A Time Called You 2023 Episode 5

Episode 5 of A Time Called You begins with Jun-hee and Si-heon getting awkward. Meanwhile, In-gyu is taken to the police station. He becomes the prime suspect as a CCTV caught him at Min-ju’s house. In a flashback, we see that he is going to confess to Min-ju but stops on seeing Si-heon reject her. 

Still stuck in 1998, Jun-hee suddenly remembers her meeting with Chi-won in 2023. He had told her that Min-ju was murdered on October 13, 1998. He thinks she and Min-ju are linked by fate. And she can change the past and save Min-ju. With no leads on how to go about this, Jun-hee tells 1998 Chi-won the truth. He doesn’t believe her and thinks she needs to go to the hospital.

On his way to school, Si-heon says friendship with In-gyu comes first but he cannot stop thinking about Min-ju. The bullies are ragging In-gyu for being a suspect when Si-heon shows up and tries to defend him. The school unofficially suspends In-gyu due to the reporters hounding the school. Si-heon hears it all and is upset. He runs all the way to Min-ju’s place and gets Jun-hee to talk to In-gyu.

Tired of In-gyu’s defeatist attitude, she takes them to the police station and lies that she found the hearing aid in the record shop. In-gyu was just coming to take it from her. He never showed up and so she had it which she dropped during the attack. The cop falls for it and says In-gyu is not a prime suspect anymore which has the trio relieved. 

They go for lunch and Jun-hee tells In-gyu that Si-heon convinced her that he is innocent. Si-heon thinks In-gyu would do the same for him. In-gyu jokingly refuses and they bicker, having patched up. Si-heon suddenly puts tons of chilli in his jjajangmyeon dish and says it is the secret of the wildest fantasy – something Yeon-jun had also said and done. A stunned Jun-hee tests him by telling the same dad jokes Yeon-jun used to but doesn’t get a reaction out of Si-heon.

Elsewhere, Min-ju’s mom gossips to Chi-won about Si-heon dragging Min-ju away. She wonders if he is a bad influence as she also keeps skipping school. Her brother could care less but promises to talk to Min-ju. At home, Si-heon thinks about Jun-hee’s jokes and laughs. He tries to shake off his feelings but can’t.

Chi-won and Jun-hee meet and he is ready to have the time-travelling conversation. He asks that if she is Jun-hee, where is Min-ju’s soul? Min-ju screams from the mental cave which Jun-hee hears but doesn’t fully understand. She makes a deal – for Chi-won to help her return to 2023, and she will raise Min-ju’s grades. She unwittingly falls for his trap as his true goal of the conversation was any way for her not to skip school anymore.

At school, two girls try to recruit her for basketball and are shocked when she agrees as Min-ju is famously not into sports. But Jun-hee loves basketball! Da-hyeon tries to shoot her shot but Si-heon brushes her off on hearing Min-ju is killing it on the court. The boys are shocked that she has completely changed. Si-heon gets jealous as other boys are impressed and he yells and cheers louder than them. Near the bleachers, a boy is watching her.

But after the match, Si-heon and In-gyu interrogate Jun-hee asking how she has changed so much since the accident. She says it is a trap to bring attention to herself and lure the culprit as she remembers the boy is a classmate. She also has an ulterior motive as she wonders if the culprit is related to the killer.

The class photographer has tons of photos of the match and Da-hyeon is jealous that they are mostly of Min-ju’s. As she makes a scene, someone steals a photo of Min-ju.

A classmate called Hyeon-uk nervously hits on Min-ju and Si-heon is jealous. She is friendly which leads to Si-heon stealing the drink Hyeon-uk gave her. He tries to be subtle but she catches on that he is jealous. She says Hyeon-uk is cute, and Si-heon asks about her type. He realises that she is probably describing Yeon-jun and teases her. She calls him deranged and they bicker as usual. 

At Grandmother’s shop, an 11-year-old girl wants a snack. Her mom refuses but Si-heon arrives and gives her one. It is revealed that her name is Jun-hee. 

At school, the girls are friendly with Min-ju and invite her out but her happiness is cut short as she learns their mock grades are up and she is ranked 131st. She is surprised to see that In-gyu is 1st and Si-heon is 5th. Jun-hee asks for In-gyu’s help much to Si-heon’s annoyance and he throws a tantrum. She tells him to join them for English as he needs it and they freeze as it is for his US move. He says it is for his CSATs but In-gyu is not fully convinced.

On his way home, Si-heon plays on a mini arcade machine while the next one is occupied by some younger bullies who don’t give baby Jun-hee and her friend a chance. Si-heon shoos away the bullies and she is grateful to him. As he is leaving, she tells him that her name is Han Jun-hee and he wonders where he has heard that name.

Meanwhile, at home, Do-hun is getting an earful from his mom for his bad grades. Jun-hee gets ready for a scolding as well but Mom is ecstatic to learn that she has jumped up 100 ranks. Jun-hee wonders how bad Min-ju is at school while the mom gushes over her and even gives her cash as a reward.

Outside, the same mysterious boy watches her from a distance. He turns and he looks surprisingly very much like Yeon-jun and Jun-hee’s artist friend – Chan-yeong.

The Episode Review

Okay, so we may finally understand Scarred Guy and Chi-won’s plan and why they are being so cryptic in episode 5 of the K-drama. They probably hope Jun-hee can prevent Min-ju’s murder without alerting the killer. But since Yeon-jun wouldn’t be too invested in Min-ju’s wellbeing, the Scarred Guy may be Si-heon. But if the killer is Chan-yeong, how did he get involved in the first place and what is his motive?

By the way, what is up with the Si-heon and Yeon-jun jjajangmyeon similarities? It could be like A Time Called You episode 3 where Jun-hee gradually forgets her true self as she spends more time in Min-ju’s body. Yeon-jun may be stuck in Si-heon’s body which is why he sometimes catches himself finding Jun-hee so familiar. Or maybe he swapped bodies and now Si-heon is stuck in a scarred Yeon-jun’s body in 2023.