A popular cram schoolteacher with fame, money, and celebrity status has every luxury but is empty inside. Choi Chi Yeol has insomnia, an eating disorder, and many other issues, but a specific incident, changes his life. The mother of one of his students, Haeng Seon, enters his life, and he starts feeling affection toward her. However, he finds it difficult to understand his feelings, as falling in love with a married woman is something he cannot imagine himself doing. “Crash Course in Romance” is a romantic comedy that follows Chi Yeol and Haeng Seon as they overcome every obstacle to find a way to be with each other.
Spoilers Ahead
‘Crash Course In Romance’ Recap: What Happens In Season 1?
Nam Hae Yi is a top student in her school, currently a junior. However, she thinks that she can improve in math if she joins a private academy. Her mother, Haeng Seon, puts in her best effort to get her seat in the class of popular math teacher Choi Chi Yeol. Chi Yeol is a regular customer at Haeng Seon’s shop, but Haeng Seon doesn’t know that he is such a popular teacher. Hae Yi improved in math after joining Chi Yeol’s class and even got into the special program. This is when the problem begins. Hae Yi’s classmate Bae Sua sees her as a rival, and hence, Sua’s mother uses her influence to kick Hae Yi out of the special program. Chi Yeol doesn’t like it, and that’s when he finds out that Haeng Seon is Hae Yi’s mother. Chi Yeol sincerely feels bad for Hae Yi and, hence, agrees to give her private tuition.
As a defense mechanism, Chi Yeol always tries to keep himself away from other people, but Haeng Seon’s family inevitably becomes a part of his inner circle, and surprisingly, Chi Yeol starts liking them as well. Chi Yeol realizes that he is falling in love with Haeng Seon and feels guilty about it because he believes Haeng Seon is married. To make matters worse, Sua’s mother fabricates a story about Haeng Seon and Chi Yeol’s illicit affair, which unfortunately creates a distance between the two of them, but Hae Yi reveals a big secret to bring them together. She reveals that Haeng Seon is her aunt, who raised her after Haeng Ja abandoned her. Chi Yeol and Haeng Seon start dating without any guilt now, and Chi Yeol gets a sweet surprise as well. Haeng Seon turns out to be the daughter of the lady who fed him when he was a broke college student and was going through a tough time after his father passed away. He always felt grateful to her mother and thought of their encounter as fate to repay the kindness.
While Chi Yeol is busy dating, something big is happening that involves him, and he has no clue about it. Anyone who causes trouble for Chi Yeol gets hurt, and two people even get killed. Those cases become known as “metal ball murders,” as metal balls were used as weapons. As Chi Yeol gets closer to Haeng Seon, her family starts getting threatened as well. Haeng Seon notices weird instances but chooses to let them slide initially. A danger hovers above Haeng Seon’s family as Hae Yi gets kidnapped first and then gets into an accident. As she falls into a coma, the killer is prepared to make sure that she never wakes up again.
What Happens To Manager Ji After Getting Caught?
After Sun Jae confessed that he had access to an exam paper beforehand, it became news, and his mother got into trouble. Sun Jae requests his father to help his mother even though they do not have a good relationship. He becomes her lawyer only for the sake of Sun Jae. In school, Sua’s mother demands they expel Sun Jae and adjust the grades of other students. His class teacher thinks that it would be too harsh, but Sua’s mother will not back down as Sun Jae is her daughter’s competitor. Meanwhile, Hae Yi is still in a coma, and Chi Yeol suspects his manager Ji to be the culprit.
After Ji leaves to attend a meeting, Chi Yeol drives to Ji’s home and sneaks inside. Chi Yeol guessed that the passcode would be his birthdate, and he was right. However, he gets more surprised after seeing his pictures all over Ji’s room. He heads out after confirming his doubt and gets a call from the academy saying that Mr. Ji didn’t attend the meeting. Chi Yeol has a bad feeling about this and rushes to the hospital. Ji heard Hae Yi’s friend saying that Hae Yi had woken up from the coma, so he skipped the meeting. He enters Hae Yi’s room, but Haeng Seon catches him red-handed once again. Chi Yeol also reaches the hospital and sees Ji’s real face while he tries to harm Haeng Seon. Ji gets embarrassed and runs away. Chi Yeol follows him to the hospital’s rooftop and confronts him. Ji tries to justify his crimes by saying that he wants to protect Chi Yeol, but Chi Yeol doesn’t agree. The purpose of Ji’s life is to protect Chi Yeol, and now that he realizes that Chi Yeol doesn’t need him anymore, he decides to end his life. Chi Yeol tries to dissuade him, but Ji jumps off the building.
Chi Yeol is disturbed after this incident and won’t even come out of his house. Haeng Seon is busy taking care of Hae Yi despite Hae Yi’s real mother being back with them, as she is irresponsible. Still, Hae Yi makes time to visit Chi Yeol to cheer him up. What really cheers them is the news that Hae Yi really wakes up from the coma this time. All of them are happy, but Hae Yi isn’t happy to see her real mother. However, she is just glad that she woke up. Her friends visit her as well and fill her in on all that has happened while she is asleep, particularly about Sun Jae, who visits her later. Sua’s mother was protesting outside the school to expel Sun Jae, but Sun Jae had already dropped out of school. Sua’s mother thinks that it is her accomplishment and goes out to party with her friends, only to find out about her husband’s affair. She beats up her husband and his mistress in front of everyone. As if karma bites her back, the video goes viral, and Sua’s mother gets a taste of what it is like to become infamous in the public eye.
