Okay, I take back what I said earlier – I am now officially very very angry with Protect the Boss. Or shall I say I am very very angry with Eun Seol. What the heck, girl? When did you become the “keep secrets from boyfriend because he might not be able to handle the truth” type of brain dead heroine. Where did the candid and bruising girl of the early episodes go? If I were Ji Heon and the Chairman, forget misunderstandings, I’d be pissed at her solely for her trying to keep the truth from them and solving all the problems by herself. Which we all know is a recipe for 99% of all drama disasters. I could see this one coming from a mile away, and boy did it piss me off when it arrived. RAGE.
Episode 14 Recap:
This episode starts with Moo Won and Na Yoon sitting down to discuss her confession that she wants to get back together with him. He doesn’t have an answer for her, which she takes as a “no”. She wonders if it’s because of Eun Seol? Moo Won says that’s not it, which Na Yoon smiles at hearing because she figured Eun Seol was an easy excuse, but the reality is that Moo Won may not want her again.
Moo Won doesn’t think this is something that can be easily decided. Na Yoon says yes or no, it’s that simple. Moo Won asks if she wants to him to decide right now? Na Yoon says there is no need, since he’s clearly decided no. She gets up to leave, telling him to use his distant tenderness to go hug another woman in the future.
Na Yoon accidentally bumps into a lady on the street in her haste to get away. The boyfriend gets annoyed and tells her to apologize. She does but is very snappy. Moo Won steps forward make makes the other party apologize as well. He offers to take Na Yoon home, to which she’s upset because he’s being too nice to her at a time like this.
She takes out her hand mirror to see her mascara has run everywhere. Moo Won drives up to pick up Na Yoon, who is hiding behind a bus sign fixing her make up. He gets out of the car and calls her, driving off when he thinks she’s left. She comes running out trying to flag him down, but Moo Won doesn’t see her.
Na Yoon goes home and cries on Myung Ran’s shoulders that she confessed to Moo Won and got dumped today. She runs to the kitchen to put two spoons in the freezer, showing Myung Ran that her eyes are swollen and putting frozen spoons on her eyes is the best way for the swelling to go down. Moo Won goes home and looks confused.
Back to the resort where Eun Seol has just asked Ji Heon what he would do if she asked him to come into her world and give up succession. He answers that he’ll do it, he’ll do anything she asks. She ruefully notes that if he does that, they won’t have any means to survive. Ji Heon promises to take his checkbook and stock portfolio when he goes over.
Eun Seol asks Ji Heon if he remembers what she said to him about the type of Chairman she wants him to become? He does, rattling off her list easily. Eun Seol is conflicted, at times wanting him to become a good Chairman, other times wanting him to leave it all behind and live a carefree life. She asks what he wants? He says he’ll think about it, telling her not to worry. He asks again what’s been bothering her, and not to lie to him.
She agrees not to lie, confessing there is something bothering her lately. But it’s not the right time to tell him. She promises to tell him at a later time. He pulls her in for a hug, which she allows but then pushes him off because she can’t breathe. He hugs her again, less tightly this time, and then places a gentle kiss on her lips.
Before he can go in for another kiss, she starts giggling and they break apart. She teases him for striking a kiss pose, which makes Ji Heon annoyed. She apologizes and asks for his forgiveness. He smiles and pulls her in for another kiss. Next scene it’s already morning time and Ji Heon and Eun Seol are out for a walk. Please don’t ask me to guess if they slept together or not, use your imagination.
Moo Won has dinner with his mom, confessing that he’s got quite a lot on his mind lately. His mom says all the stresses of life are making her age more. Moo Won says to stop plotting against his uncle and live righteously, she’ll live longer and less aged.
Grandma is having breakfast with her son and thinking back to what Eun Seol said to her. The Chairman tells his mom that having a upset face and picking at her food at the table will lead to a loss in prosperity, which is what she told him. He wonders what’s wrong with her since she’s unusually quiet today. He hopes she’s not developing elderly-induced depression and tells her to get checked out.
Grandma goes to intercept Secretary, which freaks him out. She tells him to be honest, what is the Chairman doing these days? Secretary says he doesn’t know and Grandma starts getting all up in his face. The Chairman walks out and saves his Secretary from Grandma’s wrath. Later he asks if there is something going on he doesn’t know about? Secretary says he doesn’t know anything.
The Chairman is told that today is the final community service he has to perform. The Chairman is thrilled, but when he flashes back to all the community service work he’s done, he has a smile on his face. Eun Soel and Ji Heon leave the resort to go back to Seoul. Secretary Kim picks them up, smirking and asking what the two of them did last night. Both Eun Seol and Ji Heon punch the poor guy before getting into the car.
