Master of Revenge Ep 11

This episode was so intense and scary, I’m just swamped, like YeoKyung.

 

Master of Revenge; God of Noodles Episode 11:

DaHae walks into GilDo’s not-so-secret room and stares wide eyed at everything around her. She takes pictures of his safe and his certificates – everything – all while letting that irritating and loud ‘click’ ‘click’ sound ring from her phone at each photo taken. Lady! I know you have no plan but why wouldn’t you take precautions here? I don’t think that room is as sound proof as you think it is!

She picks up one of his many identity cards and reads the name “Kim GilDo”, confirming that it’s his real name and not a fake one. A search through his drawers draws a framed photo of and gloves from her mother. Suddenly, GilDo walks into his secret room (eeps!) but a phone call saves her from being found out.

Outside, Myeong commands DaHae’s roommate (aka, his spy) to keep their knowledge of DaHae’s parentage a secret. She also tells him about her being a spy for KangSuk and Myeong tells her to find out just how much KangSuk knows about DaHae. Apparently, GilDo’s hiding yet another of his enemies right under his nose as Dahae’s roommate demands Myeong to crush GilDo properly. She’s been working at Goongrakwon for that sole purpose and if he doesn’t do it right, she’ll finish him.

 

Myeong reads the DNA report again and wonders if DaHae’s only reason for being at Goongrakwon is simply because GilDo is her father or…?

Other than politicians, this show is also filled with corrupt bankers as the banker (Mr Park) who issues GilDo cheques with fake serial numbers pays  him a visit and tries to extract money from him. Despite his veneers, it seems that GilDo gives in because the next we see, a (small) box supposedly of bottled vitamin C drinks is sent to him through TaeHa.

In the kitchen while kneading dough, DaHae cries, wondering why GilDo has her mother’s stuff despite abandoning them. She gets caught by TaeHa and though she’s brash with him at first, she becomes gentle and asks whose car he drives (under the assumption that he’s just a simple chauffer). He answers, and then spots some flour on her face. When she simply makes it worse, he does it for her and the act is caught by Myeong.

 

Once he’s outside, Myeong pulls him aside and grabs him by the collar. He demands to know what TaeHa’s doing at Goongrakwon, nervous that their relationship could be found out, putting them both at danger. Determined to be saviour of the world, TaeHa replies that he’s there for his own sake and Myeong calls his bullshit, knowing that TaeHa would never have done this if it was just for himself.

TaeHa tells Myeong that he doesn’t know him, like he doesn’t know Myeong and to make his point, he says that the biggest regret he ever had in his life was being the fall-guy for YeoKyung’s crime. He emphasizes that he meant everything he had said and that he’s changed, just like Myeong. Myeong steps back at that, stabbed right where it hurts.

In his “secret” room, GilDo eyes his skewed ID (seriously DaHae? SERIOUSLY?!). He also spots his drawer a slightly opened (LADY! PLEASE!) and suddenly darts up.

In her room, DaHae gets on her computer and uploads pictures of GilDo’s secret room.

The next day, GilDo puts TaeHa on security duty regarding DaHae and then sits with his wife and MiJa. KangSuk announces her decision to promote DaHae to the Noodle section and rebukes GilDo’s rejection, asking why he’s so sensitive whenever it comes to DaHae. Is he hiding something?

LOL, MiJa expresses her pleasure at seeing people fight but is now bored seeing them fight since they do it all the time and agrees with KangSuk on her decision and therefore, no matter what he thinks, DaHae’s to be promoted, as the lady herself learns soon.

She goes to GilDo to have her name tag upgraded and he questions him then and there, asking him about his real name and whether he really loved her mother.

 

MiJa asks her out for a drink but gives it up after recalling her lightweight status from Myeong’s restaurant. Talk turns to more serious matters and DaHae sends a picture of GilDo’s secret safe. Interestingly, she keeps the information regarding her mother and the other pictures secret and MiJa buys her claim that she’s given up everything for now.

