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The Potato Lab, starring Lee Sun-bin and Kang Tae-oh, dropped episodes 1 and 2 on tvN on March 1 and 2, 2025. The story follows a researcher named Kim Mi-kyung, who has dedicated her life to potatoes, and So Baek-ho, who possesses a practical and logical mindset. When So Baek-ho suddenly enters Kim Mi-kyung's life, they find themselves caught up in a whirlwind romance.
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In the first episode of the Potato Lab titled That Wonhan B**tard, viewers are introduced to assistant manager Kim Mi-kyung and her co-workers working in a Potato research Lab for Sunnyeo Food. And an unwanted addition to their beloved Potato Lab.
The Potato Lab episodes 1 and 2 recap: So Baek-ho is off to a rocky start with Kim Mi-kyung and the locals
Episode 1 of The Potato Lab begins with Kim Mi-kyung arguing about the miserly potato budgets of Sunnyeo Food. According to Mi-kyung, the company is number one in the potato chip market, yet they are unwilling to pay fair prices to farmers when purchasing potatoes. She hopes that Sunnyeo Food goes bankrupt.
In the next scene, Michael Lee is on the verge of closing a significant deal with Sunnyeo Food when So Baek-ho, the director of Wonhan Retail's Strategic Planning Department, intervenes and exposes him as a con man. This chaos results in Sunnyeo Foods merging with Wonhan Retail.
Once the team is informed about the merger, they are thoroughly astonished, particularly Mi-kyung. She has a history with Wonhan, and it is revealed that she was a former employee who left her position for reasons yet to be disclosed. The rest of the team is worried about their jobs.
Mi-kyung is furious about the merger and goes to her home, where she meets her younger brother, Hwang-kyung, and her best friend, Ong-joo. Hwang-kyung runs a guesthouse, USB Guesthouse, alongside Ong-joo, who is also a romance writer.
The team was informed that Sunneyo Food will cease to exist, and now the lab will become part of Wonhan's F&B department. Mi-kyung decides not to harbour her resentment and to make peace with Wonhan in order to work towards her dream of having a potato named after her.
On the other hand, Baek-ho is praised by his colleagues for successfully acquiring Sunneyo Foods from another company. Suddenly, they are informed of a commotion where the dismissed IR team general manager has turned violent.
Baek-ho diffuses the situation as it appears to the office that he confronted his former subordinate. He also ponders the company's organisational structure, questioning the relevance and necessity of the potato lab.
Further, in the episode of The Potato Lab, employees of the lab are invited to the Wonhan office in Seoul to complete HR procedures. Mi-kyung advises her colleagues to dress formally, stating that large corporations look down on people from their background.
The audiences are formally introduced to the employees: Ju Seung-hee, Ko Jung-hae, Jang Seul-gi, Lee Chung-hyun, Bu Jae-joong, and Kwon Hee-dong.
The meeting with HR goes as badly as expected, and they have to rush out after being informed that Baek-ho is coming for an inspection of the potato lab. In the haste to return, Mi-kyung has an awkward encounter with her ex-lover Ki-se, who is now the executive director.
Upon arriving at the potato lab, they discover that Baek-ho has meticulously inspected every detail and also criticises what he perceives as wasteful spending. Amusingly, he is suddenly attacked by a magpie while inspecting, which turns out to be a loyal bird that Mi-kyung has rescued and who attacks when Mi-kyung needs assistance.
As Baek-ho flees, he tumbles through the potato farm, prompting quick-thinking farmers to use wheelbarrows to break his fall. In visiting the hospital, Mi-kyung tries to explain to Baek-ho that developing a perfect potato is a time-consuming process, having tested over 2000 samples. Baek-ho acknowledges their efforts but emphasizes the need for tangible results to keep the lab operational.
However, the very next day, lab chief Hong is dismissed, and the employees notice a changed signboard atop the lab. Mi-kyung is enraged, so she goes home to look for a cigarette to calm herself down. Just as she is about to smoke, she is interrupted by a sudden downpour.
At the end of episode 1 of The Potato Lab, Mi-kyung lashes out at the sky, only to suddenly find Baek-ho standing with an umbrella, apologising for being a Wonhan b**tard.
In Episode 2 of The Potato Lab, titled The Hot Director, Mi-kyung begins by lashing out at her brother and best friend after realising they have rented the guesthouse to Baek-ho for a month. Her brother explains that they have struggled with the guesthouse and could not refuse Baek-ho's proposition.
Aware of the urgent need for the guesthouse, Mi-kyung visits Baek-ho that evening under the pretense of welcoming him. She even suggests that he is trying to provoke her by staying there. In response, Baek-ho remarks that his choice is coincidental. Mi-kyung warns him and emphasises that they must draw a boundary between their work and personal lives.
Ong-ju hilariously puts out a case and tries to convince Mi-kyung that she is attracted to Baek-ho. But she just rubbishes her claims. At the potato lab the next day, they find out about their new chief and how he is known to kill people with words.
When the farming ladies arrive at the lab and tease Baek-ho, he feels unsettled but manages to maintain his composure in front of them. Back at the Wonhan Seoul office, it's shown that Mi-kyung's ex-lover is in the process of divorcing his wife, Hee-jin.
He is reprimanded by CEO Yoon for being petty and for sending Baek-ho to the potato lab. However, Ki-se retaliates by threatening to expose the CEO about her unrequited feelings for Baek-ho. He even goes a step further to insinuate that there is a scandalous relationship between Chairman Wang and Baek-ho.
Further, in episode 2 of The Potato Lab, Mi-kyung plans to torment Baek-ho by turning the heads of villagers, including the President of the Yongeul-ri Youth Association and other influential members, against him by implying that he dismissed the previous chief of the lab. They all confront Baek-ho and accuse him of being impolite, even pressuring him to contribute to the village development fund.
Baek-ho stands his ground and refuses to pay, even smugly providing his lawyer's contact details. The following night, Mi-kyung visits him after realising the pettiness of her plan, apologising to Baek-ho and even offering to cover the development fund fees, which Baek-ho stubbornly declines.
The next day, the village heads escalate the situation by blocking Baek-ho in a makeshift barricade. The village chief, Byun, reveals that the land belongs to him, and that makes the road to the lab his private road. Baek-ho is trapped, and to add to the insult they even reveal that they consulted his own lawyer to confirm whether their actions are legitimate or not.
Mi-kyung comes to the rescue and offers to drive him to work but subjects him to a humiliating ride in the back of the pick-up truck, intentionally driving over bumps and speeding around the corners. Despite all of this, Baek-ho still refuses to pay the development fees.
But when the news of a pest infestation reaches the lab, there is a commotion. All the employees must step in to mitigate the damage as the field workers are down with food poisoning. Mi-kyung even ropes in Baek-ho into helping, whose attempts to work inthe field prove comically disastrous.
To lift everyone's spirits, the team gathers for a work dinner. And to everyone's surprise, even Baek-ho joins them. He overindulges in drinks and eventually passes out. Mi-kyung eventually calls the designated driver and falls asleep in the car in Baek-ho's arms.
Upon waking, she is suddenly reminded of Ong-joo's tale about her liking Baek-ho. The Potato Lab episode 2 ends with Mi-kyung grabbing Baek-ho and kissing him after affectionately calling him The Hot Director.
The Potato Lab is broadcast every Saturday and Sunday at 09:20 pm KST on tvN and can be streamed on Netflix in selected regions.
