My Bias My Boss: Episodes 5-6
by Unit
‘Tis the season of love triangles and delusions as our fangirl’s bias and boss vie for her attention in their different ways. And for our heroine, she will soon discover that some fangirl dreams don’t translate as well in real life.
EPISODES 5-6
Ha-gi has roped himself into the delusion that Da-reum likes him. But he’s determined to draw the line because “It’s impossible for a CEO to date a rookie.” Lol. You can tell this man has never watched a workplace rom-com in his life. Speaking of workplace, SE steals another idea from Appello and leaves them scrambling for a replacement bid for the fashion category of a project hosted by the Korea Heritage Service. Ha-gi gets an idea after seeing a traditional Korean knot keychain attached to Da-reum’s lunch bag, and it’s off to Da-reum’s hometown to see the knot artisan, MASTER IM (Gil Hae-yeon). But Master Im prefers handmade knots, and she refuses Appello’s collaboration for factory produced knots.
After practice sessions with Master Im’s assistant, Ha-gi and Da-reum come to have a genuine appreciation of the traditional values attached to the knots. They also share the assistant’s desire for more people to know about traditional Korean knots (since the knot-making skill is dying out), so they convince Master Im to collaborate with Appello on DIY knot kits as opposed to a soulless mass production of the knots. Although SE eventually wins the bid, Appello gets in as an additional selection in the fashion category. And Da-reum is designated to handle the DIY pop-up event with Master Im. It’s a big responsibility for a rookie, but Da-reum certainly earned this based on how hard she worked to bring Master Im onboard.
Now that our workplace part of the week is done, it’s time to move to our characters’ personal lives. Da-reum’s return to her hometown inevitably leads to her mom, KIM MI-JA (Jang Hye-jin), finding out that she quit her job at SE. I honestly assumed Mi-ja was going to make a fuss about it. But she was more hurt that Da-reum didn’t trust her enough to tell her she was having a hard time at SE — just like she didn’t say anything during her high school outcast days. Da-reum apologizes and promises to not keep things from her mom again. And then she goes on to gush about how much happier and useful she feels at Appello. Aww.
Mi-ja goes into matchmaking mode after meeting Ha-gi, and Ha-gi enjoys the drinking session with her. He tells Da-reum he never got to drink with his mom because she died when he was still in high school, and Da-reum teases that her mom has helped him tick “drink with mom” off his bucket list. Ha-gi asks Da-reum about her bucket list, and she wants to sit at the front row of a concert, have a pet, and hear someone say they’re glad to have her around. Ha-gi is definitely glad Da-reum is with him on this business trip, and he tells her just that. Aww. One item ticked off Da-reum’s list.
Ha-gi goes on to ask if Da-reum sees him as a man, and he is shocked to hear she doesn’t because she thinks he has a crush on Chan. LMAO! Ha-gi clarifies that he doesn’t have a crush on Chan, and there’s a woman he is currently interested in. But before he can say anything else, Chan shows up. Ugh! Go away! Chan has started catching feelings for Da-reum, and things intensify when he realizes she made the fan journal/photo book he has treasured for ten years. Chan can immediately tell that Ha-gi is also interested in Da-reum, but Ha-gi-lulu denies it. But guess who’s a little sad that Da-reum chooses to ride back to Seoul in Chan’s car? Heh.
Da-reum is understanding when Chan apologizes for last week’s incident with Cho-yi. She’s surprised/touched to see that he still has the journal, and he says it was a source of encouragement to him after D.N.X disbanded. It’s no secret that idol Chan is also Da-reum’s source of encouragement, and Chan suggests that they graduate from supporting each other from a distance to staying by each other’s side from now on. He tells Da-reum he wants to date her, and she’s a little hesitant to move from fangirl to girlfriend. But she decides to give the relationship a chance.
Da-reum soon experiences the downside of dating a celebrity. She has to pretend she’s just a passerby when they’re mobbed by Chan’s fans, someone secretly photographs them on the street, and Chan has to leave their dinner date for urgent work reasons. Chan is really sorry they haven’t been able to date in peace, and Da-reum claims to be fine with all of it. But she is totally not fine, and she knows it. Da-reum wishes she could be more expressive about her feelings in front of the person she likes. But for some reason, she’s not that comfortable around Chan. It’s a different story with Ha-gi, and she wonders why she is more comfortable around him. Hmmm. I also wonder why. Hehe.
Ha-gi is at the restaurant for a business meeting and he sees Da-reum alone at her table. He assumes she was stood up by a blind date, and he takes her out of the restaurant. Da-reum defaults to her “I’m okay,” mode, and Ha-gi snaps her out of it. “At least, in front of me you can say you’re not okay.” He tells her she deserves better than a jerk who leaves her on a date, and I’m totally digging his righteous anger on her behalf. The week ends with Ha-gi and Da-reum accidentally locking lips while reaching for her scarf that got blown away in the wind. And if you’re looking for my eyes, they’ve rolled to the back of my head… because, accidental kisses in 2026? Come on, Show!
Apart from being 100% Team Ha-gi, I’m not liking this Chan x Da-reum thingy because while Chan cares about Da-reum, I don’t think he likes her romantically. At least not at the moment. He thinks he has feelings for her. But to me, it seems he likes that she likes him. Chan is lonely, he’s afraid his fans and the people closest to him will leave him. And here comes Da-reum professing her unwavering fan love. It’s hard to say if Chan’s feelings would have taken root in the absence of her fan love, and this is where my reservation lies. Da-reum’s friends are right. She should be loved as herself, not just as a fangirl.
I like that Da-reum knows a romantic relationship should be with Chan the Person, and not Chan the Idol. But Chan has been her bias for too long, I don’t think she can see him in any other light. Good thing Ha-gi is one of the sides in this love triangle. One of his standout moments for me was his reaction to hearing Da-reum’s “first love” helped her get through her outcast days. Ha-gi was genuinely glad Da-reum had someone like that in her life, unlike many a K-drama male lead who’d have hated the idea of their crush having a first love other than them. I also like that Ha-gi is aware of the power dynamics in their work relationship and he doesn’t want to take advantage of that in a romantic light. But their romance is inevitable, so Ha-gi better snap outta his delulu era and face the truth of his feelings.
PS: I love that Ha-gi and Da-reum are raising those abandoned kittens together. That’s another check on Da-reum’s bucket list.
RELATED POSTS