MiJa discusses GilDo’s secret vault with Myeong and they immediately clue into him having a slush fund. That means that GilDo’s amassed a (rather powerful) network that will not be inclined to betray him any time soon, since if he or his partners do and the dirty money comes to light, both parties will perish. MiJa and Myeong don’t want to expose Goongrakwon the restaurant to those dangers and pledge to come up with a plan.

 

Myeong asks about DaHae’s promotion to the Noodle department and while MiJa doesn’t think much of KangSuk’s idea, Myeong is the more sensitive one, realising that the promotion means that DaHae can’t go visiting Goongrakwon’s annex (where Grandpa Go is being held) any more which in turn means that something secretive is going on there.

DaHae waits outside that very annex and KangSuk appears soon enough and congratulates her for the promotion – but she says that it was a unanimous decision and that even GilDo had agreed. DaHae asks after Grandpa Go and gets the reply that he’s just the same. KangSuk looks at her straight in the eye and says that she’s the only one she trusts in Goongrakwon, enough to consider her a daughter. She hopes that DaHae won’t betray her and DaHae innocently replies that she’ll never, though KangSuk still looks at her worriedly. I’m pretty sure she’s feeling a hundred and one different feelings now.

 

At lunch, a customer sends back a bowl of buckwheat noodles that frankly don’t look appetising and look a little like sludge. It’s the third one that day already and it takes Myeong and DaHae’s analysis for the “Head” of the section to realise the problem – their bittern (or the liquid they use to make the noodle doughs).

Their supply of bittern has been watered down and Myeong advises that such an important ingredient should have been made in-house. “Head” replies that it’s a difficult and time-consuming task though. Seriously? You work in the country’s top noodle restaurant and you dare to say that?

Myeong leads them in making their own bittern and even shares his own secret tips. DaHae also shares some of her own regarding another dish and “Head” of Noodles puts them to work, letting them try out their ideas.

Having had evidence that DaHae’s not just an empty vessel when it comes to noodles, Myeong starts to warm up towards her and they both bond over the different methods used to make noodle dishes.

A while later, “Head” of Noodles (to remind you, he’s currently officially only the Assistant Head of Noodles but in the absence of a leader in the kitchen, he’s the leader there) presents MiJa, KangSuk and GilDo with the new dishes and MiJa is especially pleased with the product. He looks a little uncomfortable with their praise and after a beat, he credits Myeong and DaHae for the dishes that they’ve respectfully made. KangSuk is very pleased with his honesty and modesty.

She suggests promoting him to Head of the Noodles/Kitchen but MiJa is a little hesitant. She picks up the reason for it and tells her to dream on about Myeong being the head of the kitchen at Goongrakwon. Even if he becomes the Head of Noodles, Goongrakwon will never be MiJa’s. It’s enough that he came in straight to the Noodles Section on MiJa’s recommendation.

 

GilDo watches the ladies fight and tries to dismiss them but MiJa suggests that they pit Myeong and the current Assistant Head of Noodles for the Head of Noodles position and it deeply upsets KangSuk. She offers to make the competition known to the board of shareholders and knows that KangSuk will be against it and asks for GilDo’s decision. GilDo defers that decision till tomorrow.

KangSuk asks DaHae to bring her the Assistant Head of Noodles and is informed that he’s in a meeting with GilDo. GilDo for his part is warning him to buck up, for he’s competiting against Myeong for the position of Head of Noodles. He’s understandably bothered, since he’s been at that job for five years and a total of fifteen at Goongrakwon compared to Myeong who’s only been at Goongrakwon only a few days (if not weeks).

Ah, no, wait, make that “GilDo is bribing the Assistant Head of Noodles, promising him that the top position will be his if and only if he becomes GilDo’s man”.  Assistant Head of Noodles rejects it though and wants to earn it fairly though his skills.

 

GilDo practically threatens to fire him (and if I didn’t get the meaning behind the words wrong, drive him out of comfy positions in the industry) if he doesn’t become his man and fails the competition.

