SPOILER
True Beauty Ep 3: Cha Eun Woo's love story begins

Looking back to the previous two episodes, I wasn’t convinced that I would even continue on watching this drama. 1 I thought the storyline was too unoriginal: “ugly” girl gets “beautiful,” and the boys fall for the girl. And 2, it was too unrealistic. Yes, I know, the drama is based on a webtoon. But still, when you make something into a K-drama, you do expect some form of reality that possibly I could put myself in the protagonist’s shoes.

But this episode actually proved me wrong.

Tensions spark

It’s the first time the school has seen Soo Ho actually help someone in need – what? He’s that cold?! Outside the bathroom that Joo Kyung is using to fix her makeup (remember the last episode where she got caked in the face?) Soo Ho and Seo Joon can also be seen briefly giving each other a firm warning to stay in each other’s lanes. Joo Kyung confronts her brother (who goes to the same school) as to why Soo Ho would do that to her, and his advice: he’s trying to get back at you.

Side note, if one of my classmates looked like this while he was studying, could anyone get anything done? And also, how is it that someone could look that sexy in a vampire outfit?

Truth comes out

So it turns out that Soo Ho is suspicious of the girl he knows at the comic book store because the Joo Kyung with makeup looks oddly similar to the one he is friends with now. (And he knew all along!) Leave it to Eun Woo, I mean Soo Ho, to put the pieces together as he calls her Joo Kyung. Now here comes my favorite scene that was ever so dramantic (drama-romantic). Because Joo Kyung kept denying that she was the Joo Kyung he knew at school, he goes up to her, takes off her glasses, takes out her hairband and calls her name. If I were her, my heart rate would be through the roof.

Joo Kyung goes back home to her sister, who is playing video games. Also, she becomes the girl crush of the drama as when Joo Kyung’s teacher’s car breaks down, she gets down and dirty to fix the tire.

The next day, Joo Kyung and Soo Ho make a pact that on the condition that Soo Ho keeps Joo Kyung’s secret, Joo Kyung has to do things that Soo Ho says. Not sure if I agree with this, but to note, there is nothing harmful that Soo Ho asks. One time, he asks for a neck pillow and Joo Kyung hurriedly gives it to him and leaves – she did not see how he prepared two ramens for them to eat together. I actually “awwed” at this! Another cute moment was when Soo Ho had lots of leftover food (his cleaning lady makes him some) and gave it to Joo Kyung as he called it “garbage disposal” but ended up eating it with her as I think a cute date!

Seo Joon finally gets some screen time towards the latter half of the episode as Joo Kyung still has his helmet from their initial run in. Funny because her brother sold it already. His friends think that she’s keeping it because of Joo Kyung likes Seo Joon – when in actuality, it’s nowhere to be found!

Under the weather

Soo Ho’s last big request is that Joo Kyung auditions for the school talent show and guess what, she dances alone to Hwa Sa’s “Maria” and aces it! But unfortunately, she danced in front of the wrong crowd and at the wrong time! It seems like Soo Ho coincidentally saw her performance because after school, he can’t stop thinking about her and smiling.

The episode ends pretty sadly, in my opinion. Joo Kyung rushes to get another comic book that Soo Ho requested, but along the way, trips, gets made fun of, gets ridiculed insanely for being “ugly,” and no one helps her – other than, of course, Soo Ho. This guy runs to a convenience store to get her ointment for her scabbed knee and covers her with his shirt to stay warm. He even says sorry for playing around with her (which to Joo Kyung’s eyes might seem like a punishment, but I secretly think Soo Ho did it to hang out with her). Seo Joon sees them together and decides to crash the party by confessing his interests in Joo Kyung in front of the whole school – just to get under Soo Ho’s skin.