Backstreet Rookie Ep 10 Recap (and the worst day of Daehyun’s life)

[Hi everyone! Recap was late because I was writing an exam, where almost everything went tragically wrong k-drama style. Please pray that I pass 😦 ]

Yeonjoo callously leaves Daehyun at the restaurant and has Seungjoon drive her. She wipes tears away but smiles when Seungjoon holds her hand [well she sure moved on fast!]. He takes her to a party in her honour and she smiles and drinks the night away. Wow I hate her. 

On the other hand, Daehyun returns to the store where his mother badgers him about Yeonjoo’s birthdate so she can determine if they’re astrologically compatible [uhh, a little too late for that] and he can’t bring himself to tell her the truth so just asks her to leave. He slumps at his desk once Boonhee’s gone, as it hits him that Yeonjoo just walked out of his life.

And thus begins episode 10! [Wow this is almost as sad as how I feel rn 😦 ]

Saetbyul’s out having dinner with Jiwook. They watch Eunbyul’s dance practice videos, and Saetbyul marvels at how talented she is. She also brags about Daehyun to a reather unenthusiastic Jiwook lol. Contrary to how she acted when Daehyun showed her that honesty is the best policy, she’s actually pretty proud of him.

Jiwook’s surprised that she still hangs out at the store and Saetbyul, of course, has an easy answer for that.

She excuses herself to head to the bathroom and runs into her old promotional manager and her replacement. Awkward. Saetbyul’s hurt but covers it up as the manager explains that there was nothing he could do once Seungjoon demanded that she be fired. Saetbyul doesn’t take it badly at all and smiles, but she sighs when he leaves, telling herself that he had no choice. She deflates, sighing that she’s cut off from her side gig and quit her main job. But she still misses Daehyun.

So, of course, she heads out to spy on him at the store. LOL. She notices that he’s keeping busy but doesn’t know why.

Meanwhile, Puppy Jiwook spies on Saetbyul who’s spying on Daehyun. Awww, sad puppy faces everywhere.

The next day, Yeonjoo gets promoted to PR Director [Sure must help that the boss wants to get in her pants and knows her family, unlike the rest of world that tries to EARN their promotions..]. The condescending manager at work who was rude to Yeonjoo sighs that he’s done for and should just open up a convenience store himself lol. The office is abuzz with rumours that Yeonjoo and Seungjoon are together and everyone feels sorry for Daehyun. So much so that his friends from work come by to tell him the bad news: a) that Yeonjoo’s the daughter of the second largest shareholder in the company b) that she’s been promoted. Daehyun’s devastated upon realizing that he depends on Yeonjoo’s family to live [if only he knew the entirety of it ]

He thinks it can’t be true and runs all the way to Yeonjoo’s place, thinking about all the times she’d promised not to keep secrets from him. At the same time, his mom dresses up and writes out a pretty card for Yeonjoo’s mom. [OH NO!]

Daehyun arrives at the same time Yeonjoo returns and calls her out on lying to him.

He asks why she wasn’t honest with him about who she was. Did she think he’d ask her for a raise or a job if he knew?

Yeonjoo tries to blame Daehyun saying he lied to her allll the time and was alllways with “that part-timer girl”. Daehyun yells asking why she never gives him a chance to explain and jumps to conclusions all by herself and then blames him for that.

And, of course, right then, his dad pulls up, chauffeuring Yeonjoo’s mom. Yeonjoo looks confused when Daehyun asks what his dad is doing her, but Yeonjoo’s mom walks away with a smirk. Daehyun looks horrified as he begins to realize what might be going on, but the looks on his face…he really doesn’t want it to be true.

His dad understands what’s going on and tries to laugh it off, telling Yeonjoo he had no idea that she was dating Daehyun. He runs off in shame, though Daehyun tries to stop him. And, of course, Boonhee sees the whole thing go down. Daehyun finally loses it. He tells Yeonjoo she can insult and humiliate him all she wants, but at the very least doesn’t she think that….

Yeonjoo doesn’t even TRY to apologize. She just says she’s in the same position Daehyun’s always in: having to explain a misunderstanding. He has no right to assume anything and if he has nothing better to say, she’s going to leave. [WOW WHAT A SHAMELESS PIECE OF GARBAGE]. She just walks past him and goes into her fancy mansion leaving Daehyun in tears. Boonhee sees all of this happen as well.

Yeonjoo’s mom plays innocent when questioned.

Yeonjoo says this was unnecessary but of course the rich bitch mom says she wasn’t doing it for Yeonjoo but for Daehyun and his family to know their place: the poor shouldn’t dare dream of touching the rich. Yeonjoo looks upset but her mom says this was for the best and that Yeonjoo still doesn’t get that she did her a favour.

