Undercover 언더커버 [2021]

[abs-oluteM]

Eps 5

Flashback scene of Jung Hyun and the female NIS agent. Sadly she got addicted to drugs as she went undercover - quite common for a lot of undercover agents. She likes him but he turned down her advances. Seems like she left the Company too , and seems out of sorts - but she knows more than JH - she is certain that Min Ho's death is the doing of the Company. She doesn't trust JH and is hiding from him. Doesn't seem like she knows that JH left the agency. 

 

When Yeon Soo went to the train station to look at the CCTV - an alarm went off which distracted the security guy. Later the video was deleted so she did not get to see it. Do Young Gul had intervened but he sent the video to Jung Hyun to arm twist him to surrender the envelope with the info that Min Ho had gathered. Later on we see that DYG hands the envelope to NIS boss Im . Im rewards him with money. These folks are dirty  - all the more I can see why he won't want Yeon Soo as the CIO chief - she is not someone they can control.

 

YS's hearing for her nomination draws close. She starts to build her team - both her current staff will join her and she also recruited the young cop. She wanted to recruit NIS agent Chu Dong Woo too - he was a former prosecutor. He was reluctant. But something strange happened - Im's side through the assemblyman Yoo Sang Dong wanted to recruit him to work for them. Not sure if it was because he realised he would be used but he went back the next day to YS and accepted her offer. Now I am left wondering if he is being the spy for Im and gang.

The hearing was brutal and it was telecast live. They grilled her on everything - from why her autistic son could run a business when he skipped military to why her husband does not pay taxes ( he did not work as he raised the kids so that she could pursue her career) . She handled them well . Some of the questions will make your blood boil and her answers made me tear up because it was clear that she and Jung Hyun were a team in every way , and my heart will break when she finds out about his identity.

Then it came to Yoo Sang Dong's turn - he had some dirt on her so to speak. She had defended a north korean girl who turned out to be a spy. However YS defended herself - she said the girl was not. They also brought up the case of her having met Kim Tae Yol ( her friend during her activist days) and they say how can she have met a leftist without reporting it in. They are clearly trying very hard to make sure she does not get the position.

 

Meanwhile Jung Hyun asked his former boss to set up a meeting with Do young Gul. Jung Hyun wanted to find out who DYG passed the envelope to. He managed to "steal" DYG's car keys to go check his navigation system. The episode ended with DYG realising what JH had done , and he ran to his car with JH still inside it looking for clues.

[abs-oluteM]

I also watch eps 6 late last night...no energy to recap. Will post more later.

BTS

 

Preview eps 7

 

[abs-oluteM]

OST 1

 

OST 2

 

[abs-oluteM]

Eps 5 still cuts

 

[SnowBlob]

Finally managed to finish ep 5 and 6 just now~ 

 

Just glad that finally YS got to be appointed as the CIO's director after a few (fortunately) failed attempts to obstruct it. The team is looking great .. I especially like the ex-prosecutor and the ex-policeman. I think we can sort of deduce that the ex-prosecutor is in it because he's told to do so by the prosecutor high ups. Right? But looking at his character so far, I'm pretty sure he'll turn to trust YS and betray the prosecutor team in the end. 

 

I must say I didn't see the end of ep 6 coming

Spoiler

DYG is the head of the security team in CIO?!?!?!? 

I thought as HJH must have thought..he's there to harm YS aka to kill her. But turned out that he is there to work for her (I bet he's told by the evil men to do so judging from how his face was so sour all the way to his new workplace). 

 

I actually teared up when Seung Goo confronted his dad in the police station and in the car. HJH's face said it all. I think he must have felt guilty having to lie to his family. He's in a tight spot. He lies so he can protect his family but it could very well harm them too (Seung Goo could be met with an accident if he's not careful!). And aww..when Seung Goo said he didn't want to be the boss anymore because since he became the boss, his dad was no longer with him all the time as he's used to T_T

 

I really really hope that HJH real identity can be revealed by the end of first half of this drama ... and I'm hoping that he can somehow work together with the CIO team to reveal the corruption inside NIS. Oh and yup..I actually hope that DYG will turn to support YS too  (too far fetched do you think??)

