Live Recap: Trot Lovers Episode 3

Which dashing hero will come to our heroine’s rescue?

The slightly off-kilter CEO or the big-headed star? I can’t stare at JH’s shirt for too long or I’ll go cross-eyed. Live recap will be updated here.

Live streaming link – http://www.kbs.co.kr/player/player_playlist.php?ch=12#kbs

Character Key for live recap shorthand

Leads

 Jang Joon Hyun (JH)- Hot kpop star

 Choi Choon Hee (CH)- loves the unsophisticated trot music

 Park Soo In (SI)- singer in training at Shine Star agency

 Jo Geun Woo (GW)- Shine Star’s CEO

Leads’ families

 Choi Byul (CB)- Choi Choon Hee’s sister

 Choi Myung Shik (MS)- Choi Choon Hee’s sister

 Yang Joo Hee (JH)- Park Soo In’s mom

 Jo Hee Moon (HM)- Jo Geun Woo’s dad

 Shine Star staff

 Na Pil Nyeo (PN)- Shine Star trainee for 10 years

 Director Wang (Wang)- a director (not film, just a title at company) at Shine Star

Other minor characters

 Kim Woo Gab (WG)- Midas CEO

 Team leader Nam (Nam)- Heads planning team at Midas

 Seol Tae Song (TS)- Jang Joon Hyun’s manager

 Lee Chul Man (CM)- loan shark

 Lee Yoo Shik (YS)- loan shark, Lee Chul Man’s cousin

 Bang Ji Sook (JS)- Choi Choon Hee’s marathon coach and mentor

 Shin Ho Yeol (HY)- Jang Joon Hyun’s rival

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Episode 3

It is CH’s turn to sing. In the back of the theater, GW’s dad has come to watch. Judges asks CH why she is singing trot. CH says it is because she grew up listening to trot from her mom while she worked in the market. Her mom was a singer who recorded one album. CH is singing a song her mom did a remake for the album.

CH starts singing but she is scared and turns around. Wang is about to say something but GW stops him- he wants to hear CH sing. CH imagines her sister and parents there to support her, and CH gathers the courage to turn around to face the judges and sing her heart out. Everyone in the audience is bouncing along to her singing. JH looks around the audience.

GW enjoys CH’s singing. He notices Wang looking very disinterested. CH finishes singing. Wang says he is giving her a fail because of her unprofessional stage manner. GW says she passed since he doesn’t know music and just stared at audience to get their reaction and they looked happy. Other judge gives CH’s a no-go. Audience and JH is disappointed.

Backstage, GW’s dad approaches her. He says she is like a singer he used to like before so he will become her first fan. GW’s dad leaves as JH comes. He yells at her for singing with her back to the audience.

Loan sharks come. They demand to know how she will pay back what she owes them (30,000,000 won). She says she will work. Loan sharks want to know how much JH’s guitar cost. It is a famous person’s guitar which JH can’t part with. JH, CH, loan sharks fight over guitar until CH gets approached by Heo CEO of Heo Entertainment.

 

Loan sharks, JH, CH go to Heo Entertainment. JH volunteers to go into office by himself since he knows the industry. Outside, loan sharks think they recognize Heo. Inside, JH and Heo are negotiating over contract. Eventually, JH agrees. Asks if the contract deposit will be paid up front.

JH sneaks out without loan sharks or CH knowing.  He gets into taxi.

Back at office, CH finds out JH took the contract deposit. She is now signed to Heo. The money was a 10,000,000 won.

JH deposits money in bank so he can use his card again. He ignores calls from CH, saying he deserves the money since everything bad happened to him because of her.

CH is at home, calling JH, getting no answer, saying she will kill him.

CH is called to agency, she “debuts” today.

Loan sharks come to nightclub feeling bad for CH because JH sold her off to a place like this.

CH and Heo. CH can’t believe the woman full of makeup on the poster is her. She says she never got the money, she never signed, but Heo shows her what JH signed. All she has to do is work six months.

GW is in his office, watching CH’s audition again. She has a fanclub already- “La Traviata- Love Choon Hee.” There are a lot of views for her performance video too. He wants to bring her to Shine Star.

GW calls CH’s phone but someone else at nightclub picks up. GW is at nightclub now. He sees CH come on stage. Drunk guys try to get on stage and grab CH. CH tries to keep them off and drunk guy gets angry. GW saves CH from falling off the stage.

Heo and GW negotiate over CH. Heo wants contract deposit plus more for “production fees.” GW says he will just pay the contract deposit. She has too many flaws- she has an awful temper, she can’t control the audience, and most importantly, isn’t sexy. CH gets angry that he is dissing her when she is right here. CH says she won’t be bought by anyone again. She won’t follow him. GW says fine.

