A Good Day to Be a Dog Ep 4 review: Park Gyu Young’s curse takes surprising turn, Cha Eun Woo fights his fears

A Good Day to Be a Dog starring Cha Eun Woo, Park Gyu Young, and Lee Hyun Woo released the 4th episode of the fantasy romance K-drama on November 1 KST. Based on a webtoon, A Good Day to Be a Dog tells a charming story of a budding romance between Han Hae Na (played by Park Gyu Young), who is under a unique curse that transforms her into a dog when kissed, and the only person who can help her break the curse, Jin Seo Won (Cha Eun Woo), even though he has an unexpected fear of dogs. 

Recap of episode 4 of A Good Day to Be a Dog

Episode 4 of A Good Day to Be a Dog starts out with the previous sequence as we see Jin Seo Won (ASTRO's Cha Eun Woo) convincing Han Hae Na (Park Gyu Young) to go with him instead of Lee Bo Gyeom (Lee Hyun Woo) to the wedding as Bo Gyeom also gets late to everywhere he goes. Hae Na agrees willingly saying she herself doesn’t want to get late for the wedding. We later see Choi Yul and Seo Won discussing that Seo Won will be driving to the venue when Yul hilariously reveals that Seo Won is a novice driver. Here Hae Na’s sister Yu Ra questions her choice of going with Seo Won instead of Bo Gyeom as she likes the latter which makes Hae Na short of words and she later changes the subject.

Seo Won, on the other hand, watches videos on how to impress Hae Na even while being a novice driver. They later meet up as Yoon Chae Ah tries to chase them. Jin Seo Won hides with Hae Na under a yellow umbrella to not be seen by Chae Ah, creating a romantic moment between the former two.

They later drive together to the wedding, and when Seo Won attempts to play music at Hae Na's request, he accidentally plays the earlier video about how to make him a cool driver. This leads to Hae Na teasing him. Later, Yul calls to humorously warn Hae Na that Seo Won isn't a good driver, which makes Hae Na panic. Despite facing numerous obstacles, they eventually reach the wedding location. Feeling rushed, they hold hands and sprint to the hall.

Upon arriving at the wedding hall, they realize that they weren't actually late and can relax. They enjoy the wedding celebration of their colleagues, where Bo Gyeom serves as the MC and Seo Won sings a congratulatory song, making Hae Na’s heart flutter. Chae Ah arrives late after failing to catch up with Seo Won and Hae Na.

After the ceremony, everyone enjoys a meal, and during this time, the groom requests Seo Won to store some cardboard cutouts in his car. Chae Ah overhears the conversation and seizes the opportunity to ask Seo Won for a ride to the terminal in his car. While others are making plans to head to the beach, Seo Won reluctantly agrees and drives Chae Ah. During the drive, Chae Ah informs Seo Won that there won't be any buses for the next two hours. Again hesitantly, Seo Won agrees to take her all the way to Seoul, though he struggles with the long drive.

Bo Gyeom and Hae Na are on the beach enjoying the waves and talking about the sea. Bo Gyeom asks Hae Na about the waves and how it is attracted by the moon causing tides. Later Bo Gyeom gives a mysterious hint when he says “You will be pulled away from him sooner than you think, regardless of your will. Just like me.” There we see a flashback of what seems like Hae Na’s past life, who is crying covered in blood holding Seo Won’s past form in her hands while he appears unconscious. As in the present world, Hae Na walks away from Bo Gyeom, we see a mysterious shadow of a majestic tiger forming giving a hint of Bo Gyeom’s secrets. 

Seo Won eventually drops Chae Ah in Seoul and then sends a message to Hae Na, apologizing for their earlier encounter. Hae Na's sister Yu Ra suggests that she seek help from Yul, but Hae Na is hesitant, fearing that she'll have to share all the details with him, including the incident of getting drunk and kissing Seo Won.

