“Red Swan” episodes 1 & 2 dive headfirst into the opulent world of Oh Wansoo, a golfing champion turned philanthropist. Beneath the surface, cracks begin to show in her marriage to Yong Guk, the entitled heir to the sprawling Hwain Group empire. Lurking in the shadows is his iron-fisted mother, Chairwoman Park Mi-ran, a woman as ruthless as she is rich and with a hidden agenda as sharp as her diamonds. Enter Do-yoo, a stoic ex-cop with a shadowed past. Assigned as Wansoo’s bodyguard, his motives are far from pure. Driven by a personal vendetta to uncover the truth behind his friend Juhyuk’s mysterious death, Do-yoo finds himself entangled in a web of deceit that stretches from the boardroom to the bedroom.
This article contains spoilers.
Red Swan Episode 1 Recap:
The series opens with montages of Oh Wansoo stuck in an abusive marriage with Yong Guk and her Mi-ran, saying the only way Oh Wansoo can exit the family is with death and not a divorce. At that time, Oh Wansoo crosses her path with Do-yoo, who will probably help her escape her misery. The episode begins in New York at the UNICEF headquarters, as the former pro golfer, now married to the conglomerate Hwain Group Oh Wansoo, is working on helping victims of war.
She is also the Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. After the presentation in UNICEF, Oh Wansoo receives a threat from ISIS for coming in their way. The threat was directed towards Oh Wansoo and her organization, NOW Foundation. However, Oh Wansoo is to visit Manila, and the threats don’t bother her. In Seoul, Chairwoman Park is doing Tai Chi, taking on the powers of the moon to help her look young.
Arriving in Manila, Oh Wansoo gives an interview meeting with Crown Prince Muhammed, who makes a massive donation to Oh Wansoo’s cause. Elsewhere in Manila, Do-yoo is at a casino where he spots some thugs talking in Mandarin and keeps an eye on them. As the thugs split up to visit the washroom, Do-yoon follows and overhears them about killing a Korean policeman a few months ago, and another such act is going to take place soon. The one responsible for it is called Mr. L. In a flashback, we see that Do-yoo knew the Korean police officer the thugs were talking about. Moreover, it seems Do-yoo was at the crime scene.
Who saves Oh Wansoo?
Wanting more information, Do-yoon disguises himself as a staff and enters the main thug’s room, where he overhears about a money transfer, after which the assassination will take place. As Do-yoo pretends to clean the room, Mr.Park arrives, and the name rings a bell. To add to the misery, the thug uses the phrase ‘delivery from the flower shop,’ which Do-yoon recognizes to be the words used by Juhyuk’s (the Korean policeman who was killed) killer. In a flashback, we see Do-yoo watching the killer slash Juhyuk’s neck. Do-yoo tries to fight, but he gets hurt as well.
In the present, as Do-yoo gets out of the casino, Mr. Park (also the director of security for the Hwain group) calls Do-yoo and asks to meet. When Do-yoo overhears the thugs in the washroom, he also learns that the assassination will occur in the Makati shopping complex. The next day, Oh Wansoo visits the shopping mall to check some jewelry she had ordered. Do-yoo is outside, looking for anything suspicious. As Oh Wansoo gets out of the building, the killer shoots, but it hits the staff and then Oh Wansoo’s bodyguard. Watching the commotion, Do-yoo brings Oh Wansoo to safety and tries to fight the killer. However, the killer starts shooting at the cars. Subsequently, Do-yoo and Oh Wansoo rush into their vehicle and drive away.
Now they are in the countryside of Manila, and the car breaks down. As Do-yoo tries to fix it, he finds a GPS tracker inside. At the same time, Oh Wansoo’s husband, Kim Yong Guk, the heir to the Hwain group, asks his bodyguards to track down the vehicle and look for Oh Wansoo. Disposing of the GPS tracker, Do-yoo asks Oh Wansoo to trust him and takes her to his house. They clean up, and Do-yoo offers to drop Oh Wansoo at the embassy.
Will Do-yoo become one of Hwain Group’s bodyguards?
