It is time for some cohabitation with all the fun it entails. Our leads might be under the same roof physically, but their communication skills might need a touch-up.
Misunderstandings abound this week. But while it hurts to see our leads drift apart, it might provide some room for them to grow as individuals, which in turn will help bolster their bond.
Bunny S. watches My Sweet Mobster on Viu
Episode Recaps: 01 & 02 | 03 & 04 | 05 & 06 | 07 & 08 | 09 & 10 | 11 & 12 | 13 & 14 | Final Recap + Series Review |
My Sweet Mobster Episodes 5 and 6 Highlights
“You might not have known about it but I am sure Mr. Seo here must have known how dangerous it would be for you to come here.”
Seeing Eun-ha together with Ji-hwan got Hyun-woo flustered. But while I can understand how Hyun-woo hates criminals and doesn’t believe they can change, the way he repeatedly tried to get under Ji-hwan’s skin was uncomfortable to watch. Ji-hwan got so hurt by Hyun-woo’s words about him putting Eun-ha in danger that he distanced himself from Eun-ha, telling her to go back with Hyun-woo instead.
On their way back, Hyun-woo kept on badmouthing Ji-hwan and asking if he was blackmailing Eun-ha. But to Hyun-woo’s surprise, Eun-ha assured him that wasn’t the case at all. Also, though normally that would be the case, Eun-ha wasn’t the slightest bit scared of Ji-hwan.
In a flashback, we see Hyun-woo witnessing a chaotic incident featuring a grandma lying on the floor unconscious and covered in blood Ji-hwan holding a bat. Given the situation, it is easy to assume Ji-hwan was there to harm other people. But a part of me believes there was more to that situation than what meets the eye.
Sensing that Ji-hwan no longer wants her close to him, Eun-ha drops by to get her things. Still hurt by Hyun-woo’s words, Ji-hwan pushes Eun-ha away when she tries to explain how she knew Hyun-woo. Eun-ha doesn’t have to explain how she got acquainted with a prosecutor, unlike the case of being acquainted with an ex-convict.
Still, before Eun-ha leaves, Ji-hwan asks if her name is really Eun-ha. And when she confirms it, the look on Ji-hwan’s face changes. Is this what I think it is?
“You stole the seal?”
With nowhere to go, Eun-ha settles to stay at a sauna for the night, where she comes across a familiar face, Yang Hong-ki (Moon Dong-Hyeok), Thirsty Deer’s Marketing Chief. Make no mistake, Hong-ki isn’t there because he got kicked out, at least not yet. Hong-ki is just hiding, scared of the aftermath he will face after Ji-hwan discovers Hong-ki stole his seal and stamped it on a promotional contract with Haughty Influencer, Kang Ye-na (Song Seo-Rin).
Realizing his seal is missing, Ji-hwan hunts Hong-ki down to the spa, where he first saves Eun-ha and Hong-ki from thugs harassing them like a parent saves his kids from bullies and then stumbles across the contract. Disappointed in Hong-ki for fooling him and breaking his promise to live an honest life, Ji-hwan leaves Hong-ki behind.
Ji-hwan’s goal when founding the company wasn’t to become the leading company or secure the most sales but to help ex-convicts make an honest living. Even if they deem it a mistake, other people won’t think of it the same way and will only assume they got back into conning others. Ji-hwan for sure would like for his company to do better. Yet resorting to shady techniques to get better results isn’t something Ji-hwan can tolerate.
“I am your private tutor who will help you with your studies.”
Having realized how dangerous it will be for Eun-ha on her own, Ji-hwan takes her back. But to stay in Ji-hwan’s house, Eun-ha needs to offer something in return. Since Ji-hwan won’t let her pay rent or do chores, what about being a live-in private tutor?
After all, Eun-ha is certified in many things like art therapy, story-telling, and anger management and can teach academics on top of that. Cue: an imaginary hilarious montage of Eun-ha teaching Ji-hwan’s found family members in her own bubbly style.
It might take a while to find out who is the real “Hyun-woo,” but what is certain for now is that our cute former gangster is falling hard for our leading lady. Be it sparing her a spacious room right next to his room, looking into where she used to live as a child, asking her about the memories she had in that place, patting her head without realizing it, or lastly throwing a welcome party for her and changing anything Eun-ha said she disliked.
At the welcome party, Eun-ha brings Hong-ki back with her. Actually, though mad at Hong-ki, Ji-hwan was worried about him. And despite his rebellious act, Hong-ki felt bad for lying to Ji-hwan and the others and kept posting photos of his whereabouts so that they would go and get him back.
“You don’t remember anything?”
Though she declared herself good at holding her liquor, it seems Eun-ha might need to rethink this as she ends up locking lips with Ji-hwan while drunk. Needless to say, Ji-hwan is flustered with his eyes wide open, unable to utter a word or do anything.
