Start-Up Season 1 Episode 15 Recap – MVP (Minimum Viable Product)

[00:01:00] Tarzan speeds away as the test commences. Cheon-ho calls everyone inside the tent, so they can watch how the test is going. In-jae asks why Morning AI is watching the test when it’s just for a temporary license. Du-jeong responds the city is moving for a smart upgrade, and they need a smart car team to start developing for the city. Morning AI submitted its bid, and they went over to see if Cheongmyeong Company could compete. Sang-su boasts of the changes Hyeon and Jeong make to the self-driving system they established within Cheongmyeong. Yong-san and Chul-san say they had to make a whole new algorithm because the one Hyeon and Jeong developed lacks a lot of things. Chul-san and Yong-san boasted a lot of advancements to their algorithm, making Morning AI worried.

[00:04:00] Tarzan runs at normal speeds as if there is a real driver onboard. Hyeon and Jeong aren’t confident to run their test at such speed because problems can occur, but Tarzan doesn’t have any issues — it makes a complete stop when a dummy pedestrian crosses the road; it also perfectly stops at a stoplight. Tarzan makes turns and avoids parked cars flawlessly in the obstacle course laid out. During the last part of the course, Tarzan suddenly makes an emergency stop. Everyone thought he detected a ghost, but it’s just a stray cat. Tarzan is programmed to even stop and prevent roadkills — a feat for something so advanced. Chul-san invites everyone to go out of the tent so they can welcome Tarzan back.

[00:07:00] The test is almost over. In-jae is confident enough she tells Morning AI they should also submit a bid for the smart city project as a smart car team. In-jae knows from the look on their faces they bested them despite Hyeon and Jeong leaving the company for Morning AI. Chul-san and Yong-san reveal Do-san didn’t work on Noongil in the US. He made his own version of a self-driving car “just in case.” Do-san has prepared all along for his return to Korea. Tarzan pulls into the testing area, and everyone celebrates as they pass the test with flying colors. They take a picture, and the champagne starts pouring as they open a few bottles.

[00:10:00] After a successful test and securing a temporary license and permit to operate a self-driving car, everyone returns to the office to continue work. In-jae tells everyone they should enter a bid on the smart city project. Dal-mi refuses to enter; they are a fairly new company, and they don’t want to get ahead of themselves. In-jae knows the risk, but she also knows they can win against Morning AI. Dal-mi drags In-jae into the next room so that they can talk privately. The trio doesn’t feel comfortable bidding on the smart city project. They think it is like allowing a kid to take the CSAT test. But Do-san took the CSAT test as a kid, and he passed. So he knows the pressure they will put on themselves.

[00:12:00] Do-san eavesdrops on In-jae and Dal-mi’s conversation. In-jae wants to place their bid because she wants to go against Morning AI. She doesn’t want them to get ahead since they already stole the idea of a self-driving car. Dal-mi refuses to place a bid; it’s a losing battle. She’s confident in their technology, but Dal-mi can’t be careless. She tells In-jae she once lost her team because of a careless decision, and she doesn’t want that to happen again. Meanwhile, Sa-ha continues to watch Chul-san’s vlog. There are a bunch of haters commenting on why Chul-san is protecting Sa-ha from the barrage of champagne during their celebration. Sa-ha knows Chul-san was just being sweet, but she didn’t like how the haters were raining down on his parade.

[00:14:00] Sa-ha reads many wonderful comments about Chul-san from his fans. They really adore him and his vlogs. She can’t help but follow the trend and also slowly adore Chul-san. As Sa-ha stares at Chul-san, Cheon-ho enters their office to give Dal-mi the footage of Tarzan’s test. He isn’t charging them for the footage, but he wants a favor in return. Cheon-ho invested in another app — a fortune-telling app. He wants them to try it out, but Chul-san and Yong-san are skeptical. They think fortune-telling is a scam. But Do-san wants to know his career’s fortune, especially about entering their bid on the smart city project. Do-san draws the tower card, and the fortune behind it isn’t pleasant. Yeong-sil tells them arrogance is the start of downfall, and recklessness will make their work meaningless.

