At Grandma’s funeral, Do Woo (played by Lee Sang Yoon) and Soo Ah (played by Kim Ha Neul) hold each other in a tight embrace, oblivious to everyone else—including homestay mom Mary, who follows Soo Ah outside and sees them in the act. Mary is shocked but hurriedly turns back into the building, where she runs into Hye Won (played by Jang Hee Jin) at the door. Thinking fast, she leads her away from Soo Ah and Do Woo.
Hye Won and Mary sit down for coffee, and though Mary tries to make small talk, Hye Won immediately asks about the “Hyo Eun’s Mom” that Mary called out to. Mary laughs it off, saying she must have mistaken her for someone else in the rain, and asks if Hye Won knows her. To Mary’s discomfort, Hye Won wonders aloud if she’s the only one in the dark. After making sure again that Mary got rid of all of Annie’s belongings in Malaysia, Hye Won reveals to her that Do Woo isn’t Annie’s biological father. Mary is surprised, but she muses that it explains how Hye Won could be so cold toward Annie’s hardship.
Soo Ah washes dishes the next day when she thinks of Grandma and Do Woo’s words—that before people die, they leave something behind for the people that are precious to them. At home, Do Woo holds that something in his hands: Grandma’s letter. Do Woo reads the letter, which holds her final request: to gather her best works and put them up for public viewing in a small, remote house near the ocean. She has included the locations of those works, and tells him that if he explains her request to the people currently keeping them, they will gladly give up her ornaments. A flashback shows us that Soo Ah had waited patiently for Grandma to write the letter, and when she’d finished, she’d asked Soo Ah for her name before carefully writing at the bottom: “Delivered by Choi Soo Ah.” Do Woo holds the letter and cries.
After his flight, Jin Suk (played by Shin Sung Rok) receives a text from Joo Yeon, telling him that she recently had a “meaningful” flight with his wife. She asks if he wants to talk over tea, but he brings her outside instead. Joo-yeon tells him pointedly that Soo Ah is very nice. Fed up with her attempts to get a rise out of him, Jin Suk clears up their relationship: They had a few beers, but nothing else happened—Joo-yeon was the one who showed up in his hotel room wanting more.
Joo Yeon points out that Jin Suk called Soo Ah a piece of furniture in his house, but Jin Suk retorts that he can sleep comfortably on his own furniture, while “the beds on an airplane are uncomfortable.”
They continue their subtle insult fest, but Joo Yeon is finally forced to bring out her trump card. She tells him that she suddenly recalls Soo Ah having a long, secretive conversation with a man named “Seo Do Woo” on the flight. Pausing at Do Woo’s name, Jin Suk finally storms up to her: “So what?” Joo Yeon: “I’m just saying.” Jin Suk walks away coolly, but when he gains enough distance, he can’t hide his puzzlement. He calls Mi Jin, but she takes one look at the caller ID and ignores him.
Soo Ah checks her phone for replies on her request for someone to replace her next flight to Oakland, but sighs when she sees no responses. Mary meets her for dinner, and mentions that she’s taken care of most of her needs in Korea, but she hasn’t been able to visit her family’s burial grounds, which is a shame because it’s difficult to keep track of it from Malaysia. Soo Ah offers to check up on it every so often to express her gratitude for taking care of Hyo Eun.
Mary gratefully accepts, but then asks if Soo Ah is close with Do Woo. She gravely informs her that she saw her run to him in the rain at Grandma’s funeral. Looking away, Soo Ah says, almost to herself: “We’re just friends.”
Jin Suk visits his mother at the hospital, still in uniform. To Jin Suk’s discomfort, his Mom recalls how sorely he’d wanted to quit piloting when he was young—he’d suffered some kind of event that had made him terrified of flying. Jin Suk insists that he barely remembers it, and when his Mom claims that it’s thanks to him meeting a good wife that he got over his “complex,” Jin Suk notes dryly that she sure warmed up to Soo Ah quickly. Mom agrees, saying that Soo Ah turned out to be more easygoing and dependable than she’d thought.
Jin Suk leaves when his Mom gets a phone call from Jin Suk’s sister in New Zealand, denying the chance to talk to her. As he leaves the hospital, he calls Soo Ah and demands to know why there are rumors about her and another man among the flight attendants. Soo Ah is clearly surprised at this, but insists that they only exchanged brief greetings. She then tells Jin Suk that he has to babysit Hyo Eun tomorrow because her work schedule is a mess. Jin Suk hangs up wordlessly, and Soo Ah immediately recalls Mary’s words at the restaurant. Mary had continued: “I don’t know who’s who or what’s right for Annie. The more I think about it, the sadder I feel for her.” Shaking away the thoughts, Soo Ah leaps up from her place on a park bench to play soccer with Hyo Eun.
