Dao Kiaw Duen Episode 5

Can Dao repair her image? Will Khunchai redeem himself? It’s all in a day’s work of episode 5, and then some.

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EPISODE 5 RECAP

The consequences of the supposed raunchy tape belonging to Dao’s lookalike does not end solely with her fake relationship with Khunchai, but it has stretched over to her work as well, causing her customers to cancel all of her scheduled photo-shoots. The damage has been done. Even if she’s not the model, her customers still fear that she would come on to their husbands. Oh the insensible society.

And the last thing she needs is an overbearing brother knocking at her door. Before Din could utter a word, Dao jumps into her diatribe that if he doesn’t believe that the girl in the picture isn’t her, then they can sever their ties. But she has little faith in her brother because he only came to support her and find out what she’s got planned. Dao isn’t about to let her professional reputation- that she’s worked so hard to build up- be ruined by rumors. She’s going to prove her innocence by starting with the woman in the clip.

Since no one recognizes the girl, they gather that the best way to find her is to figure out where the video was taped. They play detective work as they spy a banner image in the mirror. Din recognizes the name immediately, Hotstar, a ‘massage parlor’ he used to go to- to which the girls are all shocked because it’s like a lurid place (massage with happy endings?) and Din explains he’s only been there a couple of times, yunno, due to peer pressure. Sure. Dao intends to go to the parlor, but she needs to find an accomplice.

They find it in Khun Pongjan who not only has frequented the spot before (he took customers there, mind you) but also has the believable image to go with it. He says the only way they could tag along this mission, is if they (the women) masquerade as a man. And the hilarity ensues.

The pretty ‘boys’ peruse their choices from outside of the glass quarters but could not find the culprit. It turns out, she’s currently servicing another customer, and lo and behold, that customer is Khunchai Jantarapanu! Could it be, that our very own pretty boy is trying to earn some brownie points with us? Looks like when he muttered ‘why am I sad? It’s not my problem,’ in the earlier episode, we knew he was really bothered by it.

So Khunchai has been a busy bee behind the scenes, and consulting with his police friend Apichet, on the scandalous clip. His friend adamantly clears Dao, indicating that the woman in the clip is a working girl. Khunchai scans through the pictures of said working girl, and now, finding himself at that very parlor, looking at her. She gives him the willies by telling him that he need only tell her how he likes it and she will give him pleasure. She starts by doing a dance tease.

What happens to the rest of the group is uncomfortably funny. The gay pretending to be a man, who tries to distract the girl by asking her does she drive a car? And she replies that she can drive other things. Heh. Then there are the women pretending to be men: Jin dances with her girl, Lin gets her eyes soiled by staring shockingly at a naked woman, while Dao is getting molested.

Meanwhile Khunchai tries to ask the girl a question, but she immediately receives a phone call (who picks up their phone during working hours anyway) and hightails out of there after catching wind that loan sharks are after her. Khunchai follows and meets the gang in the hallway as they’ve successfully escaped their demise in tact. They all think that perhaps he frequents this place too. Heeh. But Dao has no time to make conversations as she immediately recognizes the girl’s face. The gang corners the girl, who is shaking with terror, thinking that they’re the loan sharks. But before they could proceed with their interrogations, the real gang appears.

We assume Khunchai fends them off one by one with his skilled fighting techniques because the bodies are littered on the ground. The target remains alone, and as he inches closer, he trips over a pair of high heels and ungracefully falls. Lol. So much for looking cool a minute ago.

The smart one, Khun Pongjan is actually getting a real massage, lol. He finally realizes he needs to hightail out of there and gathers the attention of the host, who ends up saving the two group from pummeling each other’s faces in.

It’ s just all a misunderstanding. The working girl is willing to come clean about the people who hired her to make the video if Dao coughs up five thousand baht. And so she does and the group meanders back to her condo, in complete disbelief that Arn and Rathee are the ones behind the scheme. Dao is determined to get her back, and show her that she can’t bully someone one sided.

In the corner of the condo, Khunchai is moaning in pain from the slip earlier. Concerned, Dao lifts his shirt and advises that they consult a doctor. As Khunchai is admitted to the hospital, he watches a tv show where one of the characters got scolded for believing everything he hears and not trusting the person he loves. Oh show, you do have a sense of humor. We all know that it’s meant for Khunchai. I love the way they worked it in there. Khunchai immediately turns it off when Dao walks in (so he does have self awareness!)

