Lee Junho's Dramatic Victory and the Unveiling of His Most Precious Thing in 'Typhoon Family'

Lee Junho achieved a thrilling comeback victory against Pyo Sang-seon in a competitive bid. However, the joy of victory was short-lived as a critical crisis revealed what he truly cherished the most.

The 12th episode of tvN's weekend drama 'Typhoon Family,' aired on the 16th, recorded an average nationwide household rating of 9.9%, peaking at 11%, and an average metropolitan household rating of 10%, peaking at 11.1%, setting a new personal best and ranking first in its time slot across all channels, including terrestrial networks. The series, which started with a 5.9% rating on September 11, has been on an upward trend but has yet to surpass double digits in nationwide household ratings. The 2049 target audience rating also reached a new high, with an average nationwide household rating of 2.8%, peaking at 3.3%, and an average metropolitan household rating of 2.6%, peaking at 3.1%, ranking first in its time slot across all channels. (Based on paid platforms including cable, IPTV, and satellite / Nielsen Korea)

The episode, titled 'The Reason I Live,' began with Kang Tae-pung (Lee Junho) narrating the question, "What is the most precious thing?" Once an easy question, it became a difficult dilemma after the IMF crisis. His monologue, "If someone asks me now, what should I say?" foreshadowed the day's narrative, where he would confront the 'most precious thing' he must protect in the face of a national project bid.

The American company monopolizing the surgical gloves, the bid item, insisted on the fixed price regardless of quantity or conditions. With the same cost price, it was a 100% favorable game for Pyo Sang-seon, who owned both ships and containers. Moreover, lowering the bid price excessively would leave almost no profit. As no solution emerged despite thorough investigation, the weight of responsibility for the livelihoods of five employees and their families burdened Tae-pung.

Then, he got a hint about wholesale prices from his friend Wang Nam-mo (Kim Min-seok), who had business experience. He thought of a way to get goods cheaper than wholesale prices, that is, direct transactions with a Malaysian factory without going through the American headquarters. Tae-pung dispatched Song Joong (Lee Sang-jin) to Malaysia two days before the bid. However, Song Joong found out that the factory had switched to pillow production after terminating the contract with the American headquarters, and the surgical glove production site had moved to one of over 800 Malaysian islands.

In an anxious situation where overseas calls were not connecting well, making it difficult to grasp the local progress, Typhoon Trading awaited the 'Plains of Hope' bid day with uncertain contact. Then, three minutes before the bid application deadline, Song Joong's telegram arrived just in time. Tae-pung instantly understood the cryptic message "5111, 40, ok." He quickly calculated the bid price, and the result submitted just seconds before the deadline was Typhoon Trading's dramatic victory.

The secret to securing 3 million surgical gloves was that Song Joong had obtained all the factory's stock at a 40% discounted price. It was a thrilling comeback victory where Oh Mi-seon's (Kim Min-ha) intuition that the stock would not have been processed due to the contract termination with the American headquarters, Tae-pung's gamble to bring all the stock, and Song Joong's negotiation skills perfectly aligned.

Pyo Sang-seon, who lost the bid, was boiling with anger. CEO Pyo Bak-ho (Kim Sang-ho) was shocked by the loss of over 200 million won due to the unsold American orange juice stock and fiercely criticized his son Pyo Hyun-joon (Moo Jin-sung) for losing the national project due to poor judgment. However, Pyo Hyun-joon, with distorted competitiveness, shouted back at his father, refusing to back down. Moreover, he cleverly probed Cha Sun-taek (Kim Jae-hwa) and learned about the existence of a 1989 promissory note.

Amid the tense atmosphere surrounding Typhoon Trading and Pyo Sang-seon, the surgical gloves were delivered, and another trial befell Tae-pung and Mi-seon. Left alone in the warehouse to check the stock, Mi-seon was engulfed in an inexplicable fire and collapsed while struggling to protect the goods. The previous day, after winning the bid, Tae-pung asked Mi-seon, "What is the most precious thing?" while looking at the night view together, to which Mi-seon replied, "Tomorrow." She hoped that by learning and thinking a little more tomorrow, she could become a better version of herself than today.

At that moment, Tae-pung's answer, which he had kept secret, was revealed in the crisis. Discovering the warehouse fire, he unhesitatingly moved the hot metal and rushed into the flames. The question he posed at the beginning of the broadcast was answered as he charged towards Mi-seon, declaring, "The most precious thing is you." In the harsh reality of the IMF, Tae-pung and Mi-seon's struggle to protect each other's 'tomorrow' deeply resonated with the episode's subtitle, 'The Reason I Live,' sparking curiosity about the emotional changes the two will face in the future.

Lee So-jung, TenAsia Reporter forusojung@tenasia.co.kr