Family is life, family is love. Vincenzo’s found a second family with the Geumga tenants and he also feels at home with Cha-young. The longing for his real family is something that he’s always held out hope for inside and it’s finally something he’s able to explore now that he’s in Korea. Vincenzo finally accomplishes the one thing he’s been hoping for and reunites with the one person he’s been waiting for. He comes to terms with what family means to him and the lengths he’s willing to go to protect them.
Vincenzo: Episode 16 Recap
Vincenzo finds himself held at gunpoint by three detectives on the balcony level of Geumga Plaza. He’s arrested for the abduction and murder of Daechang Daily’s President Oh, but Vincenzo isn’t willing to go down without a fight. He takes down all three detectives to make his grand escape. Thanks to Mr. Tak, Vincenzo hops into Mr. Tak’s van with him and the two drive away from the scene. Mr. Park is quite occupied himself when he bumps into the actual murderer on his way up the stairs in Geumga Plaza. Mr. Park puts up a fight with the man after becoming suspicious of him and the two go at it. It’s a tough battle, but Soo-nam thankfully comes to the rescue to aid his boss. When Vincenzo and Mr. Tak arrive on the roof parking lot of another building, Vincenzo gives Cha-young a call to update her on his situation. Babel must have found out about their work with President Oh which is why he was framed for the murder, but not all hope is lost just yet. Thanks to Mr. Park and Soo-nam, they capture the culprit and hold him hostage in the Jipuragi office to get some kind of response from the man. Meanwhile, Lawyer Choi is updated about Vincenzo’s escape and she relays the message over to an angry and furious Joon-woo.
While waiting for Cha-young, Soo-nam, and Mr. Park, Mr. Tak and Vincenzo have a heartfelt conversation with each other. As a former gang member himself, Mr. Tak advises Vincenzo to just keep doing what he does best instead of trying to be someone he’s not. With that, our group of three arrive to the same location as Vincenzo and Mr. Tak and they also bring with him the man hired by Wusang-Babel. Vincenzo uses Mr. Park’s car to torture the man and as expected, his tactic works. The man reveals information about his accomplices and our team of five all set out to find the two other men that assisted him in killing President Oh. Vincenzo also promises to grant one of Mr. Park’s wishes for successfully capturing the man. Haha, I love it.
And so our team of five burst into the room where the two remaining accomplices are located. They’re beaten up by Mr. Tak, Soo-nam, and Mr. Park while Vincenzo and Cha-young watch in fascination. Eventually, the three men hired by Babel and Wusang are captured and taken to the police station. Vincenzo and Cha-young greet the detectives with evidence and a clear explanation as to how the men murdered President Oh and framed Vincenzo for the murder. With their presentation, Vincenzo proves his innocence and our power couple wins once again. Woo hoo!
Lawyer Choi and Mr. Han are worried about Vincenzo’s release. Unlike what they were hoping for, he was never arrested or captured. Instead, they learn right there and then in the Wusang office who exactly was behind President Oh’s murder. It’s none other than one of their Hoobae lawyers, Mr. Park. Detectives arrest him in front of everyone for aiding and abetting President Oh’s murder and the lawyer is taken out of the office. Vincenzo just keeps on winning. The Wusang-Babel team reconvene to discuss the urgent situation now that one of their own lawyers has been arrested. Of course, with the Namdongbu Prosecution service on their side, everything should turn out okay for them. However, Joon-woo just can’t seem to fathom how their plan backfired. While Joon-woo stresses out about the situation, Han-seo is fascinated at Vincenzo’s intelligence and creativity. He’s so accustomed to his brother’s harsh treatment that he even manages to dodge a flying trophy that Joon-woo throws at him while raving on about Vincenzo. While Han-seo and Joon-woo leave together to go elsewhere, Lawyer Choi and Mr. Han stay behind to talk with each other. Mr. Han is once again concerned about their law firm. They’re not a murder factory; they shouldn’t be killing people. However, Lawyer Choi feels differently and reminds Mr. Han to be wary of his enemies.
