Summary
Another fantastic episode that richly develops the plot and builds upon the growing intensity.
This recap of the Netflix K-Drama series Little Women (2022) season 1, episode 5 contains spoilers.
In this instalment, Little Women focuses on the new challenges facing its characters. Most importantly, In-joo settles into her role as Sang-a’s assistant, showing both her gullibility, as well as her desire to earn enough money to live freely. Full of subtle, bubbling intensity, episode five does a fantastic job of raising the stakes without too much fanfare, just as we almost reach the halfway mark.
Little Women season 1, episode 5 recap
We begin with Do-il denying In-joo the chance to go to Singapore, citing the fact it would look fishy in the eyes of those observing her should she go on a trip at this present moment. Instead, the outcast should travel to coincide with the International Orchid Festival, when Sang-a will inevitably send her over anyway. “That will be our chance,” Do-il says, explaining the plan he has to ensure the two end up in Singapore for the event. Nevertheless, for the scheme to succeed it does mean that In-joo must grit her teeth and work for Hyo-rin’s “picky and sensitive” mother, to show the rich woman that she can capably launder money for her by risking her life.
After In-kyung curiously spots her older sister with Do-il, she finds out through Jong-ho that the mystery man was famous at UPenn for being a genius without friends, would occasionally be picked up by a “suspicious limo,” and joined a Russian investment company upon graduating. “I heard that he became a money laundering expert there,” Jong-ho adds, frustrating the Oh family’s middle child enough for her to step out of the car. Here, In-kyung tries to embarrass her sibling to no avail, with Do-il more than equipped to handle the situation confidently until he leaves. Following that, the two sisters argue about the men they’re involved with, in addition to In-joo’s choice to work for Sang-a.
While In-joo wonders about Hwa-young’s private life in Singapore, and why it had to be her whose identity was stolen, we transition to a flashback. There, we’re shown the trip the two friends had to Singapore some time ago, talking about the losses in their lives openly over a sunset. “If only I could live in a place like that as a rich person even just for a day, then I could die with no regrets,” In-joo states while looking at a flashy apartment, a sentence that was clearly the catalyst for what is currently transpiring in her life. In the present, the Oh family’s eldest realises this while sat in reflection.
The next day, In-joo gets ready to start working for Sang-a, determined to finish what was started by her late friend. However, it’s quickly apparent that this will be no easy task, given that the rich mother is swift to fire a housekeeper simply for moving a green dress. In time, In-joo hears directly from her new boss, who dishes out instructions for Hyo-rin’s medication that should be given if the young girl hyperventilates, or panics, at her father’s anger regarding Sang-a attending to business in Singapore. That, and the former office outcast needs to stay the night too, just to be on the safe side. Cynically, the one-percenter expresses her desire for her travels to be kept rather secretive, with people unable to find out where she is until as late as possible, before she abruptly drops In-joo off at a bus stop.
While watching the documentary based around In-hye’s integration into the Park family home (which paints the young artist as a “lost” person in need of love that can be given by the rich family), Hyo-rin and co. are interrupted by an evidently frustrated Jae-sang, who wonders if his daughter is aware that her mother is in Singapore. Angered, the attorney breaks the television, imperatively asks for Sang-a to be phoned, and wishes to have a word with In-joo when she feebly intervenes. Nevertheless, the new employee does ensure she takes pictures of the damage prior to joining Jae-sang.
With a drink and a slightly calmer demeanour, Jae-sang wishes to learn why his wife went to Singapore from In-joo. Hearing that it was so she could be there for the opening of a friend’s department store, the attorney finds an image online of the event that is subsequently printed off, while the Oh family’s eldest receives permission to tell Hyo-rin that her father has apologised. At that point, Do-il arrives, agreeing to bring Sang-a back by tomorrow. Elsewhere, an anxious Hyo-rin calms down, admitting that if she wasn’t ok, she would be in the ER, but that she feels that she will be fine due to the presence of In-hye, and In-joo.