At the embassy, Yong Guk sees Oh Wansoo’s situation and asks Mr. Park to reward the one who saved Oh Wansoo. In another room, Do-yoo gives his statement about the incident. As Mr. Park reads the statement, he sees Do-yoo’s signature, calls, and asks to meet him earlier than planned. At home, Chairwoman Mi-ran asks Oh Wansoo to bribe the Chinese. But she refuses and asks Mi-ran not to attend the NOW Foundation event she is organizing. Infuriated with Oh Wansoo, Mi-ran asks someone to kill Oh Wansoo. In a flashback, we see that Do-yoo and Juhyuk are buddies as police officers, and Juhyuk gives Do-yoo his kidney. At the meeting, Mr. Park offers Do-yoo to join his flower shop, which he reveals as code for the Hwain Group.
Meanwhile, Yong Guk has censored the press about the details of the incident. Oh Wansoo asks if Yong Guk will bribe the Chinese. Saying it is business, Yong Guk is willing to do as Mi-ran says, but Oh Wansoo warns him not to do it. At the same time, Oh Wansoo holds a press conference to reveal the threats made to her by ISIS. At the press conference, Oh Wansoo revealed that despite the ISIS threats, she will not stop helping people who are in need. Watching the press conference, Mi-ran goes berserk and smashes her Television with a remote.
After the conference, a guest arrives with a child, Junhee, who calls Oh Wansoo Aunty. In a flashback, we see what seems like Oh Wansoo’s child, Chanhee, and Oh Wansoo had left him to go skiing without her. It is time for the NOW Foundation event. Mr. Park introduces Do-yoo as the newest Hwain Group security team member. In the end, Do-yoo and Oh Wansoo lock eyes without saying anything to each other.
Red Swan Episode 2 Recap:
The episode opens with a preview of what is to come. There is a murder in Oh Wansoo’s house. The police investigate the murder and question the maids about it. The police also ask if Oh Wansoo and Do-yoo are lovers, and the maids respond by saying they don’t know anything. Currently, in Manila, the NOW Foundation’s event preparations are done. Oh Wansoo arrives with Yong Guk at the event. In a flashback, we learn about Oh Wansoo’s childhood and how she got into golfing. When Oh Wansoo was a child, her mother worked as a Caddie. But one day, Mi-ran, Oh Wansoo’s future mother-in-law, slaps and fires Oh Wansoo’s mother.
In rage, Oh Wansoo’s mother steals Mi-Ran’s kid’s golf clubs, gives it to Oh Wansoo, and asks her to practice golf daily. Years go by, and Oh Wansoo continues her golf practice at night and works as a caddie during the day. One fine day, Oh Wansoo’s mother asks Oh Wansoo to go to the US and play for championships. Thus began Oh Wansoo’s golfing journey, and she has won 20 tournaments in 10 years. In the US Women’s Open Championship finals, Oh Wansoo won and became a Hall of Famer.
After that, Oh Wansoo returned to Korea after 12 years. Rejoicing over the win, Oh Wansoo walks with the trophy when loan sharks arrive, asking to pay off her mother’s debts. The winnings from her career went away to pay off her mother’s gambling debt, and this was the last time Oh Wansoo saved her mother. This was when Oh Wansoo went from being a pro golfer to the angel of charity.
Did Oh Wansoo know about her husband’s extramarital affair?
At present, Oh Wansoo announces the donations made by her husband and the increased donations made by Crown Prince Muhammed. After the announcements, the guests mingle, and Jang Tae-ra (Junhee’s mother) asks Yong Guk to follow her outside. Meanwhile, Junhee asks Oh Wansoo when the party will end as he is sleepy. Outside, Yong Guk and Tae-ra get romantic, and as Oh Wansoo walks in on them, all she asks is if they had to get caught. Furthermore, Oh Wansoo says she knew about their affair all along, and Yong Guk walks out. At the party, Yong Guk and Oh Wansoo pretend nothing has happened and slowly dance to some classical music.
