In We Are All Trying Here episode 5, Dong-man and Eun-a finally stand up for themselves and speak in front of the people who always humiliate them.
On May 2, We Are All Trying Here episode 5 premiered on Netflix. This episode features Dong-man leaving The Eight Club after his conversation with Gyeong-se. The latter, on the other hand, confesses something to Yeong-su about his debut film. Then, Yeong-su asks every member of The Eight Club if they have ever profited from Dong-man’s creativity.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers and key details from the series. Read at your own risk.
Dong-man Leaves The Eight Club in We Are All Trying Here Episode 5
We Are All Trying Here episode 5 opens with chaos. Jin-man beats his brother and lands in the police station. Meanwhile, Gyeong-se hides instead of facing the fallout. Elsewhere, Eun-a arrives at the bar after the fight. She calmly pays for the broken window. In addition, she admits she smashed it out of boredom, leaving Gyeong-se stunned.
At the station, Eun-a steps in and takes control. She tells the officer that Dong-man is a director and claims to be his producer. As a result, she secures his release. Dong-man, however, cannot process the moment and faints on the spot. At the hospital, doctors examine him. They find no concussion. Moreover, they detect nothing seriously wrong.
On the way home, Dong-man suddenly feels sick. Consequently, they stop for a quick break. He vomits, but snowfall distracts him just in time to recover. Meanwhile, the others grow irritated when he pauses to retrieve his 500 won coin from a drain.
Back at the bar, Dong-man confronts Gyeong-se. He speaks with finality and quits the club. Furthermore, he refuses to stay tied to something he no longer believes in. Gyeong-se pushes back and questions Dong-man’s constant criticism. However, Dong-man fires back. He insists Gyeong-se started the resentment. And as always, he gives back exactly what he receives.
Eun-a as Actress Jeong-hui’s Daughter
After leaving the group chat, the others feel guilty. Dong-man, however, feels nothing but relief. He goes home and runs into Eun-a. Soon after, they grab food together. Moreover, Eun-a promises to stay by his side, knowing how isolating things can get.
During dinner, Dong-man hides his watch. He admits it tracks his emotions, which already stress him out. In addition, he explains that it keeps buzzing with feelings like loneliness. Their conversation shifts to love. They agree it cannot fit into a single emotion like excitement.
As they joke around, Dong-man lets something slip. He admits he felt relieved because the watch did not register love. However, Eun-a reacts with surprise. He quickly realizes his mistake, but the moment lingers. Dong-man eats nonstop and talks too much. Clearly, nerves drive him. Eun-a, meanwhile, lets it pass without making it worse.
The next morning, Eun-a arrives at work. Director Choi questions her outfit and assumes she wore it overnight. Elsewhere, a sharply dressed man appears. He turns out to be the CEO of Oh Jeong-hui’s agency. He reveals they found Jeong-hui’s daughter. Furthermore, online articles suggest she tried to contact Eun-a, though they avoid naming her.
More truths surface. Eun-a once went by Byeong Si-on. Jeong-hui feels shocked to learn she now works at Choi Film. In addition, she feels conflicted after hearing about Eun-a’s situation. Director Choi treats her poorly. She did not choose the job willingly. Moreover, her guardian Jae-su passed away in 2008.
Eun-a now lives with her step-grandmother. They have stayed close for years. However, her stepmother currently works in Japan. Altogether, her family situation remains complicated. That night, Dong-man receives Eun-a’s revision notes. She writes them with precision and care. He knows she is right, yet he cannot bring himself to start. Instead, he goes out with Jun-hwan.
They talk about Gyeong-se’s scripts. The lead actress of Sister Vengeance feels frustrated by his careless writing. Dong-man jokes about Gyeong-se’s selfish habits. He even calls him a “watermelon licker,” someone who takes everything and shares nothing.
While avoiding his own work, Dong-man notices something odd. He finds a scribbled message on the back of the script. It reads, “Jae-yeong, you piece of shit.” Clearly, the anger traces back to Eun-a and her unresolved past.
We Are All Trying Here Episode 5 Recap: Dong-man Confronts Jae-yeong
That afternoon, Eun-a works at the office when Jae-yeong messages her. He offers a deal. He says he will credit her only as a development producer, not a writer. The move feels shady, and Eun-a refuses to engage at first. Moreover, he pushes harder and threatens her. She gives in, but she fires back. She says she wishes she had an older brother to deal with him.
Meanwhile, Dong-man digs into Jae-yeong’s screenplay. He notices something unsettling. The script mirrors Eun-a’s exact dialogue about “a thousand doors” and her view of life. He gets furious.
Dong-man confronts Jae-yeong immediately. He accuses him of stealing from a genius. Furthermore, he calls him out without holding back. Jae-yeong laughs off the accusation. He insults Dong-man and claims he is nowhere near competent. Tension rises fast.
Right in the middle of the clash, Eun-a messages Dong-man. His watch turns green. He responds instantly. Her watch lights up too. For a moment, the conflict pauses in silence. That night, Dong-man ignores Gyeong-se outside the bar. He walks past without even a glance. Gyeong-se feels the impact. He cannot sleep afterward. He calls Yeong-su, who can barely stay awake himself.
During the call, Gyeong-se finally confesses a secret. His debut film The Lustful Bottle Opener comes from Dong-man’s life. Back in college, they lived together. One night, Dong-man came home drunk. He had given a bottle opener to a girl he liked. Later, he saw it on Cheol-ho’s fridge. He snapped.
He tore the fridge door off and shouted in rage, completely wasted. Gyeong-se wrote everything down. Furthermore, those chaotic moments sparked scenes in his mind like a screenplay. That incident became his breakthrough script. He believed it belonged to Dong-man’s story. However, Dong-man never remembered it at all because of his drunken state.
Eun-a Speaks on Dong-man’s Behalf in Front of The Eight Club
Gyeong-se stays on edge after everything surfaces. He worries Dong-man might remember the incident and confront him. As a result, Gyeong-se starts acting snarky toward him. Moreover, he struggles with guilt while people keep praising his debut film as his best work.
Elsewhere, Yeong-su stays fully alert. He admits something important. Dong-man actually loved The Lustful Bottle Opener. In addition, Dong-man once wanted to create something similar.
Yeong-su then decides to speak honestly to The Eight. He tells them their films heavily rely on Dong-man’s ideas. Furthermore, he points out Dong-man’s influence in their work. The group tenses up immediately. They already know the truth but never said it aloud.
Yeong-su draws a clear line. He says they will no longer use Dong-man’s ideas without permission. From this point forward, he sets a strict boundary.
Eun-a overhears the conversation. She reacts quickly. She refuses the idea of Dong-man returning to The Eight. Moreover, she admits she wants him close to her alone. She believes she can draw out his real potential better that way.
Meanwhile, Hye-jin steps in from afar. She calls Dong-man then she lifts the bar ban on him.
Episode 5 of We Are All Trying Here reveals how The Eight Club uses Dong-man’s inner brilliance for their own gain. Their hostile actions toward him are just a facade to hide how much their work is influenced by Dong-man. It is only Eun-a who truly sees how creative and talented a writer Dong-man is.
We Are All Trying Here airs every Saturday and Sunday at 10:40 PM KST or 9:40 PM PHT on Netflix.
Sources: JTBC Drama, JTBC (Instagram)
