This Week, My Wife Will Have an Affair: Episode 4

190 November 9, 2016November 9, 2016

by chocolatte

It’s an intense hour as Hyun-woo uncovers the truth about his wife’s affair — but rather than helping to clarify things, his newfound knowledge leaves him with even more questions and an ever more uncertain future. He can’t help but continue seeking advice from his community of supporters as he figures out what to do next, and though he may not always like what folks have to say, a well-worded piece of advice may be just what he needs to get out there and take some action.

EPISODE 4 RECAP

At the hotel, Hyun-woo slips into the same elevator as Soo-yeon and her male companion, coming face to face with his wife. Soo-yeon’s eyes widen in shock when she recognizes her husband, but she tries to recover, lamely asking Hyun-woo what he’s doing at the hotel. Hyun-woo says he’s here for work, his eyes murderous as they flit from Soo-yeon back to the man she’s with.

The other man, glancing at Soo-yeon, hits the “L” button on the elevator, claiming that he and Soo-yeon were headed to the lounge. (Smooth, buddy.) Hyun-woo’s not fooled, and calls out the room key in the man’s hand. Knowing their cover’s blown, the man introduces himself as JI SUN-WOO (Lee Suk-joon), a work colleague of Soo-yeon’s. Hyun-woo quietly suggests to Sun-woo that they continue the conversation in their room.

As they head towards the room, Hyun-woo recalls Yoon-ki’s advice to gather evidence of the affair. So he decides to take a photo of Sun-woo and Soo-yeon just in front of the room door — complete with a loud “Smile!” alert from his phone. Awkward.

Inside the room, Hyun-woo admits that he’d seen the texts from Sun-woo, and says that though he’d tried to talk to Soo-yeon before this day came, he missed his chance. Sun-woo apologizes and says, “It’s all our fault.” Hyun-woo bristles at the word “our,” then asks if Sun-woo is married, and he admits he is. Hyun-woo asks how serious the two of them were about this affair — were they just having fun?

Hyun-woo looks at Soo-yeon, seeing her hands folded together in her lap. He’s startled to see that she’s not wearing her wedding ring and starts to ask about it, but instead asks whether or not Soo-yeon’s feelings for Sun-woo are real.

She doesn’t answer, so Sun-woo jumps in and says that they didn’t start meeting with the intention of ruining their families. But he then adds that he loves Soo-yeon, though he feels sorry to Hyun-woo and both their families.

Hyun-woo then directs his attention to Soo-yeon, wanting to hear directly from her. All she can say is that she’s sorry, and that she blames herself. This isn’t what Hyun-woo wants to hear since he expected her to beg for forgiveness, and he finally loses his temper. “Why are you so calm? You’ve been caught having an affair!” he shouts.

When Soo-yeon and Sun-woo remain silent, Hyun-woo tells Soo-yeon that they should get divorced, and that she shouldn’t even think about coming home. He heads to the door, pausing for one last look at Soo-yeon. Sadly, she doesn’t look back at him, and Hyun-woo punches the door in anger before walking out.

Bo-young’s been detained at the police station for attacking the cheating wife during filming. Joon-young finds the whole situation hilarious, even going so far as to snap selfies with Bo-young behind bars. Thankfully for Bo-young, Yoon-ki calls with the news that she will be released as soon as her guardian arrives. Yoon-ki adds that he’s on his way to Hyun-woo, and Joon-young says he’ll be right behind him.

Joon-young offers to act as Bo-young’s guardian despite her protests. When she’s released, Joon-young meets her outside the station with a block of tofu (traditional post-prison food), which he shoves in her face before running away. LOL.

Yoon-ki and Joon-young intercept Hyun-woo just as he’s about to leave the hotel. With a dazed look in his eyes, Hyun-woo provides a brief update: He told Soo-yeon he wanted a divorce and walked out of the room, and she didn’t follow him. With that, Hyun-woo pushes past his friends to leave the hotel, and they follow.

The three end up at a restaurant, where Hyun-woo tries to wrap his head around what just happened. Hyun-woo shows Yoon-ki and Joon-young the photo he snapped as proof of the affair, but Yoon-ki says he’ll need more information — like how long the two have been meeting and how often — if he wants to get anything from Soo-yeon in court.

Hyun-woo explains that he’d gone to the hotel with a plan, but now, he has no idea what to do. Yoon-ki says Hyun-woo should just end his marriage and live happily. Joon-young, however, says he shouldn’t get divorced — he can’t be the one left miserable while she’s happy. While Yoon-ki and Joon-young argue, Hyun-woo drinks.

That night, Hyun-woo returns to his empty home and writes a new post online, telling the world that everything is now finished. He explains that his wife didn’t beg for forgiveness, and instead calmly told him it was all her fault. “Divorce is the only solution now, right?” he writes.

Hyun-woo jumps when he hears someone entering the apartment, but it’s just his mom looking to stay at his place for a few days. She asks after Soo-yeon, then Joon-soo. At the mention of his son’s name, Hyun-woo panics, then grabs his jacket and heads straight to Joon-soo’s school.

When he gets there, he’s shocked to learn that Joon-soo’s already been picked up by Soo-yeon. Worried that Soo-yeon might have taken Joon-soo to stay with her, he calls her, but there’s no answer. Just a few moments later, though, Soo-yeon calls back. Hyun-woo answers the phone angrily, but to his surprise, the voice that responds is his mother’s — Soo-yeon and Joon-soo are at home.

A subdued Soo-yeon greets Hyun-woo when he returns home. The two look at each other for a tense moment before Hyun-woo tells her that they need to talk. As they disappear into their room, Hyun-woo’s mother looks after them in concern.

Inside, Hyun-woo demands to know why Soo-yeon came home. She says she thought they needed to talk, then apologizes, since she didn’t know his mother would be visiting. He tells her that he’ll take care of his mother, and that she should leave as soon as his mother does.

His mother, meanwhile, has prepared dinner and orders the two to join her and Joon-soo. As they eat, she peppers Soo-yeon with questions, but can’t stop looking concerned at the obviously strained air between her son and his wife.

Later, Mom joins Hyun-woo in the living room, where he asks her to go back home. She doesn’t answer, and instead asks Hyun-woo point-blank if there’s been cheating. Shocked, Hyun-woo tries to deny it, but then gets smacked — oh, she thinks Hyun-woo cheated. She’s particularly angry and disappointed that he’d do such a thing, after watching his father do the same to her.

She asks if Hyun-woo doesn’t feel sorry for his wife, who’s busy with work, Joon-soo, and taking care of their household. Though Hyun-woo keeps insisting that his mother’s got it all wrong, she won’t have it. If he keeps this up, she says, he’ll end up alone.

At the office, Bo-young scares herself silly by watching a horror film with all the lights turned off. She’s too scared to finish the movie, so she closes her laptop… only to see a lone hand just in front of her. She screams and screams before getting a hold of herself. Looking closer, she realizes the hand belongs to Joon-young, who’s passed out drunk on the floor.

She kicks him awake, and he makes his way onto the couch. Barely conscious, he asks Bo-young what it’s like to get divorced, then passes out again. Bo-young looks concerned for a moment, but then her expression brightens. Ha, now she’s able to finish her movie, though she spares Joon-young’s sleeping form a glance every now and then.

Soo-yeon enters Joon-soo’s room as Hyun-woo tucks their sleeping son into bed. She tells Hyun-woo that for now, she’s decided to stop seeing Sun-woo. Hyun-woo jumps all over her for saying she won’t see him “for now,” and tells her he doesn’t want to hear any of it — he wants her to leave the house and leave Joon-soo with him. Hyun-woo climbs into Joon-soo’s bed, effectively ending their conversation.

