Summary
Episode 15 serves as an eventful penultimate chapter as we reach the important phase of the sports festival while the villagers have one last enemy to deal with.
This recap of Netflix k-drama series Racket Boys season 1, episode 15 contains spoilers.
Read the recap of the previous episode.
After a rescheduling of this k-drama series, excitement has been building about how this may end. Having 1 episode a week as part of the schedule change has not necessarily been a bad thing. Maybe networks should reconsider moving away from the double bill model for some series.
Pre-match nerves
With Kang Tae-seon returning to badminton, he tells Coach Bae that he’s worried about what other people will think about him. Bae tells him to stop worrying. Later on, Kang Tae-seon hears the other players saying that he is old news. He confronts his acquaintances about what they were saying about him. He then learns who his next opponent is, who asks him, “Is the White Wolf still around?”. Meanwhile, the boys are worried about their remaining games in the National Junior Sports Festival; they are struggling to sleep.
The next day, the boys and girls eat breakfast, but they are all quiet and nervous. Ra Yeong-ja tells them to feel sad after the match if they lose, but not to go into the tournament with any regrets. After breakfast, Se-yoon checks on Hae-kang, and he reassures her that he can play well despite his eye injury. Se-yoon is nervous as it’s the finals, and he tells him that he can do it. There’s an added layer to all this, of course; Hae-kang is facing his rival, Park Chan, the boy fighting for Se-yoon’s heart as well as him. Before the finals, Hyeon-jong is stuck on strategy with the injuries they have; he reminds them that they are young and have all their life ahead of them — he wants them to know that you can’t always win. Of course, this scene is extended later to show Hyeon-jong’s true strategy.
Yong-tae is figured out in his singles game but finds a new motivation
As the boys arrive at the sports festival, tensions are already high between the players. Yong-tae is up for in his singles event, and at the start, he loses badly. His opponent knows all his tricks. Feeling out of depth, Yong-tae sits in the corridor. Suddenly, he sees someone here recognizes, and he is in awe — it’s Yong-dae, the high-profile player that he copies off. Yong-dae tells him that the way he plays stinks and that he doesn’t play like that.
When Yong-tae returns, he has a surprising newfound motivation. Everyone is surprised as he starts crushing his opponent. He’s got rid of the Yong-dae inside of him; he’s his own player now. Flashbacks show Yong-dae turning back and telling Yong-tae he likes one of his skills. Yong-tae wins his singles match. This is a euphoric moment in the episode — it’s wonderful to see the young player finally have his moment; he deserves it.
Yoon-dam collapses in his game
Yoon-dam’s mother is having a baby, so he rings her to offer her support. Before his match, his family rings him from the hospital to encourage him. He is super nervous. He loses the first set, and he tells Hyeon-jong that he let his guard down and that he will win the second set. However, he ends up fainting on the court floor and collapsing. There’s panic all around. He’s unconscious, and there’s a wait on whether he will continue when he wakes up. When he wakes up, he tells Coach Bae that he was nervous, which is why he collapsed. However, he was under the impression that losing didn’t matter. Coach Bae refutes that statement and tells him he should try to win no matter what because he’s the best player on the team and the captain.
Yoon-dam returns, and he is super focused. He goes on to win the match — there’s elation all around as the boy’s records remain perfect. After the match, the boys and girls bump into Kang Tae-seon, and they are star-struck. Kang Tae-seon is surprised to see so much excitement to see him. They all want a photo with him.
Plans to build a golf course
Veering away from the core story, the penultimate chapter shows the villagers taking on one last challenge.
The villagers are concerned about plans to build a golf course where they live. They’ve been offered compensation of 50 million won if the plans go ahead. But it is not all about the money. Mr. Hong is still not convinced, but he is offered reassurances. The city couple is surprised that the villagers will give up their homes when they’ve lived there all their lives. They want to protect the village and do something about it. So they press the businessmen about their plans.
Grandma raises how her name is wrong on the paperwork and that it is her mother’s name. She asks why her mother’s name is on there and reveals she isn’t illiterate after Hae-in has taught her words. And then, the rest of the villagers notice that there’s a lot of errors on the paperwork regarding resident names. There’s plenty of hurt for how the village has been treated and plenty of regrets about how it has all played out.
Surprise team selections
Coach Fang is surprised to see that Hae-kang is not playing in the singles finals. Yoon-dam and Yong-tae are also doubles partners, which is equally surprising. Coach Fang believes Hyeon-jong has given up, but Coach Ra disputes that idea. But then Fang looks at the first doubles game, and Woo-chan is paired up with Hae-kang. This is a tactical decision by Hyeon-jong.
Flashbacks show Hyeon-jong telling his team that they will win the finals no matter what; he decided that Hae-kang isn’t playing in the singles match, but that he will play in the doubles match to wear the opponents down in three sets. After this, Hyeon-jong trained Woo-chan one on one to improve him. He knows that Park Chan and his doubles partner struggle against defensive players — Woo-chan will defend, Hae-kang will attack. Hyeon-jong names his strategy for the tournament “Racket Boys.” We’ve finally gone full circle with the series title!
The ending of Racket Boys season 1, episode 15
The construction plans go ahead anyway, and the villagers are dismayed as the businessmen mock them. Mr. Hong arrives with his sharp garden tool and threatens them. The lead businessman tells his men to finish off the villagers, but the ordeal is all been filmed. When the lead businessman gets into the digger himself, he can see the ghost of the older Grandma who died in a previous episode standing in the way. As it is about to turn violent, the police turn up. The construction people flee.
Before the doubles match, Hae-kang sees Se-yoon talking to Park Chan. When Park Chan walks off, Hae-kang tells Se-yoon not to worry as he has one reason to win, and that’s her. Se-yoon’s eyes fill up with tears, and Hae-kang tells her to wait for him. To end the episode, Hae-kang and Woo-chan head out to the court, ready for battle.
Racket Boys episode 15 serves as an eventful penultimate chapter as we reach the important phase of the sports festival while the villagers have one last enemy to deal with.
Additional points
- Determined to be fit, Kang Tae-seon stops smoking cigarettes.
- Kang Tae-seon takes an interview with a journalist. He tells the man that nobody is glad that he’s back, and they all think it is because of the money. He states that is the reason he works hard.
What did you think of Racket Boys season 1, episode 15? Comment below.