[00:16:00] Sa-ha gets goose bumps just listening to the fortune. It is very accurate as they are hesitant to enter their bid on the project. Do-san tells Dal-mi not to believe the fortune; it’s just superstition. After their talk with Cheon-ho, Sa-ha follows Chul-san into the printing room. She asks him for two favors. She wants him to stop vlogging and not tell anyone they’re dating. Chul-san is speechless as he thinks it is just another prank, but it isn’t. Sa-ha suddenly kisses Chul-san, making him lean on the photocopier and make copies of his hand. Sa-ha asks Chul-san if he can do the favors she asks him. Chul-san gives his word no one will know about their relationship.

[00:18:00] Sa-ha leaves the printing room as Chul-san feels his heart will explode. He has never felt that happy in his entire life. Dal-mi goes to Ji-pyeong for advice on the smart city project bid. Ji-pyeong tells Dal-mi not to waste her time on something she knows will fail. It will be a waste of time and resources, but she already knows Ji-pyeong will say that. Dal-mi brings Ji-pyeong another round of lunch made by Won-deok. She is slowly going blind, and she no longer has anything to do but make Ji-pyeong fat. He offers to walk Dal-mi to her car, but they bump into Do-san as the elevator opens. The door closes, but Do-san holds it open for them. They aren’t supposed to get on the elevator, but now they don’t have any choice.

[00:21:00] Earlier, Dal-mi asked Ji-pyeong what side dishes he likes. Ji-pyeong already told Dal-mi anything is fine, but now they are with Do-san, he asks for kongjaban just to make Do-san jealous. Dal-mi knows what Ji-pyeong is trying to do, but she can’t say anything, so she just acknowledges his wish. All of a sudden, the elevator loses power. The power comes back after a few seconds, but now they’re stuck. An awkward silence fills the elevator; they will be stuck in there for quite some time. Meanwhile, Yong-san asks Sa-ha for help solving an anagram. Chul-san notices Yong-san is getting pretty close to Sa-ha and tries to get between them, but one of their colleagues asks him for help, and he doesn’t have any choice but to leave them.

[00:23:00] Sa-ha notices Chul-san is getting jealous of Yong-san. She can’t help but feel flattered. Back at the elevator, Do-san sees Dal-mi holding the paperwork for the smart city project. He tells Dal-mi they should enter their bid on the project, but she refuses. Dal-mi doesn’t want to be reckless. Do-san insists they enter, so Ji-pyeong intervenes in the conversation. He asks Do-san why he wants to enter something they can’t win. Do-san responds they will learn from the experience despite failing. Ji-pyeong thinks Do-san’s idea is ridiculous; he is sailing off without a map. Dal-mi remembers she once agreed to sail with Do-san without a map when they were entering Sandbox.

[00:26:00] Do-san tells Dal-mi he might fail, but at least he won’t have regrets. Ji-pyeong tries to talk some sense into Do-san, but he knows he has already made his point. He tells Dal-mi he never had any regrets, including being a part of her life. The elevator doors open as the technicians arrive. Do-san leaves without saying another word, but he gets Dal-mi thinking. She follows Do-san to their office, where Do-san apologizes for what happened in the elevator. He tells Dal-mi not to worry about the team; they will follow her no matter what. Dal-mi responds she’s just more careful now because of what happened three years ago. Do-san tells Dal-mi he’s now stronger because of what happened three years ago.

[00:28:30] Hearing Do-san’s words gets Dal-mi thinking to the point she can’t sleep. Dal-mi tries the fortune-telling app again, but it gives her another bad fortune. Yeong-sil tells Dal-mi not to make any rash decisions as it will hurt her. Dal-mi tries to change her fortune, but it is always the same card no matter what card she picks. The next day, A-hyun notices Dal-mi didn’t get enough sleep. She puts on more makeup to cover her face; she doesn’t want anyone else to see. A-hyun plans something for Won-deok; she seems to be losing her will to live. It had something to do with leasing a commercial spot, and it seems A-hyun is opening up her own food stall.

[00:31:00] Yong-san and Sa-ha are still solving the anagram. Chul-san continues to bang his keyboard in protest as Sa-ha and Yong-san continue to get too close. He tells Yong-san to stop what he’s doing with Sa-ha in an attempt to separate them, but Yong-san continues to solve the anagram with her. Chul-san can’t do anything but continue banging on his keyboard. Meanwhile, Ji-pyeong confronts Do-san to return the letters he wrote to Dal-mi. He thinks Do-san no longer needs the letters. Do-san responds Ji-pyeong also has something that belongs to him. Do-san wants Ji-pyeong to return the money tree Dal-mi gave him. Ji-pyeong agrees they should exchange their things and call everything quits. Do-san agrees. They head off to get their stuff.

