No Gain No Love episode 9 review: The focus finally shifts to Lee Sang-yi’s Bok Gyu-hyun and Han Ji-hyun’s Nam Ja-yeon

Story:

Ji-uk now knows who his real father is. He has a decision to make. This time around though, the story does not revolve only around him and Hae-yeong. Ja-yeon and Bok Gyu-hyun’s story finally moves forward and progresses into an important moment for both.

Review:

While episode 8 of No Gain No Love was about Kim Young-dae's Ji-uk finding out about his real father, episode 9 begins from the moment when Lee Sang-yi's Gyu-hyun educates children as part of his NGO service. He educates them on how to play soccer along with Secretary Yeo (Lee You-jin). The latter does not even put a fight, and Gyu-hyun cheering the kids up is even more hilarious to watch. Him getting beaten up by balls is just the cherry on the cake.

The heartwarming moment between Gyu-hyun and the kids is wholesome. Han Ji-hyun's Ja-yeon observing them from afar is just as cute. What her thoughts are and what comes out of her mouth are a complete contrast, and that is a fun moment, too. Gyu-hyun's reaction to that is the best thing you have seen on him in the entire series so far. What follows is the most heartwarming thing. There's finally a confession of love between the two, and we have our second lead couple on the way! Ja-yeon's reaction to the confession is as noteworthy.

The moment that Ja-yeon and Gyu-hyun were avoiding for so long is right in front of them. Secretary Yeo spots them together, and the cat is out of the bag. Even Ja-yeon's childhood crush, who wrote negative comments about her on social media, now knows who his friend really is. Although it's not the best reaction out there, the scene still leaves a slight impact. As an actor, Ji-hyun leaves an impact as her scene with Sang-yi comes to an end.

The eventual interaction between Yeo and Ja-yeon is too mundane. No strong emotions are passed over in the scene. The interaction did not go as expected, but it takes a cute turn. Eventually, they look adorable in the long shot.

The main leads, aka Kim Young-dae's Ji-uk and Shin Min-ah's Hae-yeong, are introduced much later. They happen to look exactly like married couples do, and as always, Ji-uk's talks melt your heart. Not just his talks, but eventually even his actions speak loud and clear. Needless to say, both the men in love in this series leave an impression.

The scene we witnessed in episode 8 is finally here. Gyu-hyun informs Ji-uk of the reality, and we see everything progress from there.

Sang-yi's angry side is here. He leaves an impact, but not as much as he should. Being the power-hungry woman, Hae-yeong finds an opportunity even in the situation.

The scene at Bok Gyu's house is hilarious, too. Lee Il-hwa's Jeong-a takes the lead and Choi Jin-ho's CEO Bok Ki-ho nails it when it comes to giving a reaction. What happens next will make you laugh so hard that your tummy hurts.

The episode continues in almost the same flow, till Shin Min-ah shines in a scene by finally showing concern. Young-dae and Min-ah's chemistry truly stands out in the scene.

Hui-seong (Joo Min-kyung) enters in an important scene - where Hae-yeong regains her power lost thanks to Bok Gyu. Her scene with Ja-yeon turns out to be even more powerful than you might have thought.

A surprise awaits Hae-yeong and Ji-uk, and it's not a pleasant one. As always, Go-wook's Ahn Woo-jae is involved with them. Hae-yeon's reaction is epic, but Gyu-hyun tops it up again.

The scene with Ahn and Manager Son (Hae-yeong) comes to the limelight because of her. His expressions match the scene again.

Kim Hye-hwa as Ms. Gong is amazing as ever. Hui-seong's boyfriend Tae-hyung (Heo Jeong-min) also has a noteworthy reaction in an important scene.

Ji-uk and Gyu-hyun's full interaction is finally revealed, and as one can expect, Ji-uk is not his angelic self. Eventually, Hae-yeong brings out her cute side, and it is just that, cute.

U-jae's wife Yi-lin (Jeon Hye-won) gives a big surprise in the episode. Their scene is what the show's original theme was - surprise and thrills - all of which are missing in the current episode.

The train scene is a big surprise, and Ji-uk wins you over with his charm. With that, the series seems to be finally getting back on track.

The background music and actual backdrop plays a huge role in Hae-yeong and Ji-uk's romance in this episode. But, even with a big budget, if the story gets weaker, it can't help the episode or the series as a whole. So, even if the leads share great chemistry and every actor works hard, the factor that binds the story together is missing.

Ja-yeon's story finally creates the suspense that gives this episode the boost it so badly needs. Ji-hyun's reaction works well with the scene.

The end to this episode is the best part of the entire episode 9. Although the context is still unclear (like always), the scene most definitely turns from tragedy to comedy.

Verdict:

No Gain No Love episode 9 makes you wait a long time for what the series is originally recognized for – romance, fun and all that makes any K-drama a K-drama. This episode goes on-and-on in the same tone for the longest time, but towards the end, it has all the elements back. There’s romance, there’s thrill, there’s comedy and every reason why No Gain No Love became so popular in the first place. So, if you can hold on, good times on the show are back.