The Nice Guy Episode 2 Review: A Good Bad Father

Episode 1 launches with a dramatic bang: Seok-cheol, bloodied and breathless, is stabbed at a bus station just as he’s about to run away with his first love, Mi-yeong. From there, we rewind to discover a poetic gangster trying to leave the mafia life behind, a struggling singer haunted by past trauma, and a family barely holding it together. As Seok-cheol and Mi-yeong reconnect, old wounds resurface, heartfelt moments unfold, and chaos brews, culminating in a wild rescue mission at an illegal gambling den where fists fly.

The Nice Guy Episode 2 has a runtime of around 60 minutes.

This new Korean drama has 14 episodes and two episodes will be released every Friday.

The Nice Guy Episode 2 Recap

Episode 2 picks up right where we left off—in the middle of a chaotic fight at the illegal gambling den. Seok-cheol, Seok-kyung, and Seok-hee manage to escape the thugs and make a quick getaway in Seok-cheol’s car. As they drive, the two sisters begin to bicker, but Seok-cheol steps in and calms them down. Once they arrive at Seok-kyung’s modest dorm room, the mood shifts.

The siblings notice just how lonely her life has become. Her room is filled with pictures of her son, and she even hugs one of his T-shirts as she cries herself to sleep. Tearfully, Seok-kyung confesses that she desperately wants to see her son, but is too ashamed to face their father due to her circumstances.

We then dive into a flashback that reveals the tangled mess Seok-kyung’s life has become. Once a cheerful hairdresser, she had married the love of her life, gotten pregnant, and then discovered his betrayal. In a fit of rage, she beat him up, resulting in a nose injury—something that not only left her emotionally shattered but also forced her to pay him damages instead of receiving alimony. Desperate to provide for her child, she turned to gambling in hopes of winning big. In a rash move, she bet the deed to their family home and lost. This spiralled into a crushing debt of over 300 million won, which the family is now slowly paying off on her behalf.

The next morning, Seok-cheol wakes to a cheerful text from Mi-yeong and can’t help but smile. She’s working day and night shifts just to make ends meet. Meanwhile, Seok-kyung has been taken in by Seok-hee for the time being. As the two sisters sit down to breakfast, a call comes in from a loan shark. Seok-hee answers instead and fiercely scolds them. There’s a heartwarming moment of sisterly bonding, as Seok-hee urges Seok-kyung not to run away again, reminding her that family is still family.

Later, Seok-cheol is sent to District 3 for work. The area is in dispute, with property developers eager to tear it down and tenants refusing to budge. Seok-cheol, ever the peacemaker, tries to reason with the tenants and negotiate a calm resolution. However, Jin-ho, the tenant committee leader, stands his ground. Seok-cheol advises his men to stay back while he finds a less aggressive solution. But trouble brews as Chang-soo, ever the brute, begins planning a more forceful method to clear the area.

Elsewhere, Seok-hee experiences an emotional blow when she sees a wealthy patient introduce her daughter, Jin-hee, to Dr Jang—her boyfriend. When she later asks him if he has a girlfriend, he denies it, clearly trying to maintain professionalism. Still, the response hurts. They had shared an intimate moment not long before, and while Seok-hee understands why he might hide their relationship, the denial stings.

Back at work, Mi-yeong pushes through her restaurant shift but finds herself drawn to a job more aligned with her passion for music. Inspired by Seok-cheol’s encouragement, she heads to a music venue to enquire about singing opportunities. Meanwhile, Seok-cheol finds out about Chang-soo’s plan to forcibly remove the tenants and rushes to stop it. But he’s too late. Chaos unfolds as the tenants are dragged out, and in a desperate act, Jin-ho attempts to set himself on fire. Seok-cheol arrives just in time with Jin-ho’s daughter, whose tearful plea stops her father in his tracks.

Later that evening, Seok-cheol and Jin-ho square off in a raw, emotional fight. Though Seok-cheol wins, the victory is hollow. Jin-ho, consumed by despair, tries once again to set himself and the area ablaze. As flames begin to rise, Seok-cheol saves him from the fire. Unbeknownst to him, the press captures the entire act. The next morning, headlines hail him as a hero for preventing a suicide. The attention forces the developers to back off, much to Chang-soo’s satisfaction.

But not everyone is pleased. Tae-hoon fumes at their success and begins plotting revenge. Meanwhile, Seok-cheol’s father, Sil-gon—the powerful chairman—seems proud of his son, but Seok-cheol remains cold. He hasn’t forgiven his father for dragging him into the thug life and crushing his dreams. At a bar later that day, Tae-hoon meets a colleague to discuss a plan to take down Chang-soo. At the same venue, Mi-yeong arrives to explore singing opportunities. As she gazes longingly at the instruments, Tae-hoon catches sight of her and, surprisingly, softens. He points her towards the performance space below, and she heads off.

Downstairs, Mi-yeong watches a woman passionately sing on stage and is visibly moved. Meanwhile, Sil-gon visits the bank to request an extension on their loan repayment, only to learn he’ll need an additional 70 million won. Desperate, he goes to Chang-soo’s office to ask for help—something Seok-cheol witnesses. Furious, he confronts his father, accusing him of always making terrible decisions. If Sil-gon borrows this money, it would mean Seok-cheol is forced to continue working off the debt instead of escaping this life. Despite the confrontation, Sil-gon chooses to go through with it.

A heartbreaking flashback reveals a younger Seok-cheol being recruited by Chang-soo while Sil-gon was in prison. It seemed like Seok-cheol’s only option to support his family. But what Seok-cheol didn’t know was that Sil-gon had orchestrated it all. Another flashback shows Sil-gon secretly asking Chang-soo to pull Seok-cheol into the gang to ensure their safety while he was gone.

As the episode ends, father and son are left in emotional turmoil—one crushed by guilt, the other burning with betrayal. The past continues to haunt them, and it’s clear this family’s wounds run deeper than any scar.

The Nice Guy Episode 2 Review

It’s a heavy, heartfelt ride as Seok-cheol, Seok-kyung, and Seok-hee navigate the wreckage of their past and present. The flashbacks give context to Seok-kyung’s desperation and the family’s crumbling financial state, while Seok-cheol continues to wrestle with his reluctant place in the world of thugs and land disputes. The District 3 storyline delivers one of the episode’s most gripping moments, as Seok-cheol’s attempt to save a suicidal tenant is both intense and unexpectedly redemptive, earning him public praise and private grief.

Meanwhile, love and longing quietly simmer in the background. Mi-yeong continues chasing her dreams, even as her world teeters on the edge, and Seok-hee’s heartbreak over her secret relationship adds a layer of quiet vulnerability. But it’s the father-son conflict that steals the spotlight in the end, Sil-gon’s past decisions casting long shadows over Seok-cheol’s future.

The Nice Guy is streaming on Viki.

Also read: All Recaps and Reviews of The Nice Guy