Stray Kids, Episode 5: never say goodbye, because we are one

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(Written May 10, 2025)

So, last episode was a bummer, right?  Guess what?  It’s gonna get worse!  STAYs have hinted to me that Lee Know isn’t the only member to get sacked on this series.  Our group is going to get smaller, and I’m guessing Bang Chan is going to spend an episode locked in his bunk bed closet, chugging Soju and sugar-free Coke while booking a plane ticket back to Australia to see if he can join Pseudo Echo.  And yet somehow, all the members will come back together in the end.  So let’s do this.

Episode Five, everyone!  We pick up exactly where we left off, with our group reeling from the shock of losing their bandmate.  JYP shakes Lee Know’s hand and tells him the problem was that his training period was too short, so he needs to work harder.  No, JYP.  The problem is that you tried to turn him into a rapper in ONE WEEK, when he NEVER ASKED TO BE A RAPPER IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Man, this is going to be a tough episode.

JYP leaves, our boys close ranks around Lee Know, and my heart is breaking again.  He’s keeping a smile on his face.  The others can’t.  Felix and Seungmin are sobbing.

Bang Chan is more philosophical.  He’s disappointed, but there’s a feeling of resigned acceptance.  He’s had to know all along there was a chance this would happen.  He’s comforting and supportive to his fellow bandmate.  But as the two hug, he’s fighting back tears.  I can tell because there’s a camera person less than two feet away, zooming in on his face.  I can count Bang Chan’s eyelashes.  Mnet, I know you have a show to film, but maybe back off right now.

We get a confessional with Lee Know, who says that maybe if he had slept an hour less, he could have used that time to practice.  Oh, you poor kid.  Just take a couple of days off.  I know you have no way of knowing this right now, but you’re going to end up being insanely famous, so maybe do things now that you won’t be able to do later.  Like going out in public without causing a screaming riot.  Trust me.  Go grocery shopping, see a movie, throw eggs at JYP’s car.  Go nuts.

We get an In Memoriam-type segment, set to sad piano music, like he just died.  We see him when he first joined Stray Kids and helped the other members with dance steps.  We see him leading the dance team.  He really is an incredible dancer.  His body flows through the movements like water.  I can’t wait for him to come back.  We get some other sweet moments, like his birthday.  This group truly bonded as a family.

Memorieeeees, like the corners of my miiiiind….

 

We get confessionals with all the other group members, sharing their memories of Lee Know.  Again, it’s like he died.  This happens a lot in these K-pop survival shows.  Yes, it’s a crushing blow to see your friend get cut from the group like this, but they really drag out these mourning segments. 

Just a quick digression.  The reason sadly dramatic moments like these are so prevalent in K-pop shows and K-dramas may be related to something called “han,” which is a sense of grief said to be part of the Korean psyche.  Author Euny Hong writes about it in The Birth of Korean Cool, a book I strongly recommend.  

Okay, moving on.  We cut to the JYP Building, which sadly has not been defaced with spray paint.  JYP has called our eight boys in for a meeting.  He has them all take a seat.  He says he knows they’re in pain from the firing of their friend.  However, they must power through it.

He wants to talk to them about their “heart talks.”  At first I’m having trouble understanding the translation, but eventually I realize he’s giving them a heart-to-heart talk.  He wants them to think about the kind of influence they will have over other kids when they become celebrities.  He wants them to be a positive influence by focusing on honesty, sincerity, and modesty.

He goes into detail, and overall, it’s a really good pep talk on how to be a good person.  It’s insightful and honest, and I come out of this with a bit more respect for him.  I’m still pissed at what he did to Lee Know, but other than that doofus decision, he’s a smart guy. 

(Seriously though, if you get a chance to watch this segment, I encourage you to do so.  His words apply to everyone, not just K-pop stars.  Here’s a link to the segment on YouTube.)  

Now with the lesson over, it’s time for some fresh air.  Our boys head outside with their selfie sticks.  They are being given a vacation day!  They hop into a van equipped with van cams, and off they go to Gangneung.

Gangneung, Wikipedia tells me, is a coastal city with a popular beach where people go to see the sunrise.  The city has hosted the ice events for the 2018 Winter Olympics and the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics.  No wonder these boys are excited.  As soon as they arrive, they jump out of the van and run to the ocean.

The surf looks too rough for swimming, but it’s so beautiful.  The whole city looks like a place I could explore for days.  The boys proceed to eat their way across the Center Market, while the onscreen text tells us they’ll be having dinner later.  Where are they putting all this food?  I eat one french fry, and I can’t fit into my jeans the next day.

Their next stop is a skating rink.  Han and Hyunjin are really good skaters.  As for the others, let’s just say it’s a good thing they’re wearing pads and helmets.

After the rink, the next stop is product placement.  Coca-Cola is really getting their money’s worth out of these guys, especially when they tell each other how delicious and refreshing it is, because that’s definitely normal conversation.

As night falls, the boys go to a campsite.  On second look, they’re glamping instead of camping.  These are the “tents.”