The next morning, Joon-soo informs Hyun-woo of the family’s plans to head to an amusement park. Hyun-woo’s mom encourages Hyun-woo to get ready and join them, adding that it’s an opportunity for him to earn points with Soo-yeon. Frustrations mounting, Hyun-woo tells his mom that he doesn’t have time for this. Soo-yeon speaks up too, telling her mother-in-law that Hyun-woo has to go to work, but that only makes Hyun-woo angrier.

We check in with our other dysfunctional couple, Yoon-ki and Ara, as they visit an art gallery. While Ara examines some paintings, Yoon-ki sits down at a bench next to a young woman, then causally remarks that the paintings are boring. The woman turns out to be none other than Yoon-ki’s saleswoman girlfriend, who says the “paintings” are also thrilling. Yoon-ki suggests they up the thrill level, then slides his hand over hers.

Yoon-ki and Ara’s next stop is lunch at a fancy restaurant, where they toast with glasses of wine. As Ara takes a sip, Yoon-ki turns his attention to a nearby table, where his girlfriend is enjoying her own lunch. The two raise their glasses to one another and smile. Wow.

At work, Hyun-woo reads through more responses to his last posting, many of them from his “regular” commenters. As usual, the words from one particular commenter, username TUNAMAYO, stick with Hyun-woo.

But this time, TUNAMAYO’s words bother Hyun-woo instead of providing comfort. The commenter asks if Hyun-woo really wants to end things without hearing his wife’s side of the story. She writes, “Why did your wife want to have an affair? Do you think you have no fault in this situation?”

Hyun-woo joins his team in a meeting to review the footage they captured of their unfaithful couple. Bo-young apologizes for messing up their shoot, and says she’s also sorry for not allowing their client to finish his conversation with his wife. She posits that there were probably lots of things he wanted to know — like why she’d have an affair, and if he was to blame for any of it.

As Bo-young talks, Hyun-woo realizes her words echo TUNAMAYO’s latest thoughts. He eyes Bo-young suspiciously.

Meanwhile, Yoon-ki and Ara discuss Yoon-ki’s weekend filming schedule at a flower shop. To Yoon-ki’s dismay, Ara shares that she’s signed up for weekend flower arrangement classes near his office building so they can carpool and check in on each other. On their way out, Yoon-ki notices an attractive young woman handing out flyers for a gym, and he suggests to Ara that he needs to start working out.

Back at the office, Bo-young joins Hyun-woo in the break room and hands him tuna mayo triangle kimbap. Hyun-woo pauses at the mention of tuna mayo; Bo-young says she likes that kind of kimbap the best.

At that, Hyun-woo asks if she invests in stocks. Bo-young says she hasn’t invested since years ago, when Hyun-woo had convinced their team to buy stocks based on a dream he had (and all of them lost a ton of money, ha). She mentions that she does sometimes visit the stocks forum, but before Hyun-woo can ask a follow-up question, she gets a phone call and leaves the room.

The CEO calls Hyun-woo into his office, where he’s got the stock forum pulled up on his browser — aha, that’s where Hyun-woo’s been posting his story, and why he asked Bo-young about stocks. The CEO wants to know if Hyun-woo’s heard anything about Bo-young, as there are rumors flying around that she’s being scouted by a PD named Oh Ki-han. Hyun-woo says Bo-young wouldn’t leave them, but a look of concern flickers across his face.

Cut to Joon-young freaking out at the news, getting so worked up that he’s unable to breathe. Once he calms down, he reports back to Hyun-woo that Oh PD has indeed been looking for a writer, and Bo-young is a candidate. Joon-young mentions that he thinks Bo-young could be meeting with the PD tonight, prompting Hyun-woo to recall the phone call Bo-young received earlier in the break room.

Yoon-ki’s already at the gym, having signed up for personal training sessions with the attractive young woman who he’d seen on the street earlier. He can’t contain his excitement when she demonstrates the squat for him before guiding him through the same exercise. But she turns out to be pretty intense, making him do rep after rep without breaks. It’s not long before he’s unable to keep up. Hah.

Bo-young packs up and says goodbye to her male colleagues (who give her the stink-eye, as they’ve obviously been let in on the rumors about her), then heads outside to say goodbye to Hyun-woo. As Hyun-woo watches Bo-young leave, he thinks back to some of the things she’s said about love and marriage. He then reads the latest post from TUNAMAYO, who urges him to let his guard down first and listen to his wife’s story. TUNAMAYO’s words seem to trigger something in Hyun-woo, and he rushes out of the office.

He calls Bo-young and says he needs to see her, offering to meet her wherever she is. Bo-young looks to be all dressed up, waiting for someone at a restaurant. She hesitates at Hyun-woo’s request, but he pushes, saying that they need to talk in person.

Hyun-woo gets Joon-young to drive him to the restaurant, and the two pause outside of Bo-young’s private dining room. Taking a deep breath, Hyun-woo enters and starts pleading with Bo-young, saying he should have treated her better before something like this happened. He promises he’ll change, and that he’ll treat her well from now on.

Bo-young glances apologetically at the man in front of her, then gives Hyun-woo a strained smile, pointing at her companion. Hyun-woo takes a break from his rambling to greet the man, only to realize that he is not, in fact, Oh PD. That’s when Hyun-woo starts finally connecting the dots, noticing Bo-young’s make-up and clothes, and the fact she’s at dinner with a random man.

He figures out that she’s on a blind date, and, completely mortified, he apologizes profusely before leaving the room. But when Joon-young hears that Bo-young’s on a date, he insists on barging in their room to make a big fuss over Bo-young’s fancy appearance. Hyun-woo has to drag him away, and Bo-young sits there with a slight smirk on her face.

Back at the gym, Yoon-ki’s training session is finally over, but his legs seem to be out of commission — so much so that he can’t even leave the building. Serves him right.

Bo-young sees Hyun-woo outside the restaurant, and he apologizes again, explaining that he thought she was jumping ship to another program. She doesn’t seem that bothered, and tells Hyun-woo that he actually made her feel important.

Hyun-woo asks Bo-young if she’s familiar with the postings by TOYCRANE, and asks what she thinks of him. She bluntly says that TOYCRANE is pathetic, but she’s actually rooting for him, since she identifies with his story. She wants him to not make the same mistakes she did in her marriage.

Joon-young pulls up in his car and offers Bo-young a ride home. When she gets in, she tells Joon-young she’ll kill him if he tells anyone about her blind date.

Hyun-woo watches his hoobaes leave with a smile, then thanks TUNAMAYO (aka Bo-young, in his mind) out loud. He heads back to the office, where he writes to TUNAMAYO that he’s planning to talk to his wife and listen to her story, as he doesn’t want to get divorced. He looks at Bo-young’s desk and smiles to himself.

Once again, Hyun-woo comes home to a dark and empty apartment. His mother texts him to say that Soo-yeon and Joon-soo are spending the night at her place. Determined to talk to Soo-yeon, he calls his mom and asks her to watch Joon-soo for the night, and to tell Soo-yeon to come home.

Bo-young’s back at the office for the night, happy to be back to her makeup-free, casual self. She finds two triangle kimbaps on her desk along with a note from Hyun-woo telling her not to skip meals, and happily digs in.

Soo-yeon arrives home, and she and Hyun-woo sit awkwardly in the living room. Soo-yeon goes first and apologizes, saying that she didn’t do this because she wanted a divorce. Hyun-woo asks how long the affair has been going on. Soo-yeon doesn’t give a direct answer, but tells him that she didn’t intend to deceive him.

This raises Hyun-woo’s ire and he goes on the attack, telling her she should be on her knees and begging for his forgiveness by this point. Soo-yeon pauses, then takes a breath before asking Hyun-woo what he wants to do. He spits out that if this is the way she’s going to be, he wants a divorce. At that, Soo-yeon shuts down; she tells him she’s heading back to his mother’s and that they should talk again when he’s calmer.

