Business Proposal

Chapter 10: Quite a predicament

Picking up where we left off, Chairman Kang demands to know why Tae-moo and Ha-ri are alone together, but they’re bailed out by Ha-ri’s colleagues, who verify the business dinner context. Chairman Kang’s claims that he’ll approve of whoever his grandson is dating fall a bit flat given what we’ve seen from him recently, but you only need to read the above to know what I think about that. Totally in-character? Nope. Do I care? Also nope.

I don’t mention it often, but Young-seo’s relationship with Seong-hoon actually dovetails quite nicely with Ha-Ri and Tae-moo’s romance. We also get a little more backstory on Seong-hoon here, including how he was orphaned very young at an orphanage funded at least in part by Tae-moo’s parents (when they were alive), and how Seong-hoon went to live with Tae-moo when he was in middle school. This explains Seong-hoon’s devotion to Tae-moo and his family and explains why he so visibly bristled when he was confronted by the idea he was a “slave” to them.

We also get another close-call between Ha-ri and Tae-moo when the latter takes the former to get changed after spilling soda on his shirt and the pair are almost caught by Ha-ri’s parents. On the way out they run into Ha-ri’s brother, Ha-min, who quickly becomes part of the inner circle of those who know the truth about the relationship.

The drama comes at the end, as well it might. After another date with Tae-moo during which she tries to avoid the heavy rain reminding him of the death of his parents, Ha-ri goes to secretly see Chairman Kang, who had picture evidence that Ha-ri has been Geum-hui all long. He’s adamant that she stop seeing Tae-moo. At the same time, after receiving a call, Tae-moo himself veers right into traffic both literal and metaphorical, finding a quite legitimately dramatic note to end things on.