The Penthouse S2 Ep 5 & 6 RECAP: Shim Su Ryeon is back as the saga of deception & defeat continues

T/W: Descriptions of blood/gore 

We are halfway through the second season and The Penthouse S2 shows no signs of stopping at all! The second season of the flagship drama is crazier, bloodier and murkier with a plot more entangled than your intertwined earphones! Every episode will give you jump scares bad enough that your heart will be in your mouth throughout the episode. In the previous episode, we see Joo Seok Kyung (Han Ji Hyun) blackmailing Cheon Seo Jin (Kim So Yeon) over her father's death and demands that she hand her the Daesang prize (Grand prize). Cheon Seo Jin is shocked and flabbergasted but tries to maintain her tough stance in front of Joo Seok Kyung. 

In episode 5, we see Cheon Seo Jin trying her best in not giving into Joo Seok Kyung's blackmailing and maintaining her stand of not allowing her to compete for the grand prize. Ma Ri, Jeni's mother vows that she will make the Hera Place kids pay for their nasty behaviour towards Jeni. Seok Kyung, who is desperate to compete in the finals, drops to her knees and begs for forgiveness. Yoon Hee (Eugene) feels sympathetic towards her best friend's daughter and forgives her. In the main atrium, Yoon-Hee speaks to Dan-Tae about the business and how badly the stocks are plummeting. With the merger off and things looking bleak, Dan-Tae heads in and finds the NDA, using this against Seo-Jin. 

The NDA acts like the final nail in the coffin and Seo Jin's mother and sister reach her office. They demand that Seo Jin put down her resignation as Cheong A Arts' director and hand over the proceedings to her sister. Seo Jin vehemently refuses, holding onto the post like a child to a toy. Seo Jin believes it is Yoon Hee's doing and confronts her over the incident. Ma Ri receives a call from the prison informing her that her husband has been in a fight – was this Dan-Tae’s doing? Dante manipulates Seo Jin's vulnerable state of mind and as expected, she agrees upon the merger between the two companies. Cheon Seo Jin gives an ultimatum to Ha Eun Byeol (Choi Ye Bin) that she must defeat Bae Rona at all costs, even if that requires her to kill her! 

The competition begins and Rona is forced to sing in a different key than what she’s used to. It turns out Ha Yoon Chul bribed the piano player to thwart Rona so Eun Byeol could win. The two rivals come to blows in the school hallway, taunting each other. Ha Eun Byeol, who is heavily drugged with an overdose of medicines, chases after Rona with the Daesang trophy. Eun Byeol slashes her neck with the trophy and pushes her down the stairs, as Rona rolls over a trail of blood. In the hall, Cheon Seo Jin declares Bae Rona as the winner of the competition as we see Bae Rona lying in a pool of her own blood. 

In episode 6, we see the petrified school sweeper announce to the guests, that he witnessed a dead body outside. Commotion and conundrum loom large as parents and guests rush out in a state of panic. Min Seol A's spirit comforts Rona, as the panicked guests arrive at the murder spot. Yoon Hee and Yoon Chul are beside themselves with shock as they scramble to phone an ambulance. The ambulance arrives, as a distraught Yoon Hee is trying to keep herself together for Rona's sake. Ma Ri notices a necklace on the ground but Seo Jin snaps it up and claims that it could be evidence. 

Ha Eun Byeol, who is shocked at her deed, tries to rub off blood from her hands, a la Lady Macbeth. Rona wakes up briefly, before slipping into cardiac arrest. Doctors confirm that she has twin blows on her body, one on her neck and another on her head and her condition is critical. Joo Seok Hoon and Seok Kyung confirm to Dante that the necklace belongs to Ha Eun Byeol and that she wasn't present backstage at the time. Meanwhile, Seo Jin helps Ha Eun Byeol bury all the evidence. They burn her blood-soaked dress and replace the trophy in Seok Kyung's locker instead. Cheon Seo Jin chews on the SIM card too in her desperate attempt to save her daughter's life. 

Seok Kyung is conveniently framed for Bae Rona's murder and is arrested by the police. Seok Hoon comes up with the photo evidence and bails his sister out of the situation. Yoon Hee, who is convinced that Eun Byeol is responsible for this, confronts her. Eun Byeol denies fear and anxiety writ large on her face. Mr Park, the school's janitor confesses to killing Bae Rona at the behest of Ha Yoon Chul, who is desperate to save his daughter at all costs. Meanwhile,  someone sneaks into the intensive ward and pulls the plug on Ro-Na. With her daughter seemingly dead, Yoon Hee pays her respects by the grave and looks to kill herself too. Just before she pops the pills, Logan Lee shows up and stops her, telling Yoon Hee she needs to pull herself together and go after the real culprit, Ha Eun-Byeol. 

In the final bit, we see a stylish woman in short hair at Joo Dante's penthouse. Joo Dante remarks, "Shim Su Ryeon?". She smiles, her body language flirtatious and coquettish. She kisses Dante on the lips and remarks that it has been a long time. Is Rona truly no more? Is Shim Su Ryeon back? Tune in to episode 7. 

ALSO READ: The Penthouse S2 Ep 3 & 4 RECAP: Bae Rona is back as old friendships & rivalries take a new shape

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