Jumping to save Mi-jeong’s hat, Chang-hee speculates that Mr. Gu might have been an athlete in the past.
Thrilled with Mr. Gu’s ability to jump, Chang-hee’s curiosity about Mr. Gu’s identity grows. Confirming that his long jump was already a signal of his agreement to Mi-jeong’s request of worshipping her, Mr. Gu also invites Mi-jeong to eat together after receiving his pay.
Episode 5 Rating:
Marcie Line watches My Liberation Notes on Netflix
Episode Recaps: 01 & 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Finale + Review
My Liberation Notes Episode 5 Highlights
“Someone who knows how to hide how cool he is, is a genuinely cool guy.”
Amazed by Mr. Gu’s long jump to retrieve Mi-jeong’s hat, Chang-hee persistently asks him if he was an athlete in the past.
Even though he received a cold reaction from Mr. Gu, Chang-hee still praises him endlessly in front of his friends while drinking together at night.
Chang-hee also recalls Mr. Gu’s words about 7.7 billion coins forming a mountain, and he interprets it as being found like a coin in a pile of a large population.
His friend dismisses the talks about Mr. Gu as he is an alcoholic, but Chang-hee justifies his amazement with the man as he rarely felt excited in his dull life.
“And if we want to feel joyful at all times, should we keep having kids until we’re 80? Until we die?”
Serving them through a window, Chang-hee’s mom nags the boys, stating that nothing much has changed ever since they were kids, only their sizes.
Continuing what she is saying, Chang-hee’s mom dictates to them that they should meet up with someone and have children. Adding to that, she magnifies the beauty of having children and being a parent.
Responding to what his mother has said, Chang-hee compares the short delight felt after having a child, and the miserable feeling that follows. He also jokingly questions whether people should keep having children from time to time until they die just to feel happy.
Drinking after work, Chang-hee’s colleague convinces him to try investing in crypto. However, they discover how his mom still collects his salary, and also salutes him for sitting next to A-reum in their office.
Taking an interest in him, Da-yeon, a female colleague of Chang-hee, becomes friendly with him. Talking about that with his co-worker, Chang-hee explains his side for not contacting her, as he is well aware that she is a person who wants to have children, which is something he cannot provide.
“I’m a great person. I won’t ask to be loved.”
Buying what her father needs in the convenience store, Mi-jeong thinks hard about why she is sad, and recalls Hyeon-a’s words.
Repeating to herself that she won’t beg for love, Mi-jeong sees Mr. Gu, and hands him the soju without asking for payment.
Asking whether she has enough money to do so, Mr. Gu also asks her whether they can truly become a changed person when spring comes. In that conversation, he also confirms that his gesture of retrieving her hat back earlier in the day is him accepting her request.
Meanwhile, Gi-jeong talks with her friend about Gyeong-seon’s life after school, wherein she still ended up getting a college diploma.
On her way home, Gi-jeong sends a message to Gyeong-seon to check up on the lottery tickets she gave Tae-hoon, and hears about none of it has won.
Complaining to her male co-worker about the lottery tickets, Gi-jeong’s coworker tells her how she must have fallen hard already to the man she is talking about. Adding to that, she shares how she no longer feels tired while thinking about him.
“In my experience, you change once you do something you’ve never done before.”
Keeping in check what the liberation club does, the members of the club keep a journal to record their activities, serving as proof to the management. Tae-hoon then shares how he is reminded of his father’s handwriting.
Keeping his bottles in a room, Mr. Gu buys two bottles of soju again, and gets nagged by the worker for buying two instead of four.
Taking matters into her hands, Hyeon-a visits the convenience store of Byeon Sang-mi while pretending to be Chang-hee’s ex-girlfriend, and discovers how the owner was cheated on by her own husband.
Reflecting on her journal, Mi-jeong sees that her empty feelings could be rooted in her never truly liking anyone. On her way out, she sees a text, which turns out to be Mr. Gu inviting her to eat together after receiving his pay. Before that, Mr. Gu has asked Mi-jeong’s father for her number, which her father willingly provides.
Rather than dealing with people with no purpose, Mi-jeong prefers to like a person no matter what and live differently. She elaborates how she does not really like her siblings, and feels sorry for her parents.
On their way back, Gi-jeong feels suspicious seeing them both walking together side by side.
My Liberation Notes Episode 5 Musings
Chang-hee’s words weigh heavily on the reality of having children. His thoughts represent a large portion of people who do not want to have children, given that life is hard even as a childless person.
His mother’s point of bringing joy into the world through children bears pressure on people who are already exhausted by their life situation as it is. Just like what Chang-hee said, delight after having children can only be felt after a period, so it is arguable to use children simply to be joyful.
Making the scene livelier, Hyeon-a was great for her decision to save Chang-hee from the old woman who hogs his time for a call. It is clear that although he is a worker of Alpha Retail, he still has his personal life that should be respected. Yes, her situation of being cheated on is saddening, but venting on a tired employee is not the way to go.
Visible progress in the lives of the three siblings can be witnessed in this episode. Their thoughts about meeting other people are highlighted, and Mr. Gu, through his gesture, shows his acceptance of Mi-jeong’s request.
Although it may have been slow, like Chang-hee, viewers may also begin to feel drawn and somehow excited by Mr. Gu’s shifts. Looking forward to the change they are talking about, we shall await Mi-jeong and Mr. Gu’s plan for change.
Watch the latest episodes of My Liberation Notes every Saturday and Sunday on Netflix.
Photos: JTBC
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