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The MBC drama Motel California, featuring Lee Se-young and Na In-woo, premiered on January 10, 2025. Directed by Kim Hyung-min and penned by Lee Seo-yoon, the 12-episode series airs Fridays and Saturdays at 9:50 PM KST. The plot follows Ji Kang-hee, who returns to her hometown after 12 years and reconnects with Cheon Yeon-soo, her first love, who now works as a veterinarian in the village.
Raised at Motel California, Kang-hee faced relentless gossip due to her mixed-race background and family struggles. After leaving at 20 to pursue a thriving career as an interior designer in Seoul, her return rekindles old emotions and brings new challenges to light.
In episode 5 of Motel California, Kang-hee and Seok-kyung have a new problem to solve as the Han-woo Beef Festival comes. Yeon-soo, Seong-eon, and Han-woo get together to help shift the venue to aid in the continuation of the construction work.
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Motel California episode 5 recap: What challenge are Kang-hee and Seok-kyung faced with?
Episode 5 of Motel California starts with Yeon-soo waiting outside the ice cream shop. Nan-woo finds him there and pulls him into the shop since she also has to buy some.
Kang-hee who is already present there recalls her younger days. As she was returning from school, she saw Chun-pil trying to stop the fight between the wife and the mistress of a man who had come to Motel California.
Upset, she leaves, but Yeon-soo finds her and takes her for ice cream to cheer her up. They promise not to have ice cream with anyone else. Thinking Yeon-soo has replaced her, she leaves the shop and cries on a bench. Yeon-soo follows her, but she can't see him as he stays hidden behind her.
In Motel California, Seok-kyung finds her and gives her his shades as Yeon-soo watches from a distance. Back at the motel, Yeon-soo gives the packet of ice cream to Kwon to only give to Kang-hee.
Kang-hee's friends have planned a welcome party for her. As she arrives at the motel, she finds multiple residents waiting there for her. Seok-kyung helps escort her inside and takes the question himself. Kang-hee goes to the welcome party while Kwon stops Seok-kyung from going to the terrace.
In the party, Kang-hee recalls her childhood days when all of them used to be kids and Kang-hee used to stop Yeon-soo from getting bullied. Finding them doing well in life, she feels nostalgic.
She tries to leave, but Yeon-soo is stopped by Ah-reum, who takes him away to spare him from pain. Kang-hee goes for a walk, and Seok-kyung follows. She opens up to him about feeling left behind while her friends succeed, and Seok-kyung comforts her.
The next day, while Yeon-soo is out for a consultation, Nan-woo receives an emergency call. Since she can't drive, Kang-hee helps her get to the barn. Nan-woo successfully operates on the cow just as Yeon-soo arrives.
Kang-hee and Seok-kyung face a new challenge that might delay their project. Due to the Han-woo Beef Festival, there would be traffic control and blocking of vehicles on certain roads. Therefore, one of their concrete mixers would not be able to pass through. Ah-reum tells their friends about this and they all decide to help.
Yeon-soo gets support from the elderly members by promising free consultation for their animals. Kang-hee has to convince one of the Committee members who had been to her in her childhood, blaming her for the death of her mother and the misfortune of her father. She had in turn locked him inside his house and taken the key with her. Meanwhile, Seok-kyung tries to seek help from Chun-pil but to no avail.
As Kang-hee tries to convince the member, he forces her to kneel and apologise. Yeon-soo intervenes and Kang-hee gets upset because of this. She tells Yeon-soo that she hates the fact that he knows everything about her past and that he should have ignored the Committee member and moved on with his day.
At the construction site, Seok-kyung tells Kang-hee that with the help of a donation from her friends, he successfully moved the festival venue. While Seok-kyung entertains the elders, Kang-hee is called over. Yeon-soo arrives with his mother and Nan-woo, who seem friendly. Seeing this, Kang-hee links arms with Seok-kyung and leaves, congratulating Yeon-soo and Nan-woo.
Ah-reum and Seong-eon decide to go to the festival together. While Kang-hee talks to Yeon-soo, Nan-woo asks her to hang out, but she politely refuses and leaves. Yeon-soo tries to convince Nan-woo to stop the dating rumors, as he likes someone else, but she wants to keep up the act until the person he likes arrives in Hana-eup.
At the festival, Soon-ja finds her husband flirting with another woman and creates a scene. He starts pushing her around and hitting her. Chun-pil interferes and tries to hold him off as Kang-hee watches with contempt. She recalls the time her sick mother was asking for Chun-pil.
Kang-hee mockingly calls him a hero and as he shows concern about Soon-ja, she asks what about her, her mother and her dead sibling in thsi episode of Motel California.
Kang-hee comes back to the hotel and Kwon gives her the ice cream bought by Yeon-soo. She runs to Yeon-soo's room. He is not there but she finds the teddy bear she had asked him to sell and a picture of them together. She finds him sitting alone on a bench, playing guitar and asks him why he helped her.
He, in response, tells her that that is all he can do since he likes and needs some time to get over her as the fifth episode of Motel California comes to an end.
The next episode of Motel California is scheduled to be released on January 25.