Both of them fall asleep in the back of the car while holding hands. Eun Seol gets a text from the guy she met, Mr. An, asking her to please do the right thing and be a whistleblower.
Na Yoon’s mom tells Moo Won’s mom that the next scandal to hit DN Group will likely force the Chairman to resign. At that time, she suggests Moo Won’s mom take over as Chairman, and she’ll use her stock vote to back that nomination. Moo Won’s mom is no dummy, asking Na Yoon’s mom what her real motive is, because she’s clearly not doing this out of friendship and kindness.
Na Yoon’s mom says her husband is interested in a DN Group subsidiary, wanting to acquire it and build an even stronger monopoly in that industry. They are going to offer a fair market value for the company of course.
The Chairman’s Secretary runs into Director Park in the bathroom. This time it’s Director Park who points out Secretary doesn’t look so good, and offers to recommend some good nutritional supplements. Director Park calls Na Yoon’s mom to ask if Moo Won’s mom is willing to take some action. He’s getting tired of what he’s doing. Na Yoon’s mom tells him to hang in there, they have to keep making waves.
Eun Seol goes to a payphone to call Mr. An. She asks him to just listen to her for now. She wants him to not contact her because someone is setting up a trap and any communication between them will be evidence. She wants him to record any calls he gets from whistleblowers pretending to be her and then find out who the caller is. Then he can call her back and let her know. And if he receives anything that supposedly comes from her, please give it to her.
Eun Seol knows her request may seem strange and unreasonable. But someone has the wrong motives for doing this. Eun Seol promises to help Mr. An with his ultimate goal to clean up corporate corruption, but this is not the right way.
Eun Seol sits down to make a list of who the betrayer can be. She settles on Director Park, and then Moo Won and Na Yoon’s moms. Na Yoon comes home and Eun Seol asks her whether she’s doing it? Na Yoon is confused and Eun Seol knows that it’s not her, but this is causing her so much doubt and stress.
Ji Heon thinks back to his conversation with Eun Seol, leading him to go outside and chat with his dad. Ji Heon says his project is doing fine and he’ll submit a report in a few days. Ji Heon asks how the preparations are going for Ji Heon to donate his inheritance. He wants to make sure his dad is doing everything according to the law (i.e. not avoiding taxes) because he wants to be righteous in front of Eun Seol. Ji Heon says that he and his dad shouldn’t rely on their money to be attractive. He trusts his dad is moving forward as promised. Grandma peeks at this conversation and looks concerned.
Na Yoon confesses to Eun Seol that getting rejected by Moo Won hurts 100 times more than when she pursued Ji Heon and kept getting rebuffed. She doesn’t know if it’s because she likes Moo Won more than she liked Ji Heon. Eun Seol tells her not to compare the two. Eun Seol thought she only recently liked Ji Heon, and she always thought Moo Won was more handsome.
But maybe when Ji Heon started to like her was when she started to like him back, but just never realized it. Eun Seol says she sees her feelings clearly now when she didn’t know it back then. Just like Na Yoon sees it clearly now how much she likes Moo Won, but didn’t know it when she dumped him. Eun Seol says she feels sorry for Moo Won, who does everything well so no one pays attention to him.
Na Yoon meets with Moo Won and hands him a revised marketing plan which he is pleased with. Na Yoon asks him to come with her and cancel the rest of his appointments for the day.
Secretary meets with Eun Seol and expresses his concern about who could have tipped off the citizen’s reform group. Is Eun Seol just directing and acting out this whole thing? She yells at him to stop suspecting her. He thinks all signs point to her, but she says he’s a suspect because he could be doing this to get rid of her. They agree they are on the same side and need to work together.
Both agree to work from the inside to change corporate corruption. Secretary will convince the Chairman not to do what he’s planning to do. Eun Seol wonders if she can share this situation with Moo Won. Secretary says to wait until it’s all resolved otherwise it’ll get more complicated.
Secretary is pretty fidgety in front of the Chairman who notices the odd behavior. He calls Eun Seol and tells her that his final community service is at a center for troubled youth. He thinks Eun Seol would know all about it since she was a badass way back when. She tells the Chairman just to give a lecture on turning their life around. She trusts that if he does what he’s always done, that’ll be enough, because he is a righteous and upstanding person.
The Chairman’s not comfortable with this ironic praise, noting that this elevator sure is going really slow. After he exits the elevator, he rubs his chest and tells Secretary and he almost got jabbed to death back there by the loaded irony. It’s clear that a person’s conscience can’t be discounted. Secretary says his heart beat so fast it hurts as well.
