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It’s time for Ji-yoon and Eun-ho to confront their feelings and be honest with themselves about what’s going on. Their relationship has developed and blossomed into something more that they weren’t expecting. Although they can try their best to pretend as if everything is fine, they can only fake it for so long. They have no choice but to dig deep and come to terms with the honest truth.

Love Scout: Episode 7 Recap

Ji-yoon and Eun-ho find each other outside of the venue for the piano recital. She hands over the cup of coffee that she had bought for him and then they head inside the venue together. They greet Joo-hee, Yeong-sook’s daughter who produced the recital, and then watch the performance in silence. Ji-yoon and Eun-ho are conscious of each other. She continues to sneak glances at his hand while his eyes are focused on her. When the show finishes, Ji-yoon and Eun-ho decide to switch it up  and walk together to their car instead. Ji-yoon starts off the conversation by talking about work but Eun-ho reminds her to strike a balance with work and life. She can stop thinking about work when she’s out and about. And to that, Eun-ho switches up the subject by talking about his daughter. Byeol finds Ji-yoon admirable and really likes her (EEEEK! So cute!). The two learn more about each other as they walk. From Ji-yoon’s connection to Mi-ae and Dodam Bookstore to what Eun-ho was like as a student, the conversation just flows. The walk to their car isn’t as smooth though when they receive an abrupt ask to take some photos of a family of three (OMGGGG, I see where this is going and I totally love it!). Eun-ho gladly volunteers to snap some photos of the young girl with her parents. The little girl volunteers to return the favor. She’ll take some pictures of Ji-yoon and Eun-ho together. Although they’re both a little awkward and shy once they stand next to each other, the little girl makes sure to capture the moment. When Ji-yoon and Eun-ho return back home, they text each other about the photo. It’s a little blurry but hey, it’s their first (and hopefully not last) photo together. It’s one they’ll remember and cherish forever.

Peoplez’ next candidate is Jung Ha-na. She’s a project manager with Diane Cosmetics and she’s looking for a new job because of a workplace relationship she had with her ex-boyfriend. It’s awkward at work when the two are together so it’s better for Ha-na to find a job somewhere else. After reviewing Ha-na’s case, our Peoplez team joke around that a workplace relationship would never ever happen at Peoplez. That’s pretty much impossible! But Ji-yoon has other plans and she can’t stop staring and smiling when she sees Eun-ho working at his desk. But that’s not all, she even waits for him in the elevator when she hears his voice from quite far away. On another day, Ji-yoon seeks Eun-ho’s input for lunch suggestions. Even though she’s not a fan of stir-fried pork, she’s willing to eat it for lunch since that’s what Eun-ho prefers (gurl is in loveee~). The only caveat is that Mi-ae and the rest of the staff have also invited themselves to join for lunch. So much for wanting some more alone time with Eun-ho, haha.

Whether it’s eating lunch or working on a project together, Ha-na just can’t seem to escape her ex-boyfriend, Kim Jin-gook. She wishes that their break-up would be a secret but it seems as if people have already caught on. Lol. Ji-yoon meets with Jung-hoon’s dad, Chairman Woo, who has a special request for her. He has a friend who he would like to be hired for a high-level position and he wants Ji-yoon to be the facilitator. Ji-yoon declines the request and stands her ground. As the CEO of a headhunting company, she values objectivity and cannot participate in fulfilling any favors or requests. Chairman Woo is stunned by Ji-yoon’s unexpected response and he has a meeting with Hye-jin afterwards. She brings up the request that he initially had for Ji-yoon and expresses interest in working on it. They can both do each other a favor: she’ll help him and his friend out and he can help her take over Peoplez. That’s her number one goal.

Gyu-rim is irritated with Jin-gook and Ha-na’s case. As someone who may (or may not) have had experience with a workplace romance herself, she’s not the biggest fan of their situation. Eun-ho is asked himself how he feels about workplace romance and just when he’s about to answer, they’re interrupted by the sudden appearance of Ji-yoon standing nearby. Before she runs away, she pretends as if she was trying to find a report nearby only for Eun-ho to point out that it was a report that was meant to be shredded. LOL. Ji-yoon’s search for Eun-ho’s answer about workplace romance never happens. There’s constant disruptions and it just seems like it’s not meant to be.

