Previously on Hotel King… recap ep 26

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Anna’s Recap

SPOILER ALERT: Do not proceed if you do not want to know what has happened so far!

It took almost the entire series’ duration for Hotel King to realize that its most compelling storyline is the mother-son relationship between Chairwoman Baek and Jae-wan, and not the weepy romance between him and Mo-ne that the show keeps trying to push on its viewers. With Mo-ne having less screen time this episode and Jae-wan finally knowing that Chairwoman Baek is his mother, the show was able to focus on the devastating effects that their ongoing battle will have on their relationship going forward. Hopefully, the show will wise up and continue to limit Mo-ne’s role in their family’s drama. But something tells me that they won’t do it, and that’s a damn shame.

Jae-wan’s satisfaction at finally having Chairwoman Baek arrested disappears in an instant when he finds out from Mo-ne that Chairwoman Baek is actually his mother, Baek Mi-yeon. He chases the police car with her in it but to little avail. Shell-shocked by the revelation that his mother is not only alive, but is the woman he considered his sworn enemy, Jae-wan confronts Roman about concealing this from him. Roman sheepishly admits to knowing all along that Chairwoman Baek is actually Jae-wan’s mother, but chose to keep it a secret because he didn’t want to be replaced by him in her life.

As if the shock from discovering who his mother is wasn’t enough drama for one day, Jae-wan must also live with the fact that he sent his own mother to jail. Yup, the mother that he spent decades longing for is sitting in jail right now all because of him. That cannot be a good feeling. While he spends the night tormented by this, Mo-ne shows up at his house without permission, of course. She tearfully apologizes to him for not telling him sooner about Chairwoman Baek, but then somehow turns it into a pity party for herself. For some inexplicable reason, Jae-wan not only immediately forgives her for keeping this huge secret from him, but then in turn comforts her for having to struggle with keeping this secret. Oh Mo-ne, it’s always about you, isn’t it?

Probably sensing that she should be a little more helpful to her boyfriend that just sent his own mother to jail, Mo-ne goes to who else but Chae-kyung for help. How many times has it been already? She begs Chae-kyung to use her connections and power to get Chairwoman Baek out of jail, and to make sure that her case doesn’t go to trial. Chae-kyung is incredulous that Mo-ne would have the nerve to still be asking for her help. When she asks her why she should waste her time and energy to help her and Jae-wan, Mo-ne reveals that Chairwoman Baek is Jae-wan’s mother. Mo-ne then says that she’s willing to leave Jae-wan if Chae-kyung would help her. Yeah, like that would ever happen. Don’t believe her, Chae-kyung!

Since Jae-wan personally sent his mother to jail, it’s only right that he visits her there. Although it’s not clear whether or not he was going with the intentions to reveal himself as Hyun-woo, he did want to check on her well-being. When the guard tells Chairwoman Baek that a young man is here to visit her, she automatically thinks that it’s Roman. To her surprise, it’s Jae-wan that’s sitting on the other side of the glass waiting for her. Chairwoman Baek turns right back around when she sees it’s him, and leaves without saying a word. Jae-wan frantically bangs on the glass to get her attention, but she just coldly ignores him. He’s finally able to convince a guard to bring Chairwoman Baek the food he brought for her, only to have her smash and destroy everything. This attempt at a reunion was clearly a fail.

Back at Jae-wan’s house, Mo-ne re-hangs the portrait of the angel that Jae-wan used to have in the living room, but destroyed when he found out that Joong-goo is his father. When Jae-wan comes home and sees this, Mo-ne tells him that she wants him to be reminded of how he once thought the hotel was like heaven. She then suggests that they get drunk together, so they can temporarily forget about all their current problems. They drink, but Mo-ne is the only one that gets drunk. Not surprisingly, she is one of those people who gets depressed and cries when they get drunk. It makes perfect sense. In her drunkenness, she finally admits to Jae-wan that it’s all her and her father’s fault for all the pain that Jae-wan has experienced at the hotel. Sounds about right.