Eun Seol sees Director Park making a call with his mouth covered and then lurking around. She follows him, which is when Ji Heon turns the corner and sees Eun Seol acting all shifty. He pulls her away from where she is peeking at Director Park, who darts around and is worried that Eun Seol now suspects him.
Ji Heon drags Eun Seol back to his office before asking her to come clean about what is happening. She tries to pretend it’s nothing but he’s not an idiot. Eun Seol says Director Park’s conversation was so funny she wanted to eavesdrop. Ji Heon asks if she’s disappointed in him, or think he’s mentally weak so she can’t share important secrets with him. Does she not trust him even the tiniest bit. She keeps telling him to wait, she’ll tell him when the time is right.
He’s frustrated and she runs to hug him. He pushes her off and her butt hits the corner of the sofa. He’s sorry that he accidentally hurt her. Director Park meets with Na Yoon’s mom and reveals that Eun Seol may be onto them because she’s quite perceptive. Mr. An receives in the mail envelope containing all the secret files of the DN Group slush funds. He tells everyone to get ready to take action.
The Chairman is so excited today is his last community service and can’t wait to wipe this blemish off his resume. The kids at the youth center are rude when the Chairman is speaking. He asks the youth center director to leave and he’ll make the speech by himself.
Everyone is goofing off during his speech, until finally the Chairman slams his hand on the table and starts yelling at the kids. He warns them that they will destroy their lives if they don’t turn it around when they are still young. The teenagers call him the Gangster Chairman and think he is just like them, so how dare he lecture them. The Chairman says he understands what they went through and wants them to change.
Moo Won and Na Yoon are walking and he chides her, asking why she keeps wanting to do things with him. He turns to leave but she grabs his arm, saying they can just emulate a couple on a date. So they end up following that couple and doing the exact same things. They hold hands and go to a bookstore. When Na Yoon sees the couple kissing and teasing each other, she gets excited and remembers that they’ve done it before way back when.
Moo Won takes her to the park and asks her what her motive is? She says she just wants to come out for a day with him. He says he’s a busy guy and has a lot of appointments. He says they should just be candid. Na Yoon asks to start first. She knows that she chased Ji Heon first, and now appears to want Moo Won back, and that doesn’t look good.
But she didn’t know exactly how she felt back then and now finally sees things clearly. She thinks Moo Won is also confused, not knowing if he still has residual feelings for Eun Seol and Na Yoon. So she’s decided to just stick to him like chewing gum. He tells her to be as forward as she wants, but he’ll react to her in whatever way he feels like.
Ji Heon drops Eun Seol off but he’s still in a snit. She asks him not to leave when he’s still angry. She promises she’ll explain everything soon and beg for his forgiveness. He says he has no patience and will continue to be angry with her until she comes clean.
Na Yoon and Moo Won arrive and wonder why they are fighting. Moo Won says it must be Ji Heon who did something wrong. Eun Seol says no, it wasn’t. Na Yoon pulls Eun Seol into the house, asking what Eun Seol did to upset Ji Heon. Eun Seol doesn’t answer, instead asking Na Yoon if she can meet with Na Yoon’s mom.
Ji Heon sits down with Moo Won and discuss what to do. Ji Heon laughs as he realizes Na Yoon is going all out to pursue Moo Won, advising Moo Won to just give up now and let himself be led away by Na Yoon. The cousins power walk down the stairs in yet another competition.
The Chairman sits in the yard and thinks back to all the discussions earlier about himself being a righteous person or a Gangster Chairman. He goes to the bathroom and sees his alter-ego in the mirror, who asks if he’s not ashamed of what he’s doing? He is ashamed, especially when he can’t even be righteous in front of those kids at the youth center. He wonders if he’s lived his life so that he’ll be remembered as a failure of a father and a Gangster Chairman. The Chairman cries in disappointment at himself.
Ji Heon comes home and tells his Eun Seol cut out that he’s disappointed in her. The Chairman comes in and promises that from now on, he will do everything with the succession and the inheritance that Ji Heon requested. Everything will be aboveboard and clean as a whistle.
The Chairman tells Secretary that Ji Heon asked him to clean up the company and he has decided to do just that. The Chairman tells Secretary that now it’s time for Secretary to come clean with him about what he’s been hiding lately. Secretary says that their slush fund ledger has been discovered….by Eun Seol. Chairman is so angry he delivers a swift kick to Secretary.
Secretary says Eun Seol appears to be in contact with the citizen’s reform group. The Chairman calls Eun Seol but it’s Ji Heon that picks up. Ji Heon says Eun Seol with to meet her friend Uncle Bong. The Chairman says he’s Uncle Bong and he’s clearly not meeting with Eun Seol. He asks him to call Eun Seol and find out where she is. Ji Heon realizes that Eun Seol lied to him.
