On the Way to the Airport: Episode 14

by SailorJumun

Oh man, this one’s a nail-biter for sure. More and more people are starting to find out about Su-ah and Do-woo’s relationship, and it’s not long before all the consequences they’d been fearing start catching up to them. Luckily, they both have some amazing friends on their side who are always there to give them a good hug or a much-needed push in the right direction.

 
EPISODE 14 RECAP

We rewind a bit to Jin-suk unwinding at home after work. He finds the framed ornament Grandma had gifted to Su-ah and tosses it aside, not thinking much of it.

After getting a call from Grandma Young-sook, he goes over to her house for dinner. He eats in a hurry so he can get out of there, but Young-sook wants to announce something: She’s planning her retirement and will be flying to New Zealand to live with Jin-suk’s sister.

Young-sook tells Jin-suk he can take her house along with Su-ah and Hyo-eun, but Jin-suk would rather keep things as they are and live separately. She can see that convincing her son is hopeless, so Young-sook finally breaks it to Jin-suk that Hyo-eun’s been attending a neighborhood school rather than an international one.

Jin-suk comes back home, thinking back to Su-ah’s words about moving to Jeju Island, and then Mi-jin’s words about Su-ah knowing about them. He scoffs at the fact that Su-ah would even use Mi-jin as an excuse to pull Hyo-eun out of school.

Hye-won hides away in her car in Jin-suk’s parking lot, watching Do-woo head into the apartment building. She calls Jin-suk, introducing herself as Annie’s mom. She tells him she wants to give him her thanks since Su-ah was with Grandma before her death, but that her husband will be coming in her place. She instructs him to open the door and hangs up.

By the time Do-woo figures out what Hye-won has done, he’s already on Jin-suk’s floor, and Jin-suk is already opening the door.

Jin-suk welcomes Do-woo inside, a friendly smile pasted on his face. Do-woo, on the other hand, doesn’t even bother to smile. Instead, his eyes land on the framed ornament resting on the couch. Jin-suk catches him staring at it and tosses it onto the table, saying it’s just something his wife had out.

This clearly bothers Do-woo, but he politely thanks Jin-suk for Su-ah’s kind actions. After getting a rather lackluster response from Jin-suk, Do-woo thinks back to Su-ah’s heated conversation with Mi-jin. The thought makes him pick up the ornament and gently place it on a shelf, on full display.

“Isn’t it a bit strange?” Jin-suk says behind him. Do-woo turns around to face him.

However, Jin-suk merely chuckles, referring to Do-woo coming here like Hye-won asked. He advises Do-woo not to do everything his wife says, otherwise there’s no end to it. Do-woo’s gaze is practically shooting daggers, but he somehow keeps it together to see himself out.

As soon as he exits the building, Do-woo gets a call from Hye-won. She says she can see him, and his eyes search the area until he spots her across the parking lot.

He marches straight to her, though he seems more hurt than angry. Hye-won asks if Do-woo feels like he might go crazy from having to hold his feelings in while in front of Jin-suk. “Why should you be like this?” Hye-won cries, “Why should the mighty Seo Do-woo live like this?” She tells him that she went to Jeju Island to give him the divorce he wanted, but…

We cut back to Jin-suk, witnessing the argument from his balcony. He’s amused with the sight until Hye-won’s face finally registers. Until the name “Do-woo” finally registers.

Jin-suk suddenly remembers meeting Hye-won in Australia and all the little hints she’d been sending him, as well as all the hints everyone around him, including Su-ah, has been sending him. “This doesn’t make sense,” he tries to tell himself.

Do-woo and Hye-won continue their conversation in the car. Hye-won can barely hold her tears back as she tells Do-woo that he’s still her husband, and she can’t understand why he’s willing to be sneered and pointed at, all for Su-ah. “Why must you do that? You think I’m giving you the divorce so you can do that?”

