#they really should've characterized kim da eun a bit more

[terrence-silver]

Hi Bea! I have a scenario. What if Beloved hated Kim Da Eun? Kim’s attitude towards Terry, all this bossing him around and demanding that Terry proves he is good enough for the way of the fist is super annoying. What if Beloved gets pissed seeing this and decides no one will treat their boyfriend this way? So Beloved comes up with a plan. They try to make friends with Da Eun, offering they will show her LA (Da Eun needs somebody to show her all the cool places), asking her for Karate lessons (“just some basic moves? You know just to be able to defend myself if I need to”) and doing everything to gain her trust hoping sensei Kim will finally show some chinks in her armor. Even if Da Eun doesn’t open up about herself Beloved may try to spread rumors about her and say things that will make sensei Kim seem less competent (something like “Terry is always so serious about Karate and the whole healthy lifestyle, you know training every day, going to bed early, having good sleep and clean diet but Kim is just the coolest person, we went to a party yesterday and we came back at 4 in the morning” said at some event, meant of course as a compliment). Beloved starts coming to the dojo more frequently (to see Terry of course) and while they’re there they always say something that undermines Kim’s authority in the eyes of the students (not openly, but some innocent questions like “are you sure this will help us win? I’m sorry for asking, I just care for Cobra Kai so much I want you guys to choose the best tactics for the tournament”). Beloved may even recruit some of Terry’s staff, like Carla and Amber (I imagine sensei Kim isn’t very popular among Terry’s employees) to spy on Da Eun. Terry’s reaction when he realizes what is happening?

---

I mean, we validly don't have enough information and the show hasn't done nearly enough exploration on Kim Da Eun's personality for us to know the definitive answers to this character sadly, so way too much is left to interpretation, and that's literally the opposite of good for any quite literally character anywhere. We do know Terry would be oddly proud (and turned on), where the petty scheming on beloved's part is concerned, but more so on the fact that they're so adamant and devoted in silently defending him and his authority. He could even see it as a proof of their love for him, outright.

But Kim Da Eun? How would she react to being besmirched? Sabotaged?

Hard to tell.

I have no concrete answers, and as such, I have to go out of my way here and headcanon that a lot of her icy, steely exterior hides staggering amounts of insecurity and that continued implications that she maybe only vaguely isn't as disciplined, dedicated, strict on herself or meticulously Spartan with her lifestyle might just lead her to firmly over-justifying herself, that that in fact, isn't true. Like, the sole accusation that could ever hurt Kim Da Eun is the implication that she isn't loyal enough to her own craft and lifestyle, which digs up old fears that stem from way back in the time her despotic and doubtlessly strictly traditional grandfather maybe didn't think a girl was good enough to train The Way, or hey, maybe he had no firm gender biases, but this mentality of doing right by one's body, spirit and mind through living healthy, living right and living a life for discipline and continued training was drilled into Da Eun to the point any notion she is straying from that path even in by the slightest is enough to create...like the tiniest crack in her otherwise iron resolve. Of course, she'll merely raise a petulant eyebrow questioningly at being accused at having a little more to drink than Sensei should and she seems otherwise unfettered, cold and haughty, but inside, she's burning up, because she feels she failed herself somehow through the mere fact someone dares to imply such rubbish.