The next morning, Uncle Suk makes breakfast for Do Woo and Hye Won. Hye Won faux-politely tells Suk to take his time leaving, but to Hye Won’s chagrin, Suk has other plans: He’s not leaving at all. He wants to keep an eye on them and the business after Grandma’s death. “Sorry,” he adds to Hye Won, not sounding sorry at all.
Hye Won leaves for work, leaving Suk to ask Do Woo how he’s doing. He insists that he’s fine, but it’s awfully unconvincing.
Soo Ah brings some red bean porridge to Do Woo’s buddy Hyun Woo at the bar, the same porridge that Grandma last had. Hyun Woo tells her that in high school, he stayed at Do Woo’s house a lot because both of his parents were having affairs. As a result, he knows Grandma very well—and he wants to thank Soo Ah for taking care of her last meal.
Without a word, Soo Ah leaves, and Hyun Woo delivers some of the porridge to Do Woo in his office. Do Woo doesn’t think much of it until he notes that it’s red bean porridge.
Hye Won’s business friend tells Hye Won that they’re letting go of franchising Grandma’s business—in the wake of Grandma’s death and Do Woo’s grief, the timing is too bad. Hye Won, of course, has other thoughts, but when her friend notes that Do Woo was against the plan, Hye Won assures her that Do Woo has some things he’s “sorry” to her about, and that she’ll get him on board. Eugh.
Back in Malaysia, Mary goes through Annie’s belongings and finds her old phone. On it is the voice recording of Hye Won ordering Annie not to come back to Korea, but Mary decides not to tell Do Woo by assuring herself, “Hye Won is the birth mother. There’s no need to bother him on top of everything.”
While Hyo Eun practices soccer with uncle Je Ha in preparation for her tryouts tomorrow, Do Woo works late into the night and Soo Ah tends to the chores. They converse in voiceover, remembering Grandma together. Do Woo thanks her for the porridge, and notes that Soo Ah’s name was the last one that Grandma wrote down; Soo Ah recalls all the gifts she’s received from her, from the button, the ankle bracelet, and the handmade ornament. Do Woo guesses that it must mean Grandma wanted him to take care of his new friends, but Soo Ah tells him she’ll consider the meaning for a little longer.
She also mentions that Mary saw them together. Do Woo calls her then, and noting her nervousness, assures her that they’re still under the three conditions they agreed upon. He suddenly asks her if she married Jin Suk for love. Soo Ah recalls that she did like Jin Suk a lot—he was a popular and respected pilot. When Do Woo presses for more information, she recalls that they met in Sydney.
Speaking of Sydney, Mi Jin and crew have a farewell party for another member who’s quitting. When Joo-yeon arrives late, she calls Mi Jin for a private discussion and confesses that she told Jin Suk about Soo Ah and Do Woo. Mi Jin is exasperated, explaining that Do Woo’s daughter had died and they were only grieving together.
Joo Yeon berates herself, and sighs that she wishes the “Gentleman of Sydney” would get what he deserved, like being betrayed by his trusted and devoted wife. Mi Jin: "Soo Ah? As if!". As if, indeed. Still on the phone, Soo Ah asks Do Woo what kind of person his wife is. He doesn’t answer, saying that recently, he’s unsure of the answer himself. He guesses Soo Ah has never had doubts about what kind of person Jin Suk is, and she agrees.
At that moment, Hye Won drives up to the office, but stays outside in the car. When Soo Ah tells Do Woo that she’s heading to Oakland for a week, Do Woo asks to see her before she leaves. Soo Ah suggests they stick to a phone call for tonight—she’s scared that she’ll want to break their rules again. She obviously wants to see him too, though, and gives in. Sitting outside in the car, Hye Won sees Do Woo come outside, still on the phone. He laughs at something unheard before quietly going back inside.
Meanwhile, Jin Suk runs into Mi Jin in their apartment building. Jin Suk strikes up conversation, noting that his wife is away babysitting Hyo Eun while asking for some ramyun. Mi Jin shuts him down and enters the password to her apartment, and Jin Suk notes that her password is still the same. Creep.
Mi Jin eventually gives in, and Jin Suk helps himself to her home-cooked meal. She says it’s to express her gratitude for coming to her defense on their flight, and changes the subject to something more important: Joo-yeon. She tells him to stop playing around with the flight attendants because she’s the one who has to comfort them. Jin Suk, however, says matter-of-factly that it’s their fault for assuming a casual conversation with a married man is such a big deal. Mi Jin: "You’re a married man, so stop having casual conversations with girls!"
