Start-Up - Family, Friends, Fools, episode 2 recap

Start-Up

    Start-Up, episode 2 recap

Ms. Choi is happy and worried at the same time upon seeing Han Ji Pyeong after 15 years because she told him the last time they saw each other that he should only call her if he's in trouble and he has nowhere to go but Han Ji Pyeong assured her that there is nothing wrong and everything is going well for him.

He told her that he's healthy, he owns an apartment and a car, and his yearly salary is 200 million won plus 1.5 billion bonuses but Ms. Choi cornered him by asking if he's married and he answered no sporting a straight face, Ms. Choi spot it as a problem but Han Ji Pyeong refused to consider it one. He told Ms. Choi that he wants to pay her back the money he ran away with but Ms. Choi told him that it was his money after all but he still insists on paying her back but Ms. Choi won't let him, he even brings out his business card and told her to call if she needs anything because he's willing to do anything for her but Ms. Choi just tears up his business card because she doesn't want him to do anything for her, Han Ji Pyeong told her to just stay there instead so he would know where he could find her, Ms. Choi gave him a reassuring smile.

Ms. Choi went home and saw Dal-Mi in the living room, she asked her what she's up to and Dal-Mi told her that she will find Nam Do San that made Ms. Choi instantly panic, she tries to stop her and convince her that it was a long time ago and she should just remember Nam Do San as an old friend and move on but Dal-Mi is desperate to prove In Jae that she doesn't regret choosing her dad and Nam Do San is the only person that could help her do that. Ms. Choi told her what if Nam Do San has forgotten about her but Dal-Mi said that they are penpals for a long time and she's not asking for too much so maybe Nam Do San could give her that one day as tears started to fall from her eyes, Ms. Choi mirrored her sadness and held her face to comfort her.

Ms. Choi went to Han Ji Pyeong for help, he never meets anyone without an appointment but Ms. Choi is an exception. Ms. Choi desperately asked him to searched for Nam Do San because Dal-Mi is trying to find him, he told her that it's ridiculous because they both know that they just made up Nam Do San but Dal-Mi has always remembered him and she never had a boyfriend because of Nam Do San. Ms. Choi is asked Han Ji Pyeong to find the actual Nam Do San that they see in the newspaper 15 years ago, Although it's impossible, Han Ji Pyeong couldn't say no to Ms. Choi that's why he agrees to help but he only has 5 days left to find Nam Do San.

We cut to Dal-Mi and In Jae's different lifestyle, they both prepare to go to work but the difference is that In Jae goes to work like a boss while Dal-Mi is just a normal employee. Dal-Mi prepares to set a new record of cafe sales while In Jae went to meet their mom.

Dal-Mi defeats her old record and sets a new one, everyone congratulates her at work and anticipated her promotion soon. Meanwhile, In Jae and mom are sarcastically talking to each other, Mom couldn't believe how In Jae still takes her step dad's side despite him cheating on her mom while In Jae told her how she couldn't understand her as well because she complains about her stepdad but she continues to live off him, she then asked if she's free on Friday for their company's exhibit and her mom shows no interest but she changes expression after hearing that Dal-Mi would be there.

Han Ji Pyeong manages to find Nam Do San through coincidence because Nam Do San happened to be one of the aspiring entrepreneurs that keep on sending SandBox his business plan but sadly he was never chosen, Han Ji Pyeong immediately went to the address that's written on Nam Do San's personal information. 

Meanwhile, the trio of Namsan Tech which is Kim Yong San, Lee Chul San, and Nam Do San was discussing the thin possibility of them winning on the CODA competition they joined when their investors (Do San's parents) arrive and they try their best to hide but unluckily Do San's parent's caught them, their investors wants to see the result because it's already been a year since they invest and the trio convince them that they joined a CODA competition with their image recognition technology but their investors don't seem impressed because when they tried the image recognition to Nam Do San's father it doesn't recognize him as a person but a toilet instead.

Han Ji Pyeong arrives at the address that he saw on Nam Do San's personal information and he witnessed the chaos Nam Do San was being chased by his father holding a baseball bat, Han Ji Pyeong is still in denial that the guy outside his car is the same guy he's looking for and desperately wish that it was just all a dream.

The next day, Han Ji Pyeong told Ms. Choi that the Nam Do San who used to be a Math Olympiad winner has his own start-up but it's a hopeless case, Ms. Choi thought that Nam Do San was going to have a terrific life but Han Ji Pyeong said that Nam Do San is still in his 20s and even luckiest ones still get lost in their 20s.

