I thought episode 5 of Prime Minister and I was a tiny bit of a slow patch but wowsers did episode 6 get right back to business and deliver all sorts of feelings and narrative reveals left and right. The romance isn’t anywhere near floating to the surface yet but that strange new family Yul and Da Jung have created is starting to gel bit by bit. There were so much awesomeness packed into this episode both on the slow moments between the OTP as well as tons of conflict with all the side characters that have suddenly given them some three dimensional color. From Hye Joo to Joon Ki to Yoon Hee to In Ho, it’s like the flood gates have broken and now I actually care somewhat about all of them. This was the episode that convinced me Hye Joo and Joon Ki could have been a viable OTP on their own had she not clung onto her feelings for Yul and rejected him. Perhaps he’s not a perfect man and definitely ambitious and calculating, but Hye Joo is no pure innocent wildflower either but she’s simply putting her strategizing towards helping Yul. The backstory on Joon Ki and Yoon Hee’s marriage is also fascinating especially with the paternity stunner. But she seems to actually love him and crave his love in return rather than it being a political alliance so I’m starting to feel terrible there is all the one-way unrequited loving shooting out from all directions.

I don’t see Yoon Hee as being a true nemesis for Da Jung since she’s more hilarious and annoying gnat, and frankly Da Jung needs some toughening up anyways and she can cut her teeth on Yoon Hee and the rest of the political wives. I’m loving Da Jung’s heart and ability, a perfect combination of being earnest and creative with everything she does. The way she stepped up in this episode was huge, and I think she’s halfway done with winning over the hearts of all the denizens in the mansion. What became clear that I didn’t really think about was Yul’s lingering feelings for his wife, along with what the heck happened to her. Is she dead? Missing? I need to know so that we’re not stuck with a problem down the road for my OTP that is too big for either of them to overcome, such as an errant wife returning. I think she’s dead but there is something we don’t know yet about what happened in the latter of of her marriage to Yul that is likely adding to his huge sense of guilt. That guilt is what makes him erect all these walls around himself when it comes to showing his feelings. His kids bear the brunt of his emotional distance but Da Jung has this magical way of chipping away at him that is both very tender and smartly done. She’s already gotten him to willingly share a bed together and even let her manage the household. Pretty soon she’ll have him eating out of the palm of her hand, mark my words.

Episode 6 baby recap:

Yul works all night in his master bedroom study while Da Jung sleeps in the bed. She wakes up in the middle of the night and sees him working. The next morning, Da Jung is back wearing her hanbok (her uniform as the Prime Minister’s wife at home) and encouraging Man Se to go to kindergarten since he’s balking. Yul walks over and orders him to go and later Da Jung suggests he use more coaxing than ordering. Yul’s not interested and instead gives Da Jung three orders – stop getting into messes that he needs to worry about her, take off that flouncy hanbok, and write in a journal every day about the lives of the kids (single space, 5 pages). When Da Jung doesn’t want to do homework, Yul brings up her suggestion that he get closer with the kids and this would help since he would know more about their day-to-day activities. Yul goes to work and when In Ho is mentioned, Hye Joo says he’s meeting with that environmental professor. Yul asks if Hye Joo knows anything about In Ho’s personal life but Hye Joo doesn’t either.

Da Jung is called out to a meeting of the Hundred Flower Club, the ladies charity organization of the political wives. They meet at a fancy hotel, Da Jung is made the new president since she’s how the highest ranking wife, and told to plan to upcoming event (after Da Jung rejects the name brand items charity auction). As everyone is leaving, Da Jung is saddled with the huge bill from the hotel meal. Yul calls home to ask Da Jung to bring him an item and hears she went to the club meeting. Hye Joo rushes to the hotel to help Da Jung. Joon Ki’s wife Yoon Hee stays behind to confront Da Jung about an apology. Da Jung apologizes for visiting uninvited but Yoon Hee wants an apology for the Kang Ho Dong picture folded as a frog but Da Jung knows nothing about it. Yoon Hee splashes water on Da Jung and Hye Joo storms in and orders her to stop insulting the Prime Minister’s wife. Yoon Hee turns her ire to Hye Joo calling her a fox luring her husband and moves to slap Hye Joo instead. Hye Joo deftly subdues Yoon Hee and leaves with Da Jung, with Yoon Hee hating these two ladies even more now.

Hye Joo spots In Ho in the same hotel as they as leaving and sees him shaking hands with Joon Ki’s chief of staff. Da Jung goes back to the mansion and Yul is waiting with her with two kendo swords and demands she spar with him. She thinks he’s angry at her for attending the charity meeting but he’s not angry at that but angry she got taken advantage of and insulted and she just took it. He’s angry she’s not thinking of protecting herself and uses this sparring session to tell her to think of her own attacks to solve her own problems. He’s not going to help her with the wives situation and she needs to use her own way to solve it. Hye Joo sits with In Ho in the surveillance room and tells him that the entire mansion is under surveillance. She tries to probe In Ho about his meeting with Joon Ki’s chief of staff and In Ho openly admits he knows the guy because they were the same class in the civil service training.

