Start-Up Season 1 Episode 9 Recap – Risk

[00:01:00] Do-san remembers how his family celebrated his win on the Mathematical Olympiad. Do-san’s father was extremely proud of his win, but it seemed Do-san didn’t win on his own. He solved nine out of ten, but the last question proved very difficult. It seemed the gods wanted to help Do-san as a gust of wind blew the test paper of one of the students who joined the Olympiad. Do-san didn’t want to cheat on the Olympiad, but he saw the paper anyway. He copied the answer of the other student and won. Do-san didn’t feel like he won even though he answered nine out of the ten questions. The second-place student got scolded by his mother for losing to Do-san. Do-san was the youngest contestant in the Olympiad, and the other contestants felt embarrassed for losing to him.

[00:05:00] Do-san saw the other student crying and offered to give his medal. He felt he didn’t deserve the win, but his parents stopped him from giving away his medal. Do-san thought about his fate that day, ultimately leading to his demise. Do-san’s life spiraled out of control as his self-esteem got destroyed. He decided to drop out of college because he felt he isn’t good enough. Do-san’s decision to drop out of college also ruined his relationship with his father. Everything changed when he met Dal-mi. He regained his self-esteem with each day he spent with Dal-mi.

[00:07:00] Do-san returns Dal-mi’s scrunchie when they are out for coffee. Dal-mi asks Do-san where he found it. Do-san can’t tell her Ji-pyeong gave it to him, so he tells her he found it in the office. Do-san really wants to ask Dal-mi what’s going on between her and Ji-pyeong, but he can’t. Dal-mi also intends to ask Ji-pyeong something, but she also can’t. She just asks him about the cake and coffee they are eating to end their conversation. Dal-mi responds to the reviews their application got. Everyone feels weird by how her face changes from happy, sad, and angry, depending on the type of review. While Dal-mi is busy responding to the reviews, an old man walks into their office. He asks them if it is the In-jae company office. Dal-mi stands up to show the old man where In-jae’s office is.

[00:09:30] Yong-san notices the old man holds a carton of eggs. They know something is wrong, but Dal-mi is so trusting she doesn’t question the man’s identity. She leads the old man into In-jae’s office and introduces him to her. In-jae introduces herself to the old man, but he starts throwing eggs at her. The old man rants about how he will lose his job because of In-jae. He wants to teach her a lesson, so he grabs one of the monitors inside the office and attacks In-jae. Do-san and the rest of the team go over to help. They managed to stop the old man from attacking In-jae while Dal-mi throws herself over In-jae to shield her from the attack.

[00:11:30] The police escort the man out of the building. He is about to be laid off because of In-jae’s unmanned security system. Yong-san feels the man’s pain. He thinks In-jae’s company doesn’t have any compassion. Hyeon tells him compassion doesn’t make any money. They talk about Hyeon and how he’s a hotshot, but Sa-ha tells them he likes arrogant and rich men like Hyeon. Chul-san takes the opportunity to brag about his private beach and vacation home to impress her, but she knows it is too good to be true. They run after Sa-ha to convince her everything they tell her is true. The man asking questions about the scene is a reporter named Choi Yang-won. He gave his business card to one of In-jae’s associates.

[00:13:30] Dal-mi sees In-jae cleaning her blazer inside the woman’s bathroom. She is about to tell Dal-mi something, but she decides to interrupt her. She tells In-jae she was just protecting her earlier. Dal-mi thinks In-jae will thank her, but she tells her about the piece of tissue hanging from her pants. Dal-mi feels embarrassed and quickly removes the tissue from her pants. Dal-mi will meet with Ji-pyeong, and In-jae will also meet with Seon-hak, so they go to the office together. Seon-hak tells Dal-mi to wait for Ji-pyeong in the meeting room while she talks with In-jae.