The boys prepare the food they bought at the market.  Bang Chan and Hyunjin man the grills.  The fire gets a little out of control.  I get a kick out of Hyunjin yelling “calm down” (in English) at the fire.  Then, everyone eats because they must be starving after having eaten an entire hour ago.

Seriously, do these guys ever drink water?

 

After the meal, they gather around the glampfire to talk about everything they’ve been through so far.  Felix talks about how hard it’s been for him since he’s still learning the language and culture.  I can only imagine.

After a few minutes of joking and reminiscing, one of them inevitably says that he misses Lee Know.  Sadness falls over the group.  Despite the fun they’ve been having today, they’ve been feeling the emptiness of only being eight instead of nine.  Hyunjin says when he ordered food at the market, he ordered for nine people out of habit.

The production team tells them that instead of taking time off, Lee Know has thrown himself back into training.  I’m glad to hear that.  It’s what will eventually bring him back into the fold.  The production team has more news.  Lee Know has left his former bandmates a video message.

It’s hard for them to watch.  Lee Know is kind and gracious in his message, which makes it more painful for the rest of the group.  He thanks them for all the great experiences and apologizes for letting them down.  Several group members turn their backs to the camera so we can’t see them crying.

And with that, the episode ends.

Well.  That was a real kick in the nuts.  Thanks a lot, Mnet and JYP.  Can’t wait to see you sack the next group member and then send the rest of the group to Disneyland. 

What weird storylines these shows have.  See you next episode.

Episode 6:  ready for the battle ground

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Shining SOLO, Episode 8: Everything is terrible.

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(Written September 6, 2024)

It’s Manly Man Sports Day!  Will our guys prove their charms by doing the sports?  Will insects attack again?  Will the guys be required to do the sports while initiating conversations at the same time?  Let’s find out!

The one-on-one lunch dates are over, and classical music fills the glamping site again.  Yoshi reads the mission – they need to split into two teams and begin the ultimate charm and stamina showdown.

Jeong Woo is smirking.  He tells us, “When I heard it was about stamina, I thought I could show off my charms, since I really like sports.”  Yoshi, on the other hand, looks worried.  He agrees that physical strength is a charm that appeals to women, and he says he’s up to the challenge, but he doesn’t sound very convincing.

We get an unnecessarily long sequence of teams being chosen.  We end up with Team Sooo and Team Yoshi And The Kids.  We begin with the long jump.  The women will not participate in this, because you know how we women are, unable to jump because of our ovaries getting in the way and whatnot.  Team Sooo wins this event.

Next up, “mini” soccer.  With a cute name like this, of course the women can play.  I am NOT bitter.  Shut up. 

They do the soccer thing for a while, and then Min Ji steps to the sidelines to re-tie her shoelaces.  Doyoung notices and stands in front of her to protect her from the ball.  New girl Min Ye notices this and tell us she finds it charming.  During halftime, Jeong Woo brings bottles of water to the women because apparently they’re too weak and feminine to GET IT THEIR OWN DAMN SELVES, and I’m sorry, I just hate this.  Team Sooo wins the soccer match, so let’s move on. 

Time to choose today’s MVP.  The boys close their eyes while the women stand behind their MVP choice.  Of course, Min Ji plants herself behind Hyun Suk immediately.  The other girls run around giggling as they make their choice until I’m ready to throw a rock through the screen.  Eventually, even Min Ji changes her mind as all the girls line up behind Jeong Woo.  He was on the losing team, but sure.  Whatever ends this.

The girls say they were judging him based on how open and enthusiastic he was today and how he brought everyone water.  As MVP, tonight while the other men prepare dinner, he will get a one-on-five date with the women.  He’s told to use his charm to appeal to the women.  Jeong Woo really needs to get a jewel, so he can’t wait for this.

As evening falls over the glampsite, Jeong Woo’s bandmates gather around him and send him off to meet the women, whooping, whistling, and carrying on like they’re sending him to a brothel to lose his virginity.  He looks seriously stressed out.  This poor guy.  Don’t the other guys have a dinner they’re supposed to be cooking?

Jeong Woo joins the women around a glampfire.  He takes a long drink of something I hope contains alcohol.  He sets it down, turns to the women, and initiates a conversation by saying, “You guys voted yesterday, right?”

Um … Jeong Woo, whatcha doing?

The women cautiously say yes.  He asks if they know all the results, as in who got jewels and who got recorders.  They say they don’t, and I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.  They could have told each other, but if they didn’t, they wouldn’t know.  And Min Ye just got here and hasn’t voted yet.

Jeong Woo keeps going.  “Actually, my honest feeling was I hoped I would have at least one jewel.  With that in mind, I opened the cabinet.  Instead, I got three voice recorders.”

This feels a bit petulant, Jeong Woo.  You’re supposed to be trying to behave in a way that gets you jewels, not complain about the recordings.  Yes, you got some unfair comments, but bringing it up isn’t going to help.

Everyone is laughing it off, but the three women who left him recorders are avoiding eye contact.  Jeong Woo keeps going, saying he knows which members of his group got jewels, because of course they talk.  He says it would have hurt less if someone had gotten two jewels so he wouldn’t have been the only one to get none.  “But everyone got one except for me,” he says.