[00:33:00] Du-jeong is frustrated about the paperwork he received. It is for In-jae’s adoption dissolution. In-jae receives the same copy of the paperwork; she’s finally going to change her name back to Seo In-jae. Do-san goes home to pack the letters up, but he decides to open one of the letters. It is about him. Dal-mi wrote Do-san is her music box. Do-san calls Ji-pyeong to tell him he doesn’t need the tree because he wants to keep the letters. Ji-pyeong knows his plan has backfired, and he doesn’t know what to do next. Meanwhile, A-hyun gives an envelope to Won-deok. She thinks it is money or a check, but A-hyun tells her it is their new corn dog stall paperwork. Won-deok refuses to open a corn dog stall with A-hyun; she doesn’t know her way around the kitchen.

[00:36:00] A-hyun assures Won-deok they will run the corn dog stall, but she still refuses to open the stall with her. Since A-hyun can’t convince Won-deok to agree, she tells her she’ll run the shop on her own. She leaves Won-deok alone in the living room as she worries how they will run the stall when she’s already blind. Meanwhile, Ji-pyeong continues to call Do-san, but he refuses to answer. Seong-hwan calls Do-san out of his room, and to his surprise, Ji-pyeong is with him, carrying the money tree. He gives the tree to Do-san and tells his parents they are supposed to exchange something. Do-san denies everything, but things just get a lot more difficult for him. His parents offer dinner and drinks for Ji-pyeong. Do-san tries to get rid of Ji-pyeong, but he plans to stay.

[00:40:00] The three of them drink together inside Do-san’s home. Seong-hwan decides to go to bed; he is already drunk and can’t continue drinking. He leaves Do-san and Ji-pyeong to drink by themselves. They are supposed to continue drinking, but they can’t open the container because they are already drunk. Since they are drunk, they are ready to tell the truth to each other. Do-san asks Ji-pyeong why he used his name on the letters he wrote for Dal-mi. Ji-pyeong responds he envied Do-san because he had parents. He saw Do-san taking a picture with his parents after winning the Olympiad, and he felt really envious of his life. Do-san felt the same way as Ji-pyeong. He envied Ji-pyeong because Dal-mi loved him so much. He envied Ji-pyeong because Dal-mi only likes his big hands, unlike him, who shared many memories with her.

[00:44:00] Ji-pyeong finally understands what the big hands mean. It isn’t him; it is Do-san all along. Ji-pyeong asks Do-san why he won’t give up on Dal-mi. Do-san tells him he can’t. He would rather love Dal-mi for the rest of his life than give up on her. Meanwhile, Dal-mi lays on her bed, restless. She still can’t sleep, so she asks Sa-ha what cured her insomnia. Sa-ha sends Dal-mi the link to Chul-san’s video reciting the numbers in the pi equation. Dal-mi opens the video, but she can’t bear to watch or listen to it. She still can’t take her mind off Do-san’s words. The sun is already rising. Dal-mi decides to get up to start her day. She goes downstairs and finds Won-deok making corn dog batter. She asks her why she’s making the batter. Won-deok responds A-hyun signed a lease for a new corn dog stall.

[00:47:00] She knows A-hyun can’t run the stall on her own, so she decides to help. Won-deok knows the stall will fail. She’s already blind, but she still hopes and believes they should try their best. Dal-mi gets her answer with Won-deok’s words. She thanks her grandmother and gives her a big hug as she continues to stir the batter. Ji-pyeong wakes up inside Do-san’s room, wearing Do-san’s pajamas. Despite being drunk last night, Ji-pyeong remembers everything that happened. He remembers Dal-mi likes a man who has big hands. He thought it was him, but now he knows it is Do-san. Ji-pyeong steps out of the room and sees Do-san preparing food for him. He goes back to the room to get dressed.

[00:50:00] Do-san enters the room and finds Ji-pyeong all dressed up. He offers him breakfast, but he refuses. Ji-pyeong tells Do-san he’s taking both the money tree and the letters. Do-san responds it’s unfair; they are supposed to do a swap. Ji-pyeong tells Do-san it will still be his loss even if they do a swap. Ji-pyeong wants to play dumb because Do-san is dull-witted, but his conscience can’t bare it. He tells Do-san something important, making him rush to Sandbox. Do-san runs toward the building while Ji-pyeong sits in his car along with the letters and money tree. Ji-pyeong holds back his tears while looking at the letterbox and money tree. He tells himself those are enough.

