The Potato Lab- Episodes 3-4

Food Fights, Flirting, and a Shocking Dismissal

Episode 3 of The Potato Lab takes us on a wild ride filled with hungover regrets, sizzling chemistry, village rivalries, and an unexpected firing! If you thought things were chaotic before, buckle up—because this episode is packed with messy romance, potato drama, and eyebrow-related disasters. Let’s dig in!

A Hungover Mi-kyung and the Kiss That Won’t Be Forgotten

We kick things off with Mi-kyung waking up in the bathtub with a pounding hangover—but that’s not her biggest problem. As soon as her memory kicks in, she remembers the kiss she planted on Baek-ho the night before. Ong-ju, ever the agent of chaos, is way too excited about this and teases her mercilessly, having witnessed the whole thing!While Mi-kyung brushes it off as a drunken mistake, Ong-ju is convinced that her friend is just thirsty after living in the mountains with very few attractive people around.

Mi-kyung is desperate to move on and prays that Baek-ho has forgotten all about it. Spoiler alert: he has not. We rewind 11 hours and see Baek-ho in full-on post-kiss crisis mode. While Mi-kyung flirted a little before leaving, Baek-ho was left completely dazed, leading him to an entire night of insomnia, excessive shirt ironing, and even hedge pruning. A true man in turmoil.

Baek-ho vs. Mi-kyung: The Morning After Shenanigans

In the morning, Baek-ho calls Mi-kyung, but she panics and dodges his calls. When she finally tries to sneak out the window, she’s met with a very smug Baek-ho waiting for her. He casually messes with her by claiming she borrowed money—50,000 won for a chauffeur, 120,000 won for gas—because she was too drunk to remember. Pure trolling energy. Baek-ho makes sure to let her know that he remembers everything. Absolutely. Everything.

A Potato Cook-Off and a Rival Village Showdown

Meanwhile, Ki-se is digging into Mi-kyung’s past, watching old promo videos of her lab work. But his interest peakswhen he hears about the annual potato cooking contest. This isn’t just about taste-testing tubers—it’s also a major eventfeaturing rival villages.

Baek-ho arrives at the event, initially planning to grill the team about their research, but instead, he gets roped into doing all of Mi-kyung’s prep work. Thanks to some clever manipulation on her part, he ends up conducting traffic, setting up tables, and even chopping ingredients in record time.

Meanwhile, Director Choi and his son, Chris Choi, show up as part of the rival village Jangsan-ri. But here’s the twist: Chris is actually a professional hotel chef, and they’re playing dirty. The town elder, Mr. Byun, has a longstanding rivalry with Director Choi, and naturally, things escalate quickly—leading to an all-out, slow-motion small-town food fight!

In the chaos, Mi-kyung’s chef is injured, and she’s forced to rely on Baek-ho to step in. He agrees to help—but only if this means he’ll finally be allowed to drive through Mr. Byun’s property and stop dealing with village road drama.

Baek-ho Goes Undercover and Ugly Potatoes Win the Day

To keep the peace, Baek-ho has to cook in disguise—which means glasses and a facemask are a must. The contest itself becomes a spectacle, but eventually, all the dishes are presented. Mi-kyung’s “ugly cheese potatoes” turn out to be absolutely delicious, but the judges are too afraid to give her first place because they know she’ll brag about it for the next six months. Instead, they keep a poker face while tasting.

But here’s the thing—no one actually cares who wins. The real victory? Not coming in last place. And that honor goes to Jangsan-ri, meaning Yongreul-ri celebrates a technical victory!

After the event, Mi-kyung thanks Baek-ho, but he downplays it, saying he did it for himself. As they sit together alone, Mi-kyung finally admits she remembers the entire night before and apologizes for lying. She was just embarrassed. But before she can process it, Baek-ho drops a bombshell: “Will you go out with me?”

Mi-kyung is stunned, and things get even more bizarre when Baek-ho explains that he’s thought about this logically—not because he has feelings for her, but because it makes the most sense. Propositional logic, people.

In response, Mi-kyung accidentally blurts out that she finds him super hot—before fleeing in embarrassment. But Baek-ho is dead serious, even offering to buy her flowers, which only annoys her more.

Mi-kyung’s Eyebrow Disaster and The Big Bosses Arrive

The next morning, Mi-kyung has an emergency—her eyebrows have been tattooed in a very dramatic way. The entirelab finds it hilarious and takes tons of photos, but Mi-kyung owns it, striking model poses in response.

But there’s no time for fun—Chairman Wang and CEO Yoon are coming to inspect the Potato Lab. Panic sets in as the team scrambles to make the place look spotless. However, Mi-kyung immediately catches Chairman Wang’s attention—because, well, her eyebrows leave an impression.

Meanwhile, Ki-se confronts Mi-kyung, asking her to pretend she doesn’t know him so he can secure a promotionwithout their past coming to light. Mi-kyung agrees, making it clear she doesn’t want to relive whatever happened between them. But when Ki-se mentions her shampoo scent, she snaps and threatens him, knocking him down.

A Shocking Turn of Events: Baek-ho Fires Mi-kyung

In private, the executives debate the fate of the Potato Lab. Ki-se argues that it’s a financial drain and should be shut down, but Baek-ho counters with a long-term strategy to keep it running.

But just when things seem stable, Baek-ho calls Mi-kyung into his office and drops a final bombshell: he fires her.

