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Ji-yoon continues to learn more about Eun-ho as her interest in him grows. Outside of work, what type of person is he? What is he like with his daughter? How does he treat his loved ones and what does family mean to him? In the process of seeing new sides to Eun-ho, Ji-yoon starts to also act differently and exhibit new behavior. What is going on and what exactly is happening to her?

Love Scout: Episode 6 Recap

Ji-yoon cries in her sleep over her late father. She dreams of the night when she lost her father due to a fire in their apartment complex. After safely evacuating with Ji-yoon, he returned into the burning building to rescue a young kid who was screaming for help. Unfortunately, Ji-yoon’s dad never returned. When Ji-yoon wakes up the next morning, she finds herself at Eun-ho’s place and reacts in shock. Eun-ho is right next to her by the sofa after he stayed by her side the entire night. The two rush out of the apartment when Eun-ho realizes that he’s late in picking up Byeol and they hurry into the elevator. Thankfully Soo-hyun has gone to pick up Seo-joon and Byeol and the three unexpectedly encounter Ji-yoon and Eun-ho in the elevator. Ji-yoon manages to hide her face and quickly get out of the elevator before the trio enters. Byeol feels as if she recognizes the lady who was standing next to her father but Eun-ho is so nervous he has nothing to say. He’s so nervous that he starts to have hiccups. Lol. Eun-ho remains nervous even talking to Soo-hyun about his plans from the night before. There’s hints throughout the apartment of him having a visitor overnight. Eun-ho struggles to find the right words to text Ji-yoon so he just says nothing at all. When Ji-yoon returns home, she processes everything that just happened. From realizing Byeol is Eun-ho’s daughter to revisiting the dinner conversation to staring at the stamp of approval on her hand, Ji-yoon thinks back fondly on these memories.

When Ji-yoon and Eun-ho reunite at work the following Monday, things are still awkward. Ji-yoon’s curious as to why he pushed her out of her apartment and if Byeol mentioned anything to him about her. The two bicker with each other. Haha. Meanwhile, Yeong-sook visits the Peoplez office and decides that she’d like to accept the name brand appraiser position. It’s great news for Kwang-hee and Eun-ho and Mi-ae and Ji-yoon are also content with the news. While having some lunch together, Mi-ae compliments Eun-ho for his role in Yeong-sook’s decision. So naturally, Ji-yoon grows curious about Eun-ho and his life as a single father. Mi-ae (AKA the person who usually has a wealth of information about everyone) reveals what she knows about Eun-ho to Ji-yoon. He married his ex-wife right after college but they divorced before Byeol turned one. Then he took parental leave to take care of Byeol who wasn’t feeling good at the time. This aligns with what Eun-ho told Ji-yoon when they had lunch a few weeks ago and Ji-yoon acknowledges that Eun-ho indeed is a great father. Mi-ae grows suspicious of Ji-yoon’s interest in Eun-ho but Ji-yoon pretends as if it’s nothing. She’s just expressing interest in her employees like Mi-ae told her to do. That’s all there is to it. Riiiiight. Speaking of Eun-ho being a good father, he spends more bonding time with Byeol. She wants him to paint her nails and give her a manicure so that she can show them off to the lady in the Dodam Bookstore next time, hehe. So Eun-ho and Byeol paint each other’s nails and they head to sleep after.

Eun-ho, Ji-yoon, and Yeong-sook meet CEO Jin at his office but he cuts the meeting short due to an unexpected issue. There’s claims from a customer that the luxury bag they bought from his company is counterfeit so Yeong-sook puts her skills to the test and does a thorough inspection on the luxury bag. She reasons that it’s authentic and lists out all the various ways in which she can tell. CEO Jin still isn’t satisfied with Yeong-sook and scolds Ji-yoon for messing up the hiring process with the first candidate. Ji-yoon stands her ground and defends Yeong-sook and her company. For now, CEO Jin’s company, Deluxe Line, will send out a statement and send the luxury bag to the name brand to get it accurately evacuated.

Seo-joon gets into trouble at school for pushing another kid. Soo-hyun’s Mom is called to the school to meet about the situation and she picks Seo-joon and Byeol up after. Seo-joon is hesitant on sharing why he got into the fight so Byeol leaves to go to Dodam Bookstore to give him and his Grandma some time alone. While staring at a kitten outside of Dodam Bookstore, Byeol is joined by Ji-yoon and the two have a chat about the kitten. It seems lonely since its parents are nowhere to be found but Byeol has no interest in finding the kitten’s mom. Maybe the kitten’s mom has abandoned it too. Ji-yoon cheers Byeol up by confiding a secret in her. She too grew up with a single father after her mother died. It’s okay to be sad about not having both parents and it’s also okay if all you have is the love from your single parent. That’s all you need. So with that, Byeol chases after the kitten who runs away and Ji-yoon follows after her. Grandma and Seo-joon talk things out separately while at a restaurant. Seo-joon shares that he got into a fight with the kid at school because the kid made fun of him and Byeol, calling them “half-families” for not having a mom and dad. Seo-joon isn’t bothered by it, but he wanted to stand up for Byeol who he can tell is sad. Oh my goodness, my heart is broken for both of these kids.