With a serious face, Dao is prepared to relay the doctor’s diagnosis. Khunchai says he’s prepared to hear it, no matter how bad the outcome. Dao sadly tells him that the x-ray results show that his back is fine, but the doctor discovers that he has sarcoma, which is cancer of the muscle. Damn, she’s piling it pretty thick. Serves him right. Khunchai pales then sees the smile slowly creep on her face. Heh.

Khunchai attempts to change out of his hospital gown but falters due to his back pain. Dao helps him into his clothes and they thank each other- Dao says that if it weren’t for him, she’d be laying on the hospital bed. But Khunchai says it’s nothing compared to the way he has insulted her, and he apologizes. Aw. Dao says that when she saw him at the parlor, she knew he believed in her. I love how they wrap up the misunderstanding quickly, we got other things to deal with.

Such as the pending nuptials between him and Nan, who’s at the palace, waiting to plan the wedding with Mom. Ying Nim appears, coyly giving ideas on wedding colors. She advises gold for everything, even the flowers, lol, and red doors for the entrance. Nan doesn’t seem to realize what it implies and agrees with everything, until it finally occurred to her that those are the colors of hell. Ha.

Two men intercepted Arn and Rathee after their shopping spree and apprehended them to a scary-movie-like location where the girls are strapped into chairs. Dao appears with Khunchai and says she knows that they are responsible for fabricating the clip. Ying Nim shows them the working girl’s confession, but Arn adamantly admits that she was forced to do it.

So they bring the confession video to Mom’s attention to clear Dao’s tarnished reputation, and Nan slowly creeps away like the accomplice that she is. But the best part comes next, the confession of Arn and Rathee, who blames everything on Nanteenee. Ha. Careful who your ‘friends’ are. Nan feigns a headache and falls to the ground.

And now that Khunchai doesn’t have to marry Nan, he still wants to continue their charade. Heh. But Dao says that she has learned her lesson, tricking others with lies brings only unhappiness to oneself. Also, she doesn’t think lying is a solution to prevent him from marrying a woman of his mother’s choice. It all rests on him. Khunchai sees eye to eye with that and thanks her for her help anyway.

He asks her the all-important question, ‘what is it do you want from me in return?’ Omg.

Dao thinks to herself that this is the perfect opportunity to come out with her deepest desires, his sperm, but she’s tongue tied. He tells her that there isn’t anything he couldn’t give her. Couldn’t or wouldn’t?

‘What I want from you,’ she starts, ‘is truly invaluable. So much so that I fear you wouldn’t give it to me.’ Oh girl, I know you’re afraid, but stop mincing words and just go balls to the walls. Pun intended.

Khunchai encourages her to try asking. But Dao hesitates then blurts out ‘friendship.’ I want your friendship. Lol.

Khunchai smiles and gives her his hand, they shake on their newly founded friendship. Dao’s reaction is hilarious. But hey, any good relationship starts from a good friendship, right?

Ying Nim wonders why he would just let Dao go, why won’t he just court her already? Ditto. Ying Nim knows there’s more to his feelings when he doesn’t deny that he wants to court Dao. But he piles it on a little thick when he denies that he doesn’t like her, and a woman like Dao is not lovable. But Ying Nim doesn’t buy it, nor do we.

Meanwhile Brother Din tells his sis to give up on her goal. His wife mentions that if she’s lonely she can raise her niece. Don’t you just love how people with kids always try to pawn off their kids to people without one? But the family is cute, and Dao knows they mean well. Suddenly, Wan (the sister in law) falls to the ground. They cart her to the emergency room immediately and Din learns that his wife has been battling a tumor in her uterus. (See, that’s why you don’t joke about cancer, Dao!) His wife needs surgery, and he’s all for it, but the doc says that if they remove it, they may never reproduce again. Heartbreaking.

Din encourages his wife to have surgery, and that he values her life and health more than anything. His wife knows that he wanted a second child, but he tells her that everyone’s dreams (goals) can change, because now his dream is to spend the rest of his life with her. Aww. He keeps it light and says that people who have a lot of kids are poor anyway, it’s good they only have one to raise. I love these two, I especially love Din. Who needs a tissue paper?

Dao gets to play mother while her brother tends to his wife at the hospital. Golly her niece is so cute. Fah promises to help take care of her younger cousin if her Auntie Dao decides to have one. [I hope Fah appears in part two, where she gets to be Ken Phupoom’s older cousin. Who would play her anyway?]