[00:16:00] Seon-hak wants to know how In-jae holds up. She heard In-jae got attacked by one of Haun Engineering and Construction employees. In-jae confirms the attack, but she tells Seon-hak she is okay. In-jae tells her they foresee the possibility of protests, but they didn’t think the employees will attack them. She thinks the guy earlier is just causing a scene, but Seon-hak knows the guy is desperate because he’s about to lose his job. Meanwhile, Ji-pyeong is concerned with Dal-mi commenting personally on all the reviews of their application. Dal-mi feels terrible reading the hate comments on their application. Ji-pyeong tells Dal-mi to focus on getting more investors instead of the reviews.

[00:19:00] Dal-mi goes back to their office with many things on her mind. She sees the team working on something. She remembers the time Do-san told her about the past. Do-san sees Dal-mi standing in the doorway, so he approaches her. He tells Dal-mi he increased the battery efficiency of their application to fix the hateful comments they received. Do-san tells Dal-mi to tell him any more hateful comments, so he can fix them immediately. Meanwhile, In-jae’s company is under fire from the media as the security guards protest their unmanned security program. In-jae and her associates can’t believe the guards are already protesting when they haven’t even started yet.

[00:21:00] Du-jeong does an interview about his current partnership with Samsan Tech. He mentions Dal-mi is the company’s CEO. Do-san’s parents watch the interview, but they don’t know who Dal-mi is. Do-san hasn’t told them he isn’t the CEO of the company. Cheon-ho calls Do-san to warn him not to come home because his parents are furious he isn’t the company’s CEO. Cheon-ho doesn’t know that Do-san didn’t tell his parents he isn’t the CEO. Do-san goes to a bar with Chul-san and Yong-san to drink. He can’t face his parents sober, so he drinks a lot before going home. Chul-san and Yong-san tell him to rehearse what he will tell them before going home.

[00:23:00] Do-san wants to tell his father he isn’t ready to become a CEO. Even though Chul-san and Yong-san look up to him, he feels like a loser. Dal-mi isn’t with them, but Do-san feels like he is talking with her. Do-san starts crying while he rehearses with Chul-san and Yong-san. They know he had too much to drink when Do-san passed out on the table. Chul-san and Yong-san don’t know what to do, so they call Dal-mi.

[00:27:00] Dal-mi meets with them at a bus stop. Do-san is out cold when Dal-mi arrives. They want Dal-mi to take Do-san with her, but she isn’t sure if Won-deok will allow Do-san to sleep at their house. Chul-san and Yong-san don’t have any choice but to take Do-san home. They try to hail a cab, but Ji-pyeong appears out of nowhere. Dal-mi tells them she will take care of Do-san and asks Ji-pyeong for help. Ji-pyeong offers to take Do-san home, but Dal-mi tells him to just drop them off at her house.

[00:30:00] They arrive at Dal-mi’s house. Ji-pyeong brings Do-san into one of the rooms. He tells them Do-san is as light as a feather, but as soon as he placed Do-san down he starts whining about how heavy he is. He tells Won-deok that Do-san is heavy like an elephant. Won-deok notices Do-san puked on Ji-pyeong’s back. Ji-pyeong sees the vomit; he can smell it. Won-deok tells him Do-san must’ve puked on him quietly. She praises Do-san for being so courteous. Won-deok tells Ji-pyeong to just keep quiet and wash up.

[00:32:30] Ji-pyeong changes his clothes, but nothing would fit him except for a pink shirt. He asks Dal-mi if there is any other option, so she shows him a green shirt with a bird image on the front. The green shirt is worse than the pink shirt, so he chooses to stick with the pink shirt. Won-deok and Dal-mi offer to let him stay for dinner since he complained earlier about his blood sugar going down. Ji-pyeong sits down, but Do-san comes out of the room with a confused face. He wonders how he got to Dal-mi’s house when he drank with Chul-san and Yong-san earlier. Ji-pyeong tells Do-san his friends ditched him. Do-san doesn’t know why he’s hungry again when he ate a lot earlier. Ji-pyeong responds he threw up all over his back.