Nam Do San's father is determined to withdraw their investment that's why Samsan Tech has no choice but to sell some of their belongings to pay for their bills, Nam Do San also posted the baseball signed by a famous baseball player when he was young and Dal Mi happened to saw it, she immediately messaged Nam Do San and asked for proof and Nam Do San sent her the photo of him with Park Chan Ho and Dal Mi jumped because of happiness when she saw that it was the same Nam Do San from the newspaper she hid.

Han Ji Pyeong and Ms. Choi's conversation was interrupted when Dal Mi called and told Ms. Choi that she finally find Nam Do San and she's meeting him now. Meanwhile, Nam Do San was on his way with Yong San and Chul San when the bus stopped in front of SandBox and they were all stunned because they've always dreamed to enter SandBox. Nam Do San received a message from Seo Dal Mi telling him that she missed him and Do San thought that she was just too friendly. 

They arrived at their meet-up location and when Yong San saw Dal Mi from afar he immediately excused himself and take Chul San with him to give Do San and Dal Mi alone time. Nam Do San was already approaching Dal Mi but he was stopped by Han Ji Pyeong, Do San immediately recognized him as the guy from the magazine and Han Ji Pyeong drags him away from there and explained everything to him in his car that Dal Mi thought he was the one who wrote her the letters from 15 years ago. 

"It's been 30 seconds" Dal Mi looked sad when Do San didn't show up after telling her that he will arrive in 30 seconds. 

Dal Mi was called to the human resource to have a talk with her supervisor, she thought she will finally be a regular and get promoted but the opposite happened because her supervisor told her to quit first and have a break so they could renew her contract but Dal Mi said that they could just make her a permanent employee right away but it's not possible because she didn't even attend university. Dal Mi didn't oppose her superior's decision anymore and even accepted the pasta coupon they gave her as a reward for her new record, she calmly left and went to the rooftop to shout and let her frustration out.

Han Ji Pyeong and Nam Do San went to SamSan Tech and Han Ji Pyeong asked for Nam Do San for a favor to attend the exhibit with Dal-Mi this Friday but Chul San and Yong San wouldn't let Do San help for free, they ask Han Ji Pyeong to invest to their company in exchange but Han Ji Pyeong couldn't see any potential to their business and told them that he would just pay them and offer them 2 million won but Nam Do San wants him to help them enter Sandbox instead-but Han Ji Pyeong said that SandBox is beyond his capability, he also told them that none of the start-up that he didn't invest in succeeded and he doesn't want to lose that record that's why he's never going to invest in SamSan tech.

Nam Do San is still affected by what Han Ji Pyeong said earlier, he's busy knitting inside the train while the people around him are talking about their careers. On the other side, Seo Dal-Mi also looked sad after what happened at work and also the fact that she has to attend the exhibit alone because Nam Do San didn't show up, she comes home and sees the clothes and shoes that her grandma bought for her to wear in the exhibit and she couldn't help but cry.

The next morning Ms. Choi asked if Dal-Mi is still going to meet In Jae today despite not finding Do San and Dal Mi smiled and told her that she'll go there looking fabulous wearing the suit she bought her, Ms. Choi comforted Dal Mi and told her that she's a cosmos flower and it's still spring wait until fall and she'll bloom beautifully.

"Dad got me a beautiful music box for my ninth birthday"

"He said I could hear a beautiful melody if I opened it"

"But I never opened it, Isn't that funny?"

"What if I opened that pretty music box and I didn't like the melody?"

"What if it doesn't play any melody at all?"

"Because of stupid worries like that... I never opened it"

"Are you wondering why I'm telling you this?"

"What I'm trying to say is... Do San you're my pretty music box"

"It doesn't matter if you never open, It was enough for me to know that you were there"

"I hope you know that"

After reading Dal Mi's letter, Do San asked Yong San and Chul San if they could lend him a suit and he ride his bike and went to a salon.

Han Ji Pyeong was also worried about Dal Mi and went to the exhibit but when he gets there and was about to approach Dal Mi, he saw Nam Do San walking towards Dal Mi.

Everything turned slow motion for Dal Mi as she watches Nam Do San walking towards her in an all-black suit looking handsome...

"Have you been waiting long?" Do San asked

"Yes, very long... I missed you" Dal Mi said

To read more: Start-Up, episode 3 recap

Photos: Start-Up, South Korea

Source: Netflix

Cast: Bae Suzy

            Nam Joo Hyuk

Kim Seon Ho