All along I was understanding of both the leads, despite their flaws and actions of the past. But these two episodes made me very frustrated, especially with Hara. I feel like nothing had changed and she continues to be the same. I am now on team ‘don’t get back together’.
I feel like the core issues of their failed marriage continues to exist. The core of the issue is that she does not respect Eun Bom. She continues to bulldoze until she has her way.

1. Eun Bom left the marriage because he was tired and frustrated. He was cleaning up behind her, had no say in matters etc etc. probably suffocated. And nothing has changed. He still cleans up after her. He did that at office with orange peels. And at home, her house did look messy and he had to clear her dining table and do the dishes. Hara hasn’t learnt a thing (which is ok if that’s how she wants to live). She was dizzy and elated that he cleaned up for her. Really? One might argue that he does it because it makes him happy to do things for her. I agree. But eventually when it adds up he is going to feel the same way. Tired and frustrated. They will be back in square one all over again. When you live alone you can live however you want. But when you bring another person in your life changes have to be made. I don’t see her making any changes for his sake.
2. Kids - There is no right or wrong answer here. But both of them have not had a proper conversation as to why they strongly feel about it. Hara wants a kid. I get it. But having a child is two peoples responsibility. You can’t just have a kid and see what comes next. If I were Eun Bom I would have asked her if she can take responsibility for a child. For cooking, feeding, nurturing, cleaning etc. Is she capable of coparenting with him? I hated that she got into the relationship again hoping to convince him to have a child, hook or crook. The whole thing with his mother, was such an unforgivable act to me. Goes back to her not respecting his decisions or even wanting to know why he strongly feels this way. I can totally see the marriage HELL Eun Bom talks about. Once the kid is in picture he can’t even leave.

I see both Hara and her friend very similar. They both are unyielding and have a my way or highway attitude. If my friend told me she strategized with her ex’s mother I would have called out the shitty behavior. I have never seen these two give any criticisms or advice or opposing point of view.

Sorry about the rant. Just a frustrated beanie 😅

I am pretty sure that last scene is probably a fake out. But even without it, I don’t think these two should get together. Not without a conversation that is respectful and sincere. But if neither of them have changed since Ep 1 I doubt anything will change ever.

I want to drop but the bean is right around the corner. Arghhh.

I agree that this week's episodes were flat and disappointing overall. I continue to love the lead actors together, and want for the last two episodes to somehow miraculously fix all the characterization and storytelling decisions happening right now. But I'm not feeling confident this will happen. I certainly am not feeling how I thought I would after ep. 10. That is, I can't root for these two people to end up together because they don't want the same things. It's as simple as that.

Ha Ra was so frustrating this week! I cannot defend her actions at all. She's the one who declared herself to Eun-bum and wanted to get back together; he did not pursue her or make overt or tacit promises that anything has changed. So he bears no responsibility for the fact that he still doesn't want children. Instead of thinking this through before getting back together, Ha Ra decided that she wants Eun-bum AND she wants a child and that because they still love each other she's entitled to both. I truly do not understand how she cannot see or acknowledge how wrong that thinking and attitude is.

I know it's hard, but Ha Ra has to make a choice: stay with Eun-bum and not have a child or find another man to love so she can have a child. Of course, she also needed to make this choice *before* declaring her love to Eun-bum and pushing for a reconciliation.

I also agree with what you said about the secondary storyline. Although I did get the sense that these two had deeper feelings for each other than they acknowledged, and that the relationship could have gone further if one or both of them had been less stubborn, the fact remains that it *didn't* go further. They broke up and it's over and that's that. Maybe they would or could have reconciled down the road, but there was nothing in the present relationship that explains the way they're acting now. I mean, I think it's consistent with Si Woo's character that he wants this child and thinks it's his responsibility to marry and take care of Bi-chwi. But from what I know of Bi-chwi I think the most she would have done is calmly inform Si Woo that she's not ready to be a mother and ultimately, that's her decision to make. Or maybe I could see her decide she does want the baby after all, but the most I'd see her agreeing to is for Si Woo to help support and raise the child, but not as her husband. Everything we've learned about her character up to this point suggests she's not interested in or suited for marriage, even if she has feelings for a specific man.

I liked this drama so much at the start, and still love the premise I *thought* was at the heart of it. But it's a big mess right now.

@missvictrix thank you for the weecap. These really were weird episodes. The contrast in the cases for a start. There was a funny arc with the waste of space ‘marriage graduate’ co owner of the firm trying to prove himself to his wife. She, however, has moved on so much she gets over her relationships and continues to treat them with such warmth that he was confused into thinking maybe he could win her back. The court room scene were he went for the patriotic approach was priceless.