[00:34:00] Do-san apologizes to Dal-mi for the trouble he caused her. Dal-mi tells him it is nothing and invites Do-san to a sleepover. Won-deok and Ji-pyeong had trouble eating after hearing Dal-mi’s offer. Do-san asks Dal-mi if he could sleepover. Dal-mi worries he would have trouble sobering up, so she agrees. Ji-pyeong also asks if he could sleepover. He tells Dal-mi he worries about Do-san because they’re really close. That night, Ji-pyeong sleeps beside Do-san. He asks Ji-pyeong why he chooses to sleep beside him when he has a large apartment beside the river. Ji-pyeong returns the question by asking Do-san why he chose to sleep there when he could’ve gone home.

[00:36:00] Do-san feels Ji-pyeong is just greedy. He tells Ji-pyeong rich people are greedier. Ji-pyeong wants to know why Do-san says these things to him. He didn’t do anything to him, and he knows Do-san has more than what he has. Ji-pyeong doesn’t have parents, unlike Do-san, but he can’t tell him about it. Do-san thinks Ji-pyeong is just trying to steal Dal-mi away from him. Ji-pyeong tells Do-san he can have all his riches in exchange for Dal-mi, but he refuses. They go to sleep without settling their argument. After a few hours, Do-san wakes up because of the extreme heat. He sees Ji-pyeong sleeping on his chest, so he gets up and exits the room.

[00:38:00] Do-san sees Dal-mi working hard outside. She cries while reading more reviews on their app. Do-san knows Dal-mi is getting emotional because of a review, so he checks the reviews on his phone. A mother visited Gangju with her blind daughter. The app tells her daughter countless beautiful sunflowers are on the road. The mother wishes she could’ve brought her daughter there before she lost her eyesight, so she would’ve known what beautiful meant. She regrets not providing time for her daughter when she had the chance. The mother apologizes her review ended up being a pointless rant. Dal-mi responds that what the mother considers pointless means a lot to her. Dal-mi can relate to the review; she knows Won-deok is already losing her eyesight.

[00:40:00] She also wants to bring Won-deok to the most beautiful scenery before she goes blind. The next day, Ji-pyeong wakes up and tells them Do-san has already left. As they talk about Do-san, he suddenly calls Dal-mi and asks her what she plans to do that day. It is a Sunday, so there is nothing planned for the day. Do-san invites Dal-mi and Won-deok for a date. Ji-pyeong wants to know where he is taking them, but he refuses to tell him. Do-san rented a car and takes them to the beach. Dal-mi is extremely excited to be at the beach with her grandmother. Won-deok asks Do-san to grab a shovel and boots, so she can do something with her time. Won-deok takes the things she asked for and starts digging for clams and squid along the shoreline.

[00:44:00] Do-san tells Won-deok to look at the beautiful scenery, but she doesn’t care. She is getting free food, and that is more important to her. Do-san thinks his plan failed, but Dal-mi thanks him. She knows Do-san read her comment on the app review, which is why he brought them to the beach. Won-deok catches a glimpse of Do-san and Dal-mi hugging on the beach. She is too far out to see them, so she takes out her phone and uses the app. Yeong-sil tells Won-deok he sees a couple standing on a beautiful beach. Won-deok is happy someone cares for her granddaughter as much as she does.

[00:45:30] As the sun sets, the tide rolls back in. Do-san is busy cooking the meat Won-deok caught for them. Dal-mi tells Won-deok that Do-san wants her to see the sunset view. Dal-mi starts to doubt Do-san’s identity. She likes Do-san so much it’s getting scary for her. Dal-mi thinks the Do-san of the past and the present are two different people. Won-deok doesn’t want to ruin the moment, so she tells Dal-mi she’s just being weird. Dal-mi has a lot of questions for Do-san, but she’s too scared to ask him. Won-deok feels it is time to tell Dal-mi the truth, but she can’t. Do-san calls them over so they can eat.

