For some reason the combination of the makeup theme and a fallen idol singer who later joins a top makeup artist for the rich and famous had us clicking in to see what this drama is all about. We figured it’d be something like Nail Shop Paris, a little Birth of a Beauty, maybe a bit of You’re Beautiful all mixed together. We’re not sure whether we could say that Touch is a combination of all those dramas, but this drama is surprisingly a pretty good watch.
The story starts off in the Idol/Entertainment world where Han Soo Yeon (Kim Bo Ra), an idol hopeful, is only one national idol competition away from realising her decade-long dream of becoming a singer and debuting. However, that dream is suddenly destroyed when her famous idol singer best friend, Kang Do Jin (Lee Tae Hwan), lands himself in a dating scandal which leads to her agency CEO, Window Entertainment’s President Park Joong Geun (Park Jae Myung), to make the decision to sacrifice Han Soo Yeon’s idol dreams to keep Kang Do Jin (who’s their top earning idol) from being in a career-damaging scandal.
Han Soo Yeon lands herself in an assault scandal as a result. President Park creates it from footage of Han Soo Yeon apparently shoving a partygoer. The real story is she was trying to help break up a fight between two women Kang Do Jin dated, but without context it just looks like Han Soo Yeon is some kind of woman who likes getting into fights. It ruins her image and sees her kicked out and unable to continue her singing dream.
But a new dream is just around the corner. Singing isn’t her only talent. She has huge potential in makeup, too, and ends up seeking this career after her dream career is ruined. Initially, she sees makeup as just a job she had to settle for. However, after discovering how makeup can touch people whilst working under beauty industry’s best—Cha Beauty’s Cha Jeong Hyeok (Joo Sang Wook)—she starts to enjoy the profession. Subsequently, makeup becomes her new dream career.
As things has it, though, her newest dream is once again threatened when Cha Jeong Hyeok is the target of Handong Group’s Vice President Min Kang Ho (Song Jae Hee) and former teacher and rival makeup artist Oh Shi Eun (Pyeon Jung Su). Min Kang Ho had wanted to work with the best makeup artist in the industry to launch a cosmetics brand and didn’t like that Cha Jeong Hyeok rejected him in favour of launching his own cosmetics brand. There’s also the fact that Cha Jeong Hyeok used to be someone his wife, Baek Ji Yoon (Han Da Gam), had dated in the past, which Min Kang Ho later discovers.
Oh Shi Eun, on the other hand, has a complex with her student experiencing more success and showing more skill than their own teacher which is the kind of relationship Oh Shi Eun has with Cha Jeong Hyeok. She had scouted him and turned him from an artist to the top makeup artist he is now. She had been the best in the industry, but Cha Jeong Hyeok became the best. It’s something she has trouble accepting.
Working together, Min Kang Ho and Oh Shi Eun drive Cha Jeong Hyeok and Cha Beauty to the ground with a scandal involving technology theft, causing him to lose everything: his salon, the building he operated out of, his car, his apartment and is left with a huge debt.
However, no amount of money or power was able to take away Cha Jeong Hyeok’s talent. With that and only around 20 million won ($20,000) left, he manages to reopen a new salon with the help of Han Soo Yeon who gives him the confidence to start over after she has him change his mind about leaving to the US. The salon’s new location is a lot more modest than the upmarket location Cha Beauty operated in. The clientele is also very different with people only able to afford a fraction of the 700,000 won ($700) he wants to charge. It sees Cha Jeong Hyeok, Han Soo Yeon and his few loyal staff struggle for a while. However, after his team comes up with an entirely new way of operating, it sees him and his team fully booked, and after the truth surrounding the technology theft scandal is revealed, Cha Jeong Hyeok and his salon returns to its former glory
Touch is a romance-comedy, and it’s not a romance-comedy without a romance arc, which did have us wondering how it might work and whether it will work. Joo Sang Wook and Kim Bo Ra are the drama’s leads. It’s an interesting pairing because of the noticeable age gap between the two leads. The characters they play have a 12-year age difference, but the actor and actress themselves have a 17-year age difference. It had us wondering how the drama was going to pull it off and whether Joo Sang Wook and Kim Bo Ra could make the romance arc work and make us forget their real-life age difference.
Our verdict, the pairing works. Joo Sang Wook and Kim Bo Ra do a nice job with those little moments where their characters show some feelings towards each other, not making their gazes too long or have their characters react too cliché. The characters’ reactions to each other are very subtle. A lot of the times the reaction to the other go unnoticed. When they both do notice each other’s reaction, they quickly break out and we’re back to the main story.
The number of moments between the characters is actually quite small and appear relatively late in the drama. Han Soo Yeon and Cha Jeong Hyeok’s feelings don’t show till Episode 10/Episode 11. There were suggestions of their feelings earlier than that, but you don’t see either one admitting or getting affected till well past the midway point.
With the slow development, we thought that maybe this will be the first romance-comedy drama without a kiss scene. But no, there is a kiss scene. It comes in right at the end of the second last episode, Episode 15, and is brought in pretty well.
So, anyone who has been hesitant in watching the drama because maybe you can’t see Joo Sang Wook and Kim Bo Ra as characters who fall for each other, don’t be. The romance between the characters develops subtly and quite well. The story is a chase-able one. It moves rather quickly and quite nicely. It was rare experiencing long stretches of boredom. So, give it a go if you are looking for a drama recommendation.
Now, onto the brief episode recap for Touch and some of our favourite scenes in pictures.
Touch Episode Sypnosis
Episode 1
Cha Jeong Hyeok is an award-winning makeup artist who can transform any face to attract attention and get others as well as the client themselves raving about how great they look. Anyone would be stoked and honoured to have Cha Jeong Hyeok work on them—except for idol hopeful, Han Soo Yeon, apparently.
As part of a partnership between Cha Jeong Hyeok’s beauty salon, Cha Beauty, and national idol competition, Miracle, Cha Jeong Hyeok and his team of artists are brought in to makeover the contestants. Everyone’s hoping Cha Jeong Hyeok will work on them, but the lucky lady who gets this honour is Han Soo Yeon. He had initially had fellow colleague, Main Artist Kim Dong Min (Hong Seok Cheon), take Han Soo Yeon. However, he seemed to have been inspired to change Han Soo Yeon’s relatively plain look to a bolder, eye-catching look after walking through backstage at Hair and Makeup.
It’s a look which Han Soo Yeon ends up not liking. Although she received plenty of Oohs and Ahhs and comments from people in the room about how pretty she became, the look was so different to her usual look. The look was so different, her friend, Jeong Young Ah (Yeon Woo), thought she was someone else.
Not wanting such a drastic change, Han Soo Yeon changes Cha Jeong Hyeok’s work by toning down the makeup of her eyes. She does this not without knowing what she’s doing. Han Soo Yeon actually has some skills in makeup and manages to successfully change the look to a look which Cha Jeong Hyeok actually ends up admitting later in the drama (in Episode 15) to be better than the look he gave her.
Cha Jeong Hyeok is pretty insulted by Han Soo Yeon’s actions when he sees her on stage and wishes for her elimination just to prove that his makeup concept is what will stand between her making the cut and being eliminated. Han Soo Yeon doesn’t get eliminated. Han Soo Yeon places third, which eats at Cha Jeong Hyeok’s ego quite a bit.
Although Han Soo Yeon makes the cut, a dating scandal involving idol singer, fellow colleague at her agency and friend, Kang Do Jin, forces Han Soo Yeon out. Just to save their biggest star Kang Do Jin and Window Entertainment’s share prices, the agency reluctantly sacrifices their second biggest star, Han Soo Yeon, by releasing an out-of-context clip of her assaulting a former girlfriend of Kang Do Jin’s. The truth is she was trying to break up a fight between this former girlfriend and a woman Kang Do Jin is currently seeing.
Han Soo Yeon’s dream to become an idol so she could buy back her parents’ home is over. Fast forward one year later, Han Soo Yeon appears before Cha Jeong Hyeok wanting a job from him.
