Simmering Subplots
Mi-Seon and Hye-Jin are working on a project together. Mi-Seon is doing a lot of the work, and Hye-Jin is helping her out as much as possible. But there’s something strange going on with the client. He seems to be really shady, and he doesn’t seem to be very interested in what Mi-Seon is doing. The conversation turns to work, but then they get back to the client later on.
Jo Nam-Sook invites the pair out for a town meeting that afternoon. The pair initially decline until Hye-Jin learns that Du-Sik will be there. She soon perks up and decides to go after all.
Hye-Jin decides to be a member directory because it would be a good idea. However, Du-Sik already has this, and he shows up fashionably late. In doing so, Hye-Jin learns that Du-Sik is actually the chief treasurer of the group too. Hye-Jin starts to regret showing up though, deciding to pretend being drunk until Du-Sik steps up and fills in for Dr Yoon on singing duties, who claims to have laryngitis.
Hye-Jin’s idea backfires as all the residents completely ignore her at the end of the meeting – apart from Du-Sik. In fact, he decides to give her a piggyback on the way home. Halfway up the road, Du-Sik realizes she’s faking it and calls her out for her charade.
Yeo Hwa-Jung and her ex-husband end up walking home together after a heated argument. The ex-husband hands Yeo Hwa-Jung an old kimchi container, which is seen as pretty cute by the latter. ..
In the morning, Hye-Jin heads back to see Ju-Ri, the kid calling her out for lying about treating a celeb. Later on in the day Hye-Jin wins the girl over, showing off the picture and causing them both to gush over his good looks.
Mi-Seon is left alone at the dental clinic for a while with the shady guy, Gam-Ri. Bak, the shady guy, shows up again to get treatment. Mi-Seon recognizes him from somewhere and decides not to go through with the treatment.
Hye-Jin eventually catches him leaning over and immediately calls him out for it. Mi-Seon decides to drop the accusation completely. However, his berating riles Hye-Jin and a returning Du-Sik up, who both assault the man and knock him out cold. ..
Meanwhile, Yeong-Guk ends up seeing Yu Cho-Hui out in the street and immediately tenses up. It’s been 15 years since they both saw each other, and she’s going to be staying in Gongjin for the time being. It turns out this was Yeong-Guk’s first love back in the day. As we soon find out, she’s not actually married either, and with Yeong-Guk now divorced, it certainly doesn’t look “very, very good” (an inside joke there for fans of Homemade Love Story!) when his ex wife Hwa-Jung shows up and sees them together. ..
Gam-R arrives at the police station to drop off the predator’s phone. However, Du-Sik takes hold of it and shows up to see the patient. He antagonizes the man, calling him out for being a peeping tom and saving the dental clinic in the process.
Later that day, Hye-Jin joins Du-Sik over at his place where she notices the photo album. It turns out Du-Sik’s parents died when he was younger. It’s a somber moment but one that passes quickly, as the pair sit together and drink wine and eat together. Despite Hye-Jin’s best efforts, she ends up sputtering and coughing while drinking.
Du-Sik is a remarkable man. He has faced many challenges in his life and has overcome them all. He is a hero, and the police officers at the station are grateful for his help. ..
Hye-Jin, the wine goblet in hand, admits that the day she came to Gongjin was actually her mother’s birthday. She’s been feeling like her mother has been slowly slipping away from her, but before she died they went on a family trip to Gongjin. ..
This explains just why she was there, although she’s quick to put her defences back up again. Just as she does, Du-Sik holds her face with both hands and looks deep in her eyes “It’s so hot,” He comments, as the temperatures goes up for Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha!
The Episode Review
The latest episode of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha was plagued by a small episodic issue involving the shady dental patient, but the show’s main focus was on developing its different subplots. ..
We have Yeong-Guk involved in a potential will they/won’t they with his ex-wife and first love, while the old ladies each have their own issues going on. That’s to say nothing of Chun-Jae’s singing, Mi-Seon’s cute romance with Eun-Cheol and the kids with their hedgehog.
The episode is well-balanced and provides a good amount of comedy and romance. There are some reflective moments, but the comedy is overall on point.
The show has a very talented and stacked cast, with many faces having shown up in some of the bigger dramas over the past couple of years. The result is one of those rare k-dramas that just seems to get every single element spot on – and the growing ratings only reflect that. I don’t know about you guys but I can’t wait for next week’s episode!
