The first episode of The Potato Lab begins with a look at Sunnyeo Foods. These guys and girls are absolutely obsessed with potatoes and at the center of it all is the plucky deputy director Kim Mi-kyung. She is a potato researcher and has been working on a new type of potato for a while now.
However, all of their hard work seems to come crashing down when a merger occurs that changes everything. Michael Lee, the CEO of Mores Company, is in the process of making a big deal for Sunnyeo, until director So Baek-ho shows up. He is from Wonhan Retail's Strategic Planning Department and criticizes the deal and Lee's business methods.
Stars: Lee Sun-bin, Kang Tae-oh, Lee Hak-jo
It turns out that Lee is using an alias as his real name is Lee Moon-su. Furthermore, he has invested in various companies over the years, manipulating stocks, falsifying disclosures, and basically acting as a "fraudulent vulture."
Unfortunately, all of this works to expose Sunnyeo Foods, which ends up bankrupt. In fact, they're going to merge with Wonhan Retail, which will presumably put an end to their prestigious potato chip heritage.
Mi-kyung is furious, and part of that is due to the fact that she initially used to work at Wonhan before jumping ship and heading to Sunnyeo.
Back home, there's a rather funny scene when we learn that Mi-kyung is living in a guest house with her brother, Hwang-kyung, and her cheerful best friend, Ong-joo. They tease Mi-kyung, who is conflicted about what to do with her career now.
With Sunnyeo completely dissolved, they're going to be part of Wonhan's food and beverage department going forward. The company is buying out the employees, but Mi-kyung's position is precarious, especially since she didn't leave on the best of terms.
Baek-ho is nonchalant about the whole acquisition while his colleagues lavishly praise his actions. After subduing a disgruntled employee, he contemplates the company’s structure. Specifically, the need for this potato lab.
Three weeks pass, and the potato gang shows up at Wonhan. They’re small fish here, though (yes, potato puns can be a recurring part of our recaps!), and meet Choi Ji-hyun, the deputy director of HR. She leads the gang to the auditorium, where our fiery protagonist passionately talks about the science behind what her department does.
As for Baek-ho, he takes a trip to the potato lab, inspecting the area to see if it’s up to par. When Mi-kyung and the gang find out, they rush back. Well, they try anyway. On their way out the door, Mi-kyung finds herself caught in a rather awkward situation when she ends up running into her ex while trying to get past the entry barriers.
This is Ki-se, and he’s clearly fried his normally calm demeanor. She gives him the finger and walks away. As we soon learn later in the episode, he has treated Mi-kyun very poorly in the past, but despite everything, he has become CEO, and she is not happy about this.
There is no time for that yet, though, as MK and the others race back to the potato lab. While there, Baek-ho examines everything they do, including what he sees as “budget waste.”
After the inspection, Baek-ho is attacked by a magpie named Sunnyeo. This is actually a loyal bird that Mi-kyung saved in the past and forces our protagonist to rush in and save it. However, Baek-ho ends up rolling all the way through the potato fields, prompting the farmers to think fast and save him by knocking over wheelbarrows so the guy falls.
After Baek-ho is healed at the hospital, the Director determines that a solution must be found for Sunnyeo. Apparently, he only attacks when provoked or when Mi-kyung needs his help. She continues, revealing that their plans for the perfect potato are time-consuming. Since they’ve had over 2000 samples, Baek-ho agrees and knows that they’re doing the best they can. However, he needs tangible results to keep his lab open.
The next day at the lab, Chief Hong is fired from his job. This means that they’re going to have a new Chief to manage them. And who could that be? Of course, we haven’t found out yet, but we have a pretty good idea of who it may be!
Mi-kyung is furious that they changed the sign, but when she heads outside to smoke, a sudden downpour stops her in her tracks. She screams at the sky, but when she looks up, none other than Baek-ho is standing there with an umbrella. He apologizes for being a "Wonhan bastard" (as Mi-kyung has called him several times), and in his surprise, Mi-kyung curses him.
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