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'Record of Youth' Episode 4: Hye-jun transforms with his first acting part, Jeong-ah's work woes continue

'Record of Youth' Episode 4 sees how Hye-jun changes as a person now that he has decided to go all out to pursue his dream and hold on to it for one last time before he enlists

'Record of Youth' Episode 4 portrays the transition of a young man finally getting a chance at realizing his dream. Hye-jun has been working hard since he passed out of high school to make his dream come true. He held many part-time jobs to support himself why he followed his passion. Yes, this had led to his father and brother to look down on him for not using his brains, but just getting by with his looks; however, none of this weighed him down. Not initially at least. However, recently, after failing an audition for a movie that he had tried hard to get into, Hye-jun felt that he was hard-pressed for luck and was quite close to giving up. 

The transition was tough but the portrayal of the same was done brilliantly. Unlike other dramas where the transition depends heavily upon a dramatic life event, in 'Record of Youth', the show heavily depends on the musings of Hye-jun to showcase how getting just the first role is an impressive feat. Hye-jun explains how his generation has this term called "gold spoon" and "dirt spoon". The former is to describe the privileges and support that kids from well-to-do families receive, as a result of their parents having done well as well. The latter is to describe kids who do not get any privileges or even proper financial aid from their parents as a result of their parents belonging to the lower economic strata.

The kids who have privileges end up getting a leg up in any field they choose to excel in and pursue, like Hae-hyo in the show while the ones who do not have such privileges have only a handful of options to make it to the top. First, they could get the support of a sponsor, secondly, they could get lucky with the kind of connections that they make as kids, or in schools and colleges. And finally, they could depend on hard work and talent to take them to the right place and that is exactly what Hye-jun does. He depends solely on his talent to make it in the industry. While he did have false starts, this time, the role that he has landed thanks to Min-jae, seems legit. 

Will this mark the beginning of a celebratory career for Hye-jun or will he face further obstacles on the road towards making his dream come true? Then, there is our Jeong-ah, the young woman who had decided to give up on a stable corporate career to follow her dreams. However, this episode shows how troubled she is at work because her senior has misunderstood her intentions. One of her senior workers believes that Jeong-ah is trying to steal her clients, and she also believes that Jeong-ah is only aiming to please the male clients. So she continues to taunt and tease her in the presence of clients, however, because a hierarchy exists, one that has been approved by the salon employees and the founder. So Jeong-ah continues to hold her frustration and anger in, while she attempts to learn more about makeup. 

At the end of the episode, Hye-jun realizes something important. He understands that the only profession that allows him to escape from feeling inferior because he is a "dirt spoon" who has no connections is acting. As an actor, every role that he would portray would be one that he would have got because of his talent alone. So as an actor, he wouldn't be rated and graded. It is this positivity that he finds in his work that allows him to keep pushing against all obstacles, and opposition that he faces from family and friends. Will he really succeed or is this just a small taste of success?

'Record of Youth' originally airs on tvN on Mondays and Tuesdays in South Korea and can be streamed on Netflix in the US.