Episode 2
Han Soo Yeon makes the cut at Cha Beauty after popular vote pulls her through. Despite the fact that it was Cha Jeong Hyeok who chose her re-creation of a makeup look which candidates only had 10 seconds to view, he was against hiring her after finding out she was the one behind the drawing he selected. In the end, he submitted and Han Soo Yeon is in.
Han Soo Yeon’s first day is not so friendly with a few accusing her of using some kind of backdoor to make the cut. Unlike her fellow workers and new hires, she didn’t have to sit an exam at some great beauty school or get any kind of work experience under her belt before getting into such a top-notch salon like Cha Beauty. Their accusations aren’t true, of course, since not Cha Jeong Hyeok or anyone on the interview panel knew it was her they shortlisted till the face-to-face interview.
Cha Jeong Hyeok is offered an opportunity to make a name on the world stage. Get chosen to feature on Double X magazine and he will reach 36 countries and be read by top designers all over the world. It’s a prospect which seem to attract him for obvious reasons. However, his desire to make it that far looks to relate to a past love who held dreams of featuring on New York Times Square billboards as a model in Double X’s cover page.
To grab this opportunity, Cha Jeong Hyeok must first beat his former teacher and pioneer of K-Beauty, Oh Shi Eun. This former teacher of his doesn’t play fair. Song Ha Won, a model who’s been one of Cha Jeong Hyeok rusher regular models is poached by Oh Shi Eun, leaving Cha Jeong Hyeok pondering long on who he could get as replacement and bring out the vibrants colours of his concept.
He signs Kang Do Jin. It’s not a choice Director Yang Se Joon (Yoon Hee Seok) thinks would work as he believes the design would make Kang Do Jin come off like a pretty boy. It’s not what they are after. With a reworked concept, Cha Jeong Hyeok argues and convinces his friend and business partner his design would actually be more powerful on a male model.
Things appear to be sorted, but they hit one more snag. Kang Do Jin shows up one day before the shoot in red itchy spots. He’s developed an allergic reaction to the toner Han Soo Yeon used on him. Kang Do Jin has an allergy to alcohol, a fact Han Soo Yeon knew about, but seemingly failed to check on the bottle when she picked it up and started using the toner on his face.
Episode 3
Han Soo Yeon spends the whole night bringing down Kang Do Jin’s allergic reaction to the toner using natural methods, showing us just how much she knows about natural skincare.
During this time the possibility that Kang Do Jin might like Han Soo Yeon more than just a best friend is hinted. He can’t bare to see her go at the end of the night and suggests she stay overnight. He won’t sleep until he hears her sing him to sleep. Though this may be partially because of guilt, he reveals that for a year since that assault scandal, he’s been taking sleeping pills to help him sleep.
Han Soo Yeon ends up staying till early morning carrying for him. It’s not that she cares that deeply about him as such. In fact, she doesn’t want to see Kang Do Jin at all because he reminds her of that assault scandal. She stays because she wants to fix her mistake and show Cha Jeong Hyeok just how genuinely sorry she is.
Her efforts pays off. Kang Do Jin’s skin thankfully heals to a workable state and the shoot can proceed as hoped. Cha Jeong Hyeok’s makeup concept is quite different from Oh Shi Eun’s. Where Oh Shi Eun is more of a classic and glamorous kind of look, Cha Jeong Hyeok’s is artistic. It’s inspired by Western and Asian art and canvas painting. The application techniques is very much like creating a canvas painting, too. He paints, flicks, splashes and blows mixed makeup onto Kang Do Jin’s face.
The shoot ends successfully which sees a fellow assistant and her assigned partner, Lee Hyun Joon (Son Woo Hyun), accept Han Soo Yeon as a team member. Cha Jeong Hyeok gives her a second chance, too, allowing her back into the team.
Following the shoot, an interview involving Cha Jeong Hyeok and Oh Shi Eun reveals Cha Jeong Hyeok’s intentions to develop, and is in the process of developing, his own makeup brand which is all natural, good for the skin and ethically tested. The launch date is kept a secret when asked, but it looks like it will be very soon as a visit to a factory in Seongnam sees him give the green light to begin launching the brand.
At the end of the workday, Cha Jeong Hyeok’s past love, Baek Ji Yoon, makes her entrance, and it happens to be on Han Soo Yeon’s first visit to Cha Jeong Hyeok’s apartment where she’s made to take a shower after an intoxicated Yang Se Joon (who she helped Cha Jeong Hyeok to bring back to the apartment) vomited all over her. With Han Soo Yeon in comfortable clothes and a towel wrapped around her wet hair getting the door, it has Baek Ji Yoon think what everyone thinks when standing in front of such a scene. Cha Jeong Hyeok and Han Soo Yeon must be fooling around with each other. It’s a misunderstanding Cha Jeong Hyeok doesn’t try to clear up when he appears by Han Soo Yeon’s side. In fact, he embraces the misunderstanding, putting an arm over Han Soo Yeon’s shoulder to pull her closer next to him before telling Baek Ji Yoon that he was “busy” and wants Baek Ji Yoon to leave.
Episode 4
Baek Ji Yoon shows up wanting to start her acting career again and wants Cha Jeong Hyeok to be her makeup artist when she makes her comeback. She returns to him after having apparently left him to marry Handong Group’s Vice President Min Kang Ho, who appears to be a physically abusive husband who controls her and keeps her trapped in the loveless marriage.
Understandably, Cha Jeong Hyeok turns her away, after which Baek Ji Yoon returns to Min Kang Ho to see him entertaining a woman in their house. This woman, who goes by the name of Yujin, appears to have an ulterior motive as she is seen to be associated with some lower class salon managed by Madam Goo Mi Dam at Fest by Oh! Secret which Oh Shi Eun is later seen visiting. According to Yujin, Min Kang Ho is also wanting to splash some great amount of money on launching a makeup brand in 6 months’ time to the world with plans to get some talented makeup artist to be the face of the launch. Yujin and Madam Goo thinks this is an opportunity Yujin could help Oh Shi Eun grasp.
What Yujin doesn’t know is Min Kang Ho is actually thinking of getting Cha Jeong Hyeok to be the face of his makeup brand, and he wants Baek Ji Yoon to speak to Cha Jeong Hyeok about it since he was her former makeup artist. He doesn’t yet know that Cha Jeong Hyeok was her ex which will be one of the reasons Min Kang Ho is so bent on destroying Cha Jeong Hyeok later. The Handong heir is rich and powerful and he will use that to do it. Min Kang Ho also has no issues laying hands on Baek Ji Yoon to bring her to submission as he is seen grabbing a fist of her hair when she threatened to go public with his extramarital affairs.
The result of who gets the cover of Double X is out and it’s Cha Beauty. Cha Jeong Hyeok’s Western art-inspired makeup concept graces the cover and is set to go out to top designers in 36 countries.
Han Soo Yeon is forced to face her former idol group, Miracle Girls, as the partnership Cha Beauty has with the K-pop Awards see members of Miracle Girls visit the salon. Han Soo Yeon appears to be okay, but her contemplative, downcast expression seem to suggest it’s not entirely the case.
Kang Do Jin’s developed feelings for Han Soo Yeon. He doesn’t know it himself at the beginning, but he soon recognises his own feelings after dreaming about her offering to catch the dripping face serum off his face with her lips (i.e with a kiss). This comes after feeling his heart thump earlier in the day when he had his makeup done at Cha Beauty. The whole time there, he tried to find out what kind of person Han Soo Yeon saw him as. He hoped she’d tell him she felt butterflies around him, but it was he who ended up getting butterflies. The light touch over his lips as she used her thumb to stop and catch the face serum that was dripping down his face had him freeze in place as he reacted to the sensation.
The dream has Kang Do Jin sneak out to see Han Soo Yeon to confessing his feelings for her. Catching Han Soo Yeon outside her workplace, he lands himself in a tiny confrontation with Cha Jeong Hyeok when Kang Do Jin tries a little too persistently to get Han Soo Yeon to accept his offer to take her home. Cha Jeong Hyeok intervenes, shouting at Kang Do Jin to suggest he stop forcing Han Soo Yeon, creating the first tiny sign of a possible love triangle between the three.
