Start-Up Episode 9 Recap 

Published Categorized as Drama Reviews, Korean Drama, NETFLIX

Start-Up Episode 9 Recap 

Start-Up Episode 9 Recap. Episode 9 of Start-up has proven to be very conflicted as the story thickens and Dal-Mi learns the truth. Also, this episode delves into Do-San’s past and reveals an unfortunate situation that led to the development of the low self-confidence he now struggles with. 

Dal-Mi Compares The Hand Writings 

This episode picks up from the ending of episode eight, where Dal-Mi noticed that Ji-Pyeong’s handwriting resembles that of Do-San. Left dumbfounded by the uncanny resemblance, she immediately compares it to the letters she received from Do-San 15 years ago.

 Do-San’s Low Self-Esteem

As the drama continues, we cut to Do-San’s home, and as he sits on the bed, he appears to be struggling with an upsetting memory. A flashback of his past occurs where he participates in the Mathematical Olympics… as he reached the final question, he finds himself stuck. Normally he answers questions as such easily, but on this day he was unable to. A gust of wind conveniently brought the answer sheet from another contestant desk right at his feet.

This situation, however, led to him later giving up his gold medal, as he felt it was undeserving of him. His parents, of course, were not happy with his choice.  He has ever since buried this secret deep in his heart which has contributed to the low self-confidence he now struggles with. He has found himself in a similar position with Dal-Mi as he hides the truth from her. His anxiety continuously eats at him and his heart is burdened.  

In-Jae Gets Attacked

Back at SandBox, Dal-Mi and the team are gathered while suddenly a man walks in holding a tray of eggs. He later asked for In-Jae’s Company to which Dal-Mi showed him but she is left terrified as the man starts throwing eggs at In-Jae and tried to attack her. Seeing this, Dal-Mi acts quickly and covers In-Jae with her body as Sam-San Tech restrains the man. The man, however, screams that he’ll be back for In-Jae, as it is because of her why he losing his job. With the development of IA Technology her company has created, many jobs have become redundant, this man is just one of the persons that’ll be affected.

After the man is escorted from the building, Dal-Mi bumps into In-Jae at the bathroom and immediately tells her it was reflex that caused her to protect her. The two sisters playfully bickered, which suggests they make up soon.

Suk-Han Sees In-Jae Up Close

Further, in preparation for Demo Day, each company and their mentor have a one-on-one. While In-Jae sits with her mentor, Sun-Hak, the issue of the attack came up, however, Suk-Han is stunned by In-Jae unempathetic response. Not being able to distinguish between risk and danger reveals a lot about In-Jae.

In future episodes to come, this conversation will help Suk-Han understand which one of the sisters is the girl on the swing. The girl on the swing represents a certain image and so far, In-Jae’s personality does not suit the image. 

Do-San Hits A Low

Things get interesting when Do-San’s parents find out from their nephew that the CEO of Samsan Tech is Dal-Mi and not their son. They were left disappointed and deceived as they have invested a lot in Do-San’s business, and such information was not shared with them. Also, It appears, Do-San stole his Father’s seal to do the sign-off.

Further, as Chul San and Yong San sit with Do-San over a few drinks they try to console him and also prepare him for when he goes home. Do-san, however, was beyond help as his heart was heavy which caused him to break down emotionally. The guilt of the secrets he has been holding onto has really taken a toll on his mental state.

As he practices his apologies, we learn that he is afraid of what will happen when Dal-Mi finds out, overburdened by his thoughts he eventually passes out on the table.

Chul San and Young San Calls Dal-Mi to the Rescue

Unable to go home in a drunken state, Chul-San and Young-San call Dal-Mi to get Do-San. As they wait at the bus stop, Dal-Mi arrives and sees that Do-San is a hot mess. The boys then asked if he could stay at her house for the night.

Thankfully, Ji-Pyeong pulls up right on time and drives Dal-Mi and Do-San to her home. On the way, Ji-Pyeong offered to take Do-San back to his apartment but Dal-Mi insisted that he goes home with her. 

Do-San and Ji-Pyeong Spends the Night at Dal-Mi

As they arrived, Ji-Pyeong steps in with Do-San passed out on his back, as he drops him off on the bed, it appears Do-San has vomited all over Ji-Pyeong’s back. 