Okay, Jeong Woo, this is the show you signed up for.  And your three voice recorders were given to you in a secret vote, so you didn’t have to share that embarrassment with the girls.  Have you forgotten what your bandmate Jae Hyuk went through in the Part 1 final vote?  That was in public.  Maybe change the subject to something more positive, because complaining like this isn’t exactly charming.

But no, Jeong Woo keeps going.  He tells the girls that after he got the three recorders, he went home, laid down, and cried.  I don’t understand what he thinks he’s doing.  Is he trying to get an apology?

Min Ji points out that he went on to get five votes today for MVP.  She’s right.  That’s what he needs to be focused on.  The women just did him a huge favor with this vote.  I can’t believe Jeong Woo is making me side with Min Ji.

Seung Ji asks him, “What do you think your charm is as a man?”  He says he can take care of others well.  She then asks how he thinks the next two days will go, and I like how she’s leading him away from the self-pity and into a plan of action.

Or at least she’s trying to.  Jeong Woo says it will depend on the activities they do.  Oof.  Wrong answer.  No matter what activities are set up on this show, the one thing you can control is your attitude.

Min Ye asks him what activities he likes to do.  He says singing.  Okay, but this is a show about getting out of your comfort zone.  We know you can sing.  Can you try something new, like maybe getting over yourself?

Thankfully, we cut to the other guys preparing dinner.  They stop when they hear singing coming from the glampfire date site.  It’s Jeong Woo singing to the girls.  We cut back to them, and the girls are all clapping and oohing and aahing over his singing, and I’m officially done.  The girls applaud in amazement when he finishes, and I just want Jae Hyuk to stomp onto the set and hit his bandmate with a mic stand.

What’s even more frustrating is how the girls tell us in confessionals how Jeong Woo has really improved today, and he’s more confident and charming and (screams into a pillow for ten minutes).

When we come back from the confessionals, Jeong Woo is singing again while the girls sway and look at him adoringly.  When will this segment end?

We cut back to the bandmates, and Jung Hwan looks how I feel.  Doyoung can’t believe Jeong Woo played the singing card.  The guys agree that their singing bandmate will get all the jewels, and they don’t stand a chance.  Since the women seem to have fallen for it, I’m afraid they’re probably right.

Jeong Woo and the girls rejoin the group.  They grill meat at the table, and the whole meal looks really good.  The other band members are bending over backwards to be attentive and caring and helpful because they have to compete with the singing charms of Mr. Bruised Ego.  (screams into a pillow for 10 more minutes)

While I was screaming, a thought occurred to me.  I’m watching these bandmates fall all over themselves to be charming – pouring drinks, asking if anyone needs more food, etc.  And I realize they’re doing this just to get jewels from the girls.  The point of this show is “how to be nice to girls so they will give you things.”  Doyoung brings Min Ji a Coke, and now she’s in a confessional talking about how charming and considerate he is.  For bringing her a Coke.  Aim high, sister.

During dinner, the girls tell the guys that Jeong Woo told them he was the only one who didn’t get a jewel.  Hyun Suk’s reaction is 100% correct:

The girls ask who got the fourth voice recorder.  Jung Hwan raises his hand, which is fine because he was asked directly.  I’m surprised that he doesn’t know for sure who gave it to him.  Do these women sound that much alike?  Because I don’t speak Korean, I can’t distinguish regional accents or the kind of vocal differences   I can easily hear in English.  

Ji Soo does cop to giving Jung Hwan the recorder, and he has a sense of humor about it.  The maknae has a less fragile ego than his older brother in this group.  Still, Ji Soo feels the need to backtrack and apologize, and I can’t scream anymore because my voice is gone and my neighbors have threatened to call the police.

Finally, the midnight bell tolls over the glamping site.  Thank God.  The production crew has moved the lockers out here.  We now have five jewels and five recorders.  We also have footage of a lot of sporting activities we didn’t get to see earlier, which is fine with me.  This is not shaping up to be my favorite episode.

The women do the voting thing, and then I guess they get on the bus and leave.  First up to check his locker is Doyoung. Last time, he got one jewel from Ji Soo.  This time, he opens his locker and gets … one jewel.  Was it Ji Soo again?  We the viewers see that it was actually Ha Yul who gave him the jewel this time.  Last time, Ha Yul gave her jewel to Yoshi.  I’m just glad she didn’t fall for Jeong Woo’s emotional manipulation.

Next up, Yoshi.  Last time, he got one jewel from Ha Yul.  Today, he gets one jewel … and THREE VOICE RECORDERS.  I’m glad that’s another jewel that didn’t go to Jeong Woo, but what the hell?

Okay, let’s unpack this.  We’re shown that the jewel is from Min Ji.  I’m pleasantly surprised by this.  Now for the criticism.

Recorder 1:  It’s Min Ye.  “I’ll go with Yoshi.  Whether it was during sports, or just in general, he seems like he has a lot of talent and skills.  But when we had a deep conversation on the bus, he mentioned feeling a lack of confidence, which stayed with me.  So maybe Yoshi is too hard on himself and can’t easily satisfy himself.  The type that’s hard on themselves, that’s what I thought about him.  Acknowledging one’s strengths and being kinder to oneself might make one more attractive as a person and as a man.  That’s why I gave the voice recorder to Yoshi.”