Hyun-woo grabs her before she can leave, demanding to know how long she’s been having an affair. She shrugs him off aggressively, then tells him it started six months ago.

Stunned, Hyun-woo immediately asks if she slept with Sun-woo. He grabs her arm and repeats his question over and over again, raising his voice with each word. With fire in her eyes, Soo-yeon finally confirms that yes, she slept with him. Not only that, she missed him so much that she’s the one who asked him to meet with her first. Soo-yeon turns and rushes out of the apartment, and this time, Hyun-woo doesn’t stop her.

Soon after, Hyun-woo writes to TUNAMAYO that his attempt at a conversation with his wife failed. When he doesn’t get a response right away, he heads into the office.

Bo-young’s there, of course, and Hyun-woo plops down next to her as he launches into the events of the evening. Seeing the blank look on Bo-young’s face, Hyun-woo backtracks and starts to confirm that he’s TOYCRANE. Before finishing his sentence, though, he glances at Bo-young’s screen… to see that her username isn’t TUNAMAYO, but PUDDING. Whoops.

Hyun-woo quickly dials it back and says that he’s just here to have a drink with Bo-young since his wife’s not home. But Bo-young’s on deadline, so Hyun-woo returns home and drinks alone.

The next morning, Hyun-woo wakes up on the couch. He then goes through the motions of a normal day as he cleans up and heads off to work. He keeps thinking of Soo-yeon though, and just before he walks into his building, he stops, then turns right back around.

In the office, Bo-young’s colleagues greet her with snickers and take turns teasing her about her blind date. Bo-young immediately asks for Joon-young’s whereabouts, and once she finds out he’s in the conference room, she heads straight there and proceeds to kick his butt.

Hyun-woo posts another update online, and everyone devours the latest in his sad saga. Hyun-woo confirms in his post that his wife cheated, but says he didn’t get a reasonable answer from her as to why. “So,” he writes, “I have no choice but to hear it from him. I can’t forgive my wife, or him.”

It’s not entirely clear, but it looks like Soo-yeon might have been reading Hyun-woo’s post too. In any case, she looks mighty uncomfortable as she resumes her work, which includes a business call from Sun-woo.

Hyun-woo arrives in front of a big office building, which happens to be where Sun-woo works. He looks like a man on a mission, and as he walks in, we hear the last line of his post, which reads: “This week, I’m going to fight the guy who took the most precious thing away from me.”

COMMENTS

So, there it is. I thought there was a good chance that Soo-yeon wasn’t really having an affair, but not only did we find out that she most definitely is, we also found out that this affair’s been going on for some time now. I also wasn’t expecting to find out the truth this early on, but I’m not complaining — the early reveal makes room for exploring the aftermath of it all, including the reasons why Soo-yeon actively pursued this other man in the first place.

I’m sure it was devastating for Hyun-woo to actually see his wife with Sun-woo, then to hear directly from her that she’s sleeping with him. But man, Hyun-woo is not doing himself any favors with his behavior, especially in the way he’s dealing with Soo-yeon. He claims that he wants to fight for his marriage, and that he’s open to hearing Soo-yeon’s side of the story. In reality, though, he doesn’t even give Soo-yeon a chance to talk, and twists her words to underscore his own insecurities as he escalates their conversations into one-sided shouting matches. And now, he’s going to fight Sun-woo? What does he hope to accomplish with that move?

What I find interesting is how Hyun-woo seems to have this narrative in his head of what Soo-yeon should have said, and how she should have reacted to being discovered. He can’t even entertain the thought that Soo-yeon may not respond exactly in the way he imagined, immediately thinking that any other sort of response means that she’s ready to destroy their marriage. He seems kind of obsessive all around, unable to let go of something once he’s fixated on it.

So it makes sense to me that Soo-yeon’s response to Hyun-woo’s tirades is to shut down completely — I’ll bet she developed that tactic as a coping mechanism over the years. How often has Hyun-woo steamrolled her in the past, not waiting to hear her words? How many times has he pushed his “ideals” onto her, not being able to see or accept when Soo-yeon’s desires clash with his own? Hyun-woo’s faults don’t serve as an excuse for Soo-yeon’s infidelity of course, but it certainly tarnishes the rosy picture of marriage that Hyun-woo’s painted in his mind. It also makes him less sympathetic as a whole, since he’s not just a victim in this situation.

While we did get to confirm Soo-yeon’s affair pretty quickly, I have to say that the show could use a little bit of tightening up over all. I mean, did we really have to see so many scenes of Yoon-ki struggling through his gym routine, or exchanging expressions of love with his girlfriend while he’s out with Ara? My reaction may be driven by the fact that I’m seriously getting grossed out by Yoon-ki and how blatant he’s being with his cheating. I know a lot of Yoon-ki’s scenes are being played for comic relief, but I’m just over it. I want Ara to run as far away from him as possible, and to take her (dad’s) money with her.

It makes me nervous that so far, Joon-young’s the only main character who hasn’t cheated or been cheated on (that we know of). I’m praying to the drama gods to keep it this way — sure, the dynamic between him and Bo-young is super cute, but I’m not ready to see another marriage go down in flames because of infidelity. Besides, Joon-young’s way too goofy to cheat on his wife (assuming that she really exists), and Bo-young’s been burned once already, so there’s no way she’ll become the “other woman,” right? Right?

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1 wapz

November 9, 2016 at 12:16 PM

Why do I still think that SY said all that in anger and is unable to understand why her husband is reacting that way. I still think she isn't cheating, but HW didn't even give her any space to talk and that can be all anger lashed out at him.

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Saner

November 9, 2016 at 12:19 PM

I concur. It felt almost spiteful in reaction to his questioning - she knows she 's in the wrong but she also knows her feelings are valid. In his eyes, she's already the villain, so what does it even matter what she says?

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loveBTS

November 10, 2016 at 10:32 AM

I'll reserve my judgement for later coz I think I should just wait and see what really happened here. I'm still reeling from hearing that it's been going on for six months so...
and what really irked me so much this ep was that Atty. Cheater coz whoa, right then and there at the museum with your wife just a few feet away maybe. That must be so thrilling for the both of them cheaters. THAt female doesn't have any shame whatsoever, damn! They presented it like a comedy but hey, that was just so ,..argh! he's lucky enough to get a wife when he is so ugly, and she's even rich and a good wife to him so what the hell..?! I want him to suffer in the end, his thing cut off or something, be a pariah and be a sewer rat for his next life. And maybe his wife should also have an affair of her own with a really handsome guy, see how that feels.
So is this just gonna be about women cheating on their husbands?

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JeAnn

November 12, 2016 at 6:54 AM

And about husbands that cheat on their wives (the lawyer and the PD that wants to cheat with BY). But the title says it all, really. This is about cheating partners.

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BlaBlaBla

November 10, 2016 at 1:46 AM

I agree.. At this point, it feels like he wants her to have cheated just so he could have a sense of victory that he was right in his judgement about her.. He is totally not willing to listen to her side of the story, and although I admit that he feels too hurt to listen to any excuses, but his behaviour right now contradicts his intentions of talking to her properly and winning her back because God knows she won't come back to him if he keeps acting this way..

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mary

November 11, 2016 at 1:52 PM

I agree. He seems too hurt and is just reverting to his old shtick of throwing accusations and jumping to conclusions. Didn't that issue with Bo-young just prove that? He's too imaginative for his own good. LOL He should've learned to calm down and listen to the other side first by now.

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MapleSilver

November 11, 2016 at 4:01 PM

Hi Mary! Are you finally caught up on the episodes?

