Cheongdamdong Alice Episode 1 Quick Summary

Cheongdamdong Alice’s first episode was unsurprisingly…so-so. However, this drama contains big-promising-names so I want to believe that they will offer us something different in story and characters.

The story started with these two people, a young man and a young woman, running each of their lives. The young man, was holding a presentation in front of maybe-investors-or-clients about this luxury brand he’s being the president of, Artemis Paris. He’s making an impressive presentation with a very high confidence about what their luxury products could offer to the market. Meanwhile the young woman was doing her best in a job interview, in a fashion design company called GN. From the way she answered all questions, we could see she’s talented and smart. But strangely, one of the interviewees, a lady in an expensive look, seemed to dislike her. Back to the young woman, she’s so impressive that she could even answered a question, given by a French lady, in a good French.

So our heroin’s name is Han Se Gyeong. She has a dream to work in Cheongdam-dong, live in there, and becomes a designer that one day will have a brand of her own in Cheongdam-dong. Cheongdam-dong is a subdistrict in Apgujeong, Seoul, which is famous for a high class shopping street where you can find local and international designers’ boutiques in one row of a street.

Han Se Gyeong has a best friend named Choi Ah Jeong, who has a very light and optimistic-materialistic character. She called Se Gyeong as Han Se. And then Se Gyeong has a very calm boyfriend named Seo In Chan whose shoulders (and face) seems to be carrying the whole world on them…such a person with a lot of thoughts and real problems of life. Meanwhile Se Gyeong’s family is a typical lower-middle class family. Their house is small, but tidy. Her little sister is indifferent. Her father is a baker who runs his own bakery. And when she came home, her parents were in the middle of arguing each other, discussing a typical family-problem.

Se Gyeong was happy when she passed the interview, but the happiness ended there because she’s not accepted in GN for joining the design team. Her job was to run an errand for the Madam of the company, the wife of Shin Min Hyeok, the president of GN. Se Gyeong’s team leader, the unfriendly-expensive-look Shin In Hwa is Min Hyeok’s sister.

Se Gyeong’s first day schedule was so tight and heavily busy….shopping. Crazily expensive shopping for the Madam that  you will roll your eyes seeing the prices. This scene will remind you pretty much of The Devil Wears Prada. Se Gyeong had to go shopping from clothes to utensils. Then she’s on the way back to office when her car accidentally bumped into another car that suddenly appeared from the other side. Se Gyeong was spontaneously protecting her shopping bags during the impact. The driver of the other car was the young man we saw earlier, the Artemis guy. Se Gyeong was panic and protested the man that his car suddenly showed up like that. But the Artemis guy spoke so well that Se Gyeong lost the argument battle. He introduced himself as the president of Artemis, but his attitude was so smug that he didn’t even gave Se Gyeong his business card properly that it slipped Se Gyeong’s hand. And hurriedly handed over the shopping to maid in Shin’s mansion, Se Gyeong didn’t have any glimpse of who the Madam was or what she’s like.

Apparently, Shin Min Hyeok’s wife and Se Gyeong had a long history. So long since their high school time. They went to a art school together. Seo Yoon Joo was a bitch ever since then and she was Se Gyeong’s “villain” during that time.

In Artemis, we found out that Ah Jeong and also Seo In Chan work in Artemis. And the president’s name, that over confidence young man, was Jane Terry Cha. “Is he really a Korean?” asked Ah Jeong and friends to each other when seeing Mr.Cha passed by. “His name sounds weird, Jane Terry Cha [Sya].”

Mr.Cha was having a meeting with an old man that I assumed as his father? Their relationship was a bit weird and Cha seemed to be happy to make that old man pissed off. He said that he was not the old Cha Seung Jo anymore and what he’s accomplished now was all because of his own effort, nothing to do with his dad. He also emphasized many times that he is now the president of Artemis Paris, Jane Terry Cha [Sya]. “SYA. C-H-A. Jane Terry Sya.” And later on when he’s already back in his own apartment, Cha Seung Jo was watching over and over again the video of that conversation with the father. He was very happy to make that old man pissed off. He said it’s “healing.” He’s weird…maybe wacko if not psycho. He recorded the conversation, watching it over and over, and enjoyed it.