Boonhee slowly walks up to the house and steels herself before ringing the bell.

Yeonjoo’s mom lords the insurance policy over Boonhee, even going as far as to to pause riiiight before signing it to ask if this “helps with her income”. She gleefully smiles when Boonhee says that it would allow her to become the top earner for the month. Boonhee looks like she’s barely holding back her anger but waits until Yeonjoo’s mom stamps her agreement before speaking her mind.

She takes back her previous words regarding dating between people of different social classes.  She says any child regardless of wealth is precious and that parents should leave dating decisions to the kids without getting involved.

She pulls out an investment contract worth $100 and one worth $10,000 and says they looks the same despite being worth different: they’re just two pieces of paper. Yeonjoo’s mom looks like she’s surprised that Boonhee has a backbone but couldn’t care less about the lecture. Yeonjoo overhears the entire conversation and looks stricken. As Boonhee leaves, she sees her husband watering the garden and hides her face. She walks past looking sad. Boonhee returns to work where she gets crowned as the queen of sales for the month.

Yeongpil waters the garden looking sad as well but just keeps going at it. He cleans the car too, ignoring Daehyun’s attempts to call him. He rests the key on the car and decides to leave. He’s hurt, but upon seeing Yeonjoo’s mom snootily cackling on the phone about Yeonjoo becoming an executive, he turns on the sprinklers and soaks her with a evil glint.

[This is the most satisfying thing I’ve seen in forever. In FOREVER.]

On the way back from work, he sees some chicken feet being sold for $5 and brings it home somberly. He finds Boonhee in bed, and rouses her saying he got her a present to celebrate her being crowned sales person of the month. She cries as Yeongpil says he quit his job because wearing ties doesn’t suit him. She says it doesn’t matter and ties aren’t good for anything anyway. Yeongpil apologizes for not being good enough and not making money but Boonhee waves it away saying she must’ve betrayed her country to end up with him. Yeongpil laughs tearfully, apologizing. Boonhee offers him the $1000 he wanted to go on his trip but Yeongpil refuses, both cry silently. [Wow this is heartbreaking]. 

At the store, Daehyun can’t help thinking about the shame on his dad’s face but has to put it aside whenever a customer shows up.

Meanwhile, Saetbyul heads to Eunbyul’s dorm to see how she’s doing.

She ends up eavesdropping on a call where Eunbyul says she’s going to tell Saetbyul where she is. Saetbyul tears up when Eunbyul tells her friend that she loves Saetbyul more than anyone. And, of course, the car Saetbyul’s hiding behind drives away and the sisters finally see each other.

They have dinner during which Saetbyul inquires as to how dorm life is treating her. Eunbyul promises that things are going to work out but Saetbyul remains concerned that their past could hurt Eunbyul.

At work, Daehyun can’t focus and forgets to register a parcel that a customer wants delivered to another convenience store. He removes all the stickers he had of himself and Yeonjoo.

Saetbyul wakes up at Jiwook’s the next day to find his manager scowling over her. She tries to explain but the manager points how hard Jiwook worked to get where he is.

Saetbyul understands and leaves Jiwook’s place, suitcase in hand. She wonders where she should go and Daehyun calls right then. She smiles, especially when he tells her to stop upsetting his mom and move back in. She skips away, not knowing that Boonhee didn’t mention anything and Daehyun was the one who wanted her to return.

At home, Daehyun and Yeongpil awkwardly discuss the previous day’s events without discussing them at all lol. His dad assures him that he’s a strong Busan man, and that he’ll be okay and not to worry about him. Daehyun assures him he’ll be okay and awkwardly heads off the work. His dad still looks worried as Daehyun leaves.

Saetbyul returns and Boonhee yells at her asking why she comes and goes as she pleases as though her house is a motel. Saetbyul looks upset until Boonhee mentions that she couldn’t rest for worry when a family member is missing.

Saetbyul cries as Boonhee says she’s family and that while Saetbyul lives her, Boonhee will be her guardian. Boonhee cheers her up upon seeing tears and Saetbyul mentions that she found Eunbyul. Everything looks up for now.

Daehyun leaves the store to Dalshik and heads to the beach to have some time to process everything that’s happened. He thinks back to when he quit his job and Yeonjoo couldn’t understand why he’d want to give up a paying job to work as a store manager. Daehyun says convenience stores are important to a neighbourhood. It’s where hungry people gather at any time of day.

[That sweater, he totally looks like he did in Healer doesn’t he]. He talks about how he wants to open his own kind of convenience store: a haven for the weary. He promises to own 10 and makes big plans to be his own boss. Yeonjoo laughs and agrees with him. For a moment, you can see why they were a couple.