YeoKyung is flipping through her documents and frustrated that even DokGu’s private loan company’s accounts are perfect. She’s alerted to the discovery of a large scale illegal gambling site where a certain banker was found to be using cheques that were issued by Goongrakwon. She smiles at her bout of good luck.

DokGu storms into GilDo’s office, where GilDo had just finished watching the TV report. He’s argumentative and worried but GilDo’s simply too cool. Lol, right in front of him, GilDo sets up a coffee session with Prosecutor Ahn to show DokGu that there’s nothing to fear but it doesn’t reassure him at all.

DokGu walks out and pats TaeHa on the shoulder when TaeHa sighs that all he does is chauffeuring. Myeong comes by and practically slams his shoulder into DokGu’s but he passes it off as an accident. TaeHa’s visibly shocked at the open antagonism but answers “yes” when DokGu asks if he should really leave Myeong alone .

Outside, DokGu advises TaeHa once more that though he and GilDo are already too deep in the shit-hole (his words) to climb back out, it’s still possible for TaeHa to leave before GilDo orders him to do anything nefarious. But, if TaeHa hesitates to carry out GilDo’s demands at all, it’ll be over for him. Jesus-wannabe TaeHa says that there’s no going back for him, and that even though he couldn’t protect his father, he most certainly will protect his friends. Please protect yourself.

 

He gets a call from GilDo and is surprised when he’s told to go to Seoul’s Central District Prosecutor’s Office. He asks a multitude of questions again and all GilDo allows is that he’s going there for a cup of coffee.

Senator So talks on the phone and we learn that YeoKyung had GilDo summoned. Girl works fast and Senator So really likes that. He tells someone to keep their eye on this case but to keep their hands off it. He says that whenever he decides to use a person, he’ll fully use them. It is official, I don’t like him.

YeoKyung heads to her boss’ room at his call and is introduced to GilDo. He introduces her to him as the prosecutor-in-charge of the current case but that’s it because she stands her ground that it’s not proper for a prosecutor to meet a person-of-interest in private and clashes with Prosecutor Ahn, a show that GilDo takes note of.

 

The last order of the day at Goongrakwon gets passed to DaHae by “Head”, who asks her if she can do it. She doesn’t actually know what dish she’s supposed to make but is saved by Myeong’s explanation-wrapped-as-a-question. She makes the dish and does well, with some sneak-help from Myeong.

They meet outside and DaHae asks which one is the real him – the stand-offish one or the nice one? He tells her that she’s doing fine and may do so well that her father would be proud of her, a topic which upsets her.

YeoKyung meets with GilDo and though she asks to go for some food, he refuses, saying that he’s not hungry. They therefore relocate to an interrogation room, where she questions him. She brings up those cheques and he just easily explains it off. At first, she’s nice, but she turns fierce in a split second, warning him not to use his connections ever again, since she’ll just cut them all off.

 

He brings up her past at the orphanage and it stuns her. He bets that after today, she’ll be off the case and she tells him not to take the nation’s prosecutors so lightly.

She returns to her office completely drained. Prosecutor Ahn promptly storms into her room and orders her to get off the case but she doesn’t let go without a fight so he promises to show her what happens to nails that stick out like her.

GilDo commands TaeHa to drive to Ahyeon-dong and beat up the next person that YeoKyung is sure to summon for questioning. He’ll shut his mouth with both violence and money and TaeHa carries out the order without question, after a quick flashback to DokGu’s warning that if he hesitates, it’ll be the end of him. Nooooooo!!!

Back in the car and dirty deed done, TaeHa is visibly unsettled, but he holds it together enough to drive back to Goongrakwon. Oh damn, a nearby car’s black box recorded the whole thing.

In Goongrakwon, DaHae sees him reeling from guilt and though he screams for her to get out, she simply dresses his wound. She tells him that she smells oil, blood and old letters on him and advises him to get out of whatever it is before it gets worse. In a moment of weakness, he grabs DaHae’s hand and though she scolds him for being so easy with skinship, she grabs his hand in turn and tells him to cheer up. Once alone, they both recover from The Moment.

