Call It Love (2023) Recap Episode 9

Woo-ju sits on the stairs outside a karaoke bar as episode 9 of Call It Love begins. Finally, she goes inside and confronts a shocked Ji-gu, who reveals that he’s being paid to work there. She slams some money on the table and asks for an hour.

He leads her to a karaoke room and later, he goes in and they talk. She tells him to come home and start studying again, but he insiststhat he still wants to sing. Her reason for dissuading him isn’t what happened with their father but something else, she doesn’t want to tell him. She then opens up and says he needs to earn so he can live well, in a big house, since this is all she can provide for him. Isn’t he embarrassed about living in a small place? Ji-gu asks her why she is trying to shoulder everything.

Elsewhere, a drunk Sun-woo tells Dong-jin to confess his feelings before getting in a cab.

Woo-ju insists on following Ji-gu to the place where he’s staying so he can get his things. Eventually, he confesses he’s staying with Dong-jin which frustrates Woo-ju. She tells Ji-gu to go home and heads out to meet Dong-jin herself. That’s how she stumbles upon the scene between Dong-jin and Min-young and is able to stand in CEO Shin’s way.

Dong-jin and Min-young walk away while Shin asks Woo-ju if she was in on it as well. She tells him to leave and threatens him to stay away from Dong-jin.

Min-young apologises to Dong-jin. He notices she has a fever and gets medicine for her. When she asks him to come in for tea, he says that he would have brought the medicine for anybody. He doesn’t have feelings for her. He tells her that she’s sick and should see a doctor.

Dong-jin gets a text from Ji-gu informing him about his living situation. He messages Woo-ju, apologizing for not telling her and after a few seconds, asks if she wants to meet. She replies that she’s tired.

In the morning, things seem closer to normal with Ji-gu back home. Although, he is miffed at Jun for ratting him out. Jun reminds Hae-sung about her deal with him. After Woo-ju leaves, Ji-gu reveals he’d stayed with Dong-jin all this while which shocks Jun.

Later, Hae-sung asks Jun about her dress and he says she’s looking pretty. He gives her instructions and tells her to be talkative and drink alcohol in front of his parents.

Shin thinks about the previous night when he told Woo-ju he’d call her later in the day. He tells Cha Young-min his theory. Young-min says he’s right about Min-young but not Woo-ju. He says Woo-ju and Dong-jin’s relationship wasn’t good in the beginning. Either way, Shin tells Young-min to call her and question her.

Woo-ju gets a call from Young-min but doesn’t pick up. Dong-jin asks her when she’ll be picking up Ji-gu’s things and she says she’ll do it after work. During a meeting, Sun-woo catches Woo-ju staring at Dong-jin. Later, the two are paired together for some work. Sun-woo congratulates Ms Baek on making it happen but turns out she didn’t know. Yuri overhears them talking about it too. She tells them about Young-min’s visit and his questions about the company and Woo-ju.

Woo-ju finally picks up the phone and tells them she doesn’t know anything before cutting the call.

Jun and Hae-sung meet his parents for a meal. It’s quiet and awkward and they leave without saying much. Jun and Hae-sung go have a drink elsewhere. Jun talks about being a talkative oddball in a stiff family. In contrast, he enjoys staying with the three siblings and living loudly. When Su-ho calls her, Hae-sung cuts the phone.

At work, Woo-ju sends Dong-jin a file and messages that she’ll go pick up Ji-gu’s things later. He calls her and tells her to wait, they can go together. While walking, Dong-jin asks her what’s wrong and she ends up going off at him for not giving Min-young even a cold look but being upset with her. He admits that he’s upset and angry. She fixed his button but is now giving him the cold shoulder. He asks her if he did anything wrong. Can’t they just be friends? She doesn’t seem to agree. He tells her to tell Ji-gu to get his things himself.

Meanwhile, Dae-hong locks up his house and heads outside. He comes to the office and is heartily greeted by Sun-woo and Dong-jin. Yuri asks Woo-ju who he is. Dae-hong and the other two talk about his camping site and how busy it is. While leaving they come across Woo-ju. Sun-woo tells her to join them for lunch but Dong-jin tells Sun-woo to let her be.

Director Kim storms into CEO Shin’s office and accuses him of not telling him the exhibition hall was cancelled.

Dong-jin waits with Dae-hong at a bus stop. He tells Dae-hong that things are better now with his mindset and work. Dae-hong realizes his mind is elsewhere, as Dong-jin promises to visit Dae-hong after the current project.

Ms. Baek is surprised that Woo-ju doesn’t want to renew her contract even though they offered her a full time position. She says she’ll work until the end of the month when her contract expires. When Dong-jin hears of it, he tells Ms. Baek to let Woo-ju do as she wants.

A taxi drops off a drunk Shin at Min-young’s apartment. He picks up a stone and approaches Min-young as she puts her garbage away. He rants about her working with Dong-jin and says he’s going to take revenge on her. Woo-ju turns up and tells him not to do anything he’ll regret. Shin strikes anyway.

Flashes of scenes show Dong-jin running outside, in a taxi and then at a hospital. He goes to a hospital bed where Woo-ju is lying, asleep, with a bandage on her head. Min-young is there and says the doctors said Woo-ju will be fine. She apologises for it being her fault. He tells her to leave. When Woo-ju flinches in her sleep, Dong-jin puts a hand to the side of her head. Her eyes open and she reaches a hand out to hold his.

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The Episode Review

Ji-gu and Woo-ju’s conversation was an interesting one. It offered a more vulnerable side of Woo-ju which we see when she opened up about her true fears about not being well-off. This helps to offer some deeper insight into her as a character. Jun and Hae-sung’s scenes worked in a similar way, working to give Jun more background rather than just the ‘lead’s best friend’. Both work well and strike the right emotional chord. Apart from that, the episode drags on as much as it has been for the last few episodes.

I was sure we were going to get a scene with Shin doing something insane and a hospital scene as a result of it, and here it is! As much as I am still finding the show unbearably slow and quite boring now, I have to say that last hand holding scene had my heart in flutters. This is a sign of how good the show could have been, all the untapped potential now wasted on drawn-out scenes where not much happens.