Episode 5
Kang Do Jin’s confession gets spoiled when Cha Jeong Hyeok unintentionally forces him to come out with it after asking he explain why he was so insistent on driving Han Soo Yeon home. Kang Do Jin doesn’t manage to close the matter up properly when his manager, Kim Chae Won (Lee Soo Ji), ushers him home, and is even told his feelings are nothing more than having missed seeing Han Soo Yeon for so long. They weren’t romantic feelings. Kang Do Jin begs to differ and tries to confess again with flowers towards the end of the episode and gets rejected.
Kang Do Jin seems clueless to the fact he reminds her of the scandal he got her involved him. In Episode 2, after meeting for the first time since a year ago, she had asked they not see each other as she found it hard looking at him. She had told him he made her life more difficult and felt extremely uncomfortable. He had no chance winning her heart when being friends wasn’t even on the cards.
More of her past continues to appear before her. An unwanted reunion that is the Miracle Girls has a booking with Cha Beauty. She would be made to see her former band mates and her replacement. The thought of that had her wanting so much to pull a sick day (and did try to with expired milk) to avoid meeting them, but it turned out to be a good thing as it offered her closure.
A couple members seemed unsympathetic towards how things turned out for Han Soo Yeon, but the others were a lot more sympathetic particularly the newest member, her replacement. She was so apologetic to have been the one to take Han Soo Yeon’s place, she didn’t feel right about having Han Soo Yeon do her base makeup, and actually offered to do it herself. Before leaving, she stayed back just to personally express an apology about it before leaving Han Soo Yeon a Miracle Girls: Han Soo Yeon doll which, amazingly, she had been carrying with her in the off chance they met. The gift had Han Soo Yeon in a few tears. They weren’t tears of sadness, but tears of relief.
Yang Se Joon is approached by Team Leader Yoon from Handong Group’s HD Cosmetics to present their business proposal. The proposal would see Cha Beauty’s makeup brand hit department stores and drugstores all over Asia all at once with a 70-30 share of earnings. It’s a very attractive business proposal which even Cha Jeong Hyeok seemed to come around to, especially after hearing Yang Se Joon’s point about the market being oversaturated that even conglomerates fail. Partnering up with an investor would allow cultivation of the brand (and greater chances of success). The only hurdle Yang Se Joon faced is the obvious: it’s a partnership with Min Kang Ho which Yang Se Joon knew would be a hard sell. And in the end, it was a hard sell. Cha Jeong Hyeok chooses to take out a sizeable loan with the bank instead and rejects Min Kang Ho’s offer.
The rejection doesn’t go down well with Min Kang Ho. Cha Jeong Hyeok’s explanation of not wanting to go into business with someone who doesn’t have a makeup philosophy and only a business philosophy sees Min Kang Ho order his people to see to getting Cha Jeong Hyeok come crawling on his knees.
Episode 6
Cha Jeong Hyeok’s started promotions of his soon-to-launch makeup brand, CHA, and things look to be going well with preorders flooding in. All the talk in the media about the launch has Min Kang Ho bitter. He still can’t accept Cha Jeong Hyeok’s rejection, and retaliates by having Team Leader Yoon prepare to launch their own product through HD Cosmetics before Cha Jeong Hyeok does.
Oh Shi Eun’s looking to get herself that partnership with HD Cosmetics, and finds the way to do it through the disappearance of Baek Ji Yoon. On the pretense of wanting to say hi, Oh Shi Eun appears before him hoping he’d use her to point him in the right direction in locating Baek Ji Yoon. He doesn’t disappoint, calling on her great connections to help him, which Oh Shi Yoon tells him he should start with Kim Hyo Jin (Lee Chae Eun), Baek Ji Yoon’s former manager.
Kim Hyo Jin is precisely the person he should teach down as she is the exact person Baek Ji Yoon goes to. In Episode 5, Baek Ji Yoon had her driver track down her former manager to a preschool which she works at, and has since gone to stay with her. Baek Ji Yoon also now hopes Kim Hyo Jin will agree to helping her become active again in the entertainment industry. It’s pretty shameless of Baek Ji Yoon to ask such a thing from her former manager. From the looks of things, Baek Ji Yoon left the entertainment industry to marry Min Kang Ho without a thought about how it might affect her manager’s career.
With Min Kang Ho grateful for the lead, Oh Shi Eun takes the opportunity to ask about his obsession with wanting Cha Jeong Hyeok as the face of his makeup brand. It’s a question which Oh Shi Eun intentionally asks so she can reveal that Cha Jeong Hyeok was Baek Ji Yoon’s ex and is a reason behind the rejection to go into partnership.
A day or so later, Oh Shi Eun achieves her goal. Oh Shi Eun is approached by Min Kang to be his business partner and purpose they join in a pact to ruin Cha Jeong Hyeok.
Towards the end of the episode, Min Kang Ho finds Baek Ji Yoon at an apartment she and Kim Hyo Jin are staying at, leading to yet another beating which fortunately is stopped a short time after when Kim Hyo Jin happens to return.
With her bruises covered up, Baek Ji Yoon shows up at Cha Beauty to try speak to Cha Jeong Hyeok. She wants him back, telling him she’s intending to divorce Min Kang Ho, so he should stop fooling around with Han Soo Yeon (who Baek Ji Yoon sees eating ramen and dumplings with him).
Cha Jeong Hyeok continues to be uninterested in speaking to his ex and is saved from having to by Han Soo Yeon, who jumps in with how he had promised to give her a ride home, allowing Cha Jeong Hyeok to leave Baek Ji Yoon.
Cha Jeong Hyeok doesn’t go far with sending Han Soo Yeon home before turning back, though. For someone like Cha Jeong Hyeok who pays close attention to people’s makeup and can see what lies beneath, he doesn’t miss Baek Ji Yoon’s attempt to hide the bruises on her face, and goes back to ask her about the bruises. It sees Baek Ji Yoon throw her arms around hm, and Han Soo Yeon to see upon discovering she’d left her phone behind and had turned around towards where the exes remained in a hug Cha Jeong Hyeok didn’t return.
Episode 7
Cha Jeong Hyeok’s Double X cover selection is taunting Oh Shi Eun. Firstly, she gets criticised by Kang Do Jin for failing to capture his human-turned-vampire look for his drama and more or less compare her skills to Cha Jeong Hyeok’s (Kang Do Jin had asked Oh Shi Eun whether her makeup would make it to the cover of Double X magazine). Then she’s made to look through the Double X magazine she been avoiding looking at since it’s publication after her secretary had brought it into her office. It had her considering and then take up Min Kang Ho’s proposal to work together and destroy her Cha Jeong Hyeok and Cha Beauty as this seemed to be the only way she could have a chance in beating Cha Jeong Hyeok.
Min Kang Ho wants horror and a thriller in his pursuit of ruining Cha Jeong Hyeok. Oh Shi Eun appears to guarantee at least drama as she presents him a large envelop. What’s in there is not revealed at this point, but the plan to bring Cha Jeong Hyeok down comes in the form of bribery, stealing Cha Jeong Hyeok’s products and launching them as HD Cosmetics before Cha Jeong Hyeok does.
Min Kang Ho is coming off a pretty bad guy up till this point, but a backstory tries to save him a little through a story of someone who was hurt by Baek Ji Yoon. He’s never known anyone to be genuine with him. When he thought he met someone who was—that someone being Baek Ji Yoon —and then was made to hear rumours she had ambitions to marry a chaebol, that their meeting in Prague wasn’t between two strangers who happened to meet, it apparently caused him to change from being pretty decent to abusive.
Whether the rumours about her are true or not, at this point, a flashback suggests the possibility of it being the truth. For one, when Min Kang Ho confronts Baek Ji Yoon about the rumours, she does nothing to deny them. A story of how she had made the decision to break up with Cha Jeong Hyeok because she wanted to catch Min Kang Ho so she could go higher and see what’s up there points to it bring true. Baek Ji Yoon coldly ended their six-year relationship three months after seeing Min Kang Ho.
