Relationships are hard. Relationships aren’t easy. Things don’t always go the way you want it to in a relationship and that’s the harsh reality that Hye-jun and Jeong-ha are facing as a couple. What started off so well and happy is slowly transitioning into unfamiliar territory. Where do they go from here?
Record of Youth: Episode 12 Recap
Hae-hyo stops by Min-jae’s apartment to meet with Hye-jun and Min-jae. Right as he arrives, Hye-jun receives a phone call from Ji-Ah who informs him about her meeting with Reporter Kim thanks to Hae-hyo. Hae-hyo reasons that he wanted to help Hye-jun so he pulled Ji-Ah in to do so. However, Hye-jun isn’t so happy with the help especially since it’s coming from Ji-Ah. The two friends argue with each other and Hae-hyo labels Hye-jun as ungrateful. He was just purely trying to help, but Hye-jun argues that Hae-hyo should have consulted him on his opinion first before going off to contact Ji-Ah. Hae-hyo makes sure to point out just how busy Hye-jun has been and how much he’s neglected both him and Jin-woo in the process. He’s also upset at how Hye-jun was aware of Jin-woo and Hae-na’s relationship and kept it a secret from him this entire time.
The episode goes back and shows us how Hae-hyo and Ji-Ah met and what they discussed about during their meeting. As a way to reconnect Ji-Ah and Hye-jun and to win Jeong-ha afterwards, Hae-hyo set up a meeting between Reporter Kim and Ji-Ah. Dad watches as Jin-woo’s dad and his coworkers work on putting together Hye-jun’s bedroom. They discourage Dad from working since he’s injured so Dad is forced to leave the place. However, it’s too much for him and Dad ends up heading somewhere else. Jin-woo’s Dad enters the house to find Dad no where to be found. He enters Grandpa’s bedroom to strike a conversation with Grandpa about Dad’s injury. Grandpa isn’t so shocked at the news given that Dad’s previous surgery for his shoulder didn’t heal completely. Regardless, Dad is to be careful or else he won’t be able to work in the future. Grandpa and Jin-woo’s Dad assumes Dad is acting stubborn because he’s too embarrassed to face Hye-jun for money.
Grandpa and Dad reunite outside the house right as Grandpa is about to leave for his meeting. Instead, he pleads Dad to drive him to the modeling academy for the meeting so Dad gives in even though he’s hesitant at first. The drive to the meeting goes smoothly (of course with some bickering here and there) and Dad eventually tags along with Grandpa to meet his modeling coach. Grandpa is given great news when he’s informed that he’s been selected to be in a TV commercial for health supplements. Dad is also there for the news and he remains speechless with the information. Things don’t stay peaceful for too long when Dad is asked by the modeling coach to head to the first floor of the building to grab some beverages for Grandpa. Although Grandpa refuses to let his son go downstairs, Dad is willing to do the task. After a few seconds of back and forth bickering, the modeling coach ends up doing the job instead. Haha.
Mom grows stressed upon reading hate comments about Hye-jun and articles doubting his win for the ‘Best Actor’ award. Jin-woo’s Mom enters the house shortly afterwards to drop off some side dishes for the family. She pitches the idea of moving Hye-jun to a bigger agency than Jjampong Entertainment that can protect Hye-jun. Jin-woo’s Mom also comes close to revealing the update about Dad’s shoulder to Mom, but stops herself from saying anything at the last second. With that, she heads to Hae-hyo’s house for work. Mama Hae-hyo has a hard time reaching Hae-na through phone, but the struggle doesn’t last for long. Mama Hae-hyo and Hae-na encounter each other in the house and Hae-na can’t hide from her mother for long. Mama Hae-hyo shares that she’s okay with Hae-na and Jin-woo’s relationship. She’s not opposed to it, but she also doesn’t approve of the relationship. Hae-na can date Jin-woo as long as she doesn’t get pregnant or marry him. Hae-na can date Jin-woo for fun and then break up with him afterwards.
To teach Hae-na a lesson, Mama Hae-hyo takes away Hae-na’s car keys away from her. If Hae-na wants to be a rebel and go against her mother, there’s bound to be consequences. Ji-Ah holds her interview with Reporter Kim who is straight to the point about Ji-Ah’s relationship with Hye-jun. Although the two have broken up, are things really over between her and Hye-jun? Hae-na meets up with Jin-woo and they’re both relieved that they no longer have to keep their relationship a secret. Jin-woo also reveals that he does’t want to get married just yet. He’s not someone who’ll make impulsive decisions like that which causes Hae-na to trust in him a little bit more. Jin-woo also reveals that he loves Hae-na which only makes her even more nervous. Hye-jun feels apologetic for not spending enough time with his two best friends so he calls Jin-woo to make some plans to meet up.