Outside, In-joo claims that everyone in the Park household is insane only to be swiftly stunted in her lofty words by a stone-faced Do-il, who informs her that there are security cameras around. Worried, the outcast tells her accomplice that they will be killed by Jae-sang once he realises they have the 70 billion won, though she soon finds out the plan to guarantee no such thing happens. A paper company has been set up in In-joo’s name, where the money will be transferred once Do-il heads out to Singapore. “Hide in a safe place while I negotiate using the ledgers,” the expert money launderer adds, ready to use the important documents in exchange for the cash. Doubtful, In-joo isn’t sure this will work, yet she is told that Jae-sang never harms things important to him, meaning that he will allow the 70 billion won to be parted with so long as it doesn’t disrupt his wider ambitions.
Continuing, Do-il soon shows In-joo some photos of Andros, an island in Greece, and Mazatlan, a place were “Mexican drug lords spend their vacations.” He plans to live there, stating that they are the safest places in the world “as long as you have a few good friends,” before wondering whether his accomplice has ever wanted to be born again. “All the time. Every day” is the response, one that kickstarts a tentative offer for the two to live their lives moving from safe house to safe house once the money has been split. With that being said, In-joo isn’t quite certain about Do-il currently, although she does waver when he implies that due to his life as a money launderer, he will risk everything to protect her. Comparing himself to a galloping horse that needs to be trusted or else it won’t be able to jump over a fence, Do-il seems to insist that he needs the support of his associate.
Later on, In-hye is informed by her oldest sister that she won’t have to “mooch” off the Park family anymore, and that she is being taken out of their house. The young artist isn’t too keen on the idea, given that she is doing well where she is, and her disagreement in moving is only cemented when shown pictures of the prospective islands that she could relocate to.
At night, Hyo-rin is snuck out of her room by In-hye so the two can spend some time together. Here, the friends candidly talk together, with the former talking about her self-harming past that came with the loneliness of being an only child in such a messy family, as the latter mentions drawing being her escapism from fear. Meanwhile, In-kyung begins working as a company Director in the real estate business alongside her great-aunt, as part of the deal to do “anything” to pay for In-hye’s medical bills. Despite deflation over this sudden change of career, the middle child hears that she has grown through swallowing her pride, something Hye-suk herself did in the past.
As Su-im tries to get Do-il to expose his private conversation with In-joo, the investigator alludes to there being an ongoing fling between himself and his accomplice before smugly leaving. Elsewhere, In-kyung works through three years of poor looking financial statements, which she is told is all part of Hye-suk’s plan to be richer in the future. “That’s why I need you. I want this company to still be going strong even in 20 years,” the Oh sisters’ great-aunt says. Then, In-kyung switches topics, wanting to know if she can see the information on the time her relative looked for land with Jae-sang’s father.
After Jae-sang quizzes his wife on why she went to Singapore, he is notified that it was because she wanted to wear a black dress, let her hair down and, crucially, feel alive. Confused, the attorney wishes to know why Sang-a lied, wanting to be informed of the truth. However, the rich heir turns harsh here, bluntly questioning why she would bother lying to her “manservant.” As such, Jae-sang frustratedly heads inside his wife’s suitcase despite protest, emptying out the contents. In time, Sang-a leaves the house altogether, but tells her daughter that it will all be ok tomorrow, so she should take her pills and head to bed. Of course, Hyo-rin doesn’t believe this, so the young girl watches the subsequent ongoings on the TV.
Watching her husband get grilled over his apology to an elderly man framed for espionage years prior, Sang-a sits beside her father in a hospital, seemingly frustrated by the words exiting the mouth of Jae-sang. Elsewhere, Hyo-rin paints a picture of a red-heeled woman to begin heeding the advice of In-hye, and start dealing with her fears.
“Art warns us about the future,” Jae-sang tells an audience at an exhibition, adding that its always a step ahead, much like Seoul. Then, he congratulates his wife, the host, before asking her if she knows that she is his future. Smiling, Sang-a embraces her husband, though finds herself sick in the toilets upon tasting some wine. Meanwhile, Jong-ho, posing as a director for Gardening TV, makes a trip to Wonryeong School alongside In-kyung, a place where the two are to find out more about the rare blue orchid.
