Loved the first episode. It was light and fun and somehow not campy feeling even though it has a bunch of campy elements. But it feels very much like a webcomic which is a good thing because it takes me to fantasy land.
Caution: Be wary of typos.
Character Chart: Clean With Passion Character Chart
KOREAN DRAMA CLEAN WITH PASSION FOR NOW: EPISODE 2 RECAP
OPENING
We open at a middle school girls track meet.
VO – I was a runner until I was a freshman in high school.
The girls take off running the hurdles.
VO – My specialty was hurdles
Young Osol gets first place in hurdles. Her father cheers brightly for her.
VO – My father told me that life is like a hurdle, when you overcome one thing, another one comes. Back then, I did not know what life was or what it meant.
She eats double ice cream pops with her dad. She breaks them so they can share but one does not break evenly.
VO – But that bad law of like is like this two in one bar that breaks whatever way unevenly.
Her father eats the uneven one happily.
VO – It is like this, things don’t go as expected or planned.
Father and daughter skip off happily.
Cut to Osol lining back up, she is here adult self now and is getting ready to do hurdles.
VO – Hurdles are climbing the length and distance. The most important thing to overcome it is strength and speed and timing.
The gun blasts and Osol takes off. All the judges in this scene are actually interviewers. Osol does well over a hurdle, but then she falls and all the other people keep going. The interviewers watch her as she lies on the ground and moans about her knee. But then she gets thrown the pink elephant underpants. Ahead is Sun-gyeol walking up to her in a pink suit.
SG – That is why you were betrayed by a man, because you have that kind of taste. Today is day one? that still works? that is too cheap.
He sprays the disinfectant all over her and walks away. She screams that it isn’t like that! It’s not like that!
TITLE: COINCIDENCE HELPS THE PERSON THAT DOES NOT WANT IT
In bed Osol mutters, that is not it, that is not it, noooo! But she is till dreaming and rolls off the bed. Later she grumbles and stumbles to the fridge for something clean to drink. Her father asks her how much she drank last night. Did something happen?
Osol sits to eat but can’t stomach anything and runs off to throw up, but her brother is on the toilet. She bursts in on him but leaves. However, she remembers sees him with a cigarette? So she bursts back in and pull shim out of the toilet with his pants down. She is about to lay into him about the cigarette but then notices that he is wearing the underpants that she bought. Why is he wearing that? But the father sees the cigarette and starts chasing the son.
They both chase him outside where Choi is lounging happily in the nice weather. The son runs all the way upstairs and hides behind Choi as his father tells him he better not start smoking. This poor guy is still only in his drawers as he runs around. they end up chasing him back downstairs with Choi waving that their family looks very nice. Good family!
CLEANING COMPANY
Sun-gyeol walks around his company as his team is cleaning. All his people clean everything. His secretary, Gwon walks with him as Sun-gyeol picks out all the things they need to clean again. Sun-gyeol is a specialist in spotting everything they need to clean and sees a hair. they need to clean it all.
He leaves and walks right through an air shower. His secretary tells him all that he needs to know and then goes back inside through the air shower .She holds her hair so it does not get out of place. he continues on to his office. Everything is in place including a unending supply of air disinfectants.
But then he gets a call from “Horse Head” aka Osol.
Cut to Osol practicing what she is going to tell Sun-gyeol about the elephant underwear. it is a gag gift to her brother! Ha ha ha! Sun-gyeol shows up and gives back the elephant underpants. Then he puts a towel on his chair as he sits. Osol is pretty flustered as she tries to explain that she does not know why this gift was with him. Did you open it?
She gets even more embarrassed when she sees the elephant underpants. But instead of talking about it some more, she changes the subject to paying him back. He slips over his bak account information and tells her that if she does not give him the money at the end of the week he will call his lawyer and finish this all quickly.
