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My Unfamiliar Family: Episode 7

The more our amnesiac father learns about his past behaviors and interactions, the more horrified he becomes. It’s hard to reconcile the fanciful, romantic 22-year-old with his later angry, bitter self. He may not be able to take back his actions, but he can try to make amends and do better now. The family is going through a lot of changes, and it’s going to take time for everyone to adjust to the new dynamics.

 
EPISODE 7

In the car, Chan-hyuk shares his first memory of meeting Eun-joo. When he and Jong-min were over at her place a lot to help watch Ji-woo while their dad was hospitalized, he noticed her sobbing alone in the park. Minutes later, she came inside like nothing was wrong.

Eun-joo doesn’t remember but thinks most people cry alone. Chan-hyuk points out that Eun-hee calls everyone to let them know. Ha. Eun-joo can’t understand her, but Chan-hyuk suggests she try it out; she can cry to him, if she wants. Eun-joo smiles but states she probably won’t.

Chan-hyuk encourages her to look at the wedding photos he returned to her. They may help her deal with emotions she’s burying. He steps out of the car to find Ji-woo and Seo-young staring. He ushers Seo-young away while Ji-woo hops in his sister’s car.

Ji-woo wonders what’s up. Did she go with Chan-hyuk on his trip? Eun-joo doesn’t answer and just asks if he knows where Eun-hee lives.

Outside their home, Sang-shik paces, too nervous to go inside. Ji-sook comes to take out the trash and recyclables, and he tries to play it cool. Work is picking up, so he won’t be home much. He’s not sure when they’re supposed to start living separately.

Jin-sook cuts him off. Did he find that letter she supposedly wrote? She blatantly says you can’t find what doesn’t exist. He insists he got his memory back and knows she wrote that letter.

Inside, he repeats the letter verbatim and yells at her not to treat him like an idiot. If his memory truly returned, Jin-sook wants to know why he went up the mountain that night. She’s crying as she shouts, “Did you really try to kill yourself?!”

Sang-shik recalls sitting in his truck, writing in a feelings journal, “I want to die.” Jin-sook finally breaks down. He tries to hug her as she sobs, but she pushes him away and screams that he can’t make her change her mind. “I’ll never settle for this life again!”

He blinks back tears and vows he won’t die. He won’t stop her from leaving, but he doesn’t want to sell the apartment. Jin-sook asks if he remembers neglecting their kids so he could go raise his kid with his other family.

Jin-sook lets out years’ worth of pent-up hurt and rage. He came home late, got mysterious calls from a woman and only brought home half his pay. She demands to know why he doesn’t remember that.

Sang-shik looks horrified and chastened as she screams, “I hate you so much!” He quietly asks how she bore it for so long. Jin-sook did it for the kids. Sang-shik promises he’ll leave, and she can keep the house. He’ll never show his face again.

Meanwhile, Eun-hee and Geon-joo are having their make-out session by the café. Eun-hee desperately hopes it’s not Chan-hyuk in the car, not wanting him to see her with Geon-joo. When it turns out to be both of her siblings instead, she can’t stifle a laugh.

Seo-young notes Chan-hyuk’s bad mood and badgers him about who he went on a trip with. He gets frustrated when she outright says she likes him, but she argues he told her mom he’d be responsible for her. He was the only one who believed her claim that her rich ex raped her.

Chan-hyuk thinks her mom believes her, despite Seo-young’s assertion that her mom locked her up so she wouldn’t report it. Geez. Seo-young just needed someone to believe her, and that was Chan-hyuk. She reiterates he needs to take “responsibility” for her but takes it back when he threatens that he won’t continue working with her if she keeps doing this.

There’s an awkward round of introductions with the siblings and Eun-hee’s potential beau. Afterward, the siblings eat at Eun-hee’s place. She’s surprised they both want her to talk their parents out of the separation or, at least, selling the house. Ji-woo takes his sisters’ bickering as his cue to leave.

Eun-joo asks if Geon-joo was her “mistake.” Eun-hee blames Chan-hyuk for tattling, but Eun-joo reveals she blabbered about it when she was drunk. If he’s her coworker, she encourages Eun-hee to keep a clear divide between work and dating.

Eun-joo wants Eun-hee to keep quiet about her and Tae-hyung, saying it’ll take time to resolve. She thanks her for lending Chan-hyuk to her as a friend. Eun-hee goes quiet and fidgets uncomfortably.

The following morning, Kyung-ok comes to work sporting a new, chic style. Geon-joo watches amusedly as Eun-hee goofily takes pictures while Kyung-ok poses. Meanwhile, Ji-woo clocks Chan-hyuk’s bad mood and gathers that he’s screening Eun-hee’s calls (though Chan-hyuk denies it).

At work, Sang-shik concernedly asks Man-ho if he was a “crazy jerk” before. Man-ho gulps nervously as Sang-shik explains that he found out he was regularly scheduled at a neuropsychiatry clinic and heard he tried to commit suicide.

Desperate for answers, Sang-shik grabs Man-ho’s coat, asking if he knew about his second family. Man-ho divulges Sang-shik was the selfish type who didn’t share much. He just wrote in his journal all the time.

Sang-shik tears his truck apart searching for the journal and finds a compartment underneath the passenger seat. There are bank books, journals and a book with a note inside: “Eat slowly and chew thoroughly. I’m too embarrassed to say it, so I’m writing it instead. I love you.” He was right!

In a flashback, he finds the note in Jin-sook’s notebook and happily tears it out to keep. Jin-sook tells “mom” at the care center that hearing him recite the note made her remember it. An employee comes up with Seon-il and can’t believe she found saying “I love you” so embarrassing. Jin-sook gets a text from Sang-shik, saying he’ll tell the kids.

Before her meeting, Eun-hee texts Chan-hyuk again, still unable to reach him. Eun-joo, meanwhile, meets Hyo-seok at the laundromat. He apologizes for not telling her – he thought it should come from Tae-hyung.

Should she apologize for Tae-hyung’s role in his relationship woes? Hyo-seok scoffs at her coldness and comments that people who think they don’t know any gay people often just aren’t trustworthy enough for gay acquaintances to confide in.

Eun-joo asks if she should reflect on herself since he didn’t confide in her. “Are you always just the victim?” Does she have to be understanding of his actions because he faces discrimination? He doesn’t expect her understanding.