Ji-yoon is so enamored with Eun-ho that it affects her work. Whether in a meeting with Jung-hoon and Mi-ae or a candidate, Ji-yoon can’t focus. She can’t stop thinking about Eun-ho and can’t stop watching him. At one point, she’s so fed up that she asks Mi-ae to promote Eun-ho and find her a new assistant. He’s crossed the line. It’s too much for Ji-yoon. She’s too distracted. Mi-ae doesn’t quite understand what Ji-yoon’s talking about so Ji-yoon retreats and takes back her words. She’s flustered.

The drive home that night is silent for both Ji-yoon and Eun-ho. Eun-ho reflects on the moment from earlier that day when Mi-ae asked him about his relationship with Ji-yoon. Is there something wrong? Why did she ask for a new secretary? So once they arrive at Ji-yoon’s place, Eun-ho gathers the courage to ask her these questions. Did he make a mistake? What did he do? Ji-yoon finally comes clean and confesses that she likes Eun-ho. She keeps acting out of character and it’s affecting her at work. But this is a problem that she created so she’ll take care of it. Eun-ho can just keep doing what he’s been doing and not pay her any attention. With that, Ji-yoon walks away leaving Eun-ho in stunned silence. When Ji-yoon gets home, she soothes herself by flicking the lamp on and off in her living room. Eun-ho himself can’t stop thinking about Ji-yoon’s confession. He’s also clearly affected.

In an attempt to maintain some distance from Eun-ho, Ji-yoon declines his invitation for lunch. She also pretends to take a phone call to avoid getting on the same elevator with him. She doesn’t even touch the food that he got for her. Ji-yoon doesn’t seek Eun-ho’s help for anything and refuses to let him drive her to meetings. While Ji-yoon’s eyes were once locked on Eun-ho, Jung-hoon’s the one who can’t stop staring at Ji-yoon. Gyu-rim warns him of the evil that comes with a workplace romance but he just can’t help it. He has feelings for Ji-yoon. Jung-hoon finally gets some alone time with Ji-yoon while driving her to a meeting. When asked if she likes Eun-ho, Ji-yoon stays quiet. She doesn’t have anything to say. There’s not much of a conversation either while eating lunch with Ji-yoon. She has a lot on her mind and the whole situation with Eun-ho is weighing down on her. Jung-hoon finally receives the answer to the question that he had been wanting to ask: what does Ji-yoon think of him? But Ji-yoon doesn’t see him that way. She wants him in her life for a long time and doesn’t want things to get awkward between them. This settles that.

There is someone there to cheer Jung-hoon up and it’s none other than Seo-joon’s mom! The two come across each other at the daycare and they catch up with each other. Jung-hoon isn’t feeling all that great because he got rejected so Soo-hyun suggests that they go for some beer. There, Jung-hoon learns that Soo-hyun’s a single mother and also has a one-sided crush like he does. Cheers to being in the same situation!

So just how drunk was Soo-hyun from the night before? When she wakes up the next morning, her mom tells her the story of how she kept on repeating “fighting!” the entire night. Thanks to Jung-hoon who kept on singing “Fighting” by BSS, Soo-hyun also couldn’t get it out of her head. Plus, she could use some “fighting” when she asks Eun-ho out on a date. She texted him the night before asking if he would like to go to the movies with her. He assumes it’s a movie date with the kids but Soo-hyun clarifies that she’d like to go alone with just the two of them. Eun-ho agrees regardless and Soo-hyun’s Mom volunteers to babysit the kids.