Eun Seol meets with Mr. An, who reveals that the slush fund ledger was mailed to him. She confirms again that she didn’t mail it. She asks for more time, she can get the Chairman to turn himself in. Ji Heon sees Eun Seol on the street and finds her meeting with Mr. An. After they leave, when it’s clear that Mr. An has agreed to give her some time, Mr. An gets a call that the ledger has been delivered to the government authorities.
Eun Seol meets with the Chairman and confesses that she saw the secret ledger. She asks him to handle it and pay all the back taxes. She asks him to please step forward and take care of it. He asks why he should do that. Eun Seol says the prosecutor’s office will soon be receiving the documents, so if he steps forward he may get leniency.
The Chairman orders her to leave. He says he liked Eun Seol more than anyone else, so right now his sense of anger and betrayal by her is stronger than towards anyone. He wants her to leave now before he does anything to her, which is the last thing he can do for her. Eun Seol says she saw the ledger and tries to explain she didn’t do anything else, but the Chairman screams at her to get out of his face, leave and never show herself again. Eun Seol has tears in her eyes when she gets up and leaves. The Chairman clutches his chest in discomfort.
Eun Seol passes Director Park in the office and drags him off to a darkened corner where she demands to know if he was the one who did it. She reminds him that she’s not the kind of person who’ll let these things go. If he didn’t do it, or if he did it because he believed in righteousness, then she’ll forgive him. But seeing how he looks so guilty, clearly that is not the case. She promises to make his life a living hell.
The Chairman tells Secretary to keep this news from Ji Heon, and fire Eun Seol immediately. Moo Won finds out that Na Yoon’s mom and Director Park orchestrated a whistleblower attack on the Chairman. Moo Won’s mom feels like she was inadvertently involved, and knows they will drag her into it as well.
Na Yoon meets with her mom and happily reveals she’s pursuing Moo Won. Which is when Moo Won arrives and demands to know what Na Yoon’s mom did. Na Yoon looks confused and follows Moo Won out, trying to ask what happened.
Ji Heon drives Eun Seol home, asking if he still needs to wait, or does she have something to tell him now. Eun Seol hesitates until Ji Heon pulls the car over and makes her get off. He tells her to just go home by herself today. Eun Seol gets out and walks home.
Ji Heon comes home and finds his dad waiting for him in the yard. Ji Heon thinks his dad has been so weird lately. The Chairman turns and tells Ji Heon to break up with Eun Seol. Ji Heon demands to know what is happening lately that everyone is keeping from him. Suddenly Ji Heon appears to have a brief anxiety attack and needs to sit down.
The Chairman finds out from Secretary that the prosecutor’s office is already investigating and people should be by shortly to collect evidence with a search warrant. Dozens of investigators arrive at the offices of the DN Group and walk into every office armed with a search warrant. They tell everyone to stop working right now and allow them to collect evidence of having illegal slush funds.
Thoughts of Mine:
Yeah, what more can I say. This episode sucked. Plodding and hit almost every drama cliché in the book with respect to bad people setting a trap and good people falling into it. I respect the drama for showing that the trap was really something the Chairman created by dodging taxes for so long, so the prosecutorial investigation to come isn’t like the Chairman is being set up or the company is being destroyed by evildoers. But I hate watching something that ought to be handled in a decent way become an attack on wonderful people like the Chairman and the Cha family by the likes of poopheads like Director Park and Na Yoon’s mom.
Moo Won and Na Yoon for me took a backseat in the relationship development. They’ll get together, I’ve no doubt, but I’m not particularly chafing to watch their scenes. I much prefer scenes of Eun Seol and Na Yoon or Moo Won and Ji Heon, because the friendship element of PTB continues to be its core strength. I was genuinely disappointed in Eun Seol’s decision to keep hiding the slush fund ledgers from Ji Heon, especially after he directly told her to tell him. She claims her decision is to protect him, but he’s right, her decision stems from the belief that he needs protecting rather than trusting he can handle the truth.
I can’t fathom why the confirmation of the extension was immediately followed by the first episode of PTB I merely liked, and then the first episode of PTB I flat out hated. Plus this episode had boating! And still I hated it. Yes, they totally slept together at the resort, and I loved how the drama didn’t make it a huge deal, but rather let the couple have their intimacy off screen. As for the plot, I really wish Eun Seol told the Chairman and Ji Heon what she suspected was going on. Even if ultimately the authorities were alerted, at least she’s not mistaken as the whistleblower, and the people she cared about would not feel like they were blindsided by all of this.
