Fifties Professionals: Episodes 7-8
by lovepark
Our heroes are divided into two groups, but their objective is the same: stop the bad guy’s drug deal. Though they work separately, their paths continue to cross, and a collision between the two seems inevitable. However, with so many secrets on both sides, it becomes a breeding ground for misunderstandings as neither group knows of the other’s presence nor the full scope of the villain’s plan.
EPISODES 7-8
The temporary alliance between our agent and gangster goes surprisingly well for two people who used to be at each other’s throats. Granted, they still bicker, and Ho-myung’s idea of “saving” Bum-ryong is kicking him out of harm’s way during a fight. However, after spending ten years on the island, they share an unspoken understanding that stems from their mutual identity crises and the indubitable passing of time. While it might have been hard to admit at first, both Ho-myung and Bum-ryong have gotten older and need help.
As we get to know these characters better, the show shares a nugget of Ho-myung lore through two flashbacks. The first begins twelve years ago. Ho-myung was sent to eliminate a traitor, but instead of a clandestine meeting, he encountered an old teammate preparing a meal for his daughter. The other agent warned Ho-myung that Kyung-wook was framing him, but before he could explain, Kyung-wook shot him in the head. That was the day Ho-myung asked to be removed from the field but was denied.
Flashing forward five years, we catch up to Ho-myung undercover at the restaurant and waffling between his professional and personal lives. As an agent, the right thing to do was move on, but as a person, Ho-myung wanted to stay. Then Oh-ran told him about her pregnancy, and our agent’s decision was made. For the first time in their three year relationship, he opened up about his past and told Oh-ran that he never envisioned a family in his future until this moment with her.
While I agree with Ho-myung’s father-in-law that the couple should talk instead of waiting for the perfect moment to tell the truth, I also understand why Ho-myung is so hesitant. He watched another agent die because he loved his family, and Ho-myung probably thinks he cannot protect all of them while fighting against Kyung-wook. Alas, it seems he has not considered the other option where he dies and leaves his family in the dark forever like that poor little girl in the flashback, so hopefully, the truth comes to light before any major regrets happen.
As the date for the drug deal approaches, Prosecutor Kang’s police connection bails on the upcoming raid because of another case. Despite this setback, our prosecutor volunteers to go by herself to gather evidence, but a few of the members, including Jae-soon, say that it is too dangerous and tag along. When they arrive at the port, Prosecutor Kang moves on ahead in order to keep a low profile, but Jae-soon chases after her since she has not fully recovered from her injuries.
While Prosecutor Kang and Jae-soon watch from the sidelines, In-gu retrieves his container of drugs with a gleeful expression, unaware that the crane operator is Sung-won. Having expected interference, though, In-gu calls for Plan B, but his gang of high school students have been dealt with by Gong-bok. In fact, the entire location has been compromised thanks to our temporary alliance, and two Masked Racers, a.k.a. Ho-myung and Bum-ryong, appear from above to mete out justice. However, the big finale Ho-myung prepared does not go off no matter how hard he presses the button, so instead, our Masked Racers jump down into the fray and deal with the gangsters the old fashioned way.
Mid-fight, the explosion finally goes off, spreading the drugs out into the night air like snow, and In-gu basically loses his mind as he tries to collect his precious drugs. As the gangsters get tossed and beaten, their leader finally comes to his senses and brings out his trump card: Nam-il. After hearing about a high-paying gig from a friend, Nam-il accidentally ended up in In-gu’s clutches, and assuming one of his assailants is the Martial Arts Master (i.e., Jae-soon), In-gu uses the boy as a hostage.
After seeing his nephew in danger, Jae-soon begs Prosecutor Kang to whack him on the head with a metal pole. At his insistence, she complies, and Jae-soon crumples to the floor like a rag doll. While Prosecutor Kang freaks out and calls for backup, Jae-soon disappears, and moments later, pops up behind In-gu and kicks him in the face. Immediately, Ho-myung recognizes Jae-soon as Bulgae, but our unconscious fighter can only maintain this state for a few minutes before passing out. While Ho-myung covers for the fallen man, Prosecutor Kang arrives with the crew, and Nam-il drags his uncle to the van and escapes. Soon after, Sung-won and Gong-bok drive up with their getaway car, and the gangsters are left behind with their immobilized vehicles thanks to a little finagling by our part-timer.
