01x02 - Episode 2

[bunniefuu]

BETWEEN STEPS

CHARACTERS, PLACES, ORGANIZATIONS,
AND EVENTS IN THIS DRAMA ARE FICTITIOUS

THIS DRAMA CONTAINS SENSITIVE CONTENT

EPISODE 2

[doorknob clicks]

[sighs wearily]

What are you doing up so late?

What time is it now?

[Miyoung] What are you still doing
up at this hour? Huh?

Something like this.

What... What's all this? Huh?

[Youjin] Cool, isn't it?

So now you want to be a cartoonist
instead of a designer?

No, your daughter
is going to get her PhD now.

-Thank you.
-Goodbye.

Huh?

Oh, Minjae.
I want the expensive coffee too.

I'm sorry, but could I get a refund?

-You'd like a refund?
-Yes.

Please insert your card.

[♪ chill music playing on speakers]

[people chattering indistinctly]

[Youjin] I double-majored
in fashion and mathematics.

So I've completed
all the required coursework.

My grades aren't that bad, either.

I scored over 500 on the TEPS too.

But why do you suddenly want to switch
to a completely different major?

Uh...

I've always liked tinkering with machines.

I was good at building things
with LEGOs too.

I even won an award for it as a kid.

LEGOs?

Yeah. And I can code too.

Oh?

Then do you know how to use
MATLAB or SolidWorks too?

No. What are those?

You don't.

I don't know what they are...

but I can learn.

I'm a fast learner.
And once I start something, I go all out.

I have never written a mechanical
engineering research proposal before.

So if you could take a look...

But...

if you like machines
and you're good at building with LEGOs,

they can be your hobbies.

Why go so far as to switch majors?

Well, that's because I...

Fashion and textiles just wasn't for me.

It turns out
I don't have any talent for it.

"It turns out"?

But what about all you've learned?
What a waste.

All the time and money
over the past four years will go to waste.

And what if you get into grad school,

and it turns out
that you don't have any talent

for mechanical engineering?

Are you going to switch to business then?

[objects clattering]

[sighs]

[muttering] Look at you, so smart.
What are you, judge and jury?

[Minjae] Pardon?

[Youjin] I mean,

maybe you should've gone to law school
instead of engineering school.

Just a random thought.

[chuckles in disbelief]

What I'm saying is,

switching majors isn't something
you should decide on rashly like that.

First, everything you learned is wasted.

Plus, won't you feel guilty
toward your parents?

Anyway, you've still got some time,
so take your time and think it over.

Are you angry?

No, I'm not angry.

I think you're angry.

I don't get angry so easily.

[Youjin clears throat]

What is it?

What?

It's nothing.

[Hangyeol] He was sitting
side by side with a woman,

looking at something on a laptop.

Was she pretty? Was she a pretty woman?

[Hangyeol] She was gorgeous.

Is she in our program?
One of the younger students?

No, she's not in our program.
She's some woman I don't know.

He was looking at something on a laptop
with some pretty woman you don't know?

Sitting side by side?

How pretty? As pretty as aespa? IVE?

No, not like that.

You know, that American model.

Which American model?

I can't remember her name all of a sudden.

She's really beautiful
and has a baby face.

She's been married three times.

She's been married three times?

That's how pretty she is.

Beautiful women
get three, four chances at marriage.

For women like that,
it's polyandry, not polygyny.

All right, hold on. I'll just ask.

[Hangyeol] Ask who?

-Chacha.
-[line ringing]

[hesitating] Hey, Seohyun,
you picked up fast. Are you busy?

I just wanted to ask you something. Yeah.

So, Hangyeol saw Minjae with some woman.

Uh-huh. No.
She's not a student in our program.

Anyway, he says
she's really pretty and baby-faced

and looks like an American model, yeah.

Is that Seohyun?
Do you think she would know?

Oh, you saw her too?

She saw her? She says she did?

See? I said I saw her.
I really saw her. Seriously...

[Taeho] Seohyun. So who is she?
Yeah, she's not in our program.

-[door opens]
-[whispers] He's here.

Hey.

[♪ comical music playing]

What's with the weird vibe here?

Okay, so this is the load torque
on the knee,

and this is the friction torque.

DANNY WALKING MODEL VALIDATION

The little bits of friction
generated in the gears and the belt

are hard to notice,

but they play a bigger role
than you'd think.

But we only factored the load torque
into the simulation.

So the robot seemed to walk fine at first.

But on the actual robot,
the friction torque acts on it too,

so the knee hesitates a little
before it starts moving.

It's about time
I sent you to Dieland, isn't it?

Focus, will you?

I...

I honestly thought... [clears throat]

...of you as my soulmate,

until now.

[chuckles]

Your soulmate is your girlfriend,
who is in Daejeon now.

[Taeho] Minjae,

I truly thought of you
as my own brother, you know?

But... [sighs]

...how come I didn't know something
even Chacha knew?

That really hurt my feelings.

The thing is...

there's nothing.

I have nothing to tell you.

Stop it and just be honest with me.

What do you mean, be honest?

