Just like its proclaimed setting, Start-Up is shaping up to make the most out of its fresh concept!
Accelerating to a spirited vibe, cheering for the characters of Nam Joo Hyuk, Bae Suzy, Kim Seon Ho and Kang Han Na in their Start-Up characters is quite a convincing pitch.
Following Ji-pyeong’s decision to keep up the charade so as not to hurt Dal-mi, he continues working with Do-san to pose as her first love. His growing feelings to the first girl who showed interest genuinely to his stories are evidently pushing him to do better.
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 4 Key Moments
Following the aftermath of episode 3, Dal-mi decides to enter Start-Up to begin her journey of building her own business. Inspired of Do-san’s achievement as a young CEO of a tech company, she is not aware that her grandmother and Ji-pyeong collude to getting Do-san on-board the “happiness plan” they created for Dal-mi years ago.
“Is that why you put up with this? To give me money and connections?”
Moving to her business plan, In-jae was able to bring her former staff to her Sand Box dream and temporarily meets at her mother’s hotel room. Baffled at how her hotel room turned to her daughter’s office, she chides her on going to a place which cradle business owners without money and connection.
Before the aspiring business owners enter Sandbox, they have been flocking book stores to equip themselves with knowledge to help on their endeavors. Samsan Tech geeks meet Dal-mi at a bookstore and she told him not to go anywhere the next day so they can celebrate his birthday. She mentioned a wish he told while they were exchanging letters.
“I’ll make that wish come true tomorrow.”
Instinctively acting on his growing fascination towards Dal-mi, Do-san runs to board the bus and sit beside her. He tells he will take her home and acts adorkably cute beside her. Dal-mi notices his hand and mumbles how she thought her hand is small, but it’s nothing compared to his.
Blanked out and unable to find the right words to say because of the first ever woman hand he held, Do-san thankfully knew what to do next. However, he can’t entwine his hand to hers. Sensing what he was trying to do, Dal-mi helped out and seals her dainty hand to his.
“Are you stupid? You want to hand your technology to them on a plate?”
The news of Samsan Tech’s winning on CODA spread like a wild fire and investors huddle outside the geek’s business office. In the brink of their technology being copied, Ji-pyeong steps in to lecture the San brothers.
Affirming their lack of basics in propelling a business venture, Ji-pyeong points out how the investors which showed interest did not push through with their plans anyway. Rebutting his harsh comments, Chul-san remarks how Ji-pyeong is always critical.
So he gives them a real talk of how those investors are nice because they won’t push through, but he on the other hand wants to check everything because he is really interested. Ji-pyeong tells Do-san to consult with him first before moving forward with decisions related to Samsan Tech.
At night, Dal-mi asks Grandma Choi for a blanket and mumbles it is for her date with Do-san. Her imagination ran wild and asks Dal-mi why she needed a blanket for Do-san’s birthday. To calm her grandma’s racy thoughts, she showed one of Ji-pyeong’s letters which tells his earnest wish.
“No, the dessert fork!”
Coach Ji-pyeong trains Do-san with basic table etiquette. Just how Math is easy for him, he struggles with the table utensils. Curious about the Samsan Tech geeks love life, he listens to a quick reminiscing of their college zero dating life.
Chul-san and Yong-san narrate how they even form a knitting club to attract girls since girls are rare in the Engineering department. However, they end up being pushed away by Do-san’s know-it-all geeky attitude. They also blame Do-san for their lackluster love life.
Finding their common struggle is to teach Do-san the normal way of life, they confirm it to be a long way ahead, since he even struggle to familiarize himself to what a “dessert fork” is.
“You said your wish was to play Go-Stop!”
It’s Do-san’s new birthday D-DAY! Primed to be the hotshot-CEO, he waits for Dal-mi fulfill the wish she only knows about. Ji-pyeong coaches him from behind and finally they learned that the wish from the letter is Do-san’s eager wish to play “go-stop”.
Dragging Yong-san and Chul-san to transform Ji-pyeong’s office again, they meet Do-san and Dal-mi who opted to have their first date playing go-stop in the office.
Surprised at the strange young wish of Do-san, Dal-mi fully empathized to how the typical game might not mean to other people, but to someone, it could hold fond memories. Faintly smiling, Ji-pyeong appreciates Dal-mi’s reasoning, because at the time he wrote the letter, being an orphan, it’s his young heart’s earnest dream.