Jeez.  I thought Min Ji was long-winded.  They definitely need time limits on these recorders.  Also, Yoshi let himself be vulnerable with this woman he just met, and she used it against him.

Yoshi actually defends himself, and I want to give him a hug.  He tells us, “I honestly told her up front that I lack confidence, but that honesty turned out to be a poison.”

This is awful.  These guys are criticized for not starting conversations, and then starting them and saying the wrong things, which I know is what I accused Jeong Woo of earlier, but Yoshi was being vulnerable in this case.  He may never speak to anyone again.

Okay.  Let’s get the rest of this over with.

Recorder 2:  It’s Seung Ji.  “I chose Yoshi.  I know he’s introverted.  When we played games today, I think he showed a lot of charm through actions.  But I didn’t really see him initiating a conversation with the women or trying to get to know them more.  And when I tried to initiate a conversation or compliment him because I wanted to talk to him, he didn’t really show any reactions or respond to me, and the conversation was kept very short.  That’s why I chose Yoshi.”

Yoshi feels awful because he remembers this incident and says he was distracted.  Remember in the Secret Open Chat when he said he was often misunderstood?  Yeah.  I see it now.

Recorder 3:  It’s Ji Soo.  “The man who lacked charm the most today was Yoshi.  Yoshi really tried hard in sports and other things.  I get that we were on different teams, but I feel like we talked the least today.  He seemed quite passive, so I chose him.”

At least she kept it short.

Yoshi is downright neurotic right now, confessing there were about three people he didn’t get to talk to today.  So now, not only does he need to make sure he initiates conversation with every single woman, he has to make sure he doesn’t say anything bad about himself, and at the same time, he doesn’t want to brag, and here, Yoshi, I’m just going to FedEx you some pillows to scream into.  It’s quite cathartic.

Okay, next up is maknae Jung Hwan.  Last time, he got a jewel from Seung Ji and a recorder from Ji Soo.  He’s a nervous wreck and has to sit down and breathe deeply before opening his locker.

Jung Hwan gets two jewels and two voice recorders.  Okay, that means there’s one jewel and no voice recorders left.  Guys, someone’s locker is going to be empty.  We have two people and one jewel left.  I can’t believe that hasn’t happened before.

Back to Jung Hwan.  The jewels came from Ji Soo and Min Ye.  Now for the criticism.  Let’s buckle up.

Recorder 1:  It’s Min Ji.  “I didn’t get to talk much with Jung Hwan, be it yesterday or today.  I haven’t seen that side of him yet.”

Well, that was thankfully brief.

Recorder 2:  It’s Ha Yul.  “We were on different teams today, so we didn’t get time to get to know each other.  I wonder what other charms Jung Hwan might have.  Unexpected charms.  It would have been nice to discover more of that.”

Unexpected charms?  You want unexpected?  I don’t know what more you want from these guys, ladies.  It was hard enough for this one to overcome his shyness and carry on a conversation.  Now he has to worry about surprising you every day.  Tomorrow, I’d love to see Jung Hwan show up in tap shoes and a top hat, singing “Ragtime Gal.”

Our maknae is a bit frustrated because he was on a different team from both women and didn’t have much of a chance to show his charms, expected or otherwise.  These poor guys.  And I thought the guys in Part 1 had it bad.

Jeong Woo’s turn.  Moment of truth.  He opens his locker to find … nothing.

This is HARSH.  I didn’t like his behavior today, but I wanted him to get a voice recorder telling him to put on some big boy pants.  At least it would have been SOMETHING.  This is not helpful at all.

Jeong Woo is confused.  What is he supposed to do now?  He has nothing to react to.

Jeong Woo stands there, stunned, and I feel horrible for him.  I don’t like seeing people get hurt and embarrassed like this on television.  K-pop shows can be especially cruel, and this isn’t even a survival reality show.

The show gives us confessionals with some of the women.  Min Ji is asked why she didn’t give him a jewel.  She says she thought about it, and it was a real struggle.

Again, I’m being forced to defend Min Ji.  Jeong Woo was not being charming.  He was being petulant and entitled. 

Ji Soo says, “I didn’t directly feel the charm.” 

Seung Ji says, “During singing and chatting, I thought I saw a lot of charm.  But then again, during dinner, his presence seemed to diminish.”

Wait, what?  No.  That’s really not fair.  For an introvert, the singing and chatting would have taken a lot out of him.  You can’t expect him to keep entertaining you all during dinner.  You’re not a child at a birthday party.

We get a confessional with Jeong Woo, and he’s asked why he was quiet during dinner.  He says he was out of energy.  He had used it up during the one-on-five date.  He needed time to recharge.  He does try to be optimistic, saying he’ll do his best tomorrow.  I’m just worried that he thinks doing his best will mean more complaining about the votes.

We have a couple more minutes left in this episode, and here comes Hyun Suk.  We all know what’s in his locker.  It’s a jewel from Seung Ji.  He deserves it, and I’m happy for him, but I’m just emotionally exhausted by this whole episode.