Hae Yi is recovering well in the hospital, and her friends keep her company from time to time. Sun Jae and Geon Hu are bickering about why they have to show up at the same time, and when Geon Hu goes away for a minute, Sun Jae finally confesses his feelings to Hae Yi. Hae Yi says that she will give him an answer after their CSAT exam, which is a year later. Geon Hu laughs at Sun Jae, saying that he got rejected, but he also praises him for finally confessing his feelings. Sun Jae has dropped out of school, but he is still going to give exams externally. Hae Yi gets to go home after a few days, and the first thing she sees after going home is her real mother, Haeng Ja being a nuisance to everyone. She doesn’t like her already, and she hears her asking Chi Yeol for money. Haeng Seon has arranged a small party to celebrate Hae Yi’s return, but Hae Yi drops a bomb on them and announces that she will go to Japan with Haeng Ja.
What Scandal Does Chi Yeol Get Into Again?
Hae Yi’s sudden announcement surprises both Haeng Seon and Haeng Ja. Haeng Ja didn’t expect this to happen, but Hae Yi is adamant about it and says that she will survive in any condition. Haeng Seon is worried about Hae Yi because she knows how irresponsible her sister is, but Hae Yi has already started drawing a line between them. She starts calling her aunt and doesn’t let her do anything for her. Hae Yi’s uncle won’t talk to her and calls her mean. He lets out his frustration by taking walks outside continuously, but Haeng Seon is still keeping it bottled up. However, she makes a decision to accept the situation as it is and helps Hae Yi’s mother pack Hae Yi’s things. She informs her about all of Hae Yi’s tendencies, but Hae Yi doesn’t like it. She fights with Haeng Seon over her not minding her business, and this time, Haeng Seon lets out her frustration. Haeng Seon cries, and seeing her, Hae Yi cries as well. Haeng Ja feels ashamed for the first time and gets clarity on what to do next. The next day, she sends Hae Yi off to school for the first time in her life and leaves the country. She informs Hae Yi over text and writes a long letter to Haeng Seon. She expresses her gratitude to her and promises that she will always be there as her older sister whenever she needs her and won’t abandon them again.
Sun Jae’s mother has to pay a fine of 10 million won for illegally accessing the exam paper, and she is also suspended from work. This case is an eye-opener for her, and she tries to make things right for her family. She invites her husband home to eat with the family and asks Hui Jae to go on a trip with her. Their family is broken because of her, but she realizes her mistake and mends their relationship. Meanwhile, Chi Yeol again gets into a dating scandal after he is spotted with a woman in a cafe. She is the same woman Chi Yeol went on a blind date with, and Haeng Seon knows her. After reading the mean comments about herself, Haeng Seon leaves the shop hurriedly, and everyone gets worried. Haeng Seon had just discovered that her brother and best friend had been in a relationship, but her focus quickly shifted to the scandal. Chi Yeol has been trying to get in touch with her, but she has turned off her phone. He thinks that Haeng Seon is mad at him, so his new assistant shows him a way to convince Haeng Seon once and for all. He waits for Haeng Seon at her shop, and as soon as she arrives, he starts apologizing. Haeng Seon is too calm, which worries him more, but she surprises him with a wedding ring and asks him to marry her. Chi Yeol loves this sweet surprise because he has also bought the rings and plans to propose to her too.
‘Crash Course In Romance’ Ending Explained – Does Hae Yi Go Back To Her Real Mother?
Haeng Seon has a dream, and she wants to get married only after she achieves it. She wants to become a sports instructor, and Chi Yeol supports her dream. She is not good at studying and is unsure if she can pass the exam at this age, but Chi Yeol promises to help her in her studies. Hae Yi passed the CSAT and joined pre-med along with Sun Jae and Sua, but Haeng Seon still hasn’t passed her exam. Geon Hu is still trying to pass the entrance exam as well. Sua’s mother divorced her husband and now works as an educational counselor at the Pride Academy. Sua has let go of her competitive attitude, and she is on good terms with everyone now. Chi Yeol is still waiting for Haeng Seon to pass the exam so they can get married, but Sun Jae, who is waiting for Hae Yi to give him an answer, finally gets a yes. Jae Woo and Yeong Ju register their marriage after Yeong Ju gets pregnant, and now everyone is waiting for Haeng Seon’s result as it is the only obstacle to their marriage. Finally, after multiple attempts, Haeng Seon manages to pass the exam and becomes a sports instructor.
“Crash Course In Romance” is a perfect rom-com minus the unnecessary serial killer plot. The story was good, the cast was amazing, their chemistry was perfect, and we didn’t need a serial killer who, in the end, didn’t have a big impact on the story. Hui Jae’s storyline made more sense than manager Ji’s storyline. He could just be the brother of Chi Yeol’s favorite student, and their working together while being close friends could have been a suitable and happy ending. Other than that, it is a light-hearted romance with emotional family drama, and definitely worth a watch. A sequel looks unlikely with a justified ending, but we never know. We would love to see the romance between Hae Yi and Sun Jae, who are now in college and have just started dating.