Osol says, sue? Sue? Are you suing me? he walks away and asks, does that still work? Day one from today? So cheap…
She just sighs and gripes her embarrassment away as she frets in her seat and tries to see how this was all in her bad dream. But then she gets a text. It is good news because she passed the resume step in her latest job application.
She goes outside happily and sees Sun-gyeol about to leave in his fancy car. She confidently goes up to him and tells him that he thinks he knows her but he does not. So what if I am a cheap person? You should not look down on people because you are rich. I will give you the money. Without that reward money, it is 2500. that is one month salary? Maybe a little more. But anyway, don’t look down on people. Do you think I will be scared?
She happily hops off and dances up the street. Sun-gyeol looks at her, stunned.
Later that night at home, Joo-yeon and her Osol’s family all eat outside as they celebrate sol passing the resume step. JY mentions that is not an easy thing to do. Choi comes out as well. Joo-yeon immediately says this must be the gigolo that lives upstairs? Hello, I am Osol’s friend. Choi happily eats with them as he is filled in on what they are celebrating. he tells her that she is great to get an interview in this economy.
They all toasts congratulations to Osol.
The next day, Osol steps into her interview looking sharp in her suit. But as she opens the door we see that there are literally one hundred other people there trying to get the job. It will be tough.
During her interview, she sits with two other candidates who are all very impressive. An imaginary bar goes up over their heads. One of the interviewers says that Osol is a runner so she should have a good base. Osol starts to talk about how running is the bases of all exercise (it is a question that she prepared for). She imagines that her resume passion is 100 even though her other numbers (spec& background) are 42 and 35.
The interviewer tells her that she has a good spontaneous response. Tell me a good memory from when she was a runner – In English. Osol is all like, what? Not just an introduction in English? She tries to say something in English. Her specs start to fall in the imaginary graph over her head.
Afterward she sulks to her friend about how she messed up. Her friend cheers her up and says that kids nowadays are extra ready. Next time don’t do a spontaneous response. You can do it! Cheer up! Osol cheers up and says that she can do it!
Cue montage of Osol preparing for an exam as she marks a date on her calendar.
She manages to get another interview with a pervert boss that asks if she can make coffee. She is all like, ugh. Then she gets another interview with a man that has a pyramid scheme. Then she has another interview with a gangster looking boss at a loan shark company. He explains his tattoos to her (his daughter is year of the rabbit and his son is year of the pig).
TAEKWONDO
Odol is a Taekwondo person and is working out when he gets a phone call from someone.
Cut to Young-sik looking at the pink cleaners. The cleaners are at a job. JM happily fixes his hair as they walk around after the job but another girl runs up to talk to Dong-hyun. DH blows her off so JM talks to her and asks if she wants his number. But then Yong-sik and Odol show up looking for a fight.
It looks like this is all about a girl. Odol likes a girl that likes Dong-hyun. It looks like it is about this girl that just ran up to Dong-hyun in this scene. Well, anyway, a ridiculous man hair pulling fight breaks out on the playground. Several kids hops around playing in the exact way.
Back at home, Another woman leaves Choi’s home. Osol is disgusted but runs up to her and says that she is a fortune teller right? You said I had good energy this year for my job search. The woman looks found out and hides her head as she hurries out saying that she has the wrong person!
Choi asks her about her job search, but Osol just asks her who that woman is that just left and who was that other woman? Choi asks why she is so interested? Osol informs him that a lot of strange people are walking by there house, thats why! Then she mutters that that woman is a fake, I even bought her talisman. She goes inside to sulk as she mutters that getting a job is difficult.
The calendar on the wall has several weeks scratched out. Osol thinks that she thought getting an interview would be the perfect time, why doesn’t anything go right? Then she gets a call.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
Cut to her brother, his friend, and the pink Idols cleaners at the police station. Young-sik and Jae-min are the worst looking of the four. The officer sees that one of them already has a past star (criminal record?). The three other guys try to figure out who that is kind of see that it was probably Dong-hyun.
