Filing for Love Episode 9 begins with A-jeong finding it difficult to make a big decision. She thinks about sending an email accusing I-na of having an improper relationship. Before she can try, she is interrupted by a breaking news announcement about an article that Jae-yeol was driven out of Haemu because of internal conflict with his sibling. Meanwhile, Jae-yeol races to I-na’s hotel room only to find that she’s already checked out.
Meanwhile I-na and Ki-jun meet at the beach. I-na is still trying to figure out her feelings and is surprised when Ki-jun shows up right when she is thinking of him. She wishes she had been honest sooner. Ki-jun, however, is determined to do everything he can to stop his transfer to the United States.
Jae-yeol’s emotional health takes a nosedive when he sees them holding hands by the beach and dating as well. He turns to drinking and misses an important meeting the next day, letting Sung-yeol step in and take over. A-jeong is kicked out of the meeting and Jae-yeol stops answering her phone.
At Haemu International, Min Tae-woo, an employee, has returned from a scuba diving trip. His wife gets suspicious of the frequent trips and flags it to the PM team.
The team discuss the matter in a meeting with I-na, who resolves to look into the matter by participating in the next diving expedition. But as it turns out Ki-jun had planned a weekend outing that I-na forgot all about in the heat of work pressure. But Ki-jun goes with her on the investigation trip.
I-na and Ki-jun notice Tae-woo hanging out with another diver, Ms. Ha, while they are diving. The way they interact is telling that there might be a relationship. Ki-jun proposes becoming Tae-woo’s dive partner to observe more closely and notices Tae-woo repeatedly filming Ms. Ha underwater.
Things go downhill when Tae-woo suffers a panic attack during the dive. As it turns out, he is not an experienced diver but has been forcing himself to take part just to be close to Ms. Ha who is in fact a professional diver.
Meanwhile, Jae-yeol wakes up in the hospital. A-jeong had found him unconscious at a club and took him to get medical help. Doctors warned his condition was serious due to excessive drinking, and any delay could have been fatal.
Back at Haemu, Mr. Yoon, Tae-woo’s supervisor, cuts the diving trip short, claiming dinner plans. He attends a wake, where a few Haemu employees are present, including a senior executive from headquarters.
At the event, Mr. Yoon talks trash about younger employees, which leaves the exec with a bad impression. He says he’s got a chauffeur service waiting outside but he’s driving himself. Later, the executive learns that the chauffeur is Tae-woo and contacts Ki-jun.
Then Tae-woo is revealed to be not having an affair. Ms Ha is his cousin. His boss forced him to join the diving team. “Mr. Yoon has been taking him on weekend dives, ignoring Tae-woo’s requests to spend time with his family. He does this by promising promotions, since Tae-woo is the only one in his group who has not been promoted.
I-na and Ki-jun and the executive follow Mr. Yoon after learning the truth. They try to speak to Tae-woo, but he’s reluctant to report workplace harassment, afraid of the consequences and worried that his wife will find out.
Later that night I-na invites Ki-jun over to her house, apparently for a casual meal, but they spend the night preparing a formal presentation on workplace harassment.
Tae-woo is promoted to a position in the United States and Mr. Yoon is disciplined for misconduct and misuse of company resources.
Meanwhile, at the request of her father, Jae-yeol’s wife returns to the country. Troubled by inheritance issues and Jae-yeol’s uncontrollable recklessness, she’s taken aback when he asks her for a divorce. She asks her father why he is so different.
I-na arranges a proper dinner date with Ki-jun at work. But after his trip to hospital, his colleagues are determined to take him out to celebrate his recovery. He agrees soon enough but tries to leave early to meet I-na. His team’s delays leave him unable to escape in time.
At the same time, Jae-yeol arrives at I-na’s apartment. He tells her he is divorcing not for her, but because he is unhappy in his marriage. He knows he has lost her, but confesses that he still wanted to tell her how he felt, and still regrets the loss of her.
Right after Jae-yeol has left, Ki-jun comes. Ki-jun is annoyed to find him at I-na’s home but decides not to confront her. Instead he opts to slip away quietly. I-na follows him to the elevator, blocks his way, and invites him to stay. Ki-jun takes her hand and they share an intimate night together.
Next morning they go to work feeling happy and in touch. But their peace is shattered when an exposé of I-na’s improper relationships is spread around in office group chats.
Earlier, A-jeong had confronted I-na and bitterly said: “Pick one of the men she is entertaining.” I-na retorted: “Even if I step aside, will Jae-yeol ever choose A-jeong?” It is in exasperation that that emotional exchange leads A-jeong to write and circulate the exposé.
The episode ends with I-na devastated at the article with photos of her with Jae-yeol. She loses her balance but Ki-jun catches her quickly and stands firmly next to her.
Review of the Episode
Episode 9 raises the stakes of the drama with a cocktail of workplace corruption, emotional conflict and romantic tension. A-jeong’s choice to bring I-na out into the open is a definite character change, but it seems more a gesture of emotional frustration than a tactical decision. And instead of winning Jae-yeol’s affection, her actions will probably just push everyone even further away and have ramifications.
Jae-yeol’s arc also turns darker as he finally faces up to the reality of his failed marriage and inability to move on. His emotional breakdown is a sign of how long he has been locked between duty and self-interest.
In the meantime, I-na and Ki-jun’s relationship starts out warm and hopeful, but is soon put to the test by corporate politics and public scrutiny. As trust starts to build, outside forces threaten to pull them apart. The episode ends with a strong cliffhanger, setting up a serious conflict that will likely challenge both I-na’s career and her relationship.