ATHENA Episode 3-4 Summary

Watching ATHENA is the opposite experience from watching “Marry Me, Mary!” For me that’s a kind of ironic since romantic drama has always been my favourite while action never really interersted me. But 70minutes something never seems enough for ATHENA.  The plot was very dynamic and the rythm of everything seems to be very fast.

Episode 3 to 5’s main theme was “Rescuing the First Daughter.”  However, I’m gonna start with where we ended in episode 2. As I had guessed, Jeong Woo and Jae Hee didn’t end their realtionship well. Jae Hee was the daughter of NTS higher and he asked Jeong Woo to leave his daughter for their both sake. Mr. Han reminded him that a field officer couldn’t have such both glory and love. If you choose your career, drop your love before that person got hurt…or even killed. So yes, Jeong Woo decided to do what was best for them both.

But you can never avoid faith can’t you? And so couldn’t Jeong Woo and Jae Hee. After the surprising encounter, they ended up working together. Jeong Woo asked for Jae Hee’s life abroad from Joon Ho, who had worked together with her.

Jae Hee was set up by his old Russian enemy, the man who made the bloody ritual with black rose. Jeong Woo and the team found out that he was the same man Jae Hee thought had killed long a go. That man came back for revenge. Jeong Woo rushed to the ambush location to help Jae Hee.

Jae Hee got shot, but she’s okay. She and Jeong Woo finally had a chance to really sit and talk. I understand Jae Hee when Jeong Woo asked her about the wound on her upper hand, she answered, “The hurt wasn’t here (hand), but here (heart).”

Jae Hee was recruited personally by Dr. Kwon to join the NTS.  And it seemed that Dr. Kwon had a kind of “interest” in the talented young field officer. He was assigned back to NTS and soon was sent out to go abroad investigating the fishy movement of a particular terrorist.

Together with Ki Soo, Jeong Woo went on the mission that brought him from Algier in Algeria to Venice in Italy. I got annoyed by how Ki Soo kept complaining about him travelling around such beautiful places! They tracked down the terrorist movement to this particular Grey Cat shop. The bad guy ran away after blowing up the evidence and then died hit by a truck when Jeong Woo catched after him. What remained was some photo negative showing what seemed like randomly unrelated places.

Jeong Woo met a Korean girl (Lee Bo Yeong) in one of the places he visited in Venice. She’s an architecture student. At first she said she’s a Japanese, but when they met again the second place Jeong Woo and Ki Soo went to, she stopped lying.

In the meantime, North Korea had been suspicious about the South Korean involvement in the disappearance of the nuclear scientist, Dr.Kim. The Blue House denied. Here we had a cast from IRIS, the head of North Korean security team who then focused on nuclear development: Park Cheol Yeong ( Kim Seung Woo).

Seong Hyeok heard the news of the North Korean coming to the Blue House. He made an excuse to go there, and managed to have an “incident” meeting with the NK representatives. Park Cheol Yeong made an unwelcome gesture to Seong Hyeok’s greeting, but Seong Hyeok said, “Today’s enemy could be tomorrow’s friend.” I think he was planning something in his head.

Jeong Woo and Ki Soo became friends with Jo Soo Yeong, and she helped them visited places seen in the developed photographs. She said they’re places she regularly visited, but nothing was suspicious for Jeong Woo.

Nothing, until the Blue House told them that the first daughter was there in Venice. She turned out to be the architecture student. Jeong Woo, almost insanely rushed back to Soo Yeong’s place, but he’s just too late.

The first daughter was finally kidnapped. Jeong Woo made a long fast running tried to catch up with the mob’s car.He ended up made himself injured. Jae Hee came as a the first NTS support arrived, you know…personal reason as well. The rest of the NTS had already set a basecamp in Venice.

And looked who was in the team: the mysterious Hae In!

She turned to be a plain-faced woman and it seemed that she was personally recruited by Dr.Kwon, specialized in negotiating with the enemy. She was even let herself brought by the terrorist to the place where they’d been hiding Jo Soo Yeong. Jeong Woo was overwhelmed by the situation. He always had thought that Hae In was just a children-tour guide in NIS. Finding out that she might be a Black agent (cold hearted slash merciless fierceful top Korean secret agents).

President Jo was facing a difficult choice between his country safety and his daughter’s life. As a good nationalist,he of course had to choose his country. He’s not giving up Dr.Kim to the terrorists. So then Secretary Kim requested a help from the US government.

Meanwhile, an DIS agent from Japan office came to Seong Hyeok, handing over a top secret report about his research result that inform the organization about ATHENA penetration in the company. His report telling that Seong Hyeok right hand man was the mole agent. Seong Hyeok just pretended it was his first time hearing the terrorist organization named ATHENA. Too bad for the researcher, Seong Hyeok killed him on his way back.

The result was DIS took over the operation. Jeong Woo and Jae Hee, just like the other members of NTS team,protested the decision, but couldn’t do much.

Dr.Kwon and Seong Hyeok sat alone together for the first time about their unfinished business from the past. They agreed to put their history behind. Dr. Kwon asked why Seong Hyeok let him go 3 years ago. Seong Hyeok said it’s probably a compassion he had as the loser party in that battle.

Seong Hyeok had spotted Jeong Woo because of his good job tracking the terrorist movement from Algeria to Italy. I think he knew Jeong Woo’s potential and how that could be their future problem. So Seong Hyeok asked Jeong Woo to talk. He told Jeong Woo to just stay behind in this operation. It’s  an order from the higher and related to political matters between South Korea and US.  Jeong Woo argued that it’s about rescuing a person’s life. But Seong Hyeok said everything was political in this world.

Dr. Kwon played along with DIS,but this smart guy wasn’t that weak. He played a trick as if he’s giving Dr.Kim up for getting back Ms. Jo’s safe and sound, but he’s not. The NIS also put a wire on DIS team, so they could overhear DIS plans. Knowing he’s not gonna get Dr.Kim, Seong Hyeok changed his plan. He’s applying the Silence Storm mission, that means they’re wiping out the terrorists regardless the hostage’s safety. Since Jae Hee and Jeong Woo were so determined in saving Ms.Jo, Dr.Kwon gave them a permisson to go on a ‘command-break’ mission of bringing back the first daughter alive. And the mission included the reluctant Ki Soo.

The three of them went discreetly to the location. They went behind DIS and tried to penetrate from another entry.
Everything went well, until Ki Soo accidently blew a shot that broke the silence. That was just how lousy he could be .

Let’s see how the operation went on after the sudden-blow accident by Ki Soo in the next episode. Everyone was then alert. The terrorist started to gun fire their uninvited guests…

Anyway, among other good scenes, this one was my WOW! moment. The scenery was beautifully natural monumental .