Panic ensues when Grandma learns that Byeol isn’t at Dodam Bookstore like she initially thought and a search begins. Eun-ho abruptly leaves work after hearing the news from Soo-hyun and he drives to Dodam Bookstore to meet up with her. But while driving over, he receives a phone call from Ji-yoon that she’s with Byeol at the hospital after Byeol got hit by a bicycle. Eun-ho reunites with Byeol and Ji-yoon at the hospital and thankfully Byeol’s okay. She suffered some minor wounds on her leg but she’s in her usual cheerful and upbeat mood. She’s grateful for her bookstore Unnie who was there with her. Eun-ho and Ji-yoon briefly address the situation with each other. Turns out Ji-yoon was the person Byeol was spending time with at the bookstore and Ji-yoon lets him know that she was already aware that Byeol was his daughter. Ji-yoon encourages Eun-ho to spend some time with his daughter so she leaves the hospital. She also ends up canceling her meeting with Mi-ae for that day. Back at the office, Jung-hoon overhears Mi-ae talking to Ji-yoon on the phone and grows heartbroken to hear about Ji-yoon and Eun-ho once again. How does this keep happening to him? He’s done with work for the day and goes home.

Soo-hyun tucks Seo-joon to sleep and then prepares to head out to the hospital to visit Byeol and Eun-ho. She reassures her mom that everything is okay and Mom encourages her to eventually come clean to Seo-joon about his parents. He’s getting older and it’s about time he knows the truth. Eun-ho ponders over whether he should do the same while at the hospital with Byeol. Byeol was bullied about only having one parent and he tears up at the thought of his daughter being treated in such a horrible way. While taking a break, Eun-ho finds Ji-yoon back at the hospital that night and she hands him some food that she bought for him. It’s her turn to look after Eun-ho and feed him after the countless amount of times he’s been there for her. She also offers him words of support and comfort when he opens up to her about his struggles. He’s trying his best to be the best father for Byeol but he feels as if he’s hitting a wall. Ji-yoon reassures him that he’s doing a great job and to keep up the good work. Continue to stay by his daughter’s side like how he’s been doing. Ji-yoon’s tempted to hold Eun-ho’s hand but can’t quite muster the courage to do so. When Soo-hyun arrives at the hospital, she runs into Ji-yoon and Eun-ho and is introduced to Ji-yoon. Soo-hyun’s meeting with Ji-yoon ends rather quickly as Ji-yoon leaves.

Career Way continues with their attack against Peoplez and the situation with Deluxe Line escalates. Now tons of articles and videos are being released about Deluxe Line and everyone is against them. Ji-yoon and Eun-ho rush over to Yeong-sook’s shop to visit her but they find her daughter, Joo-hee, there instead. Joo-hee communicates that she would like her mom to stop working. It’s been 37 years and it’s time that she takes time for herself. But Eun-ho asks that Joo-hee accounts for how her mom must feel and reconsiders what her mom wants. She’s not making a ton of money as a repair specialist. It’s because she has pride in her job and her work. Yeong-sook shows up shortly afterwards and she at first declares that she won’t take up the position with Deluxe Line. With all the backlash that Deluxe Line has gotten and the trouble that Peoplez has endured, she wants to back out. But Joo-hee shows support for her mom and is okay with her mom doing what she wants to do.

And Yeong-sook is the perfect choice for the name brand appraiser position with Deluxe Line. Results for the luxury bag that Yeong-sook argued was authentic arrive and sure enough, the luxury bag is real. It’s authentic just like Yeong-sook said it was. CEO Jin is convinced that Yeong-sook is the perfect person for this position and he would love for her to work with him. At Career Way, Hye-jin isn’t happy with the end results and the way that Peoplez benefitted but she’s willing to give Jeong-nam one more chance to prove himself. She meets with Jung-hoon’s dad, Chairman Woo Chul-yong, who’s also invested in her company. He’s a bit tired of constantly meeting with her every time she has a case that fails but Hye-jin feels the urgency to reassure him that she can succeed.

