[Sportschosun reporter Jo Ji-young] Actor Park Bo-kyung's powerhouse performance is bringing the spotlight to 'The Ordinary Jackpot.'
In Episodes 5 and 6 of the TVING original series 'The Ordinary Jackpot,' released on the 28th, Park Bo-kyung portrayed Department Head Park Hyun-sook, who points out process and responsibility rather than results to Gong Eun-tae (Lee Joon-hyuk), newly entrusted with a bigger role after delivering consecutive achievements. She also presents him with higher standards to match his growth.
Episode 5 revealed that Park Hyun-sook had already been closely monitoring the situation surrounding Jung Sun-hyuk's independence and the Mantova deal. Gong Eun-tae learned through Jin Hae-joo (Ok Ja-yeon) that Park Hyun-sook had visited the legal team a week earlier to check the non-compete clause in the employment contract. This showed that she had been preparing for the potential impact on the company and possible responses even while accepting Jung Sun-hyuk's resignation.
Gong Eun-tae then traveled to Italy to counter Jung Sun-hyuk's deal. During negotiations with Mantova, he decided to proceed with a transaction that exceeded the originally approved amount by 900,000 euros, or approximately 1.4 billion won. Immediately after returning to Korea, he had to explain his decision to Park Hyun-sook and Senior Manager Jang Kyung-chul (Lee Hyun-kyun).
After putting down the report, Park Hyun-sook first said, "Explain yourself." When Gong Eun-tae tried to indirectly explain why he had not completely severed the deal between Jung Sun-hyuk's company and Mantova, she cut him off with "Hey" and demanded that he get to the point. Gong Eun-tae eventually confessed, "I didn't want to kill Team Leader Jung," revealing his true motive for making that choice.
Gong Eun-tae explained that he believed the goods ordered by Jung Sun-hyuk would count toward Hongseong's sales while also serving as a sufficient warning to employees who left the company through improper means. Park Hyun-sook pressed him again, asking, "So, you're saying it was good for everyone in the end?" Although Gong Eun-tae replied, "Yes. That's what I believed," she did not accept his decision simply because it could produce a favorable outcome.
Although Gong Eun-tae had left Hongseong with a profit by not completely ending Jung Sun-hyuk's deal, Park Hyun-sook pointed out that he had committed to the transaction after significantly exceeding the approved budget without prior authorization. She made clear that deciding an important matter alone and outside the established procedure was a separate problem, even if the result benefited the company.
When Gong Eun-tae refused to back down, saying, "I negotiated on behalf of Hongseong, and I believe I brought back the best possible result," Park Hyun-sook replied, "Yes, it's my responsibility for sending you to Mantova. For the time being, report every order placed by Sales Team 5 directly to me. Get approval even for spending a single 10-won coin." She did not place all the responsibility on Gong Eun-tae alone.
Park Hyun-sook clearly put the brakes on Gong Eun-tae's unilateral decision-making, while also acknowledging her own responsibility for sending him overseas and granting him negotiating authority. She subsequently decided to manage Sales Team 5's orders herself. Rather than merely criticizing a subordinate's mistake, she accepted her own management responsibility as well, demonstrating the principle that greater authority must come with equally clear accountability.
However, the approval procedure was not the only issue Park Hyun-sook raised. She continued, saying, "There's one thing you're mistaken about," before asking, "Do you think Team Leader Jung will be grateful to you?" She pointed out that the method Gong Eun-tae chose because he believed it would produce the best outcome for everyone could have an entirely different meaning for Jung Sun-hyuk, the person directly involved. Even a decision made with good intentions, she said, should not have all its consequences defined solely by the decision-maker.
In Episode 6, another major crisis struck Gong Eun-tae and Sales Team 5. An additional order of Racnes products worth 300 million won was mistakenly entered as 3 billion won, sending more than ten times the intended volume to Incheon. Sales Team 5 overcame the crisis by connecting the excess inventory with a newly planned shoe select shop and adding a new marketing strategy involving a modeling contract with actor Yoo Ji-hyun.
As a result, Racnes' sales grew 1,400% from the previous month, and Gong Eun-tae was summoned to see Executive Director Koo along with Senior Manager Jang. Park Hyun-sook was already waiting in the executive's office. Executive Director Koo highlighted Gong Eun-tae's string of unexpected results, saying, "You took on a brand nobody wanted and made it a success. I sent you to Italy to deal with a traitor, but you ended up turning it into something like a subsidiary. And the ordering mistake turned into a case of pre-ordering because you expected it to become a huge hit."
Executive Director Koo then assigned Gong Eun-tae to audit Sales Division 2, giving him a larger role that went beyond his regular sales duties and required him to examine problems in another department. Park Hyun-sook watched the proceedings without adding anything in the executive's office. Only after they stepped outside did she ask, "Do you think you can handle it?" checking whether Gong Eun-tae was prepared to take on his new responsibility.
When Gong Eun-tae answered, "I'll work hard," Park Hyun-sook retorted, "You should work hard. Doing a good job is a given," before adding, "Manage your expression. There's nothing more obnoxious than someone conducting an audit walking around with a smile." Her words showed that Gong Eun-tae, who had already proven himself repeatedly, had reached a stage where simply working hard was no longer enough. Results and an attitude befitting his role were now expected of him as a matter of course.
Park Hyun-sook's advice to manage his expression before beginning the audit showed that the standards Gong Eun-tae needed to meet extended beyond basic job performance. Because he would have to consider how his actions might be perceived by those being audited, it was a practical reminder that the greater one's authority, the more important the way it is exercised and the manner in which others are treated.
In Episode 5, Park Hyun-sook held Gong Eun-tae accountable for the authority he exercised in making a decision worth tens of billions of won. In Episode 6, she demanded an even higher standard from him after he was given a bigger assignment. As Gong Eun-tae continued to produce results amid repeated crises and rapidly grew within the organization, Park Hyun-sook also raised the bar by which she judged him. Their relationship likewise evolved beyond that of a boss who gives orders and a subordinate who follows them, becoming one in which each demands different responsibilities as the other grows.
Park Bo-kyung portrayed these facets of Park Hyun-sook not by raising her voice or displaying strong emotions, but through short, precise lines and restrained expressions. In scenes where she questioned Gong Eun-tae's unilateral choice, she repeatedly asked questions to draw out the problems hidden behind the result. When advising Gong Eun-tae after he received a new opportunity, she conveyed the seasoned judgment gained from years of organizational experience through an apparently indifferent yet realistic tone.
Above all, Park Hyun-sook's lines in Episodes 5 and 6 served as a benchmark showing how Gong Eun-tae's position had changed. As his authority grew enough for him to make decisions worth tens of billions of won, she demanded that he accept the responsibility that came with it. When he was given the larger role of auditing the sales division, she addressed not only his capabilities but also his attitude toward wielding that authority, naturally revealing the next challenge Gong Eun-tae faced as a working professional.
Interest is growing in how the relationship between Park Hyun-sook, who demands higher standards as achievements increase and emphasizes responsibility and attitude as authority expands, and Gong Eun-tae, who continues to take on larger roles amid repeated crises, will develop in the future.
Meanwhile, the TVING original series 'The Ordinary Jackpot' is available on TVING and airs on tvN every Monday and Tuesday at 9 p.m.
Reporter Jo Ji-young soulhn1220@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