I am glad we finally heard about the little sister but that whole using a building to get a child when Hara was berating her cousin for using underhand means to get a child was just another example of Hara’s ‘all about me and my needs’ show.

I don't like the second couple at all but his self care box for her post abortion care was so thoughtful, especially because he prioritised her right to choose over his upset that she made that choice.

I will miss this show when it ends next week.

Does the ML still like to play soccer? Inquiring minds want to know.

As for the dog custody case -- is it really best to keep the dog in a country where people EAT DOG MEAT?

I'm sticking around for Kang So-ra, the Bean, and chances to poke fun at the story, but the story itself 👎👎👎

Hara is really an awful character. Eum-Bum has just started to have a new relationship with his mother. She knows that the situation is not ideal. But she had no issue to team up with his mother and how well does she know him to think that a building will change his opinion? He lied to get a divorce when she started to talk about baby. But a building is the magical solution? It's so insulting for him. She doesn't care about him.

Eun-Bum needs closure for the past. He's still depressed. He's just living day after day. A love relationship with Hara is the last thing he needs...

The second couple is still cliché after cliché... and still not convincing at all.

The case of her cousin was terrible. Stealthing is serious. I found Hara too casual with it.

I'm with Ha-ra on this one. It seems to me like he is not listening to her talk about how happy she will be to be a mother and how happy she will be with him and how the two are separate things. Eun-beom saying "are they not enough for each other to be happy" is basically saying the two scenarios are one. But then, they are clearly two cases of happiness that both matter to Ha-ra on the same level.

And there's a statement he made, "he doesn't want to make a tie he cannot sever". Wow! Really!! That was another no-no for me. I hear his trauma and I understand it. But to form that conclusion...all I can hear is "It won't be a difficult process if ever we have to go our separate ways. Since there's nothing except our love linking us together, we won't suffer too much". And believe me, this puts his decision to not have a kid with Ha-ra prior to their initial divorce in a new light.
I now have two perspectives - what will happen if he has a kid with a strong-willed Ha-ra and it scares me too, and now the conclusion he made while processing his everything about younger sister's death.

If they're not getting back together after this and I seriously want them not to if Eun-beom isn't going to reassess his conclusion by putting Ha-ra instead of his mother into the variable. I'm very much okay with Ha-ra wrapping things on her own end if Eun-beom is going to remain the way he is.

I really felt scolded with the implied financial manipulation of his mother especially when I was definitely on the ship. I'm sorry Eun-beom for being in agreement with the plan scenes earlier.

One thing I like about this show is that when they are done with a character, they are really done with them. Love interest for the ML? Never saw her again. SML boyfriend of the FL? Broken up with decisively and does not reappear. Maybe other people feel like this isn’t tying up loose ends, but I like that it keeps the focus of the show on the leads where it belongs, and not on the romantic extras.

Once again, Ha-ra does her best to make my sympathy for her evaporate. I thought Eun-beom took it so well, and so graciously, when he found out that she had suggested the horrific manipulation attempted by his mother. Still, I really enjoyed the conversation that followed, and I’m glad that it cleared the air a bit between them.

I can’t decide how I feel about the fact that the primary conflict in their relationship now is whether Eun-beom is willing to have a child, or whether Ha-ra can give up on the idea. On the one hand, it’s not the issue that caused Eun-beom to be miserable in their relationship in the first place - that award goes to Ha-ra steamrolling him at every opportunity (a trait she still displays, btw). On the other, it might be the only issue that they have where it’s hard to imagine a compromise. So I really appreciated them showing Ha-ra as she comes to realize Eun-beom’s perspective and that it’s not just him being selfish. (Although, not wanting kids because your life is great without them is also a totally valid reason not to want them.)

SUPER interested to see how the dynamic between Si-wook and Bi-chwi evolves. When Eun-beom said that he didn’t know if Si-wook was being progressive or conservative I laughed so hard! I liked that he didn’t belabor the point and switched into being supportive of her choice after she rejected his proposal. The box he sent her was so sweet.

I have never wanted Ha-ra and Eun-bum to get back together, and after these last couple of episodes, I feel even stronger about it. Eun-bum said something interesting when talking about his mother. He said, “She needs to have everything in her hands and control.” To me, that explains why he he’s with Ha-ra; she’s just like his mother. A bully and a control freak.
As for the Bi-chwi and Shi-wook, good luck to them! They’re going to need it.
Was this drama billed as a rom-com? It’s so heavy, and honestly, about the only characters I have no problem with are CEO Hong and Shi-wook.