Vincenzo stops by the ByeBye Balloon office to grant Mr. Park his wish to which Mr. Park proposes that Vincenzo be the model for their business. Vincenzo is reluctant at first and he rejects the idea of being their model, but it’s not until Mr. Park begins to take photos of him on his phone that he warms up to the idea. He poses for the camera and flaunts his handsome looks and even holds up one of the ByeBye Balloon flyers. Hahaha. We love a man with many talents! Our Jipuragi team hang out at their office for a bit before Vincenzo and Cha-young leaves for their date with Ms. Oh. They take good care of her at the hospital and meet up with a photographer afterwards to take some photos. Mom wants to have some photos that she can use as her funeral portrait for later on (T_T). And so our power couple watches as Mom poses for the photographer and she garners the courage and bravery to put on a smile. There’s more to the photoshoot though and Cha-young recommends that the three all take a photo together. So with that, she drags Vincenzo with her and together with Mom, they all pose for the camera. Of course, Vincenzo should also have some photos with his mom alone so the two sit next to each other to get some portraits. While Cha-young watches warmly and proudly from behind the photographer, Vincenzo and Mom try to hold back their tears as the photographers snaps photos of them in the same frame. It’s a touching moment for everyone in the room and it means a lot to everyone, especially to the mother-son pair.
Vincenzo and Cha-young proceed by taking Mom out on a walk. Cha-young doesn’t stay for long and she leaves the mother and son to have some alone time together. Vincenzo and Mom have an honest and heartfelt conversation with each other about their past and all that they’ve been through as a family. Mom’s never felt so happy before and she’s never felt more energetic. How could she when she abandoned her son at such a young age? The truth begins to unravel and both Mom and Vincenzo pour their hearts out to each other. Mom was unsuccessful in finding Vincenzo in her past attempt and she’s too afraid to do so now in fear that she might just be a burden to him. However, Vincenzo argues that it’s not like that at all. She should resume with her plans to find him for maybe her son is still waiting for her. Her son must have grown up strong so that he wouldn’t feel ashamed once reunited with her. Upon hearing those words, Mom breaks down into tears and she begins to cry. None of those things matter. If there’s anything she wants to tell her son Ju-hyeong, it’s that she’s sorry for not fulfilling her promise of finding him sooner. There hasn’t been a single day that she hasn’t thought about him. Upon hearing Mom’s words, Vincenzo too breaks down into tears and he grips onto the handles of his mom’s wheelchairs as he cries silently from behind her. Gaaaah, such a raw and real and honest moment between the two.
Joon-woo brings Han-seo with him to Geumga Plaza. They stare at the building in silence and Han-seo has a hard time figuring out why his brother brought him to the plaza. Joon-woo snaps a photo of the building and simply states that he’s cherishing the plaza as a historical asset. He’s reminded of the conversation he had with Lawyer Choi about President Oh. The Daechang Daily President must have gotten his information on Joon-woo from Vincenzo and the only way Vincenzo must have gotten that dirt on Joon-woo was from the Guillotine file. If Joon-woo can’t have the Guillotine file, then no one can. His plans and desire to demolish the building heightens even more.
While cleaning her snack bar, Ms. Kwak is approached by an inspector for their routine gas safety check. Ms. Kwak notices that the inspector has changed, but she doesn’t think too much about it and allows the female inspector to enter her restaurant to get the check done. Cha-young and Vincenzo return Mom back to the hospital and they bid farewell with one another. Before leaving, Mom gives both Cha-young and Vincenzo a warm and loving hug. It’s obvious she’s grateful to have the two of them in her life and she’s never been happier. With that, our power couple leave the hospital and Vincenzo points out the security guard that he’s hired to protect his mother. Cha-young notes just how great Vincenzo and his mother looked earlier that day. She’s happy for the both of them and she hopes that Vincenzo will acknowledge his mother by calling her “Mom” once he’s ready to do so. Aww, I love Cha-young!!!
Our Geumga tenants celebrate at Chef Toto’s restaurant with the wonderful news of Yeon-jin’s pregnancy. She and Cheol-wook are having a baby! They sing and drink and eat at the restaurant and everyone’s having a good time. While they all have fun at the restaurant, there’s something else going in the building that they’re completely unaware of. There’s a gas leak in Ms. Kwak’s restaurant that the female inspector from earlier that day conspired. Thankfully, firefighters are called to the scene and they enter Ms. Kwak’s snack bar just in time. However, it’s Vincenzo who’s the real hero after the firefighters inform them about the gas leak. While the tenants evacuate the building, Vincenzo runs over to the scene and grabs the watch that was found right next to the gas pipes. He sprints as fast as he can to throw it out the window to the balcony level of the building. As expected, the watch lights up into flames when the timer runs out meaning the plaza could have exploded into pieces if the watch had gone off inside (scary!).
