Imitation episode 8: Kwon Ryeok breaks up with Ma-ha to keep her out of danger, heartbreak ensues

"Imitation" episode 8 begins with Ma-ha confessing to Hyun-ji (Lim Na-young) that she met with Kwon Ryeok (Lee Jun-young) in the hospital after his accident.

Hyun-ji is not mad that Ma-ha met with Kwon Ryeok, but that Ma-ha (Jung Ji-so) had not told her the same day. While Tea Party is dealing with internal conflict in Imitation episode 8, they also get another shocking news.

They get a legal notice from the CEO of their old agency. The man claims that the three girls belonging to Tea Party had signed with a second agency while they were still under contract with him. While this can be resolved, what cannot be is the fact that Park Jin-man (Kong Jung-hwan) is dead set on ruining Tea Party.

Jin-man is taking out his anger on Ji-hak (Danny Ahn), who used to worked for. Ji-hak left NOG after the incident involving Eun-jo (Kang Chan-hee) and his girlfriend.

Eun-jo was disillusioned enough to leave without a word to his bandmates in Imitation. This incident fostered hatred between Ji-hak and Jin-man who, at one point, used to be close as brothers.

What does Jin-man have to pressure Kwon Ryeok to break up with Ma-ha in Imitation?

Now, Ji-hak has found a way to deal with the lawsuit, but Jin-man holds pictures taken of Ma-ha and Kwon Ryeok together. These pictures will damage Tea Party as much as they do Shax. However, Jin-man is a cruel man.

Kwon Ryeok knows this better than anyone. To ensure that Jin-man doesn't ruin Ma-ha's life, Kwon Ryeok decides to break up with Ma-ha in Imitation.

At this point, this break-up is more for Ma-ha's safety. Ma-ha is someone that Kwon Ryeok fell for even before he became an idol.

Kwon Ryeok loved Ma-ha's persistence in Imitation. He liked the fact that Ma-ha could pin down tough choreography by him with just enough practice. Their relationship deepened over time, especially after they reunited as idols and later as actors.

However, with Jin-man interfering, Kwon Ryeok may really not have enough power to stop a scandal. Kwon Ryeok is well aware of how much Ma-ha loves her job. So his decision was not unexpected in Imitation.

However, it would be interesting to see how Ma-ha reacts to Kwon Ryeok's decision. He did not discuss the full extent of the situation the two of them faced. He just tells her that they should break up in Imitation episode 8.

Also, he doesn't look at her when he tells her this. He hugs her and confesses that he doesn't have the courage to look at her when saying the words

Ji-hak has approached a journalist to bring out the truth. So between the two of them, can they outsmart Jin-man? Does Kwon Ryeok even want to get back together with Ma-ha, or will he stick to his decision and stay away from her? This will be revealed in the next episode.

Imitation episode 9 will air on July 2nd at 11.20 Korean Standard Time and can be streamed on Viki.