Once upon a time, the weecapper of The Law Cafe said something like "now that the leads are together, the tension is predictably gone" and I said something like "because I didn't see any real difference between dating vs non dating dynamic (they argued, there was overprotectiveness,etc) , there was nothing lost for me". Watching episode 9 of this week's episodes made me think I kinda understood what the weecapper was talking about then. Even though technically their characters' haven't changed, once Eun Beom & Hara got together, I instantly felt less interested. Maybe it's because I didn't want them to get back together in the first place but regardless, it just felt different to me so it took me some time to fully watch the episode but I'm glad I did because once again an important topic was broached.
Before I get into the topic, I think them getting back together and having to face this topic head on was needed because it just proves that they shouldn't be a couple if their end goals are fundamentally different. Obviously couples can have differences but if one person wants kids and the other doesn't, that's a big deal.

Oh boy, I don't even know where to start (though I never do haha). I guess one of the main things that come to mind is selfishness. There was ALOT of selfishness in these episodes and I wasn't always a fan but sometimes I thought it was used well.

Let me try to explain using Bi Chwi as an example. There was definitely some selfishness in the way she dealt with her pregnancy. She wasn't even going to tell him and then when he figured it out, she wasn't even going to tell him about doing the procedure. I get it to an extent but he was actively willing to be a support to her and she completely dismissed his feelings and intentions because she was only thinking and considering herself. Again, I get it (to an extent) especially since she's the type to do things on her own without having to include other people in her decisions and in the end, this is her life and body. Then I guess it's assumed that she gave Si Wak an either/or choice? She would do the procedure or he would become a stay at home parent so she could continue her career. Since he seemed fine with it, I guess it's not an issue but objectively, that could've been an issue. Why not both parent take off some time from work and then eventually get a nanny? Though I'm sure it was just simpler for him to be a stay at home dad. Next, she still seems to want her space and independence, not particularly compromising. I could be wrong; the only things shown is the look on her face when she entered the apartment and her closing a door in his face after not reciprocating a heart thing. I get where Bi Chwi is coming from but I still think she displayed some selfish behaviors.

The case of episode 9 between the married couple was... frustrating to say the least because how dare he?! And yes, I put that on him because she told him from...

I stopped watching around Ep. 3 w/the idea I might pick it up again as we got toward the end. After binging last night to Ep. 10, I share everyone's frustration.

I like both characters. Neither is cruel nor narcissistic nor mentally ill. They are loyal to friends, passionate advocates for their clients, So, I have been rooting for them to work their way back together.

With only 2 episodes to go, i have this very sinking feeling that (1) she's already pregnant from her one night stand with SML and (2) Eun Bom got a vasectomy at some point because he has been committed to being childless - that's why he doesn't seem worried about her getting pregnant. If I'm right, should he tell her? No -- they are just now exploring the new relationship and until they talk marriage and kids seriously, she doesn't need to know that.

I plan to finish watching the show - after I read Ep. 11/12 Weecap and know where and how often to FF.

Oh Ha-ra seems to have jumped into this relationship again in a very emotional way without much consideration of what went wrong before and what the relationship should be from now on. I am pleased that she realised how important having a child is to her, but making that deal with her mother-in-law was pretty low.

I am not so happy with Eun Bom either. If not having children was so very important to him, he really should have told Ha-ra a long time ago - before their marriage. I also don't like that his reason is a trauma. If he overcame this trauma, would he then want children? He allows this trauma to rule over his life instead of trying to defeat it, just as he chose divorcing Ha-ra instead of challenging her behaviour. It is time he stopped running away.

At least the important things are coming out into the open now. I have not lost hope for them.

The issues in this drama are not addressed. Eun Beom does not communicate, he just sighs and takes it. Ha Ra is selfish and just sees what she wants to see. They obviously love each other, but their lack of communication and understanding is detrimental. They need to be better. SMH, I don't want them together at all.

I have so many questions. Why is Bi chi marrying Si wook? Why? She doesn't like him enough to do this. They could just co-parent if she's really keeping the baby.
Has Hara learnt nothing? Did she even listen when Eun beom told her why he divorced? Did she even bother thinking about it? Nothing has changed since the last time they were together so what are they even doing? And then teaming up with his mom to manipulate him into having a baby..........I was literally screaming at my screen. What the hell?! The shocking part is Eun beom wasn't even mad at her, it would have been a deal breaker for me.
Let's not even talk about the stealthing for this week's episodes, I really wanted to smack that man, his ex-wife should have gotten that 200 million won. Why is everyone trying to force people into having babies? Or is that the point the writer is trying to make.?

