I wrote a lot. Don’t skip Part C.

A. Who’s the Key Man?

That’s the title of this episode, “Key Man” and I believe the writer put out several ways to interpret this.

This is the definition:

“A person who plays a key role in decision-making in an organization.”

JP was the first one to bring up when he was lecturing Samsan Tech about the danger of having a straight-up equitable partnership in business.

Dosan: What if I give up my shares to someone else? Then that person will have 35 percent.
Chulsan and Youngsan: Yah!
JP: Did you say 35%? That’s nowhere near enough.
Chulsan and Youngsan: Huh?
JP: Once the funding round begins, investors will start buying up company shares. It won’t be long before an investor owns more than 35 percent of the shares. In the worst-case scenario, your colleagues may betray you and side with investors to try and take control of the company, or even sell it. To prevent that from happening, you need to give the key man the majority of shares in the beginning. That’s how you protect the company.

JP was doing his job as a mentor to warn these clueless SamSan guys.

Dalmi: How do you decide who should be the key man?
JP: It’s simple. Who’s the person that Samsan Tech can’t do without?

Dalmi: Then how much equity should that person have?
JP: At least 60 percent. But personally, I’d say more than 90 percent.

That’s the definition of “Key Man” according to JP. A Key Man is the person with the majority share in the company who can protect from takeovers.

However, if you watch the episode with clear eyes – and without falling in love with “Good Boy” – you’ll see the writer was showing the viewers different meanings of “Key Man.”

For the most part, the Key Man is the individual who solves problems for everybody. He’s the “key,” in the sense, that he’s the ANSWER KEY. He gives the answer to the problems.

Hands down, the Key Man is Dosan.

In fact, Dosan said it himself.

Before SamSan Tech was born as a company of three guy, he helped Chulsan fix the virus in his computer. He calmed him down, saying, “I might be able to find the primary key in the memory.”

When Chulsan woke up the following morning, Dosan had already saved him. He said, “I found the prime key and removed the ransomware, so you don’t have to quit. That bastard isn’t going to get any money.”

He found the key.

And that’s how the two guys ended up working with him. His calm response to his success was so typical of a “Living Buddha.” He didn’t brag and he was unconcerned that his solution had enormous impact on the corporate world.

Youngsan: Dosan sure is a genius. All the big companies lost hundreds of millions to that hacker, but Dosan stopped him.
Chulsan: I know. Dosan is the unofficial savior of the country’s economy.

Both of them had no problems giving all their shares to Dosan. They knew that Dosan was the best among them and made the most contribution.

But Chulsan’s concern was Dosan turning over his shares to Dalmi.

Chulsan: Do you remember how she and Dosan met in the first place?
Youngsan: Gosh. Those letters.
Chulsan: How long do you think he can lie about the letters? Do you think Dalmi will remain even after finding out that Dosan is fake? She’ll leave for sure. She may have been fixing our bugs so far, but she’ll be a bug herself sooner or later.

So Chulsun was afraid that Dalmi would leave them and take the shares with her when she discovered the truth about Dosan.

Thus, from start to finish, Dosan was the Key Man, not only in their organization but in their personal lives as well. He could make Dalmi quit the company with the lie.

A little note on the camera shots here:

We were shown Dosan on his cot, listening to his friends. Then the camera zoomed out to show us the wire fencing. Then after that we got a view of Dalmi through a glass window.

To me, this shot showed Dosan feeling helpless, and trapped by the lies. The wire fencing reminded me of spider’s web. He was like a bug, caught in a web of lies that he must free himself from.

In contrast, Dalmi had always been honest and open with him. That’s why she’s shown here in full view, in broad daylight.

I noticed that we haven’t gotten a lot of panoramic and extreme wide shots in this drama. Most of the shots are full shots (where the actor’s whole body is captured in the frame), medium shots (where the actor is shown from the leg up), and close-up shots. As a result, we feel “involved” in the lives of the characters. We aren’t observing them from a distance; we’re in their personal bubble and empathize with them.

Anyway, to continue…

I’ll list down six more examples of Dosan being a Key Man.

1. The team advanced in the Sand Box mentorship program because Dosan was personally selected by Alex. Alex was the representative of an investment group that was ranked 7th largest in the world. Compared to Alex, JP was just a small fish in a small pond. Alex was the big fish in a big, global pond. Alex chose Dosan, making Dosan the “key” to their win.

