Episode 2 of Teach You A Lesson heats things up as the ERPB’s controversial methods draw attention nationwide. The events of the previous episode go viral online when student bully Jun-hyeong and his friends assault their classmates. Videos of Hwa-jin swiftly punishing offenders also went viral on social media, further polarizing public opinion.
The ERPB is lauded by many citizens for its hard line against school violence, but student rights groups decry the bureau’s tactics and call for its immediate shutdown. Gang-seok, however, refuses to give up. “The education system has failed countless victims of bullying,” he said at a press conference, vowing that the ERPB will continue to target violent students nationwide.# The Political Pressure Starts to Mount
As the public debate heats up, members of the opposition parties begin to perceive the ERPB as a political danger. The recent row between Gang-seok and other politicians has sparked concerns that the bureau’s rising popularity could affect the national debate on education and public safety.
Meanwhile a new case is reported in Guun Hi-Tech School, a notorious school who has produced many future criminals and gang members. Most teachers avoid working there and the school’s reputation is built on intimidation, not education.# Guun Hi-Tech School’s Culture of Violence
Bong Geun-de is a new student entering the school and finds himself immediately in the harsh environment of the school. He’s paying student enforcer In-beom for protection, trying to keep himself out of the crosshairs. He soon finds himself embroiled in endless disputes between rival groups, unfortunately.
The school’s hierarchy is organized around gaining the attention of Jang Gwon-hyeok, an aspiring gangster whose wealth and lifestyle have become aspirational for many students. Gwon-hyeok’s organization is going to recruit In-beom, he thinks.
Meanwhile, Seong-hwan, one of the most feared students in school, punishes his classmates for their disappointment. To entertain himself, he pits the new arrivals Geun-de and Hyeong-ju against each other, declaring that the loser will be the punching bag for everyone.
Hyeong-ju throws the game.
It is a heartbreaking decision, and it leads to more abuse, as students target him in hopes of impressing Gwon-hyeok. Hyeong-ju is constantly humiliated, but she does not fight back against the treatment.## Hwa-jin’s secret mission
One of the teachers, worried about the growth of organized crime in the school, contacts the ERPB to ask for help. Soon Hwa-jin arrives and starts to investigate the situation.
During his visit, he meets Geun-de again, who is revealed to be an undercover ERPB operative pretending to be a student. Geun-de has purposely made himself a victim of bullying so that he can obtain evidence against the most dangerous offenders in the school.
Hwa-jin comes up with a plan to catch the troublemakers. He gathers the students in the gymnasium and tells them to sit down. When they refuse, he gives them a simple challenge: beat him if they want to leave.
The result is predictable.
The students rush at him together but are overwhelmed by Hwa-jin’s superior fighting skills. He has the room in the palm of his hand in moments.# Discipline out of Fear
With the students subdued, Hwa-jin drills them with a rigorous study schedule to make up for the lost time. We will have classes from early morning until evening and there will be no time for such disruptive behaviour.
Seong-hwan and In-beom attempt to fight back by attacking him with weapons, but their attempt ends in utter failure. Hwa-jin easily disarms them and pushes them back into line.
His methods become ever more inventive. When the students say they don’t have textbooks and materials, he makes them copy the notes from Hyeong-ju’s stuff. Sarcasm and more punishment for complaining
Many students start cooperating slowly but Seong-hwan insists studying has no value for someone like him. Hwa-jin, to prove otherwise, takes the class to the garage and instructs them in hands-on skills to fix cars.
If the trouble-makers continue with their pranks, he gives them a terrifying ride around campus in a broken-down vehicle. The experience eventually breaks their confidence and gains him the respect of a lot of other students.## Hwa-jin’s Mystery
Outside the school, Gang-seok’s political rival begins to investigate Hwa-jin’s past. He learns that Hwa-jin was in the military, but he finds surprisingly little information beyond that.
The investigation becomes even more suspicious when it turns out that the National Intelligence Service appears to be protecting some parts of Hwa-jin’s history. The discovery raises big questions about who Hwa-jin really is and what role he played before joining the ERPB.# The snare for Gwon-hyeok
Despite Hwa-jin’s efforts, Seong-hwan and In-beom still look up to Gwon-hyeok. One night they sneak out of school to meet him at a nightclub. Geun-de helps them and the operation continues so that the ERPB can gather more evidence.
The next day Gwon-hyeok makes a dramatic entrance into the school on a motorcycle, into the gym. Students are immediately impressed by his confidence and reputation.
Before long, Gwon-hyeok and Hwa-jin get into a fight.
First it seems the gangster’s actually beaten him. But the seemingly victory is revealed as part of Hwa-jin’s plan. He gets back up and methodically tears apart Gwon-hyeok in front of the entire student body.
Total humiliation as Hwa-jin keeps hitting him, until he finally KOs him## The Fall of the School Gang
On television, there is a political debate where Gang-seok defends both Hwa-jin and the ERPB against allegations that they used military-style tactics against students. There has to be extreme measures to stop people destroying the schools from the inside, he says.
Back at Guun Hi-Tech School, Hwa-jin is confronted by Gwon-hyeok’s criminal associates. In one of the most intense sequences of the episode, he fights the gangsters alone and beats them with their own weapons.
The confrontation totally destroys the gang’s influence.
Seong-hwan and In-beom finally give up and apologize for their wrongdoings. At Hwa-jin’s insistence, they also apologize directly to Hyeong-ju, whose emotional reaction makes clear the damage done by years of bullying.
The police arrive and soon arrest the gang members, ending the operation.# The School’s New Beginning
After the successful crackdown, Gang-seok announces that the gang culture at Guun Hi-Tech School has been broken up. New rules are being put in place, such as bans on smoking, motorcycles, and other disruptive activities.
“Before, students used to focus on violence but now they are expected to focus on education. In particular Hyeong-ju finally gets a chance to concentrate on his studies without the threat of harassment.
The episode ends with the ERPB team toasting their success. Yet, one last revelation suggests how close Hwa-jin, Gang-seok and the deceased Ga-yun may be. Photographs from her funeral show a common tragedy that may have been why they formed the bureau in the first place.# Episode Recap
Episode 2 is a much larger scale story than the premiere, combining school bullying, gang violence and political intrigue into one action packed hour. Hwa-jin is still the show’s main draw, effortlessly dominating every fight and still managing to maintain a sense of mystery about her.
Hyeong-ju’s storyline also gives the episode some emotional weight. He takes the abuse if it means survival, making his ultimate vindication even more rewarding.
Probably the most interesting development is the increasing mystery surrounding Hwa-jin’s past. The fact that intelligence agencies could be looking out for his records suggests that there’s more to him than a simple ex-soldier.
Meanwhile, Gang-seok’s political nemesis is shaping up to be a worthy foil. His desire to destroy the ERPB suggests there are other reasons that will likely play a major role in the series from here on out.
Overall, Episode 2 does a good job of expanding the world of Teach You A Lesson, offering up intense action, character development, and a good handful of interesting mysteries that should keep viewers invested in the episodes to come.