-[Taeho sighs]
-Are you dating that woman?

No, there's nothing going on between us.

I saw the two of you sitting side by side,
watching a movie and giggling.

I wasn't giggling,
I wasn't watching a movie,

and there's nothing going on.

-I've said it three times now.
-[Taeho] Then prove it.

Prove what, and how?

If there's really nothing between you two
and you're being honest, then...

set Hangyeol up with her.

-What?
-Yeah.

Set me up with her.

[Taeho] He's really into her.

Yeah, she's so beautiful.

I like her. Set me up with her.

Dude, respect the pecking order.
He has to set me up first.

You didn't even get a look at her.
Why would you be set up with her?

[Minjae tapping on board] That's enough.

Stop talking nonsense. Where were we?

Right, anyway, now we need to incorporate
this friction model into the simulation.

[Hangyeol] If...

If you don't set me up on a date,
I'm going to quit the lab.

What?

I'll also quit the lab
if you don't set me up on a date.

Well done, guys.

[sighs] Fine, quit then.
Just quit. Go on and quit.

Quit the lab.

I'll talk to the professor,
so you two bring me your withdrawal forms.

[chuckles] Right, Chansoo,
you got an offer from KAIST, right?

-Yes.
-Yeah.

Professor Hwang Semin's lab
reached out to me.

They asked if I'd join them
for the upcoming WRS.

KAIST is preparing for the WRS?
But they didn't participate last year.

Not sure, but they are this year.

Is that so?

[Hangyeol] What's the WRS?

-[groans]
-[in English] World Robot Summit.

[Minjae sighs]

[in Korean] Are you setting me up
on a date or not?

[vacuum humming loudly]

[phone vibrates]

[♪ comical music playing]

[line ringing]

See? She's not answering.

-She will.
-[line connects]

[Youjin on phone] Hello?

Hello?

Ah, I wasn't doing anything.

There's a book I need to read,
so I was reading that.

Oh. It's nothing serious.
I just wanted to ask you something.

Sure, go ahead and ask.

Boyfriend?

But why do you want to know that?

[chuckles] Why do you care
if I have a boyfriend or not...

No. I don't have a boyfriend.

-Why do you ask?
-[digital door lock beeping]

Hey, why are you home today?

[Youjin] I can't really talk right now.
Can we talk later? Yes.

-[grunts]
-Yes.

Mom. Lim Youjin is seeing someone.

You're seeing someone
these days, aren't you?

No, I'm not.

Then why did you hide earlier?

What do you mean, hide?
I just wanted to talk somewhere quiet.

[Miyoung] Are you really
not seeing anyone?

No. I'm way too busy studying, you know.

I barely get any sleep as it is.
How would I even have time to date?

Exactly. You're in the prime of your life,
and all you do is sit at that desk.

Aren't you going to get married?

I'm never getting married.

I'm going to live with you forever.

You can't do that.
You have to get married, still.

Dad, do you believe that?

The three biggest lies in Korea

are old folks saying,
"I should just die already,"

and daughters saying, "I'm going to live
with Mom and Dad forever."

[scoffs]

What was the last one?
There are three of them.

They're not lies.
They're just trying to be nice.

[Youjin hums in agreement]

See? This is why daughters
are different from sons.

This is why it's nice to have a daughter.

-Mmm-hmm.
-[Miyoung] Yeah.

What? What's wrong with sons?
Why are you playing favorites?

When did I play favorites?

Just now.

Lim Youjin is always right, isn't she?

Even if she told you
doenjang was made from red beans,

you'd believe her, right?

Yes.

It's meju, not doenjang.
It's "Meju is made from red beans."

It's meju? Hmm.

So you're not seeing anyone?

Mmm.

I don't have time for it.

I mean, it's okay if you date. It's okay.

Just let me meet the guy first.

Okay.

I don't ask for much.

Just someone who's hardworking,

respects his elders, and is healthy,
with all four limbs intact.

Other than that, I don't ask for anything.

[Miyoung] What do you mean,
all four limbs?

Who doesn't have four limbs?

-[chuckles]
-[Yongseok] Some people don't.

You know, people with disabilities.

-[Miyoung] You little...
-Come on.

[Miyoung] No more food for you.

[groans softly]

[bowl thuds]

[♪ pensive music playing]

[groans softly]

[sighs]

[groans softly]

If you keep pulling all-nighters,
your skin's going to become dull.

I know. It'll get all dry, right?

What am I going to do?

Are you really not seeing anyone?

No. Lim Youseong got it totally wrong.

Hmm.

I'm actually more worried
about your love life

than your grad school entrance exam.

Do you want me to set you up with someone?

One of our customers at the auto shop
owns a huge building near Gangnam Station.

I said
you go to Seohan National University,

and they asked to see a picture of you.

So I showed them one, and they said,

"She's this pretty, and she's smart too?"

They'd love you as a daughter-in-law.

Guess their son
didn't do too well in school.

I didn't ask.
Well, I don't even need to ask.

Any school that's not Harvard
is below Seohan anyway.

