A Shoulder to Cry On (2023) Episode 2

Episode 2 of A Shoulder To Cry On starts where we left off with Tae-hyun straddling Da-yeol on his couch after the latter had tripped during his search for the keychain. Da-yeol’s heart starts beating really fast but Tae-hyun’s comment startles him and he pushes the latter away so as to avoid ‘it’ from happening again.

Tae-hyun continues to tease Da-yeol despite his requests which prompts the archer to leave without taking his keychain back or practising the script for the presentation. The following day, Tae-hyun makes Da-yeol read an outrageous script which includes words like ‘sexual intercourse’ further embarrassing the archer in front of his classmates.

After class, Da-yeol threatens Tae-hyun with his bow and arrow but is shocked when the class president does not even flinch at the warning. Da-yeol decides to give up on it since it took much effort to mess with a sociopath like Tae-hyun. When Tae-hyun notices that Da-yeol was no longer interested in the keychain, he tries to lure the archer by dangling it in front of him after school that day.

There, Tae-hyun’s aunt arrives and starts calling him a murderer for killing all of his family. She starts slapping Tae-hyun across his face while Da-yeol watches. The woman asks Tae-hyun to kill himself and the student takes the insults sportingly without showing any emotion.

Da-yeol decides to leave the two alone and goes back home. However, he cannot stop thinking about what happened to Tae-hyun when the class president does not show up at school over the next few days. So-young, their team-mate for the presentation talks to Da-yeol but the archer asks her if she had heard from Tae-hyun. So-young claims that she had not heard from him.

The senior – Won-kyung, who was very close to Tae-hyun also mentions that he hadn’t heard from his friend. At practice, Da-yeol chats with Min-jung explaining that contrary to his expectations, he was really thinking a lot about someone who he should not care about. Min-jung advises Da-yeol to do what he really feels like in this situation.

The teachers from school are worried about Tae-hyun, who has been absent for a few days now. They ask if anyone in class knew where Tae-hyun lived and Da-yeol raises his hand, being the only person to know where the class president lived. Da-yeol skips his practice to pay Tae-hyun a visit with schoolwork.

He gets panicky when Tae-hyun does not open the door but relaxes when he sees Tae-hyun. Tae-hyun invites Da-yeol inside and offers him a glass of water. He starts cleaning up his house while Da-yeol asks to use the restroom. Once outside, Da-yeol takes the glass of water but is worried because he recalls Tae-hyun’s aunt calling him a murderer.

Tae-hyun is slicing an apple for Da-yeol but the knife in his hand further scares the archer. Da-yeol picks a cushion from the sofa and finds it soaked in what looks like teardrops. He wonders how a sociopath like Tae-hyun could cry. The two chat as Tae-hyun offers Da-yeol the sliced fruit.

Da-yeol asks if he lives by himself and wonders how a teenager their age was left to live alone. The two chat about school but Da-yeol wonders why no one knew where Tae-hyun lived even though he had so many friends. Tae-hyun states that Da-yeol was the only person he considers to be his friend. Da-yeol states he was not Tae-hyun’s friend.

Tae-hyun starts teasing Da-yeol for being concerned about him and asks to be friends but Da-yeol leaves without saying anything. Tae-hyun tells Da-yeol he will see him the following day. The next day, at school, Da-yeol is upset when he does not see Tae-hyun in his designated seat.

However, the class president arrives at class and Da-yeol is surprised to find his keychain placed in his locker. Da-yeol finds Tae-hyun trying to befriend him by keeping drinks for him to consume after practice or eating lunch with him. Tae-hyun is clearly pissed when So-young joins them at lunch.

When she shares one of her sausage pieces with Da-yeol, Tae-hyun grabs it from his plate before the archer can eat it. After school that day, Tae-hyun wishes Da-yeol good luck by handing him some sweets for his match the following day. On the day of the competition, Da-yeol is focused as he eats one of the sweets Tae-hyun had given him.

Da-yeol outperforms his competitors in the inter-school match and is the winner of the archery competition. His coach asks him to rest for the week before rejoining practice. Da-yeol is with Won-kyung but avoids his friend chasing after Da-yeol. He gives Da-yeol an ice cream for winning the match and the two walk to class together.

In class, Tae-hyun exchanges seats with Da-yeol’s partner and talks to him by writing messages in his book during class. Tae-hyun laughs when he reads Da-yeol write ‘never’ as ‘naver’ and the teacher asks him to move back to his original seat. Before gym class, some students ask Da-yeol to give Tae-hyun the gym outfit.

Da-yeol goes back to class only to find Tae-hyun sleeping on the desk. He notices something on Tae-hyun’s cheek and tries cleaning it but the latter lifts his head up. Da-yeol ends up taking Tae-hyun to the infirmary to treat the nosebleed he caused Tae-hyun.

Tae-hyun asks why Da-yeol wasn’t apologising but Da-yeol claims that the damage Tae-hyun did to Da-yeol with the lie about the assault was much graver than the nosebleed. Tae-hyun apologises to Da-yeol without meaning it and states that he did not know how much archery really meant to him back then. He claims that Da-yeol only smiles heartily when he plays the sport.

After the PE session, Da-yeol is left to carry the footballs back to the storage room but Tae-hyun offers to help him. As they enter the room, Won-kyung locks the door from the outside while the duo are locked inside as the episode comes to an end.

The Episode Review

I am not sure why but Tae-hyun keeps losing points by the day and he is really unlike any of the K-BL boyfriends I have seen over recent years. I understand the enemies-to-lovers trope but this is a one-sided attack because Da-yeol is mostly the timid victim at all times while Tae-hyun comes out looking like a bully.

No matter what his reasons are, it is absurd for such a character to exist. I know that the drama is based on a webtoon with its own storyline but I wish the makers took some creative justice to make it seem that Tae-hyun is not completely a bully in the first hour of the show.

Seeing him practically harass an innocent Da-yeol has left a sour taste in my mouth for me to immediately sympathise with his family situation. I think that Won-kyung has feelings for Tae-hyun but from the look on the class president’s face, I would not be shocked if it is revealed that Tae-hyun asked him to be locked in the sports room with Da-yeol.