In the present, Daehyun looks hurt and heartbroken.

Saetbyul drops by the store with a cooling mat for Daehyun to make work easier. Dalshik informs her of the breakup and Saetbyul’s worried but also super excited. She checks the Daily Guru, which informs her that ‘her dream will come true’ and she eagerly inquires as to where Daehyun is. Dalshik can’t literally tell her but he mimes it to keep his promise to Daehyun lol. Saetbyul races off and Dalshik begins a suuuper long conversation with his Aphrodite aka Geumbi. They hang up right before Geumbi walks into the store and she wonders why Dalshik’s kissing his phone like a maniac.

They trade insults back and forth and he even says she ages at the speed of 5G and that her face looks like the surface of the moon OMG. She kicks him the nuts for that one. [I’m ready for this bad humour to leave. The rest of the show is actually not bad but this humour drags it to the gutter honestly.]

Jiwook returns from a schedule to find Saetbyul gone. His manager says he ‘talked some sense into her’ but Jiwook’s furious that the manager kicked out his guest from his apartment without his consent. The manager reminds him that it’s not his aparment, it’s provided by his agency. The same agency whose staff depend on his fame to pay their salaries. Jiwook needs to be smart about who he associates with. Jiwook can’t argue with that but looks hurt, especially when he finds Saetbyul’s goodbye note thanking him for everything.

Daehyun gets drunk at the beach when Saetbyul shows up. He thinks he’s drunk at first but he realizes she’s real upon pinching her cheeks. His reaction is hilarious.  

He asks what she’s doing here and she says it’s his fault for texting her right as she thinks of him. They argue over soju and Daehyun hilariously wails when Saetbyul drinks some of his ‘last bottle of soju lol. 

They both get drunk pretty quickly and Daehyun starts to hallucinate that Saetbyul is Yeonjoo. Illusion-Yeonjoo asks Daehyun if he’s here to get over her. Daehyun cries that he is. He doesn’t mind that she wanted to break up with him. But it really breaks his heart that….

He was fine with being hurt, but…

Saetbyul looks like she’s going to cry and takes the soju from him. He realizes it’s her. Saetbyul asks if he knows who she is now. Daehyun mutters that she’s the girl who asked him to buy cigarettes and then ran at him “like a rhino” and kissed him. He drunkenly cries even more remembering that and that starts him off again thinking about how hurt his dad was.

Saetbyul mutters that he’s terrible when he drinks, and he retorts that she’s terrible because she keeps getting into fights. She’s a feisty fighter, a feisghter. He starts giggling at his terrible joke.

Daehyun doesn’t understand that and keeps cracking terrible joke after terrible joke until Saetbyul mutters that she’s never wanted to kill someone so badly.

Daehyun mutters he wants to drink some more and collapses. Saetbyul grouses that she should just leave him to drown but stares at him affectionately.

She drags him home by herself and swoons over how good-looking he is. She asks his sleeping form if he knows when she started to have feelings for him. “It was when you saved me.”

We flash back to little Saetbyul 10 years ago, practicing hardcore with little Jiwook. Daehyun (and some truly terrible hair) comes in just as the punching bag they’re kicking falls, and saves Saetbyul. Cue love at first sight.

She knows he doesn’t remember but says she’s going to make sure he does.

She says goodnight and is about to leave but gets suuuper close to stare at him just once more. She’s turns to leave for real this time but Daehyun grabs her hand and pulls her on top of him. And thus ends episode 10!

Thoughts:

It was a horrible day to be Daehyun. Scratch that, the man’s had a terrible time so far. He tried so so so hard only to end up being treated like a nuisance, like he didn’t matter, and like his entire relationship was a lie. Which it was. I was curious as to how this show was going to show Saetbyul as more than a rebound and this was it. Showing just how callously Yeonjoo and her family treated his family killed every ounce of feeling Daehyun had left for her.

There were no regrets in that parting, only residual anger and bitterness. It doesn’t matter that Yeonjoo didn’t know what her mother did. She didn’t even try to apologize to Daehyun and his family. She had the benefit of Boonhee’s warm hospitality and repaid that by flinging shit in her face. She yelled at Daehyun for not ‘keeping his promises’ and that’s fair but she was keeping an even bigger secret from him. She’s hypocritical as hell and Daehyun finally saw it. This is the clean slate Daehyun needed and it hurts so bad but there’s no way he’ll have any regrets left after this.

Next week’s preview shows Daehyun getting a little jealous of Jiwook’s friendship with Saetbyul. I’m eager to see how this new relationship’s going to be pulled off and more than happy to leave Yeonjoo and her disgusting family behind.