Summary
Privates Lives episode 2 feels like an entirely different story until the end — the audience is ironically conned.
This recap of Netflix K-drama series Privates Lives episode 2 contains significant spoilers.
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The opening
Bok-gi is smug that she’s caught Cha Joo-eun but our lead character gives it back. Cha Joo-eun is then dragged out of the office and thrown into a cop car. In the processing room, Cha Joo-eun acts like the victim of a con. She’s asked why the people doing the con turned on her. Mr Park is one of the complainants. In court, Cha Joo-eun says not guilty and ends up in prison. This is a depressing moment in her life. As she gets on the prison bus, she feels betrayed and Kim Jun-beom sees her drive by in the snow.
This is the pivotal moment that was hinted at in episode 1 — this is the moment that changed her life.
Freedom again
We are back to the summer of 2019. When she leaves she feels an abundance of freedom again and Kim Jun-beom is keen to meet. He gives her a key card for a house. He shows Cha Joo-eun her new place and it has a good view.
New place, new life
She looks around her apartment and totals the costs in her head — some things are old while other things are new. Cha Joo-eun gets adjusted to her new way of life. One evening, she goes to a restaurant run by the officer who processed her at the police station. She runs the restaurant. The pair catch up. Cha Joo-eun is not sure where she will work next and asks about Bok-gi but the officer is retired and has no new information. The officer advises that she stops thinking about her.
The story is trying to suggest that the lead character is done with conning people and she is going to move on with her life.
Her cellmate
While out for a drink and food with a friend Min-jeong. A man heads over and tries to flirt with her — he gives himself five minutes to make her laugh. Cha Joo-eun tells the man that she and her friend met in prison and they were cellmates. The man quickly retreats. When Cha Joo-eun returns, Kim Jun-beom is in her apartment and she’s not happy that he just walks in whenever he wants. She tells him she doesn’t want to do any cons. Kim Jun-beom tells her to stop treating him like a lowlife.
Accepting a favour
Privates Lives episode 2 shows how Cha Joo-eun could not resist her previous life for long as she gets into another scheme.
The next day, Kim Jun-beom tries to make Cha Joo-eun some food. She agrees to do a favour and meet a businessman at a restaurant. It’s the same man from the pub who tried chatting her up. This makes her con rather compromised. When she returns home, she asks Kim Jun-beom what the plot is for this documentary. He tells her to work at a technology company for a month and it will pay off all her debt in go. He gives her an ID.
Swept off her feet
Episode 2 sees how adjusting to a new life is way harder than it looks — from con artist to prison to an office environment.
Cha Joo-eun also has a desk which is in a storage room. She feels out of place in these offices; she’s not used to the commuter lifestyle. At lunchtime, she sees the same man again and he invites her for dinner after work — they exchange numbers. She wonders if he’s a conman as well. His name is Lee Jeong-hwan and he’s a team manager at the company she is now embedded in, GK Technology — she unexpectedly likes him.
First date success
Episode 2 quickly becomes a quick-fire love story rather unexpectedly to keep the viewer off guard.
Cha Joo-eun and Lee Jeong-hwan go out for their meal. The place is quiet which suits Cha Joo-eun but Jeong-hwan wanted to show off with an atmosphere. He explains he’s never had time to date when Cha Joo-eun suggests he doesn’t date much. He seems flustered. They then go for a nice walk instead. Suddenly Cha Joo-eun recognises someone who calls themselves Miss Cheongyang Pepper so she runs off with Lee Jeong-hwan. Down an alleyway, Lee Jeong-hwan kisses her and she kisses him back. Afterwards, Lee Jeong-hwan wants to go inside her apartment and wonders if she’s embarrassed because she lives with her parents. Cha Joo-eun lies and tells him that she is an orphan.
What an absurd lie — anything else would have been better.
Can I work there for a year?
Cha Joo-eun meets Kim Jun-beom for a drink — she asks if can remain at the company. He reminds her that they are dealing with a conglomerate and she can’t repeatedly con the company. She asks for help but he refuses.
A few days later, Lee Jeong-hwan presents her with flowers after he hasn’t messaged for a few days to say sorry. They go out for another meal.
Working at the restaurant
Looks like she didn’t get her wish as Cha Joo-eun now has a new workplace real quick.
It’s now 6 months later — Cha Joo-eun is working at the restaurant that her processing officer runs. She serves the customers drinks and grilled meat and she’s a natural. Cha Joo-eun then gets a call from Lee Jeong-hwan who tells her he’s in front of the company building. She rushes to the office building and pretends that she still works there.
Meeting the parents
She manages to get into Lee Jeong-hwan’s car but he mentions that it smells like burnt meat. He takes her out for a meal and introduces her to his parents. Overwhelmed, Cha Joo-eun goes to the bathroom. She returns to the table and decides to take on the night.
Proposal
Everything seems to be going swimmingly for the lead character at this point — audiences are posed to wait for the twist.
Afterwards, Cha Joo-eun and Lee Jeong-hwan go for drinks. He asks for her hand and she senses what he’s about to do and she says she isn’t ready yet. He’s offended that she said no before he even asked. Lee Jeong-hwan walks off for fresh air but then comes back and he’s livelier. He gets down on one knee and asks for her hand again. He puts a ring on her and proposes.
Mother suggests she ends it
Cha Joo-eun meets her father in prison and tells him that she’s getting married. He asks if it’s a documentary or if it’s real. She then tells her mother who has plenty of questions. Cha Joo-eun asks her mother for a deposit for a house and that she’ll pay her back. Her mother wonders if she’s recording a documentary about marriage and suggests that she ends it.
Maybe she should have taken her mother’s advice…
The ending
In the middle of the night, Kim Jun-beom wants to speak to Cha Joo-eun. He wants a drink and he seems very restless. She serves him food as well. He’s gutted that she’s getting married to someone and tells her it won’t be an easy documentary. Cha Joo-eun narrates that she’s going to be happy and she’ll do whatever it takes.
It’s the wedding day and Min-jeong congratulates her before the ceremony. As the ceremony is about to start, Min-jeong reveals that everyone at the wedding are actors. It was a marriage scam. The con artist has been conned.
Privates Lives episode 2 feels like an entirely different story until the end — the audience is ironically conned.
