Seon-ah and Dong-seok
Yay for new beginnings! Seon-ah (Shin Min-a) may have lost the custody trial, but she’s on her road to recovery! I hope she redeems herself back and is granted the right to take care of her child long-term. I cried when she told her husband that she’ll file her appeal to court when it’s Yeol (Kim Ha-eon) who can’t live without her mom and not the other way around. Yes to self-healing! And Dong-seok (Lee Byung-hun) is a big part of all this. From just being present at Seon-ah’s lowest points to helping her bounce back slowly, Dong-seok is doing God’s work. He is a great friend and whatever happens between them romantically (if ever), will be just a bonus for us. I’m rooting for their happiness always.
Jeong-jun and Yeong-ok
The lovebirds are officially together! Jeong-jun (Kim Woo-bin) is such a mature character. I’m glad Yeong-ok (Han Ji-min) met someone like him – a love for keeps. Given Yeong-ok’s background (more on that later), she is carrying a heavy burden in her heart. It will take time before she accepts Jeong-jun’s heart fully (with the intention of marriage, I mean), but even though they are not there yet, what Yeong-ok and Jeong-jun have is already something to cherish for a long time. It’s difficult to open past wounds to someone that easily, and Jeong-jun’s presence in Yeong-ok’s life makes her change for the better. She’s not the usual girl who runs away and keeps her worries to herself. She finally has someone to talk to about her family and her past.
Another obstacle that they have to face will be Jeong-jun’s parents. But as Dong-seok said, it’s Jeong-jun’s life – he just needs to stand up for what he feels is right. Ahh, can’t wait for things to get better and witness their happy-ever-after.
Eun-hui and Mi-ran
Just when I thought this storyline was about two friends growing apart – man, I was so wrong. It’s about two women who both had lives to live yet stayed loyal to their friendship even during the ugliest of times. Eun-hui (Lee Jung-eun) is definitely the glue that bonds this drama together. She had connections to everyone, but her friendship with Mi-ran (Uhm Jung-hwa) exposed her character on a deeper level. It revealed her deep insecurities and true feelings. The “princess and maid” moniker didn’t sit well with me honestly because I love the Eun-hui character so much, but it helped us viewers understand clearly where both Eun-hui and Mi-ran came from. Mi-ran is not as glamorous as she seems, but she indeed needs to work on her behavior towards Eun-hui sometimes. Her prank with Eun-hui was too much – even calling her friend “doormat” is downright offensive. But Eun-hui also had her fair share of shortcomings – she shouldn’t have tolerated Mi-ran’s insensitive remarks from the start. Poor Eun-hui had to grow up feeling insecure about herself. I’m just glad they had the chance to finally confront each other about their ill feelings towards each other – because honestly, they were not two-faced – that’s a really mean way of putting it. They were just too comfortable with each other, which prevents them from shaking things up and tackling the problem at hand.
Yeong-ok and Yeong-hui
Ah, this may be my new favorite subplot of this drama. I love Han Ji-min so much, her acting is just A+!!! But the star of this story is Yeong-hui (Jung Eun-hye), no doubt. We finally learn more about why Yeong-ok used to be evasive when talking about her background story. Her parents died when she was young in a car accident. They were both artists, but because of financial struggles, her parents turned their backs on art and became merchants. Yeong-ok never lied about her background! I totally get her, though. People asked, and she answered. Some are quick to judge because of the perceived inconsistencies in her stories, but the truth is she just answered what was asked of her. No one dared to ask if her parents were alive or not, or who is the one calling her regularly. Everyone just assumed the worst of her. Thankfully, Yeong-ok is a kind soul who can face gossipmongers head-on.
The Yeong-ok episodes were filled with unprocessed grief and sisterly love. The twins were too young when their parents left them. Yeong-ok’s twin sister has Down syndrome, which also took a heavy toll on Yeong-ok’s mental and emotional well-being. She found it hard to accept that she’ll be stuck with her twin for life and even blamed her parents for leaving them early. She made excuses to work out of town just so she can avoid Yeong-hui and make her sister forget about her – but this only made Yeong-hui love her even more. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, they say. The more Yeong-ok stays away from Yeong-hui, the more Yeong-hui thinks about her. It’s one ultimate display of sisterly love from the side of Yeong-hui! The plot twist about the drawings made me tear up! 😦
G Alley
🛥️ Jung Eun-hye draws caricature portraits at Munhori River Market in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi, South Korea. All portraits that were displayed in Jeong-jun’s home base/bus were sketched by Yeong-hui herself!
🛥️ I was so anxious that it would be a love triangle between the sisters, but thankfully it’s not! Now onboard the Ki-jun (Baek Seung-do) and Byeol-I (Lee So-byeol) ship!
🛥️ Dang. The plot twist about Myeong-bo (Kim Kwang-yu) was unexpected and nicely executed!
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