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bjharm

November 10, 2016 at 2:41 AM

only read the review but the whole thing feels off, it is not helping we still know really nothing about the wife. But it certainly gives the feeling she just saying what he wants to hear rather than try and defend herself, when he only interested in hearing her confirm it all..After all it could not be his fault so it must be all hers. There always two side to everything and maybe now we have the cards on the table, they start to show more of the wife's background to events and just why it all came about.

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2 Saner

November 9, 2016 at 12:16 PM

Even just reading it, I 'oofed' when she said she's slept and purseued the guy.

And then cringed at the aftermath. Yikes, Hyun-woo, just get a punching bag already! That aggression needs to go somewhere.

And can he STOP FORGETTING ABOUT HIS CHILD ALREADY? LOL, it's like the saddest trope ever!

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okitokki

November 11, 2016 at 12:45 AM

The way he keeps forgetting about his son makes me wonder if he's like that as a husband, too. He gets so caught up in his own personal whatever that he forgets about his son, and then at the last minute is rushing to take him to school or pick him up. As a husband, maybe he's the same: always doing his own thing, distracted with work and his own stuff and so he neglects his wife, who maybe felt lonely and needed to feel like someone cared for her. Then, Hyun-woo's sudden interest in his wife's affair is like that moment where he remembers he has a son and is supposed to be responsible for him, idk. If that's the case, I don't think it excuses her cheating, because I don't think anything ever makes cheating on a partner okay, but I could at least understand where she's coming from...

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3 Emi Warling

November 9, 2016 at 12:23 PM

I agree that the way Hyun-Woo is dealing with Soo-Yeon is really self centred. It makes me a bit uncomfortable. But at the same time I can kind of see that anyone would blow their top if the other person isn't reacting. She doesn't seem sorry at all. Or maybe it's just that he's not giving her the chance to be sorry?

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okitokki

November 11, 2016 at 12:53 AM

She doesn’t seem sorry at all. Or maybe it’s just that he’s not giving her the chance to be sorry?

I wonder about that. Once I watched a tv show (or a movie idk) where a girl brought her boyfriend to meet her parents, and the mom seemed like she was being polite to the boyfriend, but the girl was freaking out about how her mom was being so judgmental and making veiled barbs against him.. to the boyfriend (and to the audience) the girl seemed kind of insane, like she was making a big deal about everything. But after she mentioned this stuff to her boyfriend (about how the mom was subtly looking down on him) he picked up on it, and it was more obvious to the audience, too, how snooty the woman was being. She was using the same words, but they seemed sharper.

So I wonder.. Is she really not sorry at all? Or does it only seem that way because we see everything from Hyun-woo's perspective, and he thinks she's not sorry so that's how the situation is presented to us, too...? I feel like there must be a reason that she'd start cheating in the first place, but again, since we see everything from Hyun-woo's perspective, if he has any faults we're as oblivious to them as he is. I wonder, if/when he acknowledges his own role in their marital problems, will we see her silence less as a lack of remorse and more as a lack of opportunity to express remorse?

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4 lunatic4kd

November 9, 2016 at 12:30 PM

GirlFriday, JavaBeans and entire DramaBeans staff. Please forgive me for hijacking this space to got off-topic but all of you MUST watch Romantic Doctor Kim - a crazy stupid title for an astonishingly dark, romantic and intense drama. I am stunned! This is an AMAZING drama! The first episode was startling and sudden and utterly surprising and the twists didn't just happen in the middle of the episode. The second episode took even more twists and I feel like I'm watching a well crafted Stephen King novel a la K-drama style. Best of all? Han Suk-Kyu as the Master teacher. The moment I realized he had played the king in Tree with Deep Roots, I burst into tears. This is an A=class drama, people. And we owe it to ourselves to pay close attention. Brilliance ahead. No doubt about it.

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loveblossom🌸

November 9, 2016 at 12:47 PM

^I'm DYING for this show to be recapped. I only watched the first episode last night, but I AM HOOKED! I loved Han Suk Kyu in TWDR and he was part of the reason I wanted to watch this drama.

I'll talk about it more later in the recap thread (hopefully)... And I can't wait to watch the 2nd ep tonight, lol.

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Anyways, back to This Week, My Wife... The fallout from the affair was just brutal to watch. The scene where Soo Yeon confirmed that she slept with Sun Woo was heartbreaking. Hyun Woo is going about it all wrong, but I'm still sympathetic to him. He's freaking out. Both HW and SY really need to be able to communicate more and be able to share both sides of their story. But SY should not have cheated period. I feel like they will not be able to recover their marriage by the end of this show.... 'Cause HW had said that he could not trust his wife anymore.

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kdramaanalysis

November 9, 2016 at 1:05 PM

I second the call for Dramabeans to recap Doctor Romantic, Teacher Kim! I've always appreciated your recaps in helping me understand the shows better. I personally did not like the premiere very much, but the second episode showed a lot of promise. I agree with lunatic4kd and cocoboo that Han Suk-Kyu plays Doctor Kim extremely well and he's the main reason why I am going to continue watching the show.

If anyone's keen to read, have shared my thoughts on the premiere here:
http://wp.me/p7U37n-eB

And on the second episode here:
http://wp.me/p7U37n-fY

Hoping dramabeans will pick up this series!

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5 Safeenah

November 9, 2016 at 12:46 PM

I hereby crown joon young the king of over reaction....lols

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DBChen

November 10, 2016 at 9:55 AM

The actor playing Joon Young was so buttoned up in "Signal" and here everything is so big and over the top.

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6 kdramaanalysis

November 9, 2016 at 1:00 PM

Thanks chocolatte for your recap. I, for one, thought it was a foregone conclusion from ep 3 onwards that Soo Yeon was involved in an affair, if not all that set up would have been for nothing. The show did do a good job of showing the ramifications of Hyun woo finding out what happened. I like what you highlighted about how Hyun woo's reaction reveals that their marriage than rosy because the way he talks to her shows a lack of respect.

While I do agree that the episode could be tightened, I did like the way the show alternated between the different relationships and I also found myself gleeful that Joon kI had some comeuppance. I do agree that at some point Ara should find out so that we can then move beyond the current status which is getting quite uncomfortable to watch.

As for Joon Young and Bo Young, I sense the show is heading towards them having affection towards each other. However, whether or not they actually have an affair is something that's uncertain and the show may use this to complicate Bo Young's handling of her emotions post-divorce.

I personally enjoyed this episode very much and felt it was much better than episode 3. Have shared more of my thoughts here:
http://wp.me/p7U37n-cL

Thanks chocolatte once again for your insights!

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7 MapleSilver

November 9, 2016 at 1:25 PM

While I agree with you that Hyun Woo is not giving his wife the space to explain herself, I just love how realistic that confrontation scene is. He has resolved to calmly talk to her about the affair, but I guess seeing her face to face, asking her questions he's been burning to ask to only have her evade and be vague, that is enough to set him off again. His wound is simply too raw, too fresh for him to have a cool-headed conversation. And when she admits to everything, a big giant OUCH!!

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kdramaanalysis

November 9, 2016 at 1:35 PM

@Maplesilver Yes, I completely agree with you on how realistic it was. When he is on his own or posting on the forums, he's calm and rational, formulating all these plans of how he will respond to her answers. Yet in front of her, he loses it completely. It's very real for married couples when it comes to conflict resolution in general.

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mexmax

November 9, 2016 at 10:51 PM

Yep, totally agree with you. His world's been shattered.

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8 aubrey lim

November 9, 2016 at 2:02 PM

Is it possible that Tunamayo is actually Song Ji Hyo?

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Archer

November 9, 2016 at 3:05 PM

Or Ara?

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girls just wanna have fun

November 9, 2016 at 9:17 PM

Oh, I thought it was the old lady!