Before she leaves, she asks why he didn’t take the money Tae-hyung offered. Has she ever been in love? Hyo-seok just wanted to see who had stolen the person he loved, and that person turned out to be a deceitful jerk. Eun-joo’s eyes brim with tears once he leaves.

Elsewhere, Eun-hee meets with Sang-shik. She wonders if Jin-sook asked him what happened that day in the mountains, but he’s evasive. Eun-hee cautions that Ji-woo thinks it was a hiking accident, so they can’t talk about it later at Eun-joo’s.

Eun-hee wants him to promise it won’t happen again. Sang-shik insists it was an accident but promises anyway. He asks her to bring him the photo of him and Jin-sook, since “Miss Sook” won’t want it. Eun-hee notes his continued use of the nickname.

Eun-hee asks about the day of the photo, and he reminisces about proposing in the café. His romantic reenactment of kneeling and holding Jin-sook’s hand for the first time makes Eun-hee wonder if he really got his memory back.

They walk to her work and run into Geon-joo outside. Eun-hee mutters he’s almost met her entire family now. Ha.

Eun-joo runs into an old colleague who offers her partner at her firm. She guesses Eun-joo has been getting lots of offers but warns her against a particular firm – one of the partners is gay. She scoffs bigotedly that he “flaunts” it by wearing flamboyant suits. Eun-joo doesn’t call her out but crumples her business card once she’s gone.

On Sorok Island, Tae-hyung ruminates on the confrontation with Eun-joo and calls her. He wants her to forget the things he said since he was intentionally being spiteful. She tells him to come back so they can tie up loose ends. “Let’s be friends.”

He had once shared that there’s a Native American language in which friend means “someone who carries my sorrow on their back.” She’d asked if that kind of person exists. “You,” he’d answered. Later, Tae-hyung cries reading Eun-joo’s text that she’ll carry his sorrow, and he can carry hers.

That evening, Sang-shik and the kids gather at Eun-joo’s for dinner. Ji-woo chokes when Sang-shik goes on about how much Eun-joo resembles him. Abruptly, Eun-hee asks what Sang-shik’s dream was when he was young. He bashfully admits he wanted to participate in the Campus Song Festival, but he was never a college student.

Sang-shik tells the kids he wanted to meet to share that he’s moved out. He tries to convince them that everything is fine and promises nothing will change. He instructs them all to treat their mom well.

After dinner, Eun-hee heads back to work where Geon-joo is the only one left in the office. Eun-joo goes through her wedding photos as Eun-hee works into the night. Eun-hee keeps checking her phone, but Chan-hyuk still hasn’t replied to her texts.

Geon-joo asks why she’s been preoccupied with her phone, and she admits her friend has been ignoring her calls and texts. He thinks she must’ve done something wrong and suggests meeting her friend in person, then.

Geon-joo, knowing the friend is Chan-hyuk, doesn’t want to be jealous. So, he jealously asks her to come to him once she’s met with Chan-hyuk. Eun-hee agrees.

Early the next morning, Ji-woo carefully sneaks into the office only to stub his toe and cry out, waking Chan-hyuk. Ji-woo tells Chan-hyuk they should keep Eun-joo’s secret to themselves. He shares about his parents’ separation and his dad’s adoration of Eun-joo.

Chan-hyuk doesn’t think DNA is that important, anyway. And maybe Ji-woo misheard his parents. Ji-woo jumps on that idea and then pesters him about avoiding Eun-hee. She keeps bothering him about it.

Chan-hyuk claims the “timing isn’t right.” Ji-woo wonders what they were all doing on that trip in the first place, but Chan-hyuk advises him to patiently wait for the truth to be revealed. Ji-woo praises Chan-hyuk’s coolness and wishes Eun-hee had better taste so they could be brothers-in-law.

Chan-hyuk ignores another call from Eun-hee only to find her waiting outside his office. He honestly answers that he ignored her because she was tiring him out. They’ve already had a falling out once, so he doesn’t want to exhaust himself on a friendship that could easily fall apart again.

Eun-hee nods in understanding but challenges that she didn’t even get mad when he avoided her. She’s being all calm and rational. He knows she’s probably feeling bad for going overboard lately.

Eun-hee agrees, stating she’s good at reflecting on her actions. “Because I don’t want to ever put us in a situation where we stop contacting or seeing each other again.” She vows to have a great relationship with him for the rest of her life. Aw.

He suggests they not contact each other until Eun-joo’s situation is sorted out. She’s uncomfortable with Eun-hee knowing about it, so he’ll handle it. Eun-hee puts on a smile and agrees, asking him to take care of her sister. They both look upset once they’re alone.

Eun-joo stops by the house to talk to her mom. Jin-sook notices she looks unwell and hints hopefully that she could be pregnant, but Eun-joo adamantly denies it. She reveals that Sang-shik told them and asks her mom not to sell the house.

She catches Jin-sook off-guard when she asks, “Why didn’t you thank me back then?” Those years working and going to college were so difficult, yet her mother never encouraged her or thanked her. Even Tae-hyung’s mom thanked her for coming into their family.

Jin-sook has always been cold to her and her dad. Holding back tears, Jin-sook can’t meet her eyes as she admits she didn’t know Eun-joo felt this way. Eun-joo doesn’t need an apology; she just wants a reason. Jin-sook says words are too easy.

Girls her age where happy and enjoying life while Eun-joo struggled. Saying “thank you” would’ve been too brazen. She couldn’t even say “I’m sorry” because there was nothing she could do for her. “Words were useless.” Eun-joo says she needs to tell her mom something and confesses that before she got married, Sang-shik came to talk to her at work.

We cut to Eun-hee in what looks like a gallery or fancy café as she recalls her sister’s birthday is in June. She begins putting two and two together, remembering her father’s words that he proposed in October, and it was the first time he’d held hands with Jin-sook. Someone calls her name. Eun-hee turns to see Ha-ra smiling at her.

 
COMMENTS

Jin-sook finally stopped holding back. It was only a matter of time before she laid everything out in the open – you can’t bottle things up for decades without exploding at some point. I’m glad she voiced her anger and hurt, but it’s a shame this version of Sang-shik is clueless and can’t truly account for his actions. Then again, the Sang-shik before the accident would likely not have heard her. As he is now, he’s willing and eager to listen and make a change. He’s so horrified by who he became. Whenever he regains his memories, I hope he holds onto this perspective and realizes it’s not too late to change.