When shown the flower, In-kyung films, while Jong-ho asks their guide for more information. Here, the two investigators discover that the orchid was not artificially cultivated as was suggested by Joel Fields, as well as the fact General Won Gi-seon (Jae-sang’s father-in-law) gifted it to the owner upon bringing it to Korea at the culmination of a war operation in Vietnam. Concurrently, In-joo dresses up luxuriously, and is told that she will make a good pair with Sang-a, because the outcast can be her “smart and efficient” shadow. “From now on, only wear what I give you,” the rich mother says, expressing her desire for her assistant “to reflect her inner dignity.”
Suggesting that what Sang-a is wearing does not reflect her inner dignity, In-joo gets a laugh from her boss, who tells her employee that this outfit is her “sense of humour.” Clearly amused, the secretive one-percenter suddenly wants to know what the former office outcast thinks of her husband, so gets her to describe him. Yet when In-joo dishes out compliments, Sang-a quickly undercuts her, declaring Jae-sang full of himself, which is why she wears “ditzy” looking clothes (there’s also the reason of making the attorney look smart through doing so). “You know I love to live lavishly. It’s to prove my husband’s success. A princess would never marry an incompetent man,” Sang-a elaborates, then says that self-deprecation is the highest form of humour.
Upon filming more footage at the Won Gi-seon memorial hall, which includes some of his memorabilia, and a video of one of his rousing speeches, In-kyung is told that it’s time more people learn about the war hero. Explaining Gi-seon’s good deeds such as building houses, as well as schools for those in need, the tour guide soon asks a child what she is studying for, hearing back that if she works hard, she can reach the “highest place, even if I’m from the lowest place,” a familiar sentiment.
Curiously, we soon find out that Ma-ri is listed as one of the Wonryeong School’s notable alumni, piquing the interest of In-kyung. Concurrently, In-joo heads out with her boss, avoiding a tailing car (this is Jae-sang’s doing) until they end up at Hwa-young’s place. There, Sang-a observes the suicide spot, admitting that she still thinks about the deceased woman, hanging to the hope that there were times the two were genuine friends. Crying, the rich woman genuinely feels vulnerable here, a point emphasised by the evidence of scars on her legs.
Quickly, the mood shifts. Wanting to know why it is In-joo doesn’t like her, Sang-a wonders if it’s her self-centredness, or because she tries to take In-hye away. Nevertheless, the outcast claims to no longer dislike her employer, thinking instead that she should actually be thankful towards the one-percenter for some things. In-joo continues by outlining the idea that she could have hated Sang-a because she has everything, yet this gets swiftly questioned. “I failed at what I wanted to do the most,” Hyo-rin’s mother says, explaining that she was unable to become an actor due to heavy critique from others, so retired, deciding only to act in secret. Expanding further, Sang-a smilingly points out that she performs the only role she is good at now, as “Park Jae-sang’s beloved wife.”
Continuing, Sang-a explains to a shocked In-joo that when she and Jae-sang act out their roles as each other’s spouses perfectly, they feel something that is similar to love. “I’m the one who cast him in the role. Because I wanted to be the First Lady,” she adds. Then, once it’s established that this information was also shared with Hwa-young, In-joo takes her turn to be honest, showing her boss the damage Jae-sang caused in front of Hyo-rin. Additionally, the outcast claims she can help her new associate with the scars that reside on her body, though this all gets brushed off in the name of ambition.
At dinner with Do-il, In-joo informs her partner that Sang-a is someone to feel sorry for, not somebody crazy. “Looks like she displayed her acting skills” is the response, as the money laundering expert believes that was all a ploy to win the outcast’s trust ahead of her being able to replace Hwa-young. Still, Do-il believes its In-joo’s biggest charm that she takes things at face value, before he happily informs her that she will soon be asked to Singapore alongside Sang-a. Disappointed because she thought she was starting a genuine friendship, the former office worker is still curious.