I hope this drama brings back the cute, the funny, the poignant soon, which it had in spades in the early episode even though there was plenty of work place plot and shenanigans going on. But each time it was dealt with practically and without any unnecessarily angst, which is what is happening here. I think there is enough issues for everyone to tackle without throwing in my most hated plot device, the big misunderstanding caused by not communicating. I’ll just have to wait another week to see how PTB resolves this bit of sub-par plotting.
THANK YOU!! OMG FIRST! hehe 😀
thanks!! off to read…
It’s funny that you should hate it so much, because I actually really liked it – I can definitely see your point, but I don’t think that Eun-seol acted totally out of character. People are a) liable to do stupid things, and b) do things they normally don’t do when confronted with situations they’re normally not in. It’s an acceptable explanation for me, at least. And I actually like this relationship arc with Ji-heon and Eun-seol, because I think despite the strides she made last episode, she still very much sees Ji-heon as someone she needs to protect. In order for them to be truly equals – which I think is very important in a relationship – she’s going to have to confront and overcome that, and I think this is a good way for her to do that.
I just loved all the cuteness in this episode, even Na-yoon and Moo-won’s “date” – they were hilarious following that other couple around. I’m glad they’re going to get together, because I think they’ll make each other happy. ^_^
I probably don’t “hate” it as much as I’m disappointed. I think the writing in these last two episodes were sloppy compared to the razor sharp writing of all episodes before. I felt like these last two episodes were the tail wagging the dog, i.e. have Eun Seol act this way, make a plausible reason for why she does it, so that the plot can ratch up the misunderstanding and angst.
I’m not saying it’s out of character completely for Eun Seol to want to handle things by herself, but writing wise it’s a stretch, and Eun Seol would much more likely talk things over with Ji Heon and let him decide what he wants to do. She tries to take care of him, yes, but not to this extent where she repeatedly blocks his direct request for them to talk when she knows that he know something is wrong.
These last two episodes didn’t work for me, but I still think PTB is leaps above most K-dramas when it comes to plot and characterization depth, even with this latest foray into more standard plot machinations.
I admit, I was a little disappointed, too. I would have liked her to directly confront the Chairman or at least tell Ji-heon what was going on.
It makes me wonder how the story would have gone without the extension, if they would have brought it up to this extent, or if it would have just been addressed in passing.
Started to follow your recap recently, first would like to thank you.
I could not complete this episode as I just don’t like the *angst*. I like this drama b’cos a fast-paced cute rom-com, nothing more. But, again, if everything remains so cute, how to put a closure in this drama?
As much as Ji Heon is immature, not telling him the truth is a big no/no. Initially, I was a big fan for Eun Seol’s candidness on her confusion rather hiding from it. Given there are 4 more episodes, I’m not sure if this misunderstanding could be resolved by next week. If not, I would just wait till it finalizes. I just can’t finish this episode, too painful to watch.
I rewatched the episode again and I think everyone is being too harsh on ES. Yes, she might behave out of the character. But isn’t it normal that we sometimes make the wrong choice in a difficult situation like this? She is not a hero as we imagine her to be, and this is precisely the problem here since even she herself imagines herself as a hero since she always handle her life well without help from others (only MR is by her side, and probably MW).
While everyone blames ES, how about secretary Jang? Is he more responsible for creating more misunderstanding? How can he tell JD that ES actively seeks out the investigator??
I am not saying ES is not wrong. But I would prefer to understand her mistake in a bigger picture. Precisely because PTB is a drama about interpersonal relationship as ockoala observes, I think ES’ mistake will be a turning point in this drama because not only for her, but for all the characters in the drama that they have to work with each other to they have to work together to deal with this crisis.
I enjoy episode 14 since finally we got to a different side of ES and I find her more appealing despite her flaw.
I hated this episode. There. It blew chunks. Eun Seol blew chunks. The only person who rocked was Ji Heon.
Estel, come to think about it, you are right. ES is still that “motherly” figure that tries to weather all the storm by herself and I hope that this “misunderstanding” will be the turning point for her. Until now, we didn’t see much of ES’ “weakness” and indeed, her resilience is her biggest “flaw” as well as her strength. However, somehow I also feel that this is a setup that will serve to dramatize the heroic triumph of JH?? I also have the inkling that MW will be the key figure since he knows what’s going on and he will side with ES. What a mess. lol!!!
I will be MORE pissed than koala if PTB turns out to be a conventional drama that glorifies the triumph of a male hero in the expense of turning the woman into a pitiful martyr. Not in this drama!!!
No, I don’t think it will go that route. The way Eun Seol warned the traitor secretary was a good indication, i think.
