The Heirs

Chapter 10

The love triangle has another three-way run-in, but this time it’s in Tan’s front yard and Young-do isn’t exactly pleased to see that Eun-sang is chummy enough with Tan to be making house calls. He wonders what their relationship is, and jokes that it only leaves one possibility: “You’re siblings.” Shh, we’re in a drama! Don’t make jokes about things like that.

Tan quickly covers it up like they had a date after school, and apologizes to Eun-sang for having to reschedule. Before Young-do can get a word in edgewise, he shoos her out the way she came.

Young-do asks if his fiancée knows about his afternoon play dates, and Tan says without reservation that he’s dating Eun-sang and Rachel knows about it. It’s technically not true, but it sends Young-do seething. Well, more than usual.

To top it off, Tan tells him he’s headed somewhere to get his revenge, and then marches right into Young-do’s hotel to see his dad. It’s a little sad to see how Young-do suddenly becomes a tiny child in front of his scary father, and whispers at Tan not to tell on him.

Too late. Tan’s here to return his earlier asshattery tit for tat, and apologizes to Dad for fighting with Young-do. And hitting him. Twice.

Tan gets nothing but the royal treatment from Young-do’s dad, who declares that he’s grown up well. Tan saunters out of the office with this evil smirk on his face, knowing he’s untouchable while Young-do is about to get ripped a new one.

Sure enough, as soon as the door closes behind Tan, Dad slaps Young-do across the face (for being beaten up, mind you—he’s being hit for losing said fight, not for fighting) and unbuckles his belt. Augh, Young-do is evil but I don’t know if I can watch that.

But he’s saved by the bell when a phone rings… from the bathroom. He opens the door to find Dad’s mistress hiding inside. He turns around to go and asks Dad bitterly, “Were you like this when Mom was around? Or… is it that one of those women became my mother?”

As he trudges down the hallway with tears in his eyes, a flashback reveals the two boys in junior high, having sneaked into a hotel room to play video games. They hide in the closet when they hear someone coming, and end up witnessing Dad’s philandering ways.

Tan is still there and he gets into the elevator with Young-do. He declares that family is off-limits now, because they both know what the backlash is—they’ve felt it before. If you’re so concerned and know how much it might hurt both of you, how’s about we just knock it off and hug it out? Too easy? Too rational?.

Young-do sighs that if family is off-limits, that only leaves one thing to fight over: Eun-sang. God, it’s going to get worse than before? How is that even possible? Tan warns him not to go near her, which of course makes Young-do want to win even more.

Rachel’s mom comes by to see Young-do while he’s on hotel dishwashing duty, and she tries to fawn over his bruised face like a mom, but gets squarely rejected. She happens to cross paths with her fiancé’s mistress in the lobby, and the first thing she does is call Chang-young’s dad for an ego boost.

At home, Madam Han is sick with worry that Tan still isn’t home, and Mom sweetly massages her hands to make her feel better. Tan comes home and she asks why he’d out her to Young-do when he knows their whole cover could be blown.

Tan asks why they have to hide at all, and when he sees how panicked his mom is at being found out, he sighs and apologizes for everything. She runs off in tears.

He gives Eun-sang the all-clear to come home, which you technically could’ve done when you left with Young-do, but whatever. He waits in the service entry for her to come home and pulls her into the wine cellar, insisting that they have to match their stories about today’s run-in.