3 situations that were difficult for Ha Ji Won and Ju Ji Hoon in episodes 7-8 of “Climax”

Power struggles, manipulation and scandals continue to surround Bang Tae Seop (Ju Ji Hoon) and his wife Chu Sang Ah (Ha Ji won). For now, the couple may have saved their reputations and their faltering careers after putting up an orchestrated front in the world.

But as Jeong won (Nana) makes her comeback as a rival for Sang Ah in her comeback feature, there’s a lot more at stake between the two women. And as Tae Seop moves closer to the finish line in the presidential elections, the question is, can he really make it?

The games have just started. Sang Ah and Tae Seop may have managed to outwit Lee Yang Mi (Cha Joo Young), but they underestimated their abilities to thwart them when they least expect it.

Here are three moments when Sang Ah and Tae Seop found themselves in situations they couldn’t maneuver out of.

Warning: spoilers for episodes 7-8 below.

Tae Seop and Sang Ah work together for profit

Tae Seop and Sang Ah think they may have warned of the crisis since Jae Sang’s death was classified as a murder.

Tae Seop’s campaign is back on track, while Sang Ah is set to make her comeback in the adult thriller “Four Seasons”. However, the couple realizes that they are on shaky ground as Lee Yang Mi is the one pulling the strings.

Tae Seop’s political opponent is sponsored by WR Group, and this is causing him serious trouble in the campaign. To counter Yang Mi’s influence, he tells Sang Ah it’s time to play his trump card.

He meets Yang Mi’s former husband, a man she betrayed to marry Chairman Kwon. However, the deal comes at a price: Yang Mi’s ex tells Tae Seop that if he lets his wife Sang Ah sleep with him for a day, he will support him in his campaign.

Even though Tae Seop is furious at the obscene proposal, he makes a fool of himself around Yang Mi’s ex, and even humors him at a party, as long as he helps him in his mission. He even goes to the extent of telling the man that he and his wife Sang Ah are not in an intimate marriage.

On the other hand, Sang Ah asks Tae Seop why he doesn’t use her stars for campaigns. The public loves a well-put-together couple, and they might as well play to the galleries.

Yang Mi also makes Tae Seop an offer: if he works with her, she will make sure that Sang Ah remains unharmed. Yang Mi, invested in the predictions of soothsayers, is told that Tae Seop has a strong chance of winning and that she should recruit him to the side she supports.

Meanwhile, Sang Ah was replaced by Jeong Won in her comeback film. She makes a bold move towards Yang Mi and offers her husband as collateral in exchange for getting back into the film. She tells Yang Mi that she will arrange for Tae Seop to work with her, but in return she wants to be cast as the lead in “Four Seasons” again. It’s clear that this couple cares little for each other and both are willing to use the other as bait as long as they get what they want.

It turns out just as they planned. Sang Ah is reinstated in the film and is made the face of WR Entertainment. She is courting Tae Seop, who sees a surge in his popularity.

As Yang Mi sees them both doing her bidding, she is well aware that the two cannot be trusted. Trying to stay one step ahead, Tae Seop and Sang Ah have unknowingly entered a game they can no longer control.

Playing Yang Mi and Tae Seop’s shadow

In the drama unfolding in front of Tae Seop and Sang Ah, Yang Mi is the showrunner. The woman knows exactly what the man and woman are capable of, and she keeps her cards close to her chest.

Although Sang Ah is rehired in the project, Tae Seop is still unsure if he wants to switch sides and forge an alliance with Yang Mi. As the election campaign gains momentum, Tae Seop discovers that presidential candidate Son Guk Won (Joo Jin Mo), on whom Yang Mi placed her bets, was embroiled in various scandals and financial fraud cases. He also learns about several slush funds connected to Sang Ah’s movie. The rise of a mysterious figure, the “Shadow”, closely linked to Guk Won, also shakes the political landscape. Trying to portray himself as an anti-corruption crusader, Tae Seop joins hands with Yang Mi’s stepson, Kwon Jong Uk (Oh Jung Se), to launch a counterattack against her.

Yang Mi, well aware of his movements, warns him. If he dares to betray her and go back on his promise to join her, he will regret it. She passive-aggressively informs him that she has something far worse on him—something that could blow up the campaign and end him. However, he doesn’t take his threats seriously because he’s too busy planning his next move.

She tells him, just as Sang Ah is within earshot, that she orchestrated the tax evasion scandal, and although he was aware of it, he never buried it. Hurt and betrayed, Sang Ah realizes that whether it’s Yang Mi or her own husband, she’s been played by both.

Meanwhile, Tae Seop learns that Jeong Won didn’t kill Jae Sang: he was already dead. And Yang Mi has information about Jeong Wan and uses it to her advantage. Tae Seop doesn’t care because he has no use for her now. But he keeps thwarting Yang Mi’s offer, and she’s quickly running out of patience.

The two see each other’s weaknesses to exploit, not realizing that they are being read just as closely.

Sang Ah and Jeong Won: dangerous liaisons

Sang Ah and Jeong Won haven’t met since Jae Sang’s death. Sang Ah is shocked to hear that Jeong Won replaced her in the film and also feels slightly betrayed.

She smugly asks Jeong Won what strings she pulled to get to the project so easily. In response, Jeong Won testily asks if she intended to undermine her and look past her like she once did with her former bodyguard, Jae Sang.

Sang Ah is stabbed, but being the professional she is, she masks her emotions. Back on the project and with Jeong Won as her co-star, she maintains a professional distance. The first scene between the two women is an intimate one, and the tension is palpable, as well as the unspoken dynamic. Yang Mi observes the shooting carefully, her expressive impassiveness.

A few days later, Jeong Won invites Sang Ah to dinner and confesses that she has never killed Jae Sang. Instead, she was attacked and kidnapped by Yang Mi’s people. Sang Ah, still fuming after hearing that her husband didn’t stand up for her during the fake tax evasion scandal, confesses that she did have feelings for Jae Sang. But she used him to destroy those who led Ji Soo to her death. A strange undercurrent passes between the two.

Around the same time, Tae Seop is informed by the man who worked with Jeong Won that Yang Mi will probably pull something explosive. We see a flashback to the night of Jae Sang’s death, after Jeong Won is captured. Her captors go through her phone and see several images of Sang Ah.

In the present, Yang Mi threatens Tae Seop that she will bring him to his knees if he doesn’t join her. But Tae Seop refuses to slow down.

Election day is here, and Tae Seop decides to bring up Guk Won’s scandals on the very morning. As expected, there is chaos with the campaign in turmoil.

Unfazed, Tae Seop prepares for his final speech when there is a commotion around him. He seems oblivious, thinking that everyone is reading and watching the coup he has mastered. But the joke is on him.

Yang Mi uploaded a sex tape with Sang Ah, and it’s clear that the person with her is none other than Jeong Won. All we see is Tae Seop’s shocked expression and Yang Mi’s smile.

With so much going on, this week should reveal what really happened as “Climax“heading to his final.

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QUja Talwar is a Soompi writer with a strong Yoo Yeon Seok and Lee Junho prejudice. A long-time K-drama fan, she likes to come up with alternative scenarios for the narratives. She did interviews Lee Min Ho, Gong Yoo, Cha Eun Wooand Ji Chang Wook to name a few. You can follow her @puja_talwar7 on Instagram.