She regrets it now. With the way things turned out with Min Kang Ho, Baek Ji Yoon wants Cha Jeong Hyeok back. Like previous times, Cha Jeong Hyeok isn’t interested in hearing. She’s not giving up, though. She’s found herself an apartment and it’s one which is right across Cha Jeong Hyeok’s apartment.
Episode 8
Cha Beauty is no more. Min Kang Ho and Oh Shi Eun’s plan to destroy Cha Jeong Hyeok is meticulous and thorough.
The Seongnam factory where Cha Jeong Hyeok had Cha Beauty’s makeup researched, developed and produced is deserted and its president in charge of the research, development and production, Lee Hyeon Woo (Son Woo Hyun), is nowhere to be found. He’s been bribed by Oh Shi Eun to leave the country. For money and promise to take care of his mother (who’s in a nursing home), he betrayed Cha Jeong Hyeok.
Caring for Lee Hyeon Woo’s elderly mother is not a promise Oh Shi Eun keeps. When asked by her secretary about whether she should see to paying for the nursing home fees, she tells her secretary to leave it as she didn’t want to compromise the situation further by getting involved. The person who ends up paying (at least till the next bill is overdue) is Cha Jeong Hyeok. He had gone to the nursing home hoping for some information on Lee Hyeon Woo’s whereabouts to end up being mistaken by Lee Hyeon Woo’s mother as her son. Learning that the bill for Lee Hyeon Woo’s mother’s care was overdue, the seemingly caring and generous man that is Cha Jeong Hyeok offers to take care of the bill.
Seeking legal advice, Cha Jeong Hyeok’s lawyer advises that they can still go ahead with the launch and charge Lee Hyeon Woo with fraud and revealing technique secrets. This was of course before they learned Min Kang Ho and Oh Shi Eun had gone and made Lee Hyeon Woo say in a recorded interview that Cha Beauty stole their technology and that Cha Jeong Hyeok pressured him to leak the technology. Lee Hyeon Woo attests that the cosmetics were developed with Oh Shi Eun for a long time which spanned eight years according to a contract Oh Shi Eun had signed with Lee Hyeon Woo (five years before Cha Jeong Hyeok’s contact with Lee Hyeon Woo). In situations of a double-contract, the earlier one takes precedence.
There appeared to be a bit of a lead in getting to the bottom of this initially. Reporter Kim from Jisang Daily, who’s come on board to help Cha Jeong Hyeok with his investigations, finds a lead with Shine Cosmetics parties contract and offers to investigate from the bottom of the chain rather than start at the top as it’d be easier to get information. However, even that road is a no go as the reporter’s management blocked the investigation. The suggestion of this development is a reference to Min Kang Ho’s ability to control the flow of information and investigations.
Last option for Cha Jeong Hyeok sees him kneel before Oh Shi Eun in an attempt to beg her to tell him where Lee Hyeon Woo is. It of course would never work since she schemed with Min Kang Ho to make sure Cha Jeong Hyeok is completely ruined, but he doesn’t know this. As far as he knows, it’s just Lee Hyeon Woo who betrayed him.
With clients cancelling in droves and creditors demanding payment, Cha Jeong Hyeok reaches the end of the road. He announces Cha Beauty’s closure with suggestion his staff accept a recommendation letter to work for Oh Shi Eun’s beauty salon, Oh! Secret. The place may be Cha Beauty’s rival, but it is the only place he says which offers the same kind of service and system. His staff is against working for their rival initially, but with careers and bills to think about they all eventually make the decision to go.
The end of the episode sees Cha Jeong Hyeok in a dire state, found unresponsive in his bed by Han Soo Yeon who had gone to visit him out of worry. He’s gone and overdosed on sleeping pills, unable to be woken by Han Soo Yeon multiple loud calls.
Episode 9
Cha Jeong Hyeok is just fine. What looked to be an overdose on sleeping pills in an attempt to kill himself (that’s what Han Soo Yeon thought) was just Cha Jeong Hyeok trying to get some sleep with a couple sleeping pills which he apparently took with quite a bit of alcohol.
The scare with Cha Jeong Hyeok has Han Soo Yeon very worried. Although Cha Jeong Hyeok assures her he is not one bit in that kind of state, Han Soo Yeon wants him to share his thoughts and troubles and not hold it inside.
Kang Do Jin also crosses Han Soo Yeon’s thoughts after this scare. Hearing that sleeping pills can have some bad side effects like forgetfulness, she tells Kang Do Jin to stop taking sleeping pills, and for the first time, she realises that her departure from the entertainment industry was not only hard on her, but on him as well.
Unknown to Han Soo Yeon, Kang Do Jin is in the process of getting her back into the entertainment industry. In Episode 8, Kang Do Jin’s contract with Window Entertainment is due for renewal which Kang Do Jin refused to sign and is looking for a new agency which will take not only him but also Han Soo Yeon. His wish to see Han Soo Yeon début might come with some trouble later, though, as there are hints that Window Entertainment’s President Park might call the reporter (who he teamed up with to spread that assault scandal Han Soo Yeon was involved) to tighten the reins on Kang Do Jin.
In the scheme to bring Cha Jeong Hyeok down, there’s not a lot left Min Kang Ho can do to bring the top makeup artist down further. All that’s left is watch Cha Jeong Hyeok’s reaction to Min Kang Ho’s offer to buy the building Cha Jeong Hyeok’s put up for sale. (This building is the same building Cha Beauty operated out of.) Min Kang Ho probably hoped he could rub it in and get some angry words from the makeup artist, but the Handong Group Vice President is sent back feeling down, maybe even empty. The offer to by the building is met with no resistance, no outburst, no kneeling. Min Kang Ho only gets a plain “offer accepted”.
Min Kang Ho also meant to use this to threaten Baek Ji Yoon to return to him, but with him exhausting the attacks he could inflict on Cha Jeong Hyeok, there was nothing else he could do to make her. Baek Ji Yoon is looking more determined to break away from his grasp now. She’s gone and filed for divorce and make steps to move away from him by accepting a production.
Cha Jeong Hyeok’s career maybe ruined in Korea, but outside of Korea, there’s still an opportunity for him to work in the beauty industry. He receives a call from the editor of Double X magazine—Anna—wanting him to work for her in the US as the main makeup artist. There’s one condition, though, he can’t go by his own name because, right now, Cha Jeong Hyeok doesn’t have a good name with the media reporting Cha Jeong Hyeok as being someone who got caught stealing someone else’s technology.
Cha Jeong Hyeok initially decides to take up the offer. But he might think twice about it after Han Soo Yeon’s words. Though she seems to see why he chose to go to the US, she tries to have him see during a late dinner where she gets a bit drunk, that accepting the Double X offer would mean he’d be leaving Korea with a label attached to his name. He’d be known as the vicious businessman who stole someone else’s craft—a label she believes he’s not. Rather than running away (something Cha Jeong Hyeok denies doing by saying he’s been realistic), Han Soo Yeon tells him he should stay strong in Korea and overcome it. Not only that, but he must start over so that she can learn from him and stay by his side.
Episode 10
Cha Jeong Hyeok began with nothing before he was top makeup artist and CEO of Cha Beauty. He came from a very poor family, worked since middle school, all the while taking care of his ill mother. He can start over, just like Han Soo Yeon had suggested. Not only that, if he had left to the US for a position which won’t allow him to work under his own name or even let his gender be known, he figured his late mother would probably be quite disappointed in him. With this thought, Cha Jeong Hyeok makes the decision to start over.
He had wanted to lease a place in Cheongdam, but a security deposit of 200-300 million won ($200-300 thousand dollars) plus rent of 5 million won ($5,000) was way out of his budget. Hongdae was more within his reach. A 20 million won ($20,000) security deposit plus 1.5 million won ($1,500) rent was now what he can afford. It’s not the upmarket, trendsetting, fashionable location he hoped for, but the hope is those who preferred Cha Beauty for their hair and makeup will travel to his new shop in Hongdae.
