Summary
A darker, seedier episode highlights some of the perils of privilege.
This recap of the 2023 Netflix K-Drama Celebrity Season 1 Episode 5, “#pandoras_box #the_world_they_live_in”, contains spoilers.
It’s funny how, over the course of five episodes, A-ri’s present-day live streams have developed from quasi-tutorials about how to succeed in influencer culture to outright seminars revealing personal details about almost everyone she knows.
Or knew. I suppose there’s a chance she might still be dead.
Celebrity Season 1 Episode 5 Recap
Regardless, the Gabin Society is still at a complete loss about how to proceed. Their efforts to stream in unison to try and shut down A-ri’s live stream only draw more attention to it. And apparently, she has some more secrets to unleash.
Why does A-ri reject Jun-kyung?
Anyway, things got frosty between A-ri and Jun-kyung in “#pandoras_box #the_world_they_live_in”.
For a start, he’s incredibly rude to Jeong-sun when A-ri brings her along for dinner without obtaining his consent first (his words). She nevertheless goes with him to his house but is appalled to discover he lives in extreme luxury and is doted on by paid servants.
Jun-kyung tries to explain how, once he realized that his lifestyle wasn’t normal, he felt a little bad about the maids. However, he has since come around to the idea, since they’d be out of a job if they didn’t have anyone to look after. This is known as the house elf defense.
A-ri isn’t having it, though, and rejects his offer of a relationship.
How does Angela set up A-ri and Chae-hee?
While A-ri and Jeong-sun work on a new business venture, Angela tries to force a true between A-ri and Chae-hee. Thanks to _bbbfamous, who A-ri continues to exchange DMs with, more and more secrets about the Gabin Society are coming to light, and this episode, more so than any previous ones, reveals a darkness at the group’s core.
Angela arranges for A-ri and Chae-hee to both arrive at the club VIP lounge at the same time, and she’s banking on a hefty supply of drugs to make everyone friendly. Chae-hee gets very high indeed and takes a photo of herself, barely conscious, with A-ri.
Celebrity Season 1 Episode 5 Ending Explained
While this is happening, Jun-kyung talks with Si-hyeon about A-ri rejecting him. They also discuss their own relationship and how she apparently left him apropos of nothing. However, it’s clear that there is more to this story, and Jun-kyung, in his arrogance and privilege, has clearly misinterpreted it considerably.
There’s also a little tension when Tae-jeon arrives and finds his missus sitting with her ex. But the moment is interrupted when Si-hyeon becomes aware of the photo of Chae-hee. All three of them rush to the club, where they find a man unresponsive on the floor of the VIP lounge following an overdose.
In a reverse of their conversation earlier, an appalled Jun-kyung calls A-ri “trash” for being involved in these shenanigans. He tries to resuscitate the man to no avail. When Tae-jeon arrives, he stops A-ri from calling an ambulance and orders the man removed via a route with no CCTV coverage, suggesting that this isn’t the first time the Gabin Society has had to cover something up.
You can stream the K-Drama Celebrity Season 1 Episode 5, “#pandoras_box #the_world_they_live_in”, exclusively on Netflix.
