Start-Up Season 1 Episode 16 Recap – Scale Up

[00:01:00] The reporter, Hwang Sang-hyeon, goes to Sandbox to interview Cheongmyeong Company. He asks Dong-cheon for directions and even gives him his business card. Dong-cheon asks Sang-hyeon if he has an appointment with Cheongmyeong, but he responds appointments aren’t needed for start-up companies. Dong-cheon shows him the way. Sang-hyeon goes to Cheongmyeong’s office. He goes back to their office and talks to Ji-pyeong about Sang-hyeon. Ji-pyeong tells Dong-cheon that Sang-hyeon is a dirty writer who specializes in bashing start-ups. He writes dirty articles if the start-up doesn’t give him company shares. Ji-pyeong and Dong-cheon realize that Cheongmyeong are about to enter the smart city project bid, and they know someone tipped Sang-hyeon off. They realize he is at Sandbox to dig up some dirt about the recent ransomware attack Cheongmyeong experienced. Ji-pyeong leaves his office to help Cheongmyeong.

[00:04:00] The day before the interview, Do-san saw something unusual with Hyeon and Jeong’s usernames in one of their tools. They called themselves Apollo and Artemis because they’re twins — the same names Sa-ha and Yong-san found in the anagram they solved. Once Do-san see the names, he already had a hunch Hyeon and Jeong were behind the ransomware attack. Dal-mi tells everyone that before the ransomware attack, she saw Hyeon and Jeong speaking with the director of Morning AI. They piece everything together and set out to investigate the issue. Cheongmyeong does the interview with Sang-hyeon, but they know his identity right from the beginning. In-jae watches on as her sister’s company tackles the issue on their own. Ji-pyeong arrives at their office, but In-jae tells him they know what they’re doing.

[00:08:00] Dal-mi and Do-san know that Sang-hyeon is the key to exposing Morning AI along with Hyeon and Jeong. They won’t allow him to smear their company’s name, so they will use him instead. Do-san found how Hyeon and Jeong infiltrated the system and infected it with ransomware. They traced the ransomware back to the original host, leading back to Hyeon and Jeong. Do-san submitted the evidence to the police; they arrested the twins. Dal-mi tells Sang-hyeon if they will still proceed in writing their article, but he knows better than to get involved with a police matter. They tell him Sang-su is behind the attack. Sang-hyeon responds they will issue an article once the police have ended the investigation.

[00:11:00] Ji-pyeong feels disappointed because Dal-mi no longer needs his help. He feels happy they aren’t making the same mistake as before, but he really wants to show off for her. Ji-pyeong doesn’t have any choice but to return to his office and continue his work. That night, Do-san and Dal-mi go to the corn dog stall to congratulate them on their opening day. Won-deok can’t help but get emotional; she thanks Do-san for developing Noongil. It proves useful for her daily use. Do-san also made a cactus stuffed toy for Won-deok. Everyone is extremely happy except for Won-deok. She suddenly remembers Ji-pyeong alone in his fancy apartment, still working himself to death. Ji-pyeong hears the doorbell and wonders who can be visiting him late at night. He opens the door and finds Won-deok. She came over with A-hyun’s help to bring him some corn dogs.

[00:18:30] Ji-pyeong can’t help but cry as Won-deok tells him to come over as often as he likes. He doesn’t have anyone except for Won-deok, who he looks up to as a mother figure. Won-deok told Ji-pyeong to only call her if he needs her help, but she regrets telling him that. She would’ve done anything to keep Ji-pyeong as close as possible because she knows she’s the closest thing he has to family. Won-deok tells Ji-pyeong not to get used to being alone. Ji-pyeong hugs Won-deok as she tells him to stop crying. Back at Cheongmyeong, they talk about the possibility of winning the smart city project bid. No one really thinks they can win it with all the companies they’re going up against. Everyone starts making a promise of what they will do if they win the bidding.

[00:21:00] Yong-san tells one of their colleagues he’ll give him a billion won if they win. Chul-san will shave his head while Sa-ha plans to reveal her boyfriend. Chul-san tells Sa-ha to keep her word if they win. One of their colleagues promises to buy everyone a sports car if they win the bid. Do-san tells them he’s going to propose if they win. Everyone is speechless with his promise, especially Dal-mi. Do-san calls a meeting, so they can work out their plans for the bid. Meanwhile, a new start-up project falls into Ji-pyeong’s table courtesy of Dong-cheon. It is a start-up designed to help orphanages with their finances between adolescence and adulthood. Ji-pyeong tells Dong-cheon there’s no money to be made on the start-up. He is about to cancel the meeting, but Ji-pyeong tells him to keep the meeting and meet with the CEO.

