[recap] The Equator Man – Episode 2

It’s been a while since I last watched a drama centered around revenge and betrayal, so that probably explains why I’m so into this drama right now. The story has its direction perfectly set, while the characters aren’t going to be the same as before. I yell in frustration a few times during my course of watching this episode but I feel good and find myself anticipating the next episodes.

[EPISODE 2]

  

Sun-Woo finds his father hanging from a tree and screams for his father. He tries to ease is position and keeps calling him, but there’s no use. Jang-Il realizes that the man is already dead but Sun-Woo refuses to believe him. Jung-Il runs to call for help and suddenly, the branch holding the rope breaks and his father falls onto the ground. Sun-Woo tries to lift him to bring him to the hospital but there’s no reaction from him. He cries for him and sobs there alone, mourning for his father.

  

The scene returns to the moment when Chairman Jin was in the process of killing Sun-Woo’s father, Kyung-Pil, and Jang-Il’s father, Yong-Bae accidentally witnessed the happening. Yong-Bae entered the room to check Kyung-Pil’s condition and found out that the person was still breathing. He tried to call the ambulance but got stopped by Chairman Jin.

Being a smart person he was, Chairman Jin was able to fish out a false statement from Yong-Bae, saying that he’s alone there. He started asking about Jang-Il and tried to use his bait: if Yong-Bae could help him to cover his crime, he would help his son. Yong-Bae hesitated at first, but the wicked man knew his one and only weakness: Jang-Il. He wondered what would happen to Jang-Il if Yong-Bae was to refuse his wish, and that was enough for Yong-Bae to kneel in front of him, pleading Chairman Jin not to be like that, but there’s no use to it.

  

Yong-Bae started to carry out the plan. He wrote a fake will from Kyung-Pil and proceeded to bring his body to the forest. He tried to put the rope around Kyung-Pil’s neck but failed as he’s too afraid. Suddenly, Kyung-Pil coughed and woke up from unconsciousness. He pleaded Yong-Bae to help him between his choked voice and Yong-Bae was conflicted for a split second. Then, he remembered about Chairman Jin’s words and regained his determination. He pickep up the rope and stared at the weak Kyung-Pil.

  

He returned to his workplace to find Jang-Il came by to give him the umbrella as it’s going to rain. Jang-Il looked around the room and found the typed will, now in an envelope lying on the floor. Yong-Bae looked at him when he picked up the envelope and hurried inside before he’s able to open it. He chased Jang-Il out and wiped the envelope clean from his son’s fingerprints before returning to the crime scene to put it in Kyung-Pil’s pocket.

  

Cut to the present time, where the two boys are at the police station to report about what happened. Sun-Woo doesn’t believe that his father had committed suicide just because he has cancer but the police had found the will from him. Sun-Woo doesn’t want to believe it. Jang-Il states that a father won’t ask his son out on his birthday just to show him how he’s going to kill himself but the officer tells them to come again later.

They go walk out of the station and Sun-Woo is still firm in his decision to believe that his father didn’t commit suicide. He isn’t going to forgive his father if  he really did that. Jang-Il tells him to go back and takes some rest.

Back at his home, Jang-Il is surprised to see his father preparing so many dishes for both of them. Yong-Bae wonders why Jang-Il wanted to eat seaweed soup and he explains that he wished to celebrate his friend’s birthday but sadly, his father committed suicide. Yong-Bae is disturbed upon hearing this news and asks what type of friend he is. When Jang-Il says that Sun-Woo was the one who fought the thugs, his father doesn’t like the fact that he’s being a friend to someone like that.

  

Yong-Bae proceeds to tell his son the good news about Chairman Jin’s willingness to help him further his studies in Seoul. Jang-Il cannot believe it at first and wonders how the fortune suddenly appears in front of him just like that, plus they’re able to pay off their debts. He finally believes it when his father says that they are going to meet Chairman Jin soon and Yong-Bae tells him not to worry about anything.

Sun-Woo is alone in his house but he keeps hearing his father’s voice. He goes out to find him alone, but he keeps remembering what he father said before he passed away. He stares into the thin air, asking why his father did that.

