Summary
Episode 3 raises the importance of companionship and being there for each other as frustrations are high and the characters are all journeying to their truth.
This recap of the Netflix k-drama series Love Alarm season 2, episode 3 contains spoilers.
All the characters were looking empty in episode 2, and that theme continues in episode 3, with a downbeat Hye-yeong drained after meeting his father in prison. He wonders if he should keep liking Jojo. The scene then flits to Jojo and Sun-oh. Jojo admits she installed the shield because of him and only wants it removed for Hye-yeong. Sun-oh calls her a liar, but she insists it has nothing to do with him anymore. As she walks off, Sun-oh shouts after her, “you still like me!”. Love Alarm season 2 is beginning to see the frustration boil over between the characters. This love triangle has been weighing on them for years.
Sun-oh is angry and asks Brian Chon about the shield
Sun-oh wants answers and asks Brian Chon about the shield. Brian Chon brushes it off and tells Sun-oh to take it up with Chon Duk-gu. Sun-oh is furious; he knows the shield toys with people’s lives and threatens to tell the reporters about it. Brian Chon arrogantly states how it could make a good story about the “girl with the shield”. It’s awful how bitter and arrogant Brian Chon has become, and the audience can only hope he has a change of heart later in season 2.
Hye-yeong speaks to his mother and then Sun-oh
Eventually, Hye-yeong speaks to his mother about visiting his father. His mother sobs and apologises. She’s happy that he’s grown up so well, and he comforts her. Hye-yeong wonders if he has “grown up well”. Before leaving, Sun-oh catches him, and they catch up. Sun-oh admits to meeting Jojo, but Hye-yeong acts like he doesn’t care as always and explains that he is waiting for her. As Hye-yeong walks off, Sun-oh asks how they ended up like this. There’s plenty of unspoken words between these two old friends; the massive elephant in the room continues, and it tortures both of them. Jojo’s shield impacts everything between them.
Being there for each other
Hye-yeong apologises to Jojo for lying about being at home and admits he had something personal. He asks her to wait for him to gather his thoughts. She agrees to wait. Jojo is not entirely happy that she has to wait; she wonders why it’s hard to do the little things like asking and answering questions with each other. Eventually, Hye-yeong returns, and Jojo puts on a tie for him. She tells him that they should go through whatever pains him together. Jojo is trying to have a relationship where they communicate and trust each other. Clearly, taking it slowly is not working for her. She wants companionship and support.
His pain is her pain
They head to prison, and Jojo waits outside. The father tells Hye-yeong that he’s repented in prison and that he’s become a good person, but Hye-yeong can tell he’s lying because he’s showing the same body language he does when he lies. Hye-yeong looks at his father blank in the face, and his eyes well up. His father suddenly gets angry and asks him to sign the parole review, but then he’s removed from the visitation area. His father’s parole is denied. Hye-yeong leaves the prison in bits, and Jojo runs up and comforts him; they share tears — his pain is her pain as well. Love Alarm season 2, episode 3 brings a pivotal moment for the couple — it creates seeds of doubt for the audience as Jojo and Hye-yeong reach a moment of affection for each other.
Yuk-jo feels the truth
Yuk-jo is angry at Sun-oh for leaving her at The Badge Club; she knows Jojo was there. She recognises that they can’t keep continuing like this, and her eyes well up. The silence says everything. They are over — it’s the beginning of an end. While she likely already knew, Yuk-jo can feel the truth of the situation; she knows Sun-oh is in love with Jojo.
Gul-mi’s desire to be part of The Badge Club continues
Brian Chon gives Gul-mi a Love Alarm app that shows people the location of who loves her. She’s now has a chance to be part of The Badge Club. It then flits to Brian Chon, who is in his old workspace, and he looks at an old school photo. On the monitors, there’s an image with a girl holding a shield. He suddenly gets a call about a police investigation regarding a murder linked to the app. There’s no denying who this character is now — Chon Dok-gu. It’s been obvious since season 1.
The ending
Jojo gets on a bus, and Sun-oh follows her in his car and continuously hits the horn. He then heads into her lecture hall and approaches Sun-oh in front of everyone. Cameras are flashing, and Jojo walks off. Sun-oh chases after her outside and asks her to look at him. The shield has made him go crazy, and he wants an explanation — he’s angry. He tells her from now on, he’ll only believe what her eyes are saying, and he kisses her. Jojo is breathless as she cannot hide her feelings after the kiss — the emotions are evident. Meanwhile, as Hye-yeong checks his phone, on the feature “people who will love me”, Jojo disappears.
Love Alarm season 2, episode 3 raises the importance of companionship and being there for each other as frustrations are high and the characters are all journeying to their truth.
Additional points
- Gul-mi promises to pay back her mother all the money.