Kang Do Jin’s found a new agency willing to sign him and Han Soo Yeon. Purple Entertainment has agreed to represent both of them. To celebrate, Kang Do Jin holds a party going to put a smile on her face once revealing the news he thought would excite Han Soo Yeon. However, the dream of being a singer is no longer Han Soo Yeon’s dream. In fact, being a singer is a dream that will ache in her heart forever. Her new dream is in makeup. It’s a dream Han Soo Yeon embraced since Episode 6 after seeing how makeup done on a chairwoman (who had refused to let Cha Jeong Hyeok give her a softer yet commanding look in the past) can touch the heart.
Han Soo Yeon’s claim of having this new dream leads Kang Do Jin to learn that Han Soo Yeon could possibly like Cha Jeong Hyeok. She isn’t so sure herself which way her feelings developed —whether it’s because she likes him because she likes makeup or that she likes makeup because she likes him. But she definitely has no feelings for Kang Do Jin. He had tried to kiss her, but was stopped mid-way. Despite the rejection, Kang Do Jin tells her he won’t give up on her and vows to make her heart flutter.
Kang Do Jin might have to try very hard as the end of the episode sees a moment between Han Soo Yeon and Cha Jeong Hyeok. Whilst pondering on some business names and tag-lines, she lifts her hand to touch Cha Jeong Hyeok’s and appear to move just a tiny bit into him as she’s caught by his close proximity to her. (Is Han Soo Yeon being forward and making a move?!)
Episode 11
Cha Jeong Hyeok’s got the name for his new beauty salon. It’s Touch. And it’s all thanks to Han Soo Yeon who came up with the idea during that moment at the end of Episode 10 which saw her cup her hand over Cha Jeong Hyeok’s. It wasn’t her being forward and showing her feelings for Cha Jeong Hyeok. It was her realising how perfect a name Touch was for the salon and was physically demonstrating the idea: “Makeup is based on touch. It starts with a touch and ends with a touch.”
Although it wasn’t a true moment between the two leads, Cha Jeong Hyeok did seem affected by Han Soo Yeon’s touch: he clenched his hands like he was trying dissipate the sensation going through his hand after their gaze broke. Back at his new home at Yang Se Joon’s, he smiled thinking back on Han Soo Yeon’s touch.
With the name decided on, the salon fitted, messages to VIPs and social media posts sent, and the main Cha Beauty team consisting of Lee Hyun Joon, Son Hong Seok and Kim Dong Min all leaving Oh Secret to join Cha Jeong Hyeok and Han Soo Yeon, Touch is open.
Opening day sees a dismal three customers give the salon a go with only one customer actually getting their hair and makeup done, but only because she had mistaken the cost to be 70000 won ($70) and not 700000 won ($700). Setting up a premium service in a neighbourhood made up of mostly 20- to 30-somethings willing to pay between 50000 to 70000 won ($50 to $70) doesn’t match up. The non-existent on-site and off-street parking means any potential customers who could afford the high price outside Hongdae (like the second customer, a Cha Beauty VIP) couldn’t stay because there was nowhere to park their car.
To rectify the issue, Lee Hyun Joon (who had done the above research on the area) suggests the salon run both a premium and standard service system. Cha Jeong Hyeok is reluctant as it would mean going against the reason for their existence. (By that we think he means they were here to offer a premium service, quality, long-lasting makeup that please and touch people?).
Undecided on what to do yet, Han Soo Yeon is asked by Lee Hyun Joon and Son Hong Seok to tell Kang Do Jin about the salon to try and get at least one of their VIP customers in there. She’s reluctant, especially after she rejected his feelings, but after sitting on whether to ask or not ask, she asks Kang Do Jin in the end.
Kang Do Jin initially rejects Han Soo Yeon’s request, but he isn’t able to reject her in the end. He shows up the next morning, but not without a goal of getting Han Soo Yeon to see the 12-year age gap between her and Cha Jeong Hyeok. Whilst getting makeup done, he casually has Cha Jeong Hyeok reveal his age (Cha Jeong Hyeok tells him 37) before jumping on him looking for any white hairs on his head. To Kang Do Jin’s disappointment, he finds none in what he blames as because of Cha Jeong Hyeok’s perfectly dyed hair. Still, he held onto hope she’d show up at his upcoming fan-meeting which he gave her tickets to attend. Hopefully, she will be charmed by him there.
This fan-meeting Kang Do Jin invites Han Soo Yeon is set to reveal the whole truth to the public about Han Soo Yeon’s actually scandal (seen in Episode 12). Before that happens, the truth is revealed to Kang Do Jin first by President Park who uses it to blackmail Kang Do Jin into renewing his contract with Window Entertainment: as far as Kang Do Jin is aware, some reporter got their hands on Han Soo Yeon’s career-ending footage and released it to the public. He still has no idea the footage was personally handed to the reporter by President Park so his dating scandal remained out of the media. Because of Kang Do Jin’s decision to go to Purple Entertainment, President Park threatens to expose the story behind the footage and trash Kang Do Jin the same way he trashed Han Soo Yeon back then if he still refuses to renew his contact.
Episode 12
Kang Do Jin is faced with a tough and painful decision: sign with Window Entertainment and hide the truth behind Han Soo Yeon’s departure from Miracle Girls or let the truth be exposed and face serious blows to his career. With President Park threatening to make the release of the assault scandal as Kang Do Jin’s personal request to avoid being in the spotlight for his dating scandal, he faces the prospect of netizen hate, drop in castings and unsteady pay. It’ll be hard for him to start over after this kind of scandal.
His manager, Kim Chae Won, suggests he just sign with Window Entertainment as she’s not sure if Han Soo Yeon knowing the truth will do her any good. Thinking from his perspective, she thinks he should just grin and bear it, and sign the contract as that will ensure nothing bad will happen.
After a sleepless night, eating and drinking little, he makes the decision to sign the contract with Window Entertainment. However, to go on and hide the truth, he ends up not being able to do as he makes the shocking decision to reveal it all before a roomful of his fans at his fan meeting, right after spotting Han Soo Yeon in the audience.
Han Soo Yeon had appeared to have no intention of taking time off work to show up at his fan-meeting when he gave her the tickets last episode. However, after not seeing him at Touch for his appointment and not hearing from him after sending him multiple text messages, Han Soo Yeon became worried and decided she’d try catch up with him at his fan-meeting.
He looked perfectly fine on stage talking to his fans, singing a song, answering fans’ questions, but the sight of her brought on tears of guilt. A question about whether he was single leads him to decide then and there he’d reveal the whole truth behind Han Soo Yeon’s forced departure from the entertainment industry and how it was her management who used the assault footage as a cover up for the relationship rumours relating to him. It appears to be his way of not only take responsibility and revealing the truth before President Park uses it against him but also as a way to reveal it to Han Soo Yeon and publicly apologise to her.
The events of the fan-meeting quickly spreads online, and to Cha Jeong Hyeok back at Touch. It has him break into a run through the street towards Han Soo Yeon’s apartment to find her not there. He only runs into Young Ah, who tells him she’s finding it hard to find out where she’s gone. Young Ah, who had gone to the fan meeting with her, had lost Han Soo Yeon after she left Kang Do Jin’s fan-meeting right after discovering the truth.
Han Soo Yeon’s disappearance preoccupies Cha Jeong Hyeok into the night. Come morning, Cha Jeong Hyeok looks to have missed work to look for her again, thinking her parents would for sure know where she is. Arriving at her parents’ restaurant in her hometown, they are as clueless about her whereabouts as he was as they end up asking him how Han Soo Yeon is doing. Not wanting to worry them, he tells them he’s sure she’s fine before going on in his way to look for her.
Going around the area some more, he finally locates her up on the railing of a suspension bridge, looking down at the waters below. She’s not looking to great and comes off as maybe she was contemplating going over that railing.
Episode 13
Han Soo Yeon’s state had worried Cha Jeong Hyeok when he found her looking like she was thinking dark thoughts, but it wasn’t that kind of situation. Whilst she wandered aimlessly through the night, her mind was heavy with things like what she could do about the situation, how unfair things were to be the only one to be thrown away. She thought about who she should blame, and in the end blamed herself for being a fool.