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eva

November 10, 2016 at 2:46 PM

Cannot be, she's still learning how to type.

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fairner

November 10, 2016 at 7:18 PM

I think it's his wife too

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9 mindy

November 9, 2016 at 3:37 PM

I thought that his reactions were understandable--no excusable, but understandable.

I'm hoping that what this show will begin working towards is having this couple acknowledge the huge issues in their marriage and work towards a better future. I'm not sure I could handle it if it just portrays the collapse of their relationship. It would just be too depressing.

Interesting that it appears Soo-yeon is reading the thread. I hadn't noticed that while watching it. I agree with aubrey lim, I'm starting to suspect that she may be TUNAMAYO.

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Lixie

November 9, 2016 at 4:12 PM

Why would she put her husband through that instead of telling him the truth? She can't be Tunamayo unless there is some big twist ahead making him a jerk for her.

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MapleSilver

November 9, 2016 at 4:41 PM

I agree that this is unlikely and non-sensical. Maybe possible if this is a makjang drama, but this drama certainly isn't.

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10 Ella

November 9, 2016 at 4:34 PM

Hi Thanks the recap!

I super love Boa's character (Soo yeon). <3

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11 Mina

November 9, 2016 at 6:08 PM

Yeah the main couple seriously lacks communication. Even within the first episode it was made fairly obvious that they hardly ever even see each other. They are always busy with work and one or the other is almost always sleeping with the son rather than in their bed together and the son definitely doesn't seem like the type that's actively asking for one of them to sleep with him.

I was initially disappointed with her not saying anything when they were caught but as the episode progressed it was almost as if she knew if she did say anything he would be even more angry.

At her core she isn't a bad person as made apparent by the mom's stressing of how well the house is taken care of and how much she cares about her son.

Having an affair might have been a poor choice but at least she makes good ones for her son.

While on the other hand the husband has made bad choices regarding the son, forgetting about him several times, contemplating asking him who he would rather live with, asking him which parent he likes better. Those aren't things you should ask little kids. Not to mention he jumped at the idea that she would steal his son from him when he can't even remember to pick him up from daycare.

Surely he has to realize by now with how many people assumed he was the one having an affair that he is obviously behaving in a way people find suspicious.

I have to wonder if his wife thought he was having an affair too with his never being home, coming home late regularly with little to no notice, and their lack of intimacy.

Not that her deciding to have an affair is the right reaction to that but I have to wonder if while it is clear there is an emotional attachment between her and her lover if the sexual relationship really did happen or did she just in a fit of anger say she had because that is what he wanted to hear and wouldn't believe her otherwise.

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anastassia

November 13, 2016 at 3:59 PM

An affair is poor choice but forgetting the child is terrible? Having an affair even for mere emotional affairs is just terrible but having sex when you are married cant be forgiven. They may lack in communication skills etc etc but to resort to affair cant be excused.

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12 Mandyluv

November 9, 2016 at 6:16 PM

This Is My Take On Hyun Woo's Reaction: Obsessive; Yes Thats What His Love Turned Into When He Felt Extremly Betrayed,dont Forget His A Man Who Belives In Not Giving Up On His Goal And Stickin It Out Till The End But When His Goal (to Prove his Wifes Innocense And The Whole Situation A Misunderstanding) Is Completly Shatterd He Defintely Has The Right To Be Brocken As Well, After All Its His Driving Force.I Dont Think Anything Can Explain Sy Cheating And I Dont Think Any Spouse Will Listen To His/her Patner Tell You That They Initiated Such An Affair With Another MARRIED!!!!!(thats Even The Worst Part) And Not BLOW YOUR FUSE!!!! I Mean This Isnt A One Night Stand Its A 6 MONTHS AFFAIRand You Have A Child For Sake. So I Support HWs Reaction,NOT THE BEST But What To Aspect From A Betrayed Heartbrocken Man. No One could Ever Be Calm Listening To Another Married Man Tell You He Had An Affair Becos "he Loves Her" REALLY!!!!! Thats Going To Keep On A Replay In His Mind

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13 Islander north

November 9, 2016 at 8:21 PM

Lack of communication may be reason for counseling or eventually divorce, but no excuse for adultery. This isn't boyfriend/girlfriend...this is a family; married parents with a child. She deceived her family for six months! Cold.

This episode brought back so many memories of ppl in my family who committed adultery (let's call it what it is). And no one was ever genuinely remorseful..always some lame excuse. Always so many hearts broken and casualties. I hope the rest of the series is a bit more upbeat.

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Bex

November 10, 2016 at 12:13 PM

I agree not to mention she pursued ANOTHER married guy so she's destroyed two families

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14 girls just wanna have fun

November 9, 2016 at 9:13 PM

I think Yoon-Ki is representing all those desires people have while cheating and all most possible ways of cheating, like the last ones in the restaurant were so inexcusable. That's why he is a very important personage. He is kind of an open example and he would be very smart to write Cheating for Dummies. He's so in cheating that he'd completly forgotten why he's cheated in the first place.

Men have their period of time, usually in heir 40s and early 50s, when they try to cheat or they cheat. It has to do something with hormonal disorder, like female's menopause. For example I have two uncles who do the same. I love them so much but I love my aunts as well. They are telling their wifes they love them but in the other hand they pursue their new lovers as well and are unable to give neither of them up. They make everybody very unconfortable and frustrated, but it doesn't stop them. Both aunts lost so much weight and became again very attractive so their husbands are acting jelaouse but them selfs want to have all parts of the cake...

As for Soo-yeon I think she found somebody who finally listens and is there for her (my others uncle case). She was like Stepford's wife - a good very pretty housewife, occasional lover and an exemplatory mother. The perfect image crushed and her husband doesn't ask himself or try to see why. It's for sure she doesn't want a divorce. It looks like they've never argued, exchanged their insecurities in the first place. It's so important in the healthy relationship. I don't like confrontation neither. I'm getting frustrated, depressed and close myself. But there are circumstancies which make the bomb explode and it's up to us to clean our mess and to communicate and listen. It's strangely funny how a man who doesn't care too much about his child is always willing to keep him/her. That's why I find the show very important - to show all the ways people go through while in long time relationship. It's one of a kind ;-)

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15 Shavaughn

November 9, 2016 at 9:57 PM

"Joon-young’s way too goofy to cheat on his wife (assuming that she really exists), and Bo-young’s been burned once already, so there’s no way she’ll become the “other woman,” right? Right?"

I pray to the heavens that they don't have an affair their relationship just reminds me that guys and girls can be friends without any romantic feelings even if he does seem a little infatuated with her. I hate cheaters so much if it wasn't for Jihyo I wouldn't have watched it cause I can't stand infidelity false or real so these two are like the only reason why I continued to watch

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16 hallyumint

November 9, 2016 at 10:26 PM

Ive always wanted to say this

It is not your fault if your spouse cheated upon you !

There is nothing you did to deserve that !

Blaming the other party for your own infidelity is traumatising !

Hunwoo may have flaws but his wife choose to look for the solution outside her marriage.

Let me tell you anyone could have blown out the same way he did. Its very difficult to remain calm in such a situation.

He could have told his mother the truth despite being condemned but he protected his wife.

Im sure the wife's story will come out and his faults will be revealed.

But recappers pls resist blaming him for his spouse infidelity.

Frankly nobody deserves that !

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MapleSilver

November 9, 2016 at 11:29 PM

Thank you for saying that. I am also incredulous at how quickly so many are pointing fingers at Hyun Woo. Sure he is not perfect, and he probably spends too much time at work. But as far as we know he is hard working, he is very involved in the care of their son, and he loves her. There is no hint of abuse of any kind. He apologizes when he has done something wrong and she brushes him off saying it's no big deal. He tries showing support when his mother is intruding upon their lives but she acts like it doesn't bother her. And you made a good point about protecting her from his mom. What is a man to do here, really?

