Summary
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay episode 5 continues to be a battle between both lead characters as their past becomes clearer.
This recap of Netflix K-drama series It’s Okay to Not Be Okay episode 5, “Rapunzel and the Cursed Castle” contains spoilers.
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How does It’s Okay to Not Be Okay episode 5, “Rapunzel and the Cursed Castle” open?
Episode 5 begins with Gang-tae finding Ko Mun-yeong in the rain and he offers her his jacket before they hug. They head to a motel to dry off and eat. As they book a room, Ko Mun-yeong argues with Gang-tae due to his hesitation in choosing a room. Gang-tae calls her impulsive and reckless. Ko Mun-yeong wonders why he cares so much — Gang-tae cannot withhold the pressure and books a room but then he remembers that in a rush, he forgot his wallet — be brings the author back to his house. It’s evident that Gang-tae is not internally handling his past and his feelings and episode 5 is indicative of that.
Zombie Kid theories
When inside, Gang-tae asks Ko Mun-yeong to stay away from his brother and suggests that she wants warmth and that’s the meaning of the Zombie Kid book. The author dismisses that idea. After their brief argument in the last episode, Gang-tae asks Sang-tae if he’s still angry and apologises for getting upset with him — like a proper brother, he finds ways to snap his brother out of his mood. Gang-tae has dinner with Ko Mun-yeong afterwards and they seem to be getting along — a rare, warming moment.
Personal and professional
Nam Ju-ri is curious to why Ko Mun-yeong’s father tried to strangle his daughter but her colleague reminds her that she used to be friends with Ko Mun-yeong and she mustn’t use personal issues to get in the way of her profession. It looks like Ko Mun-yeong has a murky past with Nam Ju-ri as well.
Let me stay
Meanwhile, Ko Mun-yeong wants to stay the night but Gang-tae tries to force her out. Jae-su nearly sees her but he acts irrationally to stop him from entering his room. Gang-tae is locked outside his house and Ko Mun-yeong states if he lets her stay, she’ll open it — she continues to tease and flirt with him, breaking down his walls. Gang-tae acts like there is a plumbing problem in the house to keep Jae-su and Sang-tae away so he can keep Ko Mun-yeong over.
Sleepover
Now in a sleep over, Ko Mun-yeong asks Gang-tae why he chose to be a caregiver — he talks about how he smiles and puts a brave face on for his brother. Ko Mun-yeong asks him to smile at her if it isn’t so hard. Gang-tae recalls the time with the girl when he was younger — he claims she saved him and he was a “total jerk” to her. In the middle of the night, Ko Mun-yeong tries to spoon Gang-tae, so he drags her to the other side of the room so she leaves him alone. It’s obvious the Netflix series is going to make this a slow-burn, with many issues to flesh out.
Fighting over a man
At the midway point of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay episode 5, “Rapunzel and the Cursed Castle” Nam Ju-ri learns that Ko Mun-yeong stayed the night and there is an obvious tension between them. Ko Mun-yeong asks her if she likes him and tells her to stop drooling over him. It’s clear there’s a fight over Gang-tae flaming up. Ko Mun-yeong takes it too far and they end up fighting each other. Gang-tae separates them.
You lied
Ko Mun-yeong is angry at Gang-tae for taking Nam Ju-ri’s side and asks him to move into her house. Gang-tae gives her money to get home and walks off. When Gang-tae gets inside, his brother does not want to talk to him because he lied about the plumbing. Sang-tae asks him why Ko Mun-yeong was wearing his clothes — Gang-tae insists she can borrow his clothes next time. Nam Ju-ri confides in her mother about Ko Mun-yeong — she’s upset that Gang-tae let her stay the night and use his clothes. Her mother tells her to confess she has a crush on Gang-tae.
The publishing company is in trouble.
At the publishing company, things are getting worse with public relations and owed bills due to Ko Mun-yeong’s recent bad press and disappearance. Lee Sang-in has a brief breakdown.
The warning from Jae-su
Jae-su asks Gang-tae if he likes that “lunatic” Ko Mun-yeong. When Gang-tae deflects, Jae-su asks him to be careful. Gang-tae states he is growing forgetful these days, Sang-tae, the scars and butterflies — “I sometimes forget them all”. He asks Jae-su to remind him. Back at home, Ko Mun-yeong is angry that Gang-tae gave her money to leave but she is struggling to remain frustrated as she remembers the lingering moments between them. Episode 5 sees both characters internalising the same issues in the same ways.
Please help
Lee Sang-in heads over to Ko Mun-yeong’s place and lays out all the problems with the publisher. She tells him to get out and that she is not here to fix the mess he caused. Lee Sang-in tries sucking up to her but his efforts fail — the author tells him that someone is going to move in with her.
Don’t run away
At the hospital, Nam Ju-ri asks Gang-tae if they are close — he tells her to not waste her emotions on him. Nam Ju-ri says it’s up to her to like him and asks him not to run away just because he feels uncomfortable as it will make her feel pathetic. I think at this moment, Nam Ju-ri realises she does not have a chance with Gang-tae and needs to be his friend.
A place to stay
Ko Mun-yeong offers Sang-tae a lift home from the hospital and shows him her mansion. Gang-tae is worried about where his brother has gone and then he finds out Ko Mun-yeong picked him up. Meanwhile, Ko Mun-yeong asks Sang-tae if he’d like to move into her place and gets him to sign some paperwork. She’s pushing boundaries at this point.
How does It’s Okay to Not Be Okay episode 5, “Rapunzel and the Cursed Castle” end?
Gang-tae rings Ko Mun-yeong and tells her he is heading over — he reveals that he knows she is the girl that saved him when younger. As Gang-tae heads over, Ko Mun-yeong tells Sang-tae the story about the girl who lived in a cursed castle and that her mother always told her that she’s too special to live among everyone else — it’s essentially the story of Rapunzel. As the story progresses, the girl waited for her prince — scenes show a younger Gang-tae heading over to Ko Mun-yeong’s house with flowers. Evidently, her mother told Ko Mun-yeong to tell Gang-tae to go away so she heads outside and stamps on the flowers.
In the present day, Gang-tae heads over to the mansion and Ko Mun-yeong watches him walk through the gates. There are clearly intense feelings towards each other as they look at each other as the chapter ends. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay episode 5 continues to be a battle between both lead characters as their past becomes clearer.
Additional points
- At the hospital at night, one of the caregivers thinks he heard a spooky voice and Nam Ju-ri teases him, claiming there’s a spirit who used to be a Shaman in the hospital.
- Sang-tae starts his art project at the hospital but ends up playing tag with the paint with the director.