In Ho sits with Da Jung later and offers her a lollipop since sweets help brighten the mood. She mentions her dad seeing him at the hospital and In Ho admits his brother is a patient there since 7 years ago when he was in a car accident. In Ho asks Da Jung if she likes the Prime Minister? He flashes back to Yul asking him the same question and he admits he likes her as a friend and says there is nothing going on between them when Yul reveals he saw the hug earlier. Yul tells In Ho to be careful of what he does since they are all under public scrutiny. In Ho is not interested in romance because there is something he needs to accomplish. Yul asks what that is and In Ho says now is not the time to discuss it but Yul will likely find out in the future. Da Jung gets called to the kindergarten because Man Se is refusing to participate in the Christmas performance at the pageant. Da Jung coaxes him to do it and promises that his dad will show up. When Man Se hands Yul the invitation, Yul once again says he’s too busy and Man Se is disappointed. Yoon Hee and Joon Ki’s son gets first place in the entire school exams and his mother is ecstatic but Joon Ki just gives a cursory “good job” and leaves.

Da Jung goes to the Hundred Flower Club meeting which is at a Subway this time and she treats all the wives to sandwiches. She’s decided their charity activity requires giving of their time so every wife is to hand sew 50 frog stuffed animals to be distributed to handicapped children in orphanages and hospitals. She’s even called Scandal News and Reporter Byun here to snap pictures of the wives thereby ensuring their compliance. Heh. Woo Ri and his cousin get into a fight at school. Yul is not mad at Woo Ri for fighting but wants to know why. Woo Ri lights into his dad – since his mother disappeared/is gone since 7 years ago, he’s been missing her every day. He knows his dad has forgotten her since he got remarried and he’s so angry at that. Back at the Park house, Yoon Hee is angry at Joon Ki for not being upset that Woo Ri beat up their son first, and she accuses him of not caring since the son is not his real son. Omo! Joon Ki points out that he knew it when he married her that she had a child in her wild days and her father warned him that was never to be spoken of. He’s never said anything and in fact she’s the one who keeps mentioning it.

Da Jung finds Yul looking very tired and in cold sweat and she adorably offers to give him some acupuncture thinking he’s got indigestion. They sit and chat about how he needs to spend more time with the kids and Yul later decides to attend Man Se’s Christmas pageant performance. Man Se is happy but Na Ra is pissed since her dad never went to any of her performances. Yul wants Hye Joo to spend more time on herself and is sorry he’s relied on her so much. He hands the Christmas shopping for the staff off to Da Jung but this leaves Hye Joo bereft since she suddenly has less to do for him. Da Jung goes to visit her dad at the hospital and he still wants grandkids soon. She notices In Ho’s older brother being wheeled past and hears from her dad that the guy seems completely without any consciousness. In Ho had told her earlier that he always played chess with his brother on Christmas and wishes for the day to come they can play again so he can beat him. Da Jung decorates the mansion with Christmas cheer including putting up a tree.

The day of the pageant arrives and Da Jung faces opposition from Woo Ri and Na Ra who won’t go. She bribes Na Ra with her Christmas present and blackmails Woo Ri with the knowledge that she knows he’s in a band. Both kids go, but when Yul is stuck at an emergency meeting with the President, Da Jung rushes to join him so she can make sure he arrives on time. We see Woo Ri call Joon Ki so he might be his uncle’s spy in the mansion. Joon Ki is dining with Yoon Hee’s rich dad and the guy knows that Yul is opposing the port construction but Joon Ki says he’ll handle it. Yoon Hee’s dad says he better since he’s raising Joon Ki like a loyal dog to guard his wealth. Joon Ki has a backbone and says dogs can bite its owners and then leaves the dinner. Da Jung and Yul are stuck in traffic so they entire contingent including the bodyguards run down to take the subway instead. Riders snap pictures of the Prime Minister in the subway and he shakes lot of hands. They get off at their stop only to have Da Jung lose a show so both Yul and In Ho run back into the subway. The pageant starts and everyone wonders where Yul is. Man Se goes on stage to perform and he just stands there crying while the other kids sing and dance. Suddenly Yul and Da Jung run in, late but still there. Man Se wipes his tears and sings and dances the rest of the performance while his entire family watches. Afterwards Man Se runs outside into his dad’s arms while Da Jung watches with a smile.

Back at the mansion, everyone is opening Christmas presents prepared by Da Jung and she really did a good job picking great presents for everyone. All the male staff gets red bow ties that brighten up the Christmas spirit. In Ho gets a portable chess set and a card from her that has the hope that miracles will happen and In Ho will get to play chess with his brother again one day. Joon Ki takes a walk down memory lane and goes to his alma mater university. He sits down in the club room and flashes back to his first meeting with Hye Joo, she was just in junior high but came to look for Yul. She called Joon Ki sunbae because she confidently vowed to be a student here one day. In the present, Hye Joo is also walking through the campus and she runs into Joon Ki just as it starts snowing in earnest. They stand there and admire the snow and look at each other without acrimony for once. Da Jung sits with Yul in their sitting room and he compliments her on the great presents and wonders where his is? Da Jung points out he didn’y give her a present either, but then pulls up a book “Arabian Nights” (or One Thousand and One Nights). She knows he has insomnia which is why he’s always working late at night. Her present to him is sleep – she will read him a story and lull him to sleep. Yul is reluctant but Da Jung climbs on the bed and pats the space next to her to tell him to be good and sit there so she can read to him. Da Jung starts reading about Scheherazade needing to keep weaving tales to save herself from being executed by the King. At one point Yul hears silence and tells Da Jung to keep reading only to turn around and see that Da Jung fell asleep first. He plucks the book from her hands and continues reading and gets to a passage about how “anger cannot make sadness go away but she was sent like a savior to rescue him.” Da Jung’s head suddenly falls over on Yul’s shoulder and he pauses to look over at her.

Click here to watch Prime Minister and I.