I wasn’t sure why Kim Hye Ju was acting like a scared child when being confronted and outright bullied by Jin Seung Hee.
It bothered me that the wife of an Assemblyman was acting so weak but now that we know the reason why, I think Hye Ju is justified in her feelings.
Why Kim Hye Ju is Called a Murderer
It is absolutely ridiculous that Kim Hye Ju is being blamed for the murder of Seung Ho when the latter is implied to have sexually assaulted her as a teenager. It is frustrating and infuriating to watch last week’s scene of Yoo Shin crying in front of Seung Ho’s photo in the present, when she tried to pay Hye Ju off in the past to keep quiet.
Seung Hee is getting on my nerves, as well.
It seems Seung Hee and Hye Ju were friends in high school, and despite the flashback we got of her speaking with Ki Young about Hye Ju leaving after graduation – I don’t think Seung Hee really hates her old friend.
Given the psychological thriller-esque fantasy Seung Hee had about smashing Seung Ho’s photo and confronting her mother over 20+ years of neglect, I think Seung Hee is really just mad at herself, and how things turned out for her family.
Unfortunately, misplaced anger expressed by characters is nothing new in Korean dramas.
People get mad when you bring real-life cultural aspects into drama reviews, but in reality bullying is a problem in South Korea. In South Korea (and to an extent Japan) there is the need for a “scapegoat” who will “take responsibility” for the group’s emotional needs and frustrations.
Adults partake in this behavior, as well.
Usually in most (Korean) cases, the victim either quits school or commits suicide – and nobody cares. It is just forgotten about, and people move on with their lives. I dare say some people who partook in the bullying might even feel better about themselves over the death of one they claimed caused their life pain and suffering.
(Or, the victim meticulously plots their bullies’ downfall like in The Glory.)
Lee Yoo Shin lost her son Seung Ho, and instead now treats her living adult daughter’s husband Ki Young like crap. This was such a well-known fact that Assemblyman Nam’s team urged him to use this abusive relationship as ammo in his fight against Assemblyman Kang’s real estate scandal case.
(While Assemblyman Nam decided to take the high road back then, I doubt he will once Assemblyman Kang learns about his wife’s “past murder” of his relative and leaks it to the papers and press.)
Lee Yoo Shin treats her living adult daughter Seung Hee like garbage. Instead of just taking it in stride, hiding in her room, or running away abroad for 3 years again, Seung Hee now decides to harass Hye Ju every time her mother humiliates her.
Hye Ju, who has been nothing but warm and understanding toward Soo Bin, is now lashing out at her. Hye Ju has now decided to blame Soo Bin’s nosy tendencies that were there when they met on her current life affairs, and takes the stress she feels from Seung Hee out on Soo Bin.
As you can see, it is just a perpetual cycle that has no end.
What can be done, even if the truth does eventually come out?
Joong Do Visits the Hospital
I wonder if Assembly Nam’s wife’s past will be the ammo he needs to get the dating violence bill passed in under six months. After all, Yoo Shin did tell Hye Ju to “just pretend” she has a fling with a law student. If that has been Yoo Shin’s story for 20 years, I doubt she’d up and change it now.
I’m not sure if there are statutes of limitation on dating violence in Korea – especially since it doesn’t seem to be a hot issue in the drama’s world – but I think public sentiment could help sway the acceptance of punishment for those crimes.
(I remember that was also an issue in Law School, and the basis for the cases were murky at best.)
Anyway, the original point I wanted to make was that Woo Jae was right – Joong Do should not have visited the hospital. Especially with the revelation that Assemblyman Nam has been burying stories about Ji Seung Kyu releasing the explicit blackmail tape moments before jumping to his death.
Assemblyman Nam even hired a specialist to scrub the internet of the video – which is honestly more than enough on his part.
I don’t understand why he feels personally responsible for a scumbag blackmailing his girlfriend into killing herself, who then leaked the video anyway just before killing himself to avoid facing any consequences. Sure, we could argue it was due to “public outcry” and Ji Seung Kyu being bullied online and in real life – but I fail to see how his ruined reputation negates the forgotten corpse of his ex-girlfriend.
Soo Bin’s Lip Balm
Is Soo Bin’s lip balm made of gold or something? I mean unless Ji Hoon (or his father Joong Do) gave her the original balm – I don’t understand why she is trying to find something that cost $2 at best.
Does it speak to Soo Bin’s character that she thought nothing of breaking into Hye Ju’s work studio, trying to check her cell phone while she was in the shower, and even yelling at little kids while at Yeo Jin’s restaurant?
Although, in her defense, I’ve never known an honest politician.
There might be something to Soo Bin’s constant eye rolls whenever people talk about how good a man Joong Do is whenever they are in her proximity.
I don’t know what is it, but Soo Bin was pretty aggressive toward Joong Do when she first showed up at his home. Then the late-night shoulder shrug in the hallway on the way to the bathroom…a lot of misplaced aggression and airs of hypocrisy.
Either way, we’ll soon see what it’s all about.
Tell me your thoughts.
Was Hye Ju pregnant with Seung Ho’s baby during the time she met Joong Do?
Did Joong Do and Soo Bin meet before their first “official” time in his home?
Is the Aide Woo Jae going to release the video of Ji Seung Kyu’s father assaulting Assemblyman Nam to the press at just the right time if there is a backlash in public sentiment after his hospital visit?
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