Episode 10 wraps up this week, and it looks like we will be spending most of it navigating the chairwoman’s wrath while our love story develops along the way. Let’s dive into the recap.

Recap

We open with our reconciled lovebirds disengaging from their kiss. Ju Yeon teases Su Jeong about crying and looking pretty while at it, leading to a brief but meaningful conversation about their past. Later that night, she bids him goodnight and leaves after a hug. He reluctantly lets her go, but of course, this man has no self-control when it comes to Su Jeong. He follows her, opens the elevator, pulls her into a lingering hug and kiss, and just like that, she ends up sleeping over. She wakes up in his arms the next morning and rushes home, attempting to sneak in. Her father catches her immediately, proving once again that parents have built-in detective instincts. He asks if she and Ju Yeon are back together and expresses his fear of her getting hurt again. She cheekily reassures him. While leaving his apartment for work, Ju Yeon receives shocking news of his dismissal. At the chairwoman’s office, we learn that Secretary Kwon did not report the incident to the chairwoman the night before, but because this is the chairwoman we are talking about, she finds out another way. Secretary Kwon hands in her resignation letter. Shin Won hears the news at his desk and is visibly worried. Meanwhile, Su Jeong walks into work, blissfully unaware, until she overhears the commotion and storms out like a woman on a mission.

At the elevator, she runs into Secretary Kwon and boldly asks about Ju Yeon. Secretary Kwon, noticing how Su Jeong is no longer hiding their relationship, tells her the chairwoman knows. The box she is carrying tells Su Jeong about her resignation. Before she leaves in the elevator, Secretary Kwon tells Su Jeong to take care of Ju Yeon, adding that she feels relieved knowing Su Jeong is by his side. Su Jeong immediately calls Secretary Kwon again to ask about the chairwoman’s whereabouts, while Ju Yeon speeds off somewhere. He arrives at the chairwoman’s office and ends up going on his knees, practically begging. He explains how he has dedicated his life to the company, but the chairwoman, never one to be swayed by emotions, shuts him down with her usual sharp words and leaves him kneeling there like a broken man. Su Jeong sees him walking out looking utterly pathetic but holds back from calling out to him. He gets into his car, replaying painful memories with his grandmother when Su Jeong texts him. They meet up, and she tells him to deny their relationship in front of the chairwoman. He refuses, determined to live his life freely. He even lightens the mood by talking about how they can now go on dates without hiding and suggests they go to a concert together. Priorities.

At home, Shin Won’s mother asks him about the portrait he is painting of Ha Jin and if he is thinking about marriage. He says he is not sure but does not mind. Meanwhile, Ju Yeon meets up with Secretary Kwon at a café and asks why she went against the chairwoman for him again. She confesses that she has known about his relationship from the beginning but believes he deserves to be happy. It is an emotional conversation, and Ju Yeon bows in gratitude before leaving. Once outside, it finally hits him that he has nothing to do. Right on cue, Su Jeong texts him, inviting him to read comics in the attic at her house. Timing is everything.

Shin Won is on a call with Ha Jin while heading to her bar. She claims she is not there, but when he arrives, he sees a suspicious-looking man hanging around. Meanwhile, Ju Yeon meets Su Jeong’s brother outside her house, and they end up eating at a restaurant. The brother takes the opportunity to rant and even casually mentions how Su Jeong cried her eyes out when they broke up. Ju Yeon listens, probably making a mental note never to let that happen again. They later visit Su Jeong’s father’s store just as he is heading out for a job. Ju Yeon, in his ongoing mission to win everyone over, offers to help. At the location, he tries to fix a door knob. He struggles at first but eventually gets the hang of it, prompting Su Jeong’s brother to take a picture and send it to Su Jeong as a tease.

Back at the chairwoman’s office, someone asks about the vacant position. Without hesitation, she instructs them to fill it with someone else and casually adds that Su Jeong should be taken care of quietly. After the job, Ju Yeon looks exhausted, but he insists on cooking. He takes this opportunity to reassure Su Jeong’s father about their relationship, putting the man’s worries to rest. Su Jeong arrives home to find him in full-on cooking mode. She is surprised, but he drags her to the table and feeds her like a doting boyfriend. They all enjoy his food, and Ju Yeon hints at how much he is enjoying a family meal after losing his parents. Su Jeong’s father gets emotional and tells him to sleep over so he can also have breakfast with them the next morning. Later that night, while he sleeps with the men, Su Jeong messages him to come up to the attic. They share a chocolate drink and read comics together. It is domestic bliss.

The next morning, Ju Yeon sends Su Jeong off, promising never to make her cry again. He even bends down to retie her shoelace. A man on a mission. Things take a harsh turn at work when Su Jeong receives a demotion notice. Her team members think it is excessive, but she admits the rumors about her relationship with Ju Yeon are true, even if they were not at the time. She is sent to the technical team, where she is not exactly welcomed, but she wins them over by single-handedly fixing an electrical malfunction. Later, she runs into her sunbaenim, who scolds her for not standing up for herself as usual and adds that although she hates her for it, it is only because she walks on eggshells herself. Su Jeong, however, says she is enduring because she has someone to protect now. The chairwoman arrives with the new director, sending the entire office into a panic. Ju Yeon listens to the news in his car, learning about a new appointment. At work, Shin Won meets Su Jeong, asks if she is okay, and suggests she quit, but she asks him not to tell Ju Yeon. Meanwhile, Ha Jin and Shin Won are at the bar when her mother comes in and asks if he is her boyfriend, but she covers up, saying he is a part-timer and tries to send him off. She meets the man (her ex-husband) who was lurking around the other day. He comes in and tries to persuade her to accept him back, with his mother chipping in. He holds her hands, making Shin Won re-enter to stop him. Ha Jin is hurt and finally reveals to her mother that she divorced him because he cheated, making her mum collapse. At her mother’s bedside in the hospital, Ha Jin is worried about Shin Won seeing her in that situation. Her mother wakes up and apologizes for blaming her all along when her father comes in, chips in and they have what seems like a family reunion, while Ha Jin confesses about her relationship with Shin Won.

At work, Su Jeong’s defiance is reported to the chairwoman. She is on a call with Ju Yeon, but sensing something is wrong, he calls Shin Won to get the truth. In the chairwoman’s office, Su Jeong stands her ground. She declares no one can replace Ju Yeon at the company and insists she is not trying to get him back into his position but to bring the chairwoman back to him as his only family. She bows and leaves, leaving the chairwoman stunned.

Later, Ju Yeon finds Su Jeong in the office lobby. He pulls her aside and angrily demands to know why she is enduring everything instead of leaving. She tells him she is staying because she can’t just back down, leaving her years of hard work and she loves him. That is all he needs to hear. He declares that since she has made her choice, he will make one too. Shin Won drives Ha Jin home. She sees bags of gifts in the back seat and asks who the gifts are for and he says her mother. Ha Jin becomes defensive and subtly draws a line between them, stating he shouldn’t be worried about her, her family, or ex-husband before exiting the car. He runs after her and tries to talk her out of her decision, but she refuses vehemently and walks off. Cut to a business event at the company. The chairwoman briefly steps away. A man stands at the podium to invite the business partner, and just as he is about to invite the director of the company, there is a moment of confusion. A door opens, and a well-suited Ju Yeon climbs the podium and introduces himself as the director. The drama. The tension. And that is our farewell for the week.

With only two episodes left, the scriptwriter is clearly setting things up. The next episode will likely bring more of the chairwoman’s rage and maybe even her reluctant acceptance, while Shin Won and Ha Jin continue their complicated dance. The end is near, but for now, we meet again next week.