Gyu-rim just can’t seem to catch a break. While meeting with Ha-na at the office, Jin-gook shows up unexpectedly to get Ha-na to stay. She pleads for her to not leave him or the company that she’s devoted so much of her time to. It’s as if Young-soo, Gyeong-hwa, and Kwang-hee are watching a Korean drama unfold right in front of their eyes with the way that Jin-gook and Ha-na are declaring their love for each other. Ha-na eventually decides not to take on a new job and she leaves with Jin-gook, holding hands. Haha. Poor Gyu-rim.

Though things are still awkward and tough between Ji-yoon and Eun-ho, they continue to support each other in their own ways. Eun-ho drives Ji-yoon to a last-minute meeting and hands her a report that he stayed all night to work on. When the meeting ends, Ji-yoon approaches the car to find Eun-ho taking a nap in the driver’s seat. She walks over to his side and stands in front of his door to protect him from the sun. She stands there in silence for a few minutes, making sure to look back and check that Eun-ho is alright. When he does finally wake up, he finds Ji-yoon already sitting in the back of the car. It’s been 30 minutes of waiting but she doesn’t have a problem with it. They didn’t have a schedule for the rest of the day anyways.

Kang-seok and Eun-ho meet at Dodam Bookstore for some drinks and snacks. They catch up with each other and Kang-seok expresses his nervousness around having kids. Mi-ae wants to have kids but Kang-seok isn’t so confident he’ll be a great dad. Eun-ho comforts Kang-seok and reassures him that he will do well. So what about Eun-ho? Is there anything on his mind? Initially, Eun-ho is hesitant in opening up. But he finally lets go and confesses that he has someone on his mind. He has feelings for this person but he’s afraid that his situation as a single father will make things hard for her. But Kang-seok encourages Eun-ho to go for it. Instead of being considerate, his crush would appreciate knowing how he feels about her instead. So Eun-ho reconsiders his situation.

Speaking of workplace romance, maybe there’s something in the air between Gyeong-hwa and Kwang-hee. After some dinner with Young-soo and Gyu-rim, the two end up walking together and Gyeong-hwa rescues Kwang-hee from getting hit by a car on the street. After being saved, the pacing of his heart fastens and the two grow nervous around each other. They struggle to comprehend what just happened. When Eun-ho gets home, he tucks Byeol into bed. He sits on her bed for a few minutes longer to reflect.

Ji-yoon stops by Dodam Bookstore before heading back to the office. She encounters both Byeol and Seo-joon there since they’re waiting for Soo-hyun’s Mom to come pick them up. Ji-yoon learns from Seo-joon that Eun-ho’s going on a date with his mom and this catches her attention. She’s thrown off by the information and indirectly confronts Eun-ho about it when she finds him still at the office that evening. Eun-ho also has a lot on his mind and had to distract himself by organizing papers as well as Ji-yoon’s desk. When they finally see each other in the office, Ji-yoon dismisses Eun-ho from work. He’s busy. He can wait until tomorrow to finish up his tasks. So Eun-ho stays to get some work done but neither of them say anything to each other. All they can do is just sneak glances at each other.

Eventually, the timing was going to align and Ji-yoon and Eun-ho stare at each other right at the same time (OMG I’M GOING CRAZY! I literally had to pause). Their eyes are locked onto each other and the tension heightens. No words are spoken but it’s clear that Eun-ho and Ji-yoon have a lot on their minds. They have a lot that they want to say. So Eun-ho makes the first move and he stands up to approach Ji-yoon. But the moment is interrupted with a phone call from Soo-hyun and things come to halt. When the phone call with her ends, Ji-yoon is no longer staring at Eun-ho and she’s turned around in her chair (UGHHH NO WHYYYY). So Eun-ho takes that as a sign to leave and he heads to his movie date with Soo-hyun.