 

From the trailer for next eps

Why oh why Jung In Gi has to play another bad character  I was so happy until I saw the trailer.. finally this ahjussi got to play someone who was upright and nice (he's the Secretary General Kim Myung Jae). I loved it how he looked so tame and need not to be scary to assert his authority when he talked to the crazy Im Hyung Rak. I would attribute this to Jung In Gi ahjussi's great acting! 

 

Thank you @abs-oluteM for updating us with pics, videos and even recaps! I wonder whether @ktcjdrama and @40somethingahjumma are still watching this?  @oppasaranghaeyo waiting to read your thoughts on these recent eps and @LaLa so far for me it's still ok (in terms of heaviness) :D 

 

 

[abs-oluteM]

@SnowBlob was the Kim Ah Soon lady really a North Korean spy? I was confused with that part. She wasn't right? She was probably forced to to the TV programme where she dissed South Korea. 

You know from last night's cuts which I skimmed through , it just seems like he will not expose his identity but continue to secretly help or protect her. But this will be bad in the long run right? I wonder in the original BBC version if the ML's identity was ever revealed.

Stills

Actually there is a pre-released on Naver that shows a flashback to how he saved her in one of the protests. The NIS had come down hard and started beating up all the students / activists. He fought off Do Young Geul to protect her  - all the more the latter hates him so much and calls him a traitor 

https://tv.naver.com/v/20224488

[SnowBlob]

@abs-oluteM yes you are right..Kim A Soon isnt a NK spy. She went back to NK to get her mum to come to SK for operation. But she got captured by the NK and hence she did the tv show. But now that you asked... I'm not sure whether it was forced out of her or what? If not..why the need to do the TV show? If yes..why the need to do the TV show..they could just kill her straight away for being found to deflect to SK??

I agree..the longer he hides his identity...the greater the hurt YS will be feeling.. Although i'm pretty sure they ll work it out in the end, i just dont know how much anguish they ll put us through to get to the stage where the family is all united again....sighhhhh

 

Anyone has seen the original version till the end?

[ktcjdrama]

20 minutes ago, SnowBlob said:

I wonder whether @ktcjdrama and @40somethingahjumma are still watching this? 

I still intend to watch, but am very behind with this drama. Hopefully will catch up before next week’s episodes. 

[oppasaranghaeyo]

18 hours ago, SnowBlob said:

@oppasaranghaeyo waiting to read your thoughts on these recent eps

Quick reply: I'm catching up and will be back to share some thoughts, and catch up with you all in this thread as well. 

Edited May 16, 2021 by oppasaranghaeyo

[40somethingahjumma]

@SnowBlobI'm hoping to catch up once the C drama that I'm watching  finishes next week. Too many interesting dramas. And the weekend... it's the worst!

 

 

[LaLa]

22 hours ago, SnowBlob said:

@LaLa so far for me it's still ok (in terms of heaviness) :D

 

It felt a little bit heavy for me so I haven't continue watching after the hearing for the director position on ep 5. I'm still interested to see about how they will reveal Jung Hyun identity to the world so I think I'll continue watching. 

[SnowBlob]

Contain SPOILER throughout

 

So the CIO team hit the ground running as on their first day working they already got a 'tip' that Kim Myung Jae 

Spoiler

Received a bribe

I felt frustrated watching these eps as the CIO got played into the evil man's plan. And the ending of Kim Myung Jae's case was... 

 

Lol..hasnt Yeon Soo met Do Young Gol before when he asked her about his 'divorce' case? Did she not remember him? 

 

One good thing was that the ex prosecutor Choo now decided he wants to side with CIO instead of the chief prosecutor. 

