As conclusions are drawn by multiple parties regarding who the father is, things begin spiraling out of control. Misunderstandings need to be cleared and it’ll take strength to start the difficult conversation to begin the path to healing.
EPISODE 10 RECAP
On their 300th day anniversary, Ae-jung had popped into a café to meet with Dae-oh. He was so preoccupied with working on their contest submission that he barely acknowledged her presence, nor was he enthusiastic about their dinner plans.
She’d planned to slip her gift for Dae-oh inside his backpack but discovered a neatly wrapped Intro to Film Theory book, addressed “To Hyo-shim” instead of her. He snatched it from her hands and blamed her for breaking his concentration. Hurt by his reaction, Ae-jung stormed out.
Although Dae-oh initially moved to follow her, he went back to work instead while she watched from the outside. Ae-jung narrates now that his feelings were what brought them together, but eventually, her love for Dae-oh outgrew his love for her.
Once, during a park date, Ae-jung squealed during the wedding scene of A Moment to Remember. She’d asked Dae-oh when he wanted to get married but became upset when he revealed that he has no plans to yet, without even glancing up from the book he was reading.
Due to the imbalance in their feelings for one another, their relationship came to an end. On that rainy day, Ae-jung had seen Dae-oh standing still as a woman initiated a kiss.
These memories make Ae-jung certain that even if they date again because of Dae-oh’s love, they’ll break up for the same reason. This time though, Ha-nee could get hurt. However, Ae-jung can’t help but wonder…what if he’s being sincere? She spins around and heads in the opposite direction.
Ah-rin sneaks up on Dae-oh outside his place, using the script as an excuse to see him. He’s wary since it’s pretty late, but she invites herself inside. After all, she’s a celebrity and can’t be seen with him at a bar.
She makes herself comfortable and digs in, explaining that jokbal is the best remedy for stress especially when you’re angry. Dae-oh’s surprised, since nobody has seen the famously sweet actress lose her temper before.
Triggered, Ah-rin rants that she never asked for this double life, throwing him off with her change in attitude. She crushes an empty beer can and confesses, “I can be a real bitch, but everyone loves it when I smile innocently.” She lives with her angelic image since that’s what the people want, so why do they call her fake?
Ah-rin reminds Dae-oh of someone he knows, which she’s pretty happy to hear. She accidentally sprays beer everywhere and cuts her thumb open in the process, so Dae-oh tosses her a change of clothes and heads out to buy some ointment.
2005. Ah-rin scored 98% on her math test but her teacher called her names and accused her of cheating. He belittled her until she stopped insisting that she didn’t cheat. “People like you are the reason I don’t want to try anyway,” Ah-rin told the nasty teacher.
Outside, she set her report card on fire and was about to light a cigarette when Dae-oh appeared and confiscated the smokes. He was shocked by the high scores but rather than assume foul play, Dae-oh was proud of his student for working hard. Ah-rin teared up because he believed in her abilities.
CEO Song enters her office to find Ryu Jin waiting. The star lies that he went for some fresh air yesterday without telling anyone. She’s oddly understanding when Manager Myung claims that Ryu Jin’s been stressed about the movie. “It must’ve been terrifying for you,” she muses, “You suddenly found out that you had a child.”
Ryu Jin grows silent at the photographic evidence of him speaking to Ha-nee. CEO Song fires Manager Myung when he tries to explain, but Ryu Jin stands up for his beloved hyung and fires her instead. He’s determined to terminate the contract that chained him to her for the past decade.
Although he’d left her office coolly, Ryu Jin stresses about it once he’s home. Manager Myung hopes that he was only trying to scare the CEO, but Ryu Jin meant every word. He’ll begin cutting ties with her, starting with moving out. But first, he needs to speak with Ha-nee.
Ah-rin is over the moon wearing Dae-oh’s clothes, heart fluttering as she basks in his scent. She wonders if he was reminded of her high school self: “Would he be this nice if he found out I was Go Hyo-shim?” The doorbell interrupts her thoughts, and she finds Ae-jung standing outside.