Recalling DaHae’s words of smelling old letters on him, TaeHa returns to his room and pulls out his friends’ letters to him and smells them, probably taking comfort in that.

 

GilDo informs Myeong that he’ll be pitted in a competition against the Assistant Head of Noodles with TaeHa looking at them worriedly nearby. He fully expects Myeong to win and with that, he’ll be able to deliver his end of their promise. He asks Myeong to keep his end and arrange a meeting with Senator So and Myeong just asks if tonight would be good.

GilDo heads to his secret safe and pulls out a document simply labelled Top Secret. He pulls out the papers that are titled Defence Industry Corruption and prepares for his dinner-meeting. Oh. Ooohh…

 

YeoKyung gets informed that her next person-of-interest can’t be questioned because he “fell from the stairs” and is currently admitted into the hospital. Yeokyung just gives a defeated smile and asks what happens to a prosecutor who continues to investigate a case that she was told to close. Whatever it is, the conclusion is that her life will be hard and though her investigator knows exactly what she’s about to do and get herself into, she agrees to YeoKyung’s suggestion of noodles for dinner.

At Goongrakwon, GilDo paces as TaeHa looks warily at him. Senator So walks through Goongrakwon’s doors and at first look, GilDo remembers him as the father of the student he was supposed to tutor and get into college years ago when he was still Kim GilDo. Of course he never did such a thing and instead stole his money and an important document (and killed his housekeeper) instead.

 

The two meet and GilDo introduces himself as Ha JungTae, acting as if he’s never seen the Senator before.

Just as the two leave for the inner offices, YeoKyung steps into the restaurant and demands for GilDo to be brought to her.

While GilDo pours tea, Senator So looks at him all round and the look that he gets in return confirms that they both know exactly who the other is. YeoKyung’s request is conveyed to GilDo and TaeHa is sent out to deal with the problem.

TaeHa runs out but stops short at the sight of YeoKyung.

 

Comments:

Urrrrghhhhhhh… Every episode of Noodles is pretty dark, but this episode left a super sick feeling in the in the lowest pit of my stomach. Every. Single. One. of our three kids (GilYong not counted. Yet.) is getting deeper and deeper into this thing with GilDo and it just scares me shitless because it’s like seeing deers entering a lion’s den – a den not with just one lion just an entire PACK of them.

Of all of them, I want to pull TaeHa out the most because he’s just so innocent and naive and if anything goes wrong, he’ll be chased by people on both sides of the law. For YeoKyung and Myeong, the worst is that they don’t carry out their revenge but for this idiot, he’s just becoming a criminal with every command from GilDo. Every time he asks GilDo questions whenever he’s given a command, my heart just breaks – no, shatters – because it’s so clear in that simple act how naive and vulnerable he is. Maybe it’s because he was in jail and therefore shielded from just how terrible people can be that he seems the most pure one out of them. I mean, sure, he gets into fights and earn himself cuts and scrapes in jail, but those people there aren’t actually very bright sparks and therefore end up in jail (duh) and so any antagonism and negative intention is clear and obvious there but out here, where the big guys play and are smart enough not to get caught, TaeHa’s a little fish in a big sea. I mean, look at that face! That expression of sincerity and gullibility is enough to tear my heart apart.

GilDo himself is getting bolder (not that he lacks it at all) and greedier. It’s clear that he’s preparing his grand entrance into politics and actually, I think he’s getting more vulnerable the more he tries to enter that arena based on the very fact that he’s not clean. At all. And also because he has so many enemies just waiting to pounce on him. His shield is dirty money (and I’m suspecting that he’ll try to use that Top Secret Document to keep Senator So in check) but for people who’ve been at the game for ages that’s a shield as good as one made out of straw.

I’m currently expecting Assistant Head of Noodles to play a big part in this game, since GilDo’s threatened him so directly like that. But it remains to be seen whether he’ll stop at being GilDo’s man or whether he’ll fall for Myeong’s character and apparent good faith and will to become a double crosser. If he does, he’ll have to watch out for this person.

What am I talking about? This story only exists because he’s ruined/is ruining people’s lives left and right.