Even now, Hye-won knows that Do-woo is sitting here worrying about Su-ah, and how she must be suffering after coming across Hye-won. Hye-won isn’t bothered by that, but she hates thinking that Do-woo has to deal with the same thing. She begs him to come to his senses before she breaks down crying. Still unable to say anything, Do-woo puts a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Once Hye-won is calmer, she sits Do-woo down at the house so she can tell him the whole story – how she fled to Jeju in a state of panic, how she ran into Su-ah, and how she lashed out at her. And then Hye-won goes into the story of Annie’s birth, and how Annie truly was born out of love. But once Annie came into the world, Hye-won had been scared: “People say that when you have a baby, you forget about reality and only care about your baby. But I wasn’t like that. I thought it was the end.”

She couldn’t tell her mother about the baby, and she ended up getting severe depression. Annie’s father had known Hye-won wasn’t happy, so he’d said he would raise Annie and that Hye-won could forget all about them and live her life. So Hye-won jumped at the opportunity.

Hye-won dedicated her life to work and she soon erased Annie and the father out of her mind. So when Annie’s father was diagnosed with cancer and ultimately sent Annie to live with her, she claims, she was resentful.

That is, until Annie’s arrival got Do-woo to finally talk to Hye-won. And when Do-woo had asked who Annie was, Hye-won had uttered the words she’d buried for all those years: “She’s my daughter.”

Hye-won tells Do-woo that she regretted saying that all this time, and that she wished she’d just introduced Annie as some kid she knew. But now, she thinks calling Annie her daughter that day was the best thing she ever did.

We flash back to Hye-won storming into Grandma’s gallery after she’d slapped Su-ah, where she’d noticed the framed pictures of Annie and Grandma. With trembling hands, she’d hugged the frames to her chest and sobbed her heart out, the loss of her family hitting her all at once.

Like Do-woo said, Hye-won has been living full of fear and anxiety, and she’s tired of desperately clinging on. “That’s why I won’t hold onto you,” she says. And she means it. The next thing we know, Hye-won is handing Suk documents concerning the house and the exhibition. Lastly, she takes out the divorce papers, surprising Suk. Though she knows it may not mean much now, Hye-won thanks him for cherishing Annie.

As Do-woo walks Hye-won out, the mood is somewhat lighter. He tells her to call if she ever has any trouble, and she smiles. He also gives her a bag, saying the contents were found in Annie’s treasure chest and he remembered the item initially belonging to Hye-won. He watches her drive off and then looks up at the night sky. “I’m sorry,” he says to Annie, “that your mom and dad ended up this way.”

Hye-won opens the bag as soon as she returns to her office, finding the embroidered handkerchief she’d had out when she’d been in the café with Annie discussing their backstory. She then gets a text from Do-woo explaining that Annie had been trying to protect someone, and he found out who it was: Hye-won. Clutching onto the handkerchief, Hye-won is once again overcome with grief as she cries.

Do-woo wanders over to Hyun-woo’s bar in a daze. His buddy tries to cheer him up with some beer, but Do-woo can only think of how splitting up with Hye-won was supposed to make him happy and make everything all better. He figured it would also be sad, but he never expected to feel like this. He wonders how he’ll ever tell Su-ah about this feeling.

Back in Jeju, Su-ah and Mi-jin discuss Jin-suk after Hyo-eun’s in bed. Mi-jin explains that she’d been young and hopelessly in love, so she couldn’t let go of Jin-suk. It wasn’t until Su-ah came along that she came to her senses, and she was grateful for that. But then she’d noticed that Su-ah soon went through the same thing.

Su-ah admits that she did go through a similar process. There was even a time when she’d seen a picture of Jin-suk with another flight attendant, but she never brought it up because she was afraid he would leave. “Your song became mine,” Su-ah says, making them both smile.

Cut to: Su-ah and Mi-jin having a grand ole time singing karaoke. After some good laughs, Mi-jin asks if Do-woo’s going to divorce his wife. Su-ah assumes that Hye-won would never even consider it after running into her. But Su-ah does plan on splitting up with Jin-suk. She happily yells into her microphone that she’s going to live happily on the island with Hyo-eun. She and Mi-jin adorably celebrate her newfound independence with cheers and hugs. Aw, yay for girlfriends!

