4 Moments That Brought Sooyoung And Kim Jae Yeong Closer In Episodes 5-6 Of “IDOL I”

After the gut-wrenching premiere that revealed the pain behind the glamour of idol life, to the sad moments that haunted the narrative during the second week, “IDOL I” episodes five and six have finally given us some moments that made hearts skip a beat. From Do Ra Ik (Kim Jae Yeong) being too clingy and sickly sweet to Maeng Se Na (Girl’s Generation’s Sooyoung), to him trying to protect her every chance he gets, here are four times Sooyoung and Kim Jae Yeong grew closer.

Warning: spoilers ahead!

The car accident that brought them closer

Episode five kicks off with Maeng Se Na and Do Ra Ik’s car losing control and flying in the air due to a malfunction, and when the scene finally changes, our leads are already closer than before. While Maeng Se Na mumbles incoherent phrases on the hospital bed, Do Ra Ik holds her hand. Even after she wakes up, he rushes to inform the nurse. His urge to care for Maeng Se Na doesn’t stop after she’s discharged, as he insists on carrying her into the house because she must be feeling too weak.

Beyond all of Do Ra Ik’s antics that give viewers butterflies, one thing is clear: he’s finally softening up to Maeng Se Na. Because what else could explain the usually closed-off Do Ra Ik going above and beyond to take care of his lawyer?

The story behind the smelly nickname

While this second moment may not have the same heart-stopping impact as the first, it’s no less potent in showing how quickly Do Ra Ik’s affection for Maeng Se Na has grown.

In the previous episode, Do Ra Ik sees Maeng Se Na talking with the lawyer Byeong Gyun (Jung Jae Kwang), which he mistakes for romantic banter. He suspects they are dating, have dated, or might in the future, all because the lawyer calls Maeng Se Na “Nemse Na” (nemse means “smell” in Korean). But when Maeng Se Na explains that the lawyer went to the same school and implies she was mistreated, something clicks. Do Ra Ik gets angry on her behalf, noting that the lawyer’s own name literally means “germs,” so he has no right to tease someone else’s name.

This scene feels extra heartwarming because Do Ra Ik comes off as a kid, throwing childish insults to protect a friend. It’s almost endearing to see him momentarily forget the harsh realities around him, acting adolescent and caring for the one who protects him in his own small ways.

The not-so-nonchalant and utterly clingy Do Ra Ik

Do Ra Ik is a grown man, yet at times it’s hard not to see him as a small duckling imprinted on Maeng Se Na, running after her for attention, or perhaps a damsel in distress falling for his knight in shining armor.

Off-screen, Do Ra Ik asks Maeng Se Na to work in the living room, but he becomes annoyed when she actually works instead of talking to him. The moment he says, “I am not invisible,” made audiences swoon. There’s something about a male lead unafraid to show his clinginess that hits just right with viewers.

His chalance doesn’t end there. The next day, seeing Maeng Se Na talking with Chung Jae (Kim Hyun Jin), he spies on them to figure out why they are sitting side by side in the morning.

How the roles of idol and fan have switched!

Yet this moment quickly turns emotional as Do Ra Ik hears Maeng Se Na say she trusts him 100 percent and refuses to entertain any speculation about her client. At the end of the day, a person needs nothing but one person to trust him. This moment truly shows why Do Ra Ik is drawn to Maeng Se Na: in a world labeling him a killer, she is the only one who believes in him completely.

The sappy tickle tree

Nothing is more intimate than sharing a cherished memory, and this is exactly what Maeng Se Na does. When Do Ra Ik doubts himself again, she shares the magic of the tickle tree, something previously shared only between her and her father.

In a flashback, her father tells her that if you hold the tickle tree and lie, it shakes its branches; whether or not the magic is real, she chooses to believe. Sharing something so personal is special. Do Ra Ik doesn’t ridicule her belief; he chooses to embrace it too. And when his ex-girlfriend (Choi Hee Jin) asks him to live with her, he declares this place is where he belongs.

For the first time, he chooses Maeng Se Na not out of necessity but because he feels at home. Though he could be safe elsewhere, he knows he can’t replicate that sense of home without her.

Beyond showing the growing bond between Maeng Se Na and Do Ra Ik, “IDOL I” episodes five and six highlight the layers of every character. Initially, the CEO of Goldie Entertainment seemed cartoonishly evil, but recent episodes have fleshed him out. While far from angelic, he still chooses to help Do Ra Ik, surprising both the character and the audience. Similarly, the opposing lawyer, once a bully, isn’t entirely corrupt, showing complexity in reconciling his actions. Hopefully, “IDOL I” will continue exploring not only the protagonists but also the morally grey antagonists as it moves toward the finale with each passing episode.

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Javeria is a binge-watching specialist who loves devouring entire K-dramas in one sitting. Good screenwriting, beautiful cinematography, and a lack of clichés are the way to her heart. As a music fanatic, she listens to multiple artists across different genres and stans the self-producing idol group SEVENTEEN SEVENTEEN K-POP GROUP SEVENTEEN is a self-producing boy group with 13 members, divided into hip-hop, vocal, and performance units, known for intricate choreography and songwriting. . You can talk to her on Instagram @javeriayousufs.

Currently Watching: “IDOL I”Looking Forward to: “Positively Yours”