This episode highlighted for me how alike Jin-sook and Eun-joo are which is probably where their problems stem from. They both hold everything in and don’t express themselves easily. They’re always so distant, as if they’re watching everything from the outside. Both try to be unimpeachable and self-reliant to the point of pushing others away. Both women are getting a chance for a do-over, and I hope they learn to cut themselves some slack and accept help or even just warmth from others.

I wondered if Eun-joo knew Hyo-seok was gay, but it seems not. I get that she probably felt embarrassed and transferred some of her anger onto him, but Eun-joo was too harsh. Hyo-seok was not obligated to tell her about her own husband (who stole his boyfriend). And he’s the one who pushed Tae-hyung into confessing, anyway. I’m not saying she doesn’t have a right to be hurt. They were friends, so it makes sense she’d feel betrayed. But Eun-joo didn’t even ask him about his side of anything and wrote him off based on her own assumptions, seemingly. She just told Eun-hee that she doesn’t know everything about people like she thought. Although she constantly complains about Eun-hee’s emotional reactions, she basically did the same thing. I don’t think she’s as calm and rational as she’d like to think.

I’m confused by Chan-hyuk’s sudden turnabout with Eun-hee. Is it just for Eun-joo’s sake? Does he feel stuck between the sisters? I feel like I missed something here. Even if doesn’t want to be a go-between, which is fair, they could just agree not to talk about Eun-joo. No contact for the duration is extreme. But I do understand if he needs a break from being the fixer. Eun-hee and Ji-woo have been dragging him into their problems, and it must be exhausting. That being said, he could try to establish boundaries with Eun-hee. He complains about her cutting him out, so you’d think he’d try to talk out any issues between them rather than avoiding her. At least Eun-hee didn’t give up, and they had an honest talk. I love the transparency in their relationship and their refreshing lack of communication problems, so I’d hate to see that threatened.

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Eun Hee's fear that it was Chan Hyuk was so interesting because it was incredibly palpable. I'm honestly surprised she doesn't act on it. Her messiness with her creepy boss seems to be coming to roost. I really hope she dumps him, even if she doesn't end with Chan Hyuk, who is a saint by the way.

As for Eun Joo, I think she is in a position she has never been in before or at least recently. Everything is out of control for her and so she is lashing out. Unfortunately she isn't doing it in a particularly healthy way. I agree she needs to learn to let things out and not hold it in.

As for the maknae, he is really sweet. That is all. 😁😜

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Chan Hyuk IS a saint. Sweetly empathetic male characters are not uncommon in kdramas but they are usually older, paternal types. Young men can be understanding and wise, too, but mostly directed to the romantic partner. Chan Hyuk is consoler-in-chief for EVERYBODY. I would not mind the show exploring his family -- what kind of amazing parents and sibling can produce such a impressive human being?

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By the way he looked at EunHee when she said how much she envied those family trips... he looked surprised and sad, my first though was Oh-Oh, they are not a happy family!

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Kim Ji-suk has played this type of role to perfection - with just the right warmth and sage advice but not patronising. It won’t be a surprise if he gets cast for this.

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I've always loved him in this type of roles. He's perfect here. Just perfect.

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I think Chan-hyuk is so generous with Eun-hee and her family for the very same reason that he wasn't able to tell her about her cheating boyfriend. He has always liked her. If he broke up her relationship by telling the truth, he could be accused of doing it for himself. I think Eun-hee likes him too, but is afraid that he likes her sister instead. The only one who really sees their feelings for each other is her sketchy boss.

That's why Chan-hyuk was disappointed after their conversation. It sounded like she permanently friend-zoned him.

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Yup..this is the sense that I get as well. They both had the same reaction last ep, when EH said she brought him to be a support to EJ and then when CH accepted the mission - they were both disappointed with the other at some level yet resigned to the roles they have chosen to cast themselves in. If EH was being completely honest, she'd have said that she wanted him to come along to be a support to her and he went along coz he knew she might not handle the confrontation well if she went on her usual emotional outburst mode. EH seems to think his interest in EJ is romantic and knowing him acknowledges that he'll be a good fit for her emotionally guarded sister,esp when EJ is facing such a tumultuous time.This is also mixed up with the guilt she feels for 'abandoning' her sister. But when he seems to accept the role, she realizes she doesn't want him to.We can see the same discomfort when EJ thanks her for 'lending' her friend. She's fine with the concept cerebrally but when it looks like these 2 ppl that she loves might actually get close, the idea leaves her cold. She is a class-A avoider.
CH also seems to be suppressing his feelings for her. In their 20s,she chose their mutual friend and so he doesn't think she sees him in any romantic light. He actually took the easy way out and latched on the chance to cut her off when she rightfully called him out on his silence 4 years ago. Now that they reconnected and she seems willing to push him onto her sister, he is being confronted with his emotions for EH again. He's gone into self-preservation mode and seems to want to keep ignoring these unexplored feelings he has for his BFF.

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This is a great analysis.

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I totally agree with @lindag's and your comments.

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Still not getting all the Chan Hyuk love, but then I don't see him as a saintly sweet empath ... to me, he's just really passive. He's good at listening, or avoiding, when things become too messy, but what has he really "fixed"? He certainly has not fixed any of Eun-Hee's issues, he's just extremely judgmental and then good at avoiding her when she becomes inconvenient. Then when I consider she is going to have to drive him everywhere for the rest of their lives... he better be really, really good at...something.

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I think that Chan Hyuk provides a different type of consolation to the Kim siblings. He may appear passive, but he is the only one who‘s approachable enough, compassionate enough for them to vent.
The difference between him and other characters in the drama is that other characters seemed to make decisions on their own, thinking they are making the best decision on behalf of others. The Kims, Taehyung, and even Hyoseok- they made unilateral decisions without communicating. Chan Hyuk, may have been conflict adverse, but at least he let them talk it out their issues and tried to come up with a “face-saving” solution, even though he’s been one with decisions made for him.

The problem is that he’s the only one and he has to have had some limit. He was trying to draw a line by ignoring Eun-Hee’s call, but he’s just very ineffective about it.

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Happy to not be the only one worrying about Chanhyuk's inability to set boundaries 😋
Really like his character, but I worry about him getting so sucked into the Kim's problems that he ends up burnt out

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I also agree with you that he needs to set limits.
He seems to be the one everybody leans on when they need it, and that may be the reason why he's always tired and seems passive: all this burden is draining his energy away.
He needs to start saying no, and in fact, he did: and that's why he told EunHee not to see each other for a while.