Mi Jin notes that she knows that Joo Yeon told him about Do Woo. Jin Suk still doesn’t know who Do Woo really is, so Mi Jin reminds him that it’s Hyo Eun’s dead roommate’s father. Jin Suk: “Oh, the family that put our family into chaos?” Jin Suk snorts at the idea that Soo Ah would ever have an affair and is totally unconcerned, but Mi Jin assures him that Do Woo is a total catch. She asks what Jin Suk would do if Soo Ah really did have an affair. Do Woo, flatly: "I’d publicly make a fool of her and kill her halfway."
Mi Jin agrees that it’s improbable, and declares she’ll love him again if Soo Ah has an affair—but Jin Suk tells her he can’t love older women. "You don’t have to love me," he says. "Just feed me from time to time—your food is perfect to my taste." Mi Jin maybe seems to feel something at that, but she quickly tells him to buzz off—this is a one-time gratitude meal.
Soo Ah arrives at Do Woo’s office in a taxi, but when he calls to ask when she’s coming, she suddenly changes her mind, telling him that Hyo Eun woke up and she won’t be able to make it after all. Do Woo is clearly disappointed, and sighs that a week is a long time: “Things might have totally changed by the time you come back.” Still, they agree that it might be for the best that they’re avoiding the danger.
When they hang up, Soo Ah steps out of the car and looks up at Do Woo’s window. Hye Won, however, sees her from afar in her car. Realizing who she is, she lifts up her phone, poised to take a picture, and hisses: “Go in… Please. Go in now!” Her eyes well up with tears, and suddenly another dark thought enters her mind as she begs: “No. Don’t go in. Don’t go in!” Oh my god. Overwhelmed by emotion, she slams her hand onto the horn, scaring Soo Ah back into the taxi.
Hye Won drives away, and stops in the road, screaming to herself: “What are you two?!”
Soo Ah says her goodbyes to Hyo Eun before she leaves for Oakland, telling her to call before her soccer tryouts. Hyo Eun asks her not to leave, but Soo Ah assuages her fears with cute mother-daughter cheek kisses. Suddenly, she receives an unexpected text message—someone actually agreed to take her shift to Oakland. Hyo Eun squeals in delight, but Soo Ah looks more uneasy. At the hospital, Mom prepares for surgery, and Soo Ah sees her off. Mom wonders if this fate is because she wanted to be paid so badly, but when Soo Ah promises to pay her, Mom tells her she doesn’t have to.
Soo Ah starts to text Do Woo that her flight was canceled, but changes her mind and lies that she boarded the plane instead—it’ll be better, she thinks, if they don’t talk for a while. Do Woo texts back: I’m curious what will be different in one week.
Soo Ah receives a phone call from Hyun Joo unni, who relays news of a crisis: Hyo Eun isn’t allowed to join the soccer team because it’s a boys only team. When Soo Ah arrives, Hyo Eun is having a meltdown in the soccer field, demanding a girls’ soccer team be formed. Hyo Eun stays in the field in protest until dusk, and when Soo Ah urges her to give up for now, Hyo Eun faints from exhaustion.
Do Woo and Hye Won have a dinner date at a restaurant. The mood is rather cold, but only gets colder when Hye Won brings up her meeting with Ji Eun’s mom. She tells him that she wants to expand Grandma’s business—but Do Woo has had enough. Do Woo says this has nothing to do with him anymore; what Hye Won wants isn’t what Grandma wanted, and that’s that.
Hye Won, however, refuses to work under someone any longer, and this time she pulls the argument she knows will work: “Hyo Eun’s Mom,” she says. “You know the name, don’t you?” Sure enough, Do Woo’s expression darkens. Even though she hasn’t confirmed anything, she says, she has a gut feeling that this should be enough. She’s sure that "Hyo Eun’s Mom" must be a similar person to him as “Annie’s Dad” is to her—someone who makes her feel sorry to him.
Do Woo flatly denies it—Soo Ah doesn’t make her feel sorry to Hye Won. But, he says, “Hyo Eun’s Mom is precious to me—just like Ji Eun is precious to me as a business partner.” He tells her that Soo Ah was the only one he could talk to about Annie after her death, especially when Hye Won refused to discuss it at all, and in that sense, she’s even more important to him than Ji Eun. He’s not sure whether he needs to feel sorry for that yet. As he drives home, however, he thinks to himself: “But honestly… that’s all a lie.”
