Making filler episodes is an art. Take Behind Your Touch episode 5, for example. It adds nothing to the overall story of the series, but if you just watch it at a speed of 1.5X, you will be able to pass the time. Despite this conclusion, we tried very hard to find some deeper meaning to the events and decided that this must be in the interest of the development of Ye Bun and Jang Yeol’s relationship. But we still stand by our previous statement that we are not anticipating a love story between them. It will just feel too forced, as the actors have more of a friendship chemistry than a romantic one. We actually wish that Jang Yeol ends up with Ok Hui instead, after she does something about her blonde highlights. But before that, here is a recap of episode 5.
Spoiler Alert
Who Does The Maltese Dog Belong To?
As Ye Bun had seen in her vision upon touching the woman in Behind Your Touch episode 4, her grandfather was indeed the culprit, and he had the donor list hidden in his cupboard. When Ye Bun takes it back to the office, her grandfather catches her. We don’t know the reason why he stole the list from the person whom he treated like his son, and we don’t think we will know for a few more episodes. In the meantime, he wants to take the list back but is unable to because someone seems to be in the office.
The next day, news from the campaign office reaches the police station that the list has been found and there is no need to investigate further. But Jang Yeol is not convinced about it since he had checked the safe a few times before. However, his superior forbids him from investigating further and causing any trouble and just asks him to focus on the new cases that come in, mainly the case of the missing expensive fish finder.
Ok Hui’s father cannot find his fish finder, and his wife suspects their hired help, Ali, of being the thief. Since fish finders have been going missing for a while, Jang Yeol theorizes that if he just finds the people behind them, he would be able to write “solving an organized crime” on his resume. But Ye Bun is not ready to help him unless he helps her get justice for an abandoned Maltese dog. The dog was found on the mountain by the shaman, and he was in a very bad state at that time. When Ye Bun touches the dog, she finds that he was very cruelly treated by his owner. Therefore, unless Jang Yeol helps bring him to justice, she won’t help him either. Since Jang Yeol is not a completely heartless man, he agrees to help track down the ex-owner of the dog. We are genuinely touched by his sincerity, where he pulls an all-nighter for the sake of the investigation and puts up with all of Ye Bun’s demands for a pretty manicure, rings, and multivitamins because the “software can only be as good as the hardware.” On the other hand, we support Ye Bun extorting Jang Yeol because of how mean he has been to her for so long.
Ye Bun sees the visions better since her hands are now in top condition, and she ends up finding the address of the man. He admits to having brought the dog for his YouTube channel, but when that didn’t take off, he wasn’t able to handle the upkeep of the pet, which is why he abandoned him. Irresponsible pet owners truly belong in hell, and the dog probably realizes it, which is why once he stares at his previous owner long enough, he realizes he can do better and goes over to Ye Bun’s side. The owner is arrested for animal cruelty, and Ye Bun’s little mission is fulfilled. It is now her turn to be of use to Jang Yeol.
Why Does Ye Bun Learn Arabic?
Lately, Korean dramas have us thinking that ‘impossible’ is a word used by people not willing to take the extra step. Be it Kyung Ja in Mask Girl, who learned computers and modern-day slang to understand what was going on with her son, or be it Ye Bun, who is forced by Jang Yeol to learn Arabic so that she can transcribe what Ali was saying, these are crazy things, but they help one reach the goal. Ye Bun saw Ali talking to his friend in Arabic, and Jang Yeol insisted that she learn the language so that she could help them reach the thieves. He gets her the books, keeps a check on her, and doesn’t let her breathe until and unless he is sure that she gets the language. Ye Bun even gets Seon Woo’s help as a tutor and makes some progress. She finally reaches a point where she is able to catch some of the words, note them down, and take them to Seon Woo, hoping for a translation. With his help, she deciphers that Ali needs money for his mother’s surgery, and Jang Yeol figures out that this must be his motive for committing the crimes that he did. Before they can crack down on the organized crime unit, Jang Yeol and Ye Bun are captured by the gang, and they are ready to kill them to protect themselves.
Ali disagrees with his team members, but his voice is drowned out by the need of the hour for them, which is secrecy. Jang Yeol and Ye Bun are thrown into the sea with their hands tied, and they would have drowned if Ali had not decided to save them at the last moment. Now that they are safe and sound, Jang Yeol arrests the other members, and he is just about to take away Ali when Ok Hui’s parents show some sympathy and say that he never stole anything and the fish finder did not go missing. It is an act of generosity, but Jang Yeol doesn’t melt. While it could be because he badly wants the promotion, he is also right that a crime was committed regardless. Ali may have saved them, but it was because the group’s crimes were going a little too far with the murder. When guilt is closely tied to the fear of being found out, establishing innocence or showing sympathy is often murky territory.
At the end of episode 5 of Behind Your Touch, Jang Yeol takes Ali to the police station. In a different scene, some fishermen find an earring and joke about a corpse being nearby, not knowing that they are right. Si A is lying unconscious among the rocks. While everything indicates that she must be dead, just by a stroke of luck, she might be alive. We suspect this might have something to do with Assemblyman Cha, as these are the only two loose ends right now, so they might tie up together.
Final Thoughts
The writer of Behind Your Touch firmly seems to believe that physical violence or the threat of it is very funny. Thankfully, Jang Yeol has stopped roughhousing Ye Bun, but Ok Hui has started that and will continue to do so every time she thinks something is going on between her and Jang Yeol. Yet Ye Bun is permanently stuck with the name “pervert.” The show is strictly okay, and we hope the next episode does something substantial.