The party of five enjoy playing go-stop together until Dal-mi taunts Ji-pyeong if his blood type is A because he is sensitive. Worried about Do-san’s infamous way of pushing girls away because of his smart beliefs, the boys heave a sigh of relief when Do-san magically said the right thing at the right time.
“You’re my first love. Your letters comforted me for a long time.”
Do-san sends Dal-mi home after the go-stop birthday celebration. Before Dal-mi enters the house, Do-san curiously asks what she likes about him. Knowing the answers, but just want to confirm; Dal-mi responds how he is her “first love” and the letters he sent comforted her for a long time.
He also did not change from being a bright student to a successful businessman. Finally hearing something that is entirely his, Do-san stares at his hands when Dal-mi said she likes it. Deep inside, he hopes for more things she can like that is not stripped from her first love memories.
Grandma Choi chat with Ji-pyeong over the phone and she tells him how soaring happy Dal-mi was that she’s scared for her to fall and get hurt. Assuring grandma that Dal-mi won’t get hurt, Ji-pyeong makes a promise to protect her.
Do-san arrives to return the car key and expensive things Ji-pyeong lent her. With his conflicted emotions, he asks Ji-pyeong to just give him advices whether it be his style or about his business. Relaying his thoughts of not wanting to feel like a charity case, Ji-pyeong senses where his faint contempt is coming and gives his first and honest business advice.
He tells Do-san to hire a CEO because he’s not cut for it. He tells him to hire a CEO the moment he enters Sand Box.
“So they want those who know how to read trends to be CEO’s?
Aspiring business owners convene at Sand Box 12th Hackathon. Dal-mi, Samsan Tech geeks and In-jae are all present in the event. Ji-pyeong who is watching its live streaming realizes that Dal-mi will soon uncover the ploy he created with grandma.
Sand Box CEO Yoon Seon Hak welcomes the participants of the residency program. Briefly presenting the vision of Sand Box to support budding entrepreneurs, she proudly claimed that the company is Asia’s largest start-up accelerating center.
Going straight to the program, CEO Yoon announces the selection process of 40 lucky CEO who can select their teams to move forward in the Sand Box recruitment program.
Sisters In-jae and Dal-mi made the cut by passing the test of having strong insights to current trends. But Samsan Tech geeks failed to do so. Realizing her first love is in deed at the same venue and with different look from how she pictured him to be as pointed by In-jae, Dal-mi approached to where he is.
“Will you be the CEO of Samsan Tech?”
Asking why he was there, Do-san can only apologize for deceiving her. Confirming he won’t stand a chance to enter Sand Box without a CEO, she still did not hesitate to offer Samsan Tech to hire her as their CEO.
However, In-jae who is needing a developer, and learning Do-san won the prestigious CODA award, counters the offer asserting she wants to recruit them.
While Samsan Tech geeks huddle to decide about the offers, In-jae taunts her little sister about how show-off Do-san was when everything was a sham. Dal-mi nonchalantly responds how she patronizes the idea of being a show-off once in a while.
Making their minds, Samsan Tech brothers decide to go to the person who will treat them as equals. They ask Dal-mi to be Samsan Tech’s CEO.
Start-Up Episode 4 Musings
Regardless of the talented cast moving in Start-Up, its setting is really such a refreshing break from the usual stories we see in K-Dramaland. It thrives to the very fictional world introduced engagingly, because almost everyone dreams of starting his own business venture, instead of hustling his way in the corporate world.
It makes viewers, especially those with the same dreams as the characters highlighted in the series, to be inspired in claiming their very own endeavors.
While the mentor-mentee relationship of Do-san and Ji-pyeong is an adorable treat in good times, the individual moment of Do-san was a notch tamed in the first three episodes.
That’s why, seeing the scene when he painfully admitted how inadequate he still is in front of Ji-pyeong, and his expression screams “but hey, I still have my pride” – made me really happy. Because we see Nam Joo Hyuk settling efficiently to his character.
Whether his romance will bloom to a delightful point with Bae Suzy is just a bonus. The moments featuring them helping each other realize their character potentials are the drawing points of Start-Up anyway.
Kim Seon Ho and Kang Han Na have assimilated to their characters right on the dot. To have all four of them blend to sometimes awkward, sometimes breaking and resounding pictures of career building; make Start-Up a resonating gift to aptly close this K-Drama season.
Photos: tvN
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