Summary
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay episode 4, “Zombie Kid” deepens the issues between both lead characters as their past continues to haunt them.
This recap of Netflix K-drama series It’s Okay to Not Be Okay episode 4, “Zombie Kid” contains spoilers.
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How does It’s Okay to Not Be Okay episode 4, “Zombie Kid” open?
Episode 4 begins with the election event, replaying the events of what we saw in the last chapter with Min-seok taking over the microphone at the event. The incident spreads on the news with suggestions that assemblyman Kwon has to resign.
Keep your brother safe
One of the campaign officials raises a finger to Ko Mun-yeong and Gang-tae defends her. Min-seok’s mother shows up and is disgraced by her son’s actions and shouts at him. Min-seok realizes that because his mother is angry at him, that deep down she loves him. Gang-tae experiences a flashback of his mother hitting him for not looking after his brother properly. Later on that day in the memory, Gang-tae’s mother tells him it is his job to keep his brother safe. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay episode 4, “Zombie Kid”, keeps the tragic childhood theme, which appears to be getting heavier.
The discussion of flowers
Gang-tae decides to get in the car with Ko Mun-yeong which upsets Nam Ju-ri. Ko Mun-yeong tells Gang-tae that if he runs away, she will follow him. She talks about flowers and Gang-tae laughs at her comparison of the different types. Gang-tae admits he doesn’t like Spring when flowers bloom as that is when he has to leave again.
She’ll eat you alive
Lee Sang-in learns that the injunction against Zombie Kid has been approved and he’s concerned about the company. Lee Sang-in rings Gang-tae about Ko Mun-yeong and how she’s going to eat him alive. He also states she can’t afford to be spending time with him right now. Gang-tae enjoys noodles with Ko Mun-yeong and asks about the new book that has been banned. She recommends that he reads it because he’s more a kid than he thinks because he wants to be loved. It’s obvious the impact those words have on Gang-tae in this scene who tries his hardest to contain his feelings — he’s ready to burst, and in future episodes, he will finally reveal everything he holds in.
Preparing for the lawsuit
The hospital is preparing to be sued by Min-seok’s father over the incident. They can’t fire Ko Mun-yeong because Min-seok got in the car willingly but Nam Ju-ri thinks they should fire her. The director initially ponders over it. Nam Ju-ri’s dislike gets the better of her in It’s Okay to Not Be Okay episode 4, “Zombie Kid”, as she doesn’t like her as a person and especially does not like the growing relationship between her and Gang-tae.
I love you!
Back in the car, Gang-tae asks Ko Mun-yeong why she doesn’t have a walk with her father. She claims her father has dementia and is practically dead. Ko Mun-yeong knows about Gang-tae’s parents as she did a background check. Gang-tae tells her to stop the car and walks off. He tells Ko Mun-yeong that she’s different than others and he should have known better. As he walks off again, Ko Mun-yeong shouts “I love you” repeatedly and starts screaming but he carries on walking. This was a serious scene, but it was also kind of funny — Ko Mun-yeong is emotionally unaware of her actions and words and it shows heavily in episode 4.
Write a new book
Lee Sang-in visits Ko Mun-yeong at the mansion. He tells her to write her next book and show her face in public. In the middle of the night, Ko Mun-yeong remembers her mother brushing her hair and telling her she’s different just like Gang-tae did but this time, calling her extremely special.
Do children have to be useful
Assemblyman Kwon’s lawyers arrive at the hospital and so it begins — the lawsuit. Gang-tae heads to the director’s office and tells Mr. Kwon escaped the hospital on his own accord. The director expresses that his son’s condition has improved significantly since the incident. Mr. Kwon wants to lock his son up forever. Gang-tae asks Mr. Kwon if children need to be useful to their parents — “You shouldn’t have had him”. Mr. Kwon slaps Gang-tae and calls him a mere caregiver. The director has the slap on CCTV and he’s considering blackmailing Mr. Kwon. Gang-tae is evidently passionate about parenting and it shows in this scene — it’s one of the main themes of the Netflix series so far.
Meeting a celebrity
Sang-tae is figuring out how to paint the wall at the hospital and Ko Mun-yeong speaks to him — he is delighted and takes loads of selfies. Nam Ju-ri wonders why she is at the hospital and Ko Mun-yeong tells her she is taking her father for a walk because “someone” is mad at her for not doing it. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay episode 4, “Zombie Kid” finally brings Sang-tae and Ko Mun-yeong together and it is a sweet moment for Gang-tae’s brother.
You won’t understand me
But the sweet moment does not last long; Gang-tae tells his brother to wait in the lobby but he wants to stay with Ko Mun-yeong and Gang-tae gets angry and shouts at him. Gang-tae pulls Ko Mun-yeong aside and tells her she doesn’t understand what she feels as she’s empty inside — “You won’t understand me until the day you die”. These words hurt Ko Mun-yeong clearly and it felt unnecessary. Meanwhile, Sang-tae is upset, so one of the hospital staff offers to take care of him.
Die
Nam Ju-ri brings Ko Mun-yeong’s father to Ko Mun-yeong so they can go for a walk. She asks her father if he has forgotten what type of person she is. Her father asks if she is still alive and touches her face and then starts strangling her screaming, “Die, you monster”. Shell shocked, Ko Mun-yeong lays on the floor, a single tear leaves her eyes and she starts laughing — it’s easy to see why this character struggles with her past, with a conflicting childhood between mother and father.
Reading Zombie Kid
Gang-tae reads Ko Mun-yeong’s book Zombie Kid, which is about a boy that had the desire to eat like a zombie and his mother locked him up so the villagers couldn’t see him — she raised him in secret. An epidemic broke out, killing all animals and many people. The mother could not leave her son alone and cut off one of her legs so he can eat. We are then shown scenes of Min-seok getting hit by his mother — the story continues and the mother gave all her body to her son until she was a torso and he gave her a big hug and he realized how warm she was.
Gang-tae remembers when he was young again and how he hugged his mother in bed. Gang-tae cries as he reads the book. Ko Mun-yeong remembers her mother’s warmth.
How does It’s Okay to Not Be Okay episode 4, “Zombie Kid” end?
Jae-su tells Gang-tae that Ko Mun-yeong’s father choked her at the hospital and that the father must hate her. Gang-tae heads out on Jae-su’s motorbike to find her. He finds her walking home, barefoot, in the rain. With the lighthouse shining on them, they look at each other, getting drenched in rain, and they hug each other. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay episode 4, “Zombie Kid” deepens the issues between both lead characters as their past continues to haunt them.
Additional points
- At the pizza place, Lee Sang-in is blown away by Nam Ju-ri.