While the mission was a success for the temporary alliance, their meddling has thrown a wrench in Prosecutor Kang’s plans. She needs some way to find out In-gu’s next move, which is where their prisoner, Sergeant Kim, comes to play. They recruit him as a double agent, and Officer Park agrees to watch over him. Unfortunately for our resistance team, Officer Park’s face is somewhat compromised since Ho-myung saw her at the port driving the van. Thus, when he takes Gong-bok to spy on the officer, their suspicions are confirmed as they watch her working with the corrupt cop.
In order to spare Bum-ryong’s feelings, the others keep him in the dark about Officer Park, but our gangster has bigger worries on his mind. His boss wants an update about the Prosecutor Kang situation, and Bum-ryong lies that everything is going smoothly. When his boss tells him that he is the only person he trusts, the guilt eats away at Bum-ryong, but in truth, their whole conversation was a test. Someone has already informed his boss about his partnership with Ho-myung, and from his perspective, it looks like another betrayal.
With his drugs gone and vaults empty, In-gu is in hot water, and it only gets worse when Chairman Do tattles everything to Kyung-wook. Dropping to knees, In-gu pleads for another chance, but our big bad does not tolerate failure. Losing his life’s work to Chairman Do, In-gu realizes that he fell into the wily businessman’s trap and decides to get revenge. However, as he stands in the hotel room to attack the chairman, his men turn their backs on him, and Kang-shik declares himself the new boss. While In-gu manages to escape — proving why he was their leader for a decade — without money or connections, he is basically trapped on the island with a bounty on his head.
Meanwhile, Jae-soon tries to recover his memories, and Prosecutor Kang offers to help. After observing him for a while, she suspects he might be connected to the case, but her constant watching and stalking raises suspicions in the wrong direction. Mr. Park and Nam-il assume the prosecutor is interested in Jae-soon romantically, so when she asks him for a private chat, they dress him up for a date. However, what Prosecutor Kang tells him is something else entirely: she thinks he is a North Korean spy. The date of his accident matches the day of the ferry incident, and more importantly, the woman’s suit he owns looks like the one caught on the security footage. In other words, the supposed woman everyone was looking for was actually Jae-soon in disguise.
As our meek amnesiac realizes that he is truly alone in this world, he refuses to accept the truth and wishes to continue living as Bong Jae-soon. Prosecutor Kang follows him out of the cafe, hoping to reason with him, but down the street, In-gu sits in his car and notices them. In a fit of rage, he drives towards them, blaming them for ruining his life, and Jae-soon sees the speeding car in time to push Prosecutor Kang out of the way before getting hit.
Elsewhere, Ho-myung continues spying on Officer Park when Bum-ryong finds them and kicks Gong-bok out. He heard about their secret investigation from Sung-won and tells the agent to stop acting so considerate. As they team up again, Officer Park leaves for a “patrol” with Sergeant Kim which is actually a call from Kang-shik to act as a lookout. Once they park, Ho-myung scouts out the area alone since Officer Park knows Bum-ryong’s face, but his plans to lay low go out the window when he sees who the victim is.
In order to win the mayoral election, Kyung-wook had Chairman Do fabricate blackmail by threatening one of the orphanage employees to sell off secretly donated paintings. At first, Candidate Kim refused to cower to Kyung-wook’s underhanded methods, but while he could sacrifice his own good name, he could not lead his wife down the same path. Thus, he withdrew from the race, but his wife felt bad for not heeding his warning and wanted to convince the employee to confess. However, she is not alone during the visit since Oh-ran volunteered to accompany her, and the moment Ho-myung sees his wife in danger, he jumps into action without a second thought.
Though I already mentioned this last week, I really think the show should have a faster pace. I couldn’t help but wonder what the story would be like if this was actually the halfway mark because now we only have four episodes left to deal with the fallout of their secret identities being revealed and the subsequent coming together to take down the villains. That being said, I still like the show and its characters. The different dynamics are fun, and despite the simple plot, the story is engaging. I also really appreciate how the women are age-appropriate (even Officer Park isn’t super young; she’s just younger and way more conventionally attractive than Bum-ryong), and they all have a role in the story outside of their relationship status. It may be a small thing of note, but one that is surprisingly rare in this genre with male leads. For that alone, I’ll happily watch to the end and see how the writer wraps everything up.
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