Su-ah sends Mi-jin off, though not before attempting to set her up with Kevin, hee. Soon afterward, she answers a call from Do-woo, who mentions he’s at Hyun-woo’s bar. He asks if she remembers the time he’d comforted her at the bar, back when Su-ah was stressing over Hyo-eun’s stay in Malaysia. Su-ah smiles at the memory and tells him that that was the first time he’d ever consoled her.

Do-woo notes that the weather in Seoul is different and that it’s entered a season of indecisiveness, so he tells Su-ah not to come. Su-ah guesses correctly that it must be chaotic over there, and she admits that she saw Hye-won. Do-woo takes a breath before saying he knows, and that he also saw Jin-suk, though he urges her not to worry about it.

He wishes that Su-ah could avoid all the pain and chaos he’s been experiencing. “I don’t know if this will comfort you,” he says, “but during this nasty November in Seoul, that’s all I can think about.” He promises they can discuss this further as soon as he returns to Jeju.

Jin-suk calls Young-sook and tells her to go ahead and fly to New Zealand as quickly as possible. He intends to follow her, along with Su-ah and Hyo-eun. Young-sook looks uncertain, but she agrees to do so anyway.

Hyo-eun watches from afar as her mom works hard in the clementine orchard. During Su-ah’s break, Hyo-eun voices sadly how exhausting it must be for Su-ah, but Su-ah insists she’s dealt with much more as a flight attendant. Either way, Hyo-eun thinks they should reconsider living here, which Su-ah quickly shuts down by saying she’s perfectly fine.

Later, Su-ah bids farewell to Mi-jin before she leaves the island. But Mi-jin stops and turns back to reveal that Do-woo is, in fact, getting a divorce. Since it was due to Hye-won’s lies, Mi-jin states that the couple was doomed to end even without Su-ah.

Mi-jin didn’t mention it earlier because she wanted to make sure Su-ah wanted a divorce for herself, and not just so that she could see Do-woo. Now that she knows where Su-ah stands, Mi-jin is on her side: “Choi Su-ah, it starts now. Don’t be affected by anything else. Just think of yourself.”

As Mi-jin walks away, her words remind Su-ah of when she’d asked Do-woo if he came to Jeju alone, and he’d said he would tell her later. Now she understands what he’s been going through all this time.

Kevin treats Mi-jin to a meal before she flies back, though he’s disappointed to hear she may not return since she used up all her vacation time on this one trip. Mi-jin sees where he’s going with this and tells him that he’s a nice guy, so he should find a nice girl. Kevin agrees – he likes nice girls who believe they’re nice. He tells Mi-jin to call him when she feels this way. Gah, you’re killing me with the sweetness, Kev.

Do-woo visits Annie to post a picture of the beautiful view from Grandma’s gallery. He promises Annie that he’ll always be there for Hye-won, and he hopes that Annie keeps watch over her.

Do-woo’s phone beeps and he sees that it’s a picture from Su-ah – the exact same view from the gallery – along with a message telling him to stay strong. He smiles and replies that he’ll tell her everything tomorrow. Su-ah reads the text and lets out a deep breath, bringing her gaze back to the view.

Jin-suk lets himself into Mi-jin’s apartment, but she’s not there. He tries to call her, and when she doesn’t answer, he gets this look on his face that kind of scares me.

Mi-jin is ignoring Jin-suk’s calls since she’s out eating with Je-ah. He asks what the occasion is, and she happily reports that she’s made up with Su-ah. Suspicious, Je-ah says that he’s often chased by noonas (lol) and wonders if Mi-jin is another case, but she insists that she likes someone else.

Mi-jin comes home to find an annoyed Jin-suk, who’s wondering if Su-ah is angry after finding out about them. Jin-suk figures that she must be, since Mi-jin was her best friend and this was more of a betrayal on Mi-jin’s part. Mi-jin angrily says that she is Su-ah’s best friend, and that Jin-suk is merely an ex-lover she couldn’t care less about now. She tells him to leave.

