Strong Girl Nam Soon Ep 9-10 review: Byeon Woo Seok confesses to Lee Yoo Mi; Ong Seong Wu digs into Doogo

Name: Strong Girl Nam Soon

Premiere Date: October 7, 2023

Cast: Lee Yoo Mi, Kim Jung Eun, Kim Hae Sook, Ong Seong Wu, and Byun Woo Seok

Director: Kim Jeong Sik and Lee Kyung Sik

Writer: Baek Mi Kyung

Genre: Drama, comedy, crime

No. of Episodes: 16 (Airs every Saturday-Sunday)

Where to watch: Netflix, JTBC

Recap of Strong Girl Nam Soon Episode 9

Episode 9 of Strong Girl Nam Soon starts with Kang Nam Soon (Lee Yoo Mi) stealing Ryu Si O’s (Byun Woo Seok) computer and delivering it to Kang Hee Sik (Ong Seong Wu). Meanwhile, Gil Joong Gan (Kim Hae Sook) enjoys a date with Seo Jun Hee (Jeong Bo Seok) when Hwang Geum Joo (Kim Jung Eun) receives a call from her father, Joong Gan’s husband, who is returning to Korea. 

Gang Nam In (Han Sang Jo) is shown drinking a significant amount of water, which hints at behavior commonly associated with people taking drugs, possibly suggesting the use of diet pills. We later see a glimpse of Ryu Si O’s past in his mafia group, where, as a kid, he had to fight others and win to have food. Geum Joo visits Hwa Ja (Choi Hee Jin), where she urges her to live a good, honest life. Nam Soon tries to dig into Doogo’s exports through Ms.Baek, her colleague, by praising her. Ryu Si O’s staff attempts to locate his computer as an angry Ryu Si O stabs his bodyguard Alexandros in his leg. Gangnam District police try to find leads in Ryu Si O’s computer but find nothing. Kang Hee Sik asks Nam Soon to continue digging into the international deals of the company.

Nam Soon tries to obtain information from her colleague but fails. Kang Hee Sik makes a plan to enter the heritage club. Ryu Si O, on the other hand, suspects Nam Soon of stealing his computer based on the descriptions provided by his bodyguard. He questions Hwa Ja whether Tsetseg is Kang Nam Soon. Hwa Ja unexpectedly denies it. Geum Joo continues to dig into Ryu Si O and discovers he is part of the mafia group Pavel. Nam Soon tries to get closer to Alexandros and makes him admit Ryu Si O does drugs. 

Ryu Si O and Nam Soon go to the Heritage Club together, where they meet Hwang Geum Joo and Hee Sik, who are in disguise. All three pretend not to know each other while Hee Sik tries to secretly enter Director Jung Dae Chul’s room and place a bug there. Hwang Geum Joo provokes Ryu Si O by questioning him about Doogo and Pavel, but Nam Soon cuts her in between as she sees Si O getting angry.

Joong Gan receives the unsettling news of her husband's return to Korea, which she confirms with Geum Joo. Overwhelmed by this revelation, she asks Jun Hee to stay by her side. When she goes to pick up her husband, her anger leads to an inadvertent injury. Geum Joo later visits Bread Song and questions him about Si O, presenting a photo featuring both of them. Bread Song, after seeing the picture, abruptly kicks her out.

Meanwhile, Nam In faints and is discovered by Bong Go (Lee Seung Joo). Ryu Si O, on the other hand, takes sinister actions by attempting to have Geum Joo killed, and later informs Nam Soon about this dangerous situation. After hearing about it, Nam Soon maintains her composure.

Recap of Strong Girl Nam Soon Episode 10

Episode 10 of Strong Girl Nam Soon starts with Geum Joo being hurried to the hospital while Gang Su, Shi O's henchman, observes from a distance. Shi O calls Gang Su from his office to verify which hospital Geum Joo was taken to and instructs him to complete the task as Nam Soon watches helplessly. Hee Sik arrives at the hospital just as Joong Gan is admitting her husband. Nam Soon pretends to still be on Shi O's side, and she questions him about whether he's hired her to kill people. He inquires if she is capable of doing it, and she says yes.