  

He remains absent from school on the next day. Their classmates ask Jang-Il to join them to a buffet organized by Boo Kyung Chemicals, where one of the boys has his father working there. He seems reluctant at first but he still follows them. The MC announces that the president’s daughter herself is going to perform, gaining Jang-Il’s attention. She’s no other than Ji-Won, who appears on the stage with a guitar and starts singing. She totally attracts everyone in the hall, especially Jang-Il. He looks like he’s completely smitten with her. Just look how he’s paying attention to her speech:

He totally has the determined look in his eyes, mixed with wonder when he watches her. She gives her speech, thanking everyone who has worked with his father and pleads them to stay faithful to the company.

  

Yong-Bae brings Jang-Il to meet Chairman Jin and his wife, Ma Hee-Jung (Cha Hwa-Yeon). Mrs Ma keeps complimenting Jang-Il’s good looks and she’s sure he’ll find many girlfriends in no time at the college. He confidently tells Chairman Jin his dream of being a prosecutor and his wish to help the poor people. Chairman Jin is amazed at the young man’s determination and gives him some additional money.

  

At the same time, Ji-Won and her mother is also at the villa, waiting for their turn to meet Mrs Ma, bearing a gift for the family. The secretary tells them that they won’t accept it, but Ji-Won says that their gifts had always been accepted before this. They wait there as the secretary tells Chairman Jinand Jang-Il goes out of the room with his father. He recognizes Ji-Won, but the girl is too immersed in her own thoughts. His father tells him to hurry up and go home, but before that, he asks his son for some money. Ji-Won leaves with her mother and ignores Jang-Il on her way out.

  

Sun-Woo is busy asking around about his father’s whereabouts around the port before his death but his effort is almost fruitless. Ji-Won isn’t that amused to see her mother trying so hard to win Chairman Jin and his family’s hearts. The car that they ride stops because they are blocked by a fallen box, and she sees Sun-Woo on the roadside. Ji-Won recognizes him but he doesn’t seem to realize the things happening around him. She just passes by him without any words.

Soo-Mi makes a trip to the drugstore to buy some medicine for his drunk father. She is waiting for the prescription to be ready when Jang-Il enters the place. Both of them go into an awkward silence and she urges the pharmacist to hurry up. Suddenly, Jang-Il apologizes for not being able to keep his promise to go to the seaside. She suggests for them to make up for the cancelled trip on another day.

He runs after her, saying that he won’t be able to go on that day too. Soo-Mi knows that he would never be able to go with her and assumes he has known about her father. She says it’s okay for her, but wonders why he wanted to go with her at the first place. He doesn’t answer her, and she asks to herself why did he approached her back then.

  

Sun-Woo’s attempt to prove his father’s death wasn’t a suicide remains unsuccessful and even the police officer is not pleased with him trying to play detective. He gets to know that his father was a conman. With a heavy heart, Sun-Woo walks out and Chairman Jin is also there, talking with the officers.

He returns home to find Jang-Il waiting for him. He wants Sun-Woo to stop living like that so that he won’t disappoint his late father. He decides to leave but before that, he tells Sun-Woo about him getting a scholarship to go to Seoul. Sun-Woo is happy for Jang-Il, but their conversation is interrupted by someone.

It’s Soo-Mi’s father, Gwang-Chun, who drops by after hearing about Sun-Woo’s father. Jang-Il quickly leaves, displaying his hate towards the shaman. Gwang-Chun chides Sun-Woo for not obeying his advice to stay away from Jang-Il.  He then tells Sun-Woo his wish to conduct a simple prayer for his dead father with a little payment. Sun-Woo refuses to do so but he has decided to talk with his father’s spirit and finds out who was the culprit that killed him. Gwang-Chun is doing it to help him and also as a thank you gift for Sun-Woo to be his daughter’s friend, even when he knows about his status as a shaman.

  

The ritual, or kut starts, as usual with the music playing in the background. Sun-Woo and Jang-Il watch as Gwang-Chun concentrates on his chants. Yong-Bae also joins the crowd that starts to form around the place. The thunder roars in the sky and suddenly, Gwang-Chun starts to shake badly, as if he’s possessed. Looks like it’s Kyung-Pil’s wretched soul who starts taking over him, as he starts crying and asking who strangled him until death.