Ji-Ah is invited over to Min-jae’s place (AKA Jjampong Entertainment) and she reunites with Hye-jun. Min-jae leaves the place so that Hye-jun and Ji-Ah can talk things over. Ji-Ah understands that Hye-jun doesn’t want her back in his life and that there’s no possibility of them being friends, but she’s also aware of how much power she has over him. She doesn’t want anyone else to harm him, but she’s also the only one who can destroy him. Hye-jun seems to have this perception of Ji-Ah as a horrible person, but she tries to convey the message that she’s not who he thinks she is. Back then, she did what she did to him because she thought she was being considerate.
Jeong-ha is busy at work thanks to her former salon director who’s stopped by to get her make-up done. While the two are busy chatting, Jeong-ha receives a phone call from Hae-hyo which she doesn’t know about. Do-ha was bothered by Hye-jun at first and now his new target is Hae-hyo. In a conversation with CEO Lee, he assumes the followers on Hae-hyo’s SNS account must be bought. There’s no way he has over a million followers. Do-ha’s self-esteem is at an all-time low and he needs something to bring it back up. Mama Hae-hyo gathers the courage to dismiss and fire Jin-woo’s Mom from her job as their cook, but she can’t bring herself to do it. Jin-woo’s Mom is just too expert and great of a cook to do so and even Hae-hyo’s Dad is a fan of her cooking. Mama Hae-hyo eventually has to just put up with it even if it’s not what she wants. She can’t always get things her way.
Hae-hyo stops by Jeong-ha’s salon to pick her up from work. He updates her about the female celebrity he’s managed to book as her client. He also learns more about Jeong-ha’s recent communication with Hye-jun. Unlike what she mentioned, the two don’t have that solid of a relationship at the moment given just how busy Hye-jun is. Jeong-ha’s afraid to meet up with him or to ask about the rumors so she’s patiently waiting for Hye-jun to approach her first. Jeong-ha also plans on going straight home since she has a live broadcast for her Youtube channel that she plans on doing that night. Although Hae-hyo doesn’t get to hang out with Jeong-ha, Jin-woo and Hye-jun do get to spend some time together. The topic about enlistment is brought up once again, but it’s too stressful for Hye-jun to think about. Instead, they discuss about Hye-jun’s next project which Hae-hyo will also be a part of. Although the two might have fought earlier about Ji-Ah’s interview, Hye-jun is still grateful for his childhood friend. But wait, speaking of Ji-Ah’s interview, what will happen if Jeong-ha sees it?
Jeong-ha prepares for her live stream on Youtube and even titles the broadcast as ‘Confession.’ Hae-na and Hae-hyo tune into the live stream and watch as other viewers comment and assume that Jeong-ha will be talking about Hye-jun. Right as Jeong-ha is about to make her grand confession, she’s interrupted with a phone call from Hye-jun. Hye-jun wants to apologize about Ji-Ah’s interview ahead of time and called Jeong-ha to give her a heads up. With that, Jeong-ha returns to her broadcast and confesses that yes, indeed, all her fans are her boyfriends. She’s so grateful to her fans that she’s going to gift one of them a voucher to her salon. With that, Hye-jun and Jin-woo decide to reach out to Hae-hyo so that they can all make-up with one another. They shouldn’t drag things out. Jeong-ha watches Ji-Ah’s interview about Hye-jun later on that night and grows worried. Ji-Ah basically speaks nicely about Hye-jun and their relationship from back then. Mom, Dad, and Gyeong-jun also tune into the interview. Gyeong-jun is poked fun at again by Dad for never having dated and Gyeong-jun assumes Dad’s teasing must be because Hye-jun gave him some money.
