Episode Recap
Episode 9 of Love To Hate You begins with Mi-ra confessing her feelings for Kang-ho when she goes to Kang-ho’s house. In the apartment, both of them start arguing, thinking that it is the 1st day of their relationship. Just as they’re about to have love, Kang-ho breaks the kiss to confess that he’s in love with Mi-ran.
Shocked that he’s never said “I love you” to anyone before, Kang-ho agrees to make the first move for her and wait until she’s ready to say it. The new couple are back to bickering again, after which Kang-ho claims to be in love with her after her sacrifice on set. Mi-ran gets upset when Kang-ho starts complimenting her boyfriend.
A flashback shows Soo-jin telling Kang-ho about Mi-ra’s family life and her father’s misogyny at the draft. The two start sleeping in each other’s arms at night. At the shoot the next day, Se-na is still upset that Kang-ho rejected her. Won-jun tries to calm him down before his kissing scene with Kang-ho for the movie.
A flashback shows Mi-ra returning the money Won-joon gave her for the fake Kang-ho. The lawyer claims that she couldn’t hold it back now because her feelings for Kang-ho were honest. Today, Kang-ho tells his CEO that he forgot his anxiety medication. Won-jun gets stressed and asks if the actor wants to reschedule the scene.
Kang-ho doesn’t want to disturb the crew and tries to attempt the motel scene. The scene is shot as Kang-ho emerges clearly with no signs of a panic attack. Won-jun thinks Kang-ho is lying about forgetting the medication, but the actor admits that he thinks he’s finally over his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTS) related to women.
Mi-ran and Na-eun are drinking, when the flight attendant notices how Mi-ran has compromised and turned into a girl screaming about her boyfriend, Kang-ho. The next day, everyone at work, including Mi-ra herself, is shocked at how cute the lawyer is acting and baby-talking Kang-ho on the phone.
That evening, Mi-ran comforts Kang-ho, who shares details about his childhood, including the story of his gold-digging mother. Mi-ran tells Kang-ho about Jin-suh and assures him that they’re just co-workers now. The pair start talking about how Mi-ra manages to act cute, and the teasing match turns into a make-out session.
The montage shows the couple falling in love as they continue to make love and work while they are apart. Kang-ho wonders how much he misses Mi-ran when they’re apart. But, on the other hand, Na-eun wants to end things with Won-jun.
Na-eun shares the embarrassing details that she was indeed tricked by handsome boys to get over her. Instead of pushing her away, Won-jun sympathizes with Na-eun and foils her plan. Na-eun refuses to give in and politely turns Won-jun down before walking away.
The CEO wonders how angry he was at the rejection. Mi-ran is at work, and Jin-suh runs into her and shares that she’s never looked so happy while walking with him. Mi-ran tells Kang-ho that she’ll have a drink with Jin-suh to bond. Meanwhile, Won-jun drinks the pain of rejection when Soo-jin joins them. She asks the duo to plan a surprise party for her comeback after her scandal.
On the other hand, Mi-ran apologizes to Jin-suh for always mistreating her. Kang-ho is seen outside the bar as Mi-ran helps Jin-suh into a taxi by herself. Kang-ho shows up to help Mi-escape and sends her home.
He drops off a drunken Jin-suhu and returns home. Won-jun asks to speak with Na-eun, and the two meet. Won-jun is very drunk and ends up saying the wrong things to Na-eun, angering her. Na-eun walks away again, and Won-joon wonders what he’s doing wrong with this girl he’s really attracted to. Mi-ran waits for Kang-ho to return at the actor’s house.
The actor is always annoyed at being left to clean up after a guy like Jin-suh and doing it without complaint. The couple argue a lot, in bed Mi-ran wrestles victoriously and teases each other. Mi-ran tells Kang-ho that she loves him, and the pair begin sleeping together. The next day, both Kang-ho and Mi-ran kill it on set with their fight scenes.
Later that night, Mi-ran finds Kang-ho internalizing himself before filming the final scene of the movie. He puts it in position and then watches the actor perform the most intense scene in the film. After the shoot is over, the entire cast and crew get together for lunch. Se-na and Kang-ho have one last chat, and the actor politely declines, claiming they were years ago. Se-na is upset and exhausted, so Mi-ran asks Kang-ho to check on her.
Outside, Kang-ho comforts Se-na and tries to mutually end whatever happened between them. He invites Se-na to a party hosted by Kang-ho that weekend. Over the weekend, Mi-ran tries her best to convince Na-eun to go to the party, but the flight attendant is adamant that she wants to stay back.
After Mi-ran leaves, Na-eun deletes Won-joon’s contact number from her phone. Kang-ho talks weirdly to the female actresses at the party, and Mi-ran is unashamedly herself. A woman starts hitting on Won-joon, but he rejects her, claiming that he already has feelings for someone. Soo-jin makes her grand entrance to the party, but people ignore her like the plague. It seems no one wanted to be seen with the controversial actress.
Soo-jin sits alone as Mi-ran takes it upon herself to make sure her best friend has a good time. The two friends have fun together while Kang-ho acts as the third wheel. Won-jun and Grace chat, and the CEO clarifies how they’re just going to be friends.
Grace is convinced that Won-joon has feelings for someone else. At home, Na-eun is shocked to see something on the internet. Meanwhile, everyone at the party has a similar reaction to seeing something online. As Soo-jin hangs out with Mi-ran, people from the party start staring and gossiping.
The same gossip channel released a new video claiming that Mi-ra is a promiscuous woman and had a lot of dating experience before she started dating Kang-ho. Won-jun is worried and wonders what to do in such a situation.
Episode Review
This episode tries to show us the truth of popular culture in South Korea. I wish there would be a time when idols and actors weren’t judged for their dating lives as well as their partners. Fans take great pride in making and breaking a celebrity, which makes them feel like they own a celebrity for following their work.
I wish there was a show in Korea that talked about the downsides of fan culture and how it affects celebrities’ behavior. For now, it’s a shame that Mi-ra is being judged on her past when Kang-ho is clearly in love with her. I wonder how this show will end considering the questionable rumor and the title of the next episode? Guess we’ll have to wait and watch.