Firings, Flirtations, and a Stormy Night

If you thought The Potato Lab was done throwing curveballs, Episode 4 proves you wrong! We’ve got unexpected dismissals, sneaky seduction attempts, heated office drama, and a stormy night full of tension. Grab your popcorn, because this one’s a wild ride!

Mi-kyung Gets Fired – But She’s Not Going Down Without a Fight

The episode kicks off with Mi-kyung in absolute disbelief—Baek-ho just fired her. He tells her that only essential staffwill remain, and in his eyes, she’s redundant. Ouch. Naturally, Mi-kyung isn’t having it and tries every argument possible to change his mind. But Baek-ho? Unmoved. He softens the blow by letting her stay on until Mr. Kwon’s training period is over, but that’s it.

Meanwhile, back at the guesthouse, things get…awkward. Ong-ju accidentally walks in on Hwan-kyung in the bath. Instead of playing it cool, she openly acknowledges she’s seen everything before realizing she’s said way too much and making a hasty exit. But if that wasn’t enough? Later, at the beach, Hwan-kyung makes a huge scene when he “saves” Ong-ju from a trio of surfers, embarrassing her in front of everyone as if they’re a couple in a messy breakup.

Mi-kyung’s Secret Retreat – And Baek-ho’s Watchful Eye

While everyone’s caught up in the guesthouse drama, questions start swirling about Mi-kyung’s whereabouts. Turns out, she’s visiting her father at Gilmoon Temple. Surprise twist? He’s a monk who abandoned his family to pursue a life of solitude. They sit together for a quiet meal, but when Mi-kyung finally returns very late, Baek-ho is already waiting, watching her silently.

Though he won’t say it outright, he was worried about her. And he makes sure she knows it.

Mi-kyung’s (Failed) Seduction Mission

The next day at work, Baek-ho’s reputation is soaring. Everyone’s talking about how kind and fair he is. Meanwhile, Mi-kyung is sitting right there, jobless and annoyed. So what does she do? She tries to seduce him into changing his mind.

She pulls every trick in the book—but Baek-ho? Unfazed. He’s got ironclad stubbornness and isn’t falling for it. Another L for Mi-kyung.

Ki-se’s Mystery Guest and A Tempting Offer for Mi-kyung

Over at Wonhan Retail, Ki-se is still butting heads with CEO Yoon, who accuses him of being clingy post-divorce. Ouch. But Ki-se is more interested in tracking down a mystery guest who used his credit card at a hotel.

Turns out? That guest is Mi-kyung. She’s there for a job interview—and just so happens to be sitting in the booth next to him. Ki-se eavesdrops and, when he can’t help himself, inserts himself into the conversation. He offers her an easy way back—since Baek-ho technically reports to him, Ki-se could overrule the firing and reinstate her.

But Mi-kyung? Absolutely not. That’s a deal she’s not willing to take.

A New Player Enters the Game

We finally meet Yoon Hee-jin—a key figure who’s been mentioned but never seen until now. She’s Baek-ho’s best friendand also avoiding Ki-se like the plague. She knows Baek-ho is only tolerating Ki-se because of her, and she makes it clear whose side he should be on. The two bond over good food, but it’s obvious things are getting messy fast.

Office Drama: The Accidental Group Chat Disaster

Back at Sunnyeo Foods, the entire office is pissed about Mi-kyung’s firing. Tensions skyrocket when Baek-ho’s car is boxed in at the parking lot. But the real disaster?

Some brave employees decide to vent about Baek-ho in the group chat—only to realize they sent the messages to the wrong group. The group that Baek-ho is in.

Cue absolute panic.

Mi-kyung tries to cover their tracks, snatching Baek-ho’s phone and deleting the messages before he sees them. Crisis averted? Not quite. Turns out, the messages are still on the desktop version.

She goes into full mission mode, sprinting to delete them from his computer. But just as she locks herself in his office to finish the job? Baek-ho catches her.

When she confesses, he does the most unexpected thing. Instead of being mad, he shrugs it off like it’s no big deal. And in a rare classy move, he turns his back so she can finish deleting them.

Baek-ho: Too cool to care? Or secretly soft-hearted?

Stormy Nights and Silent Tension

Later that night, a massive storm rolls in. Mi-kyung, hearing the thunder, immediately bolts to check on the greenhouses at the lab. But she’s not the only one watching the skies.

Baek-ho sees her leave and follows quietly.

As the rain pours down, the wind howling, they find themselves alone—standing in the middle of the storm, staring at each other. And just like that, the episode fades to black.

DramaZen's Opinion

Office Drama, Stormy Romance, and Absolute Chaos!

Just when I thought The Potato Lab couldn’t get any better, Episodes 3 and 4 delivered top-tier drama, laugh-out-loud moments, and some seriously simmering tension.

Mi-kyung and Baek-ho’s love-hate dynamic is absolute gold. From their drunken kiss to Baek-ho casually firing her, their chemistry is off the charts. And let’s talk about Mi-kyung’s desperate (and hilarious) attempts to seduce her way back into the job—girl, we’ve all been there. Meanwhile, the office group chat disaster had me screaming, and Ong-ju walking in on Hwan-kyung? Pure comedic gold.

But the real kicker? That stormy night ending. The way Baek-ho silently followed Mi-kyung in the rain? The lingering stares? The tension?! I am unwell.

With emotions running high and secrets bubbling under the surface, I cannot wait to see what happens next. Potato Lab is giving rom-com perfection with a side of corporate warfare, and I am hooked! 🥔