Name: The Interest of Love season 1 episode 7
Director: Jo Young-min
Released: 2023-01-12T01:43:42

In the seventh episode of ‘The Interest of Love’, the employees go hiking together, where they discover that Sang-su and Mi-gyeong are dating. The episode is now streaming on Netflix.

Recap

Sang-su and Mi-gyeong have drinks together. When Mi-gyeong questions him about his past relationships, he chooses not to answer, and she does not press him.

Mr. Jeong tells Su-yeong that he is breaking up with her because of his studies. On her way home, she remembers him saying in the past that breaking up with her is a thought that never even crosses his mind.

As Mr. Ma is a sycophant, he encourages Mr. Noh’s idea to go hiking on the weekend. He asks the other employees to join them, but everyone refuses, except Sang-su, Mi-gyeong, and Su-yeong.

Sang-su and Su-yeong go to meet their clients together, and Sang-su does not fail to notice that something is troubling her. Mi-gyeong plans to go out to eat with the two, along with Gyeong-pil.

Sang-su tells Su-yeong that she can refuse to come with them if it makes her uncomfortable. However, she dismisses him by asking him why would it make her uncomfortable. They go to eat at Su-yeong’s parents’ restaurant.

Su-yeong keeps dismissing Sang-su’s attempts to make her comfortable. Later, Gyeong-pil gets Sang-su to confess that he is dating Mi-gyeong. The couple spends some quality time together that night.

Su-yeong goes to Mr. Jeong’s house and sees him packing all his belongings. She insists that he tell her the real reason behind their breakup. He reveals that his father collapsed and was taken to the hospital.

The hospital bills made him realize that his life did not start at zero; it started somewhere below zero. He will have to work to come to zero first, and he did not want to tell her that. She asks him to take some time and think before quitting his job.

Mi-gyeong’s mother runs into Sang-su at the bank when she comes to see her daughter. She then goes to have lunch with her new friend, Sang-su’s mother, not knowing that Sang-su is her son. The two discuss their children’s love lives.

Su-yeong meets a heartbroken Mr. Jeong again. He tells her that he failed his exam as well, and there is no longer a need for him to work at the bank. He adds that he is breaking up with her because he is humiliated that she has seen him as he is and at his worst.

She screams at him to not let her go just like that. Even though he does not want to break up with her, he thinks it is necessary and has made up his mind to quit his job once his leave is over. Sang-su witnesses them arguing from a distance.

Mi-gyeong tells Su-yeong that she is dating Sang-su, and Su-yeong congratulates her. When Su-yeong asks her if she is happy, Mi-gyeong tells her that dating him is exactly how she imagined it to be and that it makes her happy.

Mr. Jeong goes back to his hometown. Su-yeong realizes that he has a tough future ahead of him, and dating him is something that she cannot handle.

Mi-gyeong, Su-yeong, and Sang-su drive to the hiking point together. Seeing Mi-gyeong and Sang-su act like a couple makes Su-yeong miss Mr. Jeong. She thinks about their time together and gets out of the car without telling the couple much.

Despite their initial refusal, all the employees, except Su-yeong, show up to hike. Sang-su carries Mi-gyeong’s bag when she is tired, and Ms. Bae carries Mr. Ma’s bag.

Su-yeong goes to Mr. Jeong’s house in his hometown. She meets his mother, who believes that he took a loan from the bank for his father’s surgery. She then finds him working odd jobs.

The employees catch Mi-gyeong and Sang-su kissing, and Mi-gyeong confirms that they are a couple. The other employees celebrate their relationship, but Gyeong-pil looks visibly uncomfortable.

Mr. Jeong tells Su-yeong that he used up his security deposit and all his savings for his father’s surgery. He is going to stay in his hometown, but as his parents think he still works at the bank, he plans to save up enough money to rent a place here to keep it that way.

However, Su-yeong convinces him not to give up on his dream. She reminds him of his hopes and his belief that his dream will come true and that his life will get better.

She further adds that she has been in his position once, and she will hold his hand throughout his journey to help him overcome difficulties without feeling lonely. She offers him to stay with her in Seoul and work at the bank again while preparing to retake the exam.

She tells him she will wait for him at the bus terminal, and if he does not show up, then she will finally let him go and accept their break up.

Sang-su is bothered by the fact that everyone knows about his and Mi-gyeong’s relationship. She figures out that he is worried because if they break up, it will get awkward at work. She tells him they can prevent that from happening by never breaking up.

He drives her home, and she invites him to join her upstairs. She eagerly waits for his answer as he mulls it over.

After waiting for Mr. Jeong for a long time, Su-yeong has to give up and leave. However, he shows up seconds after her bus leaves. Just when he thinks he has lost one more thing, she approaches him, and he rushes to embrace her.

Review

Gyeong-pil has been a silent observer all this while, but in this episode, it seemed like he is yet to play an important role in the plot. It successfully piques the curiosity of the viewers, without giving away too much.
Although Jung Ga-ram, who plays Mr. Jeong, is not the lead actor, he has proved his worth over and over again. In this episode, his acting made it seem like there was an air of despondency around his character, who has lost all his dreams at once.
Furthermore, Mr. Jeong’s struggles are portrayed by the writers in a way that their weight is felt by the viewers. His confession about not having the luxury to dream is so sincere that it would leave a huge impact and make this otherwise light episode very intense.