To show her gratitude and appreciation for Ji-yoon and Eun-ho, Yeong-sook hands them some gifts. She’s made a cute small wallet for Ji-yoon’s business cards and has some tickets to Joo-hee’s piano recital for Eun-ho. Eun-ho pitches the idea that he and Ji-yoon can attend the show together but Ji-yoon isn’t interested. Plus, she knew all along that the luxury bag was authenticated. When she said she would take responsibility if everything was to fail, she knew it wouldn’t because she had Jung-hoon authenticate the luxury bag in various other sources. But some things just never change and Ji-yoon mistakes a stranger’s car for her own and walks with Eun-ho to their actual car, haha. Eun-ho teases Ji-yoon when they arrive back at the work building. Maybe he should put a sticker onto the car so she knows which car is theirs. Haha. At that moment, Jung-hoon also arrives and he catches sight of the two bickering with each other at the elevators. He intervenes and makes small talk with them. To test both of their reactions, he even places his arm over Ji-yoon’s shoulder at one point which doesn’t sit well with either Eun-ho or Ji-yoon. Eun-ho stands in between Ji-yoon and Jung-hoon and he showers Ji-yoon with compliments in front of Jung-hoon. Oh ho ho, someone’s jealousss. Eun-ho steps aside to answer a phone call so Ji-yoon and Jung-hoon head up to the office first. Jung-hoon can sense that there’s something between Ji-yoon and Eun-ho. He’s also curious about the authentication results that Ji-yoon had him get tests for.

And as we will learn, the test results actually couldn’t prove whether the luxury bag was real or not. So in a way, Ji-yoon was placing her trust and faith in Yeong-sook as well as Eun-ho. She places some of her business cards in the wallet that Yeong-sook made for her and then prepares to sleep. But she can’t sleep because she can’t stop thinking about Eun-ho. Maybe it was the couch that she slept on at his apartment? So she uses that as an excuse to call him. She at first pretends to act like she’s sleepy but then her demeanor changes and she’s fully awake. What couch does he have at his apartment? She’s interested in getting one herself. Also, now she can’t fall back asleep (even though she never was asleep in the first place) and Eun-ho suggests a few tricks that could potentially help her. They eventually end the phone call by wishing each other a good night. Ji-yoon is embarrassed after ending the phone call while Eun-ho hopes that she won’t suffer from any nightmares.

Something is up in the air. When Ji-yoon arrives at the office, Mi-ae and Jung-hoon notice that she’s dressed up extra pretty that day. She also doesn’t seem the most excited when Jung-hoon shares that Eun-ho won’t be in the office as both guys will be in an off-site meeting together. When Ji-yoon enters her office, she takes another look at the piano recital tickets that Yeong-sook gave Eun-ho. Even though Eun-ho’s busy with work, he also makes time to send Ji-yoon a text reminder about their date. Eun-ho’s looking forward to the piano recital but Ji-yoon is just as excited as he is. She continually checks the time throughout the day and then rushes out of the office for the performance once it’s time. But she’s the first one there and she waits and waits for Eun-ho. Just when Ji-yoon’s about to give up, she turns back one more time in hopes of finding Eun-ho. And sure enough, he shows up. In a sea of faces, all she can see is him. Ji-yoon’s face lightens up at the sight of Eun-ho and she waits for him to also find her.

When Eun-ho finally does notice Ji-yoon, they stare at each other in silence as people walk towards the venue for the piano recital. Ji-yoon is reminded of Jung-hoon’s question about what Eun-ho means to her and she feels as if she knows the answer to that question now. They take a few steps towards each other and Ji-yoon hands over the cup of coffee that she had purchased for Eun-ho. Both of them are too shy to speak so they stand across from each other in silence, a cup of coffee in their hands and eyes glued to each other. Even though they’re surrounded by a crowd full of people, it feels as if they’re the only two people that exist in the world in this very moment.

My Thoughts:

I’m just sort of running out of words at this point to describe how wonderful, lovely, and impressive each episode is. I love how balanced the drama feels. It doesn’t bore you with all the procedural candidates and clients and it also manages to keep you fully engaged with everything happening outside of Peoplez. We watch our characters perform and execute at work but we also get to see what they’re like outside of work. We get to watch what they’re like when they spend time with their loved ones which in turn helps us better understand who they are. As “Love Scout” continues to remind us, there’s so much more to life than just work.

