K-Drama Reaction: Familiar Wife

Ah, I just love Woo-jin’s mother. She is the most genuine character in this drama despite her illness. Whenever she sees her son-in-law, she just transforms into this sweet child hoping to be showered with care and attention. What an adorable Mom!

The difference between Joo-hyuk and Hye-won

Hye-won (Kang Hanna) is intentionally flirting with that college guy. She knows she is married, but she doesn’t hold even a bit of shame in going out with the young kid. She was even giddy when they exchanged numbers! My gosh, my intense hate for cheaters has been resurrected by this drama.

Meanwhile, I don’t mean to defend Joo-hyuk (Ji Sung) here because he is also technically married to Hye-won in this new timeline, but in all fairness, he was internally struggling whether to give Woo-jin (Han Ji-min) a ride home or not. He even have initially decided to ignore her and just continue on driving, but she accidentally lost balance with her bike and tripped! That’s a perfect coincidence (and completely forgivable), right? Not to mention, Joo-hyuk is the only one aware about their “real lives” in this love triangle. Both Hye-won and Woo-jin were unaware of Joo-hyuk’s tampering of the present. This means, Hye-won is very much guilty of flirting, while Joo-hyuk can argue his side. Mic drop.

Also, I found the bank robbery subplot in this episode a bit lame. In the real world, we are always asked to remove anything that covers our head or face when entering an establishment (helmet, cap, sunglasses, face masks). That’s why I fully understand Joo-hyuk’s actions on that mistaken identity incident. Now, let’s talk about the real robber. How was he able to sneak in the gun when it’s so obvious? Even Woo-jin and Joo-hyuk were able to spot it right away, but why on earth did the guard fail to notice and confiscate it?

A relationship is a two-way road

I loved what Joo-hyuk said about how Woo-jin used to hate that one-way road because she believed that everything should always be two-way. This spoke to me a lot especially when I tried to recall the first episode wherein they were both so busy with their own lives, and eventually forgot about their relationship. Joo-hyuk was so engrossed in complaining about work and married life, while Woo-jin was also so busy getting mad at her husband for his inadequacies. I already talked about the importance of communication in this relationship, but I think I forgot to mention how even communication cannot save what was already empty in the first place. When we are so fed up of external factors that piled up in the rotting relationship, the last thing we wanted to do is to talk about it. When Woo-jin tirelessly massage people’s tired bodies all day while attending to the kids’ needs at night, the last thing she wanted to do would be stressed out by her own husband. For Joo-hyuk’s part, he was also already tired of looking after his client’s demands, and the last thing he wanted to hear would be his wife’s nagging.

What they were missing all this time was their love for each other. Now that Joo-hyuk has revisited the early stages of his relationship with Woo-jin, he is starting to realize how strong their foundation used to be. They were so head over heels in love with each other, but at some point, they drifted apart. No matter how sturdy that foundation may seem, because they failed to shower each other it with each other’s love every single day, their marriage started its downfall. It’s the both of them who forgot that marriage is always a two-way road wherein couples need to walk hand in hand in order to pull through. It’s give and take. In good times and in bad times. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, remember?

Also, this is why I loved the time loop sequences, “real” moments seemed to be flashbacks. The reality is mixed with hope and regret. And Joo-hyuk’s reflections about his past relationship with Woo-jin satisfied me so much. It’s good to see him realize what he did wrong in the past. It isn’t too late to go back to the way it was before, but I won’t complain (for now) even if it will take him some time.

The entry of the second lead

I know it’s the fifth episode and we all got to love Jong-hoo (Jang Seung-jo) by now, but this is the first legit moment where we can call him the second lead guy. He officially expressed his interest on Woo-jin, which means the courtship stage is on full swing. I wonder how would Woo-jin react to this confession, and how would this stir Joo-hyuk’s feelings for his “ex-wife.” Ugh hate using the word ex-wife. Anyway, things will just get even more interesting!