2. Dosan was the one to answer Dalmi’s question regarding JP’s motives. JP couldn’t answer it himself.

Dalmi had asked JP why he was helping them. “Why did you go to great lengths to help us even if it meant you had to lie?” She already had a sneaking suspicion that he was doing it because he liked her as a woman. To me, she wanted his motives out in the open, so there wasn’t any confusion between them.

But JP didn’t know how to answer her. That’s why he fled when Dosan interrupted them. Contrary to most viewers, I do NOT believe he left quickly because he was jealous to see that Dosan and Dalmi hugging. To me, he fled the scene because he didn’t know how to answer her. He escaped to avoid responding to her.

That’s the reason he berated himself when he was alone. He said, “What’s wrong with me? It’s not like I did anything wrong.” He knew he shouldn’t have run away. He didn’t get why he was afraid to reveal to her that he’d been helping HER because he was the real letter-writer. He knew that he lied to her. But both the motive and the end-results of his lie didn’t give him any reason to be ashamed.

He stood up to go back to her but stopped. He worried, “But what am I going to tell her? I don’t have any answer.” Then he sat down.

Fortunately for him, the answer was provided by Dosan. He was JP’s answer key. He stepped in to answer Dalmi’s question when JP couldn’t.

Dosan: I answered Dalmi for you. Regarding why you helped us.
JP: You answered for me? What did you tell her?

Note here: he didn’t mad that Dosan answered for him.

Dosan told Dalmi that he’d asked JP to help him out. He was finally meeting her after 15 years, and he wanted to impress her. So he went to him and asked for his help. When Dalmi asked him why JP would do that for him, he fidgeted with his hands (telltale sign of his lying) and said, “We’re very close. We’re practically like brothers. That’s why.”

Yes, Dosan lied. But JP admitting to having no answer to Dalmi’s question himself. Moreover, Dosan’s lie actually spared Dalmi from knowing that JP was willing to pay him 2 million won to lie to her. lol.

JP: We’re close? We’re like brothers? You and me? Do you seriously expect her to buy that? Did she?
Dosan: Yes, she did.
JP: She did?
Dosan: I told her that everything you’ve done for us, you did for me, so there isn’t anything strange about it. It has always been like that, and always will be.

He said this firmly as if to warn JP never ever to reveal to Dalmi how he approached him with a sordid offer to pay him 2 million won to lie to Dalmi. Remember now: Dosan didn’t want to be paid to meet up with Dalmi and he went to Dalmi’s party on his own volition. All he asked from JP was to be mentored by JP so they could enter Sand Box. But JP rejected that idea. In JP’s mind, he was too good for the likes of Samsan Tech.

JP: Good job. You did well. You’re a good talker, Dosan. You don’t stutter or look away anymore.

Note two things here: One, he wasn’t at all upset that Dosan answered for him. As long as Dalmi believed the lie, he was fine with it.

Two, he wasn’t paying Dosan a compliment. This was a condescending remark. He said this to belittle him. It reminded me of that time in Episode 5 when he told him that if he were Youngsan or Chulsan, he’d ask compensation for the past two years of his life. That was meant to diss Dosan, too.

But JP didn’t know that Chulsan would NEVER have asked for compensation since Dosan actually saved him from paying 100 million won. Dosan didn’t bother to explain this “fact” to JP.

JP: (continuing) But why do I feel like you’re angry at me?
Dosan: I have the right to be now.
JP: You have “the right”?

Then, JP had a flashback. He remembered telling Dosan that he couldn’t deny the “fact” that he owed his friends. However, if he got into Sand Box, he could then be angry at him for his remark.

lol. JP’s spiteful comment came to bite him in the ass because now, Dosan could be angry with him.

JP: Now that you got into Sand Box, you’ve earned the right to be angry at me, is that it?
Dosan: (looks at him, then glances down. he forces a smile) But I can’t. Because we’re like brothers now.

I don’t think JP got Dosan’s point. Dosan had EVERY right to be angry with him. Remember: he involved Dosan in this mess, not the other way around. If he hadn’t chosen Dosan’s name in that letter-writing lie 15 years ago, then Dosan wouldn’t have been in this mess where he had to pretend to the girl he liked. However, Dosan was well-aware, too, that if JP hadn’t involved him in his lie, then Dalmi wouldn’t have searched for him. That’s why Dosan was willing to smile his anger away. He couldn’t be angry at the guy who was instrumental in his meeting Dalmi.

Thus, as far as Dosan was concerned, the easiest solution to their problem is to act like brothers. JP couldn’t even come up with a solution.

A note on the visual here. I thought this was a good foreshadowing.