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Yes, but then she didn't accept it, did she? At least she went to him and told him how much she appreciates his friendship... and stayed out of his company lunch until he came out (I guess that was an effort for her) 🤣

Obviously, those two still need to come clear to themselves and one another about whatever it is that's going on between them. But watching EH acting clownish for him and pretending everything's ok, it feels like they've been going like this for ages

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He's a pretty good listener which is hard to find. I'd drive him around for the rest of his life xD

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This drama is about communication or rather the lack of communication.

With Chan Huyk, the characters feel confortable enough to talk to him, to reveal their feelings, to share their burden. He's not jugdemental, he gives his opinion.

His role is not to fix things for people, they're all adults, they have to fix their own life, but to be there to help them.

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I agree with you. He's never been judgemental to me. In fact, he's quite the opposite. Any other male character in dramaland would have crossed EH for spending the night with her new boss the day she met him, and he didn't judge her, nor did he say any bad word.

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Agreed, you articulated my response beautifully, so I don't need to add anything.

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ChanHyuk is the least judgmental character in the whole lot. He listens to all the siblings and supports them. His talk to SeoYeon also shows how supportive he has been. In this episode he set boundaries not just with EunHee but also SoeYeon and he did it empathetically. You could tell by his posture, especially when he gets up to get his food after talking to EunHee, that he is burnt out. EunHee was taking advantage of him by taking him with her to meet TaeHyun and then leaving him there to comfort EunJoo. She walked away from him and didn’t contact him for 5 years and right away starts using him as her emotional trash can. Being an emotional trash cancan be exhausting and she wasn’t paying attention to how it was impacting him. It’s been all about her and I’m glad he set some boundaries.

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I do think they were both responsible for the fall out 5 years ago. She was wrong to tak out all her frustrations on CH rather than the cheating BF, but she did have legitimate reasons to be mad at him as well. h
He blew up at her pretty badly as well..they both went for each other in an unhealthy way , but IMO both parties were at fault. And to EH's credit, she apologized and I am yet to hear him take his fair share of the blame for that fall-out.
Now I whole heartedly agree their current dynamics is pretty unfair on him, (but then
again he does consistently shut her down whenever she tries to get him to talk about his life) and it's good that he's drawing the line.

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I agree with you about how CH feels about EH. I'm not getting in the possible romantic feeling, but the fact that she's draining his energy from him. Because EH is that kid of person, who, whenever is trouble needs to talk about it with others and receive attention and affection. I'm not saying this is bad (in fact, I think her attitude is better than EJ, who doesn't express her feelings), but she can be overwhelming, because she will tell you her problems whether you want to listen or not. She did it with EJ when she broke up with his ex, and she didn't realize her sister was not in the right mood to be her shoulder, but she didn't care. And now she's doing it with CH. He ignores her, but she keeps pushing. She even waited outside of the studio. Any other character would have been called selfish, but not her because she is cute (she really is, she's really heartfelt and nice), but to me she IS selfish, she's only thinking of her. She goes to CH because you have to forgive me, because I can't feel this bad.
I can understand so well that CH is exhausted.

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For such a simple story about lives that are quite ordinary, there is so much densely packed into every episode. And the wonderful cast really brings it home. Han Ye-Ri is the focal point but there is not a weak link in the ensemble.

We are getting all the gaps filled in but the question I look forward to seeing answered is what turned Sang Shik into the man right before the suicide attempt? This is not a "Regarding Henry" situation where there is a true personality change but Sang Shik has reverted back to the gentle soul he was in his youth.

And a deep bow to both Han Ye-Ri and Choo Ja Hyun -- I have remarked about it before but the way the panoply of conflicting emotions which run past their faces when (1) Eunjoo is telling Eunhee about leaning on Chan Hyuk and then (2) in an almost reciprocal way, Eunjoo wordlessly processing her mother's explanation of why she could never voice her appreciation of her daughter...just spectacular acting.

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I have this theory, and I've had it from the beginning: Sang Shik never cheated on JinSook, but she assumed he had done, and changed her behaviour towards him, and as the clueless man he was bitterness grew on him the same way it grew in JinSook. They are both victims of their lack of communication, something they passed on their children.

I also agree that the acting is superb. I would love to chose just one, but I can't. Every actor brings so many nuances to their characters...

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I agree, I don't think he cheated on her either. I think he was helping that other family for some reason, and so he would just be tired and not his usual self so that is why she felt distance.

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This could explain how Sang Shik turned into such a meanie grumps from the sweet guy he was in younger days. I dont know if it’s true or not but a story have been floating around recently about a Japanese guy who didn’t talk to the wife for 20years. Seems he was sulking with her for paying less attention to him after they had kids.. I mean 20 years dude.. you could’ve just told her whats the problem 😏

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If only people talked to each other... so many problems is this world would be solved.

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This.

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There are so many standout scenes in this drama due to the top notch acting of almost everyone - but the one scene of mom saying why she couldn’t express her appreciation of EJ’s contribution and another similar scene but in reversed condition in Ep 8 really got me.

This is another great ensemble piece after Hospital Playlist though with totally different vibe.

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Yes, Mi Kyung was spectacular in that scene and I really felt the sorrow and powerlessness she felt as a mother there.in the receiving end, Ja Hyun silently absorbing the fact that her distant parent did see her struggles was also excellent. The scene also added so nuance to her earlier blow out on SS. The fact that she had to helplessly watch her children struggle and know that her husband is keeping half his pay away to supposedly support his other child. Oof it's a tough life she has lived....

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Eun-joo and Mom's conversation had a lot of tension in it. Every time EJ asks a question, you can feel Mom's emotions. I understand Mom's perspective of thinking that words can be empty in their situation but it felt like no matter how empty it may have been, it would have melted EJ's struggle of being the bread winner.

I was actually expecting EJ to ask about Hyo-seok's side of the story and was surprised that she made a conclusion. But it did look like she regretted it after.

And yey to EH realizing that she has feelings for CH.

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Jin Sook’s viewpoint on providing words of encouragement or consolation, to me, is very typical of Asian parents. My parents had said similar things to me when they knew and noticed that I was struggling. They just simply said, “Would that have fixed anything?” I just wish older Asian parents understand words are just as powerful as actions.

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That's true. That's why I understood Jin Sook's pov because it took awhile for my parents to say those words. For our parents and to Jin Sook, action speak louder than words, but sometimes, words could mean as much too.