In the morning, an embarrassed Eun-ha is beating herself up under the blanket and a blushing Ji-hwan can’t stop thinking about what happened.
Typically, the mood is awkward between them. To further complicate things, Eun-ha claims she can’t remember anything and Ji-hwan calls what happened an unpleasant incident. Which Eun-ha misinterprets as him disliking her. But the poor guy only meant the situation would have been bad if it was another guy whom Eun-ha ended up kissing.
“Was it my shoulders?”
Unfortunately, to protect Hong-ki from getting sued for fraud, Ji-hwan has to go through with the contract with Ye-na. At the launching event, some reporters pester Ye-na into tasting the sausage. But the thing is: Ye-na is allergic to meat.
Sensing something is wrong, Ji-hwan helps Ye-na get out without anyone noticing anything. Yet his dear family misinterpreted the situation as Ji-hwan liking Ye-na. At home, they report this wrong assumption to Eun-ha. And it seems someone is jealous here.
But there is no need to worry about Ye-na or any other woman, as Ji-hwan has only eyes for Eun-ha. Overhearing Eun-ha calling him “Gangster Shoulders” was enough for Ji-hwan to toss and turn, pouting and wondering what Eun-ha meant by this.
But the girl only meant to praise his broad shoulders. Cue: Ji-hwan working out in tight T-shirts and flexing his shoulders whenever he gets a chance.
“Do you also think I would have harmed Yeon-hee?”
Though I want nothing more than to watch a smitten Ji-hwan waiting impatiently for Eun-ha to come back home and thinking of putting her on curfew since you know it is a dangerous world outside, getting a bit of tension might be inevitable.
You see, the Missing Employee’s younger sister from last week went missing along with her grandma without a trace. Having heard of this while on an outing with Hyun-woo, Eun-ha guesses Ji-hwan is the one behind it.
But while Ji-hwan has already gotten used to Hyun-woo’s suspicious attitude, it breaks Ji-hwan’s heart that it might have occurred to Eun-ha that he could have hurt the girl and her grandma. Also, how Eun-ha kept staying at Ji-hwan’s house a secret from Hyun-woo further hurt him. Though Ji-hwan didn’t say much, we can tell from his face alone how heartbroken he is.
“I could understand what this company means to your employees and what you are offering them even though my understanding is shallow.”
Another misunderstanding has Eun-ha tagging along to the meat factory. Noticing they are understaffed, Eun-ha settles to help out for the day. Seeing the situation for herself and hearing stories about how Ji-hwan helped ex-convicts who are typically cast out lead an honest life, Eun-ha realizes how good of a person Ji-hwan is and how big of an impact he has on others.
The romantic sparks between Eun-ha and Ji-hwan are too palpable to not be noticed by the other house residents. One of which decides to step up, locking Ji-hwan and Eun-ha up in cold storage. At first, they just wait, thinking it is just a mistake and someone will surely come to save them.
Unfortunately, our resident Cupid lost the storage keys, so it might take a bit longer to save our leads. But the thing is they are almost frozen, giving us Titanic vibes.
Imitating what penguins do to protect each other from the cold, Ji-hwan wraps his arms around Eun-ha in an attempt to keep her warm. We end this week with our leads huddling and it doesn’t seem that Eun-ha thinks of Ji-hwan as just a penguin like he told her to.
My Sweet Mobster Episodes 5 and 6 Musings
As the drama progresses, my appreciation for Ji-hwan’s character keeps getting up. The man did wrong in the past, but he sincerely regrets those actions and works hard to lead an upright life and help others do the same.
Be it forgiving Hong-ki, paying back Ye-na’s debt, helping II-young pass the bar, tracking down Missing Employee and providing his family with a safe shelter, or helping a mother keep custody of her son. While society shuns ex-convicts and deems them hopeless, Ji-hwan extends them a helping hand.
Best of all, Ji-hwan did it without expecting anything in return. And just like Ji-hwan saved his found family from walking down the immoral path again, they helped soothe his loneliness. The only thing Ji-hwan might want from them is to stay by his side without causing much trouble. He isn’t a loan shark collecting debts, but someone who cares about people around him.
On the other hand, I am not fond of Hyun-woo and even find him annoying. Being a prosecutor doesn’t mean he is superior to others. Also, Ji-hwan being an ex-convict doesn’t give Hyun-woo the right to mistreat or look down on him. We are all subjected to making wrong choices and no one is flawless here.
In a way, Eun-ha acts like a foil for Hyun-woo. While she might misunderstand Ji-hwan and the rest at times, Eun-ha admits to it when she is wrong and has flexibility of mind, unlike Hyun-woo who is stiff-minded and might need a shock to the system to realize how wrong he has been.
Photos and Videos: JTBC Drama