Cha Jeong Hyeok, who had sat beside her listening and giving her consoling words (like how it wasn’t her fault but the elders and that she should be proud of her efforts), stayed listening and accompanying her the whole day and well into the night. It could be taken as Cha Jeong Hyeok returning the favour—since, as he mentions she was there with him when he was going through tough times. However, just like how Young Ah had remarked that Han Soo Yeon must like Cha Jeong Hyeok only she doesn’t know or admit it, Cha Jeong Hyeok can be seen as being the same: he worries and is by her side because he has developed feelings for her. It’s just that he hasn’t or isn’t willing to acknowledge them yet.
Kang Do Jin’s announcement has brought down his image. It’s made worse when President Park orders Choi Sung Soo (someone who Kang Do Jin saw as his brother and had trusted but apparently lost trust in sometime ago) to cut Kang Do Jin from Window Entertainment and spread the career-damaging story of Kang Do Jin asking for his dating scandal to be covered up to the media. Netizens badmouth him and talk trash about him. His official fan club withdraw their support and is boycotting him.
His acting career is going down the toilet, but through all this, he gains Han Soo Yeon. Before, he had to always go to her salon to see her. When he was there, she always gave this impression she found him bothersome. She rarely called him. It was always him calling her. She definitely didn’t voluntarily offer to sing for him. But now, his visits to Touch is met with worry over whether he’s eating and sleeping at nights. She’s so worried about him, she calls him to check and even offers to sing him to sleep when he suggests he’s having trouble. Although Kang Do Jin doesn’t know it, Han Soo Yeon’s gone and changed his name on her phone contact list from “Pro Troublemaker” to “Do Jin” as well.
She had initially felt angry with him (and President Park), but after thinking things through, she saw how difficult it must have been for him and how scared he must have been to reveal it all. She actually ends up thanking him for telling her everything honestly.
The more attentive Han Soo Yeon towards Kang Do Jin has Cha Jeong Hyeok displaying small amounts of jealousy through moments like when he witnessed Han Soo Yeon’s call come through Kang Do Jin’s phone offering to sing him to sleep. It has him gulp down his beer multiple time whilst he waited for the whole thing between them to end.
Cha Jeong Hyeok’s ignorance over his feelings for Han Soo Yeon continues to show with drawings of her. For 10 years he’s subconsciously drawn Baek Ji Yoon as the model for his makeup concepts, but they’ve recently changed to Han Soo Yeon. When this change is pointed out to him by Yang Se Joon, Cha Jeong Hyeok is surprised by just how many drawings of her he’s drawn.
Over on Baek Ji Yoon’s side, things look to be going well. She’s made her comeback with a commercial for Hangdong Group rival AT Electronics. With Kang Do Jin’s scandal featuring top searches, Baek Ji Yoon hopes things between her and Min Kang Ho will wrap up quietly as talk about her divorcing Min Kang Ho is buried under Kang Do Jin’s scandal.
It’s not to be, though, as the end of the episode sees Min Kang Ho show up at Touch vowing to destroy Cha Jeong Hyeok even if he loses Baek Ji Yoon. He’s been standing still for a while, but after an effort to kneel before Baek Ji Yoon, admitting his mistakes, apologising to her gets him no change of mind fun Baek Ji Yoon and then also learning later she promoted Cha Jeong Hyeok as being a makeup artist who knows her best in an interview, he couldn’t let things be.
As for the the developments on Touch, Cha Jeong Hyeok’s finally making his comeback with the new salon. In Episode 11, Lee Hyun Woo suggested two systems of charging—a lower price for standard service and a VIP service. In Episode 12, Cha Jeong Hyeok takes that suggestion and introduces an industry-precedent low price of 9900 won ($9.90) for daily makeup to 16900 won ($16.90) for wedding makeup, and their usual VIP price of 700000 won ($700). It saw their schedules fill up with young clients looking to take advantage of the low service fees for the top makeup artists (which now consists of not only Cha Jeong Hyeok and Kim Dong Min but also the newly promoted Lee Hyun Woo) which were previously beyond their reach. With Baek Ji Yoon’s backing in this episode, Touch is gaining more VIP clients, too.
Once more, there’s something for Min Kang Ho to destroy, but Cha Jeong Hyeok isn’t threatened. Cha Jeong Hyeok instead challenges the chaebol to try it a second time, telling Min Kang Ho that if he is victimised a second time then it will be his own fault. In other words, he won’t be made a fool so easily again.
Episode 14
Min Kang Ho isn’t able to make Cha Jeong Hyeok feel threatened, but he manages to make Baek Ji Yoon feel threatened—at least at first. Appearing to agree to sign the divorce papers, he manages to have Baek Ji Yoon meet up with him, only to present a set of photos of her and Cha Jeong Hyeok hugging (which is the same scene at the end of Episode 6). With the photos, he threatens to release them and have Cha Jeong Hyeok labelled as a cheater and make things hard for her to get work if she doesn’t return to his side.
The threat has Baek Ji Yoon return to her apartment and immediately pack to return to Min Kang Ho, but once calmed down, she declares to fight to free herself from him. During another meeting with Min Kang Ho, she pretends to agree to return to his side with a desire to start over. In the background, though, she’s planning her attack. This attack involves an envelope containing something incriminating and a USB drive.
Han Soo Yeon exonerates Kang Do Jin. Coming up with the idea of using Young Ah’s 400,000 following on her mukbang eating livestream, she helps clear up the scandal about Kang Do Jin using her to cover up his past dating scandal. She tells the audience that Kang Do Jin would never release the footage to resolve his own dating scandal, and that it’s very much the opposite. Whenever she was tired or sick of everything, he was always there to cheer her on. She tells them Window Entertainment is the one behind the scandal. They wanted to inflict damage on Kang Do Jin because of Kang Do Jin’s confession at the fan-meeting. What Window Entertainment is doing to him presently is exactly what they did to her a year ago.
Han Soo Yeon’s claim is confirmed by Choi Sung Soo after he resigns from Window Entertainment.
With things cleared up, Kang Do Jin gets his fan club’s support back. Agencies are back wanting to sign him, too. He isn’t thinking of going with any agency anytime soon, though, as Kang Do Jin takes Choi Sung Soo’s advice to take a hiatus. Although things have been cleared up, his reputation is still damaged. Those photos of him dating multiple women in the past remains a fact.
Free time on his hands, he uses the time to visit Han Soo Yeon at Touch. Initially it’s to thank her, but he soon becomes a bit of an overstayer as he visits the salon the next day, too. Cha Jeong Hyeok isn’t against him visiting every now and then, but not everyday. Visiting Touch as he pleases is what Kang Do Jin wants, though, and achieves it by buying the building Touch rents and becoming its building owner.
Kang Do Jin’s visits to Touch is actually a plot setup for Kang Do Jin to discover Cha Jeong Hyeok and Han Soo Yeon feelings for each other. It starts with Kang Do Jin hanging around the salon and overhearing the Touch team talking about a company dinner that is held later that night. Hearing this, Kang Do Jin invites himself to the dinner after booking out the entire restaurant so he, as a famous person, can show up without feeling uncomfortable about being in public.
Not much notable happens during the dinner except for a focus on Han Soo Yeon drinking quite a few shots and her wanting to head back to Touch for some makeup practice despite being a bit intoxicated. She heads there alone as Kang Do Jin leaves with Kim Chae Won, and Cha Jeong Hyeok leaves with Yang Se Joon and Kim Do Min.
However, both Kang Do Jin and Cha Jeong Hyeok head back to Touch with the apparent intention of checking on Han Soo Yeon/accompanying her. Cha Jeong Hyeok is the first to show up before Han Soo Yeon. He walks in on her looking at the many drawings of her—drawings which indicate Cha Jeong Hyeok’s feelings, feelings which he initially avoids admitting to Han Soo Yeon at first. He deliberately misunderstands Han Soo Yeon’s question about whether he likes her by taking it as a question about whether he likes her as an employee, which he says he of course likes her. No boss doesn’t like their employee. When she clarifies her question as being about feelings between a man and a woman, he doesn’t deny liking her, but brings up all the reasons why they can’t be together (things like difference in positions at the salon, their 12-year age gap and Cha Jeong Hyeok’s need to focus on work).
