Preview: If the first episode was a mild bowl of lightly spiced ramyeon, this episode is a level 3 spicy tteokboki and I'm not gonna lie, I love how quickly things are escalating in this drama. In 3...2...1, here's your recap.

Recap

We open with Ong Ju (bestie) giving us the story recap so far - Kim Mi Kyung, 36 years old, with no hopes and dreams, is on the brink of losing her job. Meanwhile, in her brother's guest house is the young and handsome boss who holds her future. Mi Kyung no longer wants to hear it, but she is most angry with her younger brother for letting him rent one of his rooms. She orders him to return the rent and send Baek Ho packing, but he can't because he's spent all the money. I mean, I can't judge him. I would also procure a Dyson hair dryer the first chance I get. Bestie and Younger bro eventually convince Mi Kyung to let Baek Ho stay, since the guest house is barely making any money. She asks how much he paid anyway.

Cut to Mi Kyung interrupting Baek Ho's reading time to shower him with roses and welcome him to their guest house. LOL.

Along with the welcome message is a list of questions about why Baek Ho decided to stay in their guesthouse rather than rent a hotel. He responds with his casual robotic flair that the guesthouse is the best option. Unable to argue back, she sets the ground rules for their engagement: work is work, home is home, and don't mess with her potatoes. He agrees with all her comments and points out the piece of floss on her head. Embarrassed, she goes back home to meet bestie writing yet another story.

Ong Ju asks Mi Kyung if she's attracted to Baek Ho, claiming that she can smell the romance between them. She even tries using Mi Kyung's history of falling in love with men whose names have 'Ho' in them as proof, but Mi Kyung isn't buying it. She mockingly dismisses her. Ong Ju predicts she'll fall in love around the end of episode 2. LOL.

I love how unseriously this drama is taking its own tropes.

We're taken to Kise's house where he's searching for Mi Kyung's profile. Something tells me we're not going to like this guy.

The next day, staff members arrive at the potato lab, and discuss Baek Ho's scary personality. Apparently, he's known as 'All Talk from Hell' due to his ability to completely annihilate people with his words without losing his calm. On their way to eat, a blinding light stops them, and they all look towards its source - it's coming from Baek Ho's office. And honestly, mans is SEXY. His stance? That side profile? This is why TV was created. I'm just as in awe as the potato lab team to be honest. The team can't stop staring at him at lunch, especially when his one-word answers coldly but politely stonewall their attempts at brown-nosing. But he meets his match when a group of ahjummas come in and invade his personal space true ahjumma style. Mi Kyung is enjoying his discomfort a little too much.

On his way out of work, Baek Ho sees Mi Kyung vaping in her truck. They start talking about his first day and she tells him she's glad he took her warning from the night before to heart. Baek Ho turns it around and tells her he didn't consider her statements a warning, reinforcing the hierarchy between them. He's her boss, and all she can do at best is complain, not warn him. He also reminds her that work is work and she must use his official title at work. She waits for him to get into his car, which she has blocked in with her car. He calmly remote controls the car out of the cramped space and gets into it, snarkily telling her that the car is a 21st-century vehicle. Mi Kyung is PAINED as he drives away.

Back at Wonhan, a Mrs. Yoon enters Kise's office unannounced to talk and he reminds her to knock even though they are family. She reminds him that they're no longer family since he's no longer married to Hee Jin (her sister?), however, she'll oblige him since the divorce is still under wraps. She calls him out for sending Baek Ho to the Potato Lab out of spite while pretending to like him, and orders him to bring Baek Ho back. Although he's a scholarship awardee for the company, the chairwoman prefers him to Kise, her own son-in-law. Upset, Kise calmly mentions the rumors about Baek Ho's illicit affairs with her, pointing out her obvious one-sided love for Beak Ho. She quietly leaves.

Meanwhile, Baek Ho is on the phone with the Chairwoman and she definitely adores him. She asks him to decide whether to keep the lab or not and assures him his word is law. Baek Ho ends the call to keep reading Mi Kyung's profile.

The next day, Mi Kyung takes a lemonade delivery from the guesthouse to some of the village elders. They are clearly very fond of her. Seeing an opportunity to get back at Baek Ho for his mean words the day before, she makes a sad face and fake cries before the elders, leading with the issue of her former boss' dismissal.