Regardless, if none of these issues are solved in next week's episodes, we can add both of these couples to our happily never after list because neither of them will last another year.

@missvictrix, this was a really good weecap, sadly for some not-good episodes. I've joined the beanies who don't want Ha-ra and Eun-bum to wind up together. I can't imagine that they could demonstrate the amount of growth necessary in 2 episodes. I understand Eun-bum better now, but I dislike Ha-ra's selfish bulldozing even more. All the comments have expressed our disappointment well!

After reading the weecap and all your comments, I feel relieved to know I'm not the only one frustrated and disappointed! Thank you all! : )

To me, Si woo is not credible at all or seriously lacking characterisation: how can a conservative man turn into a stay-at-home dad wanting to do all the house work?? LOL

I'm also tired of this cliché of undecisive women going for an abortion and finally changing their mind, when in reality so many women are so determined that they'd rather risk dying in unsafe abortions than giving birth.

Also, why can't we know about the phone call between Bi chwi and Si woo when she inexplicably agrees to marry him and keep the baby?? I hate it when writers don't bother ginving us an explanation and leave us trying to make sense of their mess.

Just like fellow beanies said it very well, the show is going downhill.

When it comes to reunited lovers' stories, I am completely sold but what I want is more depth into the characters not two people getting together on a whim.

I would have been okay with it if Ha-ra and Eun-bum sat together, discussed their past issues, made amends and then decided to get back together. But what we get is a pushy selmodh heroine and a somewhat weak male lead who still doesn't speak up for himself.

Since fellow beanies put it much better, I have nothing more to say but I hate the storytelling decisions of rushing some arcs that need more insight like the secondary couple ,one moment Bi-chwi wants an abortion and the other calling Si-woon asking him to quit the office.

I even misunderstood it as her not wanting to see him again not that she wants him to do the chores. I wanted this arc to take proper time to get resolved but it is an issue with everything in the drama, everything is rushed without the proper depth.

I think it is a big blunder that this show chose to have a comedy about marriage graduation and patriotism, when it could have focused solely on thought provoking issues such as wanting or not wanting a baby and the lengths people would go for to keep their end of the goal intact. Despite the poor execution, I am still interested in the message the drama would be driving home even if the main couple make it through all or not.

I'm undecided at this point if show is just kind of going 'real' - many things happen at once in life, and you don't always have the chance to sort them out before the next thing comes along and hits you - or if it's just bad writing.
I can understand many of the weird things our protagonists do. Or maybe I should say I *could* understand their actions if they would be explained to us in more details. That is the main problem that I have with Show - that so many so big issues are just left there without being explored. Like the implosion of Hara's family and what that must do to her. She's just being her normal self right now, when I'd expect someone being shaken for more than one week by such a thing. And I do suspect that this really is bad writing and not Show trying to show us something.
And in the beginning I liked the conflict about yes or no to baby, I loved the questions they asked in that one situation - can we be happy without a child? Can we be happy with a child? That is a real life big issue question that every couple should be able to answer! I agree with other beanies that not wanting to have children doesn't necessarily involve trauma. You might just not want to, end of.
I didn't like like the lenghts Hara was willing to go to get her baby, but at least she saw after it went down that she shouldn't have teamed up with Mom. I can even imagine that Mom manipulated her into this. But, again, instead of a dog trial they could and should have dug deeper into this.

Ok I scrolled past the entire weecap (will come back and read + edit my comment once I'm done with ep 10) and all of the comments haha. Few thoughts here after watching 9 eps:

1) Show is still a solid watch for me and I like how marriage/relationships are portrayed as shades of grey and how honesty (to urself and ultimately to ur partner) n communication are pushed as the 2 more important qualities in a healthy relationship. But I love how realistic and "flawed" they made the whole process feel.

2) What is happening between EB and HR is the exact reason why I feel that exes should never get back together unless you have totally ironed out/addressed/communicated abt the root cause of the breakup in the first place. Neither of them is being honest about the elephant in the room here - communication abt a child. I'm getting tired of HR, she's incredibly selfish and just insists on her pov. I've met women like that before, and not only are they super domineering in their romances, they suck as friends/human beings as well. KSR makes her feel very relatable and grounded still, but I honestly dislike these types of people. EB is still as passive as ever and still avoiding the reason for why he doesn't wanna have kids in the first place, such men/people are also a pain to live with, with their people-pleasing ways. I've seen relationships like theirs completely break down in real life, so I'm not surprised that they divorced initially. But pls, have a real talk abt the issues between u guys? No amt of sex and kissing and dates is gonna hide the fact that both of u have opposing views of kids

3) Also, in real life, it's pretty pointless abt marrying someone who has a different view of kids as you. I'm surprised that no just EB/HR, but so many couples never talk abt this before marriage. And then u have people like HR's cousin, who go along with the idea (not being honest) and it blows up in their face later. Like, just be honest from the get-go and so much heartache could be avoided.

