I might live for Do-san and Ji-pyeong’s bromance for the duration of Start-Up! *wink
While I am aware of the romance lines in the series, the secondary relationships are making me enjoy watching Start-Up to be honest. Additionally, every small joy or big accomplishments achieved by Samsan Tech nerds are really putting a smile on my face.
It is the same way as how the resilient sisters Dal-mi and In-jae make me also want to push them in pursuing their own dreams, since I am still a bit hung up on their father’s unrealized dream.
abbyinhallyuland watches Start-Up on Netflix
Start-Up Episode Recaps: 01 & 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | Mid-Series | 9 & 10 | 11 & 12 | 13 | 14 -16 + Review |
Start- Up Episode 3 Key Moments
“Just nod along and smile here and there. Be the quiet, good-looking guy.”
Sashaying his gorgeous self to where Dal-mi is, Do-san saves the day for Dal-mi. Seeing her mother and sister approaching, Dal-mi moves to embrace Do-san and rushes to give instructions. Clumsily playing along, In-jae’s sharp observation is pushing him to his limit.
Finding himself to be Do-san’s instant godfather, Ji-pyeong takes the cue and saves Do-san who is not equipped yet with business know-hows. He drags Do-san for a quick talk making an obvious winning moment for Dal-mi who wants to look better in front of her estranged family.
Ji-pyeong helps wrap up their show by lending Do-san his pricey car. He reminds him not to blow up their cover as Dal-mi is not aware about the real story. He also tells him to make a clean cut to their connection.
Waging a bet of her successful career in three years, In-jae responds looking forward to Dal-mi’s promise. Handing the bag she dropped, her mother walked to her side and encouraged her to fight for her dream.
“It was very not me, but the exact same thing at that moment is to sail off without a map, even if we were to get lost.”
After an emotional encounter with her mother and sister, Do-san obliges Dal-mi’s request to drive aimlessly. They eventually reach a park, with Ji-pyeong following them behind.
She inquires why he is not asking about the bluff she just made, and he responds that he is playing the role of quiet, good-looking guy. Genuinely amused on the quick stories he told her, their conversation gets interrupted with Ji-pyeong’s instruction to wrap up.
Sensing his need to leave, Dal-mi urges Do-san to go his way since her place is nearby and she can just walk to it. However, while walking away, flashes of the harsh words he received about his failing life reverberate in his thoughts.
Remembering Dal-mi’s encouraging words of how he is a “beautiful music box” with a lovely melody, he turns his back. He asks Dal-mi if she opened the music box, she mentioned she can’t open before in one of her letters.
Confirming she did, she tells him that the sound of the music box is unbelievably wonderful, and gives him a thumbs up. Thinking inwardly of discovering an important keyword, Do-san realizes a plan to sail off without a map.
He walks back to give Dal-mi his business card and confessed not having a girlfriend nor dated all his life. Admitting, she’s also the same, she took his business card and the signed baseball bearing “follow your dream” mantra.
“I’ve never received a text from a girl before, except for my mom.”
Insisting to cut his connection to Dal-mi, Ji-pyeong explains the repercussions of piling up lies. Their coaching session get halted when Do-san excitedly receives a message from Dal-mi. A milestone from a geek like him who has not received a text message from a girl, except his mom.
He almost replied direct answers to Dal-mi’s repayment offer, if not for Ji-pyeong’s guiding, sticking to the eloquent and well-mannered picture established for Do-san. He asks him to report messages to him first before replying to Dal-mi.
Elated to the polite and sweet dreams message she received, Dal-mi greets Grandma Choi happily. Surprised at the turn of event, she listens to her granddaughter blab about how awesome Do-san is.
The next day, when she meets Ji-pyeong, his story and Dal-mi’s stories do not match at all. Thanking Ji-pyeong for his effort to save Dal-mi’s face, Grandma told him that he did a great job. She further mentions how the event last night must have been a blessing after years of being let down, because it definitely felt like a dream to her.
“A CEO without shares is no better than a chewed-up gum.”
Not wanting to bother Ji-pyeong anymore, Grandma mutters revealing the truth to her granddaughter soon. Meanwhile, In-jae goes to her usual business as a CEO. She gets a visit from her adopted father and brother who called for a rush meeting with the company’s investors. Before that, they lay the plan for her to handle the business in the United States and let her father’s son take the rein of the company.
Agreeing to the plan, she met her mother who pushed her to protect her position. Thanking her father about learning an expensive lesson from him, she blurts how an easy start can also be easily taken away.
She realizes how her top position is always next to nothing to whoever is the biggest investor in a business. Declaring her leaving the company for good, she suggests giving the US branch management to her stupid brother as well.
