Broadcasting isn't an easy world to live in, and this episode was full of harsh words for all our characters- let's take a look at a few of the toughest to swallow.
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5. Hyun Ah makes Mi Rae redo an entire assignment
Hyun Ah (Lee Mi Do) is not messing around when it comes to this job, and she makes no secret of the fact that she's against Mi Rae (Yoon Eun Hye) being hired. When Mi Rae's looking for a mentor to teach her how to do things, Hyun Ah is straightforward about the fact that she does not care. She doesn't bother with overt insults or shouting- she just makes it very clear that Mi Rae needs to get the job done right or go home.
4. Mi Rae tells You Kyoung to use her normal voice
'Marry Him if You Dare' gives some interesting insights into what life is like for women in the Korean broadcasting business. On one end of the spectrum, we have the tough, no-nonsense Hyun Ah who works her butt off behind the scenes and doesn't have time for nonsense. On the other hand, we have young and beautiful You Kyoung (Han Chae Ah), who also works hard, but because she's in front of the camera, she has the added pressure of having to always come off as sweet and kind and helpful- she actually mentions a few times that the aegyo personality is such a habit by now that it's hard to switch back to "normal". And Mi Rae only got a chance to show her stuff because she had people intervening on her behalf- the ageism she faced for being the ripe old age of 32 almost lost her the job before she ever had a chance.
While it'd be great if the girls were all looking out for each other, this treatment mostly results in people feeling targeted and ostracized, and leads to sniping and picking at each other's weaknesses. On a day when Mi Rae is feeling particularly frazzled, You Kyoung sticks her cute little nose where it doesn't belong and gets on Mi Rae's snippy side. "Use your real voice," Mi Rae says- right in front of the two guys You Kyoung is trying hardest to impress, calling her out for acting fake to get attention. Yikes.
3. Mi Ran lays down the law with Se Ju
The whole reason Se Ju (CNBLUE's Yonghwa) is pretending to be a low-level VJ is so that he can learn the company from the ground up before he takes it over later. As a VJ, he sees the struggles the team goes through- all the talent and ambition to make something amazing, but lacking the funds and manpower to do it. But he doesn't understand things from the perspective of a CEO with limited funds. When he goes to Mi Ran (Go Doo Shim), she offers to let him run the show however he likes, as long as he comes in under budget, but he says that defeats the purpose of starting from the bottom as a VJ, since it'd blow his cover. Mi Ran reminds him he can't have it both ways, and Se Ju leaves, fuming.
As much as we all want to root for Se Ju to do well, Mi Ran's right. She can't produce money out of thin air, and leaders have to make tough and unpleasant calls- it's a reality Se Ju's going to have to face if he really plans to take over someday.
2. Mi Rae refuses to rely on a man, because that's how Ajumma got in a pickle in the first place
(Remember, Ajumma (Choi Myung Gil) is what we're calling Mi Rae's future self to avoid confusion)
Thanks to Ajumma's interference, Mi Rae's got a new job and a new sense of confidence. She's focused on her goals and determined to succeed. However, even after all that, Ajumma is still convinced that Mi Rae needs a man, and constantly tries to convince her to make the search for a suitable husband her number one priority. Mi Rae hits where it hurts when she points out that it was Ajumma's marriage to Shin (Lee Dong Gun) that got them both in this boat to begin with- why should Mi Rae be in any hurry to get married after that?
1. "You'll fail."
If Ajumma is one thing, she's an opportunist, and she uses her opportunistic skills to get on Shin's show as a psychic. After freaking everyone out by announcing that her name is Na Mi Rae, she proceeded to tell stories about Shin's past live on air (she used a similar method to convince Mi Rae that she was really from the future back in episode one).
While this is certainly creepy enough for Shin, it's when he asks her to predict his future that things turn harsh. Ajumma turns to look straight into the camera with a smile and says, "You'll fail." Ouch, talk about unsettling.
Ajumma's been more or less playing Mi Rae's game so far in this story, but with time running out and the future still in flux, she is taking control and doing things on her own terms. She's not the only one taking control however, as Shin nearly brought production to a halt in his stand-off with Mi Ran, Se Ju trying to figure out how to take care of his team without being caught, You Kyoung out to keep Mi Rae from outshining her in any arena, and Mi Rae determined to prove that she's earned her place at YBS. Stakes have officially been raised.
So, what did you think? Be sure to catch episode four on Drama Fever and tell us what you thought of it in the comments!
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