I was thinking Ji heon needed protecting not from being unable to handle it (immature and all) but because anyone who knows about it (and being in a prominent position) will be held guilty in court and punished (though at a lesser level than the chairman). I thought that was also the reason why Mu won’s mom was warning Mu won to deny any knowledge or inkling of slush funds.
I don’t know about korean law, but isn’t it as punishable as money laundering?
Thanks for the recap!!! I sort of expect an outrageous reaction from koala and *a lot of * PTB fans. lol. I don’t know. Actually, I feel that episode 13 and 14 belong to an entirely different drama other than PTB. All of the sudden, the focus of international relationship gives way to the backstabbing and endless secrecy of business world. And of course, ES always ends up to be the one to be blamed. *sobbing* I hope that this turn of event will be meaningful in a way that brings the transformation of ES, especially given that koala actually talks about the fact that the character of ES serves as a catalyst rather than a character with her own “development.” She is always independent and maybe too self-reliant to the degree that she doesn’t even ask for help, except from MR.
I actually don’t think that “misunderstanding” is the key element of episode 14. Frankly, I think that the writer wants to push the conflict between social mores and personal relationship into the forefront, which can be a very dangerous move. Ultimately we only have 4 episodes left and it seems like the writer/PD seems to move PTB into an entirely different genre of drama. Even in episode 13, I feel that the angst is dormant and too much to bear.
Thanks for the recap. Koala don’t you see it as a good plot twister? We now have an outsider who is attacking the family. Will this family come together or fall apart? I mean one thing is in house fighting, but when you have an outsider who wants to take away the company isn’t that something else? The one thing that i hope they don’t do is drag this out to long.
Oh, I love the attack on the family from an outside party. What I don’t like was Eun Seol’s decision to keep it from Ji Heon and the Chairman. She suspects someone is plotting against the company and she tries to solve it all by herself? Stupid move.
Yeah…I have to agree. I would rather than she trusted Ji-heon, but I can see how it could fit into her personality that she wouldn’t.
Thanks for the recap. I don’t like extensions…can’t recall one series that was improved by one, and can think of a lot of Kdramas that would have been more enjoyable if they had lopped off an episode or two (or three or four).
Thanks for the recap! If the extension hadn’t happened, then this whole secret funds/evading taxes issue would have gone by much faster. It’s obvious they’re dragging the thing once Eun Seol told Ji Heon she’ll tell him when the time is right.
However, I didn’t hate this episode. It wasn’t as epic, but a mediocre Protect the Boss episode is still a pretty good kdrama episode. I’m glad she wasn’t the only person who knew abt the whistleblower trap. At least she could talk with the Secretary about it. I like the whole secretaries-band-together-to-protect-boss thing. I don’t blame her much for keeping it from Ji Heon since 1. Ji Heon was intuitive enough to sense that something was wrong and 2. Ji Heon is still pretty immature. This will hopefully segue into further exploring and maturing Eun-Seol and Ji-Heon’s relationship and in giving Ji Heon another push to get further involved in the company. ES still thinks of herself as Ji Heon’s guardian and JH needs to prove himself to be a good leader.
Thank you for the recap! Hopefully this plotline gets wrapped up quickly next week.. don’t want to see it dragged out any longer :/
to be honest, i haven’t watched this episode because i didn’t like what i saw yesterday.. and judging by what i just read – it’s probably better for my sanity to just skip this episode until next week’s come along..
also, i wish they would stop extending dramas just for the sake of ratings.. if the writer intended it to be 16 episodes, stop at 16. just my personal thoughts.
Thanks for the recap ockoala. I have not watched the shows (13 & 14) as yet and am largely dependent on yours and softy recap to make an analysis.
Granted these 2 episodes were not in line with the previous set as its more serious but I am trying to ascertain its purpose & where it leads to.
Softy says this- “For the first time last night, I realized why this drama had to be called Protect the boss. It wasn’t so Eun Seol could protect Ji Heon from his father’s constant abuse or help Ji Heon with his phobia, it was so Eun Seol could protect both men at a time like this – even if it means hurting one or both of them. ” I agree with this statement because its typical of her personality and actions. We may not like them but I am sure there is a plan somewhere, plus in this case its Na Yoon’s family got the jump on the Cha’s (excluding Na Yoon of course).
The other thing is that this may prove to be a real test for the Cha family to truly come together and fight the common enemy which is in essence Na Yoon’s dad, mom is a player in the scheme of things. The other test is Eun Seol herself to learn to depend on someone else which is Ji Heon & the Cha family to get over this hurdle in this case it is a matter of belief & trust. I am curious to see how this will be resolved & hoped it is done in ep 15.
