Dear Hongrang – K-drama Episode 5 Recap & Review
Episode 5 of Dear Hongrang begins with Yeon-ui's assistant, Yuk-son, stabbing a pregnant Kkot-nim in the stomach. He claims that it is Yeol-guk's order. She survives but loses her child. She adopts Fake Hong-rang who is an orphan and has just escaped his captors.
At present, she warns him not to be distracted by Jae-yi. Her plan is to kill the Sim kids and have Hong-rang take over the Min Guild. Hong-rang insists that they can use Jae-yi. Kkot-nim indulges him but orders her assassins to kill Jae-yi should she step out of line.
Meanwhile, Mu-jin is upset with his aide for the kill order. He hates that he accidentally put Jae-yi's life in jeopardy. Coincidentally, she is thinking about Hong-rang's Soulless Reaper rumour and asks Mu-jin about it. He tells her how Hong-rang is an assassin but this just causes her to worry for him. She confesses that while she doesn't recognise Hong-rang as her brother, her heart seems to know him. This saddens Mu-jin as he vies for her heart.
As for Hong-rang, he snoops around Jae-yi's secret cave and finds paintings of Little Hong-rang. The kid has a sachet and he recognises it. Jae-yi spots him and he tries to gaslight her into thinking his memories are returning. She wants to know of his assassin past to accept the new image of her brother but he deflects.
But he has a plan as he asks the cook about the sachet. It is a protection amulet given by the family. Little Hong-rang lost his and he always wore Jae-yi's. A flashback shows Kkot-nim and Fake Hong-rang burying the sachet Yeol-guk had made for Kkot-nim's child.
The Min Guild is in trouble as the patrons have lost their trust. Yeon-ui kills the Jin verifier and fakes a suicide note stating that the Sims did not know about the forgeries. The patrons feel guilty for doubting them and go back to the guild. In exchange for saving Yeol-guk's reputation, Yeon-ui wants Jae-yi to be wed. He is furious as he doesn't want Jae-yi to be used as a pawn. However, he knows not to rile Yeon-ui up. Instead, he focuses on Gyu-ha as he thinks he is up to no good.
Meanwhile, Hong-rang finds the buried sachet. Since Jae-yi believes that only one sachet exists, she will believe that he is the real Hong-rang. He is about to give it to her when he sees her and Mu-jin act like lovers. He is jealous and confesses to Goldie, the pet dog, that he doesn't want to give the sachet yet. If he does, Jae-yi will see him as her brother.
One night, Jae-yi asks about the Soulless Reaper at a gambling den. Everyone is too afraid to answer. Right then, she is kidnapped by Bang-suk who claims to have found the real Hong-rang. He wants revenge on Fake Hong-rang in exchange for the evidence.
However, Jae-yi ends up tricking him as she confesses to Hong-rang that she doesn't want him hurt, even if he is an impostor. She has grown to care for him. The gamble pays off as Bang-suk had lied about the real Hong-rang. Soon, a fight ensues between Hong-rang and Bang-suk's thugs.
Kkot-nim's assassins help take them down and then try to kill Jae-yi. Hong-rangs begs her to accept him and knows she will die if she doesn't. To seal the deal, he gives the Sim sachet and tells her about the Soulless Reaper. It is enough and she accepts that he is her brother. Relieved, In-hoe orders the assassins to back off.
It cuts to a montage of Jae-yi doting on Hong-rang. Mu-jin is still suspicious but agrees to give the guild to him. Jae-yi takes Hong-rang to her secret picnic spot. Having realised his attraction to her, he keeps crossing the line by wiping her lips and licking sugar off her fingers. She is flustered and confused by his actions.
Kkot-nim is furious; her vengeance against the Sims includes killing Jae-yi. She orders In-hoe to kill her regardless. He is troubled but Gyu-ha comes to his rescue. Jae-yi is being married into an unsavoury family.
The man is Choi Ju-yeol. He does his best to impress Jae-yi, talking about art and Du-ryeong. He finally confesses that he knows what it is to lose someone, and she is more agreeable. Mu-jin wants to stop it but Yeol-guk claims it is a good marriage. Should the Chois violate the prenup, they lose their land to the Sims.
But both Mu-jin and Hong-rang conduct separate investigations. Turns out, Ju-yeol is a cruel man. All 3 of his wives have mysteriously died or disappeared. Hong-rang finds the third wife, Lady Ko, whose face has been torn off.
Right before the ceremony, Ju-yeol beats a servant and smiles. At the end of Dear Hongrang Episode 5, the wedding begins.
The Episode Review
Dear Hongrang Episode 5 introduces a third antagonist but Kkot-nim is even more complex than Yeon-ui and the Grand Prince, given that she is a victim. The emotional rollercoaster she sends Hong-rang and In-hoe on is exciting while also frustrating.
A pretty cool observation is that while Yeon-ui is responsible for killing her unborn child, her revenge against Yeol-guk is still valid. This episode shows that in his passivity, Yeol-guk does more harm than good to those he cares about. Having been caught by his wife, he decides to stay with her rather than live a life of poverty with Kkot-nim. He cares for Jae-yi but not enough to stop Yeon-ui from hurting her or marrying her off without looking into Ju-yeol.
And this is why Kkot-nim becomes the antagonist since her vengeance includes our heroine, poor Jae-yi, who already has it tough. Especially in this episode, with that whiplash she gets from Hong-rang flirting with her. To top it off, she is being married off to a monster. By the way, is Ju-yeol the same creepy painter, Du-ryeong? We are never clearly shown Du-ryeong's face, are we?
The chapter also works as a great mid-season finale, as most of the initial mystery is resolved. Fake Hong-rang's identity is confirmed, Kkot-nim's revenge is explained, and so is Yeon-ui's master plan now that her 'son' is back. The second half of the K-drama is now free to address the mystery of Snow Man and Evil Painter, the real Hong-rang's whereabouts and Fake Hong-rang's final showdown with his captors.
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