Summary
Episode 8 proves that when it tries to be less clever it delivers — this is a trend with the k-drama series; one chapter is convoluted and choppy while the next serves a worthwhile story. This chapter works.
This recap of Netflix K-drama series Privates Lives episode 8 contains significant spoilers.
We will be recapping this weekly — check out the archive.
The opening
The chapter begins with Kim Jun-beom watching “Helmet man” on CCTV fighting plenty of men, and he is impressed. Cha Joo-eun’s mother speaks to him and highlights how she still expects her daughter to pay her back. She tells Kim Jun-beom not to fall in love with her. The mother then heads over to the detective agency to look for Cha Joo-eun, but she isn’t there.
Who is the “Helmet man”?
The identity of “Helmet man” is still unknown to the characters, which will be a good moment when it is finally revealed.
Bok-gi tells Cha Joo-eun that she wants to kill Lee Jeong-hwan. Cha Joo-eun asks Bok-gi if she regrets the choices she has made as she used to be a news anchor. The pair then discuss the “Helmet man” and ponder who it could be.
Cha Joo-eun lets her mother know that she’s going to find Kim Jae-wook with Bok-gi. The mother asks her what the plan is with Bok-gi and that she should gain her trust and bring her down.
Cha Joo-eun finally faces “Helmet man”
Private Lives episode 8 brings an encounter that we have all waited for, but it is merely a teaser.
Lee Jeong-hwan enters his detective agency with his helmet on. Cha Joo-eun creeps up behind him and threatens to call the police. He runs out, so she chases after him. She still has no idea that the man is Lee Jeong-hwan.
The death threat
A death threat has been left at the detective agency, and Bok-gi tells her that Kim Jae-wook does not have the decency to leave a warning. Cha Joo-eun meets Detective Kim Myung-hyun about the fact there are two men with the same name — there’s a Lee Jeong-hwan at GK Technology.
Hacking UI
Lee Jeong-hwan asks Yoon-seok if it’s possible to hack UI as he needs evidence that they tried to kill him.
The men hack the place, but it triggers security systems. Lee Jeong-hwan manages to escape after helping Yoon-seok hack the systems. Afterward, they check out the data, and they see it has lots of personal information. Yoon-seok checks out Cha Joo-eun’s date and ponders whether she was a spy for UI. Lee Jeong-hwan then rings Mr. Kim and asks if they can arrange to meet.
The threat to Kim Jun-beom
It’s well established now that Kim Jun-beom is a cool character and one that should not be crossed.
One of Mr. Kim’s men tells Kim Jun-beom that he should not be asking any more questions. Kim Jun-beom tells him that he likes conglomerates. He puts the man in an arm lock and asks who used Lee Jeong-hwan’s name. The man claims not to know.
Cha Joo-eun has her own plans
Detective Kim Myung-hyun and his colleague spy on Woo Seok-ho going into a flower shop. They then see Cha Joo-eun, so they take extra cover, so they are not caught. Cha Joo-eun tells Woo Seok-ho that she was too harsh to him previously — she tells him that her husband-to-be died on their wedding day and begins crying. Woo Seok-ho gives her the flowers and asks her if she’d like to go for a drink somewhere and she accepts.
It’s flagrantly obvious at this point that Cha Joo-eun is up to something.
Lacing the wine
Detective Kim Myung-hyun approaches Woo Seok-ho in the bathroom and provokes him a little. Seok-ho returns to the table with Cha Joo-eun. She has spiked his wine glass with a tranquilizer, but he notices it is dirty so asks for another one. She spikes the wine bottle as well. Seok-ho drinks a full glass. They both get drunk as Cha Joo-eun cannot avoid drinking with him. After their meal, they both collapse due to the tranquilizer.
Finding out who he is
Cha Joo-eun wakes up and uses Seok-ho’s fingerprint to access his phone. There’s plenty of references to Lee Jeong-hwan — he’s matched to the number “0721”. Suddenly, a group of suited people heads to the restaurant, and they want Seok-ho. Cha Joo-eun acts like a waitress and walks off with the phone. She still doesn’t know the full story of Lee Jeong-hwan. Afterward, Bok-gi states that Lee Jeong-hwan could have been a real employee at Bok-gi.
The ending
Cha Joo-eun asks Kim Jun-beom if he knew about the Innovative Vision Room and the shadow agents. Kim Jun-beom immediately tells her that Lee Jeong-hwan was one of them and she is shocked. As she settles for the night, Cha Joo-eun is wondering about all the lies.
After more digging, Yoon-seok tells Lee Jeong-hwan that Cha Joo-eun is not an orphan and her mother is a loan shark. He also reveals that Cha Joo-eun has a criminal record as a fraudster.
Cha Joo-eun asks her mother how their family ended up like this. She’s upset that their family will never be the same again and blames her mother. Cha Joo-eun then meets her father in prison — he tells her that she can cry in front of him.
Privates Lives episode 8 proves that when it tries to be less clever it delivers — this is a trend with the k-drama series; one chapter is convoluted and choppy while the next serves a worthwhile story. This chapter works.