Do you see that there were stairs everywhere? Even the benches looked like steps? I thought the setting represented the corporate ladder or the hierarchy in the business world. Dosan would soon be ascending in this place. He was seated so it seemed as if he and JP were of equal height or equal stature. But if he were to stand up (or metaphorically, rise to his full potential), then he would be much taller than JP.

3. Dosan rewrote their algorithm to detect the forged text created by Injae’s company. He broke their code, and found the “key” again.

I like that he did his “due diligence.” — I was going to write a separate and more thorough explanation on “due diligence” so I’ll only make a quick comment here.

To be diligent means to work carefully, earnestly, tirelessly, and conscientiously. Teachers often exhort their students to study diligently. To give somebody (or something) his “due” means to give the person or matter the rightful and fair treatment he/it deserves. For instance, you can say that you’re due for a promotion because you worked long hours.

In law, to perform “due diligence” is to exercise the sufficient and/or reasonable care and attention to prevent harm – so you won’t be sued for negligence. In business, to do “due diligence” means to investigate and research the company before an important transaction like a merger, stock sale or liquidation – so you won’t lose money in the deal. In software companies, to do “due diligence” also means making sure that no patents are infringed, employees have non-compete and confidentiality agreements, and trademarks and copyrights are in order.

In this scene where Dosan pulled an all-nighter to work on the algorithm, he was doing “due diligence.” He didn’t like that he failed, and that he failed his team, especially Dalmi. So he worked on it on his own. Nobody expected him to continue working on it because the “test” was already completed, but I like that he gave it due diligence.

The following day when he showed his successful efforts to his team, everybody was happy and proud of him, especially Dalmi. She was excited to brag to her sister that her choice was right. She wanted nothing more than proved her sister wrong because her sister thought they were birds of the same feather, that is, a bunch of losers. Dosan’s “due diligence” was proof that she’d chosen the Key Man.

4. Dosan never considered Dalmi a problem to the group.

JP called Dalmi “problem” after the Samsan guys fought over the shares.

JP: If they’re fighting over 100 million won now, they can never pursue a greater cause. Let alone grow a hundred, thousand times more in the future. And the biggest problem here is that the CEO can’t resolve the situation. Ms. Seo, you’re the problem.

The interesting thing here is that earlier, when the Samsan group witnessed another group fighting among themselves, she thought it was the leader’s fault for not getting a handle on the situation. Overhearing her, Dosan cited poor teamwork, instead of a specific person.

To me, Dosan has consistently shown more tolerance for human flaws than JP. JP is prone to attack the person (i.e., he called out his assistant for incompetence), instead of the crisis, mistake, or problem at hand. Unlike JP, Dosan can assess the situation without tearing a person down. That’s why, when he walked Dalmi home, he could downplay the guys’ argument as “noise.” He told her not to let the argument bother her.

Dalmi: Noise?
Dosan: When there’s too much data, machine learning takes longer and is more difficult. But you can achieve better results by filtering out noise beforehand. So consider what they said as noise and just filter it out.

See that? He reframed the problem so she could see it from a different perspective. He told her not worry because he’d persuade his friends somehow. When she offered to switch roles so that he could be CEO, while she’s the CMO (Chief Marketing officer) or CFO (Chief Financial Officer), he joked that she was producing noise that needed to be filtered out immediately.

Dosan: I chose you as the CEO of our company. And I don’t want to regret it.

He gave her the right answer. The key to their temporary management crisis wasn’t to blame Dalmi, who was already feeling pressure to perform as CEO, but to show her unwavering support.

5. Dosan was Dalmi’s answer to her problems.

When she poured out her problems to her Grandma, the old dragon told her, “The problem is, you’re looking for answers that don’t exist.”

Meaning, she was born a romantic, hopelessly chasing after unicorns.

Ouch! Can’t a girl get some sympathy here??

But she proved her Grandma wrong. In the end, her answer wasn’t delusional or unrealistic. It was rather simple. It was Dosan.

She texted him, “Dosan, no matter what decision I make from now on, please support me.” Meaning, she wanted his blind faith in her.

And did you notice that she wasn’t expecting a text-back from him? She knew even before she sent the text that she got his support.

Then she called the Samsan team to a meeting where she unveiled her plan. She devised a clean breakdown of shares based on the members’ contribution to the company. All the shareholders were going to get 8 percent each, except for Dosan who was getting the lion’s share of 67 percent, the cousin who was getting 1 percent, and snooty Saha who was getting nothing.

If Saha was going to abide by her rules, however, then all the shareholders including Saha would get 7 percent each, except Dosan and the cousin, who would get 64 percent and 1 percent, respectively.