As it turns out, Gyeong-jun isn’t wrong. Like Hye-jun promised, he pays off Mom and Dad’s debt and Mom feels so guilty she breaks down upon receiving the money. She’s reminded of the promise that Hye-jun made her back in middle school and his plans to give her a comfortable life once he earned money. Now that that has happened, she’s unsure as to how to react or respond. Mom updates Dad about the situation and how they’ve been relieved of their debt. Dad’s also in shock at Hye-jun’s actions and he’s grateful to his son. Hye-jun earned enough (and more) to pay off their debt, but he sure did go through a whole lot to get there. Gyeong-jun can’t help but point out Jjampong Entertainment’s role in the controversy surrounding Hye-jun. He feels as if they haven’t done a whole lot so Mom and Dad presents the idea to Grandpa.
They propose that they pressure Jjampong Entertainment to do more to protect and take care of Hye-jun, but Grandpa refuses. Hye-jun wouldn’t be happy about it so they shouldn’t do anything. Despite Grandpa’s opinion, Dad calls Min-jae anyways to ask about Hye-jun’s contract. Min-jae reveals that Hye-jun’s contract with her has already concluded so they would need to renew the contract, but they also agreed to end their contract if one side was feeling unhappy. Could Hye-jun possibly be unhappy with Jjampong Entertainment? Hye-jun speaks honestly with Jin-woo about how he’s feeling with everything that’s been going on. He admits that it feels a bit weird with how the tables have turned. In the past, he would tell his family first whenever anything happened to him, but now his family is coming up to him when something happens to him. His self-esteem is hurt and it doesn’t feel so great. The two friends eventually make it to the small playground in the neighborhood where Hae-hyo waits for them.
Jin-woo heads first since he has some unspoken business to address with Hae-hyo and just like he expected, Hae-hyo isn’t so happy with him. However, the two manage to joke around seconds into the conversation before switching to Hye-jun. Hye-jun was the one who wanted to meet up with Hae-hyo yet he’s no where to be found. Just where did the popular actor go? (Haha, I love how Hye-jun set up the meeting so that Jin-woo and Hae-hyo could make up with each other!). Hye-jun stops by Jeong-ha’s place to visit her since it’s been a while since they’ve last seen each other. It felt nice for Hye-jun to hang out with Jin-woo since his two childhood friends have been complaining about how he’s been neglecting them for Jeong-ha. Jeong-ha points out that that was the same exact thing Hae-hyo mentioned to her earlier at the salon and she’s grateful for Hae-hyo for his help in securing her a new client. However, Hye-jun will always be Jeong-ha’s first priority no matter what and Hye-jun is grateful.
The couple then move on to address the elephant in the room: Ji-Ah’s interview. Jeong-ha didn’t feel too good watching the interview. Why didn’t Hye-jun tell her? Why did he leave her alone and make her worry about him? Although Hae-hyo argues that he wanted to show and tell Jeong-ha only good things, Jeong-ha doesn’t appreciate it. She’s not a kid. Jeong-ha understands that Hye-jun doesn’t want his family or Jeong-ha or the people he loves to read the hate comments, but she’s okay with it. She notes that the people he loves wants to share those burdens with him; hiding things will only disappoint them even more (@ Joon-young in ‘Do You Like Brahms?’). Hye-jun takes in Jeong-ha’s advice and they hold each other’s hands. Hye-jun loves Jeong-ha more than she knows.
The public’s perception of Hye-jun hasn’t changed much. Upon reading articles about Hye-jun’s confirmation for his next project, people are still curious about his connection to Charlie Jung and even go as far as to label Hye-jun as greedy. Hye-jun wakes up in his own bedroom (yay!!) and finds Min-jae in the living room with Mom and Dad. He joins them and learns why Dad scheduled a meeting with Min-jae: Dad’s curious as to what Jjampong Entertainment is doing to handle all the hate comments? Min-jae reassures Mom and Dad that they’ll be filing a lawsuit and Gyeong-jun even wants to have a word with Min-jae on her way out, but he’s rejected the opportunity. Hye-jun has a private talk with Dad during the meeting and asks for Dad to not get involved. He’ll handle everything by himself and he’ll talk things out with Min-jae.
Hae-hyo greets Mom at his house after a while. He’s been busy so Mom hasn’t been able to talk to him. They chat about Hae-hyo’s upcoming drama with Hye-jun and Mom showers Hae-hyo with some encouragement. Just like it did with Hye-jun, things too will surely work out for Hae-hyo. Mama Hae-hyo steps out of the house for a meeting with CEO Lee. She’s still upset over how CEO Lee lied to her about how Hae-hyo got his former role, but not that’s the only thing she’s upset about. She grows shocked and upset when he brings up Hae-hyo’s SNS account and the amount of followers he has. CEO Lee assumes Mama Hae-hyo is buying Hae-hyo’s followers which she obviously doesn’t admit to. CEO Lee knows he has something on Mama Hae-hyo so he pretends to be close to her. He wants to be on Mama Hae-hyo’s good side.