  

The most satisfying thing is that Yong-Bae looks so disturbed throughout the procession. Sun-Woo can’t stand it anymore and tries to stop Gwang-Chun, but Jang-Il doesn’t let him to do so. Yong-Bae freaks out when Gwang-Chun says the killer is there with them. He leaves as Sun-Woo demands to know who is that person, but Jang-Il sees his father leaving the place. Gwang-Chun doesn’t answer Sun-Woo and starts crying, wailing in place of Kyung-Pil for his pitiful son. He apologizes for not being able to keep his promise to Sun-Woo before collapsing on his shoulder.

  

The time travel back again, but this time it’s from Gwang-Chun’s point of view. He was rejected by a woman near the forest and she even kicked him in the crotch before leaving him alone. He started to drink and fell asleep until the night came. He woke up to find himself alone in the dark, but not for too long. Suddenly, he saw Yong-Bae carrying a sack which turned to be the body of Kyung-Pil. Gwang-Chun watched him closely and he was also surprised when he saw Kyung-Pil came alive. He witnessed everything: how Yong-Bae strangled him, but in the process, Kyung-Pil said Sun-Woo’s name and his promise. The rain started to pour down and Gwang-Chun saw the scar on Yong-Bae’s arm under the flashing lightning.

  

Sun-Woo demands to know about the killer from Gwang-Chun, but he claims that he doesn’t remember anything from the procession. The boy knows that the man is hiding something from him. He’s scared as his life is going to be so different, as if he’s heading straight into burning fire. The poor boy then goes to scatter his father’s ashes alone on the shore. he cries and keeps calling for him, although he knows that no one will ever reply his calling.

  

 Back at his home, Sun-Woo gathers his courage to read his late father’s will, all neatly typed in three lines. He sees that something is strange and starts searching for other documents his father has typed using his typewriter. He tries to type using the typewriter and comes into a conclusion: someone has been faking the will.

  

The first person he tells about it is of course Jang-Il, with his father following their conversation closely. Sun-Woo wants to report it to the police, alarming Yong-Bae at once. Jang-Il invites him for a meal and his father cannot do anything but agrees to feed the boy whose father he killed with his own hands.

The awkward dinner is filled with silence until Yong-Bae starts to ask about the police report Sun-Woo is going to lodge on the next day. He doesn’t have any choice but to report about it to Chairman Jin but as usual he isn’t a great help for him. Yong-Bae assures him that his son isn’t close to Sun-Woo but before he leaves, Chairman Jin suggests him to solve it himself: using Jang-Il to make Sun-Woo change his mind. Yong-Bae doesn’t want to get his son involved and takes the matter into his own hands.

As Sun-Woo is walking home from somewhere, Yong-Bae takes the risk of breaking into his home to find the will. He searches everywhere and finally finds it. Sun-Woo enters his house…

..and finds Yong-Bae inside. Owh.

  

Jang-Il later receives a call from Sun-Woo, telling him that his father dropped by to give him some food. He finds it weird but doesn’t give much thought about it. Yong-Bae burns the will and eventually destroys the only proof that can lead him into being a murderer. Meanwhile, Chairman Jin wants his secretary to find out more about Kyung-Pil and where he’s used up his money.

  

We fly over to Thailand, where the man named Moon Tae-Joo (Jung Ho-Bin) receives a letter from the late Kyung-Pil, telling him about Sun-Woo. He is still unsure about the boy, whether it’s Chairman Jin or Tae-Joo’s son. Ah..this is getting more complicated!

Sun-Woo realizes that the will is missing. He starts searching around his house, but the search is meaningless and it is nowhere to be found.

  

The banner announcing about Jang-Il being admitted into the university is up, and Soo-Mi walks past it before taking a look at the big banner. Jang-Il takes a look at Chaiman Jin’s company newsletter and finds Ji-Won’s name among the list of students from the company worker’s children who got admitted into university. He is happy to see that she is going to enter the same university as him.