Having had enough of a borrowed rich life, she tells her mom that she’s happy blurting out all the bottled thoughts she had and advises her mom to do the same. Cutting up her hair, she decides to go to Sandbox to create her true own career story.
“I want to be on the 32nd floor. The elevator here won’t take me there.”
Treating her officemates for a hearty lunch, Dal-mi flaunts the KRW30,000 gift certificate she got after securing a KRW10 million sale. Finally reaching her tipping point on a job that seems not to value her hard work, she makes a life-changing decision. Against all the bargaining tricks of her boss, who still can’t offer her a permanent job, Dal-mi immediately resigned.
With a lucky money tree plant, she got from her supervisor, she sets forth to dream a new career. She also made an impromptu decision to visit Do-san at his office. Ji-pyeong helped organized a quick sleek and screaming successful office in time for Dal-mi’s arrival.
Confirming she visited to drop off the plant, she also tells Do-san how he inspired her to follow his footsteps. She reveals leaving her job so she can start her own company.
“It’s all about potential. You need to prove at least an inkling of it.”
Trying another proposition for Ji-pyeong to invest on Samsan Tech using Dal-mi’s first love story as a leverage, the investor still refuses. He educates Do-san of how their business does not have a clear picture and a ray of hope to have a potential.
Just then, Chul-san (Yoo Soo Bin) heaves a soft cry announcing that they won first place at CODA. Do-san responds to Ji-pyeong’s taunt if that achievement is enough reason to what he just insinuated.
Samsan Tech nerds, Dal-mi and In-jae all head to Sandbox to start their dreams with Ji-pyeong signing up as a Sandbox residency mentor. That surprised CEO Yoon, who has been pestering him to do so for so many times. He revealed wanting to support a group although he is unsure if they will get in. In case, they will be lucky, he wants to be there to guide them.
Later, Do-san asked his cousin to film a video to be presented on the CODA Awards ceremony. Overly creative, Do-san’s family and Ji-pyeong almost love their minds. Surprisingly, the international attendees of the ceremony liked it, particularly a Korean big shot based in the United States.
“Do you like Dal-mi?”
Grandma Choi and Ji-pyeong meet for dinner. The latter mentioned keeping up the secret as he is keen to help Do-san transformed from a loser to a successful businessman.
Surprised at his decision, she disagrees and felt its weird for him to help Do-san. Ji-pyeong reasons how Dal-mi said meeting Do-san was like a dream – a dream that she will forever remember. He questions grandma why she will take away Dal-mi’s happiness.
He promises to make the “Nam Do San in Dal-mi’s dream” a reality. But Grandma Choi is not convinced. She asks if he is being like that with an interesting question.
“Do you like Dal-mi?” Grandma Choi asks Ji-pyeong, the same question was asked by Chul-san and Yong-san who were forced to listen to Do-san’s plan of collaborating with Ji-pyeong having the same goal of fulfilling Dal-mi’s first love dream.
While Ji-pyeong answers “no” to the question, Do-san beams like a lovestruck school boy and confirms it with a “yes”.
Start-Up Episode 3 Musings
Signaling the main characters goals to work on their own dreams, the relationships among Do-san, Dal-mi, Ji-pyeong and In-jae are looking ahead to more intertwining connections.
Moving to the direction of entering Sandbox, a cradle of start-up companies, they are all set to create and fulfil their own beautiful moments as owners of their own businesses.
The scene where the four main leads are seen entering Sandbox sums up the concrete problems to be featured in the series through their perspectives.
“I want to take the higher level elevator.”
“I don’t want to be seen as a chewed-up gum.
“I want to turn a misunderstanding to a reality.”
“I Want to repay my debt.”
The start of following dreams…
Start-Up has fully got my interest in this episode. It is really living up to its intention of showing characters chasing their very own dreams. I can’t wait to see how the four lead characters sail to leave more lessons on braving the odds to kick off their start-up businesses, while finding their own purpose.
Episode 4 preview looks all ready to wake Dal-mi about her misconception on Do-san. It also piqued my interest on the residency program that will be hosted at Sandbox. I sincerely hope to have the narrative more focused on bringing out its message of how youth nurture their dreams than highlighting the romance layer.
That’s because the setting will bring out the individual charms and talents of the lead cast, and I don’t think love moments would highlight it further since we’ve all seen them prove their prowess to draw heart-flutters in the previous dramas they starred in.
It would be more amazing for them to really draw a youth empowering theme – presenting budding business careers becomes more life-affirming when draped with diligent effort and consistent goal to improve and be the best.
Check out the so far stunning original soundtracks of Start-Up below.
The series airs on weekend slot of tvN and globally streamed on Netflix.
READ EPISODE 4 RECAP BELOW:
Photos: tvN | Netflix
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