Now ends a truly frustrating episode in this series.  Until next time:

1. What other unexpected charms should Jung Hwan spring on the women tomorrow?  Playing ping pong on a unicycle?  Reciting the entire script of the movie Parasite from memory?  Breaking chopsticks with his butt?
   
   
2. How many years will Yoshi spend in therapy after this show? 
   
   
3. Would it be better if the women had to give the criticism face to face?  (Yes.  The answer is yes.)

See you next episode.

Episode 9:  Women, amirite?

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Shining SOLO, Episode 7: We have our villains.

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(Written September 4, 2024)

We have a LOT to cover today, so let’s get started.  First of all, I am happy to report that Wonho officially completed his military service and immediately went on a livestream to greet his fans.  Welcome back, Wonho!  You have been missed.  Seriously.  Wait until you get a load of this show.

Okay.  On with Episode 7.  When we last left our boys, we had what passes for a love triangle in K-pop world, between bandmates Yoshi and Jung Hwan and dancer Ji Soo.  I predict the show will wisely drop this storyline before the fans revolt and Ji Soo has to quit dancing and enter witness protection. 

Dinner is over, night has fallen, and everyone is gathered in the living room.  Before we can hear their conversation, classical music fills the house.  Wait, another mission?  I was expecting the midnight clock chime for voting.

Nope, the Stairway Mailbox mission tells us it’s time for the “Secret Open Chat.”  We know the drill.  Everyone grabs a question from the box.  Jeong Woo has the first question:  “What is your charm and your biggest weakness when appealing to other people?”

Everyone goes silent.  Jeong Woo is pushed to answer first, but he doesn’t want to speak.  Why is everyone suddenly so awkward?  They were doing great at dinner.  Finally, Doyoung speaks up, saying he’s a good listener, but when he talks, he tends to overshare.

Jeong Woo tries again.  He says his charm is singing, which is kind of what I expected all the guys to lead with.  They should all just say, “I’m an idol,” to the first part of the question.  Jeong Woo says that downside is that he struggles to speak in front of women.  I do find that kind of self-awareness charming.

Out of curiosity, I went on YouTube to find videos of Jeong Woo singing solo.  I found a cover of a ballad he recorded about a year ago called “Weight in Gold.”  And wow.  He’s an incredible singer.  I expected a deeper voice, but instead, he has a heavenly tenor voice.  I see what the viewer comments are raving about.

Jung Hwan says he also struggles to speak, but he enjoys having meals with people.  Yoshi says his charm is his eyes, and while I don’t think this was the kind of charm the question was referring to, he really is stunning.  He also says his downside is shyness.  He adds something sad but understandable.  He says sometimes he gets misunderstood by people he meets for the first time.  I believe him. 

Ha Yul reads the next question.  I like this one better.  “If you could have a superpower when dating, what would you want it to be?”

Jung Hwan says he’d want to teleport and take his date on trips all over the world.  Okay, that’s cool.  But again, I think the question wanted something deeper.  Hyun Suk says, “Mine might be silly, but watching Spider-man, I became jealous about how they could watch the night view from the top of the tower.”  He wants the ability to fly so he can take his date to the top of the Empire State Building. 

While I like his answer, I wonder what the women would say.  We didn’t get an answer from them on the first question.  Ji Soo does speak up on this one.  She wants the ability to read minds.  She says it would help with “reading the other person’s feelings when they’re mad and making them feel better.”

Oh God.  She’d use that power to manage a man’s emotions for him.  She’d take responsibility for his anger.  Min Ji agrees, saying, “Knowing what they’re upset about and acting in a way to make them feel better.”

I didn’t expect this from such a fun-sounding question.  Their answers actually made me incredibly sad, and I had to take a couple of minutes to shake it off before moving on.  

I was honestly about to skip the rest of the “Secret Open Chat,” but then came the next question, “What give you butterflies,” and I want to cover this because it involves Yoshi, and it’s incredibly sweet.

One of the girls reads that question, and Yoshi perks up immediately.  Everyone looks at him expectantly, and he’s suddenly embarrassed and doesn’t want to say it.  The others encourage him, so he whispers it to Jeong Woo first.  Upon his bandmate’s insistence, Yoshi starts again and then says it might be weird.  Jeong Woo insists it isn’t.  What could it possibly be?

Yoshi finally says it.  He gets butterflies when a woman does that thing of sliding her hair back behind one ear.

Yoshi is a sweet, romantic soul, and he must be protected at all costs.

The women love his answer.  The online viewers love his answer.  His bandmates teasingly start tucking their hair behind their ears.  Ignore them, Yoshi.  There is an innocence to his answer that I was not expecting from a K-pop idol, and I actually got a bit misty-eyed.  Feminism may be dead, but romance is not.

The others give good answers too, like when someone cares for them in small ways, helps out without being asked, wants to make sure they’ve eaten.  I like these answers.  Seung Ji says she used to fall for rational types, but now she’s more drawn to “those with rich emotions.”  Kudos to the Viki translation team for that one.

Suddenly, it’s the moment I’ve been waiting for.  The clock chimes midnight.  Time for the first round of voting!  Once again, we have four jewels and four voice recorders.  The women do their thing and then disappear from the house.