After changing his shirt, Ji-Pyeong has dinner with Miss Choi and Dal-Mi but Do-San later wakes up confused and wonders who brought him to Dal-Mi’s house. As he sits and has dinner, Dal-Mi suddenly suggests that he spends the night. Hearing this, Ji-Pyeong begins choking on his food. The thought of Do-San spending the night at Dal-Mi got Ji-Pyeong jealous, which made him insist on staying the night also.

Do-San and Ji-Pyeong Share a Bed

Later that night, the two men have a one on one, where they spoke about Dal-Mi. Do-San expressed that Ji-Pyeong is trying to take the only good thing he has and Ji-Pyeong responds that he’s willing to trade it all to be in Do-San’s position.

The men later ended falling asleep and snuggling up together, Do-san however wakes up and freaks out. 

Awaken, he enters the living room and sees Dal-mi working but noticed that she’s crying. After a second, he realized that she’s reading the touching reviews of the NoonGil app that has been impacting people’s lives. 

Do-San Surprises Dal-Mi to the Beach

The following morning, Do-San decides to treat Dal-Mi to a special date and suggested that Miss Choi comes along. As the three arrive at the beach, they are all taken aback by the beautiful view. 

Later on, Miss Choi decides to make the best of the opportunity and digs for lots of seafood. While out on the beach, she uses the NoonGil app and notices Dal-Mi and Do-San are hugging and watching the beautiful horizon together. Dal-Mi left deep in thoughts later asked her grandmother if the Do-san from 15 years ago and the one in the present could be two different persons. She later expressed that she likes him a lot but is afraid as there are a lot of things she wants to know but is afraid to ask. 

 

Do-San is Confronted By His Dad

Do-San hits another low in this episode when he is met by an angry dad after returning home. As his father scolds him for giving the CEO title to Dal-Mi, he immediately starts to apologize for being a “good for nothing son”. His father, however, calmed down after Do-San revealed the shocking truth that he cheated on the test many years ago. This is something that’s been burdening him for years.

His father is left hurt by the reveal and immediately takes down the photos up on the wall. 

Ji-Pyeong’s Heart Is Hurting

As Ji-Pyeong is flooded by thoughts of his Dal-Mi, he is left enlightened of his true feelings. 

After visiting, Miss Choi, he is told that Dal-Mi is suspicious of him and Do-San. However, as Miss Choi comes up with a solution to further cover the truth, Ji-Pyeong immediately refuses and admits that he can’t lie anymore because of his feelings for Dal-Mi.

Hearing this, Miss Choi is left shocked and pleads with him not to break up Dal-Mi’s relationship, given how happy she is. Ji-Pyeong is, however, left upset by this and tells Miss Choi he wished he never met her. As he walks out in the rain, he is left feeling troubled by the hurtful words he exclaimed to Miss Choi.

 The Truth Is Revealed

As Ji-Pyeong sits in his car, he reflects on the conversation he had with Miss Choi. To apologize, he decided to grant her request even if it meant he would be heartbroken. As such, he visits their old neighborhood and sees the letter in the birdhouse that Miss Choi had mentioned. 

Meanwhile, Dal-Mi runs to the train station to meet Do-San as it is pouring outside. However, she quickly leaves after seeing the text Ji-Pyeonng had sent to Miss Choi’s earlier… it turns out that Dal-Mi mistakenly took up Miss Choi’s phone earlier on.

As she reads Ji-Pyeongs text, she is left curious and visits the treehouse just to find Ji-Pyeong there. As he stands and reads the letter, he is left shocked after realizing that Dal-Mi has appeared before him.  Left flabbergasted, he doesn’t know what to say, when she asks his reason for being there.

Meanwhile, Do-San calls Dal-Mi’s phone but Miss Choi answers and explains that they accidentally switched phones. After calling Dal-Mi’s phone, he is suddenly put on the spot as Dal-mi asks Do-san if he knows the place where they used to leave their letters 15 years ago. Not knowing what to say, Do-San quickly tries to change the subject, but Dal-Mi catches on and ends the call. 

Start-Up episode 9 has us on the edge of our seats as we witness a major development in the story. The characters, especially Do-San and Ji-Pyeong will now anxiously await the decision that Dal-Mi makes. 

Stay tuned to drama obsess for more.

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