I’m glad that the drama didn’t overdo it with Ji-yoon’s discovery of Byeol as Eun-ho’s daughter. The drama knew to keep things fairly simple and neutral which made for such an easy and great watch. It kept things bright and balanced and didn’t overdo it with any theatrics and drama. I loved that Ji-yoon realized this in a moment that was quite humorous and comedic. The drama didn’t take itself too seriously and also didn’t drag this storyline out longer than it needed to. Simply put, “Love Scout” is chugging along at a good pace. Now Ji-yoon is aware that Byeol is Eun-ho’s daughter and Eun-ho is aware that Byeol and Ji-yoon already know each other. We got that out of the way in this episode and now we can look forward to a future where the three are possibly family. Byeol already likes Ji-yoon and gets along with her so well and it’s clear that she misses having a mother figure in her life. Ji-yoon can definitely relate to Byeol because she too grew up without a mother so she must be familiar with the strange feelings that Byeol is going through. The drama is setting up for a situation where Ji-yoon becomes more involved in Byeol’s life beyond the walls at the Dodam Bookstore. With how impressive the drama has been in showing rather than telling, I would love to see it show us this process of the three becoming family.

I also appreciate that the drama is diverse and knowledgeable in striking a balance between focusing on the work with the candidates and then also all the family-related stuff. If “Love Scout” just mainly focused on Peoplez and candidates, the drama would still be fun to watch but it would also feel a bit repetitive and redundant. The drama is so good in that it continues with presenting different cases and candidates but also ventures out to explore other sub-plots and storylines. I love watching Ji-yoon and Eun-ho work together but I also loved seeing them bond at the hospital. I loved seeing them agree to meet up for the piano recital. I loved seeing them talk on the phone (even as awkward and adorable as it was). I enjoy watching them work work but I also love the more emotional aspects about the show.

If you’re interested in watching the story about the candidates, you get that. But if you’re more interested in watching Ji-yoon and Eun-ho’s relationship development, you get plenty of that in the same episode as well. I’m usually not the biggest fan of procedural dramas where each episode focuses on a new client or character but I’m pleasantly surprised by how invested I am in the stories of our candidates. The drama doesn’t go into too many details with the candidates because it’s also focused on other things so I appreciate that we’re not stuck watching an entire episode about work-related stuff. I actually found Yeong-sook’s case to be quite interesting because it covers the topic of experience vs. academics. Society places this emphasis on going to the best schools and universities and Korea is known for their rigorous education system and competitive tutoring academies. How does that compare for Yeong-sook who doesn’t have the strongest and most extensive resume but has almost 4 decades of work experience? Sometimes, it’s not just about what’s written on a resume but also about what the candidate can offer in terms of their experience and the knowledge and wisdom that they’ve accumulated over time. On paper, Yeong-sook didn’t seem like she was qualified but in reality and practicality, she was the most qualified candidate. She was exactly what Deluxe Line needed and was looking for. She was the perfect fit. It also spoke to how creative Peoplez was and how unafraid they were in their work processes. Instead of doing the usual of just looking at resumes, they made the extra effort to find Yeong-sook, to persuade her to take on the position, and to reassure her by placing their confidence and trust in her. That’s why Peoplez succeeded against Career Way who they had been struggling against. Peoplez didn’t just stick to the same strategies like they’ve done in the past. They tried something new to get things done and achieved desirable and optimal results.

Every episode usually has a Ji-yoon and Eun-ho scene that stands out the most to me. In episode 3 it was Eun-ho driving Ji-yoon around while she took a nap in the back of the car. In episode 4 it was the basketball game that Ji-yoon and Eun-ho played. In episode 5, it was the dinner conversation where Ji-yoon and Eun-ho gave words of affirmation to each other about how well they’ve grown up and accomplished. In this episode, it was the conversation they had at the hospital where Eun-ho finally opened up to Ji-yoon about his struggles as a single parent. He shared how he’s been trying his best and has done his best in taking care of Byeol and making sure that she knows she’s loved but he still feels as if it’s not enough. And although he’s been tremendous at it and has had to overcome plenty of challenges and sacrifices to get to this point, he also realized that there are things that are out of his control. There are just some things that he can’t do much about such as Byeol getting bullied by classmates for not having a mom. So Ji-yoon showed her trust and confidence in Eun-ho and reassured him that he’s done a great job. He grew up well; he’s also done a great job in raising his kid. And Ji-yoon can speak so confidently about this because she’s heard and seen what Eun-ho has done for Byeol. But also because she can relate to Byeol since she too lost her mom. Her support for Eun-ho comes from a perspective of growing up in a similar situation like Byeol where she only had her father. That’s why Ji-yoon gets along so well with Byeol and also why she chooses to be there for Eun-ho. Her father must have also gone through similar struggles in raising her so Ji-yoon can tell what Eun-ho is going through and how hard it’s been for him. Gaaah, the hospital conversation between them was so heartbreaking but also so good and touching. Eun-ho felt more and more comfortable with Ji-yoon to be vulnerable with her and to tell her things that he wouldn’t have confided in anyone else. Then Ji-yoon made sure to take care of Eun-ho by buying him some food and being there for him. They truly are meant for each other.