Downstairs, the guys make Doyoung go first because they think he’ll win “Mr. Treasure” tonight.  “No, they usually go last,” says Doyoung.  “The last one is the main character.”  Wow.  They paid close attention to Part 1.  He finally agrees to go first.

Doyoung opens his locker.  He has a jewel.  The girl even left it on the stand so it photographs better.  He’s surprised and happy.  A producer asks who he thinks gave it to him, and he guesses Ji Soo.  We the viewers see that it was indeed Ji Soo, our ballad-loving dancer.  Interesting that she didn’t give it to Yoshi or Jung Hwan after the conflict the show tried to set up before, but I’m over it.

Ji Soo tells us she chose Doyoung because of the way he helped her in the kitchen without being asked.  They were also partners in a group game we didn’t get to see.

Doyoung goes back downstairs and tries to look sad, but his bandmates aren’t falling for it.  He won’t tell them what he got, so Jeong Woo addresses one of the cameras to ask.  He says, “Hey camera, did Doyoung get a jewel?”  The camera moves up and down to nod, which is pretty funny.

Next up, Yoshi.  If he doesn’t get a jewel, I’m setting something on fire.  He opens his locker and gets … one jewel!  Yes!  Our sweet anime vampire idol gets a jewel!  He’s so happy, he clutches it to his heart and sprawls out on the floor.

He whispers his thanks, and viewers find out Ha Yul gave it to him.  She was his partner on the grocery shopping trip, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if any of the other women had given it to him.  He’s the ultimate charming introvert.

It’s Jeong Woo’s turn.  He opens his locker to find … 

… three voice recorders.  Oof.  Poor guy.  Let’s assess the damage.

Recorder 1:  It’s Seung Ji.  “He seems introverted, so I guess the vibe wasn’t comfortable for him.”  (Again, “introvert” does NOT equal “shy,” but proceed.) “When we spoke, it was hard to continue the conversation.  I want to speak with him in a more comfortable environment.  

Recorder 2:  It’s Min Ji.  “Today, the least charming guy was Park Jeong Woo.  The reason for this is that this is a place to show charm, right?  But to do that, you have to talk about who you are.  He was a bit shy at first, so it was hard to know what kind of person he is.  So I initiated the conversation and approached him.  And then he started joking around and speaking to me first.  Seeing that, I figured he had a lot of charms within him, but he hasn’t shown it yet, and that was a bit disappointing.”

Well.  There’s a LOT to unpack here, thanks to the lack of time limit on these recorders.

Min Ji called him the least charming because she had to approach him, but once she did, (she says) he was talkative and funny, but (again, she says) she still didn’t learn anything about him.  What was he talking about all that time that revealed nothing about him?  Was he just reading aloud the ingredients on the jars of kimchi?  Min Ji is all over the map with this, and I’m pretty irritated with her.  Something tells me she’ll be the So Won of Part 2.  Steer clear of her, Jeong Woo.

Recorder 3:  This one is Ha Yul.  “I wish he made the initiative to help out in certain situations, like cooking, or just do things together as a group.  I feel like he wasn’t really proactive, and that was a bit disappointing.”

Okay, but … he DID help with cooking.  He was pretty much Min Ji’s sous chef.  In fact, he and Min Ji worked together to spice up the kimchi stew.  Did these girls get Jeong Woo confused with someone else?

We should have been warned by Ha Yul’s dark-themed sketches.  She’s really not nice.  And I don’t like Min Ji, either.  If I were Jeong Woo, I’d focus on trying to sweep Ji Soo off her feet.  Let Min Ji spice up her own damn kimchi stew.

Jeong Woo tells us he feels a bit regretful about not initiating conversations, and I hate this.  Being charming does not mean having to start every conversation.  And he probably can’t defend himself by saying he did help with the cooking, or he’ll come off looking like a whiny jerk.  I am side-eyeing the hell out of Ha Yul and Min Ji. 

Jeong Woo comes downstairs and tells his bandmates the news.  He’s laughing it off, and they’re also laughing, so hopefully this means they’re not taking it too seriously.  There are two jewels left, and Jeong Woo just doesn’t want to be the only one who doesn’t get one.  I think he won’t be.  I predict Hyun Suk gets two.

Jung Hwan’s turn.  He opens his locker to find … one jewel.  Poor Jeong Woo will be the only one who doesn’t get one. 

Jung Hwan guesses the jewel came from Seung Ji, and we learn he’s right.  She likes how helpful and cooperative he was today.

Now for the fake-out.  He also got a voice recorder.  It can only be from Ji Soo.  “Today, I felt Jung Hwan was a bit disappointing.  When it was just the two of us, I wish he had led the conversation.  I think the conversation would have lasted longer that way, but it ended up being short.  And a lot of times, his answers were quite vague.”

Tomorrow, I want the guys to do nothing but initiate conversations.  I want them to lie around in the living room and not help with anything but just yap away about anything that enters their minds.  See how charming the girls find them then.

Last up is Hyun Suk, and we already know what our fearless Leader has in his locker.  He gets a jewel.  We already know it’s from Min Ji, probably because of their hip hop connection.  She tells us, “He had the best first impression today.  Just that was charming enough for me.”

