MBC‘s ‘Motel California’ Na In-woo turns his back on Lee Se-young for the first time.

In episode 5 of MBC’s Friday-Saturday drama ‘Motel California’ (planned by Jang Jae-hoon/directed by Kim Hyung-min, Lee Jae-jin/scripted by Lee Seo-yoon/produced by HB Entertainment/hereafter ‘Motel California’), which aired on the 24th (Friday), misunderstandings pile up between Kang-hee (played by Lee Se-young) and Yeon-soo (played by Na In-woo), which depicted a regrettable clash between them, causing excessive immersion on the part of viewers. In addition, episode 5 of ‘Motel California’ recorded 4.7% nationwide and 4.9% in the metropolitan area. Among these, the scene where Kang-hee recalls past wounds while looking at Chun-pil (played by Choi Min-soo) recorded a peak viewership rating of 5.4%. (Nielsen Korea household standard)

The broadcast that day started with the truth about Yeon-soo and Nan-woo‘s (Choi Hee-jin) ‘Ice Cream Shop Date’ that made Kang-hee cry in the previous 4 episodes. In fact, the reason Yeon-soo went to the Berry Scoop ice cream shop was to buy it for Kang-hee. Kang-hee, who had promised Yeon-soo in the past, “Let’s only eat Berry Scoop with me”, fell into a sense of loss without knowing Yeon-soo‘s true feelings, and when Yeon-soo appeared in front of him and spoke to him worriedly, he coldly told her, “Don’t follow me” and turned away. However, Kang-hee, who had secretly hoped Yeon-soo would follow him, was hurt once again when he saw the empty street. In fact, Yeon-soo was just a shadow who followed Kang-hee behind him to Kang-hee‘s warning, “Don’t follow me”, but Kang-hee shed tears of disappointment without seeing Yeon-soo, and the one who comforted him was Seok-kyung (Kim Tae-hyung), whom he happened to run into. And Yeon-soo, who witnessed this scene from afar, felt bitter at the fact that there was no one else who could comfort Kang-hee.

Meanwhile, at Motel California, the gangsters (Kang-hee Family) gathered together and held a welcoming party for Kang-hee. Kang-hee, who finally became a complete group with his best friends, was immersed in childhood memories, and in the meantime, his resentment toward Yeon-soo subsided. At the same time, Kang-hee felt like a loser himself as he watched his friends living their own lives in Hana-eup. Kang-hee vowed to finish the remodeling project well and gain recognition that his choice to leave Hana-eup was not wrong.

However, there was a variable in the construction. The road in front of the remodeling construction site was blocked due to the Hanaeup Hanwoo Festival, causing a disruption in the schedule. Kang-hee, who was having a serious meeting with Seok-gyeong, said, “I want to finish the construction quickly and go to Seoul quickly,” and Yeon-soo was upset when she overheard Kang-hee. Nevertheless, Yeon-soo stepped up to help Kang-hee, and personally persuaded the village elders to change the location of the Hanwoo competition, which was the cause of the road blockade. In the midst of this, Yeon-soo witnessed Kang-hee getting into trouble while trying to persuade the farm owner (played by Yoo Seung-il), who was a festival preparation committee member, and intervened to protect Kang-hee. However, Kang-hee, whose pride was hurt, snapped, “Why are you helping me?” and said, “What kind of relationship are we?” and “You know all about my dark history and my wounds, so it hurts to see you,” and left, leaving Yeon-soo feeling helpless once again.



On the other hand, the road blockade incident ended smoothly. This was thanks to the efforts of Seok-kyung, who decided to support the festival development fund, and the Kang-hee family, who took off their shoes and ran around. Kang-hee reflects on his unnecessary pride, and participates in the Hanwoo Festival with Seok-gyeong, becoming friendly with the people of Hana-eup for the first time. However, when Yeon-soo and Nan-woo show up at the festival with their mother Su-ji (played by Ji Soo-won), and Su-ji shows off her harmony in front of Kang-hee, Kang-hee becomes jealous and pretends to be a couple with Seok-gyeong.

In the meantime, the truth about Yeon-soo and Nan-woo‘s ‘marriage scandal’ is revealed. Yeon-soo and Nan-woo, who had been spreading rumors about each other in the neighborhood, pretended to be a couple to avoid the pressure from their families to get married. Yeon-soo tried to explain her relationship with Nan-woo to Kang-hee, but she missed the timing. Furthermore, Kang-hee helped Nan-woo recently, and their relationship grew closer, which created another obstacle between Yeon-soo and Kang-hee.

Meanwhile, there was a commotion at the festival. When Soo-ji suspects her husband (played by Kim Jung-tae) of having an affair, her enraged husband throws a tantrum and the surroundings become a mess. At this time, Chun-pil runs in to sort out the situation, and Kang-hee expresses her displeasure at Chun-pil, who will do anything for Soo-ji. In particular, Kang-hee resents Chun-pil, saying, “I, my mother, my dead sister, aren’t they pitiful?”, raising curiosity about what happened between the father and daughter and Soo-ji.

After returning to Motel California after the fight with his father, Kang-hee intuitively realizes that the Berry Scoop ice cream that Mr. Kwon (played by Lee Kyu-ho) brought her was given to him by Yeon-soo. Kang-hee goes straight to Yeon-soo’s motel room and finds out that Yeon-soo has kept everything, from the photos they took together to the teddy bear that he left her. I thought Yeon-soo had changed, but in fact, she hadn’t changed at all.

Kang-hee, who searched Ha-na-eup everywhere to find Yeon-soo, asked with a slightly excited anticipation, “Why do you keep helping me? Do you like me?” But Yeon-soo replied, “That‘s all I can do. This is the last thing I can do for you, so is this okay?” In the end, Yeon-soo said with a sad expression, “I need time to forget you. Give me some time,” before turning her back on Kang-hee for the first time, and the drama ended with Kang-hee being left alone, making the viewers’ hearts ache. As such, as unfortunate misunderstandings pile up and become entangled, curiosity is rising about what will happen in the future for Kang-hee and Yeon-soo.

Meanwhile, MBC‘s Friday-Saturday drama ‘Motel California’, which is churning out ‘Motel California fans’ with the actors’ great acting, solid production, and immersive narrative, is a first love remodeling romance about a woman who was born in a rural motel and grew up in a motel, and who reunites with her first love in her hometown she ran away from 12 years ago. Episode 6 will air tonight (the 25th) at 9:50 PM.

Choi Yoon-na, Donga.com reporter yyynnn@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.