When everyone regroups outside of Ms. Kwak’s restaurant, they try to piece together details and information about the incident. It’s obvious Babel was the one behind the evil act, but who was the one that called the police? Everyone was at Chef Toto’s restaurant so who could have done it? Of course, no one in Geumga would have known about the explosion because it was Han-seo who put a stop to it. He was the one who called the firefighters to the scene to save everyone. Joon-woo is enraged at his brother upon learning the results and he hits his brother in the head with his trophy. How could he do such a thing? Han-seo doesn’t feel too apologetic or guilty about it and he’s shortly excused when Lawyer Choi enters the room with some breaking news. With Han-seo gone, Lawyer Choi hands photos of Mom at the hospital over to Joon-woo to sift through. They’ve finally located Vincenzo’s family and the one thing he cares about the most. Oh noooo.
Our Jipuragi team are still shaken up over the incident and it could have been really bad if firefighters weren’t called to the scene. However, they still can’t seem to figure out who reported it to the firefighters in the first place. Who could have rescued their lives? Right at that moment, a hippy Han-seo enters the Jipuragi office full of ~swag~ and energy. He’s there to basically flaunt and he proudly shares how he was the one who saved all of their lives the night before. Han-seo explains that he was instructed by Joon-woo to set the building on fire, but Han-seo betrayed his brother by calling the police. Shouldn’t they be thankful that he was the one who reported about the potential explosion? Cha-young and Mr. Nam aren’t shy to thank Han-seo, but Vincenzo has his own way of expressing his gratitude. He finally opens up to Han-seo and assigns the man his first assignment under their team as a reward for saving their lives. Han-seo is to alphabetically organize all their documents and files in the cabinet, lol.
Cha-young and Vincenzo continue to be the power couple that they are and they brainstorm on what their next moves are. They’re determined to take down Babel’s plans of Babel Tower and as Vincenzo will state in Italian, they’ll catch a big fish with a small fish. The small fish that Vincenzo is alluding to is none other than the prisoner who killed the truck driver that killed Lawyer Hong while they were in prison. He’s released from prison and the first person he encounters upon exiting is, of course, Lawyer Choi. He recognizes who she is and he hurries himself into the same vehicle as her.
While working in the office, Vincenzo flips through one of his books and comes across the photos of him with Cha-young and his mother. He stares at the two photos lovingly and he’s also reminded of the hug that his mom gave him during his last visit. With that, Vincenzo feels as if he’s ready to see his mom again and he leaves the office confidently. Mr. Nam calls after Vincenzo to get his attention, but Cha-young halts Mr. Nam from doing anything. She knows exactly where Vincenzo is going and what Vincenzo will be doing. Omg, if it isn’t obvious already.. I LOVE CHA-YOUNG!!
Speaking of Mom, she takes a break by grabbing some fresh air outside. It’s a wonderful day and it’s even more beautiful because of the photo of her and Vincenzo that she’s carrying with her. When Mom accidentally drops the photo, she struggles to bend down to pick it up but finds that someone is already doing the deed for her. Standing in front of Mom with the photo is Joon-woo and he strikes up a friendly conversation with her (NOOOOO DON’T YOU DAREEEE). Mom ends up chatting with Joon-woo about Vincenzo and Joon-woo puts up a kind image to hear all that she has to say about her son. It’s obvious Mom loves Vincenzo and she’s even willing to give up her life for him. Unfortunately for Mom, it seems as if that might come true.
Joon-woo is excited for later on that night. He knows Lawyer Choi has some great things dialed up and he’s ready for when it hits. Han-seo enters the conversation a few minutes later with some vitamins for his brother. He attempts to get some intel from his brother, but Joon-woo refuses to dish any details out. Not this time, not anymore. Vincenzo has a brief phone call with Cha-young on the way to the hospital. He stops by the bungeoppang street vendor to buy some of his mother’s favorite snack. Cha-young’s proud of Vincenzo and she’s happy that he finally feels ready to acknowledge his mother as his mother. When their sweet phone call ends, she stares at the graduation photo of her and her dad sitting on her desk. Tears fill her eyes and she’s close to crying upon thinking about her father. OMG. CHA-YOUNG!! I LOVE YOU!!