But Jin-suk’s not finished. He casually mentions that Do-woo came over to his apartment, confirming his suspicion with Mi-jin’s shocked reaction. “What I’ve been imagining these days is actually right?” he asks, his voice furious. He screams Do-woo’s name, wondering why he has to keep hearing the name of a guy he doesn’t even know. He demands that Mi-jin tell him everything, and Mi-jin retorts that Jin-suk doesn’t even care about Su-ah.

Just like that, Jin-suk’s anger subsides, though his voice is still shaking as he adds that as far he knows, his wife and daughter are living happily on Jeju Island. Nothing is certain until he sees it for himself.

Mi-jin can’t believe that they’re actually arguing about this. She cries that she’s tired of fussing over a jerk like him, and that she’ll never make the same mistake again. “You’re making a mistake now,” Jin-suk seethes. “Everything you do is a mistake.” He storms out, and as soon as the door slams shut, Mi-jin lets her tears fall.

We see Jin-suk arrive in Jeju and call the international school Su-ah supposedly enrolled Hyo-eun in, confirming that Hyo-eun is not on the roster.

He goes to Hyo-eun’s real school and confronts her about this, and she hilariously greets him in English as a final attempt to keep up the pretense. But he reveals that he already knows the truth. Hyo-eun tries to defend her mom, and it only seems to make Jin-suk angrier. He tells Hyo-eun to pack up and fly back to Seoul tomorrow.

Hyo-eun warns Su-ah of Jin-suk’s orders, and they tell each other to stay strong. Panicking, Su-ah then tries to call Jin-suk, but he’s ignoring her calls now. He has Kevin pick him up and drive him to where Su-ah is so he can see how she’s truly living.

They drive all the way to the orchard, where Jin-suk watches Su-ah from a distance as she works. He almost looks sad watching her, which Kevin takes note of. After a while, Kevin drives them back to the airport, and Jin-suk sighs that although Su-ah may be acting strong, she’s actually very fragile and weak. Hm.

That night, Jin-suk returns Su-ah’s call and listens to her apologize for lying about Hyo-eun’s school. He cuts her off, saying he knows she found out about him and Mi-jin. He decides to call it even – his past with Mi-jin against her lie about Hyo-eun. Um, dude? So not the same thing.

Jin-suk tells her that he’s being nice, and that he won’t tolerate any other mistakes. He then tells her to leave for Seoul tomorrow and hangs up before she can reply. He tells himself that for now, he just needs to get Su-ah and Hyo-eun back home.

Su-ah and Hyo-eun try to figure out what to do, and while Su-ah is adamant about staying, Hyo-eun admits that she wants to go back – Jin-suk knows now, and she hates seeing her mom suffer. She calls Jin-suk to ask for a few more days to pack.

Jin-suk begins to say he wants them back by tomorrow, until he spots Do-woo leaving the airport. Jin-suk gives Hyo-eun the answer she wants absently and hangs up so he can run after Do-woo.

He barely catches sight of Do-woo leaving in his truck and quickly gets in a taxi to follow him.

Do-woo arrives back at the gallery and calls Su-ah, asking if they can meet up. Su-ah tells him that her husband stopped by and ordered them to return to Seoul, so she thinks it’s best to stay at home tonight. They agree to talk again later after Su-ah insists she plans to stay in Jeju. Do-woo: “Don’t go.” Su-ah: “I won’t.”

Do-woo enters the gallery, only to hear a car screech to a halt outside… Oh phew, it’s just someone dropping off Do-woo’s car from Seoul.

Meanwhile, Hyo-eun finishes her homework and rests, also urging her mom to do the same. Su-ah stares out the window, repeating Hyo-eun’s words to herself. Deciding to go after the “rest” she wants, she rushes out the door.

It turns out that Jin-suk followed the wrong car all the way to a different house. When he discovers that the driver isn’t Do-woo, he screams at the top of lungs in frustration. “Seo Do-woo, why are you on Jeju Island? Why?!” he shouts.