[00:48:00] Meanwhile, A-hyun is eating in a convenience store when she asks one of the employees if any store in the area is looking for part-time help. She is desperate to get the job to not have to rely on Du-jeong’s money. The employee tells her to check the job search app, but she doesn’t know how. Do-san drives Dal-mi and Won-deok home, but he makes the wrong turn and gets lost. They end up on a dead-end with a clear view of the sky and the stars.

[00:50:00] Do-san asks Dal-mi if she wants to wander around for a few more hours. Dal-mi knows Do-san doesn’t want to go home, so she asks him if he fought with his parents. Do-san opens up to Dal-mi about being a bad son because he always lets his parents down. Dal-mi tells Do-san not to run away from his problems. She assures Do-san his parents will see his worth just like she does. Do-san apologizes to Dal-mi, he really wants to tell her the truth, but he can’t. He apologizes for making the wrong turn instead.

[00:52:30] The next day, Dal-mi sees Won-deok washing the rest of the clams she caught yesterday. Dal-mi is amazed at how many clams Won-deok found at the beach. They know the clams will last them for a week or so. Dal-mi sees some handwritten flyers on the table and asks her what those are for. Won-deok is looking for part-time help, so Dal-mi offers to post the ad online. Won-deok refuses as she wants to look for someone who’s not digitally inclined like her. Dal-mi is off to work when Won-deok asks her if Do-san safely made it home. Dal-mi assures her Do-san made it home safely.

[00:53:30] Do-san just arrived at their house. He is about to enter when he decides to leave. Before leaving, he decides to man up and face his problems, so he goes back to the house. His parents are just about to leave, so he hides behind the door as they open it. They are worried sick about him. Do-san’s father tries to call him again because he isn’t picking up last night. Do-san’s phone rings as the call goes through; they hear it instantly. They turn around and see Do-san trying to sneak inside the house. Do-san’s father confronts him for making them look like fools. His father tells him he gave him money to start the company, not for him to give it away. He wants to know if Dal-mi lured Do-san into giving up the CEO position.

[00:55:00] Do-san finally tells his parents the truth. He tells them he is a good-for-nothing failure who aspires to make his own company but fails. Do-san’s father tells him he isn’t a good-for-nothing. He reminds Do-san that he’s the youngest Math Olympiad to win a gold medal. Do-san tells his father he cheated that day. He tells his father nothing could please him no matter how good he did. That feeling slowly killed him ever since he won the Olympiad. After their conversation with Do-san, his parents took down his Math Olympiad picture and the billboard with his name on it. Do-san’s father takes the billboard and breaks it into small pieces.

[00:57:00] Do-san is still sitting outside their house when his mother comes out. Do-san’s mother wants him to apologize not for cheating the Olympiad but for not coming to her first. She finds out about Do-san’s problems through his cousin, Cheon-ho. She feels Cheon-ho is more important than her. Do-san apologizes while his mother tells him to come to her first if he ever has problems in the future. Meanwhile, Ji-pyeong is still having difficulty grasping his feelings for Dal-mi. He still doesn’t want to believe he loves Dal-mi despite remembering all the times he felt jealous over Do-san. Ji-pyeong can’t focus on work, so he decides to leave.

[01:00:00] A-hyun walks around with her suitcase when she sees an ad fluttering in the wind. She rushes to the ad and manages to grab it before another lady. She tells the lady she’s in a difficult spot right now despite having a luxurious luggage with her. The lady tells A-hyun she’s the one in a tough spot. A-hyun responds she’s still young and could use a job search app to find a new job opening. The lady can’t do anything, so she just leaves the job ad with A-hyun. She reads the ad and wonders why her mother-in-law seeks part-time help at the food stall. A-hyun lurks around the food stall as Won-deok opens for the day. She doesn’t want to work for Won-deok, but she doesn’t have options.