This was an impressive move by Dalmi.

Not only was did she solidify the decision-making power under the rightful person, Dosan, but she also “fixed” Saha’s behavior which had bugged Dosan the most: Saha’s rudeness. Dosan couldn’t tolerate Saha’s attitude but Dalmi urged him to bear it in order to preserve the peace. This stipulation in the agreement proves that she’d been paying attention to the distracting “noise” that annoyed Dosan.

This shareholders’ agreement was a sign of Dalmi doing “due diligence” for the company, too. She was invested in their success in the same way that Dosan was.

On their way home that night, Dosan sought reaffirmation.

Dosan: Are you sure about this, though? Being the CEO without being the majority shareholder?
Dalmi: Why am I not the majority shareholder? 7 plus 64 is 71. I’m the CEO with 71 percent equity.

Then she held on to him.

Dalmi: You’re my share in the company. The one who is completely on my side. So we have to always be a team no matter what. Understood?

There you have another meaning of “Key Man.” For Dalmi, he was the Key Man.

It wasn’t simply because a) he played a key role in decision-making, b) he had a majority share, and c) he had all the answers. He was the Key Man because he was the one completely on her side. That’s how she defined what being a Key Man was: the man who’s on her side, no matter what. A loyal, supportive man.

And this was something that she didn’t find in JP – at least, NOT in this episode. Remember: the minute the Samsan guys started arguing, JP left the room in disgust, then pointed a finger at her for being the biggest problem.

6. Dalmi chose Dosan as the Key Man. 

I find it interesting that both Grandma and JP both thought that Dalmi was looking for an answer that didn’t exist.

JP: (looking at the book, “What Makes a Great CEO?”) You picked a useless book.
Dalmi: You know why? My mentor isn’t answering my questions, so I’m hoping this book will.

Do you see what she said? JP didn’t reply to any of her questions. He was nothing like Dosan who answered many problems.

JP: I’ll answer you. Let me see. Question number one. “What makes a great CEO?” There’s no such thing. That’s an absurd as asking what makes a great politician.
Dalmi: Why? What so absurd about it?
JP: There are no right answers to politics or management. Why look for answers that don’t exist?

There! Just like Grandma, he thought she chased unicorns.

JP: So, instead of looking for answers, make choices. Whatever you choose, you’ll be criticized. You can’t make any decisions if you’re afraid of criticism. And if you can’t make decisions, you can’t be a CEO. What do you want to be? A good person or a CEO?

JP actually is a smooth talker. He doesn’t stutter or look away, so he manages to sound convincing. (lol. See what I did there?) The thing is being a CEO isn’t an either-or proposition. It’s a flawed assumption that a good CEO must be bad person, and that a good person can’t become a good CEO. It’s a cynical way of looking at capitalism and human nature.

JP: (continuing) Don’t be greedy. You can’t be both. Choose one, just one.

lol. How can we forget that Dalmi said that she was feeling greedy? Of course, she’d strive to become a good person and a good CEO. She knew that Dosan was the Key Man in the operation because it’s his company.

JP: I told you, it’ll confuse the investors. Who’s the key man that they’re dealing with? Ms. Seo or Mr. Nam?
Dalmi: I’ll be the one dealing with the investors. But Mr. Nam will always accompany me as our CTO.
JP: What if you two disagree?
Dosan: That’s not going to happen.

To me, the “hand” metaphor works well here. Dosan was saying that he and Dalmi wouldn’t disagree because they were going to work hand-in-hand. Also, they were going to work in coordinated fashion like brain-to-hand movements. Dosan was the brain of the operation while Dalmi was the hand to manipulate the surroundings.

But the movement was reversible, too. Dalmi could be the brain to organize the team, making Dosan the hand to push the guys to follow her.

Dalmi: Since Mr. Nam has the majority of the shares, he’ll still be the largest shareholder even if we get investors.
JP: So you’re ignoring my opinion?

Ha! JP wanted Dalmi to wrest control from Dosan because he had zero confidence in Dosan’s abilities. But Dalmi has 100% confidence in Dosan. She also didn’t like JP’s advice because it totally disregarded Dosan’s key role in the company.

Now, if I were in Dalmi’s shoes, I would have become very suspicious of his “hyung” relationship with Dosan. His actions would make me doubt that he had Dosan’s best interest at heart.

