The Interest of Love season 1 episode 5 recap & review

In the fifth episode of ‘The Interest of Love’, Su-yeong stands up to Mr. Yuk and faces the consequences. She later agrees to date Mr. Jeong. The episode is now streaming on Netflix.

Recap

Mr. Jeong sends his parents his salary and tells them about his life in Seoul, asking them not to worry about him. He thinks about his first day at the bank and how Su-yeong was kind to him. 

In the present, Sang-su, after hugging Su-yeong, asks her whether she would have dated him if he had kept his promise that day. She does not get a chance to reply as they get interrupted by other people.

Later, Sang-su goes to talk to her again but leaves when he sees her on the phone with Mr. Jeong. He apologizes to her the next day on the bus, but she replies that she did not feel uncomfortable and asks him to go out with her.

Mi-gyeong and Sang-su decide to go to their college friends’ wedding together. Su-yeong walks in at that time. Once Sang-su leaves, Mi-gyeong tells Su-yeong that she confessed her feelings to him.

Su-yeong then questions her if they are dating, and Mi-gyeong replies that he is still taking his time to give her an answer. Su-yeong observes the two at work.

When it is time for Su-yeong to go out with Sang-su, Mr. Yuk asks her to accompany him to have dinner with a client. Su-yeong is forced to cancel her plans with Sang-su.

At dinner, Su-yeong tries to pitch a product to the client, displeasing him. Mr. Yuk rebukes her and tells her that her job is to entertain the client. He forcefully hands her the money for the cab despite her refusal.

She angrily stuffs the money in a box in which she keeps all the money that he has given to her in a similar fashion. She does not even reply to Sang-su’s message.

Meanwhile, Seok-hyeon has decided to get married to a girl he has recently met.

Mr. Yuk asks Su-yeong to accompany him to another dinner, and Sang-su offers to go instead. When Mr. Yuk insists that it has to be her, she refuses, stating that it makes her uncomfortable to have drinks with them when no business is conducted.

When she further adds that it is not her job to entertain clients, an angry Mr. Yuk punishes her by asking her to clear the filing cabinet before Monday, a job that requires two people. He orders the other employees to not give her a hand.

Once everyone leaves, Sang-su offers to stay back and help her, but she does not let him. He buys dinner for her and leaves it on her desk, but Su-yeong thinks Mr. Jeong bought it for her.

Mi-gyeong and Sang-su spend time with their respective mothers. Sang-su plays golf with a client, President Park, and impresses him. Mi-gyeong comes to pick him up for the wedding, and Sang-su finds out that President Park is her father.

Mi-gyeong’s old friend berates her at the wedding for acting like she is better than others because she refuses to take her parents’ help. She points out that it would have been impossible for her to live the kind of life that she is living if it was not for her privilege. 

Sang-su drinks with Mi-gyeong and comforts her. He buys her something for her hangover and sends her home.

Su-yeong’s mother messages her to let her know that they have closed the restaurant and will leave soon. Su-yeong goes to visit the place where they are living but leaves without meeting them when she sees the poor condition of their house.

At work, Su-yeong’s colleagues get pictures of Mr. Yuk with another woman, and they suspect that woman to be Su-yeong.

Su-yeong works throughout the weekend to clear the filing cabinet. Sang-su offers to help again, but she still refuses. When he sees she is hurt, he scolds her for not taking his help or the other option.

She tells him that there is no other option for her. Every day at this bank has been a struggle for her.

Mr. Yuk praises Sang-su’s work at the meeting and reminds everyone to not help Su-yeong. The employees discuss how Mr. Yuk is bullying Su-yeong. 

Mr. Yuk tries to make Su-yeong feel insignificant. She then overhears Sang-su saying that this is happening to her because this is a choice that she made. 

Su-yeong is hurt and goes to visit her mother. She remembers discovering her father was cheating on her mother the night her brother died; their father abandoned them for another woman, and her brother knew it.

They faced several difficulties when he abandoned them. However, her mother has forgiven her father because she believes he is a good man. Su-yeong sees her mother limping and angrily yells at her to stop living like this.

Su-yeong walks home alone in the rain and thinks about how, even though she has feelings for Sang-su, she could not be honest with him. She has no right to be honest about her feelings because she understands why he hesitated before coming to meet her.

Just when she is thinking about how she is still stuck here despite trying so hard, Mr. Jeong appears before her with an umbrella.

He makes her smile and takes care of her. He expresses his wish to be her boyfriend. She remembers all those times when he has been there for her and agrees to date him.

Mr. Yuk’s wife, who is on the audit team, makes an appearance at the bank. Mr. Ma and Ms. Bae are called to speak to them in private. Minutes later, a furious Mr. Yuk storms toward Su-yeong, but Sang-su comes in his way.

Review

  • In this episode, it was refreshing to see Su-yeong’s character appear more human than before. She is not as composed as she has always been; she gets angry and frustrated like any other person.
  • While Sang-su is the protagonist of the show, Mr. Jeong is the hero in this episode. The writers do not simply put him in the spotlight, they make the viewers clap while doing that.
  • The pace of the episode is very slow; it is so slow that it might seem like nothing much happens.
The Interest of Love episode 5
The Interest of Love season 1 episode 5 recap & review 1

Director: Jo Young-min

Date Created: 2023-01-05 15:23

Editor's Rating:
3

Also Read: The Interest of Love season 1 episode 4 recap & review

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