This might have been the last happy episode of King the Land for a while. It makes sense in a way, since we would prefer that at least this series takes the proper amount of time to give a satisfactory end to the troubles plaguing our protagonists instead of hastily explaining them away like what See You In My 19th Life has done. Yet, it kind of hurts to know that our comfort show might be a little uncomfortable for a while—say, at least two episodes or so. Anyway, let’s go through the recap of the last happy episode before the tears begin next week.
Spoilers Alert
What Does Sa Rang Find Out About Han Su Mi?
To start with some of the more lighthearted stuff, we wouldn’t have guessed that No Sang Sik was as inexperienced with dating as Gu Won. The Bangkok gang was planning to hang out at Sa Rang and Pyeong Hwa’s house, and Sang Sik had told them that Sa Rang and Gu Won had broken up. We don’t know how he got such an idea, but he is proven devastatingly wrong when the group sees Sa Rang and Gu Won kissing in the house.
The girls are simply furious because Sa Rang never told them about it, whereas Sang Sik is dealing with a different kind of shame altogether. In the interest of keeping things truthful, Won reveals his true identity, and Da Eul and Pyeong Hwa are in shock at this. They had both been rash and flippant with Gu Won and were feeling the regret and embarrassment of their actions. Da Eul even takes Sang Sik’s case for keeping the matter hidden. As for Gu Won, an upset Sang Sik asks him how he could be the first one to start dating and not tell him about it as well. We are not sure, but we felt like we caught a glimpse of Lee Junho in this scene instead of Gu Won.
Back in the house, Sa Rang’s friends ask her whether she has thought through this relationship, and she replies in the affirmative. This was the reason for all the time she took before saying yes to a date with Gu Won. Now, before we go further, let us discuss Pyeong Hwa and Da Eul. The latter’s home life is a mess with a sister-in-law who keeps taking her clothes and leaving her child in Da Eul’s care. As for her parents-in-law, they are no less in leeching off her, and Da Eul is stuck amidst it all with an unsupportive and insensitive husband. Meanwhile, Pyeong Hwa confronts her senior for leading her on, and this is when we finally come to know the mess of Pyeong Hwa’s past. She is a divorced woman, not because she was married but because she filled out a marriage registration form as a joke with her ex. Since annulment wasn’t an option, Pyeong Hwa had to get divorced. We hope the ex is not the pilot. However, we don’t understand why divorce is an impediment to promotion. Is it all really boiling down to sexism in the workplace?
Finally coming to the King Hotel, Assemblyman Park is furious at Hwa Ran for being neglected at the party, and he is fuming in rage. Unfortunately for Sa Rang, she gets in the way, and he ends up demanding that Sa Rang be fired from her job. Hwa Ran agrees to that to placate the Assemblyman, but Gu Won saves the day once again. He tells off Mr. Park for his lack of manners and doesn’t allow Sa Rang to be fired. If Hwa Ran had any suspicions before, they are only getting stronger now, seeing how Won keeps standing up for Sa Rang, first with the helicopter and now with an Assemblyman.
While Hwa Ran has diluted the effect of the success of the hotel’s party by making sure that the executives are firmly on her side, she wants to fire employees to cut costs and raise long-term profits, a move that will not only undermine Won’s message at the party but also prove to everyone that she is the one in charge. The Chairman can see through this, and that is why he asks Won and Hwa Ran to come up with separate proposals for the expansion of the profit margin of the hotel. It is an official declaration of the competition between the two, and Won has no one but Sang Sik on his side. After his declarations of love and loyalty, we would be surprised if Sang Sik actually became Team Hwa Ran. Or it might be a double bluff for the sake of going forward. In the meantime, we can see that the “King the Land” staff has finally accepted Sa Rang as a part of their team, and they all go out for dinner and drinks. Later, Gu Won goes back home with Sa Rang, and these two presumably spend the night together.
But that is not all there is to the development of their relationship. After Sa Rang spends a strenuous half hour in the laundry room trying to find the missing doll of the daughter of a guest, she once again meets Kim Ok Ja. Ms. Ok Ja has grown to have a soft spot for Sa Rang due to her hard work and dedication to the job, and she is, therefore, ready to help her. When Sa Rang asks her about Han Mi So, Ok Ja tells her that she was one of her best friends and a brave and beautiful woman. This is the first thing that Sa Rang has ever come to know about her, and she has to share it with Gu Won. She asks him to go to the beach with her, and can we say that Gu Won will forever be cute? When they get there, she talks to him about her own mother and how she wishes she had more time with her and understood her more. Saying this, she gives him the picture of Han Mi So because she doesn’t want him to have the same regrets as her. Gu Won is touched by this gesture, but he has conflicting feelings. He was ready to move on from looking for his mother, but knowing that she was a good person and that, should he want it, there was more information about her available, has him in a quandary.
Is Gu Won Getting Married To Yu Ri?
Sa Rang is selected to be part of a Dream Team for the King Hotel, which means that she will be especially serving the Chairman and his guests. It may be called the Dream Team, but Sa Rang guesses right that it is a glorified waitress and maid. When serving the Chairman, she finds, to her surprise, that Yu Ri is at the table. This is the same girl whose birthday was celebrated at King Hotel, and because of whom Sa Rang ended up getting jealous over Gu Won. Therefore, it is quite a shock to see her at the dining table and realize that she is that close to the family. Gu Won is sitting there quite stone-faced, but the real shocker for Sa Rang comes at the end of episode 12 of King the Land, when the Chairman tells Won to get married to Yu Ri within the year, and everyone is happy with the proposal. Upon hearing this, Sa Rang drops the plate in her hand. That has to have disastrous consequences for her position on the Dream Team, but it also means trouble for the couple because it smells of a breach of trust.
On a different note, even Hwa Ran is not spared from problems in her personal life. Her husband wants a divorce at any cost, and she is reluctant to sign the papers. When her son comes back home from abroad, instead of welcoming him warmly, Hwa Ran tells the boy to go back so that she can focus here, and he can live his life there. Things are not looking good for anyone.
Final Thoughts
A good love story always needs a period of a grand breakup, and that is approaching for Sa Rang and Gu Won. However, we already know that they will get past it, so we are more worried about what will happen to Da Eul and Pyeong Hwa. Their arcs worry us more, and we want to see them get a happy ending. As for Gu Won, now that he knows about his mother, he has the emotional hook in place to convince his father for Sa Rang when he faces opposition in that regard. The mush is going to dry out for a while, but this is at a point where we can’t really complain.
