Cunning Single Lady / Sly and Single Again - Episode 5 (WookiCap)

Did you think the power was too unevenly distributed in Cha Jung-woo's favor last week? Well, she gets quite a bit of power back in this episode, and pays him back for making her cry and then some. Among the meaneries and childishness, there are attempts to talk to each other. These two haven't been mean to each other for long, but it seems they're already tired of it. That's good - we need to see that they care for each other. 
Episode 5

We return to the moment Cha Jung-woo exits the dream house and returns to his car. He is much more shaken than he made us believe last week ... while she cries in the house, he (almost) cries in the car. Is he feeling sorry for what he just did? Or feeling sorry for what they could have had, but didn't?
And fastforward to the moment when he (has to) congratulate(s) her in front of the board of directors for saving the company. MAJOR glaring ... yum. There is no more sadness there, but only fierce determination. Watch it, Daepyonim.
He has to suffer through a dinner with her, Seung-Hyun (shall we call him Luscious Lips?) and his sister Yeo-Jin (who shall be known as Second Lead). He looks like a rebellious teenager, the way he sits her and pouts. He can barely swallow, that's how agitated he is. He constantly tries to disparage her (it wasn't only her that caught the criminal, it was her badge that was lost, etc. etc.), but to no avail: Second Lead is very much in favor of Ae-ra. It's a growing Womance! Also, Ae-ra praises the CEO's dating skills that she was able to experience first hand during the "date night". Second Lead says she's jealous. Yay, I guess that's only the beginning, luv.
When Luscious Lips and Second Lead leave the table, she starts insulting him right away. But he has a half-assessed apology to offer: he didn't mean to go so far when he took her to the house. She doesn't believe him: what he told her there seemed well rehearsed. Ah, but no! he says: he just repeated what she said first in the TV broadcast. Wut? He saw that??! Does he have nothing to do?
He wants to know why she came to the company - what does she want? More money? Their argument quickly turns ugly. What she wants? To stay in his life and bother him forever!! Ha! He replies, he will just fire her! One word is enough! Ah, but didn't she just save his life aka his company? she retorts. He gets a nervous laughing attack (cause it's true) at that and has to leave the table.
In the toilet, he meets Luscious Lips who is very much worried the latest stunt could mean he has to keep working at the company. Jung-woo has slightly different things on his mind! For example, why was uri Luscious Lips out drinking with that woman? No scandals inside the company, hear, rookie? Awwwww ... so rattled. She has turned into a real headache for him!
Ohhhhhh yes. The revenge is on, and no more Miss Nice Woman. People at the company are all in an exquisite mood the next day. Wait .... are they laughing at him?! Oh yes, they are! Ae-ra has posted old pictures of him: the 4 stages of his transformation. Awwww, don't be embarrassed, Mr. CEO! He finds out it's Na Ae-ra immediately, cause ... IP Address, girl. What she did? It's fanservice! she tells him on the phone.
But she isn't done yet. She waits for him to come up in the elevator, gets in and puts a bouquet of lilies under his nose. He is allergic. Very much so. Not nice, girl! He barely suffers through a meeting - his body is full of angry red dots that itch like hell.
She refuses to see him the next day and his attempts to talk to her more, uhm, forcefully, fail. He threatens to fire her. Or tries to get her to leave by herself. Not gonna happen, though ... Second Lead is very much trying to do something good for the two heroes... like giving them full-time positions.
A series of events has it that Ae-ra's family restaurant becomes part of Jung-woo's company's lunch-discount mobile-shopping scheme. It's a huge success! They decide to celebrate at an office dinner. Of course, there's karaoke! Joining them a bit later ... Jung-woo and Second Lead. Ae-ra, who just sang a song, sniffs a chance for another humiliation and calls on the CEO to please sing for them. She remembers how badly he sings from a karaoke-session they had together. He cannot refuse in front of all the enthusiastically clapping employees and takes the mic ... Second Lead steps up to help him. 
And ... OMO. Joo Sang-wook can sing?! O__o (here's a link to the song (original version by Kim Dong ryul, called Miracle - 기적). It turns into a beautiful duet. Ae-ra grows totally quiet and tears start to well up in her eyes ...

The Rest

Luscious likes her! He makes sure The Lady Boss doesn't see her resignation that she had put on the table after the House-incident.
 
Later, when he finds out that she is divorced he is extremely sweet and considerate. Towards the end of the episode, when he meets her family (they're funny enough in this episode), he is visibly touched by them. That's a cliche - chaebol kid who is touched by the warmth of a poor family - but the way he looks at her ... ouf. Man. He is incredibly cute.
Oh, Gook-Papa is behind the assault on Jung-Woo's business? Meaning: he hired to dude that stole the data? And who is Director Jang? The business rival we heard about earlier? Probably not the last we've heard of this. There's a possibility the drama will make Jung-woo poor again, the perfect situation for the OTP to start over.

We finally get to see the accident that traumatizes Second Lead: Just married, she and her Western husband drive fast somewhere in America's vast West. Her father's men try to stop her, her husband doesn't see an oncoming truck on time (that's quite difficult out in the desert, but never mind) - the husband dies. This time, she tells her father, she will protect the one she loves. The one she loves is our beautiful Jung-woo, with whom she gets to ride the subway (field research, he seems to do it often) and have very sweet-looking drinks in a restaurant/bar. He says she should work less and find a good husband. He learns she has been married before and the situation turns even more awkward than before. He is very uncomfortable around her. I'm glad she isn't just portrayed as totally bitchy. In fact, she seems nice. Sometimes.
Brother finds out that his noona like Jung-woo ... it's written all over her face. He looks concerned. 
Boss Lady finds out Second Lead (the Überboss) is a noona to Luscious Lips. She comes to the conclusion that he is a "golden rope to heaven". Hmmm. I'm sure he is. 

Comments

For the life of me, I cannot understand why people don't love this show! Alright, wrong ... I can understand: It's too slow, it's full of cliches, it's too shallow, etc. etc. etc. But ... it has Joo Sang-wook! A Joo Sang-wook who isn't arrogant and aloof, but a Joo Sang-wook who is being tormented by a woman I would immediately befriend in real life. Maybe. A bit. We fast nearing the half-point of this drama, but before we go into Angst-territory, we will need to see how much these two people still care for each other.

Second Lead's quiet love for Jung-woo has something really sad - she looked so happy when she was able to stand so near him in the subway. We have had a few instances before where he looked at her strangely when she made (soft) advances, but in this episode, he is not catching on at all. Of course, he is far too preoccupied with thinking about his Ex-Wife. I don't hate Second Lead anymore ... at least not at this moment. That will most likely change, when she turns into a REAL Second Lead.