 

Overall..these 2 eps were so-so for me..

[abs-oluteM]

@SnowBlob I just finished both subbed episodes. I get what SY is going for with regards to not having prosecuted Chief Sec Kim at first & clearing him of the suspicion  - I know she is going after the bigger fish which was to find out who leaked the videos. I agree with what she did because the last thing she would want is for her & the CIO to be "used" by someone else. Unfortunately , unknown to her she has spies planted in her camp. This is a power grab of sorts between the Prosecution office , NIS and the CIO. Of course for the NIS - Chief Im wants to make sure the Budget Transparency Act can never be passed . The NIS has a sky high allocation of the government budget and we can see from his secret safe what he has been doing with it. The Prosecution office wants to remain the most powerful law agency in SK . It is such an uphill task for the CIO . SY may have lost the battle for now but she I don't think has lost the war - Choo like you said is has now chosen which master he wants to serve.

What worries more is all this undercover things that Jung Hyun is doing. I feared for him when he had to escape & he stood on the ledge while trying to expose the spy camera. He is still very much an agent at heart - his investigative skills and hunches have not left him. And he obviously has to protect SY. But it is also exposing his true identity & potentially endangering his family. The ending of eps 8 shows what a conflicted situation he is in. In some ways , whatever choices he made 20 years ago to walk away from the NIS using a different identity , and to hide who he actually was from SY is definitely coming to haunt him. And it looks like from preview he would be framed for murder

 

-------- 

New stills ....looks like she'd misunderstand him...

https://sports.donga.com/article/all/20210521/107051721/1

 

Spoiler

Meanwhile, the two are surrounded by a whirl of lies and doubts. The secret meeting in the middle of the night between Han Jeong-hyun and Go Yun-ju in the published photo is interesting. Go Yun-ju gently touches Han Jung-hyun's face. As if you can reach it anytime soon, the sense of closeness creates a strange atmosphere. The continuous embrace of the two people amplifies the curiosity. The complex faces of Go Yoon-ju, who shed tears while hugging Han Jeong-hyun, and Han Jeong-hyun, entangled with embarrassment and regret, arouse doubts. Above all, Choi Yeon-soo's stiff face looking at it is also captured, raising the sense of tension. Choi Yeon-soo, who witnessed the hug of a strange woman with Han Jeong-hyun, the reassuring'my side' who loved and believed more than anyone else. Feelings more than shock sway in the shaking eyes, foreshadowing an unpredictable change. Amidst the precarious fissures of digging into a solid belief, attention is focused on what kind of cataclysmic moment Han Jeong-hyun and Choi Yeon-soo face.
 

n episode 9, aired on the 21st, Han Jeong-hyun's dangerous move, who was framed for murder, is depicted. The suspicion of the family who sensed his change also deepens, and confusion intensifies.
The crew of'Undercover' said, “From the second act, the crack between Han Jeong-hyeon and Choi Yeon-soo begins in earnest. Choi Yeon-soo, who faces the dangerous truth of Han Jung-hyun, please watch the mixed fate and what kind of consequences their choices will bring.”

 

[abs-oluteM]

Urgggghhhh I knew this agent would be a problem. She liked him then in the past & looks like she still does. And oh my did SY's world just crumble in that minute. 

Preview

 

[abs-oluteM]

Personally enjoy all the flashback scenes as I love YWJ ...ahahaha...but here the reporter friend seems suspicious of him even from then

Despite seeing the hug , she just decided not to get jealous, forgave him here

But the preview next week ! She finds out he is not who he is....

 

[SnowBlob]

@abs-oluteM wow..so even in this type of drama we're still getting the love triangle stuff  when first we were introduced to Yoon Ju i thought triangle might happen...but later on i thought not anymore coz it seemed it's resolved now somehow. But apparently not ?!?! 

 

 

[ktcjdrama]

On 5/15/2021 at 8:07 PM, ktcjdrama said:

I still intend to watch, but am very behind with this drama. Hopefully will catch up before next week’s episodes. 