On the other part of the city, Se Gyeong was meeting her boyfriend. That man…oooh, really, even his face is tiring. In Chan suddenly gave Se Gyeong a present, a very expensive bag with Artemis Paris wrapping. Se Gyeong knew exactly how much that cost and she started to protest him for buying such an expensive bag for her. “It’s my last present for you,” cut In Chan sharp. “Let’s break up. Don’t call me anymore.”

Se Gyeong demanded the reason, the reason why he’s tired of their relationship. So this In Chan guy’s life seemed to be complicated. His mother is in the hospital now. He told Se Gyeong to go look for a much better man than him since she’s smart, talented, and pretty. She shouldn’t be stuck with him. So the thing that made him tired of them was the fact that they both came from the same economy level, but they have to afford so many spending for their lifestyle if they end up marrying each other. In Chan really did the math! The quick counting was minus. And he also considered Se Gyeong’s dream, which the road to go there took a lot of money too. You know, when you’re in fashion business, look is what is all about…even your own look, your own appearance.

There’s a talk about GN and Artemis collaboration. Cha Seung Jo knew exactly who Shin Min Hyeok’s wife was. She’s his own ex-gf. They’re together when they’re still in France in 2006. They broke up because Seo Yoon joo decided to leave. At that time Cha Seung Jo actually was willing to give up everything for her, but Yoon Joo said what she had with him was merely business and love was not about giving up. “Love, is about keeping what you have.” And back to the current time, Cha Seung Jo seemed to have a hidden reason for the collaboration. He’s sure that Seo Yoon Joo wouldn’t see it coming that Jane Terry Cha was actually him.

Another day of expensive shopping for the Madam for Se Gyeong. This time she had to buy a set of diamond worth 10 million won from Eclaire. She handed it over like usual. And after doing her job, she decided to sell back that bag her ex-bf gave her. But in the middle of her personal business, Se Gyeong got a call from the office. The important warrant book of the diamond had lost. Se Gyeong had no idea and tried to defend herself in front of Shin In Hwa. But that woman really talked harsh to Se Gyeong that a person like Se Gyeong would not be able to be a designer. She didn’t even count Se Gyeong’s experience of studying abroad as one of good qualifications. “You better stop here. You wouldn’t make it,” she said to Se Gyeong.

Se Gyeong was trying to lobby the Eclair shop assistant, but they couldn’t do what she asked. In the same time, Cha Seung Jo was walking around there and caught in the middle of that problem. Se Gyeong asked Cha Seung Jo for help, but Seung Jo said the fault must be in her, not them because for them there’s never such a mistake. “You must have tried the diamonds, right?” asked Cha Seung Jo. And yes, she did. That’s why the warrant book was gone because it slipped out of the bag when Se Gyeong was taking the diamond box out of it. So, nothing she could do about it.

Se Gyeong was really down. She had no one to call and share her burden, but one person… Seo In Chan. She called him several times but In Chan didn’t pick up. But later on he called, just to say they’d broken up so she should stop contacting him. But Se Gyeong was in need of someone to talk to, to speak out her heavy heart. “Why everyone today is telling me that i cannot do (anything)?” She cried alone that night.

At home, Se Gyeong was about to write down her resignation letter but ended up writing a spirit-up letter. Next morning, she’s about to hand in the letter to the Team Leader when suddenly everyone in the office started running here and there. The Madam was coming. Everyone and everything should look perfect. And when the “devil” stepped in… Se Gyeong didn’t see her face. Until Seo Yoon Joo stopped in front of her and called, “Yah! Han Se..”

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