Stunned, Ae-jung insists that she needs to talk to Dae-oh even after Ah-rin explains that he’s not home and suggests her to come back next time. Inside, Ae-jung takes in her surroundings while Ah-rin rummages through the fridge to offer her a drink, seemingly pretty familiar with Dae-oh’s place.
Ah-rin gushes that Dae-oh is super worried about her tiny wound and admits that she’s here to confess her feelings to him. It doesn’t make sense to Ae-jung, so Ah-rin explains that she actually met Dae-oh fourteen years ago. She’s sure that he’s the one for her, so she tosses in some aegyo to ask for some time alone with him.
Dae-oh gets home just then and finds Ae-jung glaring at him from the couch. Ah-rin explains that the producer will be leaving since she’s busy, surprised when Ae-jung firmly denies this and asks her to leave instead so she can talk to Dae-oh. Ah-rin has no choice but to gather her belongings when he asks her to go, glaring at the former couple for kicking her out.
After cleaning up, Dae-oh explains the situation but Ae-jung states that it’s nothing she hasn’t seen before. He feels unfairly attacked when she insinuates that it was more than just a casual drink. Ae-jung gathers her emotions and decides that she’s no longer willing to talk after what happened.
She confronts him about the woman she saw him with fourteen years ago, asking if it was Ah-rin. Dae-oh asserts that he never cheated and if she thinks he did, then it must be a misunderstanding. She scoffs that this “misunderstanding” caused her a lot of pain.
Unsure how they got to this point, Dae-oh’s eager to work through their problems systematically by first understanding why she came to see him fourteen years ago.
Ae-jung collects herself and says it’s unnecessary, since it’s obvious how things will end. She warns him not to mention their past again since every issue they try to resolve just leads to another one.
Dae-oh grows frustrated and heatedly asks, “Do you really think that I was the one who caused you pain?” He claims that she’d never trusted him in the first place and threw him away. Ae-jung retorts that he was never honest when their relationship began falling apart.
He rises from his seat and tells her that she’ll never have to experience that again, declaring that he’s over her. Dae-oh promises to leave her alone and gestures for her to leave, and the conversation affects both greatly.
He steadies Ae-jung when she stumbles and she insists she’s fine, then shares that she’s finally free from her fourteen-year burden. She no longer wants to get hurt, since Ha-nee and Grandma will be affected too. Ryu Jin can only listen helplessly as she cries that she feels suffocated despite thinking she was over it.
The next day, Grandma accidentally knocks Ha-nee’s backpack over and discovers the tiny notebook of dad candidates, shocked to see Ryu Jin’s photo in the mix. Ha-nee catches Grandma in the act and leaves the house, angry about the lack of respect for her privacy.
Grandma follows her out to demand an explanation and Ha-nee confirms that the actor is her father. With a quavering voice, Ha-nee calls Ryu Jin terrible for abandoning them in exchange for success. She breaks down in Grandma’s embrace and asks her to keep this a secret since it’ll hurt Ae-jung if she learns that Ha-nee found out.
The movie stars practice their sword fighting sequence with the stunt team, and Ryu Jin catches Ah-rin staring at Dae-oh. Neither hold back as they go at it, but Ah-rin comes out victorious when she guesses that he left Ssong Entertainment because of a woman – CEO Song wouldn’t let him leave otherwise.
He in turn points out that it’s obvious who she’s pining over, since her eyes are always glued to him. He muses that he must’ve been right judging by Ah-rin’s crestfallen expression when Ae-jung arrives and earns Dae-oh’s attention. It’s clear that things aren’t going well for her.
Ryu Jin takes a break and sits outside to chat with Ae-jung. She’s here because Hye-jin told her about a rumor regarding his departure from the agency. Ryu Jin feels pretty good about the fact that she sought him out because she was worried for him. He assures Ae-jung that turning down Hollywood for her film wasn’t the issue, and that he won’t let his personal matters affect her movie or life.