[01:01:30] A-hyun wants to take the job opening, but she is too ashamed to even show her face. She leaves the park while Ji-pyeong arrives to speak with Won-deok. He notices something is bugging her, so he asks. Won-deok tells Ji-pyeong that Dal-mi is starting to suspect their identities. Won-deok realizes Dal-mi left another letter for Do-san to find. She knows it is in the birdhouse outside her old food stall. Won-deok wants to find the letter and give it to Do-san so she wouldn’t doubt his identity anymore. Ji-pyeong disagrees with Won-deok’s plan. Ji-pyeong wants to apologize to Dal-mi for lying to her and tell her the truth. He finally accepts things and tells Won-deok about his feelings for Dal-mi.

[01:04:30] Do-san is about to pick Dal-mi up when it starts raining. Ji-pyeong takes shade under Won-deok’s food stall as they continue their conversation. Won-deok tells Ji-pyeong he can’t tell Dal-mi the truth because she’s already happy with Do-san. He responds he’s not happy Dal-mi is with Do-san. He wants Dal-mi to be with her, and he thinks everything is unfair. Won-deok wants to know why he didn’t tell her the truth when she asked him. She tells Ji-pyeong he can’t tell Dal-mi the truth now. Ji-pyeong wants to be with Dal-mi so badly he blames Won-deok for everything. He tells her nothing should’ve happened between him and Dal-mi. Ji-pyeong knows that he fell in love with Dal-mi because of her stupid letters. Ji-pyeong is about to leave when Won-deok stops him.

[01:07:00] Chul-san sees a couple sharing a coat as they run towards the office. Sa-ha arrives shortly after, and Chul-san offers to run in the rain with her. Sa-ha brings out her umbrella and starts walking towards the office. Yong-san sees Chul-san and tells him to run in the rain with him. They all get to the office, and Dal-mi realizes it is raining. She borrows Sa-ha’s umbrella and goes to pick Do-san up. Do-san calls Chul-san to look for Dal-mi. He tells him she left with an umbrella to pick him up. While Dal-mi waits for Do-san, Ji-pyeong cries in his car. He sends Won-deok a message and apologizes for getting angry at her. He volunteers to look for Dal-mi’s letter and give it to Do-san.

[01:11:00] Ji-pyeong dries up his tears and drives to the old food stall to look for Dal-mi’s letter. Do-san arrives at the station, but Dal-mi isn’t there. He goes out to look for her, but she isn’t anywhere nearby. He decides to call Dal-mi, but Won-deok answers the phone. She realizes she has Dal-mi’s phone and Dal-mi has Won-Deok’s phone. Meanwhile, Ji-pyeong arrives at the old food stall and takes Dal-mi’s letter out of the birdhouse. The letter is about the time things are falling apart for Dal-mi. She thanks Do-san and his letters for getting her through a tough time in her life. She doesn’t believe Do-san existed at first, but she is now ready to find him and allow him to be part of her life.

[01:14:00] When Ji-pyeong finishes reading the letter, he looks up and sees Dal-mi from the other side of the street. She crosses the street to approach Ji-pyeong, who asks Dal-mi what she is doing there. Dal-mi tells Ji-pyeong she took Won-deok’s phone by accident. She sees his message to her, so she goes over out of curiosity. Dal-mi confronts Ji-pyeong with a lot of questions. She wants to know how he knows Won-deok and who Do-san really is.

[01:16:00] Ji-pyeong can’t answer Dal-mi. Meanwhile, Do-san calls Won-deok’s phone to find where Dal-mi is. Since Ji-pyeong won’t answer her questions, she asks Do-san one question, allowing her to find out the truth. Dal-mi asks Do-san if he remembers where they would secretly place their letters 15 years ago. Do-san is shocked by the question because he doesn’t know the answer. He tries to change the topic by asking Dal-mi where she is. Dal-mi starts crying because Do-san couldn’t answer the question. She tells Do-san why Ji-pyeong is standing in front of her and not him. Do-san knows that the truth is out. He knows Dal-mi is with Ji-pyeong. He starts breaking down and tries to call Dal-mi back, but she has already switched her phone off.

[01:18:00] Do-san’s world shatters as he knows the time has finally come. He needs to tell Dal-mi the truth even if it means losing her.