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Thanks for sharing this about Asian parents, it makes me understand more JinSook.
I come from a family which would be the exact opposite of this one: we talk about everything, we express our feelings and would always be telling how much we love each other.

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Words of affirmation can be a rare thing in an Asian family or maybe it's just mine xD

and that's a lovely family you have.

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as @neener stated, the asian family culture traditionally does not focus on encouragement because the "given" is that children are expected to do nothing less than their absolute BEST at all times. no accolades are given in the process.

conversations arise when one doesn't do what is expected or if one fails, usually in the form of reprimands. the "best" encouragement from parents would be that you "learned from your failure and will try harder in the future"... meaning you cannot screw up again. if you do, there will be hell to pay as that is unacceptable. failure means one must simply do better the next time...

by now, in america, asian families have evolved to incorporate "positive reinforcement" in childrearing. but it is still a relatively new concept in asian american culture, and only for those 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation asians.

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This is so true. While I was growing up, mom always pointed out things that I did wrongly instead of praising for things I had accomplished. Now years and years have passed, and I decided to ask her just today why she didn't give any words of encouragement instead of reprimanding words/orders. (I got my inspiration to ask her this from this show.) She looked surprised. She told me it was easier to point out the wrong things instead of the right things. Ok I was confused, but I guess that's how my mother is. I'm glad that she now knows that at least her kids have always wanted some words of encouragement and the reason to believe that no matter how much we are screwed up in life they will always be there for us. It may increase our self-esteem as well.

And yes, it seems like at least in my Asian family, we tend to think on behalf of the others instead of voicing our thoughts out loud. There also seems to be the tendency towards lack of communication. However, my conclusion is that because how much competitiveness is valued among Asian parents, children absorbed that kind of value and if they love their parents, they just can't let them know how much they are struggling or how much thing has gone wrong as that might be considered weakness. Parents are normally too busy and stressed out to listen and give them words of encouragement. I relate so well with this show as I can picture an Asian family like this in my country or other Asian countries.

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Yes, being vulnerable is a sign of weakness and in an Asian family, being weak can be equated to being a failure. T_T

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The marriage of Jin-sook and Sang-shik has been a source of great pain to the both of them. We have yet to hear the full story but we now know several important facts: We know that Jin-sook married him to get a husband to help her raise another man’s unborn child and resented her situation absolutely from the beginning. She felt so trapped that she almost aborted her third child. That resentment in turn might have been why Sang-shik turned to another woman and had a second family- which in turn lead to Eun-joo having to spend the entire decade of her twenties working to fill the financial hole left by her father’s partial abandonment of her family. Needing to escape from her family she too married a man for the wrong reason- and Tae-hyung likewise married her as an escape also. The irony is that in a sense Eun-joo repeated her mother’s mistake. The good news is that Eun-joo can still do something about it.

It should be no surprise that both Jin-sook and Sang-shik became filled with rage and despair, to the point where Sang-shik probably did indeed intend to kill himself- and Jin-sook can see no alternative to simply running way from her family.

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I think you are missing something here. Jin-sook didn't love Sang-shik when she married him, but she fell in love with him with time. That's why she wrote that note. And that's why she resented the strange phone calls that she felt destroyed her happy home. She only thought about aborting her baby after she believed Sang-shik betrayed her and their children. Whether he actually betrayed her or not is an open question. There is only circumstantial evidence: phone calls, a "son," and half a paycheck. But we've seen that Sang-shik put a lot of money aside to repay Eun-joo, and it's possible that he put other money aside for something else that Jin-sook didn't know about. It's possible that he was testing her love for him because he wanted and deserved to be trusted. It's possible that Jin-sook jumped to conclusions about the circumstantial evidence, and became embittered, and that her bitter treatment of him was part of what embittered him. He may also have as-yet-undisclosed misunderstandings of her behavior that fed his anger and bitterness. If they could open the truth of what really happened, there is some hope that they could forgive each other and find peace.

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You are right that we don't know if Sang Shik cheated but this couple shouldn't have married in the first place. Yes, she grew to love him but their incompatibility was to great to overcome the rest after the honeymoon phase passed. They have not been happy around each other for years. I think its best that they go their separate ways. They can perhaps forgive each other and find peace but I think they can still do that while being divorced.

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It's very difficult for older generations to divorce one another in my country which is an Asian country. Women tend to do their absolute best to try to avoid being divorced at all costs. People don't look at divorcing as one normal circumstance that might happen in life, but thing to be avoided at all costs if you're married. I'm glad that this unhealthy perspective is changing in younger generations.

If their bitterness towards one another is stemmed from their misunderstanding and lack of communication between them, I'll root for their return to one another. But if the case is different, having a healthy parents-children relationship should be enough for them. If I were one of them, I'd choose something that gives me peace (especially if peace hasn't been obtained for a long period of time.)

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You may be right and I may have jumped to conclusions too quickly. We have a ways to go with this story.

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I totally agree with you. As I've written in my comment I believe SS never cheated on JS, but the bitterness grew on them because of the lack of communication and something very important @gem28 has mentioned: they were too different when they married and when the honeymoon phase was over, it was just clear that they were too different. Add to that the fact that they didn't talk to each other, and we have unhappiness all around.

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EunJoo was her family provider during the time SS had an accident and was in hospital and then he had to recover.
I also think that if SS saved the money for EJ, he may have done the same for the rest of his children, although it doesn't make sense that he hided it from JS, I can understand it because by then probably both of them had been apart and not talking to each other for years.

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Jinsook gives the impression that she felt trapped in this marriage since the beginning. She was a student, and she ended up marrying an (apparently) random guy to cover up her pregnancy and gave up on her dreams. But what about Sangshik?
I find it interesting how proud he is that Jinsook studies "poetry", and that he hid his past from her when they were young, and tried to look more "cultured" (his story about Dr Zhivago being the first movie he ever watched, and how he went beforehand to the cinema before going with her, lest he's do something wrong... and him crying even by the third time he watched it - there's so much to unpack just in that short story).
The way he talks to his kids at dinner at HJ's place: his dream of singing at the College Song Contest, the sad comment that he didn't study like his kids so he doesn't have fancy words to explain things... Sangshik had dreams that he put aside to provide for his family. It seems like he was an artistic guy who wanted to study, but life never gave him a chance.
There's a lot of sadness about past choices in this drama

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Now that I have watched episode 8 I have genuinely reconsidered the thoughts that I expressed above. That episode changes some of what we thought that we knew. I will not express my newer thinking here because there would be spoilers.