[chuckles softly]

[grunts softly]

Yeah, never mind. [clears throat]

He's no good.

You need a man who's smart.
A dumb guy won't do.

[Youjin] Yeah.

He has to be handsome and tall.

[Youjin] Yeah.

A woman

should always be with a man who loves her

more than she loves him.

He's smart, handsome, and tall.

What if he doesn't like me?
That could happen.

[inhales deeply]

That's just not possible.

I'm not saying this
because you're my daughter.

You're really cool and attractive.

[exclaims]

But I'm not some goddess, like Venus.
I may not be everyone's type.

Type isn't the issue with you.

Any guy who doesn't like you is an idiot.

Don't date someone like that.

But what if I like the idiot anyway?

You can't always control
how you feel, right?

Hmm?

[♪ theme song playing]

No.

[hisses]

Hmm.

At least get the dirt
and sand off for now.

I'm okay.

No, hurry and wipe it off.

If not cleaned right away,
it could lead to ulcers and infection.

[♪ theme song continues playing]

[bell tinkles]

Hey.

You're here.

What the... You guys came together?

-Come on. Have a seat.
-Hmm?

[♪ laid-back music playing on speakers]

[Minjae] Hmm.

So, this is Lim Youjin.

And this is Chansoo.
We work in the same lab. Bae Chansoo.

-Hello.
-Hello.

I've heard so much about you.
You're really beautiful.

-Here's the menu.
-[Minjae] Thank you.

Why don't we order first?

Everything's good here.

The creamy shrimp pasta is great,
and so is the risotto.

There are more in the back.

Here. Soup. Appetizers.

Order everything you want.

Yes. Go ahead and order
everything you want. It's on me.

Okay.

Then I'll just get
the creamy shrimp pasta.

The creamy shrimp pasta. And you, Chansoo?

Then I'll get the creamy shrimp pasta too.

Two creamy shrimp pastas.

-Excuse me, we'd like to order.
-[server] Yes.

Could we have two orders
of creamy shrimp pasta, please?

-All right. Thank you.
-Yes, thank you.

[breathes deeply]

Right.

I've got some more work to do
back at the lab, so I'll get going.

Enjoy your meal,
and get to know each other.

Your matchmaker will leave you to it.

-Hmm.
-[bell tinkles]

Actually, I haven't been
on many blind dates,

so this feels a little awkward.

[Youjin] Hmm.

I didn't know this was a blind date.

You didn't know about this?
You didn't know?

No, I did hear it's a blind date.
I did hear about it, but...

Sometimes, I get the wrong idea
in my head, and I get tunnel vision.

I can be a real idiot sometimes.

[chuckles softly]

I see.

-Yeah.
-[bell tinkles]

Excuse me, are you Mr. Bae Chansoo?

Oh, you are. I was right.

I was just walking by
and thought it was you.

Hello. I work with Chansoo in the lab.

I'm Choi Hangyeol.

[Youjin] Oh...

I'm not interrupting anything, am I?

[Youjin] No, not at all.

I mean, what a coincidence,
running into him here.

I'm just so happy to see him.
What should I do now?

Do you mind if I join you for a bit?
Just for a moment.

-Sure, it's okay. Please have a seat here.
-Oh.

[whispering] Dude,
what are you doing here?

[whispering] It's okay.

[in normal voice]
I haven't eaten yet, actually.

Can I order something too?

Yes, of course.
If you haven't eaten yet...

-Excuse me.
-[server] Yes.

[Youjin] We'd like to order.

[whispering] What on earth
are you doing here?

[softly] I saw her first.
I deserve a chance too.

[bell tinkles]

-Water?
-[Hangyeol] Oh.

[bell tinkles]

Is that Chansoo and Hangyeol,
by any chance?

Ah, it is. [laughs awkwardly]

Hello. What a coincidence.

Funny running into you like this.

[chuckling]

Hello.

I'm lab mates with them.

-[Youjin] Hmm.
-[chuckling]

-[Hangyeol chuckles awkwardly]
-Man. How funny is this? [laughing]

-[Hangyeol] So, would you like some pasta?
-Yeah, I'd love that.

[knocks on door]

-Yes, come in.
-[door opens]

Is this Professor Ahn Jaehong's lab?

Yes, this is Professor Ahn's lab.
And who are you?

Uh...

Hello. I'm Kim Sejin.
I study electronic engineering at KAIST.

KAIST electronic... Right.
I got your email. Come on in.

Man.

So everyone misunderstood.

Yeah.

But really, there's absolutely nothing
going on between us.

Mr. Park Minjae and I
just know each other's names and faces.

[Taeho] Hmm.

Park Minjae isn't exactly my type, either.
I can't stand guys like him.

I was just asking him for some advice

about applying to grad school that day.

Grad school? Our program?

I double-majored in fashion and textiles
and mathematics.

I've taken the required courses,
and my grades aren't bad.

And I scored over 500 on TEPS.

Have you always been interested
in mechanical engineering?

Yes, I've always liked
tinkering with machines.

I won first prize
in a LEGO-building contest once.

I can code too.

