Summary
A nice installment that sets up some new character dynamics, and shifts the story along well.
This recap of Our Blues season 1, episode 4, “Yeong-ok and Jeong-jun 1”, contains spoilers. You can check out our thoughts on yesterday’s episode by clicking these words.
After a man requests for Seon-ah to get up so he can go to work, we see the sweating, seemingly troubled woman leave the bed slowly, yet still quickly adapt to take care of her family seamlessly. It’s evident that the couple are going through some issues, and that the established worries over the cleanliness of the house is just a mask for the deeper troubles. Nevertheless, the pair continue to bicker, and the husband ends up definitively requesting that his wife takes her medication and receives counselling, as depression is curable. “We have a son. At least show me your will to live,” he says defeatedly, before exiting the home and leaving Seon-ah to prepare herself for the day ahead.
Our Blues season 1, episode 4 recap
As time passes, and we believe that Seon-ah has managed to freshen up, we see that it is now in fact night time. Her husband is back, carrying with him the son that she was meant to collect, but did not. So, surprised, the depressed woman heads to the window, opening it to stare into the moon-lit sky. It upsets her, and she realises that the days are becoming hard as everything around her blurs, and the street lights that could be seen as comfort all switch off in unison as she stands completely alone.
Next, we cut to Young-ok freely dancing in a club, letting herself escape from the worries of life. Flanked by an older admirer, who is hoodwinked into believing that he will be afforded the chance to head to a motel with her, she leads the man on with ease, enjoying her control over the agitated middle-aged wannabe lover. In the midst of this, Jung-joon stumbles on Young-ok in the passenger seat of a speeding car, and heads to his bus curiously wondering what it was that was going on. He doesn’t stay still for long, though, and soon heads to the area where Young-ok is trying to rid herself of the clingy Captain Bae.
Successfully interfering in the situation, Jung-joon aids in quelling Captain Bae, thus allowing Young-ok to freely admit she was toying with the drunken pursuer and head home unopposed. Cynically, Jung-joon’s involvement doesn’t stop here, as he soon finds himself reporting the middle-aged man for drunk driving before settling down in front of Young-ok’s house to ensure maximum protection. “I might fall for you,” she light-heartedly says when discovering this information, but does then swiftly warn her friend that he shouldn’t find himself developing feelings, as he will just end up hurt.
Before long, Jung-joon and Young-ok head out to walk together, and the two coyly play around together in a conversation clearly centred around the fact that the former has romantic feelings for the latter. Discussing her ex, the bartender continues to joke about the fact the two men share the same height, similar looks, and ‘Jun’ being a part of their names. Young-ok’s enigmatic presence is emphasised here, particularly when she admits that the reason she moves around so much is “sometimes for work, sometimes for a guy, and sometimes because of a breakup.” It does seem to have some level of impact on Jung-joon, who ponders a number of questions that have now arisen in his head about his romantic interest. Asking himself what his plan is going forward, he believes that he should stop being vague, and make a move.
Following on from Eun-hui shouting at Young-joo to tidy herself up and get some manners, the high-schooler worries that her period is overdue. It’s news that rocks Jung-hyun, who is told to get some money together “just in case.” Elsewhere, the elders wonder about whether Young-ok has been lying to people about her parents, and discuss the changing stories that range from them being dead, to being artists. Enraged, one particular member of the group wants her fired, citing the fact that she flirts with men and has tainted the reputation of the neighbourhood as the reason. Even when Young-ok arrives to pick the friends up the gossip continues, mostly over whether she has a husband purely because she receives regular phone calls.
At a convenience store, Young-joo buys sanitary pads for the sake of her ongoing troubles, but finds herself in a sticky situation when faced with an annoyed In-gwon. The father wonders whether Jung-hyun is her minion, and finds issue with the fact that the high achiever continuously threatens to kill people. In turn, it leads to yet another petty argument between In-gwon and Ho-sik, with the latter wanting his friend to pick a date for the fight that the former seemed to wish to pick.
While Jung-hyun informs his partner that he will buy a pregnancy test on his way back from school, issues arise at sea, as the group come to realise that Young-ok hasn’t come back onto the ship when inspecting their catches. Worried when the calls for resurfacing are fruitless, Jung-joon radios to nearby boats to request that they look for a floral patterned buoy. Later on, when she is found, the elders all rip into her, questioning her teamwork, character, and all-round ability to carry out the job she is tasked with doing. “If she has an ounce of conscience, she’ll leave on her own accord,” Chun-hui states, wishing for the group to no longer waste their energy on scolding someone they believe is a brat. Left sitting alone with her friend, Young-ok is then told some harsh home truths about her silly decisions by Hae-nyeo.
Confronted by Captain Bae, Jung-joon is warned by yet another person to be careful around Young-ok. But it only frustrates the fellow captain, who starts a fight with the middle-aged man, one that is fortunately broken up by Ho-sik before it is given the chance to properly start. Evidently buoyed by the clashing of heads, Jung-joon soon heatedly drives off while calling Young-ok, informing her that they should meet that night.
Despite trying to apologise to Chun-hui, it appears that Young-ok is making no progress in endearing herself to the elders. For one, she is quizzed over who she really is given the constant lies about her family, and why she came to Jeju if she is only going to inconvenience others. Without an answer, the part-time bartender leaves, and Chun-hui’s friend says to make sure that the enigmatic girl doesn’t grown on the group leader.
The Ending
On his bus, Jung-joon passes a drink along to Young-ok, and they begin to talk. First about her liking of Jeju, which appears steadfast, then about whether or not she is interested in Captain Bae, and finally her past relationships. After giving the answers, Young-ok turns the tables, and draws out the fact that Jung-joon is romantically interested in her. So, he asks her out, entirely undeterred by a final warning about being hurt, and as the two begin a kiss, the episode ends.
You can stream Our Blues season 1, episode 4, “Yeong-ok and Jeong-jun 1”, exclusively on Netflix.
