Our star instructor finds herself facing some work-related trouble. And it seems she might need to make some tough choices, jump the ship and enter a new territory or keep things the way they are now.
That theme extends to our heroine’s love life as well. Will she admit to her true feelings and stop holding back as our male lead did? Or will she continue pretending she is just a teacher having a soft spot for her former student?
Bunny S watches The Midnight Romance in Hagwon on Viu
The Midnight Romance in Hagwon Episodes 5 and 6 Highlights
“Given my position, the academy can’t come after me this easily.”
Spy Student might have been impressed by the joint lecture. Yet that doesn’t mean it all went well. The fact that only one student showed up won’t go away without an aftermath. Stepping up, Hye-jin tries to take the heat alone and protect Joon-ho. To her, people gossiping about them having a falling out is better than having Joon-ho get hurt. But if Joon-ho was going to hide behind Hye-jin to protect himself, he wouldn’t have taken the risk and quit his job.
For starters, Hye-jin is told to cut down on the number of her classes and instead oversee the preparations for the academy’s new branch, a demotion disguised as an honorary position. As for the canceled classes, Joon-ho and Chung-mi will take those students on. To Chung-mi’s credit, though, she doesn’t jump giddily at the opportunity but feels bad for Hye-jin.
Smart enough to guess the true meaning behind this move, Hye-jin figures out they are planning to kick her out empty-handed. Having a star instructor on board is like holding a double-edged sword. They can help you secure more sales, but an academy will take a hit in case they take their students and leave.
[5화 선공개] 한 번의 실패로, 혜진에게 찾아온 위기🚨
강의 규모 축소에 TF로 좌천까지,
믿었던 대치체이스의 배신?!풀버전은 👉🏻 #tvNDRAMA유튜브 #네이버tv
[토일] 밤 9:20 | tvN#졸업 #TheMidnightRomanceinHagwon #정려원 #위하준 pic.twitter.com/LdOEiiqmzy
— tvN drama (@CJnDrama) May 24, 2024
“I’d been searching for the person for years and today, I got to invite you over.”
Further complicating things for Hye-jin, Witch Director is going at full throttle on her plan to snatch Hye-jin’s students, taking advantage of the mishap that happened between Hye-jin and the problematic teacher from before to sway the mothers.
Adding fuel to the already blazing fire, Witch director gets uneasy after learning Spy Student plans to switch academies. Arranging a meeting with Hye-jin, Witch Director offers her the vice director’s position. But beyond the fancy offer of a hefty salary, a TA to assist her, and covering any penalties Hye-jin may incur, Hye-jin can sense Witch Director’s anxiety.
Witch Director might be safe for now. But on the wrong run, she might lose her students to other instructors. Thus, Witch Director wants to nip that risk in the bud. If she scouts Hye-jin, not only will Witch Director keep her current students, but she will also win over Hye-jin’s students. It is like killing two birds with one stone.
“How can I stop you from going to Choisun Academy?”
Logically speaking, though her intentions aren’t that pure, Witch Director’s offer is quite favorable to Hye-jin, especially given how her academy stabbed her in the back after sucking her dry all those years. But why does Hye-jin feel reluctant to take on that offer despite knowing she is competent enough for that position? By any chance, does Hye-jin’s hesitance have to do with not being able to work together with Joon-ho anymore after switching academies?
Sharing a similar sentiment is Joon-ho, who feels restless and is willing to do literally anything to convince Hye-jin to stay for another year. Joon-ho even promises to let Hye-jin teach all the students he gets to recruit. But while Joon-ho claims he needs to learn more from Hye-jin and that those students will be his to teach after a year, is that really all there is to it? Or does his feelings for Hye-jin contribute even by a little part to Joon-ho’s decision?
"애들 불리는 대로 쌤 다 줄게요"
자신이 할 수 있는 모든 방법을 써서,
혜진을 붙잡고 싶은 준호! ٩(๑•̀o•́๑)و[토일] 밤 9:20 | tvN#졸업 #TheMidnightRomanceinHagwon #정려원 #위하준 pic.twitter.com/Bhj9LZYN7J
— tvN drama (@CJnDrama) May 25, 2024
“What you shattered wasn’t my Chanyoung class. It was our trust.”
