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It’s a new beginning for our characters. Their journeys haven’t been the easiest but they eventually find some closure to move forward in the next chapters of their lives. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Note: Thank you to everyone who joined me in my journey of recapping this drama! It was so much fun recapping every episode and sharing my thoughts with you all. This was my first recap since December of 2023 so it’s been quite a while but I’m glad that I not only gave “Love Scout” a try but that I was able to recap such a wonderful and heartwarming drama. Next up, I plan on recapping ‘Melo Movie’ so be on the lookout for that! Until then, please take care and stay safe everyone 🙂

Love Scout: Episode 12 & Final Recap

Eun-ho drops Ji-yoon off at her place after their date and then prepares to head back home. However, a text message to the Peoplez staff chat that was sent by Ji-yoon propels Eun-ho to turn back around and he chats with her at her place about her text message. After listening to Ji-yoon’s explanation, Eun-ho understands and is supportive of her decision to step down as CEO of Peoplez. So the next morning, everyone reconvenes in the office and Ji-yoon delivers the news to the group. She’s stepping down as CEO and Peoplez will be acquired by Career Way. Jung-hoon and Mi-ae are baffled at Ji-yoon’s decision while Eun-ho explains to the rest of the group why Ji-yoon went with her decision. This was the best thing she thought she could do to protect the staff. He hopes they’ll understand.

Jung-hoon visits his father and admits defeat. He’ll do whatever his father wants as long as Ji-yoon remains with Peoplez and leaves Ji-yoon alone. Though Ji-yoon is grateful for Jung-hoon’s effort, she takes full responsibility for her decision and will stick with it. The acquisition between Career Way and Peoplez is finalized after Ji-yoon and Hye-jin sign the contracts during a meeting. So with the acquisition officially under way, Ji-yoon and Eun-ho spend one last time at the office. They look around the desks and memories of her staff running around and making phone calls flash through her mind. Eun-ho commends her for her hard work but it’s time to go. After they leave, Hye-jin arrives at the Peoplez office to take a look around. But there’s no one working at the office and she’s angry upon seeing a bunch of resignation letters on the desk in Ji-yoon’s office. Kwang-hee, Gyeong-hwa, Young-soo, and Gyu-rim all hang out together and are nervous about submitting their resignation letters. They should be okay.. right? But it still doesn’t feel right and they can’t help but grow nervous and anxious.

Hye-jin is interrogated by police after CEO Young-min of the Econic Bio investment fraud case comes clean about her involvement in conspiring against Peoplez. It turns out she was also involved in the investment fraud case from five years ago with Career Way that eventually led to the death of their former CEO. So Hye-jin goes to prison and a new CEO is hired for Career Way. Now that Ji-yoon is no longer the CEO of Peoplez, she gets to spend extra time with Eun-ho. From hanging out at her place to going out to eat to taking photos at a photo booth, the two lovebirds create special memories with each other.

Chairman Woo visits his son’s memorial site and is joined by Sung-kyung. She hands him some photos of him and his sons. She wishes that he would forgive himself as his late son never hated him. She also hopes that Chairman Woo will treat Jung-hoon differently. Speaking of Jung-hoon, he meets up with Soo-hyun and the two catch up with each other. Of course, since she’s expressed her feelings for him, there’s some flirting and adorable banter involved. She shows him her new children’s book that she’s just released and then they head out to go have some fun at a haunted house. At one point, the duo end up hugging each other out of fear because of a jump scare by a ghost (and for a few seconds, the OST track “Test Me” by Paul Blanco begins to play). But they separate just as quickly and make it out alive of the haunted house (the drama’s such a troll LOL). They encounter Grandma, Seo-joon, and Byeol after their date and Soo-hyun tries to play things off. She and Jung-hoon totally didn’t hang out or anything. But it’s obvious that Soo-hyun and Jung-hoon have a thing for each other and it’s so obvious that even Seo-joon can tell. Haha.

Jung-hoon fulfills his part-time job at Sung-kyung’s school but receives a surprise phone call from his dad. He notices that his father’s demeanor towards him has changed and he finds it strange. The father and son pair go out to grab a meal together. Chairman Woo has a change of heart and he wishes for his son to live as he wishes. He won’t pressure Jung-hoon any longer and will give him the freedom to do what he wants.

Eun-ho meets with a former colleague from his job at Hansu Electronics. Turns out they want Eun-ho back at the company but Eun-ho has no plans to return. There’s something else he wants to do. So with that, he stops by at Ji-yoon’s place and is shown her new work-from-home setup. Ji-yoon has decided to work again and start a new search firm. Eun-ho’s excited for his girlfriend and he assumes he’ll also be working with her. But Ji-yoon has other plans for Eun-ho and she’s suggested him as a candidate for a HR team leader position to her first client. Though Eun-ho is a bit hesitant at first, Ji-yoon encourages him to seize the opportunity.  He can be her first candidate at her new company and he can utilize his knowledge and skills in HR for the position. So that night, Eun-ho reviews notes from his HR days to prepare himself. Aww, so bittersweet!