[Hangyeol] Anything involving robots?

We're a robotics lab.

Our professor is really great.

[Hangyeol] Yeah.

There are also scholarships available,
and the stipend's pretty good too.

It's honestly a great lab.

Have you reached out to any other labs?

No, not yet.

I don't even know if I can get in or not.

But with grades like yours,
of course you'd get in.

Do you know how hard it is
to find lab sl*ves these days?

[clears throat]
Actually, I'm basically the one

who chooses the students for our lab.

You should see the Robot Control Room
while you're here.

It's right around the corner.

Okay.

Right, I heard
you've completed the URP at KAIST.

[Sejin] Yes.

[Minjae] May I ask why you reached out
to us instead of their lab?

[Sejin] I read Professor Ahn's works.
His research seems like a good fit.

I also heard
his lab is basically a free-range lab.

[Minjae laughs]
Our reputation made it to your school?

-[Sejin] Yeah.
-[Minjae exclaims]

[Minjae] After you.

-[groans softly]
-Yes.

Well, uh, our lab is pretty hands-off.

Professor Ahn values student autonomy
over short-term results,

which is how we got
the whole free-range reputation...

I didn't mean that in a bad way.

I like having autonomy in my research,
so that's actually a plus for me.

Really? That's good to hear.

-Your leg...
-Yes?

Is your leg okay?

No, I'm fine. It's just...

I have a prosthetic right leg,

so it can be
a little inconvenient sometimes.

Yeah, I heard you had your leg amputated
because of cancer.

[chuckles nervously]

Even that got around?
All the way to Daejeon?

Well, I wouldn't say it got around.
You're just that famous.

Famous for what?
For being a disabled researcher?

Well, that could be part of it.

Ah, I heard you were a competitive swimmer
in high school too.

Yeah, I guess.

You don't swim anymore?

No, I don't.

Why not?

What do you mean, why not?
Because I don't want to, obviously.

[Sejin] Well, it's still early spring,
so the water will probably be cold.

Are you always this insensitive?

Well, no one's ever called me that before.

Ah.

Some people do call me nuts, though.

This is a prototype robot
that's been passed down to us.

-You said you were into LEGOs, right?
-[Youjin] Yes.

Right. Just like the joints
on a LEGO model move,

these motors
let the robot move all its joints.

These motors here.

The motors... Come this way.

-[♪ comical music playing]
-This... Look here.

[Hangyeol] Youjin, you haven't seen
something like this before, have you?

-[Youjin] What?
-[Hangyeol] Something like this.

What's this?

This is what we call a robot hand.

It can sense touch and has joints too,
just like a human hand.

Want to say hi? A handshake?

-[Youjin chuckles]
-[Taeho in robotic voice] Youjin.

Youjin.

Nice to meet you.

[laughing]

-[in normal voice] Cool, isn't it?
-Yeah.

Youjin, this is the robot
we're making these days.

You can come closer and touch it
if you want. It's okay.

Its name is Danny.

As in Daniel Craig.

The James Bond actor. You know him, right?

Oh.

Cool, right?

[chuckles]

So Danny is a male robot?

Yeah, he's male.

So, is there a female robot too?

Hmm? Uh...

Well, I wouldn't say it's male.

It's more like... unisex.

[both chuckle]

It can be a man and a woman.

[Hangyeol] Oh, like this.

-Youjin.
-Yes.

Hold this bat here. Now, watch me.

Stand here
and pull it back as far as you can.

Bam! See that? This is how you do it.

Yeah. Just stand here and bam!

Hit it nice and loud.

-Like this?
-Here, stand in front of it like this.

Like this. And this here...

-Pull it in like this.
-[Youjin] Like this?

All right. Then, bam!

-It's just a test.
-It's a test. Give it a go.

[♪ intriguing music playing]

Huh? [laughs]

No. You can hit it much harder.

[Hangyeol laughing]

Uh, but I feel bad for the robot.

I mean...

No, you don't need to feel bad, Youjin.

Imagine it's someone you hate.

Think of it as someone you really hate.

-Bam! Hit it as hard as you can.
-[Hangyeol] Yeah.

[Chansoo] You don't need
to feel bad for it. It's just a test.

[Hangyeol] It's a test.

[Taeho] An important test to see
how much impact the robot can withstand.

-So just...
-Bam!

-[Taeho] This is a serious test.
-[Chansoo] It's a test.

[Minjae] But...

[Hangyeol] Please take it seriously.

...if you like machines
and you're good at building with LEGOs,

they can be your hobbies.

Why go so far as to switch majors?

What if you get into grad school,

and it turns out
that you don't have any talent

for mechanical engineering?

Are you going to switch to business then?

I've got some more work to do
at the lab, so I'll get going.

Enjoy your meal,
and get to know each other.

Your matchmaker will leave you to it.

-[Miran] Are you lecturing me right now?
-[others chattering indistinctly]

[scoffs]

You're obviously so smart.

Who am I to try to guide
or teach someone like you?

Just go for it!

Bam!

[clangs loudly]

[clattering]

What was that sound?

