5 Ruminations On Greed And Cash In Episodes 3-4 Of “Once more My Life”

“Once more My Life” returns with one other fast-paced pair of episodes as Hee Woo’s (Lee Joon Gi’s) return to life goes higher than he imagined. He’s immediately entrance and middle in instances that he solely noticed from afar, and he skillfully navigates a minefield of latest mates and enemies whereas managing to excel in just about all the pieces. And whereas some issues change, others keep the identical. Greed and cash are the secret in 2008 with crashing monetary markets, mergers aplenty, and an period the place corrupt politicians referenced second-generation idols in an try to appear related (even when that Tremendous Junior reference made me wish to cry. Oh the nice previous days!). As Korea rises as an financial energy and the dangerous guys step up their ways, Hee Woo is left to marvel simply how low he’ll need to sink to catch a monster.

Warning: spoilers for episodes 3-4 beneath.

1. “What occurs while you’re grasping? You lose your self.”

It’s all the time a delight to see Lee Quickly Jae on display screen. (Anybody bear in mind “Flower Grandpa Investigation Unit”?) He will get an impactful function as Woo Yong Soo, an actual property speculator who buys up properties at public sale. Hee Woo’s curiosity is piqued upon looking for to save lots of the residence of his classmate and examine companion Kim Gyu Ri (Hong Bi Ra) from being auctioned off. Upon noting that Yong Soo bids on very particular properties, he briefs the older man and requests to be taught from him. However Yong Soo begins with a warning: that the acquisition of land purely to take a seat on it and look forward to earnings to extend is nothing however greed. That greed may result in Hee Woo dropping himself.

Hee Woo is all too properly conscious of the pitfalls of this path however commits himself to making an attempt to be the exception to the rule. Yong Soo checks this resolve by asking Hee Woo to ship an eviction discover to impoverished tenants whose properties he’s purchased up. Hee Woo is visibly moved by their plight however manages to seek out workarounds every time a lot to Yong Soo’s secret pleasure. Seeing somebody value mentoring in Hee Woo, he helps him save Gyu Ri’s residence and turns into a beneficial companion, one thing that proves useful for him as properly as a result of Jo Tae Seob (Lee Kyung Younger) has his soiled paws in all the pieces and was this near crushing Yong Soo.

2. “You may’t maintain energy in case you don’t know the circulate of cash”

As that is set in the course of the 2008 monetary recession, Jo Tae Seob makes the astute remark that politicians, regardless of being simply corrupted by cash, have to have a elementary understanding of the way it works. They want to have the ability to visualize the longer term and place financial bets on the successful events. That is much like what Yong Soo tells Hee Woo about how actual property hypothesis works, however Tae Seob units a special purpose submit. Cash, for him, is tied to energy. The loss of life of his son within the automobile crash that ought to have killed Hee Woo’s mother and father has left him with nothing to reside for however the maniacal pursuit of turning into omnipotent. However, money-making is all Yong Soo is aware of how one can do. He has little interest in the ability bit. Thus, it’s all of the extra chilling when Tae Seob orders his males to go after Yong Soo and cut back him to nothing however the garments on his again, purely as a result of he needs the previous man’s properties. It isn’t even private; it’s all in a day’s work. One can solely marvel simply what number of such offers he makes in a day and what number of lives he ruins with a wave of his arms. Within the unique timeline, Yong Soo loses all the pieces and is discovered useless in a river, and it’s unclear whether or not it’s homicide or suicide. However Hee Woo’s not about to let that occur.

Hee Woo hears in regards to the plot from Jang Il Hyun (Kim Hyung Muk), who, with Choi Kang Jin (Kim Jin Woo), has inducted him right into a “secret regulation membership” on the college (aka an all-boys membership the place everybody scratches one another’s backs). Hee Woo encourages Yong Soo to promote all his properties in a single go to an entire bunch of householders. It’s a testomony to Yong Soo’s character that he does so with out argument or remorse. It was simply cash to him; one thing he may do, not one thing he hungered after. A mildly irritated Tae Seob is left to cope with a bunch of latest property homeowners as an alternative of Yong Soo as a sole goal. 1-0 for Hee Woo.

3. “Cash can do its job when the appropriate man has it.”