Ji-yoon and Byeol throw a surprise celebratory party for Eun-ho who’s been hired for the HR team leader position. Woo-hoo! Byeol enjoys spending time with her father and Ji-yoon and she comments how happy she is. Aww, they’re one happy family. Kwang-hee, Gyeong-hwa, Young-soo, Mi-ae, and Gyu-rim celebrate the good news with Ji-yoon, Eun-ho, and Byeol. They reunite for some food at Ji-yoon’s house and it feels like they’re at Peoplez again. The good old times. So with that, Ji-yoon informs the group about her decision to start a new company and she invites them to join her. Jung-hoon joins the group shortly afterwards and he congratulates Ji-yoon on the new company as well as Eun-ho on his new job. He himself is working for his dad again. Byeol also has a gift for Ji-yoon. Since Ji-yoon let Byeol decide the name of her new company, Byeol thinks that the name “We” would sound best. We. Us. Everyone else agrees and Ji-yoon decides to go with “We Company.”

Jung-hoon and Soo-hyun go on a walk together. Things are normal as usual until a fortune teller promoting her services catches their attention. Aren’t they curious about their relationship? Aren’t they curious as to what their future would look like together or what they mean to each other exactly? When Soo-hyun answers that she and Jung-hoon are simply just people who say hi to each other, Jung-hoon grows upset. To him, they’re so much more than that and he confesses to Soo-hyun right there and then (haha, so much for a fortune teller). So Jung-hoon and Soo-hyun officially clear their feelings for each other and they walk off hand in hand (they’re my favoritesss!). After the celebratory party, Ji-yoon and Eun-ho spend some much needed alone time together. They’re happy for each other with their new beginnings. To Ji-yoon, Eun-ho will always be the best assistant. And for Eun-ho, Ji-yoon will always be the best CEO. They tell each other that they love each other. Eun-ho even spends the night over at Ji-yoon’s place and the couple embrace each other upon waking up.

A year passes and things are still the same. Eun-ho cooks up some delicious breakfast for Byeol before heading out to drop her and Seo-joon off at school. We Company is going great for the team and Ji-yoon did what she used to do when she was still CEO of Peoplez: go out to meet with her clients. There’s just one catch for this client who she’s meeting with: it’s none other than Eun-ho (EEEEK!). After discussing and agreeing on terms for the new candidate list, Eun-ho hands Ji-yoon a ticket for a piano recital before leaving. Time for another date!

Soo-hyun is a successful author and she participates in a public event to promote her book. Seo-joon, Grandma, and Jung-hoon are there to support her. Gyeong-hwa and Kwang-hee are still together and just like any other couple, they argue and then make up. Young-soo encounters his family while going home from work while Mi-ae arrives at her husband’s bookstore and learns that he’s done some research for their future: he’s prepared some guidebooks on pregnancy. Kang-seok and Mi-ae align on their plans to become parents. Last but not least, Eun-ho and Ji-yoon meet up for their piano recital date. They both wait on opposite corners at an intersection and when it’s safe to walk across, they end up meeting in the middle of the crosswalk. They give each other a warm and loving hug and it’s clear things haven’t changed for them. A year has passed but they’re still very much in love with each other. The more things change, the more things stay the same.

My Thoughts:

Andddd we’re done! Wow, I can’t believe we’ve finally concluded the stories of our lovely characters! Of course, the drama wasn’t going to suddenly pull something out of thin air and kill off 2 of our characters or anything but I’m still glad that everyone got a happy ending. In a way, they all received closure for what happened in the past and were able to start anew. For Gyu-rim, Gyeong-hwa, Young-soo, and Kwang-hee, that was ending their career at Peoplez and joining We Company. For Mi-ae, that was fulfilling her dreams of becoming a mom. For Ji-yoon, that was finally eliminating her enemy Hye-jin and starting a new company. For Eun-ho, that was being able to utilize his skills and knowledge in HR which he was an expert at. For Jung-hoon, he was able to reconcile with his father and mend their relationship. For Soo-hyun, she fulfilled her dreams of becoming a successful author. And for Byeol… she’s still the cute, adorable, funny, and lovely daughter that she is. Hehe.

Just like with all the other episodes, there were certain scenes in this finale that made me emotional or that really impacted me. One of them was when Eun-ho and Ji-yoon were hanging out for the day and the weather suddenly turned bad and it started to rain. Ji-yoon had never thought about what her favorite season was and Eun-ho responded that it was something that she could find out moving forward by being with him. It may have seemed small but I loved this scene because they continue to include each other in their future and speak of a future together. Things that Ji-yoon never thought of or didn’t care for before are things that she will start to consider because of Eun-ho. That’s how he’s changed her life for the better and has positively impacted her life.