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This drama is soooo good! I really like it!

I have the impression all the parents story is a misunderstanding. They never talked to each other. The mum thought her husband had a second family and she kept it for herself. The father seemed to be very cold with the mum and we don't know why. Overall, it has really affected their children and Eun-joo in particular.

Looks like Eun-hee and Chan-hyuk have feelings for each other but they're afraid to destroy their friendship. CH had no reason to ask her to make a break... I think he's trying to protect himself.

Eun-joo is a very proud person and I think she would prefer that nobody knows about her marriage but the barrista knows. I understand why she's angry, he approached her with an agenda and not genuinely. I don't think she had feelings for him but she did lower her guard with him. She always things the worst of people and how they will make fun of her life and he knows all the details...

I understand the frustration of Ji Woo but he have to say the truth. This secret concerns his sister and her life not him. Acting like nothing happened won't help.

I think we won't escape the jealous and crazy ex-girfriend... I already hate her, don't hurt Eun-hee!

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Totally agree with you about mum and dad. Their relation is based clearly on a terrible lack of communication.

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I was really happy when TaeHyeong made that call. It made me consider him a person in pain again who needs someone to help him assume his situation, and this may be the first step to find some healing, and I really thing EunJoo and him can really help each other, because at least they have to be good friends.

I agree with your thoughts about EunJoo and JinSook. They are very much alike, not showing their feelings. That conversation in the kitchen was hard to watch. The disgust EunJoo feels towards her mum (because she grew up thinking mum wanted to kill her and because she was the main supporter of her family while dad was in hospital...) is exactly the same disgust mum feels about dad. And it all comes from a lack of communication, and the same way EunJoo has misunderstood mum I have the feeling mum has been misunderstanding dad all these years. I've always thought he never cheated on JinSook, and that YoungSik is not his son, and that "I love you" not, kept for so many years in his notebook, has given me another reason to think so.

Regarding ChanHyeok and EunHee, I really don't know where they are. I've commented before that I'd rather they still be friends, but I think that's not where the drama is taking us. I still fell ChanHyeok is not telling us something. For instance, when he and EH were talking and she told him how much he envied his trips with his parents, his look was kid of sad. There's something more that we're not being told.

Also, I understand CH and the way he wants to stay a little away from EunHee. To me she's the kind of person who drains your emotions away. So far, she's only thought about herself on every action she's taken (which is not bad and she's already explained why she did it, because long ago she never put herself in the center), but when you're friends with someone who calls you to talk about all your problems (sentimental, familiar), drags you into a trip to find out a family secret and then leaves you to solve the situation, and then demands you pain attention to her again, again and again.... I can understand CH so well: give me a break, because you're draining my energy away.

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I also got that sad look on CH's face. Some earlier comments were about how wonderful CH's family must be, but my hunch is that maybe the opposite is true. In one of the first episodes, he also tells maknae something about "troubled families

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What if - bear with me here - Sang-shik's second family isn't actually a woman he was having an affair with, but someone he had to take responsibility for?

This theory is based on nothing other than the fact that he drives a truck. He could have killed a man in a traffic accident and ended up supporting his family, without being able to tell that to his wife because she was pregnant and struggling.

His guilt over that death is what was causing his ongoing depression and anger issues. Now that this has been wiped from his memory, he's back to being a sweet and optimistic person.

(It's also very possibly that I'm writing a whole new drama here and he was just a cheating husband)

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Honestly, I can't see him having a second family. He was so in love with his wife and even if he was angry, I can't see him disrespect her like this. It's why it's frustrating they didn't talk to each other...

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I agree with you two. I kept thinking from the beginning that I didn't buy the cheating, and this week's episodes confirmed me that. I don't know what is the relation between YoungSik and SS, but I don't believe he's his biological son.

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It would help if Yonshik actually talks to SangShik and doesn’t keep running away!

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I also think that Young-shik is not really his son but could be a son of someone he owed back when he was young.

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As soon as we met his "son," I thought Sang-shik might be taking responsibility for him for some reason. An accident is a good theory. It also might be that a friend died in an accident, and SS stepped up to help. "I'll be your father now." I just think he adored his wife too much to have an affair.

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That's a good theory. I definitely don't think Young Sik is actually his son.

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Cloggie-I was sold on the second family idea until I saw how old the "second son" is- and now I am thinking that you are right. It took half his paycheck for a long time but he may have been helping out the victims of his accident, including taking on a parental role towards the "son". The irony here is that he probably was NOT legally responsible for the accident- or his insurance (or his company's insurance if he was still an employee then and not an owner-operator- which he is now) would have compensated them. Instead it was the other driver who was legally responsible for the accident- and did not have adequate insurance- which is why Eun-joo spent her twenties supporting herself and her family. Meanwhile Sang-shik had felt guilty because the other driver died, so he felt a moral obligation to help the other family. Only later episodes will tell us if we are right.

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Spent some days away, and as soon as I got WIFI, I ran to this drama! This is so good... the Kims' weird communication strategies and all the family secrets unfolding are my catnip.

And now I have questions and thoughts:

*TY wanting to be friends with HJ... Mmmm, thanks, but no, thanks. I get it that they understand each other on a deep level. I could even forgive him having kept her in the dark about himself for so long (coming out is not the same for everybody, and his journey - living in a place where apparently it's ok to blurt out homophobic hate and in a family that didn't support him - seems to be a long and difficult one). But everything he did to her has been hateful: running away, the laptop, his words and physical violence. No.

*HJ and HS. Girl, get your act together. You guys need to talk and clear things out, but you could use a friend.

*HJ making Mom feel guilty. I understand where that came from, but it was ugly. On the other hand, how hard must it have been for HJ to carry the weight of her whole family so young and not hearing a simple thanks, some appreciation for her effort. How unloved she must have felt.

*CH is freezing EH out because he was upset that EH pushed him to comfort noona, right? My interpretation is that he likes JH and is hurt that she practically "gave him" to her sister. Also, this guy really has a problem with keeping boundaries, doesn't he? Not only with the Kims, his employees waltz in and out of his house/company (see the lack of clear boundaries?) whenever they feel like it. That's not great.

*references to a big accident. That "brother" with a limp. The stickers on the truck and the drawings on the worksite. Clues. Don't want to spoil it, but I'm starting to think that maybe Dad didn't start another family, he took responsibility for something.

*So, Player VP gives good advice... based on intel he got through devious means. I feel like the drama wants to rehabilitate him, but I just can't.

