Summary
Episode 3 sees the plot thickening, but the writing and direction are purposefully walled, making the audience wonder what the true story of the series is.
This recap of the Netflix K-Drama Series You Are My Spring season 1, episode 3 contains spoilers.
Read the recap of the previous episode.
The last episode sent shockwaves, and I still cannot put my finger on what this series is about…
Kang Da-jeong opens the music box left by Chae Jun, and there’s a photo from Christmas time when she was younger; she crossed paths with Chae Jun when she was a child. She’s in shock. Inside there’s a letter from Chae Jun — he confesses to killing Kim Myeong-ja back in 2003. He also confesses to killing Lee Jeong-beom in 2018 and Cho Gwang-hun in 2020 — he felt the murders were inevitable and that he had to do it. He calls it a suicide note and not a confession. Meanwhile, Ju Young-do stands in shock as he sees Chae Jun on top of a car, dead from his apparent suicide.
When authorities arrive, we learn his real name is Choi Jeong-min, and Ko Jin-bok wants to understand why Ju Young-do was at the scene. It still feels like a twist is arriving, but it’s still too early in the series.
Kang Da-jeong appears to know very little about Choi Jeong-min
When Kang Da-jeong is interviewed, she explains that the photo with the other children in front of the church is the only time she ever visited. She had no idea Chae Jun’s real name is Choi Jeong-min. She seems to know little, and she is in shock. However, she is upset, distressed, and she tightens her fists. It’s difficult to gauge the situation. Ju Young-do is worried about her as he meets her outside the station. He gives her a ride and suggests they get something to eat. After, Kang Da-jeong asks her friend Park Cheol-do to stay with Ju Young-do as she’s worried about him.
There’s an emptiness surrounding the chapter, and it’s well-directed. The feeling of a sudden loss cultivates the pace. Even though both characters knew little about Choi Jeong-min, there’s a recognition that someone has taken their own life.
Agreeing to a day trip
The next day, Ju Young-do and Kang Da-jeong agree to go for a day trip together after Kang Da-jeong suggested it. It didn’t take long for Ju Young-do to agree — he’s doing it out of concern, apparently. They are both showing their worries for each other. In the car journey, both characters partake in their usual conversations, trying to work each other out. The discussion turns to flirting, and Kang Da-jeong is curious to bow Ju Young-do flirts himself, but the psychiatrist gets defensive.
Considering the depressing start, it’s strange how the story switched to a light tone rather naturally between the characters.
An unlikely introduction to Kang Da-jeong’s mother
When they arrive at the seaside, Kang Da-jeong tells Ju Young-do that he can explore on his own, so she doesn’t have to explain why he’s here to her mother. But then, her mother turns up on a scooter — she’s delivering pizza, so they cannot avoid this awkward moment. Ju Young-do ends up helping out, even taking orders for pizzas.
Ironically, his ex-wife Ahn Ga-yeong orders 30 pizzas for a commercial shoot. Ju Young-do finds it suspicious that his ex-wife has ended up in the same location. She insists her rich boyfriend Patrick has arranged this shoot and then asks Ju Young-do to pay for the pizza. Ju Young-do, Kang Da-jeong, and Kang Da-jeong’s mother deliver the pizza to the beach where the shoot takes place.
Kang Da-jeong wishes Choi Jeong-min was a good person
Later on, Ju Young-do tells Kang Da-jeong that it will take a long time for her to recover, but she disputes that, stating she didn’t really know Choi Jeong-min. Ju Young-do reminds her she did nothing wrong, but she is irked by the connection to her childhood. Her eyes well up, and she wishes Choi Jeong-min was a good person so she could at least be sad, and then she sobs.
I felt sorry for her here — she feels guilty for feeling sad that Choi Jeong-min took his life and feels like she shouldn’t.
What if Choi Jeong-min isn’t the real culprit?
The investigators learned that Choi Jeong-min used a homeless man to put the music box in the locker for him. Afterward, Ko Jin-bok tells Ju Young-do that the case feels too easy, and it’s bothering him. Ju Young-do agrees and feels Choi Jeong-min isn’t the real culprit and had no reason to kill himself. Ko Jin-bok gets frustrated with Ju Young-do for suggesting Choi Jeong-min isn’t the real culprit. He’s not over Jeong-beom’s death and also feels it’s too soon to sit with Ju Young-do, who has his friend’s heart via a transplant. He tells Ju Young-do that if he has any strange dreams, not to brush it off. He touches Ju Young-do’s chest to feel the heartbeat.
Ko Jin-bok calms down and tells Ju Young-do that if the real culprit is out there, and it’s not Choi Jeong-min, he and Kang Da-jeong are in danger.
The ending of You Are My Spring season 1, episode 3
Kang Da-jeong thanks Ju Young-do for the trip. Ju Young-do apologizes, but she tells him not to and explains he did everything he could. They agree to treat each other more like neighbors, and they are softening with each other. The pair shake on it.
In the hotel, Kang Da-jeong is asked to head to the 8th floor, and when she does, a man passes her that stops her in her tracks. His presence irks her, yet for the audience, we don’t see the man’s face at first. She follows the man down the corridor, and she grabs him, and he turns around. Is it a Choi Jeong-min doppelganger? This series is weird, but I cannot help like it.
Episode 3 sees the plot thickening, but the writing and direction are purposefully walled, making the audience wonder what the true story of the series is.
Additional points
- Ko Jin-bok visits Lee Jeong-beom’s grave and asks him to appear in his dreams to confirm that Choi Jeong-min is the killer.
What did you think of You Are My Spring season 1, episode 3? Comment below.