So until I watch it, I cannot say I am disappointed as in a way I sort of expected that through all the light arcs a serious set had to get in between lets hope they go back to what works before the end.
By the way the naughty side of me definitely wanted to see a naughtier kiss by Eun Seol and Ji Heon so that I can be very sure that it really matches my/our imagination, that one is a bit lightish. Because to me its a did they/didn’t they?
Gone for now and have a good week.
Thanks for recap ockoala. Same position with you about this crazy episode.
The one unforgivable thing is Eun Sol lied to Ji Heon. I think the problem of company turned be can be acceptance as we know who is Eun Sol from first episode (the way she thread Ji Heon over his phobia is same with her thread for Cha Daddy’s problem). But what she did like prev episode – she does things opposite what she said about not to come chaebol’s world – makes me want to throw her to the sea, and now my anger to Eun Sol is even bigger.
Btw, i think they weren’t “DO” that consider Ji Heon lack’s of physical interaction. Well it will be another story if Ji Sung involved. HAHAHA
hola, ockoala, nice to come here again and I am so grateful that you are recapping this series!
Hmm….am I the only who actually enjoys episode 14 more than earlier episodes?
Contrary to everyone, I see ES’ “hiding” the truth rather normal, given how the scriptwriter has created the character from episode 1. Yes. ES is a realist that her main concern is nothing more than making her ends meet. However, ES is also an idealist. This is a woman who has the passion to change the world, which is why she constantly gives JH’s advice for making DN a “decent” company. And since she is an idealist, somehow I feel that ES is also blind to the reality and to the limit of her ability to cope with a tricky situation like what happens in episode 14.
Maybe it’s just me. I find her “pride” very human and real, which makes her characterization rather complex because I also feel that ES, ultimately, is not a woman with much of the confidence in herself, which is why she overcompensates her lack of confidence by trying to make everything under her control. She does not have a good diploma and respectable upbringing. So she tries very hard to prove herself. But she sometimes tries too hard, and this is what happens in episode 14.
Thank you so much ockoala for the recap. I stalkering your site excitedly after PTB was aired^^
I respect your dissapontment opinion for this eps. For me, i feel this episode kinda slow pace..and wonder why the angst suddenly came out when it remain only 4 eps left..but i decide to keep following this drama and believing what the writer will take us into this drama.
Hmm….i also guess maybe MW will be the key figure, the only one who still believe in ES and will defend for/protect for ES..i don’t know exactly…but i don’t think ES really has motive to lie to JH, maybe she just afraid of JH’s phobia will comeback again. From the situation of JH’s dad health condition maybe become worst after this kind of storm, i hope JH-MW-ES-NY will hand-in-hand helping each other to save the company.
I’m still hoping for the 4 last eps will finally give us a conclusion that PTB is really a different kind of rom-com drama and break the common K-drama rule. (^_______^)
PTB Fighting!!!
Honestly, this episode makes my heart break but not because of ES or anyone.
It is because of this circumstances they’re in to. I really pitied JD for facing consequences of his misdeeds. How I wish he’ll find ease in his heart to face a new day full of happiness.
One thing on my mind, this challenge might lead us to a better understanding why this drama is made…a thing that will teach the characters and viewers as well…
I just remember the scandal that ES, J & JD faced before that somehow made their life crushed and how it been resolved? Simply forgiving and forget, the reason why my heart pushed me to cling on to this story.
I’m now asking the writers to put a very nice triumph against the trials they made into PTB…
I’ve been watching this show from episode one but apparently I must have missed something. Because out of nowhere Eun Seol is dating Ji Heon. Whaaaat.. ?? So she decided on him. That or this is friends with benefits, whenever Ji Heon feels like it
They became an official couple from episode 11, it was subtle but there. If you watch the coffee house scene – Ji Heon described Eun Seol to the part timer as not his guardian but his secretary and his woman who is a bit narrow minded. Eun Seol response was I think was what man is calling who narrow minded plus she did not refute the claim, Ji Heon was happy that she called him a man because that to him is how she actually sees Ji Heon. From there on it was coupleship.
Thanks much much sis Koala! Been late lately on blog visits due to work. First I don’t really like PTB extending. The way the drama unfolded since they does notneed another episodes, the pacing will the be perfect for 16 ep series. I hope this “little” sloppiness in 13 and 14 is not brought about by the extension.
As to Eun Seol keeping the thing from Ji Heon and J’s Dad is outright studid. That may be harsh but I feel that way. Gah! In the first place, she should have thought that the Chairman had all the right to know what’s going on in his company… and Ji Heon too. To be frank about it, she is just a secretary and things like this should be reported to the top management for proper action. tsk tsk tsk.