She leaves Jeong Woo a confusing ramble on how he’s a loser, but Hyun Suk gets a “charming enough” award.  I do not like this woman.

Now we cut to the next day.  The boys are leaving the house and getting onto a big red bus.  They were given mission envelopes the night before with an address to report to the next morning, and that’s where the bus was waiting.  This is a really nice bus.  BTW, I’m loving Hyun Suk’s jacket and pendant.

The boys count the seats and figure they’re going to meet at least one new girl today.  At least they all get to go out today instead of leaving three guys stuck at home.  Sure enough, a new mystery woman approaches the bus.  She gets on and takes a seat next to Yoshi.  I didn’t recognize Yoshi at first because he’s in full adorkable mode.

The new girl is Lee Min Ye.  She graduated from Seoul National University, where she majored in Chinese.  She’s currently on break from law school.

The bus departs, and we don’t know where it’s going.  The boys talk about where the other girls must be, which I’m sure makes Min Ye, who’s sitting right there, feel just great.  But then Yoshi starts a conversation with her by asking her if she has a favorite food.  Atta boy, Yoshi!  She likes simple foods, like egg dishes.  Yoshi is responsive and friendly, way more outgoing than yesterday.

The bus pulls up, and the other four girls are waiting on the sidewalk.  They hop on and greet the new girl.  Min Ji grabs the seat next to Hyun Suk.  I’m watching you, Min Ji.

The bus drives on, and the girls are talking nonstop while the guys try to get words in edgewise to prove how charming they are.

The initial conversational frenzy dies down.  Min Ji and Hyun Suk are talking, and right next to them, Jeong Woo and Ji Soo sit in awkward silence.

Finally, Jeong Woo speaks up and asks if she stays at her house while filming the show.  She says she lives nearby and then asks how yesterday went for them after the girls left.  We know he doesn’t want to tell her he got three voice recorders, so he just says he had trouble yesterday because everything was awkward, and he hates awkwardness.

The bus finally comes to a stop, and they arrive at a site for glamping.  This is camping with all the luxuries of home.  This, for example, is one of the tents:

Here, the group is going to do another Field Day.  I’m surprised we have the same number of boys and girls this time.  We need one more girl, or the Mr. Treasure vote could end in a 5-way tie.

Everyone changes into sweatpants and shirts, and Hyun Suk even manages to sparkle up athleticwear.  It may just be some jewelry and a scarf, but fashion-wise, he understands that it matters.  As they gather on the field, the classical music starts playing.  The Stairway Mailbox is here!  

Hyun Suk reads the mission.  He announces a TREASURE hunt.   Everyone must find the hidden treasure boxes scattered around the glampsite.  What they find will determine who gets paired up for a one-on-one lunch.  Finally!  One-on-one dates!  Part 2 feels like the showrunners are trying to fix things that didn’t go well in Part 1.

Ten boxes are hidden.  Five green ones for the women, five pink ones for the men.  The boxes contain keywords.  Those who pick matching keywords will have lunch dates together.

Once the boxes are found and couples are paired up, we have:

Jeong Woo and Seung Ji.  She’s the one who left him a voice recorder message saying she wanted a chance to speak with him in a more comfortable environment.  Here’s her chance.

Doyoung and Ha Yul.  These two don’t have much of a connection yet.  His jewel was from Ji Soo.  She gave her jewel to Yoshi and left Jeong Woo a recording saying he didn’t help with the cooking when he totally did.

Yoshi and Min Ji.  I’m glad this separates her from Hyun Suk for a while.       

Hyun Suk and Ji Soo.  She gave Doyoung a jewel.  She also gave Jung Hwan a voice recorder saying he wasn’t charming because he wasn’t the one to start conversations.  I hope Hyun Suk talks her ear off.

Jung Hwan and our new girl, Min Ye.  She seems nice so far.  Let’s see how this pans out.

We have our five lunch dates.  We start with Jung Hwan and Min Ye.  The lunches look really good.  I love sushi.  Min Ye wants to take a picture, but they’re not allowed to have their phones on the show.

Jung Hwan says there’s something he’s a bit upset about.  “Why do I only have two sandwiches?”  (She has three in her bowl.)  They start laughing.  She tells him she really likes TREASURE’s new song “B.O.M.B.”  Oh – was THAT why we had an episode with that name?  I check online, and yes, the cryptic episode titles are just names of TREASURE songs.  That’s confusing if you’re not already a fan, but proceed.

These two are cute together.  He tries to get her to sing.  She refuses, so he proposes a game of rock paper scissors so she has to sing if she loses.  Again, she refuses.  A hornet is buzzing nearby, and she says if he catches it with the chopsticks, she’ll sing.  He leaps out of his seat, off to do battle.  She has to convince him she’s kidding.

Moving on to Doyoung and Ha Yul.  Right away, we have some viewers who like their drink choice, Bundaberg Blood Orange Sparkling Fruit Drink.  I’m amazed the label isn’t blurred.