Hye-jun heads to an interview for a TV show to promote his new drama. The interview host is curious about Hye-jun’s chemistry with his co-star who he used to model with which Hye-jun is also looking forward to. Hye-jun and his co-star, Jin Seo-woo (cameo by Lee Sung-kyung), catch up with each other on set after filming a scene. It’s like the good old times and they’re still clearly comfortable with each other. After hearing about Seo-woo’s current issue regarding her make-up artist, Hye-jun pitches the idea of recommending a new make-up artist to Seo-woo in the meantime. Of course, this person is none other than Hye-jun’s girlfriend (we love a supportive boyfriend!) and the entire interaction between Seo-woo and Hye-jun is caught on camera by one of the staff.
Hye-jun prepares for his fighting scene with Hae-hyo for their drama together. Although Hye-jun is a busy bee and has tons of schedules, he keeps it going. Jeong-ha accompanies Hae-hyo on set as his make-up artist and together, the two reunite with Hye-jun on set. They can’t help but watch as Hye-jun has tons of staff members surround him during the break. Min-jae and Jeong-ha stay behind to privately chat with each other and Min-jae explains the situation regarding Hye-jun’s new make-up artist. It’s not a good thing for Hye-jun and Jeong-ha to be seen together at the moment. Plus, Hye-jun needs a make-up artist on stand-by at all times for all his schedules and Min-jae felt like Jeong-ha should focus more on Hae-hyo. Jeong-ha is completely understanding of the situation and isn’t hurt at all that Hye-jun has a new make-up artist. She does grow worried though when she sees Min-jae panic after a phone call with Reporter Kim. Reporter Kim accuses Hye-jun of dating his make-up artist (AKA Jeong-ha) and even has photos of the couple together to back it up. Min-jae reveals the news to Jeong-ha and they’re both uncertain as to what to do. Reporter Kim gets ready to publish her next article.
Hae-hyo, Hye-jun, and Jeong-ha all spend some time together during their break. After chatting and catching up, Hye-jun receives a video call from Seo-woo so he and Hae-hyo answer the call while Jeong-ha stands by the side in awkward silence. The three joke around with each other and Seo-woo at one point even calls Hye-jun as her boyfriend. Although they’re a couple only for the drama, Hye-jun and Jeong-ha still find it awkward since Seo-woo declared it so confidently. To make things up, Hye-jun and Jeong-ha take a photo together at the beautiful location to capture the moment. When filming ends, Hae-hyo checks in on Jeong-ha. He’s willing to drive her to her other filming set out of town the next day, but she declines. Hae-hyo also brings up Hye-jun’s busy schedule and the fanmeeting abroad that he has coming up. Jeong-ha didn’t ask about Hye-jun, but it’s obvious that she’s not okay.
And so Jeong-ha wakes up early the next morning to get ready for work. On the bus ride to the filming set, she receives a text from Hye-jun with the photo that they took the day before. He expresses his appreciation and gratitude to Jeong-ha, but it still doesn’t clear Jeong-ha’s doubts about their relationship from her mind. She focuses on her job as a make-up artist for the female lead of the drama and stays on set even until midnight. Hye-jun heads out for his fanmeeting overseas and he checks in at the airport. After work, Jeong-ha hurries to the bus station in the pouring rain and patiently waits for the bus. The weather reminds her of the moment when Hye-jun vowed to call her on rainy days since she’s not the biggest fan of the rain. Since Jeong-ha hasn’t heard anything from Hye-jun, she garners the courage to call him instead, but he doesn’t get her call since he’s on the airplane.
Jeong-ha is heartbroken and devastated, but she’s not alone. Hae-hyo pulls up to the bus station she’s standing at and he hands her an umbrella. The drive back home is silent and no words are exchanged, but it’s obvious Hae-hyo is worried about Jeong-ha. They eventually make it to her house safely and Hae-hyo is invited inside. While the two stand across each other inside of Jeong-ha’s house, Hye-jun distracts himself on the airplane by watching a movie. It seems as if the movie isn’t doing much for him though as his mind is somewhere else.