Han Soo Yeon rejects all his reasons as reason enough, but she seems to lose confidence in pursuing the matter and retreats to having ruined herself for carrying on about it. Still, it doesn’t stop her from making her feelings clear a second time. She is sure she likes him now (otherwise she wouldn’t press him about it so much).
Her courage in confessing to her first and that remark about ruining herself (which, judging by his small smile, he seemed to find amusingly cute) seemed to have Cha Jeong Hyeok give in. He admits his feelings in the end. Not only does he admit them, he also tells her that he’s liked her since she rescued him by following him to open up a new salon. The only reason he couldn’t confess his feelings earlier is because he worried about whether liking her would hurt her in any way. But now that his feelings are all out in the open, he moves to ask Han Soo Yeon whether she’d be okay if things got uncomfortable (because of having to eventually reveal to everyone about their relationship we think). Han Soo Yeon answers, “Yes”.
Cha Jeong Hyeok pulls her into a hug. It’s somewhere around this point, Kang Do Jin arrives. Standing outside, two cups of coffee in his hand and watching the woman he likes in Cha Jeong Hyeok‘s embrace. Tears welled up in his eyes, he turns away from the scene to leave. His fight for Han Soo Yeon’s heart has failed.
Episode 15
A clip of Han Soo Yeon’s performance in the national idol competition a year ago goes viral. With her popularity rising following her name being cleared, agencies are calling wanting her, including one reputable agency, One Entertainment, which is known to have some of the best conditions in the industry. One Entertainment’s President Jang Min Joo is offering to debut her in a new girl group consisting of four with the intention of making her the group’s leader.
Han Soo Yeon isn’t interested, but the people around her keep wanting her to take up this opportunity to finally debut. Han Soo Yeon’s parents, particularly her mother, want her to sign with One Entertainment so much they promised President Jang they’d bring the contract to their daughter and have her sign it. Han Soo Yeon maintains she’s happy doing makeup, and end up walking out on them.
Han Soo Yeon isn’t lying to herself, but she later realises she still has lingering desires to be on stage after a date Cha Jeong Hyeok purposely planned to find this out sees Han Soo Yeon seriously consider trying the entertainment business again.
Initially, Han Soo Yeon was a bit angry at Cha Jeong Hyeok for suggesting she give it all another try. Despite understanding the reason why he suggested it (that reason being to take it up and not regret because such opportunities, especially ones which you likes and dream to obtain, don’t come along easily: 1st time is rare, second is rarer), Han Soo Yeon is angry that Cha Jeong Hyeok would let her go like this. Idols can’t date. So, suggesting she chase after this second chance is suggesting they break up.
However, after Cha Jeong Hyeok takes her mind back to that national idol competition a year ago by giving her the exact same look she had, Han Soo Yeon remembers her love for singing, dancing and people cheering for her. She worries about having a hard time again, but people want her to do it again. She becomes conflicted because she likes Cha Jeong Hyeok as well as makeup.
Cha Jeong Hyeok tells her she go do everything she wants to do. He will wait for her. He will be here for her forever he tells her. Cha Jeong Hyeok then kisses Han Soo Yeon. It’s a kiss that comes off so much like he is sending her off with a goodbye kiss.
Baek Ji Yoon’s fight to free herself from Min Kang Ho is underway. Approaching Min Kang Ho’s sister, Min Jeong Hui, Baek Ji Yoon proposes to help her take what she wants from her brother (which is the control of HD Cosmetics Foreign Department) with the condition she help make Min Kang Ho sign the divorce papers. To encourage Min Jeong Hui to agree, Baek Ji Yoon presents her some scandalous photos of Min Kang Ho with another woman (this was what was inside the yellow envelope shown in Episode 14). Min Jeong Hui seems reluctant and calls her bluff as it’d cause Baek Ji Yoon to lose face, but Baek Ji Yoon assures she isn’t bluffing. She wants out. She gives Min Jeong Hui one week to get Min Kang Ho to sign the divorce papers. Fail to do that and she’ll be going to the press herself with the photos plus more if necessary.
Min Jeong Hui doesn’t disappoint. She approaches her brother to threaten him with what Baek Ji Yoon brought her before stating her demands. He’s not willing to give her HD Cosmetics or sign the divorce papers. Min Jeong Hui won’t settle for less and gives him one day to make the decision.
Touch has so far been doing well with schedules fully booked, but in this episode Cha Jeong Hyeok and Yang Se Joon find that they aren’t able to shake off their Cha Beauty scandal. They’re getting a lot of hate comments on their website and social media. A lawsuit is beyond their finances. They have no money to go up against Min Kang Ho’s specialist lawyers. Their only hope is locating their former factory president, Lee Yeong Wook. So far, Oh Shi Eun and Min Kang Ho have been successful in keeping him from returning from abroad, but he is back in the country after escaping the watchful eyes of Min Kang Ho’s people.
Episode 16
Han Soo Yeon is still conflicted about whether to be a singer again or stay being a makeup artist when morning hits, but after making the decision to go to One Entertainment, she realises makeup is her new dream. Although her heart still pounds at the thought of being on stage, she realises that she’s been happier than she has been the whole of her last 10 years trying to debut as a singer. And so, she enters her meeting with One Entertainment’s President Jang telling her some of this before declining their offer.
The rejection disappoints her parents, in particular her mum who had a lot of expectations for her debut. However, they both accept her decision as they now believe this new dream of being a makeup artist makes her happier.
Cha Jeong Hyeok was ready to let Han Soo Yeon go knowing it was going to be even harder to date an idol than an actress. He seemed reluctant when he expressed this to Yang Se Joon, though. Fortunately, he now doesn’t have to. He greets Han Soo Yeon with relief and a hug when she calls him to meet to tell him she’s rejected One Entertainment’s offer.
Seeing as she’s rejected the offer to become a singer in favour of being a makeup artist, Han Soo Yeon tells him he better like her and care for her more so she doesn’t regret. He promises her. It’s a promise which Cha Jeong Hyeok quickly breaks the next day—at least he appears to come off that way when no honey drips from Cha Jeong Hyeok’s mouth after Yang Se Joon compliments how much she shined the next morning. Contradicting Yang Se Joon, Cha Jeong Hyeok attributes the shine to the great lightbulbs she was standing under. He does so with a wink to indicate to Han Soo Yeon he wasn’t being serious. They seemingly still want to keep their relationship a secret from everyone, so Cha Jeong Hyeok was maintaining his usual self in order to keep their new relationship status from being found out.
Cha Beauty and Cha Jeong Hyeok’s good reputation is restored as the factory president Cha Jeong Hyeok and Yang Se Joon have been looking for shows up before them at Touch. Discovering that Cha Jeong Hyeok and Yang Se Joon has been the one visiting his mother and caring for her (and not Oh Shi Eun) has Lee Yeong Wook escape the watchful eyes of Min Kang Ho’s people to reveal to the public the truth. Through a recorded interview, he tells the public about the makeup which Handong Group launches was something Cha Jeong Hyeok developed, but because of a contract which he thought was cancelled with Oh Shi Eun, he was blackmailed to help with the accusations of technology theft and document forgery.
That cleared up, Cha Jeong Hyeok and Yang Se Joon consider filing a lawsuit against Oh Shi Eun and Handong Group for business obstruction and defamation. This would see Oh Shi Eun face a minimum of five years imprisonment with worse the worst case scenario being life imprisonment. For Min Kang Ho, it was going to be a tough fight, too, it seems, as he orders his people to get in touch with the best lawyers in light of the news.
In the end though, Oh Shi Eun and Min Kang Ho are spared as Cha Jeong Hyeok decides against a lawsuit. For the sake of his past teacher-student relationship, he won’t make Oh Shi Eun face justice before the courts, but instead he will do everything he can to bring her to the ground through Touch (and does so successfully: Oh Secret is later seen as empty as when she ruined Cha Beauty with accusations of technology theft). As for Min Kang Ho, he’s made to agree to settling Cha Beauty’s accounts, pay its loan, wrap up HD Cosmetics and release a public apology.