GW chases down CH in the hallway. He wants to know how she knows his dad. Is she his new stepmom? His hidden sister? CH calls him psycho, saying she is the one who wants to know how his dad knows her. She storms off. GW smiles, amused.

CH comes home, sits outside. She cries at a photo of family, saying she is scared, she doesn’t know what to do. She comes inside. Byul welcomes her. She notices CH’s lipstick. CH says she sang. Byul thinks this means her sister is a singer and wants to see her sister sing. CH says she can’t. Byul asks then when? When CH appears on tv?

SI continues to rise up the audition rounds.

JH is at hotel, hallucinates that hotel maid is CH come to find him.

JH is happy to cut his steak dinner except he keeps imagining the onigiri and Byul. He can’t get them out of his head.

JH comes to pick up Byul and take her to a nice restaurant. He wanted to show her what “humans” eat. Byul is having a hard time cutting the steak so he cuts it for her. He asks what CH is doing. Byul says CH is busy, has become a singer like JH. She whispers to him that CH will appear on tv soon. JH says the tv producers must be deaf. He was worried for nothing about CH.

JH asks why Byul is only eating bread. She says its bleeding. The steak. JH says steak should be cooked like that to taste good. Byul thinks the salad and everything tastes wierd. He yells that she can’t keep eating onigiri or her life will become like onigiri.

JH takes Byul to a dessert café. Byul can’t choose so he says she can eat all. He notices her worn out shoes. So he buys new pair for her. Says he has no debt to them now. He apologizes for getting angry. Byul says it’s okay. JH is happy, wishes CH had Byul’s nice temperament.

PN, the Shine Shine trainee, is getting drunk at the street vendor, bemoaning her bad luck. TS, JH’s manager, comes wanting ddukbokki, his life depends on it, but it is last serving and PN wants it too. They start out bidding each other. TS eventually wins, paying 100,000 won (!!!) for one serving of ddukbokki.

At restaurant. HY has ordered TS to get ddukbokki because he wanted to eat it while eating steak. HY takes one bite, doesn’t want it anymore. Says he should have asked TS to buy a drink too. Can he go now? TS says later, he hasn’t eaten all day. HY throws wine in TS’s face. JERK!!!

JH is rolling around in his bed. See HY on tv. Gets annoyed.

JH is at bar, sees SI’s interview on tv. He gives a small smile, saying she succeeded. Bartender says JH’s reached his credit limit. JH- “Already???”

SI is practicing dancing. Mom calls to say she can’t have dinner. SI doesn’t like eating alone. She sees GW in hallway. Runs out to pretend she just ran into him but GW says you caught my eye while in that practice room. GW asks if she is busy, she says yes, busy practicing for debut. He says too bad, he was going to ask her for dinner. SI stops him before he leaves, he should buy her dinner since she won the audition. GW says she should buy, didn’t she say that before? They go to udon. SI thought he would eat something better since she is buying. GW says the food is really good here, he used to take the plane to eat here if he craved it. If he likes something, he is someone who thinks of it as the best.

JH is in the hotel lobby, no money, no where to go. He checks messages, and there is one from drunk TS. JH thinks it is because TS missed him, since JH was so nice to TS. HA!

JH comes to see TS at Midas. JH remembers back to the time in the recording studio, just when he was quietly recording music. He sighs.

In the control side of the recording room, TS and HY come in to talk. JH can hear everything from the sound booth side.  HY saying Midas CEO has no intention of making TS a singer; TS was just meant to be HY’s manager. HY starts dissing JH. TS says JH doesn’t deserve to hear this from HY- he has a bad attitude but he knows music. HY says thanks to TS, JH became like that. TS says he didn’t do it, Midas CEO already had it planned. TS keeps denying he had anything to do with it. JH comes in, demands to know from TS what he did.

JH storms into Midas CEO’s office. He is furious, how can the CEO do this to him? This Midas building exists because of him!

JH says he is an artist, not an idol out of the factory. He will rise again. CEO scoffs- “When you betrayed me, I thought, I should kill you.” But since that wouldn’t satisfy him, he decided to take what is most precious to JH- music. He will make sure that JH won’t be able to do music ever again. JH grabs at the CEO. “I’m going to kill you!” He is pulled away by other employees.

CH receives eviction notice. CH calls Heo.

Heo and CH talk. CH expects payment but it is a bill, Heo says she needs to pay up for her makeup fees, etc. He suggests she earn money by singing in karaoke rooms for customers.

CH is searching for a place to live. Dingy old place, one room only. Gets call from coach. Byul is with her. She will drop Byul off at home.

GW calls dad. Dad is moving right below CH’s place. He lies and says he is in Hawaii (like father, like son). GW informs dad that CH didn’t pass.

CH goes to see Heo. She says she will do it. Singing in the rooms. Uh oh.

