It’s always hard to fully figure out what’s happening in a K-drama in the first episode, because so much goes down that you feel like you’ve jumped into a show in its 5th episode instead. But I love this, because within two episodes, you already feel like you’re well-versed with this world you’ve stepped into, even if you really aren’t. One would say it almost feels like family outside of family? Okay, I know, bad one. Typhoon Family tells the story of Tae-Poong, a young rebellious man who has a sweet spot for gardening, and a poor woman who works at his dad’s trading company as a bookkeeper. The show is set in 1997, during a massive financial crisis in the Korean economy (I feel like there was something about this in the Kim Min-Ha starrer Pachinko too, but I could be wrong). What happens at the end of the first episode is somewhat predictable, but I’m glad I hadn’t read a description online that revealed it all. To be honest, I just saw the cast and went into the show not knowing anything about it, but it seems it’s much more than just a romance. So, with that said, let’s get into episode 1.
Spoiler Alert
What Does Tae-Poong Do?
Episode 1 of Typhoon Family opens with a couple of people from “Typhoon Trading,” a small business in Ulchiro, being interviewed for a TV program, talking about “The Four Dragons,” aka “Four Asian Tigers.” This refers to Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan, which grew rapidly through industrialization from the 50s to the 90s. The interview is specifically trying to showcase small businesses that keep the economy of South Korea growing. Everybody looks happy working there, pretty much like a family. Finally, Oh Mi-Seon, the bookkeeper of the business, is asked a couple of questions. She’s vibrant and excited about everything she does, even the really minor stuff like handing people their coffees in the morning.
The scene then shifts to the happening neighborhood of Apujeong, where a couple of gangster-like boys head to a club where a dance competition is taking place. Of course, our leading man, Tae-Poong, is an excellent dancer (I mean, this is why they cast Joon-Ho, no?). But it seems Tae-Poong has a rich-boy rival who is prone to violence. Tae-Poong is invited to one of the party rooms, but he accidentally walks into the wrong one, where Hyun-Joon, his rival, is having a party. A woman named Yu-Rim throws herself on Tae-Poong, and Hyun-Joon gets mad because he’s pursuing her. A fight breaks out after Tae-Poong gets a cut on his face, and Hyun-Joon then smacks him on the back of his head with a chair.
It seems Hyun-Joon and Tae-Poong’s families have had ties before, and Tae-Poong’s father tries to convince Hyun-Joon’s father that the kids should settle their issue themselves, but it doesn’t work out. More importantly, it seems there’s some financial transaction that’s taken place between the two dads, though I couldn’t really tell who owed whom just yet. What’s odd is that Tae-Poong wasn’t really at fault here, but he doesn’t say anything to his dad. He even goes home by himself rather than with his parents. But back home, Tae-Poong is an entirely different person. He’s cultivating flowers by hand on his own and even having a party doing it. He’s especially delicate when hand-pollinating the blossoms.
On the way to work, Mi-Seon and Tae-Poong awkwardly bump into each other because the latter is falling asleep and literally falls onto her. Mi-Seon gets her hands on a newspaper from a random man on the train, and Tae-Poong catches her eye. He’s actually just glancing at the deals on clothing in the paper. He doesn’t know that she works for his dad’s company, and she doesn’t know he’s her boss’ son. At home, Tae-Poong’s mom gets mad at his dad for slapping his kid back at the police station. It seems the boy is loving and devoted enough to polish his dad’s shoes before he goes off to work, but as it goes, the men can’t communicate with each other.
The next thing you know, Tae-Poong is at MBS (guessing this is meant to be MBC) because his bestie Nam-Mo needs him to do him a favor. Tae-Poong and Nam-Mo go on a dating show where they have to entertain 4 women, alongside two other men, and vice versa. Despite being completely uninterested in dating or being a part of the show, he steals everyone’s hearts with his looks and singing skills. Looks like Nam-Mo’s found the love of his life in the 21-year-old, though.
Why Is Tae-Poong’s Dad Stressed?
On the other hand, at work, Tae-Poong’s dad is a bit stressed out because he’s just received a massive deal from a company called Daebang Textiles, but Typhoon’s Italian counterpart accepts only advance payment, which puts Typhoon at too much risk. It seems most employees are just excited to hear the big numbers. But when Tae-Poong’s father asks Mi-Seon in private about it, she immediately thinks it’s a bad idea, considering the only reason Daebang is offering so much money is because it’s a risky shipment, and the Italian partner offers an exclusive deal only with payment in advance. She also thinks the profits will basically be canceled out by the interest Typhoon would have to cover on the advance. But Tae-Poong’s dad goes ahead with the deal for his company’s sake.
Meanwhile, we learn how poor Mi-Seon really is. With two younger siblings to look after as well as a grandmother, who is basically a child herself, she’s got too much on her head. More importantly, she’s applying for university too, while her sister is hoping to be employed as an air hostess (I think) real soon. On the other hand, we learn that one of Tae-Poong’s friends, Yun-Seong, hasn’t been answering the phone or showing up recently for anything. Worried, he goes to check on him and finds the boy running away from him. When he catches up to Yun-Seong, Tae-Poong hands him some money, worrying he might do something wrong, while Yun-Seong tells him not to trust people because everyone’s a fraud.
Unfortunately, Tae-Poong’s dad can’t pay his employees, because a payment hasn’t come through. Since they’re like a family, they seem okay with it, one of them saying it’s the first time something like this has happened, so they can definitely wait a bit, but the disappointment is clear on their faces. On the other hand, there’s a delay in the shipment because of bad weather too, stressing Tae-Poong’s dad out further. He says he’s spent every last penny on the advance to the Italian partners, so there’s nothing he can do to fix the problem as of now. But suddenly, when Tae-Poong’s dad goes into his office, he has a heart attack and falls to the floor. He’s rushed to the hospital, and Tae-Poong gets there as fast as his feet can take him, only slowing down when he sees his mother crying.
Mi-Seon was the first to try to help her boss, and the whole situation weighs on her, so despite not having enough briquettes to keep her family warm, she goes to see her boss with some food. When she gets there, nobody is around, and he calls for her from the bed. The only thing we hear him say is his son’s name before the scene cuts out.
At the end of Typhoon Family episode 1, it’s revealed that Hyun-Joon called Tae-Poong to the club specifically to mess with him. Tae-Poong thought it was an emergency, and Yun-Seong was involved, but it was just a prank. However, this prank costs him the last moments he could ever have with his dad. When he rushes back to the hospital, his father is already dead, and Mi-Seon isn’t there either. His mum asks him why he left his father alone, but he’s got nothing to say. At the same time, on the TV it’s revealed that the Korean economy has fallen on such hard times that the IMF has been asked to help. In such a crisis, after losing his dad, will Tae-Poong be able to save his father’s business, the old man’s second child? Will he be able to resolve his differences with his dead father? We’ll find out soon enough on Typhoon Family. Excited to see how this gangster child will take the business forward.