Jin wonders where she’s at with this sperm acquisition task, but Dao says even though she rejected Khunchai’s offer to be a fake boyfriend, that doesn’t mean she’s giving up on the idea that he’ll still be her baby daddy. She realized that she has been too hasty in this endeavor, especially with Khunchai. From now on, she’s going to proceed slowly, and endure for her future kid. Jin reiterates what it’s like to have kids: you worry constantly if they’re ok, you must care for them from sunrise to sunset, etc. But Dao is not going into this with blinders on, she knows, but she’s willing to give up everything to be a mother. She tells Jin not to relay this info to her bro.

Dao gets her reputation and work back. Khun Pongjan pays her a visit at work, flowers in tow. He asks after the status between her and Khunchai, and practically beams because they are no longer an item, fake or not. He’s hopeful that he can start a relationship her, but Dao nips it in the bud, that she dislikes men and has been heartbroken more than she could remember. Her heart has no room for a man. She can’t accept his good intentions, and thus rejects him. He falls back into his chair, and walks around aimlessly, trying to nurse his broken heart.
He thinks of Ying Nim (and her blog, of course.)

He writes, ‘I’m heartbroken.’ Ying Nim replies, ‘Haven’t you heard ‘being heart broken is better than not having loved at all?’’ She tells him that he’s lucky to have fallen in love, as oppose to her, who doesn’t know what love is. He asks her how to deal with his recent heartbreak when he is willing to do anything for her (even changing.) We know he’s referring to Dao. Should he move on or persevere and make her fall in love with him? Ying Nim advises that loving someone is already difficult, so he should proceed and she will cheer him on. Is that a smile, Khun Pongjan?

So Khun Pongjan takes her advice, and proceeds to break up with all of his belles, and even gets slapped from each girl. Ah, sucks being a playboy, he’s got eight more to go. Haha. I so don’t feel sorry for you.

He appears at Ying Nim’s chic boutique afterwards, having an idea on how to go about eight more breakups without getting slapped, why not buy them each a purse? He asks for Ying Nim’s help with the purchase, she thinks he’s buying for his girls, and he doesn’t correct her. He’s quite amused at her computer screen, who is this mysterious man she’s talking to? Oh this is going to be fun. She tells him it isn’t his business, but what matters is that the man is a much better person than he could ever be. Heh.

After the purchase, Khun Pongjan forgets his credit card at the shop but realizes that as he is about to pay for his meal. Luckily he returns to the mall, because Ying Nim gets her bag robbed from her car, and the culprit holds her at knifepoint. Khun Pongjan tries to offer his wallet, his car in her place, even himself, to no avail. A female cop has more balls than the security guy and shoots the knife out of the culprit’s hand. That’s some good aim. Next thing Ying Nim knows, Khun Pongjan is on the ground. Did he pass out from the shock? Lol.

The cop tells Ying Nim that she has Khun Pongjan to thank, he’s the real hero. Ying Nim teases him for passing out from the shock, but sobers up and thanks him for helping her, much to his surprise.

Chai Jan clears his throat at their cute scene. Once alone, she tells her bro that Khun Pongjan is not courting her, and that there’s nothing between them. But Chai Jan calls her out on the blush he saw earlier. Ha. Bro warns her that a man like Khun Pongjan has a family history of breaking girl’s heart. So she would be wise to only be friends with him. Oh that friendship again.. like you and Dao, no?

Nanteenee seeks retribution to the girls who ratted her out. A catfight ensues and Nan is showing herself to be the tougher one. Ha. Nothing like watching the baddies duke it out among themselves.

Arn attributes the source of all of her problems derived from Prakai Dao, and she won’t rest easy until she’s taken her revenge. She soon gets a phone call to invite her and Rathee to model for a charity fashion show.

Nan goes back to tattle on Mom, who decides they need to take a break on their plans because Khunchai hasn’t spoken a word to her since the debacle happened.

A calm before the storm?

Meanwhile Wan is released from the hospital after her surgery and is greeted with a birdcage and lots of beautiful flowers- a presentation that Dao and her daughter put together for her. Aw. The.family.is.so.cute.

Dao makes a little white lie though, because her brother thinks she has given up on the goal of having a child on her own.

