Brace yourselves, because it’s time for the angst that’s been steadily building on the horizon to crash in like a tidal wave. An unexpected (and unwelcome) arrival introduces yet another obstacle for our heroine — but before that, there’s a satisfying wedding disaster in store.
EPISODES 11-12
Wrapped up in each other, our time-traveling couple kiss, passionate and tender. Then the reality of Ji-hyuk’s impending death hits him, and he regains his senses, pulling away. “You’ll regret this,” Ji-hyuk tells Ji-won, believing that he won’t be able to give her true happiness when he’s dying in a decade. Then he steers her outside, steeling himself to shut the door in her stricken face.
The next day, Ji-hyuk calls in sick. After work, Ji-won knocks on his door with a thermos flask of homemade porridge, but there’s no response. Worried, she decides to go inside — using the passcode he’d given her so she could visit Pang the cat — and finds him barely conscious and burning up.
Delirious from the fever, Ji-hyuk rambles (in banmal!) about how he hopes she no longer feels like she’s on an unstable boat. The words remind Ji-won of that drunken college night, and it dawns on her that Ji-hyuk’s wanted to be her solid land ever since. Deeply moved, she reaches out to him with tears welling up in her eyes. Okay, that reveal was a little convenient, but it cleared up their separation angst quickly so I’m not exactly complaining.
A kiss and a night of nursing Ji-hyuk back to health later, Ji-won is ready to take the leap with him, even if they end up regretting it later on. She can’t help but wonder if this is the reason she’s been given a second chance — to learn how to trust, love, and be happy again. Her epiphany finally breaks down Ji-hyuk’s last line of defense, and thus begins their secret romance. Sharing meaningful glances and exchanging bashful smiles at work, our couple’s week culminates in a romantic pier date with another tender kiss.
When Soo-min sends Ji-won a wedding invitation, Ji-hyuk decides to indulge his petty side by informing the whole office. The best part? Not only does Seok-joon go along with Ji-hyuk’s antics, but he also posts the official announcement himself. Ha, Seok-joon’s totally enjoying stirring the pot, isn’t he?
Meanwhile, Min-hwan and Soo-min’s path to marriage is already off to a deceitful start, with both liars weaving fake backstories to elevate themselves in front of Min-hwan’s mom. Bulldozer Mom-in-law micromanages and penny-pinches every last detail of the wedding, much to Soo-min’s exasperation. Still, Soo-min goes along with her demands, because at this point her pride hinges on the wedding, her future family, and the fact that she’s one-upped Ji-won (or so she thinks).
Soo-min’s about to get a rude awakening, though. Clad in the frumpy wedding dress of the previous timeline, Soo-min’s utterly outshined by Ji-won’s sharp and stylish all-white ensemble, topped off with a dazzling necklace from Ji-hyuk. Approaching Soo-min in the waiting room, Ji-won congratulates her on picking up the trash she’s discarded. That’s not all, because Ji-won brought a congratulatory gift — a civil complaint suing Min-hwan for the money he owes her.
Mom-in-law also has a shock waiting in the wings, because Ji-won’s former bullies crash the ceremony, determined to get even with Soo-min for fooling them all throughout high school. Airing the dirty laundry of Min-hwan and Soo-min’s infidelity to all their wedding guests, they cause a much-deserved scene, complete with thick Busan accents and hilarious innuendos to scandalize Mom-in-law.
Married life isn’t as rosy as Soo-min envisioned, given that she now has to deal with Min-hwan’s temper tantrums and Mom-in-law’s bossy reproaching. Unlike the meek Ji-won, though, Soo-min won’t let herself be steamrolled into submission. She argues back when Mom-in-law picks on her, and even lies about a miscarriage that she blames on one of Min-hwan’s violent outbursts. Yikes, this newly-minted family is well on its way to an implosion.
Shifting focus back to Ji-won, it’s time for the most dreadful plot development of the week — the arrival of Ji-hyuk’s childhood friend and ex-fiancée OH YOO-RA (BoA). She’s derisively amused by Ji-won’s rags-to-riches fairytale, and her pride has brought her back to stake claim on Ji-hyuk (for all that it was a strategic engagement).
