Kim Jung-hyun and Geum Sae-rok enjoyed a secret meeting at the emergency exit, avoiding people‘s eyes.

In episode 16 of KBS2’s special weekend drama ‘Iron Family’ (directed by Sung Joon-hae, Seo Yong-soo / written by Seo Sook-hyang) aired on the 17th, Seo Kang-joo (played by Kim Jung-hyun) was touched by Da-rim Lee‘s (played by Geum Sae-rok) kimbap apology, let go of his anger towards her and got closer to her.

In that day’s broadcast, Cha Tae-woong (played by Choi Tae-joon) headed to New York to meet his biological mother Noh Ae-ri (played by Jo Mi-ryeong). Tae-woong expressed his suppressed anger when his mother, whom he thought was sick, laughed while drinking. Here, Ae-ri orders Tae-woong to use the fact that Kang-joo attended film school in New York to get him away from Ji Seung-don (Shin Hyun-joon), heightening the tension in the drama.

Upon returning to Korea, Tae-woong turned on his phone and headed straight to the Clean Laundry after receiving a flood of text messages from his family, and his family rushed to him to express their disappointment. Tae-woong said that if they knew that he was the building owner, they wouldn‘t let him work at the laundry, which was touching.

In the meantime, Kang-joo, who was fired from his position as managing director, was put on standby. Later, when Kang-joo met Seung-don in the sauna, he knelt before his father and begged, “I won’t hit you in the back of the head again. Please forgive me just this once.” However, Seung-don said, “You won an award, so go to a movie. Don‘t two-timing my company,” and maintained a cold attitude toward Kang-joo.

Kang-joo, who was in a crisis, was angry at Da-rim for not telling him first. Da-rim kept apologizing to Kang-joo, saying, “I’m so sorry I could die,” but he said, “Why are you asking me that? You should tell me. It‘s my business, my problem. Why are you differentiating between public and private? Is our relationship public?”

Meanwhile, Moo-rim (played by Kim Hyun-joon) returned from his honeymoon and asked Ahn Gil-rye (played by Kim Young-ok) and Lee Man-deuk (played by Park In-hwan) for their ledgers, saying that too much wedding money had come in. Gil-rye and Man-deuk’s flustered attempts to avoid a crisis brought much entertainment to the living room theater.

At the end of the broadcast, Kang-joo, who was upset with Da-rim, wrote down her mistakes on a piece of paper, and Da-rim, who felt sorry, gave Bong-hee kimbap, saying that she made it herself. Kang-joo, whose heart was relieved, shared kimbap with Da-rim on the stairs, avoiding people‘s eyes, which made people’s hearts flutter. The growing relationship between Kang-joo and Da-rim and the dramatic story surrounding their family are adding to the excitement.

The 16th episode recorded a viewership rating of 18.1% (provided by Nielsen Korea, nationwide households), ranking first among all programs aired that day. In particular, the scene where Moo-rim, who has returned from her honeymoon, asks Man-deuk and Gil-rye where the condolence money ledger is, gave viewers a pleasant laugh, reaching a peak viewership rating of 19.9% per minute.

The 17th episode of ‘Iron Family’ will air on Saturday, the 23rd at 8 PM.

Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com reporter jhj@donga.com