From sharing Ju-kyung’s genuine heart-flutters to the tears that she can’t process, True Beauty just keeps getting better, and there’s no escaping when you get addicted to it.
For K-Drama fans, it’s a known impression how school dramas tend to thread on predictable plot and easy route. It is high on fan-service and low on plot dimensions. That’s how True Beauty is shaping up, but I like how it does not go on circles and gives us the answers fast.
abbyinhallyuland watches True Beauty on Viu
Episode Recaps: 01 & 02 | 03 & 04 | 05 & 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 & 10 | 11 & 12 | 13 & 14 | Review |
True Beauty Episode 5 & 6 Key Moments
“I pick it up along the way. Enjoy drinking it.”
Stopping Ju-kyung in following Seo-jun, Su-ho makes a lame excuse by asking a scientific question which obviously just made her bewildered. Inside the classroom, Seo-jun refuses to get the bike key and declares he will only listen to her to the surprise of the whole class.
He even hands her a juice bottle, but she retorts that she likes strawberry. Staring at his old friend’s annoying displaying of affection, Su-ho is definitely not happy.
While Ju-kyung keeps returning the key, she finds it resurfacing in her pocket. Setting Ju-kyung on a seat beside him, he gave the juice bottle to another classmate when she reasoned that it’s not good to waste it.
Persistent Seo-jun finds a hobby to express his vocal affection to Ju-kyung, but the latter just get annoyed with it.
“You look like all you’d do is study.”
Finding an excuse to see Ju-kyung, Su-ho summons her outside to get his uniform. However, it hasn’t dried yet so they settle for a quick basketball game in the playground. Casually shooting some hoops, clumsy Ju-kyung also throws herself to Su-ho’s embrace which made the world stop for both of them.
Pulling her longer in his arms, he makes another lame excuse of doing it so he can check the smell of his new detergent.
He walks her home and when he spots Seo-jun’s motorbike, he took it away to not cause her trouble anymore.
“Who cares if you are pretty in the outside when you’re rotten in the inside?!”
Again witnessing the same girls bullying Go-woon, a girl with a beautiful singing voice, Ju-kyung has had enough and throws water to clean their foul attitude. Reminded of her previous life of being bullied, she comforts her and assures her that having a pretty face is never a free pass to do something beyond someone’s ability.
Later Ju-kyung chats with Su-ho about how her heart goes to Go-woon as she empathizes to her situation. Revealing her intention to help, Su-ho remarks how she is nosy, but it does bring strength to people.
Surprised to hear from Su-ho that she is pretty with or without make-up, Ju-kyung was put on a trance as they stare at each other. The spell was broken when the bus arrives. On board separate buses, they think of each other. Ju-kyung sends him a message to watch movie with her after the school festival to which he agrees easily.
“I like Ju-kyung.”
Seo-jun meets Su-ho for his bike and as usual engage in verbal fight. Su-ho tells him that he likes Ju-kyung so he should not use her to get back at him.
Taunting Su-ho of the possibility that he really liked Ju-kyung, he tells him how Ju-kyung would feel if she learns about how he killed a friend. He coldly reminds him that he killed Se-yeon so he has no right to be happy.
At the school festival, Ju-kyung plays godmother to Go-woon by giving her a make-over. Transforming to a beautiful girl her solo stage was met with applause. It turns out that Go-woon is Seo-jun’s sister.
“I’m only nice to you out of pity.”
Finally spotting Su-ho who did not reply to her earlier messages, Ju-kyung blabs about feeling good about helping Go-woon. But sensing something odd on Su-ho she reminds him of their movie date which he dismissed. He also tells her that he’s only nice to her out of pity.
Almost choking in her tears, Ju-kyung promises she won’t bother him anymore so he should stop pitying her. All the while Seo-jun eavesdrop on their conversation. After the basketball game, Su-ho marches to where Seo-jun and warns him to take his anger on him, but never involve Ju-kyung because of his grudge to him. He also vows that he won’t let it happen.