Sun-gyeol and Gwon come in at that moment to get their cleaners. The officer tells them that they need to do a better background check when they hire people. That one guy has a criminal history. The cop starts telling them that they cannot trust him, no one can guarantee him. Sun-gyeol looks at Dong-hyun, concerned.
They all leave together, SG looks pissed, but then his face changes to curiosity when he sees Osol running in.
Inside, Osol yells at her brother. They brother and friend both turn around as if they are definitely in very big trouble.
At the company, Sun-gyeol tells Gwon to fire them. They fought in front of our customers and they were wearing our uniform. Gwon does not want to fire them, maybe they can reprimand them first. She also asks if this was because of what he heard about Dong-hyun. Sun-gyeol says that he would not have hired him if he cared about those things. Gwon tries to look out for the two guys and says that they have been with them since they started the business. But Sun-gyeol thinks they should not do business like that.
Gwon tells him he is just like his grandfather. Their company is like this because they have a good reputation. Do you know how many people stick with our business from the beginning? Only three including me. You don’t even listen to their reasons, you just nitpick them and fire them right away. You also change a lot of your house helpers.
SG asks if it is wrong to follow their internal rules? Gwon says it is not wrong, but this is not the right thing to do either. SG heads to the bathroom to wash his hands. Gwon tells him that everyone can make mistakes but no one is perfect. Sanitization is the same. SG does not respond and just keeps cleaning his hands. But he is saved by a phone call.
The call is from his mother who is on the golf course with her lover and some other people. She reminds him about his grandfathers birthday. But SG is not really in the mood to talk about it and makes an excuse to hang up. The mother sighs and ays that she wanted him to get more points from his grandfather, but he is not taking here advice. The lover, Yang, asks his secretary who that guy is giving her a hard time? The secretary explains that it is Mae-hwa’s son and she has always been a single mom.
Osol takes the brother and friend out to eat and to reprimand them. She tells him that he should not fight right before college. And they should hit them more, don’t just get hit. They both apologize. She tells them to eat so they do, right away.
They father is also having a hard time. he got fired from his job and is drinking to drown his worries.
Later on, Osol frets at home about their family budget and all those things. But she pretends to be in bed when her father knocks on her door to check on her. He is drunk and apologizes for not being so great. She sits up and asks if he drank. He just smiles and says to go to bed, he is sorry for waking her up, and he blows her a kiss.
She goes to her door and cracks it open to see her father drinking at the table alone.
Elsewhere, Sun-gyeol walks around his grandfathers house. It looks like his grandfather was a military general or something like that and possibly a war hero as well? There are a lot of plaques around and a photo of a little Sun-gyeol posing stiffly with his grandfather.
His mother is sitting and texting her beau happily, but then they all go to the table to eat. Sun-gyeol cleans his silverware again even though the maids tell him that they sanitized it and they can clean it again if he wants. But he says it is okay. His grandfather comes in and tells him that he hasn’t cleaned his disease yet? I was in the military and sat in so much dirt and grime and worked in the factory ~. Sun-gyeol tells him his story back to him and says he is sick and tired of hearing it.
Umma tries to lighten the mood as she says they should eat and then tells her father happy birthday, please live a long long long time. halabogi asks for a water and then tells them that they should eat. The boys all start to eat while the mother talks. She asks Sun-gyeol who Goomja is, what where you looking for? he tells her it is none of her business. The grandfather tells him not to speak that way to his mother. Then he says not to give a dead name to anything, it is bad luck.
SG tells his mother that Goomja is the person that raised him instead of her. Umma realizes it was the nanny and just tells him not to use a dead persons name, that is lucky. then she changes the subject to Sun-gyeols company that is doing very well. She tries to tell halabogi about how well the company is doing and work in that Sun-gyeol should work for the main company now.
But Halabogi does not want to give the company to someone with a mental blemish. They all start to argue about Sun-gyeols mental disease with germs and cleaning everything. Sun-gyeol closes his eyes as if this happens all the time. Halabogi says that he sent him off to treat his disease, but he is getting worse now. SG tells him that he can’t stand dirty things. There are too many germs in this house, I cannot stand it. Can I leave?