Arn and Rathee strut on the catwalk, but Rathee gets pummeled by a screen, which causes her to break her arm. At this point, Je is desperate to find someone to walk in her place. But even in her broken state, Rathee has a plan to get back at Dao. Why not have her do the catwalk and they can sabotage it? The plan is to place drugs in Dao’s possession. Will this work or backfire?

The day of the fashion show arrives, Dao realizes that she will be walking with Arn who plays nice and says let bygones be bygones. But Dao’s not gullible, she wants to know why she should trust Arn, who may turn around and backstab her. Dao ignores her, for now. Arn tries to sneak the drugs in Dao’s purse but is sidetracked by Je.

The minute the nation knows that Khunchai broke up with Dao, the girls give him eyes wherever he goes, including the fashion show event. Ying Nim encounters Khun Pongjan and after the inability to one up him, she decides to drop a plate of dessert for him to clean up.

He spies Dao practicing her catwalk alone, with a magazine on top of her head. He compliments her that he didn’t realize she dabbles in modeling too, but that she is well suited for it. Heh. Dao explains the situation and that she’s nervous, this is not her forte. He gives her an advice on how to deal with with her nerves, meditate and take deep breaths. He teaches her the breathing exercise.

Arn is freaking out because she can’t pinpoint Dao’s purse and her cheating friend advises her to try a piece of that drug, it will help her chill out. And she does, looking stoned as she finds Dao’s dress. Then she phones in an anonymous tip to the police that one of the models is in possession of drugs and they need to search the event.

Khunchai spots Siwa coming out of the same bathroom as Rathee.

The fashion show commences, lights blaring. Khun Pongjan watches Ying Nim from across the catwalk. Heh. But his eyes catch Dao as she struts on the catwalk. Khunchai is mesmerized as well, but only he gets the smile from Dao. The funny part is Arn, who walks on the catwalk like a drunk person. She’s completely high. She bumps into Dao, who falls with two men coming to her rescue. (She mostly falls into Khunchai’s arms.) Arn isn’t so lucky though, as she falls right to the ground, disoriented.

Dao forces herself to get up, otherwise Je’s event will be ruined. But she falters, Khun Pongjan tells her that if she can’t manage it, she shouldn’t continue. Khunchai does not like what he’s seeing. Lol.

She asks both men to help her. Hand in hand the trio finishes the catwalk.

Not long before that, cops are summoned. They need to search the changing room. Apichet spots Khunchai, who tells him that he doesn’t need to search and waste his time, ‘coz he knows who’s messing with drugs. The female cop eyes Khunchai, as if she recognizes him.

The cops apprehend Arn, who’s still confused about everything.

Dao thanks Khunchai for helping her during the event, and he continues to do so when he notices her limp. He massages her feet while Ying Nim spots Khun Pongjan and is afraid that he would appear and ruin the moment between her bro and future sis in law.

For the lack of a better excuse to see him, Ying Nim pretends that her eye contacts fell out. She tells him not to move and asks him to help her find it. But he isn’t stupid, she didn’t even walk around here, how could it have fallen? Oh Ying Nim.

Meanwhile Dao’s foot feels better, Khunchai is a miracle worker! He asks to exchange her ‘thanks’ for a meal, he’d pay of course. Are you asking her out on a date? Dao wonders that too, as she furrows her brows. He wants a rain check though, after his trip from Chiang Mai.

Ying Nim gets caught in her lies. Khunchai busts her chops by asking since when did she ever wear contact lens? Ha. Khun Pongjan realizes he’s fallen under her schemes again. He tells Dao that Ying Nim is such a brat. Lol. Dao surmises that maybe Ying Nim is his soul mate?

Before he leaves the hotel, a fashion show worker stops Khunchai, Dao has forgotten something in her dress. It’s a packet of the drugs! He takes it to Apichet for a second opinion, and it’s confirmed to be real.

Arn wakes the next morning with news about her drug bust. Siwa goes to his mistress, he couldn’t believe his wife would mess with drugs. At the same time, Arn came to blame her bestie, and the two cheaters scramble to hide. Siwa attempts to climb over the balcony… just as Arn recognizes his pair of shoes sitting next to Rathee’s.

What excuse will Rathee come up with this time? Will Khunchai trust that the packet of drugs does not belong to Dao, or will he think she’s really guilty of it? And what is this out of town trip that Dao is partaking? It couldn’t be the same destination- Chiang Mai- as Khunchai, could it? The game continues!