Back home, CH starts packing. Byul is worried that dad won’t be able to find them if they move. CH reassures her that dad will be able to find them. Byul is acting suspicious. CH makes her move and finds the sneakers that JH bought for her inside the drawer. CH demands to know where Byul got them. Byul can’t say immediately, knowing CH will get mad.

CH demands to know where JH is, does she know with what money JH bought those shoes? Selling her…! Ch leaves room, frustrated.

Byul calls CH back to room. JH has been arrested for causing a ruckus at Midas.

In the cell, JH thinks back at what Midas CEO said.

JH is called out of cell, is told the Midas CEO canceled charges. JH, lacking all will, gives an empty smile.

Cop gets distracted by video of CH performing. JH sees the cop’s gun on the desk. MAN, what a dumb cop! JH imagines killing himself. Until he hears CH’s voice, singing. Crying, he snaps out of it. He grabs pen, not gun, and signs the discharge papers.

Loan sharks are waiting outside for JH. They scold him for selling CH off and ending up in a place like this. JH puts is last bills of money into loan shark’s pocket. That is all he has. Cutting off his hands or killing him won’t get their money back so if they want it back, give him three months. Will pay back two times the interest.

JH storms into GW’s office. He wants GW to sign CH. Need 30,000,000 get back CH from Heo.  GW’s asks why he should trust JH to make CH a star. JH offers his guitar as collateral, worth 30,000,000 won.

I guess GW told JH to go to Heo because JH offers Heo the money. Heo says CH caused more damage than that. He wants something else from JH.

CH is inside room singing for some gangster guys. Boss wants her to sing something bright. Lackey tips her 50,000 won but CH refuses. Guys get mad.

Heo wants JH to sing, not on stage, but in rooms. Guy comes in, says there is a problem in the room with stick girl. JH realizes it is CH. Storms into that room, tries to take her out but gangs stop him and get him mad. JH gulps down the alcohol, a little crazy and desparate, says he will take it them on; he has come here to die anyway. Gangs try to beat JH up,  CH tries to help him. JH saves CH from getting hurt, says he needs her to live. Gang definitely thinks he is her boyfriend. Loan sharks come into help. Sends JH and CH away safe.

Out in the street, CH starts beating up JH. YOU GO GIRL! She yells, “Do you know what I endured because of you? Are you even human?”

JH grabs her arm- “Let’s go. Let’s go to Shine Star. I will make you a real singer.” CH refuses to go, can’t believe him. “Am I stupid? Where will you sell me off now? How can you buy Byul shoes with the money you got after selling me off, making her your side? Are you even human?” JH apologizes. CH asks, “For what???” JH explains he thought everything that happened to him was her fault but it wasn’t; he apologizes. He also apologizes for selling her off. He really didn’t know she would sing at those type of places, though. He drops to his knees. “Please forgive me this once. I thought and thought about it, but all I have is you. You’re the only way I can stay in this field. I can’t guarantee the result, but I want to make you a real singer. I now it is shameless, but please give me one more chance.”

End of episode, no preview for episode 4.

Comment:

It was nice to see those dramatic moments from Ji Hyun Woo. He’s more a dramatic actor than comedic, and it was just too much comedy in the beginning. Hopefully, with just a little dash of drama, Ji Hyun Woo will find a nice balance between the two. I saw it already in this episode.

Geun Woo is not a bad guy, but he is also very business-minded. That is how is he able to immediately drop his offer to buy up Choon Hee’s contract, when she refuses. He is not emotionally attached to her, and I wonder if he ever will be. Is Shin Sung Rok doomed to play the platonic, daddy-long-legs CEO in this drama? No! I want more from him.

I love Choon Hee who is such a no nonsense kind of girl. Despite her dad abandoning her, despite having to take care of a little sister, and despite her growing debt, Choon Hee trudges on as faithfully as she. But Choon Hee is young and when her vulnerability shows, it breaks my heart. I’m so glad she gave Joon Hyun a good kick in the balls.

One relationship I’m keeping my eye out on is the one between Byul and Joon Hyun. I expect a lot of cute and heart-warming moments from these two.

Joon Hyun had a harsh wake-up call today, realizing why and how he has fallen so far, and what his future prospects are. Joon Hyun has no one but Choon Hee to save him, and his love for music is strong enough for him to bend his pride and get on his knees to beg. It’s not for the love of money and fame, but pure music, stripped away from the stardom. That is what his experience with the Midas CEO and at the police station taught him; he needs music in his life.

Tae Song learned a harsh lesson of his own today, having to be the manager to someone who is worse than Joon Hyun, which is Ho Yeol. But a running theme in this drama is redemption, and Tae Song, the loan sharks, and Joon Hyun will get a chance at it, to become better people and know how to properly support others.