He stands up, but Halabogi throws his fork or something at him. It cuts Sun-gyeol’s face. Sun gyeol takes that in for a moment and then tells him that he has the same temper from when he was little and now. Have a happy birthday, I hope you like for a long time.
Sun-gyeol storms out. Umma calls after him and asks her father why he did that! This is the first time they have met in awhile! Halabogi looks stunned that he did it as well.
Elsewhere, Osol fails another interview. She walks out of the company looking at all the other employees enviously as they walk in. And to make matters worse, her heel breaks.
Back at home, Sun-gyeol tries to wash his face as he thinks back to being raised by his grandfather. he is basically beaten for being dirty. His grandfather tells him that he must be extra clean because he does not have a father. His nanny walks him around outside in a piggy back ride and tells him that his grandfather is hard on him because he does not want people to look down on him. Little SG asks when his mother is coming back. the nanny says in 10 days.
SG tells her that she is lying, she said 10 days last time too. The nanny asks him if he misses his mother. Little SG says he does not. Without Mom….without mom….people says I don’t have a mom….I don’t have a dad….
SG comes out of his memory as he looks at his scar.
Outside, osol counts numbers as she drinks herself into a stupor. Sun-gyeol stops by this particular store to by something. He puts on sanitary gloves as he walks inside. But he stops when he sees osol drunk at the table outside. She notices him as she plays with all her pens in a pail and asks him if he would like to drink with her? You can sit here.
He starts to walk off. She tells him that she is sorry, she does not think she can pay him. She wanted to pay his debt when she got a job, but she failed. Well, actually, do I look stupid after failing my interview? He tells her to go home since it looks like she drank a lot. She tells him, when I was at school, I was a runner. You know the hurdles right? I was really good. I didn’t trip. I jumped over all those hurdles so my father was really proud of me.
OS – But….now I am just tripping all the time. I don’t know why. Against my will, I am tripping. – Ah…this? (the pens) you don’t know what this is? These are 97 pens that I used for preparing to get a job. This is my youth. This is my effort. This is my hope. This is my expectations. I took it out to throw it all away. But, I still regret. Should I fill it to 100 at least? Ah, ha ha, it is funny. Why do I show my bad side. I am sorry. I took your important time again. I am sorry.
She starts drinking again and then grabs her things, including her pen bucket, to leave. She is barefoot though so SG tells her to take her shoes. She turns around drunkenly to get her shoes, but ends up falling, her pens spill all on the ground. SG asks her if she is okay but OS just moans that everything is broken, nothing works because of you (her heel).
SG asks her if she can stand up. He kneels next to her. She sees his cut and tells him that he is injured, too. It should hurt. Then she turns back to her things, puts all her pens back in the bucket and stands up to leave.
He watches her for a moment. then he runs up to her and gives her some slippers to put on. Don’t walk barefoot. She turns around and yells thank you. Then she puts on his slippers and drunkenly walks off. But she stops on some steps and falls asleep? Lol. Choi walks up the steps and sees that it is the downstairs girl. he also sees that she is super drunk.
He tells her not to sleep on the street, her mouth will turn. But she is basically asleep. he tries to piggy back her and mutters about how it is to dangerous to sleep outside. But she pushes him. he sighs and sits next to her.
But then we see him piggy backing her so he got her on his back somehow. She is drunkenly sleeping and muttering about trying hard to live like others, but nothing works. Choi listens and tells her not to live too hard by herself. Don’t try to live like others. Try less hard than others and be less stressed. Live like that, that is winning.
MORNING
Osol looks at the slippers at her house and wonders where they came from. Choi comes up to her on the courtyard and tells her good morning. She asks him if those slippers are hers. he says no, she is the one that brought it home. She is all like, did I? But then she remembers Sun-gyeol and grabs her head in annoyance. So crazy!
