Our smitten part-timer continues to try to win her way into… a permanent spot as a part-timer at the convenience store. With a penchant for justice, and using her fists, our heroine continues to muscle her way in our hero’s life — first his store, and now his love life.
EPISODES 3-4 WEECAP
In its second week, Backstreet Rookie settles into its tone, and all the wacky fight scenes, cameos, and movie scene reenactments continue. It might not be for everyone, but it works for the drama, and watching Ji Chang-wook and Kim Yoo-jung dance it out a la Pulp Fiction was pretty silly and fun.
Don’t stone me, but I actually like these two opposite each other — they have a wackiness that matches each other’s level, and the dynamic between them continues to be the drama’s strength (i.e., feisty, smitten part timer vs. clueless-but-trying-to-be-serious boss). Saet-byul, in particular, is a lot of fun as she balances her girlish enamourment with Dae-hyun, and her MMA fight skills and pursuit of back alley justice.
Saet-byul is pretty, petite, and perky — no one expects her to have quite the beast mode that she does, and watching our characters find out is pretty funny. One of the first people to learn about Saet-byul’s fight skills is Dae-hyun’s friend HAN DAL-SHIK (Eum Moon-suk). Yes, that friend. After a terrible + offensive introduction to him last week, I was left unsure of how to deal with him as a viewer, or why he was even around. This week, though, things are a bit tamer, and he and Saet-byul’s bestie have even got a budding love-to-hate relationship going on (and I expect that’s his webtoon she’s reading, too).
However, Dal-shik’s main job this week is to witness Saet-byul beating up some boys who stole from the store — and then slowly convincing Dae-hyun that, “There’s a monster behind that smiling face.” (Later, he even calls her Connor McGregor hahaha.) As much as I admire her fighting skills, I was glad to get the backstory to explain them, and this week we see some sweet flashbacks with her and her deceased father sparring in his dojo.
Dae-hyun might not believe Dal-shik’s story about his part-timer at first, but his girlfriend YOO YEON-JOO (Han Sun-hwa) learns her true colors (and true identity) pretty quickly after an epic bathroom fight scene. Yeon-joo is on the verge of being mugged by some iljin girls when she’s inadvertently saved by Saet-byul (oh, and spun helplessly into the bathroom stall).
Not only is this scene important because of the misunderstandings that ensue (Dae-hyun misinterpreting Saet-byul’s actions yet again), but it’s when our characters start to tie together. Here, we have the first convergence of Dae-hyun, Saet-byul, and Yeon-joo, and it signals the official start of the girls’ territory battle over him (and yeah, he’s utterly clueless).
But this drama is more than a wacko love triangle, because all our characters are woven together already at this point, in a way that’s ripe for even more chaos as the story continues. Saet-byul works for Dae-hyun who’s dating Yeon-joo who’s friends with the high-ranking JO SEUNG-JOON (Do Sang-woo), both who work in the corporate office of the chain that our convenience store belongs to.
As if that mouthful wasn’t enough, there’s another potential complication introduced this week, too, in the shape of the ultra adorable KANG JI-WOOK (Kim Min-gyu). He used to go to Saet-byul’s father’s dojo, but now he’s a celebrity with an ad campaign for our convenience store chain. Yep, they’re making it pretty obvious that all these strings attaching our characters (and our characters’ hearts) and sure to get mighty tangled, and sooner rather than later.
But first, a victory for our heroine. Her efforts at the store have paid off, and not only does she win Best Employee (via Corporate, again), but Dae-hyun accepts her as an official part-timer — and begins to recognize her true value. I’m sure you can guess which of those three has the most meaning for her. Dae-hyun congratulates her with a little bouquet of pink roses, speaking the language of flowers (mostly) accurately… and it’s pretty clear that’s pretty much the same thing as saying he speaks her language.
Backstreet Rookie sure made some waves after its premiere last week, but it seems to have settled down somewhat, and I enjoyed it a bit more than last week’s episodes. Now that Saet-byul’s position is permanent, I wonder what lies in store (pun intended)? I’m hoping for more wacky dancing, and some saving of the clueless Dae-hyun. Right now the corporate storyline is as dull as they usually are, but I have a hunch the story might turn into Corporation versus Neighborhood Store, and that’s a fight I can get behind.