At the hospital, the doctor informs Joong Gan that her husband will require surgery. He also informs her about Geum Joo's hospitalization. Joong Gan rushes to Geum Joo's room. In the midst of her tears, she receives a phone call from Geum Joo herself, who reveals that she is unharmed and that it was all part of a plan. Geum Joo anticipated Shi O's attack, so she arranged for a stand-in to be at the hospital, making Shi O believe that she was actually injured. Meanwhile, Nam Soon receives a message from her mother, providing relief as he learns that she's okay.

Nam Soon, meanwhile, intensifies her investigation into the items labeled CTA4885 by questioning her colleague and warehouse employees, but her efforts prove futile. At the police station, the detectives uncover that the drug may be available in various forms. Thanks to the bug he planted in the previous episode, Hee Sik eavesdrops on a conversation where secretary Kim talks to an employee about selling an antidote.

In another scene, the team leader is found standing in a trance by the seashore. He ends up wading into the water, and it takes the efforts of 3-4 men to pull him back. Just when they are about to call the police, he suddenly gets up and walks away, indicating that he has completely succumbed to the effects of the drugs.

Nam-soon later overhears a phone call that Shi O takes in Russian. Hee Sik translates it, revealing that the item CTA4885 will be shipped soon. They make a plan to steal the items. Si O’s past is revealed how he and others were trained in the mafia and were taught to kill traitors, which has scarred him since a young age. 

Bong Go arrives at the police station and presents Hee Sik with the diet pill that Nam In had been taking. He asks Hee Sik to analyze it, which Hee Sik promptly sends for review. Later, Nam Soon secretly enters the truck carrying CTA4885, opens one of the boxes, and discovers a jacket inside. Hee Sik and his colleague, Young Tak, stop the truck during its route. Hee Sik distracts the driver while Young Tak opens the back of the truck and takes the jacket from Nam Soon as, she jumps out and then makes her escape.

Back at the police station, Hee Sik cuts into the jacket and finds it filled with feathers. He tests one of the feathers by placing it in water, and the feather dissolves, revealing the drug hidden within. Nam Soon hurries back to the office after Ms. Baek informs her that Shi O has been searching for her.

Hee Sik receives information that Nam In's diet pill is also a synthetic drug. He then relays this shocking news to Geum Joo. Nam Soon goes into Shi O's office,  who pulls her close and makes a startling confession by asking her if she will go out with him.

Strong Girl Nam Soon Episode 9-10 review

The episodes were funny and the mystery of drugs was thrilling to watch. Even though Lee Yoo Mi and Ong Seong Wu had a little screen time, their cute moments with each other were fun to watch. The storyline of drugs seems a bit slow as up until episode 10 no concrete evidence has been found about them being at Doogo, and their supply and links to Byun Woo Seok’s character Ryu Si O. The good thing about the show is it’s balance between the elements which gives us a little bit of each genre. 

Kim Jung Eun’s character Guem Joo is admirable but with a single drawback of being negative and body shaming her son Gang Nam In played by Han Sang Jo. The plot of Nam In has been reduced to being a fat guy who is shamed for his weight and takes drugs to cure them, which makes his character just sad when this could have been taken up better. Kim Hae Sook’s love story with Jeong Bo Seok is refreshing to see as the older couple in the show. As her older husband is back, it will be interesting to see whether a love triangle will take place for her in the show.

A bit of a letdown in the show is the limited on-screen interaction among the leading trio of the daughter, mother, and grandmother, portrayed by Lee Yoo Mi, Kim Jung Eun, and Kim Hae Sook, respectively. Given their roles as the core characters of the series, it would have been enjoyable to witness more collaborative moments and shared experiences among them.

Byeong Woo Seok as the villain is on point as his past is being slowly revealed making viewers guess what made him into the ruthless guy he is today. His chemistry with lead Lee Yoo Mi is making way into a possible love triangle which could be fun to watch. Overall even though a tad bit slow at some parts, the show is enjoyable and engaging enough to watch with actors portrayal on point and characters balancing out each other alongside an interesting plot line.

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ALSO READ: Strong Girl Nam Soon Ep 7-8 Review: Byeon Woo Seok’s feelings for Lee Yoo Mi introduces a love triangle