Doyoung admits to feeling a bit awkward on one-on-one dates.  At least he’s talking.  They talk about the treasure hunt and how Ha Yul switched boxes a couple of times.  She’s direct, asking him for his first impression of her.  She was the first woman to enter the house.  He says, “You came in with a bright smile, saying hello.  Your hair was wavy.  You looked very young.  You had that bright and positive vibe.”

Ha Yul tells us in a confessional she likes that he remembered details about her.  She found it touching, and okay, did Bundaberg pay for promotion, because they’re still not blurring the labels.  I’m not used to seeing unblurred product labels on a Korean show  It’s stressing me out, because I’m pretty sure someone is going to get sued.

Now he switches it up and asks for her first impression of him.  She said he was wearing glasses, which she’s kinda into.  Is this a regular turn-on for women in Korea?  It might explain why so many idols do photo shoots with glasses on.  She adds that he had a church boy vibe.  He is kind of wholesome-looking.

She adds, “When you were cooking, your clumsiness showed a lot.”  Okay, so she noticed he was helping with the cooking.  That’s interesting.  She says that rather than the intellectual image, she felt more comfortable with his clumsy side.  That’s sweet.  Ha Yul might be okay.  I’m still side-eyeing her, but she’s not the biggest problem among the women.

Now we go to Jeong Woo and Seung Ji in their very nice tent.  Like the others, they start off awkward and nervous, especially since they’re aware of the cameras and production crew staring at them.  Social interaction is hard enough without that kind of pressure.

She says that he reminds her of someone, another singer.  She can’t remember the name.  He laughs and says he’s been compared to an Onix.  I look it up.  If he’s talking about the Pokemon character, yeah, I kinda see it.

Our chiseled Onix Jeong Woo then asks Seung Ji about her vote yesterday.  He had to have recognized her voice on the recorder.  He asks her who got her jewel.  Are those questions even allowed?  I know they can ask about the recorders because their voices aren’t disguised, but I thought the guys weren’t supposed to know about the jewels until the final night.

Seung Ji hesitates, probably wondering if the production team is going to intervene.  She asks, “Is it okay to talk about that?”  The editing team on this show is doing a STELLAR job.

Feeling bold, Jeong Woo says, “Why not?”  He tells her that yesterday, he received “a” recorder.  She pretends (poorly) to be surprised, and he laughs and says, “You’re pretending like you don’t know.”  She keeps trying to pretend she doesn’t know, and I wish the women on this show would just stop it.  Don’t leave criticism if you’re not willing to say it to his face.

“How many recorders do you think I got?” asks Jeong Woo.  (A reminder to our studio audience:  the answer is three.) 

“None, I guess,” Seung Ji says.

“You know I got at least one!” he challenges her.  She digs her heels in and still pretends not to know, and the gaslighting is actually working.  “Really?  Am I wrong?” he asks.

He tells her he got three voice recorders, and she is not going to win any reality survival show challenges for face acting.  I am so done with this.

Finally, she does cop to it.  She says she gave the recorder to him because out of the five, she wanted to give it to the one she wanted to talk more with.  Interesting save.  Let’s see how it works.

It does seem to work.  He’s flattered.  I bang my forehead on my desk a few times, and then we move on.

Time to check in on Yoshi and the loquacious Min Ji.  Yoshi starts the conversation.  He says, “Initially, I thought you were the coolest at first sight.  You seemed easygoing.”  

She’s pleased.  If I roll my eyes any harder, I’ll be looking at my brain.

She asks him what his Korean name is.  He’s a bit shy to say but eventually opens up.  His family name is Kim, from the Gyeongju Kim family, followed by “Bang” from the word for “escape,” and “Jeon” from the word “electric.”  So his Korean name is Kim Bang Jeon.  I’m missing a lot because it’s a cultural thing, but I appreciate the Viki translators for trying.

Min Ji says the name is cute and asks if she can call him Bang Jeon from now on.  Yoshi is reluctant, because “Bang Jeon” literally means “losing power.”  Before we can see how this gets resolved, the show realizes it’s running out of time and cuts to Hyun Suk and Ji Soo.

I’m not surprised that this date is going fine.  Hyun Suk has no trouble keeping a conversation going.  They talk about their families and how they both get along with their siblings.  If I were Hyun Suk’s sister, I’d also make sure to get along well with him so I could borrow his clothes.

He asks her about dancing.  She says something interesting.  She’s been doing Korean dance her whole life, and because she’s been walking this path for so long, she’s afraid to try something new.  At first, I think she means she’s afraid to try a different style of dance, but then she says, “So, if it’s not dance, I’m like, what should I do?”

Hyun Suk says he considers her a Master, which is a kind thing to say, and she changes the subject to his singing.  But I want to hear more from her about her fear of taking a new path.  Unfortunately, this is where the episode ends. 

Questions for discussion:

1. Did you assume there was a time limit on those voice recorders?  There should be, right?
   
   
2. Should the guys have attorneys to defend them against some of the accusations they’re getting on these recorders? 
   
   
3. Hey, wait.  Isn’t the new girl in law school?  (checking notes)  Yes, yes she is.  How can we get her to help with this?

Your answers are due next episode.  Class dismissed.

Episode 8:  Everything is terrible.

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