Blindsided by Yoo-ra’s existence, Ji-won retreats back into her shell. She unilaterally distances herself from Ji-hyuk, fearing that he’d ditched Yoo-ra for her — just like how her mom had abandoned her dad for a new love, and Min-hwan had betrayed her for Soo-min. With that trauma deeply etched into her battered psyche, Ji-won can’t bear the thought of potentially being a homewrecker herself.
As much as I sympathize with Ji-won, I’m really not the biggest fan of this plot point. Yoo-ra’s one-dimensional villainy feels overwrought, and not at all comically entertaining like the antagonists we’ve had so far. Her character feels like a device to heighten the drama for drama’s sake, and while I understand that this is a battle Ji-won needs to fight in order to heal her childhood wounds, I wish we’d gone about it in a more innovative way.
Impatient and maliciously possessive, Yoo-ra mails photos of Ji-hyuk and Ji-won’s pier date — alongside the company stockholders list with Ji-hyuk and Hee-yeon’s names on it — to Min-hwan’s house. The revelation that Ji-won had ditched the subpar Min-hwan for the successful Ji-hyuk downright infuriates Soo-min, and she promptly cooks up a revenge scheme to lash out at Ji-won and extort money from her.
With just a single phone call from Soo-min, Ji-won’s runaway mom is suddenly back in her life. One shopping spree later, Mom reveals her greedy ulterior motives and lets slip that she knows about Ji-hyuk. Having seen this coming, Ji-won tells Mom that she’d simply wanted to experience a mother-daughter date for the first — and last — time.
Ji-won may be able to stand up for herself against her mom’s selfish greed and Yoo-ra’s haughty insults, but she won’t let herself covet a man whom she believes is taken. Thankfully, we have Hee-yeon to be the voice of reason for Ji-won. Revealing that she’s actually Ji-hyuk’s half-sister from a different mother, she vouches that Ji-hyuk would absolutely never cheat given his family history.
Then Ji-won finds out Joo-ran’s been diagnosed with stomach cancer, exacerbating her guilt tenfold. She may have successfully foisted Min-hwan off on Soo-min, but now her cancer has made its way to someone she cares about. Devastated by the inadvertent consequences of her actions, Ji-won can’t help but falter, questioning whether she truly deserves to pursue a new life at the expense of others.
It’s especially heartbreaking for Joo-ran, who’s just taken two steps forward, one step back. With Ji-won’s encouragement, Joo-ran finally seeks support from her parents, who swiftly cut her selfish sloth of a husband down to size. At long last, she also publicly puts the arrogant Manager Kim in his place.
Unfortunately for Joo-ran, the shadows of Ji-won’s past self aren’t present merely in her disposition, but also in her husband. Seok-joon chances upon Joo-ran’s husband having an affair — cemented through a deadbeat duo parallel with Min-hwan — and when he learns of Joo-ran’s stomach cancer, he can’t help but watch over her out of concern.
Talking about Seok-joon, I love that he’s slowly coming around regarding Ji-hyuk’s feelings for Ji-won. He’s witnessed firsthand how Ji-won’s presence makes Ji-hyuk light up with genuine joy, and upon seeing Ji-hyuk’s unfettered smile for the first time, even Grandpa can’t help but view Ji-won in a new light.
Bent on orchestrating Ji-won’s downfall, Yoo-ra approaches Min-hwan, though we aren’t shown their conversation just yet. As Ji-won drives home, she’s greeted by the infamous Truck of Doom — only for Ji-hyuk to swerve in and intercept its path. That’s the cliffhanger we end on this week, and while I’m not worried about Ji-hyuk’s odds of survival, I am concerned about how Ji-won will fare in the aftermath. She’s already carrying so much misplaced guilt; in her current state, she may withdraw even further.
Notably, Ji-hyuk has been hit by a truck while driving, just like how he’d met his end in the original timeline. So far, it seems like certain events are fated to occur, but the specifics of how they play out can be tweaked. When — not if — he survives this incident, will it count as averting the destined tragedy? Similarly, will Joo-ran be able to avoid terminal cancer through her early diagnosis? One can only hope, and I sure am hoping fervently.