She may feel the weight of the world upon her as she tries to be the perfect wife/mother, but who is putting that expectation on whom here? And to carry on an affair for six months and possible longer if he has not accidentally found out? Especially if she is indeed sleeping with her lover, and with her husband at the same time? Very cold.

Hyun Woo must be completely confused when nothing is playing out the way he thinks. She does not go out after him at the hotel, she does not beg for his forgiveness, she does not promise that she will end the affair immediately. He must feel very small and I think Heroonthebeach is right on the money when he points out that the camerawork certainly is doing a superb job making us see how small he feels/appears physically in one of the scenes immediately after the confrontation.

There are so many things this show can explore from this point and I for one can't wait to see where it takes me.

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karin

November 10, 2016 at 12:16 AM

Second that! I totally agree with two comments above me. I am actually quite surprised when lots of people are pointing fingers at HW and got reminded by a conversation in this drama about how men would tell nobody if the wife cheated because people would blame the husband instead of having a shoulder to cry on.

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fishnchips

November 10, 2016 at 5:46 PM

I have to be frank and agree with HallyuMint, MapleSilver and karin. This comment may be a little incoherent because I take adultery so personally, but I'm going to try and gather my thoughts as much as possible.

First, I feel like there needs to be a distinction made between 'reasons for a marriage to fail' and 'reasons for cheating'.

There are many, many reasons for a marriage to fail. Lack of communication, lack of attention, lack of honesty, lack of trust. And I will readily admit that both parties can share the blame for this in many, if not all, cases.

That said, from the very first episode I've always felt like the biggest reasons this marriage has failed are:

a) HW has believed in his wife's love and loyalty for him so deeply that he's never even considered she could lie to him about anything, hence leading to him taking everything SY says/does at face value. She says she's not mad she had to pick up their kid because he forgot, he thinks she's really not mad. She smiles happily while taking in her MIL's well-meaning criticisms, he thinks she's happy. It's a blindspot, yes, but it's also one born of trust.

b) In reality, SY seems to have stopped honestly communicating with HW on even the smallest of matters. She's totally locked HW out from all her real thoughts and feelings to the point where she's practically got a split personality who I fondly call Ms "I'm fine" Stepford Smiler.

Now, I get that people can disagree, because there are so many angles to see this from and still so much we don't know about this relationship. And I'm biased towards HW. But, despite all that, I have to say it: I personally blame SY more.

Yeah, maybe all of this could've been prevented if HW had prodded her more for her feelings, if he'd pushed more when asking her for what her true thoughts are, if he'd tried to listen and understand more.

But men tend to believe what their wives tell them. They don't analyse things thinking "oh did they mean it" or "was that passive aggressive?" or "okay, but what's she REALLY thinking?" They just take what their partners say for the truth. It's an oversight yes, but it's caused by innate trust, not intentional neglect.

But SY? SY's actions are COMPLETELY intentional. She has intentionally shut her husband out, she has intentionally refused to share her real feelings with him, she has intentionally blocked the highway of honest communication so that it's only a one way road. For all intents and purposes, she's the one who initially and deliberately ended their marriage, at least on an emotional level.

Now, may I be taking HW's side more because I know and thus like him more? Yeah. But no matter what is revealed from this point on, no matter how much of SY's pov we see, I stand by my belief that she is the one who gave up on this marriage first.

Continuing in 2nd comment...

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fishnchips

November 10, 2016 at 6:43 PM

Okay, frankly I think the whole adultery topic has incensed me more than I predicted, because I kept writing and rewriting this piece to over 6k rants and made run-on arguments and contradicted myself and was basically all over the place, so I finally decided to just let myself end it here with this small(er) comment.

At the end of the day, I personally don't believe there is ever a justifiable reason to cheat. Nobody has to cheat. Nobody is forced into it. It's an active choice of betrayal and deceit, and nothing anyone says can excuse it for me.

I just find deceit despicable. It's why I'm so mad at SY for unilaterally ending her honest communication to HW, as well as the whole cheating thing. Because she just went ahead and basically ended their marriage without letting HW know.

She just pretended to be this whole other person in front of him, this perfect wife who's always smiling and patient and good-natured and still in love with him. But to think that during all that time, she was hiding all her real feelings and secretly seething with resentment and seeing someone else... just typing that out makes me feel sick to my stomach.

It's one thing to fall for someone else, and to tell your spouse about it in an honest conversation, and to ask for a divorce. It's another thing to fall for someone and trick your spouse into thinking you are still in love with and loyal them.

Just...no. I'm sorry, but no. That is...an amazingly terrible kind of betrayal. It's not just deceit, it's playing with someone's feelings. It's not just disloyal and dishonest, it's cruel.

For me, there is no excuse for that. None.

That said, we all have different morals and ethics and principles when it comes to this topic, so I'm not going to pretend my pov is all-encompassing. I do respect that others can feel differently. I just strongly disagree, both because of my own beliefs and because, like I said, adultery is a touchy subject with me.

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fishnchips

November 10, 2016 at 6:57 PM

Adding third and last comment to conclude the first two bc I really did get pretty incoherent lol.

So what I mean/meant to say is, while HW may have some blame in the reasons for the marriages failure (and even then I argue that SY is the one who first shut down all possibilities of working things out), I definitely don't believe he's to blame for her cheating on him. Like everyone above said, I believe that nobody deserves to get cheated on and nothing justifies that kind of betrayal.

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MapleSilver

November 10, 2016 at 10:42 PM

Thank you for sharing your thoughts even when things hit a bit too close to home. Just want to say you did not sound incoherent at all. You made perfect sense and I agree that she checked out of the relationship first. I love your point about men not going to second guess it too much when their wives are acting contented. They don't usually overthink stuff like this. LOL.

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fishnchips

November 11, 2016 at 9:32 AM

Thank you for saying that! It's nice to know the swirling words in my head did not seem as garbled on paper, haha.

And yes, honestly that's why I feel so sorry for HW, because he basically had the rug pulled out from under him for just...being a typical guy lol.

And I mean, I feel like I have to add 'lol' to the end of that, because it's the kind of thing you can cry over if you don't laugh about it. Like he just trusted her. He just trusted her when she told him how she "felt", because he believed she was being honest with him.

Honestly, the scene that keeps coming back to my mind and making me so angry/hurt on his behalf is back in the very beginning. You know, back when he forgot to pick up their kid.

Like the way he sent her all those texts apologising for forgetting, asking if she was angry, asking if she needed him to pick anything up on the way home. Trying so hard to make up for it. And SY just wouldn't answer him. She just would not communicate with him.

And then he got home, and he asked again if she was mad, and she said she wasn't. He asked her to look him in the eye if that was true. And she looked him right in the eye and smiled and said no. And he believed her, because who wouldn't believe the person you love looking you in the eye like that?

And just, it makes me so angry because HW tried so hard to be sure her feelings were okay, even more than a typical guy would. He sent her texts, he asked her at home, he told her to look him in the eye because he wasn't sure. He wanted to make it up to her, he wanted things to go well between them.

But she wouldn't even let him try. She wouldn't listen to his ready apologises or talk to him about her feelings. She wouldn't allow him to work things out. she just played the part and let him think that they were fine while they weren't.

[Cont'd below]

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fishnchips

November 11, 2016 at 9:55 AM

[Cont'ing above comment]

Like, I still can't even word all the things I feel about how she behaved. She lied to him and tricked him and the worst thing is how she likely feels justified because she hasn't even apologised for it properly.