And a couple of questions for next episode's recap.
*Player VP and his girlfriend...
*What's the deal with TH and Dad? It was implied in an earlier episode that Dad left the "proposal dinner" and then came back. Now, in the wedding flashback, it seems like something's up with TH's father, was he a friend of Mom?

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We've shared more or less the same thoughts, although I really appreciated TH calling EJ to apologize and find this may be the first step to healing, and regarding EJ and mum, I'm on EJ side... Parents should always be the adults (or more adults in this case) in the relations with their children. The fact that EJ told her that she had always been cold to her and dad made me really sad. I'm asking myself is inadvertently blaming EJ for her sad life, as she was the reason she married SS.
The theory of the accident is growing. Maybe the accident that got SS into hospital caused as well the Young Sik injuries in his leg. The stars and stickers... I believe there is another person involved, maybe someone with a disability that is child trapped in an adults body... maybe Young Sik brother?

I also had the feeling drama wants to redeem Player VP. He's being nice, he's telling his ex that they are over in front of two of his employees, he's giving good advice... that doesn't make me trust him. I can't help but like him (a lot, nothing will change that), but I don't trust him. EJ is so right to tell EH to draw a clear line between love and work. And of course EH is not listening.

And CH... well... it happens that people who listen rarely talk about themselves. I think that's what happens here.

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JS feeling like mom treated her worst than her siblings also made me asad. JS "is blaming EJ for her sad life, as she was the reason she married SS." You may have a point there!
But there could be another reason: in some families, parents tend to be harder on the "strong" kids (and EJ is clearly very intelligent and strong) because they feel they need their energy to protect the "weak" ones, or maybe Mom was overcompensating for feeling so identified with her (they are so similar!) that she felt that she needed to hide a preference for her... Or maybe it's a mix of all the previous reasons!

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Also, EJ always thought (until recently), that Mum had tried to kill her but left EH to stay alive with Dad. In EJ's mind, that became: Mum loved EH and not me. Whereas really, Mum ran with the kid that wasn't SS's and left him with the one that was.

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Don’t like the VP. He is selfish and putting EH’s reputation on the line. Him waiting for her to go into the meeting is not romantic it’s reckless and borderline harassment. He keeps overstepping his bounds and she doesn’t seem to want to do anything about it. At least in the previous episodes she tried putting boundaries and then released his stalking and now its back to being all lovely! I like EH’s character but I can’t with the whole VP story arc!

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I know this is about the next episode - and I'm sure all shall be made clear in the next recap - but I thought the man in the wedding flashback wasn't TH's father but Eun-joo's biological father, and Dad was shook because that meant Mum was still in touch with the man, to invite him to daughter's wedding.

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Didn't think of it, that's a good angle!

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My same thoughts.

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Spoiler.
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Yes, that’s what the sub said - “I saw EJ’s biological father at her wedding”.

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There seem to be some secrets hidden in the wedding pictures. One of which comes out next episode but in a very tangential manner.

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Now that you say it Chan Hyunk said to Eun Joo "As a photographer I see and hear a lot" and then he tells her to look at those photos when she's feeling down.. does this mean he's onto smth?

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“ but Eun-joo's biological father, and Dad was shook because that meant Mum was still in touch with the man, to invite him to daughter's wedding.“

Exactly how I viewed the scene.

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Also the fact that he didn't know that she invited him. I will understand mom if she says she invited him because as her biological father he has a right to but then as Eun Joo's father who raised her and loved her like her own, Sang Sik too had a right to know that he (bio father) was being invited.

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Exactly. The sense of betrayal on his face, when it should have been a day of joy and celebration!

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The family dinner at EJ's place was sweet. It felt like it was the first time SS bonded with his kids in a long time (if ever). And EH, the one who always sided with Mom, putting food on his plate...

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And how sad:
* EH, like Mom, was climbing on the truck for the first time... Dad's second home, his pride and joy, and apparently nobody in the family ever climbed in since he bought it.
* Dad was visiting EJ's appartment for the first time (and taking photos, pffffff... I'd do too).
*Kids didn't know about Dad's love for music (only EH, because she was commissioned to record CDs), or that Dad can sing.

How strange is that? Looks like Dad has been living on his own for a long time now

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It was all really sad. It seems as if SS after assuming he had lost his wife’s love concentrated on his work and made himself not accesible to his family, specially the two youngest who seem to be much closer to their mum. SS turned into a ghost in his own family. That is really sad.

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Jin-sook didn't even know his hometown after all these years, because he was too insecure to tell her. He seems to have gone through life with a strong sense that he needed to hide because he didn't measure up to educated people like his wife.

At the same time, he had a big heart. He was thrilled to marry Jin-sook even though she was pregnant with another man's child. He loved Eun-joo as much or more than his biological children. He seems to have adopted someone else's unfortunate child. So how did this big-hearted loving man become so angry, bitter, and depressed? I feel as though SS and JS are tangled in giant spider webs of misunderstanding that could easily be cleared away with some honesty.

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If only they had spoken to each other about what worried them, so many bitterness would have been spared...

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I guess one way to look at this drama is that it's about secrets, deep and not so deep, and how they affect relationships. Jin-sook has the secret of her pregnancy, about what she did that day with EJ, about her relationship with the fruit dealer, and who knows what else? Sang-shik had a secret "son," had a secret relationship of some kind with an unknown woman, saved money secretly, got treated secretly for depression. EJ had secrets from her family; her husband had secrets from her; the barista friend knew but didn't tell. Little brother claims to have a secret girlfriend. CH apparently has secrets of his own, not least liking EH all these years. And EH seems like the secret-wrecker. She stumbles into other people's secrets. Meanwhile her boss was secretly stalking her from afar. And she is trying to keep a secret from herself: she really likes CH but is afraid to lose him.

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The shot that got me thinking was the close up on the stickers stuck to the passenger’s side of the dashboard in the truck. A child did that, which means ...

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I thought from the very first time I saw it that it wouldn't be a child, because a child cannot travel on a cabin truck (or at least he/she shouldn't), but an adult with some kind of mental disability.

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That would mean an adult character we haven’t seen yet?

My thought was The truck had been in use for a long time, and his “other son” had been in the truck as a child. In any case, since the director purposely held the shot on the stickers, they are a clue.