It was a little bittersweet when Eun-ho and Ji-yoon decided that it was best not to work with each other moving forward. I totally understood the decision because Eun-ho’s expertise and experience was originally in HR so it made sense that he continued that for his next position. For Ji-yoon, she needed a fresh start and wanted Eun-ho to be in a position that could better utilize his skills and strengths. It’s interesting how their careers by the end were similar to their careers in the beginning. They initially met in different companies. Ji-yoon was a CEO, Eun-ho was in HR. By the end, Ji-yoon is still a CEO and Eun-ho is back in HR (of course, he’s now the team leader who gets to call all the shots and is treated much better). You just got so used to seeing Eun-ho and Ji-yoon work together that it was a little sad when they decided to part. But at the same time, you’re happy for both of them. Eun-ho and Ji-yoon met and got to know each other through Peoplez. Peoplez might gotten removed from the picture but their love and support for each other hasn’t. Ji-yoon and Eun-ho are still together and will remain together for a long time.

Have you ever watched certain scenes in a drama that will stick with you for a long time or that you’ll remember forever? “Love Scout” had plenty of them but there’s five that stick out at the top of my head. One was the night driving scene in episode 3 where Eun-ho took Ji-yoon on a night drive as she was asleep in the back of her car. I’m never going to forget that scene because of not only the act of service but also the way that the song “Wonder” by ADOY played in the background. It was the perfect blend of music and scene. I still listen to that song to this day. The other scene that stood out to me was when Eun-ho asked Byeol for her opinion on what she thought if he had someone who he liked. I thought this scene was so crucial to not only Eun-ho’s identity as a dad but also the world that Eun-ho and Byeol had created for themselves. Up until he met and fell in love with Ji-yoon, it had just been Eun-ho and Byeol and the two of them. Eun-ho didn’t know much else. His world was centered around Byeol (rightfully so) and being the best father for her that he could possibly be. By asking her that question, it opened up the possibility of fitting one more person into their world. Would Byeol be okay with that? Does she want her dad to date? Does she want her dad to have a girlfriend and to be in love? Byeol’s response would influence and impact Eun-ho’s decision on whether to pursue a relationship with Ji-yoon or not and, as we all saw, Byeol was all for it. I loved how considerate Eun-ho was. He cared about what Byeol thought or how she felt and her opinion was really important to him.

Then the third scene that stood out to me was when Eun-ho cooked some dinner for Ji-yoon at his place and they complimented each other on how well they grew up. They were two lonely people who grew up without having much and yet still found ways to survive in life. They reassured each other that they did grow up well and that they did well. The fourth scene was when Ji-yoon and Eun-ho were at the hospital and Eun-ho finally revealed some of his inner thoughts about being a father. Ji-yoon cheered him up and showed him support by saying that he did well and that he should keep up the good work. I loved that Eun-ho was vulnerable and honest with Ji-yoon in this moment but also that she believed in him and placed herself in Byeol’s shoes. And then last but not least, the fifth scene that impacted me was the elevator scene when Ji-yoon finally accepted her reality and received closure with her dad’s passing. She thanked Eun-ho for living a great life because by doing so, he was honoring her dad and his legacy. She was also committed to a future with Eun-ho and wanted to stay with him. It was such a beautiful and bittersweet and heartwarming scene. The funny thing about writing my top 5 favorite scenes from this drama is that the more I thought about each scene, the more additional scenes popped up in my head that I wanted to include. LOL. It made me realize just how many more wonderful moments there were in the drama (the basketball scene in episode 4?? hello??) and how they each served their own purpose. I guess that’s telling about the type of drama that “Love Scout” is and how good it was.

The other thing that I appreciated about the drama was the use of the OST tracks. The use of the music reminds me of the earlier times when K-dramas had a good group of OST tracks that actually stood out and landed. And when the dramas did release a song, they played it multiple times throughout the show. In recent years, K-drama OSTs just haven’t hit the same (or at least in my opinion they haven’t) because K-dramas have been so eager to play one song for just a few scenes and then move on to the next biggest thing the following week. “Love Scout” was different in that they played the songs effectively in scenes but also utilized the songs as best as they could throughout its run. I loved that an OST track that I heard play in episode 4 was still playing in episode 9 or 10. The songs weren’t one and done type of songs. They were songs that the drama kept on using and repeating throughout which I really appreciated.

When I reflect on the drama overall, “Love Scout” was such a warm, adorable, fun, and heartwarming watch. Everything was just so feel-good and cozy and fuzzy. It’ll be hard to forget just how magical the first six episodes were. That’s not to discredit the second half because episodes 7 to 12 were still fun to watch but I really enjoyed the phase where Ji-yoon and Eun-ho were getting to know each other better through their interactions. They started as enemies and then got curious about each other and then developed a loving relationship from there. Everything just felt so right and natural. The drama never exaggerated or did anything weird or dramatic. “Love Scout” knew what it was doing, what type of mood and tone it wanted to convey, and was able to execute in a consistent way. Even if I felt like the first half was a little stronger and smoother, the second half was still consistent for the most part with what we witnessed from the first six episodes. Everything fit into place so nicely and the drama was so much fun. I’m usually not the type to rewatch a drama and I’m not sure if “Love Scout” would fit into that category just yet but I did enjoy it during this first watch. It gave you butterflies, it made you squeal, it made you scream, it made you smile and laugh. It had many good things about it.