[00:24:00] It is already past 10 in the evening, but no one is leaving. Yong-san sees the time and invites anyone who wants to go home. No one wants to go home, not even Chul-san. So he goes back to his seat and continues working. They continue to work hard on Tarzan to win the smart city bidding. Do-san assures Dal-mi they will win the bid; he no longer wants to try it out just for the experience. He wants to win the bid whatever it takes. Do-san is about to kiss Dal-mi, but Chul-san interferes. They don’t know he is still in the office with them, so Dal-mi pushes Do-san away. The next day, Ji-pyeong arrives at work, and Dong-cheon tells him about Hong Ji-seok. He’s the CEO of a start-up involving orphans. Ji-pyeong goes to the meeting room to meet with him.

[00:30:00] Ji-seok tells Ji-pyeong it is the first time an investor has contacted him about his start-up. Ji-seok’s goal is to pair orphans with adults who can help them transition to adulthood. Ji-pyeong remembers how Won-deok helped him on his journey. He won’t be where he is without Won-deok. Ji-seok is still explaining his business model, but Ji-pyeong has already done his research. Ji-pyeong’s company won’t be able to invest in Ji-seok, but he can invest personally. He gives Ji-seok his business card and tells him he will invest 100 million won personally. Ji-seok asks Ji-pyeong why he wants to invest personally, but he doesn’t tell him the truth. He just tells Ji-seok he likes his voice. Ji-seok is extremely happy. It is just how Cheong-myeong felt the day he landed his first investor.

[00:33:00] Although Cheong-myeong didn’t see the fruits of his labor come to life, Ji-seok will help many orphans with Ji-pyeong’s money. Meanwhile, Do-san and Dal-mi go over to submit their proposal for the bidding. They bump into Sang-su, who they thought won’t bid for the project as the police investigate their employees. They aren’t bothered by Sang-su, Hyeon, and Jeong; they know they are better than them. Sa-ha is about to have lunch with her sister when they go to the building’s lobby. Sa-ha shows Chul-san what she wrote on the aspiration wall during her first time at Sandbox. The note reads Sa-ha goes to Sandbox to find a better guy than her. Chul-san tells her that her aspiration is ambitious; he doesn’t think there is a guy better than her.

[00:37:00] Sa-ha feels flattered and invites Chul-san to meet her sister. Chul-san refuses; he doesn’t want to shame her in front of her family. He knows he isn’t enough for Sa-ha, and he now realizes why she never introduces him as her boyfriend to anyone. Chul-san is wrong; Sa-ha took her sister to meet with him. He tells her they are just colleagues, but her sister already knows he is Sa-ha’s boyfriend. After a few days, the team waits for the screening results to be published. No one expects they will be chosen as a finalist for the bid. They don’t want to get their hopes up, but at exactly 2 p.m., they receive the email. Dal-mi is shocked — they passed.

[00:39:00] Everyone celebrates the win; they all go out to eat. Chul-san reminds everyone to keep their word on their promises; they are just one step away from winning it all. Dal-mi remembers Do-san’s proposal to scale their business up through investing and R&D. She brings the topic up while everyone is eating. Everyone agrees with her decision. Dal-mi goes to In-jae to get approval to look for outside investors, but she refuses. She tries to convince In-jae, but she can’t win against her. Dal-mi accepts defeat and leaves In-jae’s office. After her talk with In-jae, Dal-mi bumps into Ji-pyeong and invites him for a talk. Ji-pyeong already knows what they will talk about, so he leads the conversation. He tells Dal-mi she doesn’t have to thank him or apologize because she owes him nothing.

[00:44:00] Ji-pyeong realizes he is never the Do-san in the letters. He didn’t even look for Dal-mi in the 15 years he had all those letters. He explains Do-san went out to look for her on the first day he read her letters. Ji-pyeong tells her everything is even between them. He doesn’t have any friends in those days except for Dal-mi, and he will cherish their memories forever. Ji-pyeong ends the conversation and walks away. It will be the last time they will talk to each other.

[00:45:30] Everyone is looking forward to Du-jeong’s talk at Sandbox, but given the recent scandal Sang-su is involved in and Morning AI losing the bid for the smart city project, there isn’t a huge turnout at his talk. Du-jeong decides to end his talk earlier because there aren’t many people. In-jae attends the talk along with Chul-san and Yong-san. She asks Du-jeong a personal question: why did he kick her out of the Morning Group. Du-jeong thought In-jae would be more obedient if he punished her, but she continued to rebel against him instead. In-jae tells Du-jeong she’s no longer his stepdaughter. In-jae thanks him for all the learnings he taught her and leaves.

