Shield: Activated
Episode 2 of Love Alarm Season 2 begins with Sun-O catching up with Jojo at school. He asks how Hye-Yeong is before eventually asking if she’s okay. She doesn’t answer though, and instead tells him she needs to leave. At the police station, Jojo receives Duk-Goo’s address. Only, the officer there breaks the news that he’s actually dead. Jojo is obviously distraught and sits outside, crying on the steps of the school. Sun-O notices her but thinks twice about heading over and offering comfort, instead driving back home. Jojo is left with her thoughts, deliberating on Duk-Goo’s talk about the shield and sword. Checking her tablet, she shows off a picture of a young girl hiding behind a shield, arrows piercing the front. Jojo shows up at Hye-Yeong’s place and the two head out together for a romantic evening. They laugh and forget about their problems, at least for a while. Jojo propositions him with a trip abroad too, pointing out a plane above. As they head back home, the pair discuss Brian Chon. Hye-Yeong admits he hasn’t met him yet but wants to. They say their goodbyes but just before parting ways, Hye-Yeong turns and tells her he’s going to keep liking her no matter what. Jojo forces a smile, before heading home and posting her shield picture. It receives mixed responses from her audience. Meanwhile, Sun-O finds himself conflicted over what to do, eventually deciding to attend an upcoming press conference. This happens to be reserved for Badge Club members too. Well, night turns to day and Jojo catches up with Mun-Win, who happens to have books all around her, Jojo shows her best friend her phone, which includes a message from Brian Chon. Within this, he asks to meet. She still thinks this could be Duk-Goo’s doing, especially given his reasons for starting Love Alarm are eerily similar to that of Brian Chon. In the morning, Jojo activates her shield, being careful to keep everything a secret. She messages Hye-Hyeong on the way to work and asks to meet. Only, Hye-Yeong is caught up with his own issues and rejects her meeting. Jojo still leaves strawberries on his door though, unbeknownst to her that he’s actually out to visit his Father in prison. The Badge Club begins and both Jojo and Sun-O happen to be in attendance. Jojo sits with Brian Chon and asks about the shield feature. She wants to get rid of it, determined to find out where her heart truly lies. She also figures out that Brian and Duk-Goo are one and the same, especially given he was the only one who knew about the shield feature. Tellingly though, Brian tells her Duk-Hoo is gone and admits there’s no way to get rid of the app. As Jojo walks away, Sun-O catches up with her and talks about the shield on the stairwell. He figures out that she’s had this installed for a while, as she apologizes to him for not telling the truth. Given Hye-Yeong is unaware of this, Jojo is put in a difficult position.
The Episode Review
Episode 2 of Love Alarm seems to hint that Duk-Goo is actually Brian Chon. Although we’re not explicitly told this (yet) I think it’s a fair conclusion to come to. The shield function seems to be a permanent bit of tech too, despite what Duk-Goo told her in the past, and this will almost certainly lead to more conflicts to arise for our protagonist. There’s certainly lots of intriguing possibilities going forward, especially with a deeper look at Hye-Yeong and his past. The episode itself still continues to add in a lot of long cuts, which does make the show feel longer than it perhaps should. However, if love triangles are your thing then this show seems to be doubling down on that, returning to the same question from high school. Who will Jojo pick? Is it Hye-Yeong or Sun-O? We’ll have to wait and see!
