A Virtuous Business episodes 3-4 recap: Four ladies undertake surveys to boost their business against local stigma

The third and fourth episodes of the ongoing K-drama A Virtuous Business were released on October 19 and October 20, respectively, on the JBTC TV network and Netflix. The show stars Kim So-yeon, Kim Sun-young, Lee Se-hee, Kim Sung-ryung, and Yeon Woo-jin in the leading roles. A Virtuous Business will have a total of 12 episodes in the first season.

In the previous episode of A Virtuous Business, Jeong-suk started her job at a company that sold lingerie and adult toys. While Jeong-suk was working hard to earn her living, someone against her work vandalized Jeong-suk’s house and wrote ‘S*X’ on her wall.

In the latest episodes of A Virtuous Business, Jeong-suk and her three partners devise plans to improve their business through surveys. Although the people of Geumje feel embarrassed in their work amid local stigma, the four ladies ultimately find their way to attract attention from the community.

A Virtuous Business episode 3: Jeong-suk and her mother had a traumatic past

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The third episode of A Virtuous Business began with Jeong-suk and her neighbors standing in her house, gazing at the wall where an unknown person, presumably against Jeong-suk’s business, wrote the word S*X.

Jeong-suk felt ashamed as more people discovered her work and looked down on her for selling adult products. Soon, her mother, who was unknowingly supporting Jeong-suk, was taken aback when she realized her daughter dealt with adult toys.

Jeong-suk’s mother ordered her to leave this business, but she refused. Following this, her mother left angrily and pulled back from taking care of her son while she was working. This became another hurdle for Jeong-suk’s business.

The vandalism incident was reported to the police, and Kim Do-hyun went to investigate the incident. He questioned neighbors about what had happened and also inquired at the paint shop to find out who had recently bought pink paint.

One day, while Jeong-suk, Oh Geum-hui, and Seo Young-bok were working, Seong Mi-hwa’s husband, Park In-tae, approached them and asked to conduct their next home sales at his place for his wife’s birthday.

Seong Mi-hwa, Jeong-suk's friend, had been caught red-handed while she was having s*x with her husband in the previous episode of A Virtuous Business. Therefore, Jeong-suk refused to go for home sales, but Young-bok accepted the offer. She saw it as an opportunity to make more money and grow their business.

Eventually, Jeong-suk went to Seong Mi-hwa’s house as Young-bok hurt herself. Since her mother was no longer supporting her, Jeong-suk had to bring her son along. She reached their house, and while she carried out home sales for Mi-hwa and her friends, Park In-tae took Kwon Min-ho (Jeong-suk’s son) to a movie.

At the movie theater, In-tae went to buy popcorn for Min-ho, and upon returning, he realized that Min-ho was missing from his seat. He searched for him and soon returned home to inform Jeong-suk. Listening to him, Jeong-suk panicked and ran around town looking for her son.

The police received the report, and Kim Do-hyeon soon arrived at the scene. He and Jeong-suk searched for Min-ho. Kim Do-hyeon drove her around town, and on the way, Jeong-suk met her mother.

Her mother seemed annoyed and blamed her disgusting business for losing her son. She even slapped her in the middle of the road. Jeong-suk remained unaffected and continued her search for her son. They finally found him sitting outside his father’s former workplace. He was missing his father badly, so he went there.

Kim Do-hyeon and Jeong-suk took him home. Concerned for Jeong-suk, Do-hyeon left some bandages outside her house because her face was hurt when her mother slapped her.

Still from A Virtuous Business (Image via Instagram/@jbtcdrama)

Towards the end of the third episode of A Virtuous Business, Jeong-suk reflected on all that had transpired in her life, including her earliest memories. As revealed in her childhood plot, her mother had endured comparable anguish when her husband similarly betrayed her and wed another woman.

She remembered the distressing memories of her and her mother's past, specifically how she departed from her father's house and endeavored to provide her with a better living.

In the end, she received her first salary from the company and used it to shop for her son and her mother. This episode of A Virtuous Business concluded with her presenting a gift to her mother and son. Jeong-suk's mother appeared to relate to her daughter and her endeavors.

A Virtuous Business episode 4: Kim Do-hyeon inquired about the 30-year-old fire accident case

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The fourth episode of A Virtuous Business began with Kim Do-hyeon looking at some pictures in the police station. He then called Jeong-suk to inform her that he had identified the culprit who wrote the S*X word on her wall.

The next day, Do-hyeon took Jeong-suk to confront the culprit, who was none other than the paint shop owner, who was disgusted with Jeong-suk’s business. She asked him to apologize for his actions and refused to report him.

Meanwhile, Ju-ri’s landlady visited her and asked her to increase the rent for the place she used for her parlor. Ju-ri insisted that she couldn’t do so. Therefore, her landlady asked her to vacant the place. Then Ju-ri thought of a side hustle to meet her ends.

Ju-ri, who temporarily helped Jeong-suk in the previous episode, decided to permanently join her business to make more money.

Kim Do-hyeon, who had come to Geumje to investigate a personal matter, continued his search and secretly entered the police archive room.

In the subsequent scene, Oh Guem-hui, Jeong-suk, Young-bok, and Ju-ri sat down to work on their strategy for their business growth. While they were discussing, a cosmetics home sales representative arrived at Oh Guem-hui’s place. The four ladies received massage treatments, and before leaving, the cosmetics rep asked them to fill out the survey for their services and products.

Jeong-suk seemed curious about how this survey could be beneficial for businesses. The representative explained that through these surveys, companies receive feedback from customers and learn about their needs, which helps them increase sales by offering the right products.

Jeong-suk appeared to be invested in the idea of doing surveys for their business. She shared her thoughts on the survey with her team. They unanimously agreed to it. After creating a survey, they decided to contact random individuals in Geumje. However, on the first day, they were unable to collect much information since many refused to fill out surveys.

Nevertheless, Jeong-suk considered a different approach to luring people. The next day, she began distributing freebies to those who filled out their survey forms. This resulted in a significant turnout of locals.

Kim Do-hyeon, on the other hand, went to a bookstore owner and inquired about a 30-year-old fire accident case. But he couldn't learn anything about his issue. The fire accident even seemed like a nightmare for Do-hyeon.

In the last scene, Jeong-suk was watching a rap artist on television when Do-hyeon arrived. The rapper was not accepted as an artist in the 1990s (the series takes place in 1992), so they both talked about him.

Kim Do-hyeon indirectly encouraged Jeong-suk to keep up her work. He stated that if anything is ahead of its time, it requires patience and perseverance to get the desired results. The fourth episode of A Virtuous Business concluded with the two standing together.

The next episodes of A Virtuous Business will air on October 26 and October 27. Interested viewers can catch the new episodes on Netflix and Tving at 22:30 KST.

Edited by Shubham Soni