Chae-kyung follows through on her promise to Mo-ne, as she always does, and is able to get Chairwoman Baek out of jail. So I guess that means Mo-ne is going to have to keep her word and leave Jae-wan. Please? When Chairwoman Baek was first arrested, her accomplice, John Howard, immediately fled the country. Apparently, he was the sole evidence that the police had to convict her. So with him gone, there’s no evidence left to prove anything. Although Chairwoman Baek will no longer be convicted for any crimes, Chae-kyung and the rest of the Board of Directors have already voted to dismiss her as Chairwoman. She tells Jae-wan to not bother fighting this vote because he was the one who started the whole process, after all.

Although Jae-wan wants to meet his mother more than anything, having her freed from jail is good enough for now. He tells Roman that he’s decided to not reveal his identity as Hyun-woo to Chairwoman Baek, and that he will continue living his life as if he never found out that she’s Baek Mi-yeon. Jae-wan doesn’t want Chairwoman Baek to feel the guilt of having hurt him on so many occasions, e.g. ordering a car to run over him, and would rather that she never know who he really is.

Jae-wan goes to the Baek Mi-yeon house later in the day as Chairwoman Baek is leaving jail, and sits in the courtyard while imagining the life he once had with his mother here. *Tears* He cooks her a meal and leaves it on the porch for her. When she left the jail, Chairwoman Baek received a message from Roman to go to the Baek Mi-yeon house and that he prepared a surprise for her there. She sees the food waiting for her at the house and assumes that this was Roman’s work. As she happily eats the food that her son cooked for her, Jae-wan watches her thinking that she will never know that he’s Hyun-woo. Cue more waterworks.

Chairwoman Baek returns home after enjoying the meal that was specially prepared for her at the Baek Mi-yeon house. Roman tells her that he’s leaving for America the next day, and that he has a plane ticket for her too. He urges her to leave behind Ciel and the drama with it, and that it’s time to stop this revenge mission that she’s been on for the past three decades. She refuses to leave with him because she says she still has unfinished business with Ciel and the people there. Frustrated, Roman asks if she can just consider him for once instead of what happened in the past and Hyun-woo. Chairwoman Baek looks back at him as she’s walking away and asks him to wait a little longer. Ouch.

Chairwoman Baek immediately goes back to the hotel afterwards and declares that despite what has happened she’s still the Chairwoman of Ciel. Jae-wan stops her in the middle of her speech and forcibly drags her away from the lobby to her office. That’s no way to treat your mother, Jae-wan. Chairwoman Baek accuses him of being after the Chairman position all along, and that it all started back with Chairman Ah. And if he believes that she killed Chairman Ah, what makes him think that she won’t do it again. She pushes him against the wall and tries to strangle him with her bare hands. She lets go when she realizes that Jae-wan isn’t doing anything to fight back.

At this very moment, Roman rushes into the office and sees what happened. As Jae-wan tries to walk away from Chairwoman Baek and out of the office, Roman stops him and reveals to his mother that Cha Jae-wan is Hyun-woo, her son. Chairwoman Baek is at a loss for words upon hearing this and can only collapse to the floor.

Et cetera:

Joong-goo shows up at Jae-wan’s house the morning after Chairwoman Baek’s arrest, and congratulates him on finally sending her off to jail. He suggests to Jae-wan that he should release the video of her in Chairman Ah’s office the night of his death. When Jae-wan hears this, he drags Joong-goo by the collar and throws him into the middle of the empty street. Joong-goo doesn’t know yet that Jae-wan knows that Chairwoman Baek is his mother.

The traitorous food poisoning Team Leader Yoo packed up his things and was ready to leave Ciel when Jae-wan stops him. He tells him to stay at Ciel to live with the guilt of betraying his colleagues, but also to regain his “hotelier pride”…whatever that is.