Becoming A Bigger Monster
In the third episode of Again My Life, Hui-Wu walks home after a night of drinking but is 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 from his dream and realizes it was all just a dream.
This story follows Hui-Wu, a young man who is determined to improve his fighting skills. He meets a man named Seong-Jae, who is a great martial arts teacher. Hui-Wu impresses him enough to get lessons for free. Seong-Jae decides to train Hui-Wu in the art of martial arts so that he can be the best he can be.
Gyu-Ri’s father has collapsed and she needs to go to the hospital. ..
Hui-Wu, a recent college graduate, is looking for a way to make some money and help out his friends Gyu-Ri and Tae-Seob. He’s been watching the auctions and notices that an old man named Wu-Yong-Su always wins. Hui-Wu decides to learn from him and starts bidding on apartments himself. However, when he bids on an apartment and loses, he realizes that Wu-Yong-Su is using some sort of trick. ..
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, Dad has decided to open a fried chicken shop. This will be a big hit with the locals and will help him make some extra money. Hui-Wu is happy for their decision and supports it.
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 be her dad? Seok-Hoon. Small world and all that!
Sunbenim and Kang Gin invite Hui-Wu into their secret society, which is led by Sunbenim and with Prosecutor Kang Gin as its leader. Hui-Wu decides to accept, giving him access to information he didn’t have beforehand.
Sunbaenim, a financial services company, let the DH Money employees know about a secret brewing involving Tae-Seob. Park Dae-Ho, the CEO of DH Money, manages Tae-Seob’s funds. ..
Yong-Su is in for a tough time if he doesn’t get his assets back. Hui-Wu is determined to help him and let the old man know that night.
The company plans 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.
Yong-Su’s death in his own reality has left Hui-Wu feeling a sworn duty to protect Yong-Su as much as he can. He points 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, Hui-Wu 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.
Despite the risks, Hui-Wu has managed to save the life of one person and in doing so points out that his “crazy, wild look in Hui-Wu’s eyes” is a sign of danger. 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 with only a few injuries. It seems 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
The story of My Life has been a solid drama so far, and the story is certainly taking its time, fleshing out the world around these characters and showing 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 definite echoes of Itaewon Class in 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 establishing 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, but it at least helps to show what Hui-Wu is up against. ..