On the way there, Eun-ho catches sight of the movie poster that he and Soo-hyun were going to watch being displayed on a huge screen (the movie is “One Fine Spring Day” starring Yoo Ji-tae and Lee Young-ae for those who are curious). He takes that as a sign that he should go back to the office to be with Ji-yoon. He remembers Kang-seok’s words about being honest rather than being considerate so he apologizes to Soo-hyun for the change in plans. Meanwhile, Ji-yoon does some deep thinking of her own. She recalls all the times that Eun-ho was there for her and gave her words of affirmations and encouragement. So she listens to her heart and sets out to find Eun-ho. The timing isn’t right as Eun-ho arrives at the office to find it empty. But what he does find is the website with the showtimes for the movie that he was supposed to go watch with Soo-hyun displayed on Ji-yoon’s computer screen. She went to go find him too.

So the two walk around in hopes of finding each other. At last, Eun-ho finally finds Ji-yoon first and he watches her as she scrambles to search for him. Out of desperation, she ends up calling him and he picks up. She’s relieved when he picks up her call and she pleads for him to not watch the movie. But Eun-ho is watching. It’s just not the movie he’s watching. It’s her who he has his eyes on. Ji-yoon turns around to find Eun-ho standing across the street from her and he safely gets across to meet her (thank goodness he’s safe! I was watching with one eye open praying that he wouldn’t get hit by the Truck of Doom. I’m clearly traumatized..). When Eun-ho finally reaches Ji-yoon, he tugs her in for a hug and then the two kiss. They finally let go of all the feelings and emotions that they had been suppressing this entire time. Everything that they’ve experienced and endured together has led them to this very moment.

My Thoughts:

It is so much fun recapping this drama because I get to spill all my feels and thoughts out for each episode and I can vent or gush as much as I want to for as long as I want to. This episode probably has to be the episode that has felt the most wild? It was as if I was on a roller coaster ride. There was so much happening. There were some highs (such as all the humor and comedy that got me laughing like crazy) and then there were the low’s (where I just kept on repeating “OMG!” every time and kept on having to pause the episode). I don’t think episode 7 was necessarily strong for the entire hour and 20 minute run. I actually thought it was probably the weakest episode so far in the drama. But before you guys come running at me with pitchforks and knives, let me explain.

Whereas the first 6 episodes were wonderful with its pacing and how careful it was with the details, this episode felt like it was speedwalking. It felt like it was in a rush to go somewhere. There was a little too much going on all at the same time. In the first act, you had the obsessed Ji-yoon who was head over heels for Eun-ho (understandably so). Then in the second act, you had the confession scene that led to things getting confusing and awkward between them. Then in the third act, you had the tension and yearning and angst. Then in the final act, you had the ending scene where they made up, turned the same page, and finally admitted their love for each other. So this episode really did feel like it had it all.

But even as chaotic and rushed as this episode felt (you could tell the drama really wanted the episode to end with them being on the same page), there were still so many great things about it. I loved watching Ji-yoon be so infatuated with Eun-ho that it began to affect her work. I loved watching Eun-ho and Ji-yoon long for each other and want to be with each other but also be so afraid to act on their feelings. They didn’t want to be the one to make the first move and then the moment when Eun-ho was finally going to do it, they got disrupted (that scene drove me insane!). I loved seeing them finally just do it and come around to the fact that this was how they felt and this was who they were and this was the situation that they were in. That there was nothing they could do about it. They accepted their reality and accepted each other for who they were.

I was initially frustrated with Ji-yoon for her treatment towards Eun-ho. I understood why she maintained her distance from him but I did get a little irritated seeing her be cold to him at multiple points in the episode and then treat him nicely by doing small things like blocking him from the sun. Her actions only confused him even more because she confessed to him one moment and then decided to backtrack on that confession the next. But after some more thinking, I realized that Ji-yoon was acting out of confusion. She knew she really liked him but she also knew that she shouldn’t pursue a romantic relationship with him. She had never felt this way about anyone before. No one’s ever made her act so strange or flustered and it was all such unfamiliar territory for her. It was such a new experience for her because she’s so used to being all about work. So her wishy-washy attitude and actions represented how confused she was and she took that confusion out on Eun-ho. Did I think it was the right way to handle their relationship? No. But can I see why she acted the way she did and where she was coming from? I think so.