Do-woo sees Su-ah running towards him, and he’s surprised to see her here. Once she’s in front of him, she asks if he’s okay, and then immediately feels flustered. “No matter what… No matter how hard I try…” she struggles to find the words.

Do-woo finishes for her, saying that no matter how hard they try, they always end up here. That’s how it turns out for them. He leans in to hug her and she melts into his embrace. “I’m back,” he says. “Now it feels like I’m back home.”

 
COMMENTS

I feel it – I can actually feel that we’re right on the cusp of shit hitting the fan. We’ve had our big declarations and our inevitable confrontations, and now the show’s gearing up for what it’s been building up to all this time. Jin-suk has always felt like the ticking time bomb in this drama, even when he was just floating in the background, and his outbursts in this episode already have me nervous for what we have in store.

But before we dive into that, let’s back up a little bit. First off, woohoo! The friendship is back! I was so happy when Mi-jin apologized in the last episode. Admitting she was wrong to Su-ah and then to herself was exactly what I needed from her character. It was what I was waiting to hear from her ever since we learned of her past with Jin-suk, and I think everyone was able to let go of a little anger after that. And I was happy that once they settled that, Mi-jin was able to be Su-ah’s friend again. I think their reconciliation showed just how much the two care for each other – like true friends, even after their brutal fight, they still found some way to fall back into normalcy. After all, there’s nothing like a little karaoke to bring two broken people back together.

Su-ah is gradually getting more people on her side, and I think it’s great that the people rooting for her are actually rooting for her to find independence and happiness rather than rooting for her to get with Do-woo. I loved that Mi-jin waited to tell Su-ah about Do-woo and Hye-won until she heard that Su-ah wanted a divorce strictly for herself. And I love that she reassured Su-ah that Do-woo and Hye-won’s relationship was bound to fall apart even without Su-ah in the picture. Though Su-ah and Do-woo happened to fall in love while still married to other people, I think this series of events were meant to open their eyes and make them realize that their marriages weren’t healthy. Yes, Su-ah did find new love, but the important thing is that she dug herself out of a toxic relationship, and now she can start thinking about herself, just as Mi-jin said.

But for the love of God, Mi-jin, you need to change your freaking passcode. Seriously, why haven’t you changed it yet? I already knew Jin-suk was lounging around Mi-jin’s apartment, and it still made me jump when Mi-jin came home in the dark to hear Jin-suk’s voice come out of nowhere. Or maybe that’s just the effect Shin Sung-rok’s deep voice has on me – honestly, I’m still somewhat traumatized from his chilling performance in You From Another Star.

Jin-suk’s reaction to the affair was perplexing, to say the least. I expected him to be angry, but I didn’t expect him to look so hurt. I don’t know if it’s because of the show’s writing, but I just can’t figure this guy out. He’s been trying so hard to convince everyone that he doesn’t love Su-ah, but then why is he so torn up over the idea of her cheating on him? To me, it doesn’t seem like it’s simply because he wants “control” over her. I keep thinking back to when he called Su-ah weak and fragile and it makes me wonder if in some weird, twisted way, he does care about her. Does he feel the need to protect her? Is that why he’s so desperate to stay married to her? Or does he have something else on his agenda?

After learning about Hye-won’s deceitful past, I’m ready to switch over to Jin-suk and learn more about why exactly – after all the girls he fooled around with – he decided to settle down with Su-ah. I really hope his excuse for being a total jerk is a good one, because I’m not willing to pity him that easily. The show did a good job of gradually revealing Hye-won’s true colors and of making me feel sorry for her (it took a while, but the show convinced me). I even cried with her as she held onto the handkerchief Do-woo had retrieved from Annie’s treasure chest. However, the show hasn’t spent much time justifying Jin-suk’s actions, and I’m getting a little worried as we get closer to the end. I’m not asking the show to write up a quick redemption for him – I just want to know what the hell is going on in his head.

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