Frankly Speaking revolves around a news announcer who finds a confidante in a variety show writer after losing his ability to lie. All episodes are now streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
Song Ki-baek is a news announcer whose entire life is based on lies. He allows everyone to believe that he comes from a rich family to improve his chances of success.
The truth is, Ki-baek’s family is poor and relies on the money he sends them. He is not particularly close to his parents or his two younger brothers.
Ki-baek aspires to be the main news anchor, always polite and compliant with his boss’s requests, which lands him on a variety show.
His boss ignores his protests and signs him up for the show at the insistence of the show’s head writer, On Woo-ju.
During filming, Ki-baek is electrocuted, resulting in a condition called disinhibition, which renders him unable to lie or filter his words.
His newfound brutal honesty, both on and off-screen, damages not only his own career but also that of Woo-ju, whose show is canceled after Ki-baek offends a popular idol.
Realizing his dreams of becoming the main news anchor are not going to come true, at least as long as he continues working here, Ki-baek resigns from his job.
He then moves in with his family. Without his prestigious job and fancy house, his facade crumbles, and he stops living a lie.
After her show gets canceled, Woo-ju starts working on an idea she has for a new show. People start losing faith in Woo-ju, doubting her run-of-the-mill idea.
For her show to succeed, Woo-ju swallows her pride and casts her ex-boyfriend, Kim Jeong-heon, a popular celebrity entertainer in high demand.
Jeong-heon and Woo-ju broke up because Jeong-heon had lied to his parents about Woo-ju’s family, leading her to believe that he was ashamed of her.
Despite their past, Jeong-heon is still in love with Woo-ju and hopes to win her forgiveness while working with her.
Jeong-heon and Ki-baek also know each other from school. They were friends, and Ki-baek confided in Jeong-heon about his family’s financial situation.
Jeong-heon tried to help Ki-baek by giving him money with good intentions, not realizing that his actions could offend Ki-baek, leading to a fight between them.
Ki-baek soon realizes that his parents’ landlord is Woo-ju’s mother. Woo-ju and Ki-baek now live in the same house.
As they are both at their lowest points, they often meet to discuss their problems and grow close over time.
Ki-baek even lends Woo-ju his old journal, which gives Woo-ju a unique idea that will make her new show stand out. It will be a dating reality show.
Apart from Jeong-heon and a few other contestants, Woo-ju plans to cast Ki-baek as well as a woman named Min Cho-hui, who was Ki-baek and Jeong-heon’s first love.
At the same time, Ki-baek discovers that he can control his condition with Woo-ju’s help. Since she was the first one to touch him after he was electrocuted, she can turn off his condition by touching his chest.
Ki-baek agrees to be on Woo-ju’s show, which she is forced to join as a cast member after Cho-hui drives away one of the original members.
When filming ends, Jeong-heon realizes that Ki-baek and Woo-ju have feelings for each other. He apologizes to Woo-ju, who forgives him and gains closure.
He also encourages Ki-baek to pursue a relationship with Woo-ju, which leads to Ki-baek and Woo-ju getting together. Additionally, Ki-baek and Jeong-heon rekindle their friendship.
When the show airs, Ki-baek becomes famous, while Woo-ju is forced to leave the writing team due to her appearance on the show.
She must now create a new show from scratch. During this time, Woo-ju’s biological mother, who abandoned her as a child, reenters her life.
Ki-baek supports Woo-ju, who typically hides her sadness and anger. Ki-baek comforts her, allowing her to express her true feelings.
They take a significant step forward as a couple when a false statement by Cho-hui prompts Ki-baek and Woo-ju to make their relationship public.
Ending explained:
Jeong-heon’s break
Cho-hui’s statement also led to one of Jeong-heon’s fans attacking Woo-ju, believing she had wronged Jeong-heon.
The attack prompts Jeong-heon to reevaluate his life. The pressures of his career begin to suffocate Jeong-heon, who even has panic attacks because of his work.