  

 Ji-Won is happily drinking wine with his father at a posh restaurant. However, he explains with a heavy heart that this will be the last time they are able to have a meal at a place like that. He tells her to take care of her siblings and the fact that their lives are going to change soon, but Ji-Won doesn’t blame her father at all. He promises to get his power back She promises to remember the taste of the wine and she will find her way back to where they once belonged.

 Sun-Woo takes his coat out of the closet and reaches for something else, but he accidentally knocks down a box containing his father’s possession. He picks all the things and suddenly sees something beneath the papers inside. He finds a photo with a much younger Kyung-Pil, together with Chairman Jin and Tae-Joo. Sun-Woo feels like he has seen the man somewhere but couldn’t recall anything about it.

  

A feast is held to celebrate Jang-Il’s entrance to the university and the whole village comes to the feast, including Gwang-Chun. He sees the scar on Yong-Bae’s arm and remembers him from that night. He asks another man in front of him about Young-Bae and finds out that Jang-Il is Yong-Bae’s son. He wonders if Yong-Bae knew Kyung-Pil before this. The man in front of him tries to asks Yong-Bae himself but gets stopped by Gwang-Chun.

  

He starts to follow every Yong-Bae’s moves around the place with his eyes and almost get caught by the person himself. He is sure that he’s the culprit on that night. Gwang-Chun cringes to see Sun-Woo coming to congratulate Jang-Il despite his warnings. He gets even angrier and more frustrated to see Yong-Bae looking so scared when he looks at Sun-Woo.

  

The boys sit over some soju as they talk about Jang-Il’s plan. Jang-Il invites Sun-Woo to go to Seoul with him but he refuses to do so because of his father. Jang-Il wonders what he’s trying to achieve by doing that, but Sun-Woo just wants them to enjoy the feast. Jang-Il then promises to be a successful prosecutor and brings the murderer into light. Yong-Bae overhears this and he starts to feel so nervous, as well as Gwang-Chun, who’s looking at his every expression.

It’s getting late and Jang-Il is getting slightly drunk. Gwang-Chun resumes drinking outside and stops Sun-Woo who’s on his way to follow Jang-Il. He again chides the boy for being so close with Jang-Il. Gwang-Chun starts asking whether Sun-Woo’s father and Jang-Il’s father was an acquaintance, but Kyung-Pil never met Yong-Bae before. He finds it strange to have Gwang-Chun poking around, asking about his father. He tries to tell Sun-Woo about what he knew but decides against it.

Sun-Woo follows the drunk Jang-Il, but he’s too happy and doesn’t mind it at all. Jang-Il is glad he’s finally able to change his hard life. He promises Sun-Woo that he’ll become a successful person and he will help him. He runs around in bewilderment as Sun-Woo looks at him, a slight smile plastered on his face.

  

Unfortunately, Sun-Woo gets kidnapped by someone on his way home. It turns out that the thugs who came looking for Jang-Il in the first episode are the one who kidnap him. They want Sun-Woo  to pay in the place of Jang-Il for causing one of them suffering from Jang-Il’s beatings. He hesitates at first, but when they want to trample with Jang-Il’s future, he has no other choice but to obey their order to beat up someone called Jang Taek.

Sun-Woo..are you really going to do it?

[END of EPISODE 2]

The kids are going to take matters into their own hands very soon. They aren’t that innocent, but I’m dreading the fact that they are going to grow up in a world full of lies and revenge, thanks to the adults. The adults are the people responsible for everything that’s going to happen to them, and I find it pitiful.

I’d like to think that Chairman Jin is the puppeteer in the story: he’s the master of evil, the one who mobilizes everything to happen in the first place. I hate to see how composed he is at all times despite the fact that he’s going to change someone’s life drastically! He’s the one who made Yong-Bae the murderer, Gwang-Chun the secret keeper, Sun-Woo the fiery orphan, and he’s now grooming Jang-Il to be his up and coming puppet. He deserves the hate and he should be the one who die the most painful death, but it’s going to be a long way before he can pay for what he did.

And the preview for the next episode? That just makes me wishing it’s Wednesday already!