Unsure of how to respond, Ae-jung turns her attention to Manager Myung who’s making his way towards the pair. He doesn’t return her friendly greeting and Ryu Jin whisks him away before he can say anything. Dae-oh witnesses this from down the hall but before he can approach Ae-jung, Ah-rin asks him to treat her to lunch. Ae-jung leaves after seeing the two together.
Ryu Jin gets dressed for his next schedule, feeling liberated by the freedom he has despite not having a house, car, or staff team. Manager Myung is bitter that Ae-jung greeted him so happily when she’s the cause of all this, even though he knows deep down that it’s not her fault. It still doesn’t make him any less upset. When Ryu Jin turns on his phone, something makes him freeze.
In 2010, Ryu Jin starred in a Hamlet theater production that wasn’t very popular. CEO Song was amongst the small crowd and introduced herself backstage, inviting him to join her to become the best in the industry. This memory makes her frustrated, and she receives a text from him now demanding to meet up. She pulls out a DNA report.
Dae-oh doesn’t really engage with Ah-rin during lunch but when she calls Ae-jung weird for kicking her out the other day, he speaks up. She waits in anticipation for what he has to say, but her face falls when Dae-oh apologizes for having her, an actress, over that late at night. Ah-rin points out that she was the one who invited herself over, so why’s he apologizing for overstepping his boundaries?
Ah-rin states that she went to him instead of her friends and family because she likes him and was looking for comfort on a bad day. She asks if Ae-jung’s the reason why he’s distancing himself, feeling humiliated when his silence confirms it. Ah-rin raises her voice and asks about their relationship – who is Ae-jung to Dae-oh, and why does she make her feel so pathetic? She leaves the restaurant, near tears.
Dong-chan makes it very obvious that he’s avoiding Ha-nee all day long. After school, he conjures up a relationship chart under the assumption that Ae-jung is his mother. That’d mean that he and Ha-nee are siblings…something he doesn’t even want to think about.
Just then, Ae-jung calls out to him and he thinks, “Mom.” She fixes up his tie and asks about his day. Ha-nee runs into her arms, glaring at Dong-chan. Ae-jung’s here for another PTA meetng and promises to plan a cool event to make Ha-nee popular. She leaves after Ha-nee confirms that Grandma hasn’t said anything.
Once alone, Ha-nee confronts Dong-chan who says she didn’t do anything wrong. She brings up the DNA test and Dong-chan asks if it’s necessary – it doesn’t change anything. She blows up at her friend when he lies that he only helped because he pitied her. Ha-nee cries that she doesn’t want to be friends with him either.
At home, Dong-chan regrets how he handled things, realizing that he made things worse. “How could I tell you we’re siblings,” he sighs. He runs into Director Kim and asks if Dad ever mentioned his mom. The answer is no, so he makes his way upstairs but when Pa-do gets home, Dong-chan ignores him completely.
Director Kim asks Pa-do, “Shouldn’t we tell Dong-chan?” On the night of Tan Zi-yi’s death, she’d used her last breath to beg Pa-do to protect her son. Pa-do cried holding her limp body, left with nothing but a red USB. He heard a thud coming from the closet and found an unconscious little boy. In his secret room, he studies a framed photo of Zi-yi and Dong-chan.
Bo-hye is hospitalized again but this time, she really does seem weak. When Yeon-woo shows up, she tells him that she saw that he lives with Ae-jung. He stands tall defiantly, and she asks when he started this family.
She remembers that he mentioned a pregnant woman when he left home in 2006, and Yeon-woo confirms that while it is Ae-jung, the situation isn’t what Bo-hye is thinking. He’s ready to become a father if Ae-jung is okay with it.
Dae-oh ends up in Ae-jung’s neighborhood, thinking about how their relationship is truly over. He spots Ha-nee walking into Sukey and joins her, wondering why a minor is hanging out at a bar.
