Summary
Some moments work, but overall, episode 5 decides to turn strange every time the plot turns serious. So far, this series doesn’t deliver consistently.
After managing to secure a job in the corporate world of Joa Confectionery, Bahn Ha-ni embarks on her first day at work. As she walks in, someone spills a drink on her work blazer, so she rushes into the bathroom to clean and dry it. Eventually, she introduces herself to her new colleagues. Oh Ji-eun recognises her from school. In a flashback, Oh Ji-eun admired Ha-ni and helped her out on the dance team, but she wasn’t allowed a group photo with her. In the present day, Oh Ji-eun is shaken by her arrival. Meanwhile, teen Ha-ni is at home, and she’s annoyed that there will be no rain — until it rains, they will not be able to do the ritual to bring her back to the present day.
Later in the day, teen Ha-ni ends up imagining a life where she ends up becoming a loved celebrity. Once the daydream fades, she agrees to be an extra for a commercial at Joa Confectionary. She sneaks into her sister’s house and takes some clothes in a suitcase — Seong-u catches her outside. She’s causing more trouble for her older self.
Getting food for colleagues
Hello, Me! episode 5 sees Ha-ni’s first day making her look like a liability.
Han Yu-hyeon is still working in the kitchen at Joa Confectionery, however, he’s not getting off to a good start, irritating his colleagues. He’s realised that working in a kitchen is hard. As he heads outside to pick up food stock, he opens up a bag of beans, and Ha-ni accidentally slips on them. She drops all her food that she’s got for her colleagues. Both characters bump into each other, and Ha-ni is tired of it. When she returns with the ruined food, her colleagues are disappointed. However, Han Yu-hyeon gives her some boxes of the same food she dropped that he made in the kitchen, and Ha-ni’s colleagues are impressed.
Oh Ji-eun reveals who she is
Oh Ji-eun tells Ha-ni that she knows her from school. Ha-ni want to apologise for their past, but Oh Ji-eun isn’t interested in bringing it up — she’s impressed how she turned out. Oh Ji-eun is wondering what about to the “great Bahn Ha-ni”. Ha-ni then learns that her past self has stolen from her sister’s house and goes to the police station, so she needs to book the afternoon off and asks for permission from Oh Ji-eun.
You get the feeling that Oh Ji-eun’s confidence was knocked in her younger years, and Ha-ni was one of the reasons for it.
Ha-yeong tells her sister she never wants to see her again
Teen Ha-ni told the police that she entered the house due to her “mother’s” request, referring to her older self. Ha-yeong turns up, and she’s furious at the situation. Ha-ni apologises, but Ha-yeong is tired of dealing with her shenanigans — she blames her for what happened to their father, which is a gut-punching moment. Ha-ni apologises, but Ha-yeong tells her she doesn’t want to see her ever again. These felt like harsh words from Ha-yeong — a bit too harsh.
A fond memory of their father
Teen Ha-ni tells her older self that she needed clothes for a commercial shoot, so she went to Ha-yeong’s. Ha-ni lays down the ground rules and tells her she needs to stay away from people and stop wandering; she’s emotionally frustrated by how much trouble her younger self is causing. When they get inside, teen Ha-ni tries to cheer her older self up, but she isn’t interested. Suddenly, on a tape she’s playing, they can hear their father talking on it, and it gives them both fond memories.
Feeling emotional, Ha-ni walks outside and remembers running in the rain arguing with her father; a truck drives towards her, and her father makes sure she gets out of the way, but it ends up hitting him. He appears dead on the scene. In the present day, Ha-ni sobs to herself outside — Ha-yeong’s remarks are ringing in her head; she admits to missing her father as well. Han Yu-hyeon catches her crying from a distance but does nothing to comfort her for some reason.
If the series focused more on Ha-ni’s pain and how she’s lost her way in life, then Hello, Me! would be far more interesting.
A fresh start
At work the next day, Ha-ni makes sure she gets off to a better start, even getting involved with the office exercise dance during breaks. The other colleagues are impressed with the accuracy of her dance. Meanwhile, at the cafeteria, all the female colleagues are attracted to Han Yu-hyeon. He gives Ha-ni extra food and everyone watches, wondering why she’s getting special treatment — he’s obviously trying to cheer her up after seeing her cry the night before.
The ending
As Ha-ni (teen) heads to her commercial shoot, Anthony is driven to the same location, and he’s disappointed he’s part of the Joa Confectionery advertisement. But he agrees to go ahead with it anyway, even though it’s a pitfall in his career. However, when he heads inside, he wants to opt-out as he refuses to wear a squid costume. However, with a little persuasion, he does it anyway. In the first cut, the director isn’t happy with the lack of enthusiasm and asks Anthony to smile.
Meanwhile, during a meeting at Joa Confectionery, there’s a problem with one of the factories, so they will not be able to pitch a product. Seo-jin believes they should manufacture the product themselves at the factory. Ha-ni asks her colleagues to trust her to go to the factory and pick up the sample. Nervously, her colleagues give Ha-ni instructions.
On the way out, Ha-ni sees her teen self in a costume for the commercial. She drops the box of ingredients and chases after her through the offices. Once again, the young Ha-ni is causing problems!
Some moments work, but overall, Hello, Me! episode 5 decides to turn strange every time the plot turns serious. So far, this series doesn’t deliver consistently. It’s not like Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol where the silliness complements the story — it doesn’t work in this k-drama series.
Additional points
- Anthony visits the Shaman, who offers him a rite for a lot of money to change the course of his career.
- Han Yu-hyeon asks his father, Ji-man, how he knows Ha-ni when encountering them both in a store. His father is impressed with Han Yu-hyeon for sticking it out in the cafeteria.