On the side… I would have love Na Yun and Mu Won moments. Na Yun is really cute. I just hope that all her efforts on Mu Won would come into fruition. I guess she did really liked Mu Won even before but was just fixated with Ji Heon.
Anyways, guys, subtitles are availabe at http://www.darksmurfsub.com . Here is the direct link to the drama: http://www.darksmurfsub.com/forum/index.php?/topic/2530-protect-the-boss-2011/page__st__260
But it was secretary Jang who asked her NOT to tell the boss, and pretend not to know. Before, when JD asked ES about JH’s illness, ES was praised for keeping the secret since she insisted that the JD should ask JH directly. Yes, she failed her duty not to report to the boss, but she also fulfilled her responsibility not to tell her boss since she promised her senior, secretary Jang, not to tell. It’s NOT simply a black-and-white issue, in my opinion. Also, if she did tell JH, wouldn’t JH get more upset with his own father?
If we want to judge things in black and white, isn’t what JD did in the first place outright wrong to begin with?
Yes, Sec Jang was adamant that ES not tell JD or J what she knows. Since Jang is obviously loyal to JD and has many more years of experience with the company, it makes sense that she tried to listen to her senior. Her conflict was shown. She didn’t want to keep it a secret and finally tried to talk honestly with JD. Her attempt at honesty with JD didn’t go well.
But I do think the friends and family will rally to reveal the truths. As has been pointed out before, the basic decency of many of the key characters has been a theme in this drama.
This episode was such a drag. I’m really disappointed. Looks like the writing team didn’t know what to do with the extra episodes, so they introduced this boring mess into the series. I hope the writers get back to the witty, fast-paced, and fun serial they had before.
I really liked the directly honest and up-front NES. Then came this event in Ep 14. And “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive!” I wish she’d stayed true to her character. There’d have been less mess to clean up afterwards.
When NY’s mom mentioned her husband’s interest in acquiring a DN group subsidiary, it suddenly dawned on me that NY’s dad is still around. I’ve always thought that he’s dead. Don’t believe I’ve seen him in PTB so far. I must have missed something along the way…
NY’mom & NY mentioned ‘dad’ from time to time but he never appeared…
For some reason, I never really thought that Eunseol was in trouble since she recorded the initial conversation with the Citizen’s Group fellow and the conversation in which he said that she had called him, but she said she hadn’t. She also says to him (while being recorded) that she doesn’t know anything. That will probably be useful later.
Eunseol’s set-up doesn’t come as a surprise, since Na-yoon said something like her mother would try to attack a person and everyone around that person.
Too bad that Eunseol got caught in a lie to Ji-hoon. That’s the only thing that’s disappointing. Otherwise, it was a pretty good episode, just not as snappy or fast-paced as the others.
Thanks very much Koala for all the recaps on PTB!
Yup, too bad ES was caught lying by J and JD about meeting “Bong Suk”. But what I hate more was how J treated her. He had been patient in pursuing her all this while, and now that he finally managed to “obtain” her, he treated her badly – pushing her hard when she was hugging him, telling her to get off the car, etc. What the heck is this attitude?! Prior to this episode, I thought he’s one of the best male lead characters ever… if things don’t get better with him, I may change my mind.
toinfinityandbeyond, i love your user name! Toy Story is one of my all-time favourite!! =D
i agree with you about how JH treated ES, he was all sweetness till then! Terrible boy! Grrr…
i think secretary Jang should be spanked for not trusting ES, that she would not do such a thing as whistleblow on the chairman. Grrr…
i think ES should be forgiven for trying to take on too big a responsibility all on her own. yes i agree she shouldn’t have lied to JH when she went to meet the An guy. Grrr…
i wonder, for those who love this drama so far, have you guys watched Best Love? And which one do you think is better? Just curious! 😉
Yes, I agree. I really disliked this episode. I think Eun Seol should have just immediately told the truth instead of trying to solve things by herself. Then perhaps less misunderstanding would occur. I got so bored halfway through this episode.
I started liking Kdrama after watching PtB. So, it can be said that I love PtB more than other series including goong, full house (never see FH in full episode) boys before flowers. I rewatch PtB many times especially mu won and na yoon scenes.
after reading this recap on Ep 14, just felt I want to skip this episode…..I wonder whether I can take all these “hard times” and negative impact on ES……by the way Koala Playground…tks for your much appreciated effort in getting these recaps done ..it really makes sense to go thru the recaps after viewing or the other way around so that we can get indept into the story cos just merely watching something we just miss certain points ….tks