We love that Korean dramas can be counted on as a good source of well-developed love stories, but maybe they can pack a little bit more in terms of exciting sub-plots? Like Flowers in Sand is going at a predictably good pace, with some decent revelations so far. However, this can either take an exciting turn in the coming episodes or become a little redundant with too many emotional subplots that go nowhere. Meanwhile, this is the recap of the episode.
Spoiler Alert
Why is Du Sik in Geosan?
It is pretty clear to the audience that Yu Gyeong is Du Sik, so we will refer to her by the latter name right now. Du Sik is an undercover police inspector who is in the village to investigate the death of Choi Chil Seong, the man who passed away in the accident near the reservoir. The police had been looking for him for a long time, and Du Sik’s colleagues asked her why they were not publicizing his death and openly investigating. They are all in that town upon Du Sik’s insistence, as she believes that something wrong is going on here. Du Sik is sure that Choi Chil Seong’s death is connected to the residents of the town, and she wants to investigate that. The man who had called her ‘honey’ is Min Hyeong Uk, and he is her colleague who is pretending to be her unemployed husband. He is a little more flamboyant than Du Sik, though he is competent at using his charm to get what he wants. The man talks to the ladies in the town and gets the information that Coach Yeon, who had recently committed suicide, was in a ton of debt. He was a habitual gambler, and his creditors often found their way to his workplace.
When Du Sik goes through the tapes of the match between Dong Seok and Baek Du, she can tell that something about the verdict wasn’t right. There was a clear favor for Dong Seok, but even then, the dejected reaction of Coach Yeon was hard to understand. It may not have been the sweeping victory he was hoping for, but it wasn’t a loss either and such sadness did not make sense to her.
Meanwhile, the cafe owner continues to be suspicious. One of the ladies asks her why a young, unattached woman like her was running a cafe in this remote town instead of seeking her fortunes somewhere. The cafe owner also peeks into Min Hyeong Uk’s phone, where someone with the surname ‘Chu’ is calling. Later, we see a woman named Chu Mi Suk looking for Du Sik’s house. There is no doubt she is another one of the officers. That means that there are three officers undercover, and they are investigating a high-profile case that is linked to the Ssireum team in Geosan.
What are Baek Du’s plans after retirement?
Baek Du got Du Sik’s hint that she dropped in the previous episode about why she wouldn’t admit her identity. Du Sik seems to have changed her name since even her colleagues don’t recognize that name. Regardless, Du Sik continues to refuse to admit that she is Baek Du’s childhood friend but behaves with him as if she is. She switches to a formal way of speaking when it suits her and talks normally when she feels like it. Baek Du is sure that she is Du Sik, which is why he is going along with it and not questioning it. Even Du Sik knows that there is no use in actively denying everything, though the situation won’t allow her to openly speak about it.
Meanwhile, Baek Du wants to start applying for a job as a civil servant. Everyone tells him that he doesn’t have the aptitude for it, and we are beginning to think that Baek Du should leave that town. People used his career to look down on him, and now that he was trying to do something else, even that was a source of fun for everyone. This time, Baek Du’s parents have some words to say. His mother tells his brother that he was the first to learn the alphabet among them, whereas his father simply can’t stand to be in the same room as this discussion.
Does Du Sik admit her identity?
When Baek Du says he wants to work as a civil servant, Seok Hui gives him his old books, but not to help or encourage him but to show him that it is a tough job. It looks like the entire world wants Baek Du to remain in a position where they can make fun of him. No wonder he is so unhappy and has become so silent and stubborn about his opinions and wishes. Meanwhile, Baek Du’s mother wants to throw him a retirement party, so she buys a lot of groceries, but her friend insists on paying for them as her gift for Baek Du. It just feels insincere because she had previously said that Tae Baek must be upset because Baek Du had done a half-hearted job at Ssireum. The entire town has no respect for Baek Du, and the only reason the woman is buying that gift is because it is a formality, because Baek Du’s mother had previously brought a gift for the woman’s child when he quit school.
Meanwhile, Du Sik’s investigation is not progressing one bit. Since she has been employed by the Man Sik, nobody wants to tell her anything about what is going on in the Ssireum gossip circles. Du Sik manages to get Baek Du’s help to extract some information from Beom Su, and she comes to know that Coach Yeon was fighting with someone on the day of the match. But Du Sik needs a lot more than that, and all of it is in the Ssireum Center.
At the end of Like Flowers in Sand episode 3, the current coach asks Kwak Jin Su to take over the position of Coach Yeon, and he agrees as well. However, Du Sik wants Baek Du for the position. This serves two purposes. One is that he will not quit Ssireum, and the other is that Du Sik will have someone on the inside who will have her back in regards to what she is doing without asking many questions and simply trusting her. When Baek Du tells her that he doesn’t want to be the coach, Du Sik tells him that she never believed him about wanting to quit Ssireum because she is Du Sik, and she knows him better than anyone. Therefore, Du Sik has finally confirmed what Baek Du had known for so long.
Final Thoughts
Perhaps the next episode will conclusively decide whether Baek Du will quit Ssireum or not. This is going to shake up the entire town because Kwak Jin Su is the competitor, and people may want to encourage Baek Du, but they probably think it is futile for him to try. Even Baek Du’s mother may have a rift with her friend, but she will have to address how the friend thought so little of Baek Du. Basically, it is a matter of Baek Du’s honor.
