'Backstreet Rookie' Episode 12: Yeon-joo returns to Dae-hyun after a shocking reveal, leaves Saet-byul upset
It hasn't been too long since Dae-hyun (Ji Chang-wook) and Yeon-joo (Han Sun-hwa) broke up in 'Backstreet Rookie'. Yeon-joo had at that time cited that the two of them were very different people with no shared interest and she wished Dae-hyun well. She had even told him that she hoped that he would meet someone who suits him and for a day, Dae-hyun was heartbroken. He then saw how she and her mother had treated his family and this helped him move past his relationship with Yeon-joo. However, at the end of episode 12, Yeon-joo returns and tells Dae-hyun that she is now going to return everything back to normal and even hugs him tight, in tears and all. Saet-byul (Kim Yoo-jung) sees all of this play out as it happens right outside the convenience store.
The episode began with Dae-hyun taking part in the advertisement that is being shot by his convenience store franchise at his store. It stars Kang Ji-wook, who happens to be Saet-byul's friend and at the end of the last episode, he had also told Dae-hyun that he likes Saet-byul as more than just a friend. So this confession has made Dae-hyun more conscious of himself and Saet-byul's actions around Ji-wook. Similarly, Ji-wook is also watching how Saet-byul acts around her boss Dae-hyun and the increasing closeness between the two makes Ji-wook extremely jealous.
In fact, both Dae-hyun and Ji-wook do things that they never thought they would. The former wears make up after he becomes conscious of how much Ji-wook gains attention because of his looks and Ji-wook, on the other hand, tries to push Saet-byul to spend more time with him instead of her boss. In this vein, he even tells her to go to Eun-byul's debut showcase with him so that she can see how her sister performs.
The first half of the day's episode sees the two-act out their jealousy and it makes for some hilarious minutes. Saet-byul doesn't know what is going on between Ji-wook and Dae-hyun and so she ends up praising one in front of another and this only fuels competition between the two of them. The episode, however, takes a dark turn once Eun-byul's acquaintance from school who also happens to be a bully ends up blackmailing her for money.
Eun-byul captures the attention of the public with her hard work but if the pictures that were taken by these bullies get released, her career and her reputation will go up in flames. Initially, she tries to sort everything out with Ji-wook's help but that only backfires and Eun-byul continues to be blackmailed by these girls.
Saet-byul comes to know about this after Eun-byul's first public performance and is mad at her sister for hanging out with bullies in the first place but she does try to come up with a way to help her sister. Meanwhile, she receives a valuable gift from Dae-hyun. After seeing her looking at a high school book, and trying to read from it, Dae-hyun asks her if she plans on taking her GED. When she says she does plan to but only when she has more time, Dae-hyun gifts her with more time and space in the convenience store for Saet-byul to study.
Saet-byul even hugs him after being moved by the gift and Dae-hyun reciprocates. Just when we think things are progressing well for the two of them, we see Yeon-joo learn the real reason why Dae-hyun quit working at the convenience store. Turns out, he took the blame for something that Yeon-joo had done after being manipulated by Seung-joon. She is shocked and moved as well and runs to Dae-hyun. When she sees Dae-hyun, she runs to him, yells at him for lying to her and then hugs him and tells him that she will return everything back to normal, the way it was.
Does she care about Dae-hyun now? It seems like she feels guilty more than love at the moment. We will see what Dae-hyun will make of this situation in the coming week.
'Backstreet Rookie' originally airs on SBS on Fridays and Saturdays at 10 pm KST.