The next day, Mi-ran calls for Oh Wansoo and is furious, as Oh Wansoo did nothing when she found out that Yong Guk was cheating on her. What annoys Mi-ran is Oh Wansoo’s carefree attitude. It turns out Mi-ran has something to do with Yong Guk’s cheating and is worried Oh Wansoo will divorce Yong Guk. However, Oh Wansoo says she won’t divorce Yong Guk. But Mi-ran needs to stay away from the NOW Foundation as it is hers, and she couldn’t take her son on a single skiing trip because she was touring the globe to make the organization what it is today. Furious and disappointed, Oh Wansoo goes to a bar and gets drunk.
How did Oh Wansoo end up marrying Yong Guk?
In 2011, Oh Wansoo met Yong Guk in Africa. The Hwain Group’s NOW Foundation helped fund Oh Wansoo’s golf career. In fact, Yong Guk was in Africa personally handing out donations. On the last day, Yong Guk asks Oh Wansoo to quit golfing and marry him. After that, Oh Wansoo arrives at the Grand Palace (Hwain Group’s house). However, Mi-ran is rude and treats Oh Wansoo like she is nothing. Overwhelmed by Mi-ran’s behavior, Oh Wansoo didn’t say much, even though Mi-ran jokingly said she had killed the last woman who wanted to marry Yong Guk. Despite everything, Mi-ran agrees to let Oh Wansoo marry Yong Guk. However, she takes Oh Wansoo’s brother aside and makes him sign a prenuptial agreement. She also asks him to lie to Oh Wansoo that Mi-ran has found a place for their mother abroad.
Red Swan Episode 2 Ending Explained:
What does Do-yoo find in the photo frame?
In the present, Do-yoo sees a drunk Oh Wansoo, helps her, and takes her to her room. As they wait, Oh Wansoo wonders out loud if she should sleep with Do-yoo. However, Do-yoo does not answer and lets Oh Wansoo inside. Unfortunately, the card key is outside the door. To understand Oh Wansoo, Do-yoo asks if Oh Wansoo is unhappy or lonely, but she denies any such thing. Meanwhile, Yong Guk gets drunk in his room, walks to Oh Wansoo’s room, and starts banging at the door. As Do-yoo is about to open the door, Oh Wansoo stops him. Luckily, Mr. Park comes out and tells Yong Guk that Oh Wansoo is drunk, so he walks away. After Yong Guk leaves, Mr. Park pushes the card key inside the room.
The next day, Mi-ran and Yong Guk leave, and Oh Wansoo heads home, and so does Do-yoo. At the Grand Palace, Mr. Park shows Do-yoo his residence, and they chat. Wanting to find more information, Do-yoo finds out if Mr. Park runs personal errands for Yong Guk, and Mr. Park says it is part of the job. To trigger Mr. Park, Do-yoo brings a photo frame of Juhyuk and himself and says he found the photo in Juhyuk’s house.
Before the conversation goes further, Do-yoo is called by Oh Wansoo. As Do-yoo is about to leave, the photo frame breaks, and Do-yoo remembers Juhyuk’s final words about a photo. Curious, Do-yoo flips the picture and finds an SD card, and when he plugs it in, he sees the videos of Yong-guk’s father’s death. In a flashback, we see Yong-guk’s father and Oh Wansoo are close. In the present, Do-yoo realizes there is more to the Chairman’s death.
The series unfolds with multiple backstories for each of the main characters. However, Oh Wansoo and Do-yoo will likely have a romantic affair. There is a lot to unfold with a limited number of episodes. We are yet to understand what the late Chairman’s wishes were for Oh Wansoo and Oh Wansoo’s reasons for not divorcing Yong Guk. We also need to learn why Juhyuk was killed. It mostly has to do with the videos that Do-yoo has found. The opening scenes of the second episode give us a glimpse of a murder to occur, and it could be Mi-ran’s murder and an investigation into who killed the person. We are unsure if Mi-ran has killed Oh Wansoo’s mother as well, as her conversation with Oh Wansoo’s brother seems cryptic.
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