When I take a step back to reflect on this episode, it seems as if it was a good representation of Ji-yoon and Eun-ho’s journey in how they processed their emotions and feelings. And maybe that’s why it felt like such a roller coaster ride. Our two main characters themselves weren’t so sure about how they felt or what was going on. They wanted to remain professional; they wanted to stop thinking about each other. But they found that they couldn’t. So maybe the chaotic-ness of this episode is a great representation of the feelings and emotions that Ji-yoon and Eun-ho were experiencing themselves. One moment they’re feeling great and then the next they’re feeling down. One moment you’re laughing and squealing at all the happy moments in the episode and then the next, you’re going crazy and wanting to pull your hair out.

Also, I just have to add – that scene of them alone in the office just taking turns to stare at each other drove me insane. When they finally got caught looking at each other at the same time, there was just so much yearning and longing for each other. So many things that you could tell was weighing heavy on both their minds and in their hearts that they wanted to just let all out. I wonder what it would have been like if Eun-ho never picked up that phone call from Soo-hyun. I like to think that in another world, he avoids her phone call and instead goes up to Ji-yoon to finally unleash all his emotions. He confesses the truth to her, she does the same back to him, and they finally admit their feelings for each other because they could no longer hold all their emotions inside. I think I would have liked this alternate ending better than the actual one that the drama gave us. That scene was just way too good for it to end like that. It shouldn’t have ended there.

But I have to say that as busy as this episode was, there were still aspects to it that were reminiscent of what we saw in the 6 episodes prior. There were still poignant, emotional, and heartwarming moments in this episode that tugged at my heartstrings just like how it had been doing for the past 6 episodes. Eun-ho’s conversation with Kang-seok in particular stood out to me the most. That conversation gave us so much insight into not only Eun-ho’s feelings for Ji-yoon but also how he felt about himself. He felt like he wasn’t worthy of a relationship or wasn’t worthy of falling in love. Just like how falling in love with Eun-ho was unfamiliar territory for Ji-yoon, falling for Ji-yoon was also just as unfamiliar for Eun-ho. He’s a single father who’s responsible for his precious daughter’s life. All he’s pretty much known is to be the best father he can be for Byeol and that’s his main identity. He’s been so happy with having only Byeol as his world that he was afraid and uncertain as to what to do when there was another person who he wanted to invite into his life to join that world. Eun-ho was afraid that being a single father would make things hard for Ji-yoon and I think this comment in particular speaks to the social stigma that’s associated with single parents and how it’s looked down upon in society. It also speaks to how insecure Eun-ho felt and how afraid he was that he would be a burden to Ji-yoon. What if she didn’t want to be involved in his life? He had so many doubts about his situation as a single father and his romantic needs. He thought these two things were exclusive but Kang-seok taught him to reframe his thinking and to look at it from a different perspective. You can be a great father to an adorable daughter and also still be deserving of love and be capable of engaging in romantic relationships. So I’m glad that Eun-ho had the courage to honestly say what was on his mind to Kang-seok and I’m grateful that Kang-seok instilled confidence in Eun-ho. You never know if you never try.

“Love Scout” has been an expert at being able to showcase things in a way that is so simple but impactful so the ending scene felt like it was taking forever. You could tell the drama really wanted to hit it right with the ending scene so they took their extra time in building up to the kiss. In a way, it was just a little too slow and over-the-top for me. LOL. Things definitely could have been easier if they had just called each other instead of searching every intersection and corner but I get what the drama was trying to do. In episode 6, it was Ji-yoon who found Eun-ho but this time, Eun-ho was the one who found her first. Even though I wasn’t the biggest fan of placing Ji-yoon’s confession and then the kiss scene in the same episode, the process in showing us how Eun-ho and Ji-yoon got to this point starting from episode 1 was so well done that I could live with it. Here’s to hoping that the drama maintains its steady pace and momentum that it managed to successfully do in the first 6 episodes. Now that we’re onto the dating era for Ji-yoon and Eun-ho, please take good care of them and be very careful. Please make it well worth it.