This episode was very Law & Order. All it needed was Benson and Stabler. Remember when I said in my last review that there was no such thing as a perfect murder? Well, episode four really drives that point home with all the things Baek Ah Jin had to do to stay out of jail. This episode fills in the gaps of what happened the night of Baek Seon Gyu’s murder. It also shows us how Ah Jin got into the entertainment industry, and what it means to have power and influence.
YES to a less than perfect murder
Even though Ah Jin had a well-thought-out plan to get rid of her dad, I figured there would be some complications. Forensics are a thing, so even though she tried to flush the incriminating beanie down the toilet, the lead detective on the case still ended up finding some fibers. Speaking of the lead detective, I wasn’t surprised when he took the bribe from Im Seung Yong, the CEO of the sports agency that was trying to sign Choi Jeong Ho. That’s why I was glad Ah Jin recorded the conversation of him planning to pin the murder on her simply because Choi Jeong Ho is the richer, more influential party. Granted, the detective’s gut is right and Ah Jin did plan everything, but his motives for wanting to put her behind bars were really yucky.
YES to the crime to entertainment pipeline??
While the lead detective is trying to coax a confession out of Ah Jin at the station, her future rival Im Re Na is introduced. It turns out Re Na is also at the station to lie about something, but instead of murder, it’s a DUI. She was driving while drunk, but Longstar Entertainment gets another employee to say they were the one driving the car. So Re Na doesn’t seem like a model citizen either. I’m curious to see how she and Ah Jin will clash once Ah Jin joins the company. I imagine it’ll be similar to the competitive dynamic Ah Jin had with Shim Sung Hee back in high school.
Speaking of Longstar Entertainment, the CEO’s assistant sees Ah Jin at the station while helping Im Re Na and propositions her once again. She tells Ah Jin she can get her a good lawyer, and Ah Jin takes her up on it by the end of the episode. Ah Jin has always wanted power, and this is a quick way to get it and make sure she stays out of jail.
With that said, this is the only thing that’s been unbelievable about Dear X so far. If you’ve been a fan of Korean dramas for a while, then you know the smallest scandal can end a celebrity’s career. So it’s unrealistic a big entertainment company would be adamant about signing someone who’s the suspect in a murder investigation no matter how pretty or charismatic they are. Sure, entertainment companies are capable of making certain scandals go away with money and influence, but they generally invest those resources in seasoned celebrities with a proven track record of earning them money. Not rookies who haven’t had a hit drama or move, much less acting lessons.
YES to Ah Jin cutting ties with Jun Seo
I was very conflicted at the end of the episode when Ah Jin cut ties with Jun Seo as one of the conditions for signing with Longstar Entertainment. Being seen with him would certainly cause people to dig up her dad’s murder. But it hurt seeing Jun Seo begging her to stay with him. He’s been trying to protect Ah Jin for most of his life, and make up for what his mom did. He wants to make her “happy like other people” (ugh, my Shaylaaa). But Ah Jin doesn’t want to hear any of it. She says his kindness is a liability and she’s tired of being powerless. She’s willing to sell her soul to Longstar Entertainment.
This argument is especially hard to swallow now that we know what Jun Seo did for Ah Jin the night of Baek Syeon Gyu’s murder. After he was released from the holding cell, he races to Ah Jin’s apartment in time to see Choi Jeong Ho stumble away. He goes into Ah Jin’s apartment and proceeds to incriminate himself! First he fishes the beanie Seon Gyu wore out of the toilet because it didn’t actually flush, then he wipes any fingerprints off the bat (Ah Jin had hit Seon Gyu again after Jeong Ho left), and finally uses it to deliver the finishing blow. Seon Gyu couldn’t be any deader. The last thing Jun Seo does is steal the keys to Seon Gyu’s motel room, so he can plant evidence and solidify his “guilt”.
At the end of the day, part of me wants Jun Seo to get the affection and acknowledgement he so desperately craves from Ah Jin. But an even bigger part of me is glad she’s cutting him off. They are both too broken to help each other in a healthy way. I’ve already said it, but Jun Seo basically echoed my sentiments in this episode: Ah Jin’s journey isn’t going to end well. Especially now that she’s broken the heart of someone who has an incriminating hat from the night her dad was murdered…
NO to Ah Jin and Jeong Ho’s new prisons
Ah Jin signs a contract with Longstar Entertainment, and they help her stay out of jail, but she’s not truly free. And I think she knows that too. She’s going from her father’s prison to Seo Mi Ri’s (Longstar Entertainment’s CEO) prison. This is clear when we see someone at the police station take the file for Baek Seon Gyu’s case, and in the next scene Seo Mi Ri stores that same file in a safe. It’s power and influence that’s going to be used against Ah Jin again in the future.
As for Jeong Ho, he’s sitting in prison for being a good person and trying to help an employee out. At the end of the episode, he watches Ah Jin on TV with a wild look in his eyes. Something tells me this isn’t the last time we’re going to see him.
Final Thoughts
This was a defining episode meant to set up what’s happening in the present. Ah Jin narrowly gets away with murder due to Longstar Entertainment’s backing, we meet her future rival, and she and Jun Seo go their separate ways. With Jeong Ho in prison, I think we’ll meet Ah Jin’s next victim in episode five. I wonder if they’ll introduce another love interest for Jun Seo too. The webtoon is trending, so I’m tempted to read it, but I want to keep being shocked by the drama.
More Dear X Posts
- REVIEW: DEAR X EPISODE 3
- REVIEW: DEAR X EPISODE 1 & 2
- WELCOME TO KIMBAP AND K-DRAMAS! (AND DEAR X SUMMARY)