[00:52:00] Do-san finds Dal-mi in the building’s lobby. She is looking at the notes newbies left on the wall. She knows Do-san also wrote one when they first started at Sandbox. Dal-mi tells Do-san they will enter a bid on the smart city project if she manages to find his note. Do-san scans the wall, but she is too far off to find the note. Do-san decides to just give his note so they will enter the smart city project. It seems Ji-pyeong gave up on his claim for Dal-mi. He knows Dal-mi will be happy with the real Do-san, and he no longer wants to fight him. He told Do-san earlier that he needs to work on his self-esteem to realize Dal-mi loves him.

[00:54:30] Dal-mi takes the note and reads what Do-san wrote. Do-san asks Dal-mi what she likes about him. After everything they’ve been through, Do-san only knows Dal-mi likes him because of his big hands. That reason alone isn’t enough for him, so he asks Dal-mi again. Dal-mi responds she doesn’t have a reason, and she doesn’t need a reason to like him. She likes Do-san because he’s Do-san. Do-san feels happy and decides to kiss Dal-mi. Meanwhile, Sa-ha arrives at the office. Yong-san immediately approaches her to resume their talk about the anagram. Chul-san stands up and swats the notebook out of Yong-san’s hand. Chul-san fakes trying to pick it up and kicks it out of the office. Do-san and Dal-mi head inside the office when they see the notebook on the hallway. Sa-ha leaves the office. She is annoyed by Yong-san and Chul-san.

[00:59:00] Du-jeong feels annoyed about his divorce and In-jae dissolving her adoption. He won’t allow them to get away with what they did to him. Du-jeong wants revenge, so he tells Sang-su to meet with a reporter. He wants to crush Cheongmyeong Company for good. Ji-pyeong is speaking with Dong-cheon as he makes his way to their office. He sees Dal-mi standing behind Dong-cheon through the office door. Ji-pyeong tells Dong-cheon to send him the paperwork; he’s avoiding Dal-mi. Dong-cheon makes up an excuse to send Dal-mi away while he hides inside one of the offices in the building. Dong-cheon calls Ji-pyeong to tell him Dal-mi has already left. He is about to go to his office, but Dal-mi finds him hiding inside one of the offices.

[01:02:30] Dal-mi knows Ji-pyeong is avoiding her, so she asks him why. He tells Dal-mi the truth; he can’t accept losing to Do-san. He thought he could act cool when the time came to face her, but he couldn’t. Like fifteen years ago, he couldn’t face Dal-mi to tell her his feelings. He can’t do it now, and he will never be able to do it anymore. Ji-pyeong leaves with a broken heart, but he still supports Dal-mi’s decision to enter the smart city project bid.

[01:04:00] After talking with Ji-pyeong, Dal-mi meets up with In-jae in the lobby. They are both looking at the Sandbox logo. Seon-hak passes behind them and laughs at the sisters as they are talking about the Sandbox logo. She knows Cheong-myeong’s goal has been achieved; his daughters are doing very well. Somewhere, he’s looking down at them, and he would have been very proud if he was still alive. The team continues to work on Tarzan until the bidding day. Everyone did their best and gave their full effort to ensure the team will succeed in its endeavor.

[01:07:00] It is the first day of work for A-hyun and Won-deok. They are finally opening their corn dog stall. Dal-mi thanks A-hyun for doing a good job. She holds back her tears as she still isn’t used to being called “mom.” It is also the day of the bidding for the smart city project. Hyeon and Jeong are at the city center with Sang-su. He sees Dal-mi and Do-san sitting at the back of the hall. Sang-su isn’t worried about their participation; their plan is already in motion. He already spoke to a reporter who writes fake news about companies and spreads gossip. Sang-su wants to spread the word that Cheongmyeong recently got hit with a ransomware attack. The article will ruin their chances of getting the bid and it will hurt the company’s reputation. They won’t be able to survive.

[01:10:00] The reporter goes over to Cheongmyeong Company to interview and confirm the information Sang-su gave them. Everyone inside the office doesn’t know the reporter is there to write a foul article about them. They are very willing to do the interview and don’t question the reporter’s credentials. They let him inside the office to conduct the interview. Meanwhile, Ji-pyeong is trying to call somebody, but the person isn’t answering. He rushes off, but it’s not clear where he’s going.