Later on, In-joo ends up finding something intriguing about Do-il, however. In 2012, he was involved in an SUV crash in Mazatlan, one which saw the female passenger unable to be found. Jong-ho claims that he saw the mysterious Do-il on campus with his girlfriend, but after a summer she was gone, with the rumour being that a Russian money laundering group didn’t take kindly to her. As such, it’s alleged Do-il staged a car crash to kill his partner, while In-joo is also told about the shady character’s mother’s past as a hammer-wielding killer when she wished to receive compensation from a redevelopment committee.
Nevertheless, In-joo is firm in her standing that Do-il should not be criticised for an act his mother performed. Yet she is soon told by In-kyung that right after the incident, when still only 12, the money laundering expert was sent to the US to study through a scholarship foundation run by Won Gi-seon, who was close to the redevelopment. Still, In-joo remains doubtful, wanting to instead know why this information is being dug up when her sister doesn’t even know Do-il. “I beg you, stay away from that man,” In-kyung replies, aware that her older sibling may well harbour feelings for the mysterious character.
With that being said, In-kyung is somewhat perplexed when she hears that Do-il is thought of as money to In-joo, so asks if he has something to do with the ledgers. Realising that it was the shady man’s idea to use them to strike a deal with Jae-sang, the Oh family’s middle child is not pleased, yet soon finds herself unexpectedly instructed to just go out with Jong-ho, who also tells In-joo to stay away from Do-il due to there being something off about him.
At that point, In-joo spots the blue orchid in Jong-ho’s house, vocally remembering seeing the same flower at Hwa-young’s apartment, and Director Shin’s accident. Proving that the orchid was in fact what she saw when that statement gets disputed, In-kyung and her companion seem shocked.
The next day, In-kyung heads out, presumably to investigate, but is stopped in her tracks by the appearance of her great-aunt. Hye-suk seems slightly off here, and claims to be in a rush to meet a friend for lunch prior to an abrupt departure. Nevertheless, In-kyung soon finds herself showing the orchid images to Wan-gyu, who doesn’t quite believe that the rare flower keeps popping up at accident sites related to Jae-sang’s family. So, he checks that his employee is mentally stable enough to look into such a story, which requires rigorous double-checking.
However, just when it looks like In-kyung will get a chance to look into the case, she is informed of her dismissal, which was decided on in the morning. Wan-gyu says he will find out what happened, but the Oh family’s middle child is too surprised at her firing to properly acknowledge this. Meanwhile, In-joo goes to fetch Hyo-rin’s phone to bring it to the academy, yet gets stopped in her tracks by the youngster’s chilling painting that displays a striking resemblance to Hwa-young’s suicide.
Forcing her way into her great-aunt’s room, In-kyung wants answers, unable to accept an offer for the two to talk later. Though the fired journalist is stunned into speechlessness when discovering that it wasn’t Hye-suk who got her dismissed. Elsewhere, In-joo confronts Hyo-rin over the painting, which is revealed to be a scene that the young girl cannot talk about, but keeps seeing. As per the advice of In-hye, this was painted so her friend’s fear could be overcome.
Shaken, In-joo kneels in front of Hyo-rin. Explaining that she saw the painted scene in real life, the outcast claims that she needs to know why it was drawn. In response, Hyo-rin asks if it was In-joo’s friend’s room, and wants to know when the incident happened. Concurrently, Jae-sang stares bitterly at In-kyung when she asks a question at a conference regarding his father, Il-bok, owning buildings worth 4.98 billion won, and land worth 3.05 billion won, something that would dispute the idea of the attorney having a difficult upbringing.
The ending
When In-joo is informed of Hyo-rin’s disappearance, she eagerly searches around to find the young girl with the help of In-hye. In time, the two siblings find her through viewing the CCTV, spotting the budding artist in a car. When at the location to take Hyo-rin out of the vehicle, it’s shown that the dashcam footage of the day Hwa-young died is being watched, and we end the episode with a stunned In-joo spotting Jae-sang on his way to her late friend’s apartment the night of the fateful incident.
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