The Set-Up
Episode 25 of Homemade Love Story starts with Chae-Woon’s colleagues asking her if the rumours are true. She dismisses them and Na-Ro mentions that it could be a joke posted by someone after the event. At the same time, the chairwoman bursts into her daughter’s office, angry and demanding to know what is happening. Ms Kim replies that it must be a joke but that the post has been deleted. The chairwoman becomes even more agitated though when she finds out that her brother-in-law, director Jang, called as well to find out what is going on. She orders her to send Chae-Woon abroad to study before she loses everything she has worked for. Chae-Woon doesn’t waste any time and starts an investigation, believing it is the work of someone inside the company; probably Na-Ro and Seo-A. She questions the security then starts digging through boxes in storage as she’s found out that the cameras were only turned off there. Unfortunately, she doesn’t find anything. In the villa, Soon-Jung calls Chae-Woon to make sure she is okay before carrying on her conversation with Jung-Hoo. They talk about Chae going back to her birth mother and how it was the right thing for her. He asks if there is something bothering her as he is worried about her. Soon-Jung explains that she feels torn in her situation with Chae-Woon so Jung-Hoo give some kind words and advice for her. Hwak-Se arrives in the villa and is delighted to see “James” there. Both men excitedly greet each other and when Jung-Hoo finds out that Hwak-Se’s part-time worker didn’t come in, he happily suggests coming to help for the day. Both then happily run to the restaurant and Jung-Hoo is back in his old clothes. Soon-Jung calls Min-Jae to let her know what Jung-Hoo is doing. Min-Jae tells her that he should do what makes him happy and walks to her son’s construction site. There, Pil-Hong is almost caught by her and she meets Son Jung-Hoo, an older alum of Jae-Hee’s college. She is surprised by his name and he thinks she is Jae-Hee’s older sister. Back in LX fashion, Seo-A addresses the rumours to Chae-Woon’s team and declares that they are false. Chae-Woon follows Seo-A to her office and the two discuss the situation. Chae-Woon insists that someone is out to get her and that it can only be someone from the inside, who would have the authority to turn the security camera off. Seo-A laughs it off but Chae insists as she knows what her goal is. Ms Kim, who has been listening from behind the door, bursts in and confronts Chae-Woon for accusing Seo-A. Chae-Woon knows that she can’t do anything but she will take the punishment knowing that she was sabotaged. Ms Kim dismisses her and tells her to leave. At work, Hae-Deun is having second thoughts about joining her trainee camp. She runs into Jun-A again who begs her to work for him today. He explains that he has an online clothing store and needs a model to get some pictures taken. She starts modeling and actually does a great job with it. Jae-Hee returns home and is surprised when he sees his dad working for Hwak-Se. He runs into Man-Jung, who is there to see James as she heard that he was back. She quickly says hello to Hwak-Se and both are caught by James and Ba-Reun, looking very intimate. Man-Jung denies that anything is going on and heads home. James and Ba-Reun grin at Hwak-Se and promise not to say anything. At the end of the day, James says goodbye to the residents and walks home. He wonders how Min-Jae is doing and the latter does the same for him. In the evening, Chae-Woon meets with Jae-Hee and fills him in on what has been happening. He also believes that Na-Ro and Seo-A are behind it all but unfortunately, Chae has no proof. Jae-Hee comforts her though and tells her how his life has changed for the better since he met her. Jung-Hoo returns home and regrets not staying in the villa for dinner. He starts eating what Min-Jae has sent for him but is not too happy about it. She calls him to see how he is but he acts standoffish towards her again. In the villa, Ra-Hoon sits with his mother in her room, ready to admit the truth. He struggles to say anything so Soon-Jung tells him she knows he never went to university. She understands that he must have felt so guilty every day. Ra-Hoon explains that he wanted to make her proud but she only cheered because he had a goal and dream. She reassures him and wants him to always come to her. Later, Jae-Hee meets with Na-Ro and confronts him about the article. He asks him if his new target is now Seo-A and the two start fighting. Jae-Hee warns him but Na-Ro knows he has no proof. Remembering Jung-Hoo’s words, Soon-Jung wonders if she should tell Chae-Woon the truth about the chairwoman. She then receives a text from her with the article, asking if she is the one who posted this. Jung-Won starts regretting how she treated Chae-Woon and remembers the past. When Chae-Woon was born, she was very depressed and couldn’t look after her baby properly. We see in a flashback that the chairwoman asked Soon-Jung to look after the baby for the day. In the present, she heads to Chae-Woon’s bedroom and tells her it was all her fault she was taken away.
The Episode Review
Poor Chae-Woon is striking out at the moment; she knows who is behind the set up but is unable to prove anything. Seo-A and Na-Ro have become the main villains of this show and have so far got the upper-hand. Still, she is not giving up and thankfully she still has Jae-Hee on her side too. Both Soon-Jung and Jung-Won are feeling very torn towards Chae-Woon for very different reasons. I do hope Soon-Jung will reveal the truth soon but both are facing some difficult dilemmas. The actresses are doing an excellent job with their performances though and I am looking forward to seeing more of them in the upcoming episodes. On a lighter note, seeing “James” back in the villa for one afternoon was a lot of fun and his reunion with Hwak-Se was definitely heartwarming to see. He really belongs there and I hope he will soon realize this. The story is still advancing at a good pace, with plenty of story development each episode. The series has been showing more of the secondary characters too, which I think is quite necessary as they definitely are a great addition to the main cast. All the residents of Samgwang villa are certainly a mixture of individuals but they all share deep friendships with each other, making for a really enjoyable watch.