[Taeho] sh*t. [groans]

[groans softly] It's...

[yelling] What are you doing?

[Chansoo] It's not...

[sighs]

[Taeho] We were...

Looks like we'll have to end
the tour here today. You can go.

Okay.

-You should leave.
-[Taeho] Minjae.

-[Minjae] Don't touch that.
-[Taeho] It was a test.

[Hangyeol] Yeah.

[Taeho softly] Come on, let's go.

Sorry.

[sighs grimly]

-[clicks]
-[motor whirring]

[stops]

[motor whirring]

[stops]

-[grunts softly]
-[motor whirring]

[stops]

[panting]

[sighs]

[grunts]

-[thuds]
-[groans]

[groans]

[straining]

[grunts]

[sighs]

[grunts, yells]

I can't take this sh*t anymore! Damn it!

[muffled scream]

-[yelling]
-[objects clattering]

[♪ melancholic music playing]

[♪ melancholic music continues playing]

[digital door lock beeps]

-[soft whirring]
-[latch clicks]

[sighs heavily]

[groans softly]

[exhales]

[sighs]

[grunting]

[groans]

[breathing heavily]

[groans]

SEOHAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

[nurse] Mr. Park Minjae.

Yes.

[grunts]

-[groans] Doctor.
-Yeah.

[Minjae] At first,
it was only the skin that hurt,

so I thought
it would go away in a few days.

But now it hurts so much
I can't even put my prosthetic on.

-You've developed an ulcer.
-What?

[object thuds]

But it hasn't even been five months
since my last checkup.

How did this happen all of a sudden?

You've been busy with work, haven't you?
And lots of stress?

-What?
-[doctor] Hardly exercising

and eating pizza and fried chicken
for dinner every night, right?

You've gained 3.8 kg.

[Minjae grunts]

Jeez, look right here.
See? It's pretty obvious.

You see, a prosthesis is basically
like a piece of clothing made of metal.

But unlike a T-shirt or regular clothes,
it doesn't stretch.

So your body has to fit the prosthesis,
not the other way around.

Your prosthesis was too tight,

which restricted the blood flow
and caused the ulcer.

So don't worry too much about it, okay?

[exclaims]

Man.

Uh...

Wait, so it's not a recurrence
or anything like that?

That's right.
Just keep an eye on your weight.

[laughs]

I know you were really worried.
Are you disappointed?

Doctor, what do you mean, disappointed?

I thought it had come back.

I cried my eyes out and freaked out.

How could I be disappointed?

Why would you say it like that?

Come on, that's not what I meant.

What I'm saying is,
an ulcer like this is only superficial.

It'll heal quickly,
so you don't need to worry.

How about getting back into swimming?

It's a full-body workout
and helps with weight loss.

As a former competitive swimmer,
you'd know better.

[sighs]

Well, I'm not forcing you to do it.

But it's a doctor's recommendation,
so give it some thought.

[♪ pensive music playing]

[♪ music builds up]

[♪ music winds down]

[panting]

[staff] We're closing at 10.

All right.

[sighs]

[people chattering indistinctly]

[Minjae scoffs] 40 million won?

[Taeho] Yeah. They said
we'll probably need to replace the motor

and order a new wrist link.

All right, fine.
I'll tell the professor myself.

Right. Youjin said
she sent an email to Professor Ahn.

Could you please look into that too?

[Minjae] Youjin?

Yeah, Lim Youjin.

Lim Youjin from the other day.

[groans] Just thinking about it
pisses me off.

What were you guys doing
while she caused all that trouble?

Why did you just let it happen?

Well, we didn't know
it'd turn into such a big problem.

Turns out she's really strong.

[Minjae groans]

But she was pretty shaken up herself.

She went white as a sheet
and kept apologizing to us. Gosh.

[chuckles nervously]
It made me feel so bad.

Minjae, if we're being honest,

what happened in the lab that day
was on us.

Youjin didn't do anything wrong.

She happened to be there
at the wrong time.

Right? Come on. Right?

Well, since things
have turned out this way,

maybe all this happened for a reason.

It'd be great if we could all
work together here in the lab--

I already filled the spot.

-Already?
-Yeah.

Okay.

He's an electrical engineering major
at KAIST.

His papers and grades are both great.

He even did URP in undergrad,
so I hired him right away.

Hold on, are you talking about Samjin
or Sajin or whatever, that KAIST nutjob?

He's not a nutjob.

Minjae, everyone in KAIST
knows he's nuts. Okay?

He contacted our school
because they all know he's nuts.

I don't care.
A lot of smart people are nuts.

[scoffs] Really? Then I must be nuts too.

Are you not?

[knocks on door]

Yes?

-Hi.
-[Jaehong] Hey, Minjae. Come in.

Did you go to the hospital?
What did they say?

Ah, nothing much.

They said I should exercise, lose weight,
and take better care of myself.

-[Jaehong] Yeah?
-Yeah.

From the way you're walking,
you seem to be doing better.

Yeah, I'm doing fine. Yes.

I got an email
from an interesting student.