My Thoughts:
I don’t have too many thoughts about this episode other than that I honestly enjoyed the last 5 minutes of this episode. As much as it pains me to say it and to admit it, I do suffer from a little bit of Second Lead Syndrome in this drama so I’m not complaining about the screentime that my boy Hae-hyo got with Jeong-ha. I doubt there’s going to be anything between the two and I don’t think Jeong-ha is one to cheat on Hye-jun or to do something with Hae-hyo, but I did kind of like what we saw towards the end of the episode (as if in Hae-hyo got to spend some time with Jeong-ha and prove his loyalty and support to her). I know Hye-jun and Jeong-ha are having relationship issues and are growing distant with just how busy Hye-jun has become and how focused Jeong-ha has been on achieving her goals, but I’m positive that they will work things out. Things have changed and they might not spend as much time together anymore, but as we saw in this episode, it’s as if the two get right back to where they left off when they do see each other again.
Still, that doesn’t mask the relationship issues that the couple is currently facing and I wholeheartedly loved the comment Jeong-ha made to Hye-jun about sharing burdens with the one you love (honestly, it sort of made me want to cry because it’s such an impactful comment). The statement in general rings true in so many ways, but I also feel like it’s so relevant in Jeong-ha and Hye-jun’s case. Hye-jun doesn’t want his family or loved ones to read the hate comments about him as he wants to protect his family and Jeong-ha from hurtful words. However, as Jeong-ha pointed out, it’s okay that they know. The people you love also love you so they will also want to share your burdens with you and want to be there through both the good and bad times. The people you love don’t want to be there only during the good times; they also want to be there for you during the rough times and I liked that Jeong-ha was so blunt and honest with Hye-jun about it. She was clearly upset at how he approached things and hid things from her. It was wrong of Hye-jun to do, but instead of arguing or fighting about it, they were both calm and mature and had a civil conversation about it. Kudos to the two for battling through that battle (now if only Song-Ah and Joon-young can do the same..).
Also, this is more of a side note than about the actual episode itself, but this is the first time in a long time (maybe ever?) where I managed to finish two recaps to the two latest episodes of a drama in one night. It feels nice to just be caught up in recaps, but I also wanna make sure I have some time to watch the two new dramas premiering this weekend (can you guess what those 2 dramas could possibly be? hehe) – and maybe, just maybe, start up (hehehe) a recap to one of those two (;
Extra screenshots from the episode~
MaryMeKpop 
One response to “Record Of Youth: Episode 12 Recap”
I am cheering for Hae Hyo, he is the better choice ( I love Hye Jun and would be happy if its him too though).. Hae Hyo is probably one of the best 2nd male leads. Even if she doesnt end up with Hye Jun, that doesnt make Park Bo Gum, less of a male lead, he is still the Male Lead. I think it would highlight the reality of the entertainment industry and its effect on relationships. I like Hae Hyo because he is so smart and he truly does love Jeong Ha, plus they seem like the better fit for me. Hae Hyo doesnt play dirty tricks to get Jeong Ha like fueling the Charlie Jung rumors or setting up scenarios to make Hye Jun look bad ( like most 2nd male leads). Hae Hyo just is always there for her and supportive. Hae Hyo wants Jeong Ha to come to him on her own and not under false pretense and I really dig that about him. Everyone thinks Hae Hyo only likes her because she is a “challenge” but that is untrue.. I think he is really in love with her and Yi Young actually tells the audience in episode 6 why Hae Hyo likes her. Hye Jun is not an attentive boyfriend, I am sorry and Jeong Ha said in the beginning she likes reliability. Hye Jun has to be told by his friends to visit her after the Ji-a interview, he only hooks her up with a potential client after Hae Hyo did it, he forgets to call her when he promised, he forgot to text her back when she needed him..sorry their timing is just of for me. They are better as friends. Hae Hyo bringing Jeong Ha an umbrella was a beautiful scene because it shows how well he understands her. Hae Hyo knows Jeong Ha is independent and that she wouldnt be comfortable sharing an umbrella with him so he brought her own and he slow rise from dropping her off at the corner to being inside her apartment says ALOT. Jeong Ha might be more open to Hae Hyo than we originally thought.. that is all I am saying. I dont think she is in love with him yet but I think Hye Jun’s next actions are critical in deciding which way the pendulum will swing.