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It is a new truck, when he first sees it after he lost his memories his friend told him he bought it only a couple of years ago and that it mainly belonged to the bank because of the loan.
When he visited the construction site where YS works, there were child drawings near the stall, with cars and dinosaurs and stars and colours. At first I thought the sticks would have been there because of YS, but he only seems to have only a limp, that's why I thought maybe there's some other "brother" with mental issues.

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“But I do understand if he needs a break from being the fixer. Eun-hee and Ji-woo have been dragging him into their problems, and it must be exhausting.”

Exactly. I’m looking at their relationship from the outside and even I want to ship Chan Hyuk off on a holiday somewhere. It’s like he’s Mr Fixer for all the siblings and the girl employee.

I know Eun Joo is cold but the end scene with her mom, is just too much for me. Maybe they were struggling financially and she had to step up as breadwinner but asking for acknowledgement the way she did, did she ever thank her mom before? I doubt so.

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For 20 years, Eun-joo thought that her mum tried to kill herself and her daughter, then Eun-joo overworked herself to help the family to the point she was crying alone outside. I can understand she needed a simple sign from her mum. Eun-joo's coldness is directly connected to her mum's behavior.

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Eunjoo’s behaviour is a learned behaviour from her mum. Unless you were taught to say thanks and sorry in a relationship, it is something that never crosses your mind. Eunjoo won’t say it and equates money as appreciation because that was how her family defines “appreciation”. By using that tactic, albeit its meanness and depreciating, she was hoping it would change her mum’s mind about “marriage graduation”.

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Eun Joon and mum are very much alike: they both keep things to themselves and take assumptions on other and take decisions from there, which has lead to so many misunderstandings.

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One more thing, this is taken from my upbringing in an Asian family directly. If you are older son or daughter or the more strong/ capable one, in time of crisis, you step up, you do what you gotta do. There is no thank you, no sorry for this, no gifts, prizes or hugs. Our parents did the same so you do the same. Its not healthy mindset but it is just the way it is. I am suprises Eun Joo harbored this much resentment for something that is unfortunately pretty common practice in our society. Maybe, it was her misconception about the suicide, we don't know. But just because her mother didn't share or try to take his life absolutely doesn't make her the villain here, she suffered just as much. Her entire identity has been defined by especially Eun Joo to be dictated her or her sibilings or her father. That is such a narrow mindset for somebody like Eun Joo that it baffles me. You made me and dad suffer, so stick to the marriage even it kills you from inside. She is almost punishing her there in her mind, there is nothing rightgeous or healthy there. Her mother is a woman, she is not perfect but she did a lot more than Eun Joo gives her credit for. I feel exhausted when she speaks to her mother just looking at her. I have dealt with people like her. Its easy sympathizing for her from far, but you would avoid her like a plague if you had to deal with that on regular basis or at the receiving end of her cutting words. I hope to God her mother prioritizes herself here.

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And part of my upbringing is that a child will never be able to repay the parents for what they have done to raise us so this could be why her actions irked me. And in ep 8, EJ showed that she can dish out the advise but she doesn’t necessarily do the same.

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Eun Joo's situation....I have seen it closely play out in very close circle...that is why I guess I have hard time excusing her. The negativity she selectively dishes out, you would not want that near you in reality. She doesn't let go...she can't forgive or forget.....that is very hard to be around. Eun Hee may be confused but she can make peace...maybe that is why her mother naturally dotes on the other two, they are easier to deal with. Just because you give birth to them, doesn't necessarily mean their personality as they grow up is automatically easy to deal with or matches you. The flashback, why would a child think her mother bought medication to commit suicide. Wouldn't the natural thought process be that my mother isn't feeling well. This is another thing that has been playing out in my head since the revelation. Which kids immediately imagines suicide just because one parent took medication.

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About the negativity, i dont think EJ is purposely being negative but what i dont like is that she acts like EH is the emotional drama queen (and makes her feel bad abt it) while EJ is the calm rational one. When really all she’s doing is putting on a facade and pretending everything’s fine. I can’t say more on why she’s being hypocritical cos i don’t wanna spoil ep 8 here.

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So agree with that. I've always had a hard time with ppl who do things because they feel they "have to" and expect every one around them to be grateful to them, won't miss any occasion to remind x or y that they have been able to go to college because they worked their a*** off for them, or that they became who they are because of them. It is exhausting especially in the family. I have a hard time understanding EJ. I think Tae Hyung told her the truth: she really seemed as she despised her family, and to me that' s not okay.

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This is the first drama in awhile where I don’t ship anyone with anyone. I want everyone to just talk to each other and clear up all the misunderstandings and stop making decisions unilaterally! It’s also holding up a mirror to the culture of not talking about things and just carrying on. Maybe it’s an Asian thing but I wonder if this is also a colonial legacy of “stiff upper lip”.

I love all the characters except the VP (who can take a hike!). EunJoo and ChanHyuk are my favorites. They both take on the role of being the reliable one, the fixer, in every relationship. They do it very different ways but they both hide their pain while tending to others. Which is probably what made CH have a crush on EJ. The conversation between TH and EJ made me bawl, it was sad for both but I don’t think they can be friends definitely not in the way TH describes it. TH is correct that EJ is the kind to carry the sorrow of others on her back but he is not so that relationship will always be unbalanced unless he steps up and there are no indications that he would.

I also really like how they have handled gay characters so far in the show. It’s not an afterthought and not treated as a joke.

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Going to put my full thoughts under the recap for episode 8 but I wanted to defend EJ's reaction to HS. We know what his motives were and that he was pushing the husband to confess but all she knows is that he knew. And she isn't wrong, the foundation of their friendship was duplicitous. We already know it is hard for her to trust people, so I get her feelings of betrayal and hurt.

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I am so sure the Dad does not actually have a second family. With the bank books that he found, I am sure half of his pay actually went to a savings account for his family. It's really hard for me to believe the complete 180 of 22-yr old Sang shik and the current one. I think he became that way for a reason too and I think he must have kept grudges too. Or, the feeling of never being enough for her, as a non-college educated man...This really highlights the importance of communication and the consequences of the lack of communication in a relationship. Sho very sad. As for Eun Joo, I still have a hard time with her personality. Kuddos to the actress playing her. She is just so cold and just looks unhappy. But, I am glad her relationship with Tae Hyung is taking this turn: I was hoping for that! Eun Hee is my girl! I love her, messiness and all. Though it is clear now that she has feelings for GH, I might be in the minority but I still feel her chemistry with her boss. On to watch the nxt episode and see what's the deal with the boss' "ex"!

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