Still feeling a bit sad, Ju-kyung was dragged by her friends to listen to the band show which played a song of Se-yeon. She learns of idol singer Se-yeon’s friendship with Su-ho and Seo-jun. Su-ho, who was also there watching, gets a sudden anxiety attack after being reminded of Se-yeon’s death.
When she spots him having difficulty breathing and barely able to stand, she tries to help but he tells her to leave him be.
“Have you even considered how devastated your loved ones would be? Someone might forever live in guilt for not saving you. There’s nothing you can do for a dead person.”
Still worried about Su-ho, Ju-kyung gets up to wash up and notices the laundry her father brought inside. Noticing the sign on Su-ho’s jacket looks familiar.
Realizing Su-ho is the same ajussi who helped her, she runs to look for him and finds herself in the rooftop building where they first met. When she heard a noise, she sees Su-ho slumped on the floor.
In tears, Su-ho tells Ju-kyung that the place is where Se-yeon died. Feeling his pain, she also cries and gives him an embrace.
“Someone told me that crying is a way to cleanse your heart.”
Breaking their previous emotional encounter, Ju-kyung comforts Su-ho when she found him at the rooftop.
She tells him that it is okay to cry and not pretend to be okay. Reaching home, Su-ho finds his father who wants to check on him. He tells him about the parents-teacher meeting he was informed about. But his son straightly rejected getting any kind of involvement from him.
“Is she Genghis Khan or Taejo Wang Geon? Why did she unify her grades into one number?
Aside from getting the news of her daughter’s disappointing grades, Ju-kyung’s mom also gained a client in Teacher Han after discovering his fading eyebrows. She also gets to meet her favorite actor Lee Joo Hun who turns out to be Su-ho’s father.
Shamelessly fangirling over him, she led an instant fan sign event at the school corridor. The news reaches Su-ho who is obviously unhappy about his dad’s visit when he asked him not to go.
Su-jin shares how Su-ho hates being connected with his father when the people got surprised of finding out his father is a top actor and CEO of an entertainment agency. On his way out, Lee Joo Hun sees Seo-jun who stares at him with contempt in his eyes.
While looking for her mom, Ju-kyung chances upon the conversation of Su-ho with his father. He rages on why he visited against his request not to do. However, their conversation is cut off by Ju-kyung’s mom and the four introduced each other quick before Su-ho walks out.
“The calories are cheering me up. Thank you Go-woon.”
Thinking Ju-kyung’s make-up fixation is the cause of her poor grades, her mom held her precious cosmetics on hostage for dumping. Successfully saving her babies, Ju-kyung put them back on their rightful places.
The next day, Ju-kyung and Su-ho are acting awkward to each other. Go-woon invites her favorite unni for a quick chat and she also asked Ju-kyung for a make-up tutorial.
Unaware that his sister brought in Ju-kyung, Seo-jun mindlessly dance wearing only a robe and leopard print boxer shirts, but halts when he sees Ju-kyung.
Forcing to walk Ju-kyung to the bus stop, her ears perk when she heard him say sorry and thanks her for looking after his sister. Mischievously getting back on him, Ju-kyung replies she’s the one to apologize for seeing his underwear and teased him even more by roaring.
“Mom, the one beside you, is that Lee Su-ho?”
Both looking for Ju-kyung, Su-ho finds her mom at the comic bookstore and allowed her to be dragged in their house.
Surprised to see Su-ho, she can’t argue with her mom who happily cooks dinner food for their special guest. Bickering with her brother, Su-ho gets a taste of Ju-kyung’s quirky family.
To top it off, drunk Hee-kyung entered and clumsily cut off the power connection accidentally. The result is a chaotic dinner from what mom hoped to be a gracious one.
“Did you help me out of pity again?”
Hee-kyung drags her sister to the bath house for sibling bonding time. But Ju-kyung accidentally bumps with the bullies from her old school in her natural face. Barely escaping the situation, she realized her wallet was missing. About to check on her wallet, luckily Su-ho was in the area and retrieves it for her.