-[Minjae] Yes.
-She's a fashion and textiles graduate,

and she wants to study in our program.

Apparently, math was her second major.

Math is the foundation
of algorithm design, after all.

-But, Professor, we already...
-[line ringing]

Yeah. Wait, one second. Sorry.

-Hello? Hey, Professor Kang.
-[Miran] Hey, Professor Ahn.

-Are you busy now?
-[Miran] I've got time.

-Can you talk for a minute?
-[Miran] Yes, sure.

I just wanted to ask you something.

[Miran] Okay, what is it?
Go ahead and ask me now.

-Really? Now?
-[Miran] Yes.

Hmm.

Then...

How about we meet up and grab a bite?

[Miran] I'd be honored. Are you buying?

Of course, I should buy. Yeah.

[Miran] Then,
let's meet at the Faculty Club.

-Okay. That's a good choice. Yeah.
-[Miran] Yeah.

-All right. I'll see you there.
-[Miran] See you there.

-Okay, bye.
-[Miran] Bye.

Have you had lunch yet?

Sorry? No, I haven't yet.

Come with me.

FACULTY CLUB

There you are.

It's been a while.

This is my lab assistant.

Nice to meet you.

I'm Park Minjae.

Mm-hmm.

Gosh, it's been ages.

You only ever call
when you need something.

Yeah. I'm sorry. I've been too busy.

Are you the only busy one here?
What about me?

I know. That's why
I'm treating you to lunch today.

-Excuse me.
-Hello. Can we have the menu, please?

Thank you.

[♪ soft music playing]

[people chattering indistinctly]

Thank you.

[Miran] Lim Youjin?

-Yeah.
-[Miran] Yeah, I know her.

She's one of our graduates.

But I had no idea she'd contacted
the mechanical engineering department.

Yeah, I was surprised too.
She has a pretty unique background.

It's not just her background
that's unique.

She's pretty unique herself.

Yeah? She's unique? Unique how?

Well, how should I put it?

She's a bright kid. She's smart.

Yeah, looks like she did well
in undergrad. Her grades are good.

But when I say she's smart...

You know, kids these days
aren't like we were at their age.

Ah.

She's book-smart,

but she's kind of self-centered?

[Miran] We're educators ourselves,

but something's seriously wrong
with the education system.

Look how hard we push kids to compete.

No one's a friend. Everyone's the enemy.
Everything's about competition.

"I have to beat everyone."

"If I don't crush you,
I'm the one who goes down."

That's the mentality.

Yeah, but that's because we adults
failed to teach them better.

At the end of the day,
they're all victims too. Victims.

Yeah, exactly. They're all victims.

I feel so bad for them.

But as far as I know,

she got along fine with her friends.

Well, that's what I heard...

[Jaehong] You know this student too?

I don't know her that well.
We just say hi when passing by on campus.

You say hi when you pass each other?

-You don't know her well?
-[Minjae] Right.

Do you know the saying,
"Biinbujeon Bujaeseungdeok"?

Yes, I do.

People of poor character
should hold no position of authority.

Nor should they be taught valuable skills.

And that talent and knowledge
should never take precedence over virtue.

[Jaehong] There's a saying like that?
That's a great one.

[Miran laughs] There is.
God, you engineers are so uncultured.

I know, right?

Except for you, Mr. Park.

[exclaims]

Yeah.

[Miran] Now that you're pursuing
an academic career

and will be teaching students yourself,

I hope you'll keep that in mind.

I will.

Well, I should keep it in mind.

But who said that? Was it Confucius?

[Miran chuckling]

You don't need to know.

Even if I told you,
you'd forget it anyway.

Yeah, a hundred percent.

[both chuckle]

-Subin.
-[Subin] Yes.

-Can I have a cup of green tea?
-Sure.

-[Subin] Here's your tea.
-Yeah. Thanks.

Have you been in touch with Youjin lately?

Ah...

No, I haven't.

Yeah?

She contacted the mechanical engineering
department. Did you know?

Mechanical engineering?

Uh...

Hmm. So you didn't know.

You two were so close as undergrads.
And you don't even keep in touch now?

-We're both really busy, so...
-[Miran] Yeah.

You're both busy.

Friends are only friends
when they stay close.

Once you drift apart, it's pointless.

See?

I'm telling you, I'm the only one
who looks out for you, Subin.

[chuckles]

[Miran chuckles]

Hello.

What brings you here?

Uh...

I heard he ended up in the hospital
after Youjin hit him.

Ah, he was hospitalized?

He said he'd sue us if we sued him.

I was so scared
and didn't know what to do.

So I told Professor Kang about it,
and she helped me.

She even paid the hospital bills.

So you two were...

not dating or anything...

[Sujin] No, absolutely not.

The professor said
we could just go with that and move on

since we wouldn't have
to see each other again anyway

and there was no need
to make a bigger deal out of it.

So that's what we did.

Oh.

Honestly,

being questioned at the police station
wasn't exactly pleasant.

It was really scary.

But...

Lim Youjin didn't seem to know about that.

And you two stopped talking to each other.