Like that's what hurts me the most. Because despite all the evidence I too, like HW, wanted to believe until the final moment that SY wasn't really having an affair. I saw that she was being dishonest in the relationship, but I hoped that was all it was. So finding out she really had cheated on him was like being punched in the gut even though I knew it was probably coming.

But the worst thing, the absolute worst thing that hurt so much, was how she didn't even properly apologise.

Oh sure, she said she was 'sorry'. She said she 'hadn't intended for this to end in divorce'. She said she 'didn't mean to deceive him'.

You know what I hear when SY says that?
I don't hear that she's sorry for cheating. All I hear is that she's sorry she got caught.

Not once have I heard her sincerely apologising for actually cheating on HW, for tricking him, for giving him such a wound in his heart.

No, it's all about what she intended with this affair, what she wanted to be the outcome. It's never about how he's hurting because of her, how he's been deceived by her, how it's understandable that he's feeling effing angry about it.

SY hasn't even tried to acknowledge the validity of his feelings, let alone properly apologise for causing them in the first place.

Frankly, SY frightens me. All her actions have shown is that she doesn't want the status quo to change, not that she's actually sorry that she changed it in the first place by going behind HW's back. All she seems to care about is her own comfort in her role as his wife and their kid's mother. Not HW's feelings.

She doesn't seem interested in his feelings at all. She doesn't even seem interested in him forgiving her. She just wants to go on with her life as it was, and for HW to brush off the whole thing. That's all she cares about.

So that's why I am 100% on HW's side about not being able to forgive her if she acts like this, because she hasn't even asked for forgiveness. She doesn't even seem to care if he forgives her or not. She just doesn't want to rock the boat.

Actually, I'm not even on HW's side -I totally take that back- because he is still actually considering forgiving her. I'm sorry, but I was completely genuine when I said that SY scares me. She legitimately scares me as a person. For HW's own good, I don't want her anywhere near him.

Sure, he can get his answers on her side of the story, journey to acceptance blah blah blah, but after that I am all for him getting a divorce and getting as far away from SY as possible.

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MapleSilver

November 11, 2016 at 4:11 PM

You do react strongly to Soo Yeon's behaviors. I think we K-drama viewers are so used to the innocent drama heroines that when we see a character like SY we do not quite know what of make of her. That is why not many are willing to accept her obvious lies and deception and are looking for ways to sympathize with her. The same thing can probably be said if the male lead is the one doing what she does. That is just so outside the norm of Korean dramas, especially ones billed as a romantic comedy, not that this drama has called itself that. You just don't expect to see main leads being so totally unsympathetic, and that is why many viewers still don't see her for what she is. I have to admit I myself have a hard time with this and still hope for a reconciliation and happy ending when the logical thing would be permanent separation.

Bob

April 16, 2019 at 10:57 PM

Coming into this conversation *3 years late*. To Soo-yeon's credit she hasn't blamed her husband. All the husband blame has been on Toycrane's chat board, office chatter or recap site. She's never displayed any resentment to her husband either, by word, glance or attitude. 'Office Romances' are real and its easy to find yourself becoming infatuated with someone you spend all day with. Whether your home life is happy or not is beside the point.

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17 mexmax

November 9, 2016 at 11:32 PM

I thought the show handled the confrontation very well, and I feel like Hyun-woo's reaction is reasonable storywise and in line with his character. The show has hinted their marriage was not as great as he believed it to be. Maybe he was deceiving himself. Maybe the lack of communication and intimacy had been going on for so long that he ceased to notice the absence of tenderness and mutual understanding. He took his wife for granted. So it makes sense that in the fallout, he's not good at communication b/c he wasn't even good at that before. He doesn't know how to talk to his wife, least when it's her talking about another man. He's still the same person who's always forgetting his kid and scripting scenes in his mind (the latter is probably what makes him good at his job). Also, I don't find his behavior obsessive. How could you NOT spend all your time thinking about this when you've invested X number of years into this marriage and have a kid together. I had a terrible fallout with a friend I loved like a sister and it was so shocking, that it was all I could think about for months. And here's the thing, I was caught in a place where I both hated and loved her, which caused me to say and do things that weren't the most rational nor nice. And I feel like I can see that same conflict in Hyun-woo. He STILL loves his wife. But he's coming to terms with what she did. Love isn't a switch you can turn on and off.

I'm sure he wasn't the perfect husband, but let's be clear, that in no way absolves her of wrongdoing. We can't forget wedding vows. Even so, I hope that they'll be able to work things out because I think that would make for a more interesting story than him just getting a divorce and finding someone else. I want to see them fight for their marriage...or at least have like a 5 min conversation.

I can't say the same for Yoon-ki's marriage. I agree that the show needs to tighten up on that story. It's so uncomfortable watching the show attempt to make his cheating scenes funny. Although, were they trying to be funny? When I watched the show, I was confused at how the show wanted me to respond. Should I laugh? Feel disgusted? Be angry?

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JeAnn

November 12, 2016 at 7:03 AM

Maybe all three? Lol. Trust me, I am so over him and his cheating ways. When he was in pain from the exercising I was like "......serves you right."

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18 jupiter

November 9, 2016 at 11:49 PM

I think I may be in the minority here. I'm already married and have been in a relationship with my husband now for almost 10 years. I don't see any problem with how Hyun Woo is asking questions from his wife. He is direct to the point. He communicates well. He wanted proper answers without beating around the bush. I am just so frustrated with Soo Yeon like what the f*ck is your problem??? Why can't you just say what you want to say instead of being silent and trying to run away every time???

From what I observe, their relationship really lack communication. It seems until now they haven't really fought over something. Why is that? In the first episode when he forgot to pick up Joon soo, instead of saying that she was upset, she was just quiet.

I think Hyun Woo may have a problem with how he has handled their relationship but Soo Yeon is more guilty for not telling him anything he did which may have upset her or made her love him less like whatever.

He can only see Soo Yeon as the perfect wife as he hasn't even seen her complain about anything, even with how her mother-in-law picks on everything she does, she is just quiet.

It is important to be honest and open with your partner.. say whatever you want to say, good or bad. Don't let things reach to the point where you have to cheat.

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splatterpainted

November 10, 2016 at 7:51 AM

Hyun-woo, like you said, is straight to the point, that doesn't mean he necessarily communicates well. Because, as you said, there is a lack of communication in their relationship.

You said that it is important to be honest and open with your partner and in an ideal world, that should be the case. But that's easier said than done. Realistically speaking, not all couples can be like that. Soo-yeon may be scared of confrontation and in the face of accusations and anger from her husband, she shuts down. Not to mention her nagging mother-in-law; imagine the stress she must have had from that as well (i.e. keep up the good "mother/housewife" image). By now, she must have developed the habit of just taking it in and accepting everything passively.

So I don't think it's right to say who has more blame at the moment, because we don't know the whole situation. The drama has only been told from Hyun-woo's perspective. In the next episode, I hope the show will finally give us more insight on her side of the story. Because there is always more than one perspective to a story.

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MapleSilver

November 10, 2016 at 9:10 AM

Umm.. Nope! She is more to blame at this point. Hyun Woo may not be a perfect husband but neither is she the perfect wife. Sure, she may think she is being the "perfect wife" by being a martyr and silently enduring all that she thinks she must to be perfect. She is the one putting that pressure on her, not her husband. But most importantly the fact that she has committed adultery and he has not puts the blame squarely on her side, whatever her reasons may be. I am not saying he can't be a better man once she tells him how he is lacking, but he is not to blame for her choices for running to another man.

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splatterpainted

November 10, 2016 at 8:18 PM

Yes, those are all good points, but I was alluding to their relationship in general, not just her adultery. I agree that she is to blame for her adultery; however, I think that both are at fault when looking at their overall relationship.