Checking if she was okay, Ju-kyung puts on a defense asking if he’s helping again out of pity. She rants how she drew a line based on what he told her so she can’t understand why he is confusing her.
“Like a fool, I thought we got close and got excited and you said to get over myself. You said I was annoying!”
Instead of answering her crying rant, Su-ho confirms if those people were the ones who bullied her. Understanding how she might have been scared, Ju-kyung burst to tears again confirming it. Su-ho peers at her full of empathy. Just then, he sees Seo-jun and his minion so he drags Ju-kyung to hide.
Resigned to protect her, Su-ho pulls her to his embrace promising everything will be okay.
“I’m going to do something bad. Run away if you’re scared.”
Teacher Han goes to Ju-kyung’s mom’s parlor to fix his eyebrows and gets surprised to learn that Hee-kyung is his student’s teacher. He runs away to the pouring rain with Hee-kyung chasing after him. Saving him from a rushing motorbike, they got locked in an embrace.
Both trying to cover each other from the rain, their eyes met. Taking charge, Hee-kyung insists on not taking the umbrella. She warns him to run away if he’s scared because she’s going to do something bad.
Teacher Han closes his eyes and accepts the fleeting kiss planted by Hee-kyung on his lips.
“Se-yeon, what should I do?”
Back at his place, Su-ho enters the room full of friendship memories with Se-yeon and Seo-jun. He surmises on his current situation. The next day, Seo-jun learns of Su-ho’s request which helped immensely improved his mom’s health.
He confronts Su-ho about his intention of begging for the sake of his mom and gets a reply that he would also the same thing if his friend is in that situation. Su-ho tells him that he was his friend that’s why he did it.
Their conversation gets interrupted by a notice from the bullies who held Ju-kyung as hostage in a karaoke room. The two boys rush to save Ju-kyung-damsel-in-distress and beat the pulp out of the bullies. Deducing Ju-kyung’s live video is a cry for help, Su-jin, Soo-Ah and Tae-hoon also arrive to help rescue their friend.
True Beauty Episodes 5 and 6 Musings
We’re definitely over the moon and in the mood for dancing with each chapter we get from True Beauty!
Hee-kyung and Teacher Han are really rocking their roles in this series. There’s no frame of them together that will not make you smile. The reversal of roles for their romance side story is just adorably sketch. Im Se Mi particularly is amazing in her role.
Quick K-Drama parodies that function as fillers have been featured in True Beauty which makes its light storytelling more endearing. We also got a glimpse of how Su-ho’s father fired Se-yeon after being involved in a scandal.
Seo-jun’s rage on the father-and-son who caused his dear friend’s life is acceptable to run in imaginary world, provided it won’t be from start to finish. While his sentiment is understandable, I think his relentless putting of blame on Su-ho will become off – if it does not get resolved after crossing the halfway mark of the series.
Hwang In Yeop is too talented to be remembered as a character who can’t forgive his other close friend indirectly caught in the who’s-to-blame situation of Se-yeon’s death. I think we are heading there since he also has Ju-kyung’s best interest in mind.
In contrast, the sketching of Su-ho’s character is getting interesting. Ju-kyung who initially reminded him of Se-yeon has grown in his heart. Yes, his connection was initially founded out of sympathy and trying to make up for what he failed to do for his friend. So, his emotion seemingly heading to a more romantic note makes the love story in this series thriving.
Still steady and working on accepting her self-esteem, Ju-kyung is staying true to her spirited character. At times, she still doubt herself, and that’s utterly normal. That’s what make her character shine. She is pictured to not winning nor losing to her self-esteem battle, and she’s okay with it.
A nod to how life should be realized to be something that should not make us feel like we are in an endless competition to please others.
Don’t miss episodes 7 and 8 of True Beauty this week on tvN!
Photos: tvN
Videos: tvN | Viu