Cut to - all the old people angrily revving up their tractors and calling each other. Soon, a long line of tractors is formed, all of them headed towards the guesthouse. The elders all arrive at the guesthouse, accosting Baek Ho. He immediately figures that Mi Kyung is up to this, and it takes him a few robotic sentences to get on the elders' bad side. They ask him to pay a resident fee, and he refuses, claiming he is not a resident. He also gives them his lawyer's contact details, telling them to get a proper consultation on the laws of residency and sassily offering to pay for the consultation. He walks away, leaving the elders nonplussed. They've never seen this before.

Back in their home, bestie is wondering why the elders were suddenly incited against Baek Ho. Mi Kyung confesses to being responsible. Cut to her standing in front of Baek Ho's door with a tray of food, hesitating to press the bell. He comes out to receive her apology meal, asking her why she did such a childish thing. She offers to pay the fee instead to show how sorry he is, but Baek Ho isn't having it. Mi Kyung is confused. She points out how stubborn old people are and that it's better to just give in, but it's a matter of principles for Baek Ho and he's not backing down.

She tries to convince him using the argument of how children give in to their parents, but he's an orphan who never had grandparents so he can't relate. Mi Kyung eventually gives up, warning to prepare for what's coming, but our leading man is not bothered.

The next day, Baek Ho prepares for work and drives out only to be stopped by some elders having a drink right in the middle of the road. Thanks to him, they got that consultation from his lawyer and, they now know that the owner of a private property can decide who or what can pass on their property. Since the road is private property, they have banned him from passing on theirs. Baek Ho returns home and tries to get a taxi, but there are none in the area. Mi Kyung sees him asking her brother and pulls an 'I-told-you-so' for all his bravado before offering to drive him to work - at the back of her truck. LOL he looks so pitiful as she intentionally goes over road bumps and into potholes.

That night, he studies a map and figures out an alternative road. He's heavily disappointed the next day when this back road doesn't lead anywhere and has him coming back disheveled with leaves in his hair. Cue another ride in the back of Mi Kyung's truck. The next day he wakes up early to take the bus, but the bus is full of elders. Whelp. The ride in Mi Kyung's truck is super subdued this time.

On his way to a wedding in Seoul, Hwan Kyung runs into Kise and they exchange pleasantries. Hwan Kyung accidentally lets it slip that Mi Kyung is studying potatoes and we see Kise hurry to his office to go check the company records. He finally confirms that it was Mi Kyung he saw the other day and he realizes she's in the potato lab with Baek Ho.

Back at the lab, Mi Kyung receives a call. A farm next to one of their potato plantations has been infected. They have to go to the fields and troubleshoot themselves; a task which they all clearly seem to hate. Just as they are about to leave Beak Ho is dragged along by Mi Kyung. At the field, he sips tea while watching the team get into overalls and boots, but Mi Kyung is having none of it. She convinces him to join them using facts about the possible outcome of avoiding pest control, and he joins them in spraying. The only problem is he's REALLY bad at it, and it's not long before he crashes into someone else.

In no time, he gets in another accident, and his entire suit is a mess. Cut to - the team resting after the work, while he takes a shower. After waiting a while, they have Mi Kyung go look for him, and she finds him just as he's buttoning his shirt up over his completely wet torso. Mi Kyung's face turns red as she starts to see Baek Ho as a manhwa character, caption - The Sexy Director. Bestie's voice echoes in her head, telling her she's going to fall for Seo Baek Ho. She runs off, very much unsettled.

The team is having after-work drinks, and he joins them. They all leave work, each team member at varying levels of drunkenness. Baek Ho is very calmly, very demurely passed out in the back of Mi Kyung's truck. They're taken home by a designated driver and back home, Mi Kyung can't help admiring Baek Ho's looks again as she tries to wake him up. She calls him the sexy director, right before she grabs him and kisses him. AH!

We're taken to a moment in Mi Kyung's room when she and bestie are choosing between comic characters. Of course, she chooses the sexy director and excitedly says all the things she would do to him after kissing him. No surprise there.

This is where our episode ends.

Honestly, this episode took me on a ride I didn't expect I would go on. I think my favorite thing about this drama so far is all the meta jokes they keep making about their story. It feels like they're saying; "we know this isn't new, but it's a whole lot of fun so keep watching." I've also come to love Kang Tae Oh in this role because it feels so different from the Kang Tae Oh I've always known. And lastly, I'm increasingly curious about the backstories the drama isn't properly showing us yet. I already know the next episode will be a ride and I can't wait!