With Spy Student signing up for Hye-jin and Joon-ho’s classes and the other students following suit, the situation at the academy does a 180 turn. Talk about how fickle people are. But while everything turned out well, that doesn’t erase the fact that the academy planned to cut Hye-jin off.
It felt satisfying watching Hye-jin stand up for herself and call Director Kim (Kim Jong-tae) out on his hypocrisy, overworking Hye-jin all those years and bringing up loyalty and their long time together to tie Hye-jin down yet having no problem turning his back on her once there was a problem. (Side note: I respect how Hye-jin turned down the offer to take back the classes that Chung-mi and Joon-ho took over since they worked hard preparing for it.)
“Does that mean taking a loss to look out for your old student?”
Though slowly, the drama has been building up on the theme of the shifting dynamics between our leads. It is clear how Hye-jin leans on Joon-ho and lowers her guard around him. Actually, the only time Hye-jin expresses her emotions honestly without putting on a brave face is around Joon-ho. Case in point: Hye-jin expressed her frustration about Kim’s decision to cut down on her classes without being worried about her image as a star instructor.
Initially, Joon-ho was against Hye-jin switching academies. But learning that Hye-jin was the one who suggested he replace her as the academy face, everything changed for Joon-ho. Instead of making sacrifices and looking out for him, Joon-ho wants Hye-jin to treat him as a colleague. Joon-ho will figure out things on his own. Hence, Hye-jin doesn’t have to give Joon-ho any special treatment or go out of her way to help him.
[6화 선공개] 혜진에게 참아왔던 감정을 더 참고 누르는 준호!
외줄타기 하듯 아슬아슬
금방이라도 터져버릴 것 같은 마음💜🎇풀버전은 👉🏻 #tvNDRAMA유튜브 #네이버tv
[토일] 밤 9:20 | tvN#졸업 #TheMidnightRomanceinHagwon #정려원 #위하준 pic.twitter.com/EgMOAlvLrK
— tvN drama (@CJnDrama) May 25, 2024
“I am struggling to control my feelings for you as they get bigger.”
It might be a bit sudden, but we got some long-awaited progress on the romance front. Not being able to hold back his growing feelings for Hye-jin anymore, Joon-ho asks Hye-jin if she prefers how things are now or wants to go back to before they met again. And having confirmed that Hye-jin knew how they felt about each other, Joon-ho admits to being in love with Hye-jin. He won’t push his feelings away anymore. Sealing his confession, Joon-ho leans in to kiss Hye-jin.
The Midnight Romance in Hagwon Episodes 5 and 6 Musings
While Joon-ho’s feelings for Hye-jin were always palpable, I thought Hye-jin would take more time to admit to it, given their backstory and how their relationship would affect her image and deal a blow to her career. Still, I won’t be surprised if Hye-jin had a crush on Joon-ho back then, too. Those two share a unique bond that transcends the typical relationship definitions.
Hye-jin might have gained huge fame and a spotless reputation but this came at a huge cost, being lonely and having no one to lean on. As Hye-jin puts it, without Joon-ho around, Hye-jin’s life was stagnant. Yet now, every day is different.
가지 마세요 → 가셔도 돼요
준호 밀당(?)에 서운한 혜진😗[토일] 밤 9:20 | tvN#졸업 #TheMidnightRomanceinHagwon #정려원 #위하준 pic.twitter.com/uG1V9Ja7ek
— tvN drama (@CJnDrama) May 28, 2024
While it isn’t clear if Witch Director is a better option, I am not fond of Hye-jin continuing to work in her academy as if nothing happened. It was really uncomfortable watching Director Kim kneel down before Hye-jin and refuse to get up until Hye-jin promised not to quit. That isn’t a professional way to convince an employee not to quit. Further, we have Vice Director Woo (Kim Jung-young) who seems to have it in for Hye-jin and feels threatened by her. Not that Kim is any better, acting nice before Hye-jin and planning to take her down behind her back.
They might have switched strategies and taken a step back for now, but no one knows when Kim and Woo will turn on Hye-jin again. Having our leads working at the same place is delightful and all. Still, I don’t want to see Hye-jin get the short end of the stick because of her feelings for Joon-ho. Instead, I want to see our leads supporting each other no matter what the other one chooses to do.
Photos and Videos: tvN Drama
