My Lovely Boxer (2023) Episode 11

Episode 11 of My Lovely Boxer starts with Kwon-sook confessing that she likes Tae-young. However, Tae-young says he only likes her as his athlete. He tells her she will regret liking someone like him once she meets a better man. Kwon-sook maintains that Tae-young is the man he likes at the moment.

Tae-young reminds her that he is a bad guy and that she needs to stay away from him. He approached her for money and used her all the time. Kwon-sook asks if he is sure that’s the only reason. Even so, she does not care. Tae-young had told her not to leave any regrets in the ring. Hence, she decided to win the match and, like Tae-young, without regrets.

She requests him to let her like him and not to push her away; to let her nag him and whine like she did before. After she leaves, she cries alone in a park, and Tae-young is too stunned to go into his house. 

When she arrives home later, her father thinks she is heartbroken because of Jae-min. Kwon-sook tells him he is jumping to conclusions. He tries to deduce from her social circle and is surprised that it might be Tae-young. Jae-min continues to join her for the morning runs. He tells her that Tae-young asked him to join her too. He also tells her of the instructions he gave her father regarding her food.

She lets Jae-min know that she has no romantic feelings towards him. Later, while having breakfast, she remembers Tae-young making her breakfast and starts to cry. 

Reporter Park sends a photo of Kim O-bok arrested by the police for game rigging. He realizes he is not the same Mr. Kim he has been dealing with. Meanwhile, Soo-yeon and Young-ae go indoor golfing and run into Mr. Kim. Young-ae asks him to sponsor Ah-reum for the upcoming match. He gives them his card, but the name on it is Chairman Nam Hyun-ki of The Sky. 

Tae-young calls Young-ae to tell her about the match rigging and the cause of Hee-won’s death. He tells her he will turn himself in, and she should say they fired him after knowing of his criminal activities. He assures her that Kwon-sook’s match is not rigged. She says she will talk to HR about his dismissal. 

Kwon-sook asks Ho-hoong to get her a sparring partner. A man is also acceptable, and she will travel wherever they are. A-reum has fought 16 matches, whereas she has zero matches to her name. Elsewhere, Chul-yong invites Tae-young for a drink. He asks about his feelings for Kwon-sook and says he only likes her as her agent.

Chul-yong requires that if he notices Kwon-sook start developing feelings for him, he should handle it wisely since Kwon-sook is still young. Meanwhile, Ho-hoong cannot find a sparring partner for Kwon-sook. 

Mr. Kim/Chairman Nam visits Chul-yong’s restaurant. Coincidentally, Ho-hoong comes to ask Chul-yong to help him find a sparring partner for Kwon-sook. Mr. Kim offers to help. The following day, Kwon-sook learns that Tae-young quit the agency. Mr. Kim brings the sparring partner, but she is a kickboxer. Her aim seems not to spar but is looking for a fight. Mr. Kim is frustrated seeing Kwon-sook is in a good fighting capability. 

Tae-young and Soo-yeon drink together, and he tells her about quitting the agency. She acknowledges that he needs a break and explains why they broke up. She says she wanted to marry Tae-young and have a child together, but he kept pushing her to join more competitions. She felt he did not love her, but looking back, she thinks it was his way of showing love. He says he did not want to waste her talent.

Later, he tells her to meet a good guy, and she is frustrated that he is dumping her. She realizes that he might like someone else. Just then, Tae-young gets a call from Ho-hoong. He tells him that Kwon-sook is hurt, and he rushes to the gym. Ho-hoong tells him how he got the sparring partner, and Tae-young figures out that Mr. Kim is involved. 

Tae-young spends some time in the gym with Kwon-sook, who says she feels most comfortable there since she always spent time there with Tae-young. He later takes her home and says he will see her during the day of the match. Kwon-sook says she will call him anytime she has problems, and he has to come. He asks him to comfort her like she did during the match. He hugs her and apologizes for going to look for her. She is, however, grateful that he did look for her. 

Mr. Kim has his man Sang-cheol follow Tae-young and Kwon-sook. Sang-cheol took a photo of them hugging, making Mr. Kim realize they were close. Meanwhile, Tae-young shows reporter Park a picture of the Kim O-bok he knows. Reporter Park realizes Mr. Kim has done a great job masking his identity. He wonders who he is, and Tae-young thinks he might be Chairman Nam. He asks reporter Park to find out more about Chairman Nam. 

A-reum and Kwon-sook pass their bantamweight and hold a press conference one day before the big match. Later that night, Kwon-sook and his team, including A-ra, Ho-hoong, Jae-min, and Chul-yong, gather at Chul-yong’s restaurant for a meal. Kwon-sook calls Tae-young, but he says he will not attend but will be at the ring the next day. Tae-young watches her from afar when talking on the phone. 

On match day, Kwon-sook wakes up early to run and meets with the old couple that gives her lollipops. Later, she and A-reum both get ready to attend the match. Her father advises her not to leave any regrets and not to be intimidated. 

Before the match, Kwon-sook is nervous. Tae-young arrives at the match venue, and he sees Chairman Nam before he can get to Kwaon-sook. At the same time, some men arrive at Chul-yong’s restaurant. Tae-young tries to follow Chairman Nam but loses him in the crowd. He rushes to check on Kwon-sook and hugs her as soon as he enters the room. 

Kwon-sook asks him if he is comforting her when he hugs her so as not to get the wrong idea. He asks her to give him a moment to catch his breath. He tells her he is relieved he did not get to her late and helps bandage her hands. Kwon-sook worries about losing since Ah-reum is strong, and Tae-young assures her she is vital too. If she tries her best and still fails, it is okay. 

Kwon-sook thinks it will not look cool when she announces her retirement after losing; people will think she is running away. Tae-young tells her that a loser who gives it her all will not look like she is running away. She should not worry about that. She asks him to watch her match until the end, from where she can see him clearly. 

Once outside Kwon-sook’s dressing room, Tae-young calls the police to tell them he is heading out. At the same time, Chairman Nam calls him to ask that they watch the match together.

At the end of the episode, Sang-cheol and other Chairman Nam’s men come for Tae-young. Sang-cheol punches him when he refuses to give his phone and breaks it. 

The Episode Review

The episode is slow-paced but well-scripted as a build-up to the finale. The episode reveals that Mr. Kim is the elusive Chairman Nam. He played timidly in the previous episodes to mask his identity. He is prepared to do anything to make sure Kwon-sook loses the match. Compared to the last episode, this is somehow predictable and not as thrilling. I hope the final episode brings some exciting surprises.