I must admit I am not that motivated to continue watching. Somehow it is not engaging enough... Not sure what is not meeting my expectations...

[SnowBlob]

@ktcjdrama bye bye ktcjdrama  hahahahahahah.... I hope this drama will stay interesting for me until the end. Come back whenever you decide to change ur mind 

[SnowBlob]

Glad that the love triangle thing wasn't expanded on too much on ep 9 and 10. 

However, Jung Hyun now lied more and more to his family. I'm hoping that by the end of next week, who he truly is can be revealed already. The trailer for next ep looks like it's showing the beginning of ep1 where Yeon Soo confronted Jung Hyun and asked him "Who are you?". I think it's just about time that everything comes out into the open. 

 

Ep 9 and 10 also showed us how Yeon Soo, to certain extent, doesn't really know much about JH's past. Did she never wonder about his friends?? I mean sure about his family since he told her that he grew in the orphanage. But friends? He must have had friends though... back in the orphanage, when he's at school, when he's at uni, at work before he got married etc... At times I feel that she's way too busy with her work that she's not aware of the situation in her family. Well..which if the situation is reversed (JH were the one working and not aware of what's going on in the family), we would probably perceive that as 'normal'. 

 

At this stage (with only knowing what things have been shown to us), I kinda agree with the ex-leader of JH's NIS team. A lot of things happened because he chose to love YS. From what I gathered in these two eps, it did seem that JH was unwilling to catch KTY because what it might do to his relationship to YS. Now viewers might 'forgive' him because YS was the 'good' guy and the NIS so far has proven to be quite corrupt, but think about it if NIS were actually doing something good for the country and YS were the bad guy... him choosing love over duty would be really unacceptable. So honestly, that was something I didn't really agree with JH. Things surely would be different if he chose to cleanly finish his duty and cut off his relationship with NIS and only then gave the relationship with YS a shot ... all these painful lies would not need to happen. 

 

 

 

And it's so cruel in a way that he had to lie about his father being an abusive father... 

 

We past half-way already, folks! 6 more eps to go~

[abs-oluteM]

@SnowBlob I just caught ep 9 - Jung Hyun had a lot of close calls of being exposed and playing into the hands of the NIS baddies. But I don't think he has a choice because at the end of the day the pandora box was opened when SY decided to take on being the head of the CIO. He isn't their ultimate target - she is. But clearly a lot of what has happened in the past is catching up with him. 

What is clear here is that the NIS do not want him to be revealed as Lee Suk Kyu - his original identity since it will open a big can of worms linked to the Widow Curse Project. 
Now I wonder when SY finds out , what will happen with the kids? Will they tell them the truth? Especially the son , how will he grasp this?.

-------------

New stills - this is gonna be angsty! 

https://sports.donga.com/article/all/20210527/107135437/1

MV using OST 3 & 4 released by JTBC

 

 

[SnowBlob]

@abs-oluteM seeing how the drama has been potraying the family as a tight-knit family (except JH's lies).. I think sooner or later they will tell their kids the truth right? Otherwise both parents have to live a life continuing the lie (instead of just one). But perhaps they wont tell the kids straight away... 

Ohh.. I'm guessing Seung Goo will be hit the hardest and I'm looking forward to how the drama shows how SG responds and adapts to this revelation.

[abs-oluteM]

On 5/26/2021 at 12:34 PM, SnowBlob said:

Ep 9 and 10 also showed us how Yeon Soo, to certain extent, doesn't really know much about JH's past. Did she never wonder about his friends?? I mean sure about his family since he told her that he grew in the orphanage. But friends? He must have had friends though... back in the orphanage, when he's at school, when he's at uni, at work before he got married etc... At times I feel that she's way too busy with her work that she's not aware of the situation in her family. Well..which if the situation is reversed (JH were the one working and not aware of what's going on in the family), we would probably perceive that as 'normal'. 

