:00] Do-san comes home with a bloody face and fist. Tears roll down his face as he remembers what happened earlier. He sees his picture with Park Chan-ho and remembers when he went with his parents to get his autograph. Do-san’s parents tell Chan-ho he won a gold medal in the Mathematics Olympiad. Do-san is a math genius, while Chan-ho is a baseball genius. He asks Do-san what his dream is but Seong-hwan stops him and whispers what his dream should be. Do-san tells Chan-ho what his father told him, but Chan-ho knows Do-san has his own dreams, so he wrote on the baseball he should follow his dreams. Chan-ho tells Do-san to follow his own dreams. He reiterates he needs to follow his own dreams and not what his father dreams for him.

[00:46:30] Dal-mi listens to a recording of Do-san’s call with her. She holds the baseball while listening to Do-san’s message. He told Dal-mi he was lost for a while until he met her. Do-san didn’t know the clear meaning of the word dream, but he found his dream when he met Dal-mi. Do-san thanks Dal-mi and ends the message. Dal-mi spends all night crying about her dreams. After a few days, Dal-mi and Do-san prepare themselves for work. Do-san picks up a book about lawsuits while Dal-mi covers her eyebags with makeup. She takes the baseball with her and plans to return it to Do-san. Do-san comes out of their house and sees Dal-mi waiting for him.

[00:49:00] Dal-mi sees his face and asks him what happened. Do-san tells Dal-mi he fell. Dal-mi knows Do-san got in a fight with Ji-pyeong, but she doesn’t want to talk about it. Do-san tells Dal-mi he’s been doing some research on filing a lawsuit, but she isn’t interested in filing a lawsuit. It is Do-san’s birthday, and Dal-mi had a few things planned for him. She stops Do-san from getting off at Sandbox and tells him to skip work for the day. Do-san tells Dal-mi they need to go to work, but she tells him no one is coming to work today. Meanwhile, Chul-san goes to Cheon-ho for a favor. Cheon-ho thanks Chul-san because he made money off of Samsan Tech’s success. It is the first time he made money out of his 1% shares.

[00:51:30] Chul-san isn’t in the mood to celebrate. They made 3 billion won, but after paying taxes, debts, and dividing up their salaries, there is barely anything left from the money. Chul-san tells Cheon-ho he needs to borrow something from him. Meanwhile, Do-san and Dal-mi arrive at the Star Grand Hotel. Dal-mi tells Do-san she made a reservation at the hotel’s restaurant. While they eat, Do-san opens up the lawsuit topic again, but Dal-mi slams the book shut. She tells Do-san he should go after his dreams, but he refuses to leave everyone behind. They end up arguing as Dal-mi chases after Do-san. She tries to convince Do-san to follow his dreams, but he still refuses to leave her behind. Dal-mi doesn’t want to end things violently, but since Do-san is being stubborn, he forced her hand.

[00:56:30] Dal-mi returns the baseball to Do-san and tells him she’s not his dream. She tells Do-san he’s not the Do-san from the letters she fell in love with. Dal-mi leaves with a broken heart; she doesn’t know any other way to convince Do-san to go to San Francisco. She loves Do-san, but she tells him all those lies to make him go away. Dal-mi sits at a bus stop, crying her heart out.

[00:59:30] Do-san goes to Samsan Tech’s office and sees Yong-san looking down from the rooftop. Do-san rushes over to pull Yong-san back; he thinks he will commit suicide. Yong-san tells Do-san he will not kill himself. He drops his coffee and looks to see if it hit someone. Yong-san apologizes to Do-san, but he tells him it’s not his fault Dal-mi broke up with him. Do-san remembers the reason Yong-san quit his job to join Samsan Tech. He no longer wants to be a cog inside a machine, but now they need to be a cog again as they join 2STO. Yong-san tells Do-san he isn’t joining 2STO for the money or career; he is doing it for his brother. He remembers Ji-pyeong once boasted the start-ups he doesn’t invest in ended up closing.

[01:03:00] Yong-san knows his brother’s company is part of those start-ups Ji-pyeong doesn’t invest in. From that day, he knew he needed to prove himself to Ji-pyeong. He knows they need to succeed no matter what. Yong-san tells Do-san his success is for his brother. Meanwhile, In-jae goes back to Sandbox to continue her job. She sees the Sandbox logo again. She knows she needs to make things straight, so she goes to Seon-hak to tell her the truth. Dal-mi sits at home thinking about her future. She asks Won-deok for advice, but all she can give her is a hug.

[01:06:00] The guys are cleaning up their office at Sandbox when Hyeon and Jeong enter the room. They look at their office because In-jae company would be hiring more people. Chul-san sends them out and tells them to come back once they are gone. Sa-ha takes her luggage and heads out the door when Chul-san stops her. He wants to keep in touch with her but Sa-ha refuses. They finish packing up, and all that’s left are Dal-mi’s stuff.

[01:08:00] Dal-mi is in the lobby looking at the Sandbox logo when Seon-hak approaches her. She tells Dal-mi that In-jae told her the truth about the girl on the swing. Seon-hak tells Dal-mi she heard the story from her father when she interviewed him. Cheong-myeong inspired her so she decided to create Sandbox, but it was tough to keep start-ups from getting hurt. As Dal-mi experienced, they got hurt by 2STO despite being within the company’s care. Seon-hak tells Dal-mi her father was about to bring her some chicken the day he died. Dal-mi remembers her conversation with Cheong-myeong; they talked about fried chicken and coke. He told Dal-mi she wouldn’t have to worry about her future anymore.

[01:11:30] Dal-mi returns to the office to pack up her stuff. She sees their company photo and remembers all the good times they had. Sa-ha receives a video from Chul-san. He made a video for her to help her sleep at night. Chul-san recites all the numbers from the pi equation. Sa-ha smiles as she sees all the effort Chul-san puts out for her. That night, Dal-mi starts job hunting so she can continue chasing after her dreams. She sees an ad from the In-jae company and remembers Ji-pyeong’s advice. Since she can’t beat In-jae, she decides to join her instead.

[01:14:30] Do-san goes to meet with Alex. He apologizes for their mess and wants to continue working for 2STO. Do-san asks Alex for a favor, but he responds another person is also asking him for a favor. Alex welcomes Do-san into his office and sees Ji-pyeong sitting on the couch. Alex knows they are both going to ask about Samsan Tech’s application. Ji-pyeong tells Alex the application is what he came for. Meanwhile, In-jae is currently interviewing applicants while the trio boards a plane for San Francisco. They aren’t happy about going to San Francisco, but they need to go because of the contract.

[01:17:00] Sa-ha uses Chul-san’s video so she can sleep. Reciting all the numbers from the pi equation is an effective way to put someone to sleep. Ji-pyeong heads over to Samsan Tech’s old office to check if they left some things, but the office is completely empty. He sees Dal-mi heading over to the offices as he walks through the lobby. He knows she will apply with In-jae’s company. In-jae is finished with all their interviewees when Dal-mi arrives. She thinks Dal-mi is pulling off some act, but she is dead serious she wants to apply for her company.

[01:19:30] In-jae decides to give Dal-mi a chance and starts her interview. Do-san continues to work on his application while they head to San Francisco.