K-DRAMA RECAP: “Crushology 101” Episodes 3 and 4 – kdramadiary

Looks can be deceiving. And sometimes those who look innocent might hide an ugly secret beneath the surface. Our heroine learns this lesson the hard way after getting deceived for the second time.

Luckily for her, she has two knights in their shining armors looking out for her, though their approaches are quite the opposite.

Bunny S. watches Crushology 101 on Kocowa

Episode Recaps: 01 & 02 | 03 & 04 |

Crushology 101 Episodes 3 and 4 Highlights

“We are done, right?”

Jae-yeol’s “confession” gets no swoons from Bunny. So, he uses the shirt he lent her before as an excuse to avoid being embarrassed and see her again one more time. But to Jae-yeol’s excitement and Bunny’s ire, they meet again at the student council meeting, being their respective departments’ representatives. Tasked with casting a famous and successful alumnus, Bunny considers Ah-rang but hesitates to bring it up before him as he hates being interviewed. Still, Ah-rang agrees to do it, as Bunny is the one asking him.

Jae-yeol being unfriendly to Ah-rang is nothing new, but he might have a good reason to feel suspicious of Ah-rang after catching him in a compromising situation with a student council member. Also, the way Ah-rang invites Bunny to visit his studio alone suggests he isn’t all that innocent.

Anyway, staying behind to clean up after the interview, Bunny and Jae-yeol get locked out in the storage. Of course, there is no mobile signal, so they have to stay there until the next day. Staying with Bunny sounds fine with Jae-yeol, but an upset stomach sends Bunny into an urgent need to use the bathroom. So, Jae-yeol breaks the door handle and gets them out. Albeit in a funny way, Jae-yeol gets his heroic moment.

“Who I date and whether I get fooled or not. You have no right to butt in or get in the way.”

Worried, Jae-yeol warns Bunny not to get close to Ah-rang, but Bunny understandably brushes off Jae-yeol’s words as nothing and accepts Ah-rang’s invitation to visit his studio. As it happens, Jae-yeol and his friend rented the studio next to Ah-rang’s. And spotting Bunny with Ah-rang, Jae-yeol turns restless. His imagination keeps running wild. So, Jae-yeol pulls a stunt to sneak a peek into the studio. But Ah-rang sees through Jae-yeol and suggests they go for a walk.

Going through the recording from the interview day, Jae-yeol overhears Ah-rang flirt with the other girl and gets mad. But instead of telling Bunny openly about it, Jae-yeol interrupts them and drags Bunny away. When Bunny tries to break loose, instead of clearing things up, Jae-yeol spouts nonsense about how naïve Bunny is, getting duped once again by a sneaky guy. Satisfyingly enough, Bunny calls Jae-yeol out on meddling in her life. Whether she gets fooled or not, it is none of his business. So, Jae-yeol had better stop sticking his nose into her business.

Since Bunny won’t listen to him, Jae-yeol shares his findings with Ji-won, who rightfully asks if Jae-yeol explained the situation properly to Bunny. To get to the bottom of it, Ji-won runs a background check on Ah-rang. Hence, learning that he is a player who uses his fame to deceive innocent students and get into an inappropriate relationship with them.

Calling Bunny, Ji-won wants to share what he learned with her. But Bunny is already on her way, flowers in hand, to congratulate Ah-rang on wrapping up the exhibition successfully. Ji-won and Jae-yeol speed off there. But by the time they arrive, it is already too late. Witnessing Ah-rang kiss the other girl, Bunny is shocked. But Ah-rang shamelessly argues it is not like they are dating, so he doesn’t need to explain his private life to her.

For a moment, we thought it would be over like this. But Bunny follows Ah-rang and splashes a bucket of ice over his head since he isn’t the type to understand with only words. Then, she takes off and cries her eyes out. Following her, Jae-yeol covers her with his jacket to give Bunny some privacy until she is ready to face others. (At least, he has some common sense.) Sadly, Bunny deems herself a fool who keeps getting fooled, but Jae-yeol assures her it is Ah-rang’s fault. He is the bad guy, so she shouldn’t blame herself.

Satisfyingly enough, Ah-rang gets exposed to the public for the playboy he is, and reporters hound him. In a bit of a childish move, a masked Jae-yeol splashes Ah-rang with stinky fish sauce. Likewise, Ji-won calls off the sponsorship between his grandfather’s foundation and Ah-rang, kicking him out on the streets. (Is this the last we see of Ah-rang, or will he make a comeback?)

With Ah-rang out of the picture, two contenders are left to compete for Bunny’s heart. But the thing is, Bunny is heartbroken and no longer wants to date anyone. Still, she views Jae-yeol in a different light now, especially after encountering his professional side on set while he was shooting a video. Maybe he isn’t all that bad after all, Bunny thinks to herself. And her attraction to Jae-yeol isn’t lost on Ji-won, who gets jealous and starts to realize that he might like Bunny romantically.

As we end this week, a drunk Jae-yeol tries to text Bunny just as she appears before him. He can barely stand and only utters, “I think I like you” before passing out on Bunny’s shoulder. Whatever her answer is, we will learn it next week, though we think Bunny might need some more time to pull herself together and reconsider her feelings before dating anyone.

Crushology 101 Episodes 3 and 4 Musings

It is intriguing how the drama plays Jae-yeol and Ji-won as foils for each other. Which was further highlighted by their different reactions to figuring out Ah-rang’s true nature. Both guys felt jealous of her relationship with Ah-rang. But while Ji-won respects Bunny’s choices and supports her from the sidelines, Jae-yeol tries to force his way through, treating Bunny as an object, not an independent person with agency. At least, he isn’t a lost cause and reflects on his actions.

Giving us a glimpse into Jae-yeol’s past, the drama attributes Jae-yeol’s cold personality to witnessing his mother have an affair with a much younger guy when he was in high school. Worse off, Jae-yeol’s friend spotted that scene too, getting Jae-yeol embarrassed. But while we empathize with Jae-yeol’s situation, that doesn’t excuse his actions. So, hopefully Jae-yeol will get some character growth.

In a cliche twist, we learn that Jae-yeol was the one to see Bunny first and develop feelings for her long before she saw him on campus. It adds nothing new to the plot, but we will just get behind that since the drama has bigger fish to fry. Also, it is the second week already, so why isn’t Hong Min-ki showing up yet?

Last but not least, the highlight this week and our favourite part of the drama so far was Bunny’s characterization. She isn’t a damsel in distress, but someone who holds her own and doesn’t let anyone walk over her. She might be a bit gullible and get fooled by others, but she is also the type to stand up for herself and teach those jerks a lesson.

Photos and Videos: MBC Drama

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