Would that also happen to be

because of something
Professor Kang Miran said?

What is it? What did she say?

Youjin wouldn't listen to the professor.

And that wasn't all.
I heard she even talked back to her.

Hmm.

Now, no one in our department
can talk to Youjin anymore.

GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICATION FORM

NAME: LIM YOUJIN
SUPERVISOR: AHN JAEHONG

[♪ soft music playing]

SEOHAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICATION

PROGRAM: MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

YOUR APPLICATION
HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY SUBMITTED

[grunting softly]

[groans]

[grunts]

[phone vibrates]

[mouse clicking]

[door opens]

Oh.

Hi.

[door opens]

[Sejin] Hello.

Hi. You can sit wherever you want.

-Here.
-Thank you.

DERIVE THE ROTATION MATRIX
FOR ZYX EULER ANGLES

Have any of you seen Good Will Hunting?

I have.

I haven't.

It's a movie.
The main character's a math genius.

If you haven't seen it,
make sure you do sometime.

It's a classic.

And what if you haven't watched it?

It has nothing to do with this. It's okay.

[♪ intriguing music playing]

[Youjin] Excuse me.

What is it?

You don't know Euler angles?

I mean... Do we have to use Euler angles?

Oh.

Isn't that obvious? You need to solve it
the way the question asks.

Just do what you can.

All right. You may begin.

[♪ theme song playing]

SEOHAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY TEST PAPER

Was it a little too difficult?

Ah.

Well, I just blanked
on the harmonic addition theorem.

Hmm.

Good work.

I'm really sorry
about what happened that day.

Hmm?

I know I've got some nerve

asking you to let me back into the lab
after the huge mess I caused.

But please give me one more chance.

Seeing the robot in person
made me love robotics even more.

I really want to study it.

Hmm.

Okay.

Good work today.

You said it'd be a waste of four years.

But why is that a waste?
It was a learning experience.

Everyone stumbles and fails sometimes,

but I believe we have to learn from it,
pick ourselves back up, and keep going.

I'm sorry if that was out of line.

But...

what are you going to do
if you fail the test?

Then...

I'll take another one until I get in.

You can go now.

Okay.

SEOHAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY TEST PAPER
NAME: LIM YOUJIN

She basically wrote a whole thesis here.

[chuckles]

One is a nutjob,

and the other one's got
some personality issues.

-[Minjae] Oh...
-A nutjob would be better, right?

I mean, our research
involves a lot of teamwork.

Well,

she can be pretty stubborn
and a little eccentric,

but she definitely doesn't have
any serious character issues.

And from what I've seen,
she seems very determined to study.

Unless there are any major concerns
about her abilities,

I personally think
we'd be fine admitting her...

She wrote so tiny
I can barely even read it.

Or maybe we should
just show this to Professor Lee.

That could work.

I wonder
if Professor Lee is in his office.

[Jaehong] How was your first semester
teaching Korean students

after teaching in the US?

Well, we have
a very different talent pool here.

Yeah, that's true,

but we have
plenty of talented students too.

Right.

[Jaehong] It all depends
on the teacher, though.

Still, it's good
to be back in Korea, right?

I mean, the food is great here.

[chuckles]

Yeah, that's true.

-Is this a female student?
-Hmm?

Yes.

Hmm...

-It's good.
-It's good?

I can tell she's got talent.

But why does she want to study
mechanical engineering?

Well, because machines are more fun
than math, obviously.

Ah, she can join the math program.
We'll take her.

We can't do that.
We need more students too.

-Yes.
-Right? It's serious.

Well, she said she wanted to study
mechanical engineering, so...

Exactly. We should respect
what she wants to do.

Tell her to contact our department,
just in case.

Come on, I said we can't.
Stop trying to steal our student.

-Just in case.
-No way.

Don't even think about it.

He's really hard to impress.

If even he's saying that,

she must be a real genius.

-Watch out.
-It's okay.

I don't know if she's a genius...

-You know, Minjae.
-Yes.

You really do have a good eye for people.

Not at all.

I guess this could be a good chance
for us to prepare for the WRS.

I heard they're already
preparing for it at KAIST.

Really? If they can do it,
there's no way we can't.

-Right.
-Oh, man.

My heart's racing just thinking
about crushing them this time.

[laughs]

So, what are we going to do
with Lim Youjin?

Are we admitting her?

Why would a genius
get rejected from grad school?

What are you even talking about?

-[Youseong] Mmm. [slurps]
-[Youjin screams]

-[Youseong] This is good.
-[door opens]

-What's going on?
-[footsteps approaching]

-What is it?
-[Youjin] Mom!

[Youseong] It's seasoned perfectly.

-[Youjin] I got in.
-What?

I got it. I got in!

-Oh, my God! Well done, Youjin!
-I got into grad school!

[Miyoung] Well done!

My girl, well done!

If she studied that much
and still didn't get in,

she'd be worse than an idiot.

You did a great job.
That's my girl. Well done!

[♪ pleasant music playing]

[customers chattering indistinctly]

-[Hangyeol] She's here.
-[Taeho] Hmm?

