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The Potato Lab, starring Lee Sun-bin and Kang Tae-oh, released episodes 3 and 4 on tvN on March 8 and 9, 2025. The series follows the story of Kim Mi-kyung, who works at a potato lab, and So Baek-ho, who is principled and possesses a practical outlook.
So, when Kim Mi-kyung's life is disrupted by the arrival of a strict director at her potato lab, So Baek-ho, love unexpectedly flourishes amidst all the chaos.
In the previous episodes of The Potato Lab, Mi-kyung's life is disrupted by the arrival of Baek-ho, the new chief at the potato lab, who also moves into her guesthouse. She attempts to make his life miserable by encouraging the villagers to demand a development fee from him, leading to conflicts between them.
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The tensions at work arise when Baek-ho's strict management conflicts with the team's unconventional dynamics. Following a night of drinking with the team, in a surprising turn of events, a drunken Mi-Kyung kisses a stunned Baek-ho.
The Potato Lab Episode 3 & 4 Recap: Mi-kyung is left reeling from Baek-ho's abrupt firing and tries to find a way ahead
The Potato Lab Episode 3, The Price of a Kiss, opened with Mi-kyung waking up disheveled and hungover in a bathtub. Gradually, she starts to remember the events of the previous night and is utterly horrified to recall that she kissed Baek-ho.
Meanwhile, Ong-ju teases her about the kiss and reveals that she witnessed the scene herself. Mi-kyung tries to downplay it, but Ong-ju attributes it to her pent-up attraction after living a secluded lifestyle in the mountains. On the other hand, Baek-ho stays awake all night, flustered and mulling over the kiss. He even tries to occupy himself by doing odd jobs, such as ironing his shirts and pruning the hedges outside.
He tries to contact Mi-kyung the next day, but she ignores him. When he finally reaches her, she pretends to have forgotten about the previous night. Baek-ho then concocts a story about lending her money for the designated driver and petrol and starts asking for the money.
Mi-kyung then departs for the annual cooking competition organized by Sunneyo Foods. The two village chiefs quarrel, resulting in Mi-kyung's brother being blinded by raw onions. Baek-ho takes center stage, reaching the cooking competition by following Mi-kyung and showcasing his impressive cooking skills.
Further, in episode 3 of The Potato Lab, Baek-ho's culinary prowess leads Mi-kyung's village to victory, which also grants him special rights to use the village chief's road, and the villagers treat him as one of their own.
After celebrating, Mi-kyung takes Baek-ho to a secluded spot and apologizes for the kiss. However, Baek-ho stuns her by asking her out. Mi-kyung attempts to tease him by questioning why he is behaving as if this were his first kiss but she is taken aback by his candid admission that she is his third kiss.
He reveals that he overanalyzed their situation and believes it is logical for them to be together, not because he has developed feelings for her but because he applied "propositional logic." Mi-kyung ridicules his offer, but he remains deadpan and even offers to buy her flowers.
Ong-ju takes Mi-kyung and her brother to have their eyebrows tattooed by someone who not only offers this service for free but also pays for those who come by. Their experience is rather poor, as they all now sport clownish eyebrows.
Her colleagues laugh at her and take photos of her. Mi-kyung, always the good sport, takes the situation in her stride and playfully poses for the camera. Meanwhile, Chairman Wang and CEO Yoon visit the potato lab, prompting a frantic clean-up by the staff, with Mi-kyung hiding away.
However, Chairman Wang notices Mi-kyung and the other employees hiding and calls them over. Mi-kyung makes a hilarious entrance, with her tattooed eyebrows being the highlight. Ms. Wang comments that she certainly leaves a strong impression.
During the visit, Ki-se discreetly asked Mi-kyung to pretend that they did not know each other, as he wished to conceal their past relationship. Mi-kyung agreed, but their conversation took a tense turn when Ki-se mentioned her shampoo, prompting Mi-kyung to snap and threaten him.
At the end of The Potato Lab, episode 3, when Wonhan's executives discuss the lab's future, Ki-se advocates shutting it down due to financial constraints, but Baek-ho opposes this. Afterwards, Baek-ho summons Mi-kyung to his office and unexpectedly fires her.
In episode 4 of The Potato Lab, titled This Message Has Been Deleted, Mi-kyung is taken aback by Baek-ho's decision to dismiss her from the lab. He explains that he is retaining only essential personnel and views her role as redundant. When Mi-kyung attempts to argue for her position, he firmly requests her expertise and contributions to the lab, to which Mi-kyung cannot respond.
He softens his blow by allowing her to stay until Mr Kwon's training is complete, as she is currently onboarding him. Later, in episode 4 of The Potato Lab, Baek-ho sees Mi-kyung getting upset in her car, and his worries increase when his brother, Hwang Kyung, and Ong-ju ask him about Mi-kyung's whereabouts, as she still has not come home.
Mi-kyung, on the other hand, visits Gilmoon Temple to see her father, who has become a monk. They share a meal together, and she returns home late, much to Baek-ho's relief.
At the lab, however, the atmosphere is cheerful as everyone praises Baek-ho's kindness and leadership. Mi-kyung does not confide in anyone but her dismissiveness, but she tries her utmost to charm Baek-ho into reversing the order. Yet, despite her best efforts, the new chief remains resolute and unmoved.
Meanwhile, Ki-se's tension with CEO Yoon intensifies as Yoon describes him as clingy following his divorce and refuses to reveal his ex-wife's whereabouts. Ki-se eventually discovers where his ex-wife is but cannot access her information at the hotel where she is staying.
Coincidentally, this hotel is where Mi-kyung is meeting a headhunter about a new job opportunity, and Ki-se happens to be in a nearby booth. He overhears their conversation and, after the headhunter leaves, offers to help her get reinstated in the company. However, Mi-kyung flatly refuses, unwilling to compromise her principles.
As the story unfolds in episode 4 of The Potato Lab, we are finally introduced to Hee-jin, who is Ki-se's wife. She is Baek-ho's best friend and is avoiding her husband. Baek-ho arrives at the hotel with a meal, and the two friends bond over it.
Meanwhile, the news of Mi-kyung's dismissal is finally out and spreads like wildfire throughout the office. Her colleagues at the lab try to make their dislike for Baek-ho apparent through various actions, such as blocking his car in the car park. In a hilarious twist of events, they send their disparaging message to the wrong chat, the one Baek-ho is part of.
Mi-kyung tries to contain the damage by grabbing Baek-ho's phone and deleting the messages. However, they all soon realize that the messages are still accessible on Baek-ho's desktop. Panicked, Mi-kyung rushes to his office and locks herself in to delete the evidence.
Baek-ho is perplexed by her absurd behavior and demands to know the truth when she asks for the password to his desktop. Cornered, she confesses but takes the blame for others by claiming that she wrote all the messages. Baek-ho takes the revelation in stride, downplaying the situation. He allows her to delete the messages but warns her to respect the workplace and her seniors in the future.
At the end of episode 4 of The Potato Lab, a thunderstorm awakens Mi-kyung, leaving her anxious about the potatoes in the lab. She dashes out into the rain, prompting Baek-ho to notice her departure and follow her. As the storm intensifies, Mi-kyung, in a state of panic, receives assistance from Baek-ho, and the episode ends with the two sharing a poignant moment.
Episode 5 of The Potato Lab is set to release on tvN on March 15, 2025