While Vincenzo makes his way to the hospital, the prisoner-turned-hitmen hired by Wusang role plays as a nurse and makes his way to Mom’s hospital room. He lies that he’s been instructed to move Mom to another room and the security guard believes him at first. However, things quickly escalate and things aren’t as they seem. The man kills the security guard and transitions his focus to Mom afterwards. He strangles Mom to death and Mom dies a painful death with the photo of her and Vincenzo in her hands. Upon dying, the photo falls from Mom’s hand and the man quickly makes his escape afterwards. Vincenzo even passes by the man on the way up the stairs to his mother’s room. He assumes it’s just another regular visit until he finds staff crowded in front of his mother’s hospital room and blood splattered on the floor.
When Vincenzo peeks inside the room, he finds his mother’s body covered with a cloth signifying her tragic death. Upon arriving by his mother’s side, he drops to his knees and slightly grabs onto her hand. He lowers his head and tears escape from his eyes. A thousand thoughts run through Vincenzo’s mind and a thousand emotions wash over him. Vincenzo never got to call his mother “Mom.” After discovering his mother’s cruel and gruesome death, Vincenzo heads over to the security room for CCTV footage of the murder. Indeed, he recognizes the man he brushed shoulders with on the stairway as the murderer and he knows who exactly it is he needs to go after to seek revenge. So with that, Vincenzo storms out of the room and is followed by Cha-young who arrived a few seconds prior. She trails after him out in the hallway, but she’s unsure of what to say or how she can support him. But Vincenzo knows exactly what he wants from Cha-young and he asks that she stay next to his mother’s side until he returns. Cha-young listens to Vincenzo and she bids him farewell with some bold words. She hopes he’ll not only catch the man behind his mother’s death, but make the evil man absolutely pay for it. It’s Vincenzo’s turn to listen and he processes her words for a few seconds before exiting the hospital. The mafia in him has been ignited.
Upon hearing about Mom’s death, Lawyer Choi and Joon-woo celebrate and rejoice back at his house. They dance in excitement and happiness with the news. With Mr. An’s research, Vincenzo finds out more information about the man who murdered his mother and is given a photo of the man as well as the man’s address. Vincenzo shows up to the man’s house minutes later with his golden lighter. What was supposed to be a peaceful night for the man quickly turns into one of horror, terror, and fear upon being beaten to a pulp by a relentless Vincenzo. Vincenzo makes it known to the man that he murdered her mother and he returns to his mafia ways to get the man to confess on who hired him to kill Mom.
The Wusang-Babel team reconvene at Joon-woo’s vacation house to celebrate. Joon-woo and Lawyer Choi are in a good mood for they were able to kill Mom earlier that night. Han-seo and Mr. Han are in shock at the news and they don’t take it as well as Lawyer Choi and Joon-woo does. In fact, they only worry with the death. It’s not something to celebrate. This will only make things worse. They’re also not a fan of yet another death and murder committed by the two monsters. Lawyer Choi then takes advantage of the opportunity to expose Mr. Han and Han-seo and their plans to betray Joon-woo. She’s really been the only person this entire time who’s been loyal and helpful to Joon-woo. Both men aren’t so happy with her harsh comments and remarks and Joon-woo watches idly in fascination. The fighting and bickering continues, but not for long. Vincenzo forces his mom’s killer to lead him to Joon-woo’s whereabouts and he easily fights his way in after taking down all the security guards. Joon-woo watches as his team fight against one another and it’s all pure entertainment for him. While Mr. Han pleads to Joon-woo to hear him out, Lawyer Choi is occupied by something else.
She turns around for a second and finds the killer she hired storm his way into the living room. He’s all covered up in blood and his fingers and toes have been cut off. The man cries out for help, but there’s no helping him or stopping Vincenzo. The Mafia lawyer shoots the man twice from behind right in front of everyone. Blood is splattered onto Lawyer Choi’s face and Mr. Han and Han-seo scream in fear and confusion. Joon-woo too fails to understand what’s going on and he has a hard time figuring out what’s happening right in front of him. With the killer’s body laying lifelessly on the floor, Vincenzo steps up from behind and appears in front of everyone. His eyes are cold and emotionless; his hand still gripped onto the gun that he used to kill his mom’s killer. Vincenzo keeps the gun out in front of him and he aims it at his enemies in the room. He’s here to settle business once and for all.
Extra photos from the episode~
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