He chuckles at the sight of Ha-nee chewing on ice cubes, sighing like an adult. She blames him for her friendship troubles, which started when he called Dong-chan her boyfriend. Ha-nee says Dong-chan was her only friend and was very helpful when it came to her search for her dad.
She explains her revenge plan of getting child support, but Dae-oh is hung up on the fact that he’s still alive. Ha-nee says he’s better off dead, since she has to pretend he doesn’t exist anyways. She cries that it’s because of him that her mom had to suffer and that she’s about to lose a friend, and Dae-oh doesn’t know how to comfort a sobbing middle schooler.
Ryu Jin rushes to meet CEO Song, demanding to know what her text meant. Using the DNA test results as leverage, she asks, “Do you think I wouldn’t be able to bring you down?” However, she knows that ruining Ae-jung’s life will be much more effective. This sends Ryu Jin flying over to her house, and he orders Manager Myung to find out what the CEO is up to, positive that she’ll meet with reporters.
On his way home, Dae-oh reviews all the facts he knows: Ha-nee’s dad is still alive, despite Ae-jung saying that her husband is dead. However, she’s never been married, and during their trip to the island, had asked Dae-oh to remain dead in her heart forever. Putting the pieces together, realization sinks in.
At home, tears stream down Grandma’s face as she chops an absurd amount of onions. Ha-nee’s warning to stop liking Ryu Jin fills her mind as she recalls how she’d even asked for a photo when they first met. Grandma cries, “I had no idea what an awful man he was.”
The doorbell rings and it’s Ryu Jin, who’s desperately trying to talk to Ae-jung. Luckily for him, Ae-jung’s just around the corner and he grabs her, asking if she’s okay and if anything bad happened. Grandma sees them talking and yells, “Let go of her!”
COMMENTS
Knowing Ae-jung, I doubt she’ll give up the answer that easily. Multiple parties deserve to know who the father is – Ha-nee, Grandma, and Dae-oh, if it’s him. Even if Dae-oh had cheated like Ae-jung thought, keeping something this big a secret seems selfish. It’s been incredibly painful for Ha-nee, and I wish Ae-jung talked to her about it after discovering that she’s been wondering about her dad lately. I admire Ae-jung for raising Ha-nee in such a loving environment and doing her best to support the family, even if it meant sacrificing her dreams many years ago. As painful as it must be for her to bring up, it’s a conversation that needs to be had. The mother-daughter relationship is so cute, it’s a shame that there’s not more of it. Grandma is fierce, and I love her so much.
I’m glad that Ae-jung opened up a bit regarding their breakup, but it’s unfortunate that they didn’t dig deeper. Dae-oh was on the right track, trying to break everything down to see where everything got tangled up. It’s becoming more evident that Ae-jung has been suppressing her feelings and lashing out any time there’s potential for her or her family to be hurt. Seeing how Dae-oh treated her towards the end of their relationship gives more insight as to why Ae-jung is so cautious around him. Pouring all your heart into loving someone but receiving so little in return is definitely painful, and if that’s the truth of what happened, then perhaps they’re simply not suited for one another.
I really appreciate Ah-rin’s character. The flashbacks are short, but give a lot of insight into her actions. She demonstrates the two extremes of judging someone by their looks. As a student that looked like a delinquent, nobody believed in her abilities and were dismissive of her. Now, as the Angel of Asia, she’s unable to show her true feelings in public because “someone like her” couldn’t possibly ever be angry. These polarizing images must feel so restrictive, and explains why she was so attracted to Dae-oh in the past. However, who she loves is the Dae-oh that believed in her fourteen years ago. He barely gives her the time of day now, so I can’t understand why she’s so hung up on him. It’s the same criticism that many Beanies have raised about the suitors who are merely in love with the past version of Ae-jung. We need some current-day reasons to root for their love!