Summary
Record of Youth episode 13 continues its strong momentum to complete the story as relationships and careers are on the line.
This recap of Netflix K-drama series Record of Youth season 1, episode 13 contains significant spoilers.
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The opening
Carrying on from the last episode, Hae-hyo and An Jeong-ha enjoy a cup of tea together; An Jeong-ha admits she crossed the line by asking for his help — Hae-hyo denies liking her, asking her not to assume and that he only helped because she is his best friend’s girlfriend. An Jeong-ha receives a phone call from Hye-jun for a quick catch up, and afterwards, she tells Hae-hyo not to tell Hye-jun that they stayed up late. The pair joke how Hae-hyo is a stand-in.
But, we know Hae-hyo is lying — he’s worming his way in. We all know he has feelings for her, and it has nothing to do with his best friend as the dynamic between them all starts to break down.
Squashing the rumor about the dating
With rumors circulating about him, Hye-jun pays An Jeong-ha a quick visit as part of a detour on the way to a shoot. He apologizes for the rumors about him and actress Jin Seo-u dating — he says it is just rumors. An Jeong-ha firmly tells Hye-jun that she trusts him.
The reporter keeps trying to find an exclusive
Reporter Kim keeps on digging into the Charlie Jung story; she berates the officer who handled the case, and he implies he only looked into the call history and texts between the deceased and Hye-jun. It seems the reporter is running out of exclusives and she needs a new story.
Both agents meet again
Lee Tae-su meets Min-jae about Hye-jun’s girlfriend and how he has a photo of both of them kissing. The agent asks Min-jae to arrange a meeting with him as he wants to be friends. There’s clearly an underlying intention of Lee Tae-su — he wants his client back. Lee Tae-su then tries to woo Hye-jun’s brother and gives him a gift card. He assures him he can pay Hye-jun more.
Hae-hyo will not let the follower count go
Do-ha tells Hae-hyo that he’s looked into his follower count and he believes many of his followers are fake; he wonders if his mother arranged his follower increase. Hae-hyo seems nervous, and he defends himself.
Record of Youth episode 13 is not kind to Hae-hye who is starting to see his career and popularity wane slowly — it’s tapping into his insecurities and his outlook in life.
A brief call and the follower count consumes Hae-hyo’s mind
An Jeong-ha rings Hae-hyo and thanks him for all the help. She wants to repay him, but he tells her not to worry about it. Hae-hyo heads home and has flashbacks of him arguing with his mother about the follower account and Hye-jun getting applauded.
The brother broaches the agent
Hye-jun’s brother tells him that Lee Tae-su is a competent agent. Hye-jun is fuming when he learns he accepted a gift card.
Episode 13 sees the family still adjusting to the Hye-jun’s newfound fame. They do not seem to know how to follow protocol.
The follower count is clarified
Hae-hyo confronts his mother Kim I-yeong about the fake followers. She admits to doing it for him and that it worked out for him. Hae-hyo wells up in tears and accuses her of crushing his self-esteem. He’s embarrassed and feels he can not live his career with dignity.
Kim I-yeong is angry at Hae-hyo’s father and blames him for not sending their son to private school.
Hae-hyo finds comfort
And, of course, Hae-hyo goes to An Jeong-ha in his time of needs — but remember, he’s only doing this because it’s his best friend’s girlfriend, right?
Hurt and wounded, Hae-hyo visits An Jeong-ha for comforting. They both stand near the swings outside in silence. As An Jeong-ha is outside, Hye-jun texts her. Outside, An Jeong-ha asks if she can go back inside and sleep. Hae-hyo thanks her for the comfortable silence as it made him feel better.
Hye-jun meets Lee Tae-su himself
Hye-jun meets Lee Tae-su after his recent involvement with his brother. He tells the agent to stay away from him and his family — he hasn’t forgotten how he treated him. The pair argue — Lee Tae-su does not get his own way despite his efforts. Hye-jun learns in the meeting that his brother didn’t actually take the gift card so rings him up and implies an apology.
Defamation
Hye-jun’s popularity rose so quickly that he’s already dealing with legal teams to make sure the wrong stories do not assassinate his character — episode 13 shows how quickly fame can change a person’s life.
Hye-jun and Min-jae head to their legal firm and Ji-a is one of the associates. She explains how many of those who want to defame him are ready to settle and send apology letters. Hye-jun’s brother is one of those people getting sued for defamation — he sent an abusive comment on an article regarding Hye-jun.
Hye-jun’s brother heads into the firm and tells Ji-a and Min-jae that there was nothing wrong with his comment. He tells them not to tell Hye-jun.
Cracks appear between Hye-jun and Hae-hyo
Episode 13 starts the story that many viewers will not want to entertain — is An Jeong-ha slowly breaking up with Hye-jun? The story indicates that they are thus far.
Hye-jun finds out that An Jeong-ha has more exclusive work from Hae-hyo and seems slightly irked by it. He also points out that she left him on read and took her a day to reply.
After a day’s work, Hye-jun rings An Jeong-ha. She tells him she is on the bus and that she will call him back.
When An Jeong-ha returns home, Hye-jun is waiting for her. She’s irked by the dating rumors — Hye-jun suggests making it public. An Jeong-ha asks what if they break-up which completely takes Hye-jun by surprise as he has never considered that scenario. Hye-jun asks why she went to Hae-hyo and not him when something good happens. She tells him that he’s swamped and asks him if he’s happy now that he’s got everything he wanted.
Episode 13 gives a “Careful what you wish for type narrative” — fame has completely changed this couple, spurred on by Hae-hye, of course.
The ending
Hye-jun’s phone goes off from work, and An Jeong-ha asks him to answer it. The next day, at work, Hye-jun seems very down. Lee Tae-su then rings him and tells him he needs to help him because of tomorrow’s headline. In the papers, it says “Was Sa Hye-jun the last person to talk to the late Charlie Jung?”.
Record of Youth episode 13 continues its strong momentum to complete the story as relationships and careers are on the line. There’s plenty to think about as we head towards episode 14.
Additional points
- Do-ha is very bothered about Hye-jun’s follower count, and his agent teases that some of them are fake.
- Sa Min-gi tells his son that he regrets not being able to afford college for him. He calls his son selfless. He wants to make it up to him for being a lousy father.