Tae Seob could also be proper in that energy is linked to cash and dropping one is similar as dropping each. Nevertheless, there may be one other subtler take. Whereas sharing a drink with Hee Woo as they overlook a neighborhood that each know will flip into high-rises sometime, Yong Soo tells him that cash has a job to do. And it’s a job that may solely be accomplished if cash falls into the appropriate arms. If not, it’ll serve the identical corrupt masters with the identical corrupt objectives time and again. With that, he entrusts Hee Woo with the cash from the sale of his properties, telling him to do good with it and never lose his soul in pursuit of his purpose. A grateful Hee Woo swears to just do that. But, can he actually?

4. “You may’t catch the satan except you turn out to be an excellent worse monster.”

If Yong Soo’s recommendation is to amass wealth by way of the least ugly approach attainable and use it to do good, grim reaper Han Ji Hyun’s (Cha Joo Younger’s) recommendation is to combat corruption with corruption. Hee Woo has skated by on skinny ice this entire time with out having to compromise his morals in any actual sense. Tenants to evict? He’ll discover methods round their issues by serving to one discover a new residence and serving to the opposite file for chapter as she needs. Becoming a member of a secret membership of minor villains? He’ll feed them info that they’ll use to win instances and turn out to be in debt to him. Taking out minor gamers in Jo Tae Seob’s circle with minor gamers in Hee Woo’s circle? It’s no biggie to Hee Woo.

However Hee Woo hasn’t needed to really make any huge selections but. He’s been terribly fortunate, however simply how far is that luck going to run? We additionally nonetheless don’t know what occurred when Hee Woo’s dad left for the police station to function a witness. Judging by how rapidly afterwards they opened a hen restaurant on this week’s episodes, cash might need modified arms. And what if it’s a mortgage? Tae Seob may have his mother and father within the palm of his hand with out Hee Woo even figuring out.

Plus, Han Ji Hyun is alive on this period and is a detailed aide of Tae Seob regardless of working towards him underneath the codename Pluto. Simply how a lot does she know? Why work for him when she hates him? And why didn’t she react when Hee Woo stated he’ll maintain his promise? We’re coming into a interval of his life with extra unknowns than ever. And she or he isn’t the one enigma.

5. “However he stated he didn’t want cash. He informed me that he may very well be the richest man on the earth if he needed to.”

Lee Min Soo (Jung Sang Hoon) is an enormous query mark. Hee Woo helps one among Min Soo’s mates invent an app that’s clearly meant to be KakaoTalk (now ubiquitous in Korea). In his earlier life, one of many nation’s largest conglomerates stole the scholar’s supply code and minimize him out of his personal creation. This time, Hee Woo ensures that the person who does so is caught earlier than he can make billions off of the concept. Min Soo’s good friend confides to Hee Woo that it is definitely Min Soo who got here up with the concept for the app and refused cash or credit score for it, saying that he may very well be the richest man on the earth if he so selected. Hee Woo takes this as an indication of Min Soo’s hidden genius, however what if it’s one thing extra?

There’s been one thing unusual about Min Soo from his use of 2021 slang in 2008 to his capability to get into any skilled college he chooses and to the way in which he retains hanging round Hee Woo. Creating an app that’s this common requires foresight past which anybody may have seen on the time, which begs the query: may Min Soo even be from the longer term?

Subsequent week reveals us arrowing into the 2010s as Hee Woo speeds by way of regulation college. As his present life not resembles his earlier one, it’s extra vital than ever that he treads fastidiously. He appears to have an uncanny capability to recollect each case he sees on the information, however the nearer he will get to the enemy, the extra harmful every step turns into.

Kim Ji Eun continues to be a straightforward watch as Kim Hee Ah, but one thing feels lacking. She’ll possible be Hee Woo’s best ally, what together with her standing because the daughter of Tae Seob’s closest companion conglomerate. And but it looks like she hasn’t accomplished a lot whereas Hee Woo runs round nonstop. Right here’s hoping her function is best fleshed out as a result of the ladies on this present need to shine extra! Particularly Kim Han Mi (Kim Jae Kyung)!

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Shalini_A is a very long time Asian-drama addict. When not watching dramas, she works as a lawyer, fangirls over Ji Sung, and makes an attempt to complete up the best fantasy romance of all time. Comply with her on Twitter and Instagram, and be happy to ask her something!

Presently Watching:  “Grid,” “Navy Prosecutor Doberman,” “Loopy Love,” “Once more My Life,” and “Sh**ting Stars.”
Trying Ahead to: “Adamas,” “Why Her?,” “Hyperlink,” “Island,” “Insider,” “Tomorrow,” “Little Ladies,” “The Sound of Magic,” “Huge Mouth,” “Chaebol’s Youngest Son,” “Carter,” “Queen of the Scene,” and “Black Knight.”

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