With the loss of HD Cosmetics, Min Kang Ho loses Baek Ji Yoon. Pressure from Min Kang Ho and Min Jeong Hui’s father, the chairman, sees Min Kang Ho finally sign the divorce papers and give in to his sister demands. This has him see that without Handong Group and the pride it gives him he can’t live, so, as Baek Ji Yoon advises, he better protect his position well and live a good life.
Min Kang Ho and Baek Ji Yoon separate on good terms in the end with Baek Ji Yoon even saying she was okay they meet up very occasionally. Two years later that kind of relationship appears to have happened with a slight improvement: Min Kang Ho is no longer blocking her from getting work and no longer taking on rival projects. Baek Ji Yoon is seen taking on projects from Handong Group in fact and can even appear in an interview together.
Touch becomes Touch Premium Beauty two years on. They’ve reached the pinnacle of what Cha Beauty once was plus more. As well as offering premium makeup, the team’s added an on-site service which sees them travel to their clients. They now also offer makeup lessons in their salon.
Han Soo Yeon’s made it to being a Main Makeup Artist with Kang Do Jin being her first client. He’s up for an award at the Seoul International Film Festival (which he wins). With her makeup being good enough for such an award event as well as Kang Do Jin being her best friend, Han Soo Yeon’s sure to become Kang Do Jin’s makeup artist. It looked like he was going to choose Han Soo Yeon during a surprise birthday party Han Soo Yeon threw for him. However, he goes back to choosing Cha Jeong Hyeok, choosing to recognise the professional Cha Jeong Hyeok is over the friendship between Han Soo Yeon. Kang Do Jin is well and truly over his feelings for Han Soo Yeon it looks like.
Son Hong Seok’s made it to Main Makeup Artist, too, but he reveals his struggle to fill his schedule. Even Han Soo Yeon who’s only been promoted a week ago has more clients. The problem it seems is with his dress sense. What he needs is a makeover. Enter Kim Dong Min and his girlfriend to help Son Hong Seok get a new, more flamboyant style.
The focus on Son Hong Seok’s struggle to get more clients appears to not only be about needing to present a style which have clients book the makeup artist, but also how appearance affects the way people see others and make judgements and assumptions based on one’s appearance. This whole time, Kim Dong Min’s been presented as a flamboyant, gay character because of the way he dresses, looks and talks. He was seen bringing in a guy friend who he introduced as a “friend who’s like a lover” adding to the assumption of Kim Dong Min being gay. Evidently, he’s not with the introduction of his girlfriend.
Oh Shi Eun appears to have accepted her more inferior position compared to Cha Jeong Hyeok. She’s seen scouting artists (as in fine arts) to turn into makeup artists just like how she scouted Cha Jeong Hyeok and turned the painter in him into a top makeup artist. Apparently she loves students who surpass her now. (Haha)
Instead of Han Soo Yeon doing Jeong Young Ah’s Makeup for her live-streams, Lee Hyun Woo is doing her makeup now. They are a lovey-dovey couple after their relationship started developing in Episode 15.
Ending the episode and the drama, Han Soo Yeon and Cha Jeong Hyeok go out on a date, wearing cute couple bunny ears. As they walk though the crowds, they both can’t help stare at some of the poorly done makeup they see. They both agree it was so bad they can’t go on looking at it and both put on their cute heart-shaped shades which sends them into a fit of laughter. Han Soo Yeon’s made it. She’s become the kind of makeup artist Cha Jeong Hyeok is.
Favourite / Notable Moments in Pictures
EPISODE 1: Han Soo Yeon dares to change a look of award winning makeup artist, Cha Jeong Hyeok.
EPISODE 3: Oh Shi Eun versus Cha Jeong Hyeok for Double X Magazine. Winner: Cha Jeong Hyeok for his Western-Art-inspired concept.
EPISODE 7: Cha Jeong Hyeok and Han Soo Yeon get close as he shows her how to shade in brows.
EPISODE 8: Cha Jeong Hyeok is ruined. Kneeling before Oh Shi Eun was not going to have her tell him where Lee Yeong Wook is. She is behind his disappearance.
EPISODE 8: Cha Jeong Hyeok found unconscious following Oh Shi Eun and Min Kang Ho’s framing him as a technology thief.
EPISODE 10: Jeong Young Ah helps Cha Jeong Hyeok find a premise for his new salon. The place is old and doesn’t have a lot of foot traffic, but she thinks viral marketing will drive business to his shop. He is still the top makeup artist Cha Jeong Hyeok with skills no one can rival. Word of mouth and viral marketing and confidence in his work can bring the customers.
EPISODE 10: Kang Do Jin’s liked Han Soo Yeon since they met back when they were in high school. Kang Do Jin tries to kiss her, but he’s stopped by Han Soo Yeon who tells him she likes Cha Jeong Hyeok.
EPISODE 11: Cha Jeong Hyeok shows Han Soo Yeon it’s not just about choosing the makeup that fits with that person. It’s about discovering as well. The way he illustrates this point is having her close her eyes, feel the structure of his face while she follows him doing the same to her face. Han Soo Yeon ends up opening her eyes and gazing at Cha Jeong Hyeok. She seems to be starting to show some feelings for him.
EPISODE 11: Cha Jeong Hyeok reluctantly agrees to do the makeup of his former girlfriend, former actress, Baek Ji Yoon, with Han Soo Yeon watching in the background.
EPISODE 12: Kang Do Jin reveals the truth to a room full of his fans that he’s not as cool or as innocent as his image presents him to be. Unlike that image his agency wants him to present, he’s dated in the past, enjoys nightclubs and he was responsible for the scandal that has Han Soo Yeon kicked out of the Entertainment industry.
EPISODE 13: Cha Jeong Hyeok spends the night as well as the whole of next morning searching for Han Soo Yeon to find her up on the railing of the suspension bridge back in her hometown.
EPISODE 13: Han Soo Yeon’s mother’s makeup is just all wrong. Cha Jeong Hyeok can no longer look past it anymore and offers to do her makeup as well as gives her tips on what suits her best.
EPISODE 13: Yang Se Joon happens upon Cha Jeong Hyeok’s drawings and finds Cha Jeong Hyeok’s model for his drawings has switched from Baek Ji Yoon (who’s been someone he subconsciously drew for over 10 years) to Han Soo Yeon.
EPISODE 13: Cha Jeong Hyeok’s feeling jealous as he is forced to sit in the background listening to Han Soo Yeon sing for Kang Do Jin.
EPISODE 14: Han Soo Yeon finds Cha Jeong Hyeok’s drawings of her and learns Cha Jeong Hyeok actually has feelings for her.
EPISODE 15: Cha Jeong Hyeok recreates the makeup she had during the idol competition which became her last stage in an attempt to get her to see she still has lingering desires to be a singer.
EPISODE 15: Successful in getting Han Soo Yeon to see she still has lingering desires to be a singer, Cha Jeong Hyeok sends her on her way with a goodbye kiss.
EPISODE 16: Oh Shi Eun is looking disheveled as she is on her knees begging Cha Jeong Hyeok to save her after the truth about her scheme to frame Cha Jeong Hyeok as a technology thief goes public.
EPISODE 16: Cha Jeong Hyeok’s back to his former glory. Touch is a busy salon with lots of employees. They’ve added new on-site services plus in-house makeup lessons!
EPISODE 16: Han Soo Yeon may have become a main makeup artist and has become pretty good, but Kang Do Jin still chooses Cha Jeong Hyeok as his makeup artist over Han Soo Yeon—to her displeasure.
EPISODE 16: Han Soo Yeon and Cha Jeong Hyeok just can’t look past bad makeup up during their date. Having been trained by Cha Jeong Hyeok, Han Soo Yeon’s developed Cha Jeong Hyeok’s discerning distaste for poorly done makeup. They’re a perfectly matched couple now.
