You know, I will say that a Kdrama has done its job when you absolutely hate the antagonist of the female lead. Every time Seung Hee appears on screen to bully, harass, and blackmail Hye Ju I want to physically reach through the television screen and smack her.
Read Last Week’s Episode Review.
If this drama can’t elicit an emotional response out of most viewers, then I don’t know what can.
Seung Hee and Ki Young’s Marriage
Let’s start with Seung Hee since she’s dying for attention.
What on earth is going on with her marriage to Ki Young?
Was it a sham based on her insecurities? Did Ki Young marry her out of pity?
Or… is it because Ki Young secretly still has the hots for Hye Ju and her rich ex-best friend was the next best thing?
Because I’m not seeing how or why Ki Young is putting up with the abuse from Seung Hee’s mother and the cold shoulder from Seung Hee herself all in the interest of love. I mean I know love will have you doing crazy things, but Ki Young just seems…disappointed in Seung Hee most of the time.
Instead of trying to talk to her husband after disappearing for three years or even attempting any form of intimacy at night in bed, she just kind of ignores him?
Ki Young asks his wife to hang out, she says no. He then asks her out for dinner, she says no.
The only thing that seems to get Seung Hee going is fantasizing about ruining Hye Ju’s life all because her wealthy mother didn’t love her enough, and only cared about her twin brother instead.
Actually, that’s wrong.
Yoo Shin only loves her daughter when she comes home sloppy drunk and needs somebody to take care of her. Then Seung Hee is the precious daughter she has all but ignored and forgotten about for 20+ years.
Seung Ho Lies About Assaulting Jae Eun
I know Hye Ju had a moment this episode where we could believe her to be an unreliable narrator (her husband’s murderer poster turning to her photo) and Seung Hee had one regarding her mother – but I still have no reason to believe Jae Eun/Hye Ju lied about Seung Ho’s assault.
Based on the flashback and the little preview of whatever the nun from the Children’s Home/Orphanage told Woo Jae about Seung Ho, he really did do something to Hye Ju in high school.
In Hye Ju’s flashback, she specifically told Seung Ho to stop showing up outside of the Children’s Home, and Hye Ju had a very strong reaction to the thought of even dating Seung Ho when Seung Hee brought it up as a joke the day of the incident.
So more likely than not, Seung Ho had been doing creepy stuff to Hye Ju, and she just kept it to herself because she is an orphan and didn’t want to cause problems. It seems like Ki Young might know something as well, especially since he asked Seung Hee in the present day if she’s really certain Hye Ju is lying about the assault.
Seung Hee says she believes her brother today, but in the flashback from 20 years ago Seung Hee would have 100% believed her friend. It took her alcoholic, land-grubbing, greedy mother Yoo Shin to say that Hye Ju was trying to extort them for settlement money to fund her college tuition that made her flip.
Which is such a slap in the face because Yoo Shin was the one who offered to get Hye Ju a college scholarship in exchange for her silence about Seung Ho’s assault. Notice, Seung Ho’s mom didn’t even deny that the assault might have happened – she just wanted it to go away because Seung Ho got into SNU Law School.
I have to wonder if Hye Ju would have been believed if Seung Ho’s admission wasn’t announced early?
Especially since Seung Hee said in the flashback that her mother always liked Hye Ju. In all actuality, Yoo Shin probably noticed how her son was acting around her daughter’s friend, but let it slide because he’s her precious son and the future of their family.
…or something like that. Blegh.
Why is Soo Bin so Hostile Toward Joong Do?
Let’s get the Soo Bin speculation segment of the recap out of the way before I wrap this up until next week.
While Soo Bin hasn’t been my favorite character in this drama thus far, even I have to admit that she has been overly hostile toward Joong Do and Yeo Jin. The latter even rightfully called her out on it when they bumped into one another at the clinic.
I was really hoping the JD tattoo had nothing to do with Joong Do, and that it was just happenstance. I really don’t mind seeing a happily-married couple portrayed on screen in a Kdrama, especially when one partner is in politics. It is utterly refreshing.
So, if Trolley does a reveal where Joong Do has been secretly cheating on his doting wife with a woman young enough to be his daughter, I will be thoroughly revolted. Either way, Joong Do and Soo Bin definitely do know each other – we just have no context on how, or why.
I’ve seen theories floating around that Soo Bin could be another one of his kids, but that doesn’t make much sense to me. Joong Do doesn’t seem like a dead-beat dad, even if he did throw his son Ji Hoon to the wolves after ongoing scandals to save his career.
(Joong Do even stayed with Ji Hoon’s mom for two years before she got cancer and passed away, and still gives the family money 20 years later. I don’t know how much of that is based on Joong Do’s guilt, filial piety in Korean culture, or a mixture of the two.)
Also – why would you get your dad’s initials tattooed on your stomach? That’s just weird.
Is Soo Bin the Secret Daughter of Hye Ju?
I’ve seen other theories stating that Soo Bin is the daughter Hye Ju could have given up after leaving Youngsan following her assault from Seung Ho. After all, the incident happened 20 years ago. Joong Do and Hye Ju met when she was 22 and they married at 23.
Soo Bin is around the right age for this theory, and we still don’t know what Soo Bin said to Hye Ju when the motorcycle drowned her out upon their first meeting.
Either way, I am anxiously awaiting episode seven of Trolley.
The storyline is fantastic so far – I just wish Hye Ju would stop letting herself be bullied by Seung Hee. I’m sure nothing good will come of Hye Ju continually harboring a secret that is quite literally making her lose her mind.
But, tell me your thoughts.
Do you think Ki Young knows something about Seung Ho’s assault on Hye Ju twenty years ago? Especially since he most likely has access to the mother’s personal records and files?
And…Do you trust Woo Jae, Assemblyman Nam’s aide and secretary?
I think he’s committed to winning the election at all costs, but I’ve seen other people say that he might betray Assemblyman Nam, or use his wife’s situation to their advantage.
What do you think about that?
Leave your thoughts in the comment section below, we’d love to hear from you! Also be sure to follow us for more Trolley Kdrama Episode Recaps and Reviews!
We are also creating East Asian fashion-inspired merchandise for fellow fans, Visit our Redbubble store if you have a chance – you get cool gear, and it helps support the blog!
☆ In Asian Spaces
Twitter Patreon Pinterest BlogLovin
In Asian Spaces 