Episode 4 of Still Shining starts in 2021, where Tae-seo is working as a programmer at a large multinational company. His life revolves around work, and he spends most of his days coding late into the night.
Where Can I Watch Still Shining?
3️⃣ Watch Still Shining on Nazaarabox
One day, he visits his parents' grave and talks to them about his grandparents and Hui-seo, choosing not to mention anything about his own accomplishments.
The story then shifts to 2025, where Tae-seo now works as a train operator. After finishing a shift, he gets off at Dongjak Station, the same place where Eun-a once waited for him years ago so they could see the Han River together.
Tae-seo returns home to find his old friend Hyeong-seok waiting at his apartment, which Tae-seo has turned into a woodworking studio.
Later that night, Hui-seo calls and asks Tae-seo to visit their grandparents. Tae-seo casually asks whether something needs fixing at the house, but Hui-seo scolds him for only visiting when there is work to be done. He then suggests that Tae-seo should think about getting married, which prompts Tae-seo to end the call abruptly.
That evening, Tae-seo listens to music on a streaming account he once shared with Eun-a. A notification suddenly appears, revealing that Eun-a is still using the account. The discovery startles him.
Over the next few days, he keeps receiving notifications and slowly realises that she has been actively using the app, which brings back memories of their past.
Meanwhile, Eun-a has started a new job managing a homestay. After arriving, she meets the staff and settles into her room. She spends some time exploring the neighbourhood and makes a list of tourist attractions she can recommend to future guests.
Eun-a later visits her friend Ji-seon to pick up a package. During their conversation, Ji-seon asks about Eun-a's father and the family guesthouse.
Eun-a explains that their guesthouse recently shut down and that the closure finally gave her the confidence to move to Seoul. Their conversation is interrupted when Ji-seon's husband, Seung-jun, returns home drunk.
While Ji-seon helps him to bed, Eun-a decides to leave and take a walk around the city.
That night, Eun-a passes through Dongjak Station but misses Tae-seo, who happens to be operating the train she just stepped off. She returns to her apartment while Tae-seo heads home and finishes a woodworking project.
The next morning, Eun-a starts working at the homestay. Later that evening, as she passes through the train station again, she suddenly hears Tae-seo's voice. Realising he is driving the train, she begins running toward the driver's compartment.
Inside the train, Tae-seo notices her through the CCTV monitor and panics. Just then, he is instructed to depart, forcing him to move the train as Eun-a runs toward him. At the next station, Tae-seo quickly gets off and boards another train back to the previous stop.
Meanwhile, Eun-a receives a call from her friend Ho-sik, who tells her that Seong-chan has been looking for her. Moments later, Seong-chan arrives at the station. Tae-seo returns just in time to witness Eun-a and Seong-chan arguing.
Eun-a leaves the station without acknowledging Tae-seo. Seong-chan follows her outside and confronts her about their failed business. He accuses her of running away when things became difficult and reminds her that the guesthouse was taken over by people who deceived them.
Despite his frustration, he eventually tells her to stop blaming herself for what happened.
That night, Eun-a returns home and finds herself thinking about Tae-seo. At the same time, Tae-seo sits in his apartment, unable to stop thinking about her.
On his day off, Tae-seo receives a call from Professor Jeong-su, who brings up Hui-seo during their conversation. Tae-seo asks about Eun-a and learns that her family's guesthouse has already been demolished.
Determined to see the place himself, Tae-seo travels to Yeonwoo-ri and speaks to the workers handling the demolition. They explain that the debris still needs clearing.
While in town, Tae-seo runs into Hui-seo, who now works at the local post office. Hui-seo expresses concern about Tae-seo suddenly appearing again, reminding him that the last time he made an impulsive decision like this, he quit his job at the MNC without warning.
Ignoring the remark, Tae-seo goes to his grandparents' house, where his grandmother Hwa-soon prepares lunch for him. She tells him how grateful she is that Tae-seo and Hui-seo managed to buy a farm for the family.
Before leaving town, Tae-seo stops by a grocery store and asks the shopkeeper to pass along his phone number if Eun-a ever comes by.
Back in Seoul, Tae-seo meets a new woodworking client, A-sol, who wants a wooden frame made for a photograph.
As they discuss different frame designs, A-sol curiously asks about Tae-seo's previous programming job and reveals that she spoke to Hyeong-seok about him. She later asks him to repair the frame of a large artwork as well.
Later that evening, Tae-seo visits Hyeong-seok. The two share a meal and drinks while reminiscing about their lives from ten years earlier. On his way home, Tae-seo reflects on the day he decided to quit his programming job.
A flashback to 2022 shows Tae-seo learning that he had been transferred to India. Around the same time, he hears from Hui-seo that their grandfather Chang-sik had suffered a fall.
As Tae-seo thinks about their late mother, who once worked as a train operator. Tae-seo quit his job on the same day he received the news of his transfer. He moved into an apartment near Dongjak Station, deciding that he did not want to move any further away from his family.
The episode then returns to 2025, where Eun-a receives Tae-seo's phone number from the woman at the grocery store and decides to call him. Tae-seo misses the call at first while walking home, but soon returns it.
The conversation between them is awkward as they chat about his new job as well as Eun-a's recent argument with Seong-chan. However, when Eun-a becomes defensive about Seong-chan, Tae-seo abruptly ends the call.
The next day, Eun-a's boss reprimands her for staying in the homestay and tells her she must find another place to live while guests are occupying the rooms. She apologises and temporarily moves into her friend's house.
That evening, Eun-a goes to Dongjak Station and waits for Tae-seo to finish his shift. Tae-seo notices her standing there but walks past without acknowledging her. Eun-a remains seated inside the station for a long time, eventually breaking down in tears.
As she finally prepares to leave, she spots Tae-seo standing nearby. The episode ends as he approaches her and quietly greets her.
The Episode Review
There are so many questions that still need to be answered. While we briefly saw A-sol in the previous episode, we have no context for her role in this show. Is she Tae-seo's love interest?
Also, what is Seong-chan's relationship with Eun-a? We know that he used to work with So-hyeon and Seon-gyu while they ran the homestay, but what exactly happened to them?
I wonder if Seon-gyu also passed away, which could explain why Eun-a was running the guesthouse instead of her father. If that is the case, Eun-a and Tae-seo have all the more reason to reunite over their shared trauma of losing their parent/s.
We have been introduced to a few friends of Eun-a who are popular K-drama actors. I wonder if they will have more important roles as the series progresses.
With the way things end in this episode, we can expect Eun-a and Tae-seo to get back together, but since we are going to be halfway through the show, there is room for another split before they eventually find their way back to each other.
Episode Rating
2.5
Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!