Episode 10 of Love in Contract begins with Sang-Eun returning home with a big smile on her face. That is, until she finds Miss Yoo sitting on the sofa, watching her judgmentally.
In bed, she rings Ji-Ho to check up on him and wanting to talk. Ji-Ho is very matter-of-factly though and tells her to sleep as she looked tired. He also brings up that she’s Hae-Jin’s wife the following day so needs to get her rest. Ji-Ho makes up for the awkwardness that ensues though by messaging and asking to meet sooner, given he misses her.
Gwang-Nam wakes up Sang-Eun, worried as Madame Yoo has been acting very strangely. In fact, she’s made breakfast for them both, and that’s because she’s scheming and setting up this wedding between her and Hae-Jin. She’s also the one who cleaned Sang-Eun’s room too.
Meanwhile, Ji-Ho heads to work and he’s completely different. He greets everyone, he’s happy and he even tells his boss to invite him and Sang-Eun along to all the work events from now on.
All of this is about to come crashing down, as Madam Yoo continues to scheme and intends to move Sang-Eun back to the residence and set up this arranged marriage with Hae-Jin. Speaking of which, he’s contemplating whether Sang-Eun is just playing hard to get with him or genuinely doesn’t want to be with him.
Sang-Eun eventually squashes any doubts by arriving to see Hae-Jin, admitting she wants to take the next step with Ji-Ho. Hae-Jin is not taking no for an answer and asks for the same amount of time Ji-Ho had. Sang-Eun is having none of it and explains she just wants to live her life now and be away from Kangjin and Eena Group.
Sang-Eun instead heads back to see Ji-Ho, who takes her out to the golfing range to help teach him how to swing properly and do better for their upcoming couple date. Unfortunately, Ji-Ho’s boss shows up and their plans for the first dinner together go awry.
At dinner with the bosses, Ji-Ho holds her hand and even stops Sang-Eun from drinking too, pointing out that they’re trying to have a baby as a way of deflecting.
Yoo’s scheming stretches far, especially when Ji-Eun overhears Sang-Eun at the grocery store talking to Ji-Ho on the phone. She rings Hae-Jin to let him know, who goes on to explain this is just part of the arrangement they had. Ji-Eun believes that Ji-Ho is in trouble too but Hae-Jin tells her to drop it and stop pursuing this, instead focusing on taking care of his privacy.
Hae-Jin suddenly shows up to meet Sang-Eun, right on the eve of her about to arrive at Ji-Ho’s. Instead, Ji-Eun shows up and points out that Ji-Ho’s relationship with Sang-Eun isn’t what he wants. She hands over her card and tells him to stop his “sick game” as the two corporates are trying desperately to put Sang-Eun and Hae-Jin together. Unfortunately, there are paparazzi around and they snap pictures of the pair, with Sang-Eun eventually walking away.
Sang-Eun does show up to see Ji-Ho that night, as the pair decide to accept one another just as they are. It’s a really nice moment and the pair decide to order food in the end, given Sang-Eun’s shrimps were ruined thanks to Hae-Jin picking her up.
Sang-Eun also makes the bold decision to cancel the contract with Hae-Jin completely and go all-in on Ji-Ho. Ji-Ho decides they should go for food after to celebrate, to which she agrees.
Sang-Eun shows up to see Hae-Jin, breaking the news and telling him she wants him to be happy. Although they resolve things amicably, there’s a problem. The news have leaked Sang-Eun’s picture and it’s no longer a secret who she is. It’s everywhere, and its gone completely viral.
Sadly, Ji-Ho also sees this while he’s at work and knows this is about to undo all of his hard work, especially when his bosses figure out what’s happened.
Love in Contract bows out its latest episode with a big bombshell reveal featuring Hae-Jin who, lets face it, just hasn’t made a great impression. This has been far less of a love triangle and more of a couple hindered by the antics of a business transaction. It’s a shame, although there are moments that stand out here.
Namely, the chemistry between Sang-Eun and Ji-Ho is great and really works well… until that ending. You can sense now that everything has come completely undone and it’s unclear exactly what repercussions this is going to have moving forward. You can sense that Ji-Ho’s world is about to be turned upside down, but to what extent is still to be determined.