High School: Return of a Gangster – Episode 6 Recap & Review

The Imprisoned Prince

High School: Return of a Gangster episode 6 starts with Se-kyung and  Yi-heon going on a trip. Se-kyung’s dad, Myung-hyun, has been too hard on him. It got too much for Se-kyung when he realised his dad hid cameras in his room. He confronted his dad, but the latter refused to admit he was wrong, and Se-kyung ran out of the house, ready to kill himself.

At the same time, Jong-cheol and Dong-soo secretly follow the two boys, but Yi-heon spots them; however, he chooses to ignore them. He and Se-kyung have a grand time playing on the beach, shopping, riding bicycles, and eating to their fill. 

After enjoying their day, Yi-heon and Se-kyung try to secure a hotel room but are turned away since they are minors without any adult supervision. Luckily, Yi-heon remembers a motel owner who owes Deuk-pal a favour and visits him. He uses the man’s secret to get a room, and Se-kyung tries to figure out who Deuk-pal is and why Yi-heon knows him.

It is the same question Dang-soo and Jong-cheol have. They also get a room at the motel and plan how they will kidnap Yi-heon when he is alone. However, Jong-cheol falls asleep, forgoing the mission to stay up all night.

At the motel, Se-kyung comes clean about the abuse he has suffered at home. He reveals that his dad even monitors him from secret cameras hidden in his room. Yi-heon listens as Se-kyung pours his heart out and explains why he is anxious and scared around his dad.

Yi-heon worries that Se-kyung will try to commit suicide again if the situation at his house doesn’t change. He decides to help his friend too. Once Se-kyung falls asleep, Yi-heon takes his phone and calls Myung-hun. Of course, the old man is pissed when Yi-heon tells him that he will stay with Se-kyung and give him time to process the situation. However, Yi-heon clarifies that Se-kyung will still attend school and asks Myung-hun not to worry. 

The following morning, Yi-heon wakes up early and calls Jong-cheol, asking for a meeting. Jong-cheol and Dong-soo show up ready to get answers and are surprised when Yi-heon starts talking about their past. They start believing that Yi-heon is not a con artist but Deuk-pal’s son.

They warmly embrace him and swear to protect him as his uncles. Soon, Yi-heon’s driver arrives with food and their school uniforms. The students get ready for school while the uncles get ready to deal with Mi-kyung. 

At school, Myung-hyun shows up, ready to teach Se-kyung a lesson and put Yi-heon in his place. He accuses Yi-heon of forcing Se-kyung to go on an overnight trip and adds that Yi-heon got his son drunk and took him to a motel.

The class teacher tries to calm Myung-hyun down, but he asks to speak in private with his son. The stress overwhelms Se-kyung, and he faints. While he receives treatment from the school nurse, Yi-heon asks to speak to Myung-hyun. 

The young man doesn’t mince his words; he outright calls Myung-hyun a bully. He asks him to reflect on how his behaviour is hurting his son and reveals that Se-kyung is suicidal. Yi-heon advises Myung-hyun to get treated for his trauma before he can help Se-kyung become a good adult.

As expected, Myung-hyun loses his cool and insists he is doing his best as a parent. He tries to hit Yi-heon, but he is no match for the gangster. After the talk, Myung-hyun calls the principal and demands to have a school violence committee meeting.

Yi-heon gets on with his day, trying to fix the Jae-min situation while also being a good friend to Se-kyung. He advises Se-kyung to talk openly with his dad and express his anxiety. Se-kyung takes his advice and deals with Jae-hoon. It turns out Jae-hoon has been spying on Se-kyung on Myung-hyun’s behalf. Later, Se-kyung and Yi-heon head to the study room. Unfortunately, Yi-heon falls asleep, so Se-kyung leaves him a note informing him that he is returning home. 

Elsewhere, Jae-min also returns to his house, only to find his friends waiting for him. They plan to capture and present him to the gangster even though Jong-cheol already told him to leave Jae-min alone. It dawns on Jae-min that even though he considers them friends, they will betray him in the blink of an eye. He is disappointed as he realises he will have to fight them.

The next day, Yi-heon’s mom wakes up and throws a tantrum over her medicine. Normally, Mi-kyung filled and delivered her prescription but she has since stopped. Yi-heon promises to visit the pharmacy and get the pills.

However, he learns that Mi-kyung has been overdosing his mom with strong antidepressants, causing her to get addicted and have mental issues. He calls Dong-soo and informs him of the situation. He asks Dong-soo to bring Mi-kyung to him but it is not that easy.

As the gang contemplates how to get Mi-kyung and whether it is a good idea to betray her, the little devil graces them with her presence. 

Mi-kyung is surprised when Dong-soo turns against her. He gives her three days to show up in front of Yi-heon out of courtesy.

Mi-kyung refuses to take the betrayal calmly and opts to get back at the gangsters. It seems luck is on her side as she comes across Jae-min’s old friends at the police station. She overhears their plan to report the gang and Jae-min for attempted kidnapping. Being the sly snake she is, Mi-kyung approaches the boys with a plan to do more damage.

On the other hand, Yi-heon is surprised to learn that Se-kyung is not in school. To make matters worse, Myung-hyun rallied all parents against him. Even the students believe that Yi-heon hit Se-kyung, took him on a trip, got him drunk and led him to a motel.

Before he can even deal with this, Yi-heon receives a call from the police. Apparently, Jae-min friends are also accusing him of bullying them. Yi-heon realises he might have underestimated Myung-hyun and Mi-kyung, but he must persevere.

The Episode Review

We are gearing up for the finale, and the stakes are being raised. Myung-hyun and Mi-kyung gave Yi-heon a curveball, he didn’t expect. Will this get him off his balance, or will he remain calm and come out swinging?

This episode heavily touched on how bad parenting affects children. Myung-hyun is a bad dad, but instead of trying to get better, he decides to take on a 19-year-old to prove a point. He really needs to evaluate how all these are affecting his son and how he can help him instead of pushing further into his suicidal thoughts.

In fact, he should be grateful that Yi-heon cares enough to help Se-kyung. If he thinks he did a good job raising his son, why can’t he have enough trust in him and allow him to choose his friends?

Also, it is becoming clear why the BL aspect of the web novel was not pursued in this adaption. Even though Deuk-pal’s spirit is in Yi-heon’s body, he is still a 47-year-old man. It will be a bit off-putting if he fell in love with a 19 year old high school student.

For those boycotting this show because of this, they are missing out on one of the best K-dramas of the year!