And in that regard, I'm simply saying that we can't make any definitive accusations and assumptions until the drama starts showing us her perspective on this situation. Because right now, we are only looking through the lens of Hyun-woo.

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Sd666

November 28, 2016 at 3:26 AM

+1 I agree with what you'd written

19 p1nky

November 10, 2016 at 12:15 AM

I like your writing style, chocolatte. Reminds me of girlfriday's. But I hope you'll release the recap earlier, like 1-2 days after the episode aired :)

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20 yamayo88

November 10, 2016 at 9:13 AM

I really enjoy reading your review chocolatte and I found that we have very similar thoughts regarding this drama so far.

Like most people have pointed out, the lack of communication between Hyun Woo and Soo Yeon is likely to be the key factor for their failed relationship. It was quite frustrating to see her keeping quiet and holding everything in. I was like 'why can't you just tell him how you feel?!' However, after watching this episode, I realised that I have forgotten about the 'listener', who plays an equally important role in a conversation. The first two instances when Soo Yeon tried to talk to him, he just said some harsh words and refused to listen. (His reaction is understandable though, the wound was too fresh and he must be hurting like hell.) The third time when he took tuna mayo advice and tried to have a conversation with his wife, it turned out to be more of a interrogation session. It was apparent that he was not interested in hearing his wife out but more interested in getting her to answer his questions, and in the way he wanted. Like you chocolatte, I wonder if Soo Yeon was this quiet all these while or she became like this because her husband had never been interested to hear her out. Although nothing can ever justify an extramarital affair, it will still be good if we can find out more about her and what drove her to cheat.

I also notice the 3 guys' hypocrisy regarding extramarital affairs. Yoon Ki is such a jerk but Hyun Woo and Jun Young never seem to have any problem with him cheating his wife and even helped him cover up. It is as if it is ok for guys to cheat on their spouse but not the other way round... duhz...

I really enjoy this drama so far. It is so different from the usual k-drama with cringeworthy dialogues and surreal love stories. The solid acting from all the actors also helped. Lee Sun Gyun is definitely a good actor who can make you empathise with his character and his voice is gold. Song Ji Hyo did great too despite the limited screen time and was convincing as the seeming perfect wife who unfortunately, turned out to be a cheater.

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mary

November 11, 2016 at 2:06 PM

Excellent points, yamayo88! Are you related to tunamayo? :O

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Zinabean

November 18, 2016 at 3:20 AM

There's definitely a "mind your own business" culture in Korea. Even if they disagree, it's not their place to expose anything since they're loyalties lie with their friend anyway.

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Bob

April 16, 2019 at 11:07 PM

Looking over the first episode I don't see evidence of that lack of communication between spouses. They talk freely and effortlessly, they enjoy each other's company. There's no displays of tension between them (This is all pre-text message of course). Hyun-woo was blindsided. If it weren't for that text message it would have remained a happy marriage.

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21 Islander north

November 10, 2016 at 10:11 AM

Not to forget there is another spouse and maybe child(ren) being deceived by this affair. Children tend to be less forgiving than adults when their parent is intimate with someone outside their family.

On a lighter note, was good to actually see a Korean actress with muscle definition--the trainer at the gym. And some genuine glutes, not the flat butt that would label you anorexic or alcoholic in U.S.! Loved the torture she gave to Yoon-ki, he certainly deserved it and more. He is such a pathetic creature.

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22 eva

November 10, 2016 at 3:12 PM

I feel like it's Dear My Friends 2, I keep my tissues close by.
Jeez, how I bawled when Hyun-woo stormed out of the hotel room. You cannot go back anymore, you idiot! Fight for your wife!

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23 claud

November 12, 2016 at 6:04 AM

WOW I was really disappointed I was looking forward to this drama but now I am just dropping it after seeing how the wife is cheating and with another married man! this is totally a turn off for me... sure the guy has flaws but overall he seemed to be a good guy anybody that would get doubts like those and even conclusive facts like he is would definitely be acting more and more crazy I feel bad for him and I am so disappointed in the whole drama true it is a fact of life etc but I had some hope that it would be a lie

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24 JeAnn

November 12, 2016 at 6:56 AM

I am still on the HW in his reaction when he and SY were talking. It wasn't the best reaction....it wasn't even close. It made things worse, yes. BUT at the end of the day, we have to realize that he had just confirmed (despite him hoping it wasn't the case) that his wife cheated on him. That would drive anybody to an irrational point, so his reaction was imperfectly human. I do however take your point that he isn't the only victim. From the beginning, SY seemed distant with him so we know that her needs were not being met. No matter how much he pushes though, she should've confronted him about it. She was brave enough to cheat, she should've used that strength to either speak or walk away from an unhappy marriage.

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JeAnn

November 12, 2016 at 7:14 AM

*I meant I am more on HW side in his reaction when he and SY were talking. Sorry >.< My baby demands my attention so that comment was up for over 1 hour and I just hit submit without reading it over.

I also want to say that I am in love with this drama, it's just so good in its delivery. I shy away from dramas/movies about infidelity because I know I will get upset, and I am very upset with SY and the partner she is cheating with BUT I'm just reeled in and I can't wait to see what happens next.

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25 zentro29

November 15, 2016 at 6:57 AM

That Tuna Mayo in Hyun Woo's thread is probably his wife.

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26 Zinabean

November 18, 2016 at 3:17 AM

Dude. She seems to have no remorse whatsoever. I know the drama won't end this way but I should hope he leaves her in the dust and finds someone who isn't going to cheat, or will atleast care about his feelings.

I hope she chokes.

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27 sam

December 2, 2016 at 6:01 PM

Anyone knows the name of the fitness instructor??

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28 reellife

December 5, 2016 at 1:34 AM

I think it is pointless to attribute and apportion blame for any case of marital dysfunction. But, the choice and act of having an affair must rest on SY alone.
Even when the marriage fails, SY has to consider other options including getting a divorce rather than having an affair. Not to do so means she is cheating HW by having her cake and eating it.
I can understand and empathise with HW's reaction though it may be not be the best. SY lied to him about her activities that day (twice - before she left the house and even when HW called her when he was already waiting at the hotel. Further, SW attempted to deceive HW in the elevator that he and SY were headed for the hotel lobby.
During the confrontation in the hotel room SW admitted that he and SY had no plans to divorce and they just having fun but he loved her. How can we expect HW to be rational, empathic, cool and calm in his response in that situation?
In a later encounter at home, HW further learns that the affair started six months ago and the couple has slept together.
Hence, even if HW is to blamed for the dysfunctional marriage, SY's act of having an affair cannot be condoned -
she deceived and lied to HW and, if not revealed, would continue the illicit liaison.

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29 reellife

December 5, 2016 at 8:02 PM

After SY's affair was discovered, HW confronted her. It is apparent that she was not too forthcoming to HW's questions. Was she trying to evade the truth of the matter (and HW's questions about the duration of the affair and whether they have slept together - both important, reasonable, and relevant questions).
Instead, SY requested that she talked first to say that "FOR NOW, I am not going to see him anymore". What did she mean or intend to say? How can she fulfil her promise, even for now, given that she still needs to meet up for work on a project for SW's company. SY seems insincere and deceitful.
During the confrontation, SY reinforced HW's belief that the affair was for fun only - a view SW proposed earlier. If SY did not do it to get divorced, was she going to deceive HW until discovered? As HW declared - it doesn't make sense.
Last but not least, SW's text message said he "missed"her, At the hotel he even declared that he "loved" her. During this confrontation with HW, SY claimed "I missed him" and reiterated that "I missed him all this time so I asked him to meet me."
Can any of you make sense of SY's messages to HW? What did she mean? Was she just being honest?
Little wonder that HW is so mad - SY provoked him!

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