-I'm sorry I'm late.
-[Taeho] Hey!

No, you're not late.

Let's see. See? You came right on time.

As your junior,
I should've come earlier and waited.

Well, I appreciate
your respect for seniority.

[chuckles]

You can drop the formalities with me.

[exclaims]

Can I really do that?

[hesitates] Okay, then. Youjin.

[giggling]

-Does that go for me too?
-Sure.

-Then I guess I'll do the same.
-Of course.

[Taeho chuckles]

You're really easygoing.

When is Minjae going to join us?

-Hold on.
-Minjae is coming with Chacha.

-[Taeho] Yeah.
-Chacha?

I'm sure you've met her once.
You know, at the GN Electronics office.

Ah, Ms. Cha?

She used to be in our lab.

Yeah, I know.

They're just around the corner.
Should we go ahead and order?

[Hangyeol] There they come.

-[Taeho] Huh? Yeah.
-[Hangyeol] Hey.

[Seohyun] Traffic is awful around here.

[Taeho chuckling]

[Seohyun] Oh.

Hello.

-[Minjae] Why haven't you ordered yet?
-Well... What should we order?

[Minjae] Oh, no. Hey.

-[Taeho] All right.
-[bottle clinking]

Let's welcome our newest lab member,
Lim Youjin.

Give her a hand!

[all cheering]

Now,

let's hear a few words from Youjin.

[clears throat]

Hmm, I... I mean,
although I'm from a different major,

uh, and I don't know a lot
about robotics research,

I'll work hard and make sure
I pull my weight as part of the team.

[cheering]

Wait a minute.

You can't sit down just yet.

Please sing a song.

I can't sing. No, I can't sing.

[chanting] Sing! Sing!

-Sing! Sing!
-Sing! Sing!

[exhales]

♪ Youjin's favorite random game ♪

[in English] ♪ Random game ♪

♪ Game start ♪

[in Korean] ♪ Apateu, apateu, apateu,
apateu, apateu, apateu ♪

♪ Uh, uh-huh, uh-huh ♪

♪ Apateu, apateu, apateu,
apateu, apateu, apateu ♪

♪ Uh, uh-huh, uh-huh ♪

[in English] ♪ Kissy face, kissy face
Sent to your phone, but ♪

♪ I'm gonna kiss you with my lips ♪

♪ Uh-huh, uh-huh ♪

♪ Red hearts, red hearts
That's what I'm on, yeah ♪

♪ Come give me something I can feel
Oh-oh, oh ♪

♪ Don't you want me
like I want you, baby? ♪

♪ Don't you need me like I need you now? ♪

♪ Sleep tomorrow, but tonight, go crazy ♪

♪ All you gotta do
is just meet me at the ♪

[in Korean] ♪ Apateu, apateu, apateu,
apateu, apateu, apateu ♪

♪ Uh, uh-huh, uh-huh ♪

You guys are in trouble now.

Your newbie is quite a character.

[Youjin singing] ♪ Uh, uh-huh, uh-huh ♪

[all cheering]

-[customer gasps]
-[Seohyun gasps]

[Hangyeol] Hey, Youjin.

Youjin!

Excuse me!

[host on radio]
Please send us your messages

online or by text at 93001.

[snoring]

[♪ mellow music playing]

[chuckles]

[Youjin snoring]

-[Youjin] Hmm...
-[softly] Her snore...

[snoring]

[engine whirs down]

Thank you.

So, where do you live?

I'll take you home.

Mmm.

No, it's okay. I can go home by myself.

You're not going home alone.

Come on, where do you live?

No, really. I'm completely sober now.

-Good night, then.
-But...

Be careful.

Oh, my God.

Your bag.

You forgot your bag. [groans]

Take your hand out. Like this.

-Huh?
-Your bag.

[Youjin] Thank you. Bye.

-[thuds]
-Ah.

[grunts]

Okay, fine. Come here. Come this way.

Here.

Sit here and sober up a little
before you head home.

Actually, wait. Just stay right here.

[♪ light music playing on speakers]

I'll just have this.

-[staff] All right.
-[scanner beeps]

-Okay, insert your card.
-Okay.

-[staff] You're all set.
-Thank you.

[sighs]

[♪ theme song playing]

[panting]

[exhales]

[groans]

[Youjin meowing]

-[pants]
-[meowing]

[meowing]

[meows]

Oh, boy.

What are you doing here?

It's cold out here.
Why did you leave your bag?

Drink this.

If you don't want this, tell me now.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

[♪ theme song playing]

BETWEEN STEPS

Hi.

It's not like
I have a lot of dating experience,

so I'm not sure.

I was pretty drunk that day too.

-[Sejin] Are those two a couple?
-[Taeho] High school sweethearts.

-Please, just one picture with this.
-No.

When did I disrespect you?

[Subin] The lab assistant
is that guy from earlier, right?

[Minjae] Do you want some ice cream?
What flavor do you like?

She's not even that pretty.

[Youjin] A goddess. A genius goddess.

[laughing] You're really cute.