Elsewhere, Gwon tells Sun-gyeol that she will make a post about the new hires. He asks if she fired the other two. She says she will do it today. SG asks, if I don’t fire them, will I be better than halabogi? She says that she does not know, but he will be a better owner of a company.
Outside the office, we see secretary Gwon cheering herself. It looks like she saved DH and JM’s jobs.
Scene change to Osol working at her part-time restaurant bar job. Afterward, she checks hr bank account and then practices asking her father for a money to lend to her. She kind of tries to think of things to say like, “I ad an accident when I took your job, I will pay you back.”
She goes to talk to her appa at his job. But she sees that he is doing a one person protest.
Sign: They said they would hire me for life, but they fired me.
Osol goes back home and looks at her interview schedule. The next one is the Cleaning Fairy Company.
The next day she goes to the company interview. It is outside in a field. Young-sik is there as well. It looks like they are all outside for a physical test to see if they can handle the physicality of the company. Young-sik cheers her on as her name is called.
Montage of all the physical activities they have to do. Osol is very good at all of them. then they get to the running with a basket of clothing part of the test. They are on a track so Osol immediately thinks back to her hurdling days.
An image of her younger self running stands next to her. they both start running together.
VO – I was a runner until freshman year of high school, I did not think it would help me in life, I did not think it would shine now.
Everyone is impressed with Osol finishing at the track.
Elsewhere, DH and JM thank SG for not firing them. SG just tells them not to thank him, he just did it because they are busy with the home shopping network. DH runs up to him and tells him that it will not happen again. SG tells him, the first time is a mistake, the second time is a choice. Don’t choose that way again. I trust you no matter what other people say.
Later on, Gwon tells SG that she found a good person at the physical test. You will like her.
SG gets a text;
OS: thank you for delaying the payment. Also, thank you for your slippers. Did I make any mistake that night?
SG: It is okay, you can throw them away, I hope I don’t see you again.
Os looks at the text and think he’s an a-hole as she sits back in her seat. Young-sik tells her that this place is better than expected. OS tells him to never tell her family that she is working there, I will kill you. YS tells her that he will not, my lips are sealed.
They walk out and run into JM and the other workers who immediately notice YS. there are a group of new employees so Gwon introduces them all to SG.
OS – someone said coincidence does not help you when you want it, it helps you when you don’t want it.
OA and SG look at each other in shock.
OS – Like the law of life, our coincidence started like this again.
Fade Out
COMMENTS
This show is solid so far. I did not read the original webcomic, but I love how this drama has webcomic feel all over it. It does a good job in giving us the characters motivations and i think it set up the stakes for us to understand why our heroine needs to get a real job and how hard she works to get a real job. Though cleaning isn’t really a society might want you to have. It seems like the heroine could be great at it and has a passion for something similar-ish to it (you could make that stretch with comparing exercise and cleaning…) so it could possibly be right up her alley.
Thanks for the recap V! Looking forward for your live recaps on this one! 😊
Author
LOVE this show so far! I’m looking forward to next weeks episodes!
Had low expectations going in, but impressed so far.
The comedy bits are actually funny, especially the germaphobia stuff.
My favorite character so far is Secretary Gwon. Probably obvious that she will be pivotal in Sun-Gyeol’s character growth. Also like Joo-Yeon, O-Sol’s “only friend”, basically repeating her role in MY I.D. IS GANGNAM BEAUTY, where I though she almost stole the spotlight. Hope she’s able to show off more of her talent here.
Almost fell off my chair when we first see O-Sol’s father walking up the steps and it turns out to be Kim Won-Hae. I think it’s fair to say this guy has no trouble finding work.
I liked the lengthy 97 pens monolog delivered by O-Sol in front of SG. Or was it 94 pens?
Best of all, no thugs. So far.
“Best of all, no thugs. So far” 😂
This made me laugh! You know how kdrama works…you’ll never know 😂
Author
OMGawd, riiiiiight!