Hae Na's sister Yu Ra and their friend, Woo Taek, decide to meet Yul to test his trustworthiness. Later, Hae Na opens up to Yul, explaining everything to him. They have a heartfelt conversation where Yul reassures Hae Na about her concerns regarding the curse. They agree to meet at Yul's house later that night, but Yul checks multiple times and realizes that Seo Won is still awake. As he eventually falls asleep, Hae Na, in her dog form, is delivered to Yul's house by her sister and Woo Taek.

Hae Na's sister and Woo Taek drop her off in Seo Won's bedroom, and there, Hae Na reminisces about their moments together, which brought them closer due to the curse. Feeling a strong connection, Hae Na finally kisses Seo Won. Surprisingly, there's no immediate transformation. She kisses him again, still with no change, leaving her surprised and a bit bewildered. She quickly flees the room as Seo Won begins to wake up. Despite her romantic encounter with Seo Won, Hae Na still undergoes the transformation into a dog in the following days, leaving her confused and questioning why the curse still persists. 

The revelation about the curse adds a new layer to the story, as it becomes clear that for the curse to work, the person Hae Na kisses must be fully awake. This revelation frustrates Hae Na. Hae Na, her sister, and Woo Taeklater have a discussion about how to break the curse, but they don't arrive at a specific solution. Life continues for everyone, and Hae Na and Seo Won continue to cross paths occasionally.

During one of their journeys home together, Hae Na asks Seo Won about his fear of dogs and what exactly makes him afraid of them. Seo Won explains that he doesn't trust dogs because he sees them as unfamiliar. This conversation leads to a heartfelt moment where Seo Won confesses his envy of how Hae Na can openly express her need for help, while he struggles to do so. This conversation inspires Hae Na to wholeheartedly support Seo Won in overcoming his fear of dogs.

Hae Na shares her desire to help Seo Won overcome his fear of dogs and suggests meeting after school. Seo Won agrees, but he later experiences scary thoughts about dogs chasing him, reflecting the depth of his fear.

They eventually visit a dog house, and as a first step, Hae Na encourages Seo Won to stare at a small dog for five seconds. She guides him through interpreting the dogs' body language as their next step. As they relax, a dog breaks free from its leash and rushes toward Seo Won and Hae Na, triggering a traumatic memory from when he was 10 years old.

Seeing Seo Won's fear, Hae Na instinctively protects him by covering both of them with her coat while the dog's owner takes control of their pet. She uses her words to calm Seo Won down, and in that intimate moment, they share a warm and comforting connection, looking into each other's eyes.

Review of episode 4 of A Good Day to Be a Dog

The episode has a lot to unpack. First, the aesthetics of the drama are on point with the pretty pastel colors dominating our screens giving out happy vibes. This episode focused on developing the connections between Park Gyu Young's character with both Lee Hyun Woo and Cha Eun Woo's characters. The dynamics between Jin Seo Won and Han Hae Na are pretty clear as they definitely like each other. But as per Lee Bo Gyeom, it is still unclear as to where he stands in the supposed love triangle.

The conversation between Hae Na and Bo Gyeom at the beach hinted at Bo Gyeom becoming some kind of an antagonist in Hae Na and Seo Won’s story with the flashbacks from their pasts and Bo Gyeom’s words. On the other hand, the romance between Seo Won and Hae Na will continue to bloom given she will be helping the former overcome his fear of dogs. 

Hae Na’s sister Yu Ra stopping Hae Na from sharing her secrets with Seo Won after learning the new conditions of the curse definitely stems from the PTSD she got from her previous boyfriends. It will be interesting to see how Hae Na will break her curse before her 100-day mark in the future. 

Overall, this episode is as good as any other Cha Eun Woo and Park Gyu Young who initially seemed awkward with each other have dissolved that to much extent. Lee Hyun Woo is also doing a great job as his mysterious character with expressions on point. Yoon Hyun Soo deserves a shout-out for playing the kind-hearted Choi Yul who adds a humorous point in the story. Overall the plot is going seamlessly with cute and fluffy vibes excluded from the show.

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ALSO READ: A Good Day to Be a Dog Ep 3 review: Cha Eun Woo and Park Gyu Young grow closer, Lee Hyun Woo hides secrets