When Do Woo returns to the office, Hyun Woo informs him the movers are upstairs before handing him some photos they took at Ji Eun’s party. Meanwhile, Mi Jin gets a text from Jin Suk to meet up for a beer, and they find themselves at Hyun-woo’s bar for drinks. Jin Suk complains that the place is too crowded, but Mi Jin already knew he wouldn’t like it: “You like quiet places where no one knows you, so you can talk long into the night with girls aged twenty-five to twenty-nine.” She laments the fact that she wasted her youth on such a pathetic person. But, she adds, she really did love him with all her heart.
Jin Suk suddenly sighs that those young girls are nothing compared to the older ones—they’re insincere and shallow, and all they want is expensive bags and sex. Mi Jin stares at him in disbelief—she’s Soo Ah’s friend, for goodness’ sake. Jin Suk whispers smugly that she’s also his “ex-office wife,” whatever that means.
Fed up, Mi Jin goes to get some drinks and notes the movers bringing boxes from upstairs. She asks Hyun Woo (who still doesn’t remember her) to call Do Woo down so she can brag to Jin Suk that she knows someone so cool, but Hyun-woo just hands her two beers and sends her away. Unfazed, Mi Jin returns to Jin Suk and asks if he slept with Joo Yeon, but he only complains that she’s weird in her clinginess. Mi Jin is sure that he must have led her on, but Jin Suk assures her that he’d never actually cheat: “Men who leave their wives never live well.” Mi Jin: “How touching.”
Mi Jin looks him in the eye and decides she’s going to tell him something she’s wanted to say forever. "Back when we were together, you slept with other women, but I’d take you back every time. When Soo Ah told me she was marrying you, I thanked her. She still doesn’t know why, but I’m so grateful to her for ending my obsession with you." Mi Jin feels sorry that she never told Soo Ah the truth about him, but she’s glad to be rid of him, who she considers an embarrassing stain on her past that she wants to forget. Without Soo Ah, Mi Jin says,, she might still be in the same position now.
Jin Suk’s response: "Do you want to get back together?" He bursts into laughter at her disgust, claiming that Mi Jin is the easiest and most comfortable to talk to. Sighing, she gets up for some fresh air—she thought getting this off her chest would make her feel better, but she just feels worse.
Soo Ah tucks a recovering Hyo Eun into bed at Mi Jin’s house. She gets a call from Mi Jin, who tells her she just had a beer with “someone” near Do Woo’s office, and to Soo Ah’s surprise, tells her about the movers—he must be leaving the office. Do Woo, meanwhile, sits in his now-empty studio, putting the pictures of Soo Ah at Ji Eun’s party up on a projector screen. He goes through the photos, recalling their first conversation over the phone.
Soo Ah wants desperately to ask Do Woo about it, but reminds herself that she’s supposed to be on a plane, unable to talk to him. At that moment, however, Do Woo decides to text her: Today is the last day for my office. I want to be with you. Please, come here right now. Immediately, Soo Ah makes a call, and Mi Jin returns home just as Soo Ah rushes out. “You’re acting weird,” says Mi Jin, and Soo Ah only nods before heading out without explanation.
Soo Ah takes a taxi to Do Woo’s place, passing right by Jin Suk in the bar. Jin Suk doesn’t notice her either, but finally realizes that Mi Jin must have left.
Soo Ah climbs the stairs up to Do Woo’s studio and knocks. Do Woo calls out that it’s open, but when there’s no response, he opens the door to find the one person he wanted to see. Unable to control himself, he grabs her and pulls her in for a tight embrace.
Personal Thought:
I am so glad that this show goes well enough to maintain 7% in rating. I do wonder why a great story line compared to this drama like Uncontrollably Fond also have 7% in rating, whereby I think there are some parts of this drama which I couldn't connect to, specially with how the feelings developed. It's kinda strange for me actually but now I do understand why.
I wonder how come Soo Ah and Jin Suk got married before and decided to have Hyo Eun when both of them couldn't be there when she was having puberty. That was the phase in teenager's life which I think that the existence of parents play an important thing.
However, Jin Suk is a pretty straightforward guy, who have a right attitude, knowing his place that a man who leaves his wife will never live well. He knows it very well, but he always takes Soo Ah for granted. I don't like the fact that he's trying to take off his hands in the process of Hyo Eun's growing up. She's the child that both of them want and I think it's Jin Suk's responsibility to care for his daughter more than anyone. But now he seems to give that responsibility only to Soo Ah, pushing her to go out of her way many times. Her schedule is now a mess yet she can do nothing to persuade her husband.
And at times like this, it's understandable to fall for Seo Do Woo, who happens to understand the hard times she goes through. Even if it were me, I would fall for Do Woo for his kindness, even with someone who is not his biological daughter. Who wouldn't?!
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