Feeling overwhelmed, Jeong-heon decides to disappear without informing anyone. Eventually, his team reaches out to Woo-ju for information about his whereabouts.
As they dated in the past, Woo-ju knows where he intends to go after retiring. She is able to find him and talk to him.
Woo-ju advises Jeong-heon to take a break from work, assuring him that it will help him and make returning to work easier.
Following her advice, Jeong-heon leaves the city for a while and asks his team to announce his panic disorder and hiatus publicly.
True to Woo-ju’s words, time away from work helps him recover. Six months later, Jeong-heon returns and is welcomed back by Woo-ju and her team because he has agreed to host Woo-ju’s new show.
Ki-baek’s relationship with his family
Ki-baek comes to realize how much his parents care about him. As his parents and his brothers have never been on a trip together, he plans a family trip.
Ki-baek’s family leaves first because Ki-baek is busy shooting. On their way there, they meet with an accident, which leaves Ki-baek’s mother seriously injured.
The doctor tells Ki-baek that his mother might never wake up again. However, Ki-baek is somehow able to lie to his brothers about her condition.
Ki-baek’s doctor explains that Ki-baek’s sincerity is behind his inability and ability to lie, which he previously could not do during his interview even when Woo-ju switched off his condition.
Ki-baek could not lie earlier because he could not hide his love for Woo-ju, and he can lie now because he wants to protect his brothers.
In his mother’s absence, Ki-baek is stern with his brothers, asking them to contribute financially for their mother’s treatment.
Ki-baek’s father tries to help but gets scammed instead. Ki-baek and his brothers go to confront the scammer with their father.
This leads to all of them expressing their true feelings for the first time, which brings them closer as a family.
It is revealed that Ki-baek’s father got into an accident when Ki-baek was in school. It happened while he was chasing Ki-baek, who was upset about his parents’ financial struggles.
While his family thinks they are a burden on him, Ki-baek, who still feels guilty about the accident, thinks he is the real burden.
Ki-baek’s father and brothers comfort him as he cries. It is then that Ki-baek’s mother wakes up, much to the family’s relief.
Woo-ju deals with her problems
Woo-ju wants to make a show called Laundry Therapy. Her idea is quite unique, which is why it might not get approved.
Two of Woo-ju’s juniors decide to quit Woo-ju’s old show and work with her, but she fires them when she finds out that they are financially struggling because of their decision.
Soon after, Woo-ju’s idea is greenlit by her boss, prompting her to invite her former team to work with her once again.
Her team informs her that they have already left their previous positions to join her. This marks a positive turn in Woo-ju’s professional life.
Woo-ju also tackles issues in her personal life. She goes to meet her biological mother, who is moving abroad and might never see her ever again.
Her mother apologizes for abandoning her, and Woo-ju forgives her after realizing that her past mistake is still causing her pain.
Additionally, Woo-ju confesses to the mother who raised her and dedicated her life to making Woo-ju happy that she never allows herself to be sad because she does not want to make her mother feel like a failure.
Woo-ju is going to change that now because she wants to share her true feelings with her mother. She encourages her mother to prioritize her own happiness. Woo-ju’s mother then decides to propose to her boyfriend.
Ki-baek and Woo-ju’s happy ending
Ki-baek’s manager gets him offers to host news shows, but he rejects them. He wanted to do news shows to look successful.
Ki-baek no longer cares about appearances; he is unwilling to hide behind lies as he did before. Living an authentic life is what makes him happy.
Six months later, Ki-baek is seen hosting a local show, which he previously guest-hosted and impressed the director enough to become the regular host.
The show is now called Mr. Song in on the Move. Ki-baek enjoys it because it allows him to report the truth and be himself. Ki-baek also takes care of his parents, who are proud of him.
The more he tried to hide his real self in the past, the lonelier he became. He has learned his lesson now. Although he can lie now, he does not lie about his life.
Similarly, Woo-ju has also changed. She does not try to hide her feelings and pretend to be fine. Instead, she seeks help when she needs it.
The show ends with Ki-baek proposing to Woo-ju and the two of them getting engaged.
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