'Backstreet Rookie' Episode 15: Yeon-joo successfully uses Dae-hyun's mother to oust Saet-byul out of his life
Spoilers for 'Backstreet Rookie' Episode 15
This is the finale week of 'Backstreet Rookie' and in its penultimate episode, we see Dae-hyun (Ji Chang-wook) make a heartfelt confession to Saet-byul (Kim Yoo-jung) that he wants to be a special person in her life. It's what Saet-byul has been waiting for all her life, but somehow she doesn't seem ready to accept this proposal. She tells Dae-hyun that she wants to accept his confession and give her response on the day that she passes her GED. That's when we realize that Saet-byul is not secure about herself. She feels that she is not good enough for Dae-hyun who she has been crushing on him from when she was in middle school. Unless she feels equal to Dae-hyun, she might not feel worthy of accepting the relationship. However, Dae-hyun tells her that she is good just as she is. She is diligent, hardworking, and loyal and that she should be proud of herself. However, he also tells her that he will wait for her to feel comfortable enough to accept the relationship.
The two like each other and are smitten, but not everything will be smooth since Yeon-joo (Han Sun-hwa) is still holding on to Dae-hyun now. She is selfish and believes that showering Dae-hyun's mother with gifts and even hoodwinking her into believing that she is a great choice for Dae-hyun she would support him in reaching greater heights in his career. However, after her husband does the mistake of hiding the fact that he met his first love, Dae-hyun's mother decides to get drunk with Yeon-joo, and over this experience, she also develops affection for her. After the way Yeon-joo set Dae-hyun up to take a job in the head office, she continues to scheme against Saet-byul and tries as hard to bring Saet-byul to leave Dae-hyun's side of her own accord.
Then the new manager comes in and from the moment he steps into the convenience store, his intentions are clear. He wants Saet-byul out and the antagonism in his behavior and the tone he uses to address her reflects it all. While Saet-byul is dealing with this, she also sees Dae-hyun's mother suffer after she gets yelled at by her son for wanting him to patch things up with Yeon-joo. All of this has Saet-byul hesitate in expressing her feelings for Dae-hyun. The question now boils down to who would be the right person for Dae-hyun's life. Can Yeon-joo really succeed in driving a wedge between Saet-byul and Dae-hyun by portraying her to be an obstacle in Dae-hyun's life? This episode seems to say as much. Now, it is time to see how Dae-hyun faces Saet-byul's absence.
'Backstreet Rookie' originally airs on SBS on Fridays and Saturdays at 10 pm KST.