Dalmi: (firmly) No. I followed your advice. Whatever I choose, I can’t satisfy everyone. So I made a choice that I knew would be criticized by only one person.
JP: (shocked) And that person is me?
Dalmi: I’m sorry. But I had to make a choice because I’m the CEO.
JP: You’re right. You’re the CEO. (angrily closing the folder) Your support will be paid tomorrow.

I like this scene because it showed Dalmi standing up against JP to defend Dosan. Dosan was unaware that there was a power struggle going on behind his back and that JP had urged Dalmi to make her move to consolidate her power. But Dalmi refused to do it because she recognized that Dosan had the key role in the team.

B. But what about JP?

Sigh. JP could have been the Key Man/Answer Man so many times over in this show, but each time, he was unwilling.

From the beginning, that’s the central flaw of his character. Did you see it?

First, the letter-writing. He and Grandma were deciding on the name and she said, to make something up, “something that will make her think you’re smart, kind, and well-off.” Grandma suggested that he use his real name. And he rejected that.

He didn’t want his name used in writing old-fashioned letters to a young girl with an old-fashioned name and old-fashioned looks.

Note: old-fashioned = uncool

Second, finding Nam Dosan. Grandma asked him to find the boy in five days. He found Dosan, but Dosan didn’t want to be paid for the service of escorting Dalmi at her party. Like Grandma, Dosan suggested that he invest his time with SamSan as their sherpa. JP rejected that alternative. He didn’t want his name ruined by associating with losers like them.

Third, being Samsan Tech’s mentor. He didn’t want to be the mentor. He wanted Alex to be chosen. He denied being interested in them, so Dalmi enumerated the good things he’d done. He helped them with the Hackathon pitch; he let the guys use his apartment to look successful; and he saved Dosan from humiliation at the networking party. Like Grandma and Dosan, she suggested that he continue doing so like a family member. He agreed reluctantly.

Dalmi: I know this is shameless but I’ve a favor to ask of you. Please continue to look after and guide us like family in the future, too.
JP: (studying her offered hand) You’ll regret choosing me.

lol. I don’t know if he meant to be threatening here or pathetic here. On one hand, he was warning her that working with him was going to be difficult. But on the other hand, I find it sad that he was being hard on himself. He insisted on playing the role of the Bad Guy and Cynic when he could be such a “Good Boy” at heart.

“Awww, who hurt you, babe?”

Dalmi: Don’t worry. I’ve never regretted any choice I’ve made in my life.
JP: We shall see.

Note: This is an interesting handshake, isn’t it? Especially when we compare it to Dosan’s handshake. In my world, this is called the “dead fish” handshake. He was only holding on to her fingers, so giving the impression that he was reluctant to touch her or deal with her. This kind of handshake is viewed as a no-no when networking or doing business.

However, we’re seeing a slight progress with JP’s attitude. He didn’t outright reject her hand. And who knows? Maybe he was planning to kiss it instead??

Fourth, calling her “the problem.”

That’s why it was funny when he was shocked that she didn’t take his advice. In her own words, “…So I made a choice that I knew would be criticized by only one person.” I thought that was a jab at him for criticizing her before as being “the problem.”

Oh well… we can always excuse Good Boy’s behavior as a form of “tough love.” He was treating her harshly in order to help her out in the long run or something.

Fifth, ignoring her texts. lol. She texted him 461 times.

I know that was a crazy number, but at some point (probably the 20th text?), she was doing it just to bug him.

To me, the questions were opportunities for him to become a “Key Man.” He was given 461 times to become an influential person in the decision-making process. But instead, he chose the question “What makes a great CEO?” only to call it absurd.

He might have been the letter-writer but I’m beginning to wonder how much did he ACTUALLY write on his own, and how much was dictated by Grandma.

Again, if I were in Dalmi’s shoes, I would have NO problems believing Dosan was the letter-writer after hearing his Tarzan-and-Jane explanation, and seeing his solid friendship with the guys. Dosan was the type to communicate in old-fashioned method like letter-writing, just like he was the type to enjoy an old-fashioned craft like knitting.

C. The Plagiarist

Just a warning to newcomers to this site: Don’t be like this Facebook plagiarist, Rosa Mae Aguilar who claimed to be me during  “The King: Eternal Monarch.” She was caught and banned from some kdrama sites on Facebook.

“Parasite”

Link back to this blog or ask my permission to copy the content elsewhere.

Or if you want to write your own dissertation and have me proofread it, I’m fine with that, too. Just email me:

Email: b3tchesoverdramas@gmail.com

If I discover that my work is plagiarized on other sites, I will shut down all posts on “Start-Up” and offer them only to old timers with a password.