Exactly. I am watching the 1st few minutes of eps 10 , and the way he told his "story" about his life - lying clearly without blinking an eye made me uncomfortable. Not because I don't like JH or have any doubts over the good person that he is. But in this flashback,  he clearly deceived her. The reporter friend actually warned YS  that she doesn't buy his orphanage and factory worker story , but SY just overlooked it. YS was in love , so I think her guard is down. And in later years, life revolved supporting her career and the ideals that she held. Life got busy too as the children came along , and hence she never paused to think about how little she really knew about JH

 

Did you also notice that Seung Moo had some development in his EQ? He decided to protect his father by not telling mum the old man at the home died 2 months ago . That was surprising.

[SnowBlob]

46 minutes ago, abs-oluteM said:

 

Did you also notice that Seung Moo had some development in his EQ? He decided to protect his father by not telling mum the old man at the home died 2 months ago . That was surprising.

I myself dont actually have any expectation on what he might or might not do in regard to that situation since my knowledge in that area is super limited. What did you think he would have done that wouldnt surprise you?

Seung Goo is indeed an interesting character. Apart from him being someone in the spectrum, I feel he shows a lot of  'feelings' ...again something i'm not sure whether that would be the case irl.

 

53 minutes ago, abs-oluteM said:

- lying clearly without blinking an eye

Hahahahhahaha he needs to be that good at lying otherwise he wouldnt be picked by NIS to do undercover works but yes i just dont quite like it coz his relationship with YS is personal (althougj mixed with professional at that stage). Gahhh..so complicated with all these lies..

[abs-oluteM]

1 hour ago, SnowBlob said:

myself dont actually have any expectation on what he might or might not do in regard to that situation since my knowledge in that area is super limited. What did you think he would have done that wouldnt surprise you?

Not that I am expert , but based off from what we have seen he doesn't filter what he says and says it as it is cause that is what he has learned to do which is to tell the truth.

1 hour ago, SnowBlob said:

Hahahahhahaha he needs to be that good at lying otherwise he wouldnt be picked by NIS to do undercover works but yes i just dont quite like it coz his relationship with YS is personal (althougj mixed with professional at that stage). Gahhh..so complicated with all these lies..

hahaaha yes.. I am okay with all they "lying" or "acting" when it comes to work . He is an agent after all . But here like you said it has become personal and the intention here is somewhat different. His former NIS boss was right , this is his karma. As an agent he failed this last mission because his personal feelings got in the way. This isn't the 1st time I see dramas  where undercover agents lose their sense of identity and mix their personal emotions with the job. Hard yeah. They are human after all. 

 

But I was a little annoyed that JH was so careless walking about in YS's office area & leaving his laptop there. And haven't he heard of backing up his recordings? He can use cloud services or keep it in a separate hard drive that he takes home with him. He's got a lot of skills and it was wasted he never continued being an agent ( but then I wouldn't want him working for Im either) . He was smart in how he tried to warn YS about who DG really is. But doing all this undercover things without actually having an agency's support will mean he is gonna be found out soon enough.

 

One good thing about eps 10 though - YS's team has solidified and she's closing in on finding out that the NIS is one the dirtiest agencies around. But now of course the most pressing thing on my mind is what will happen tonight when she confronts JH about his real identity

[abs-oluteM]

This is a very interesting pre-released for eps 11. 

https://tv.naver.com/v/20437190

 

The female agent ,Yoon Joo sends a message to Yeon Soo asking to meet. YS was hesitant at first but looks like she will go. Jung Hyun was packing his things up at the rented office opposite YS and he gets a call from Yoon Joo . She tells him she will meet YS and tell her the truth about what happened to Kim Tae Yool ( that the actual killer is not Park Doo Sik.) . JH looked out of the window and saw YS leave and he also saw DYG do the same. He did tell Yoon Joo not to since it would endanger YS but she hung up on him and he rushes out.