Becoming A Bigger Monster
Episode 3 of Again My Life starts with Hui-Wu walking home but stopped by the deadly assassin, Doctor K. Hui-Wu tries to thwart his threat but it’s no good, he manages to best Hui-Wu down and throw him off the bridge. As a white truck approaches…Hui-Wu awakens. It was all a bad dream! Off the back of this, Hui-Wu remains determined to get a head-start on his fighting. His trainer is a man named Seong-Jae and he decides to head in and spar with him, proving his worth. He’s the best martial arts teacher in Korea and Hui-Wu manages to impress him enough to get lessons for free. Meanwhile, Gyu-Ri is not able to attend college because of her family. Her father’s health is not good. Gyu-Ri receives a message that night, informing her that her father has collapsed. It’s an unfortunate turn of events, and one that Hui-Wu is aware could lead to her skipping out on her studies. In order to try and help out Gyu-Ri, and simultaneously hammer a blow to Tae-Seob, Hui-Wu deliberates over how he can win a few auctions for apartments. However, when he notices an old man named Wu-Yong-Su show up at the auction house and win every single bid, he decides to learn his secrets. Hui-Wu remembers the words he was instilled by the reaper several episode back and decides to become a bigger monster. This comes in the form of convincing Yong-Su to take him on and help teach him. In order to prove his worth though, Hui-Wu is tasked with clearing out an apartment in 30 minutes or less. Hui-Wu passes the test, although Yong-Su is quick to point out that this is a difficult business, one that’s often called heartless and greedy because of what it entails. Interestingly, Hui-Wu manages to gain the trust of his teacher, who gives him some advice about how to approach the bidding process. It works too and he wins his first bid on a property. Yong-Su instils some useful advice, pointing out that sympathy is all well and good but sometimes that can be taken advantage of. The business is soul-destroying at times. Hui-Wu refuses to give up his principles and decides to do things his way. Unfortunately, trouble is brewing as Tae-Seob’s men decide to try and squeeze Yong-Su’s assets out, leaving him with just a house and snatching up the properties he has from under him. However, for now there’s a “critical announcement” from Dad. Hui-Wu hurries home and learns that his father is going to open a fried chicken shop. Hui-Wu smiles warmly and supports their decision. Elsewhere, Han-Mi studies hard and is helped by Hui-Wu, who spends some of his free time trying to help her out. She wants to get into Hangkuk University, but it’s not like she has much support from her family. Her step-brother calls her pathetic while her father simply gives her an envelope for allowance. And who should her dad be? Seok-Hoon. Small world and all that! With high-flying Hui-Wu on the way up, he’s invited into the secret annals of a law society, led by a man named Sunbenim and alongside Prosecutor Kang Gin, the corrupt official that’s going to work as Tae-Seob’s puppet. Hui-Wu decides to accept, giving him access to information he didn’t have beforehand. With this established, Sunbaenim lets them know about a secret brewing involving DH Money. Now, the CEO of that place happens to be a man named Park Dae-Ho, who manages Tae-Seob’s funds. Through him, they’re going to squeeze Yong-Su out of his assets through enacting a redevelopment plan for the area. Hui-Wu is determined to help him and lets the old man know that night. DH Money intend to max out Yong-Su’s loan at the bank, which is under political guidance, and through that squeeze Yong-Su out of his properties and force him to sell for rock bottom prices. Hui-Wu feels a sworn duty to protect Yong-Su as much as he can, pointing out that the man died a pitiful death in his own reality, found dead by the side of Han River after swimming in debt. Well, to thwart that Yong-Su bites the bullet, shifts some of his assets across from Bando Bank to Nara Bank and registers all of his properties at once on the same day. When news of this spreads across to DH Money, Tae-Seob is annoyed but points out that with the properties now belonging to multiple people instead of one their plan hasn’t changed all that much. Still, Hui-Wu has managed to save the life of one person, and in the process he points out that crazy, wild look in Hui-Wu’s eyes. Yong-Su warns him not to get too crazy or it will consume his life. Yong-Su also points out how “lucky” he is managed to make it out of this in one piece and not with mountains of debt. It’s almost like “the heavens willed it.” With Congressman Jo Tae-Seob about to give a speech at the college, Hui-Wu shows up, determined to find out what nonsense he’s going to speak. However, he notices that the grim reaper from before rocks up next to him.
The Episode Review
Again My Life has been a really solid drama so far and the story is certainly taking its time, fleshing out the world around these characters and helping to show Hui-Wu in a different light, patient and more methodical than before. Seeing him become a bigger monster so to speak, meddling in the real estate game, is a nice touch and certainly the way to go to take out Tae-Seob and how much influence this man has. There are definitely echoes of Itaewon Class here with this depiction of an underdog rising up and grinding it out to thwart their threat but so far there’s not a lot of filler here, it’s mostly revolving around Hui-Wu working to establish a solid foundation to work with so when he does pounce on Tae-Seob, he’s unlikely to end up dead like before. The fake-out death scene at the start of the episode is a little cheesy, especially the overused “surprise, it’s just a dream!” trope but it at least helps to show what Hui-Wu is up against.