[00:47:30] Yong-san chases after In-jae to apologize. He asked In-jae an insulting question on the relay lecture day at Sandbox; she was a guest speaker. He tells In-jae he is out of line and apologizes for what he said. In-jae accepts his apology and tells him it also motivated her to start her own company. After his conversation with In-jae, Yong-san receives a call from Do-san about their old office. It seems someone finally rented it. They go over to have one last look at where they started before someone else starts their dreams there. They introduced themselves to the new tenants, who are also starting their own business. Chul-san gives his business card to them in hopes of helping them along the way.

[00:50:30] Things get emotional as the trio goes upstairs to look at their old office one last time. Do-san apologizes to them for all the years they spent in hardship with him. Chul-san and Yong-san tell him they didn’t quit their jobs to join him because of money. They joined him because they are his friends. They enjoyed all the moments they spent together even though it was a tough road. Everyone starts crying because Do-san gets emotional. They want to stop crying, but they can’t. The memories they shared were too special not to shed a few tears. They made it. Despite all the people who looked down on them through the years, they became successful. While they leave, they notice the Samsan Tech sign is no longer there. The new guys tell Do-san someone had taken it earlier.

[00:55:00] Seong-hwan took the sign and placed it in their living room. He is extremely proud of what Do-san achieved despite looking down on him in the past. That night, a man goes to Dal-mi’s house to get her signature for a credit card bill. Dal-mi isn’t home, and Won-deok can’t sign; she can no longer see. In-jae arrives to surprise Won-deok as she signs the card bill for Dal-mi. In-jae apologizes for taking so long before she came back. Won-deok slowly made her way toward In-jae and hugs her tightly. In-jae goes over to tell them the good news. She shows them the paperwork for her return to Seo In-jae. Won-deok opens Noongil so she can read the paper. She is stunned to hear In-jae chose to take back their family name.

[00:58:30] In-jae tells them she really wanted to come back, but she can’t out of shame. Won-deok remembers how Cheong-myeong will come home with his fried chicken. They were a family again. It will be the completion of Cheong-myeong’s dream, to reunite his family. They are happy even though their life is simple, and that’s all that matters to Won-deok. In-jae goes over Dal-mi’s things inside her room. She goes over to her table and sees a picture of their father with the music boxes he gave them. Dal-mi chose to keep In-jae’s music box. It still works as In-jae opens it.

[01:02:00] In-jae gives Dal-mi 10,000 won as part of their bet. Dal-mi remembers the bet about outdoing In-jae within three years. In-jae tells her she hasn’t outdone her yet, but she will if she upscales Cheongmyeong Company. Dal-mi thinks In-jae refused her proposal to upscale, but she tells her to go through with it. In-jae approaches Seon-hak to find investors to upscale Cheongmyeong Company. She tells In-jae their company will invest in Cheongmyeong; they won’t allow the opportunity to pass them. Seon-hak gives the proposal to Ji-pyeong, so he can handle the process. Ji-pyeong refuses, but he can’t talk his way out of it.

[01:05:30] Ji-pyeong calls Do-san to talk privately. He tells him about Seon-hak’s proposal to invest in their company. Do-san refuses the investment, but he asks Ji-pyeong for his honest opinion. He tells Do-san he really wants to invest in their company, and it will be a loss for him if they reject his proposal. Do-san tells Ji-pyeong to come with him to the office to talk about his proposal properly. Do-san accepts the investment proposal — for the first time, Ji-pyeong will invest in his company without making it look like a charity.

[01:09:00] Dal-mi goes to church with Do-san. Do-san tells Dal-mi he’s an atheist, but she’s not much of a believer herself. Dal-mi prays they win the bid the next day. From her experience, God always answers her prayer because she is sincere about them. As they leave the church, Dal-mi spots a rainbow and decides to pray again. Do-san tells her a rainbow won’t make her prayers come true. Dal-mi kisses Do-san and tells him she prayed to kiss him. Dal-mi explains he should pray and make his prayers come true. Do-san decides to pray for Cheongmyeong to become a unicorn company. Do-san thinks his prayer is impossible, but Dal-mi tells him nothing is impossible.

[01:13:00] Dal-mi goes up on stage to present their proposal for the smart city project while Do-san watches her in full support. A few years later, Cheongmyeong has grown into a large company. They win the smart city bid, and everyone keeps their promises. Chul-san shaves his head while Sa-ha introduces him to everyone as her boyfriend. Do-san and Dal-mi get married; he proposed after their win. It is the annual shareholders meeting that day. Do-san goes to the meeting with his wife, Dal-mi. They are accompanied by In-jae and Ji-pyeong, who are shareholders in the company.