I think I am unable to articulate this clearly in a way that make sense, but attempts Will Be Made. Or you know what, simply consider this a ramble with no point lmao, just vibes and thoughts.
At the beginning of Episode 3, when the manager receiving the kickback harangues In Ah all the way to her work area/cubicle, and then makes the show of begging for mercy, falling on his knees, talking about his family, only to flip and raise his hand, and in essence show his true colors once In Ah soundly cuts him off. That scene, it gave me pause, reminding me of when men will in essence corner women in a public spot, like proposing to them, or asking them out, and thereby minimizing their ability to say No, or in some cases, completely taking it away, just so that the societal pressure of coming across as understanding, accepting, nurturing etc, will force women to acquiesce to something they don't want to.
I wonder, fictionally speaking, how much practice it has taken In Ah to get to a place where she does not flinch in the face of violence, or bow down to pressure, like when the Vice Chairman refuses to accept her request for more independence, so she simply walks away from the conversation. Once again, I have to view this through the lens of gender, because when the man does it, oh wow, he's amazing, so brave, and so steadfast, but what happens when it's a woman. Where is the righteous acceptance of her decision?
Instead, we have In Ah's team barely even blinking, and perhaps I am reading too much into it, but is there a sense that, those acts of violence are deserved because of her hard-line stances? Like if she didn't want people to threaten her, then she should simply acquiesce. Like, you get what you deserve. Similarly, when meet her on the rooftop, and do their little display of protesting, the general consensus is that is she is Doing Too Much. However, In Ah is behaving exactly as protocol dictates within an Audit Team. She is not unreasonable, as she mentions earlier to Ki Jun. Matter of fact, she has always been respectful and personable with everyone. Distant perhaps, but what, is your manager supposed to be your friend?
Then there's the HR Head scoffing, at her exit, angry that In Ah is exercising her free will, and as we find out a little later on, also angry and embarrassed that she's stuck in between a rock and a hard place with the Chairman and the Vice Chairman, except I think she too is forgetting that she can make choices. And those choices might cause people to dislike her. But that choice is available to her all the same.
Basically, ep 3 felt like series of scenes where In Ah is confronted time and time again, by insubordination, a lack of respect, the expectation to keep the peace, to make sure things keep smooth sailing, etc etc. Yet she takes it all in stride, and no doubt we will see how much it affects her later on, but to reiterate, what it cost her to get here, only she knows, and while the drama is being very stingy with the glimpses we get into her inner life, I think Shin Hye Sun is doing a great job of imbuing In Ah with emotion and life and exuberance, when the setting calls for it.