4) Bi-Chwi's behaviour and demeanour is actually a sad manifestation of hook-up culture. The person ends up having no connection with themselves/with other people, "uses" others and it all winds up in a car-crash scenario. Honestly, Attorney Kwon seems like a pretty alright guy, I just don't see them working out long-term as a couple cos they have such different sexual/relationship values. And I think these sorts of attitudes are difficult to compromise.

Also, as a woman in my 30s who has never wanted kids, I find the whole discussion of should I/shouldn't I have kids and the whole point of marriage themes pretty interesting in ep9. Lots of people have HR's mum's beliefs - why marry if you don't want kids - and then u have HR, who represents alot of ppl imo - never really knowing "why" you want kids except cos it seems "natural", "everyone is doing it" and they are "cute". I'm firmly on EB's line of reasoning on this one...

Just wanted to add a little thing.
The fact that Ha-ra wants to have a child because that has always been the natural order of things isn't wrong or devoid of reasoning or following the crowd blindly and as such she's just doing it for doing sake. For Ha-ra, it's a sound clearly intentioned choice. It's not just an accepted wisdom for her. She's not having kids only for the sake of motherhood and because it's a given in a marriage, she also said that motherhood is something that is a source of happiness for her, something clearly separate from the happiness she'll get from a husband.

This drama actually feels too short for me. It’s possible everyone’s reactions are due to that they are not giving enough space to our couple”s arc. I feel as if I missed two episodes that bridges the space between them being apart and about debating about having children. I feel those missing episodes would also include flashbacks to show that Bi-chwi did really like Shi-wook.
I actually do see a lot of growth for Ha-ra this week, unlike others. I don’t think it’s enough yet, but it is a start.
This started with her taking care of her friend, instead of just using her to complain about her life.
She is actually aware of the things Eun-bum is doing, like cleaning, rather than taking them for granted. (Although having a frank discussion about how to make sure Eun-bom doesn’t end up giving in more would be better.)
She at least acknowledged that Eun-bom had a different view than her about having children. She realizes they have to figure out what to do about it.
She horribly uses his mom and money to pressure him but at least she is starting to see that scheming tactics just back fire and hurt him and her. She was able to admit and apologize about the situation which I don’t think the Ha-ra at the beginning of the show would do.
She needs to develop more, but I actually think this pace is quite realistic of gradual change that people go through, and I don’t find her hopeless. I don’t know that the show has enough time to complete the arc naturally, though.

I'm perhaps the only one in the minority.... cuz it's impossible for me to like this show even more!! For starters, I love how difficult topics are acknowledged in the story. Addressed sufficiently for us to take our own stand, but the conclusion is never too preachy, trying to shove it down our throats. And as a result, nobody is painted a complete villain. You either resolve the issue, or you walk your own way. And both decisions are equally fine! This is the case with our main characters, as well as the case-of-the-week clients...

Eun-Beom & Ha-Ra's story (though frustrating, yes!) appeals to me, because 5-7 years down the line, I see that happening to more than one of the couples in my peer group. In fact, most of us have already walking down that irreversible trajectory. I'm also amused how the lawyers in this show end up taking not-so-ideal cases due to previous obligations, for which they have to go to trial, even if they are morally judging their clients for it! xD
For a show that claims to be a rom-com... I'm always taken aback by the heartfelt and poignant writing of a few scenes. The ones that stood out to me as stellar was the conversation she had with her sister-in-law's attorney, and of course, the scene of her consoling a sobbing Eun-Beom, where the camera pans out and we see an adult Ha-Ra comforting and hugging the child version of him (healing his inner child!) T_T

I agree with the comment above, the pacing feels appropriate, and I have a renewed appreciation for the show when I approach it from a slice-of-life lens!

First, thanks for the recap! I appreciate having a framework for discussing just what is happening in this series.

I had two big emotional reactions to these episodes. First, I thought that the letter Shi-Wook wrote to Bi-chwi that was in the care package was the thing that changed her mind. I found it very moving, one of the sweetest things in this show so far, and I got choked up watching that scene. The reason she avoided getting into a relationship with him, I think, was that his traditional values seemed like they would interfere with her seeing her as a person. By writing that letter, he let her see that the offers of marriage weren't only coming from a traditional, sexist place. He's a corny guy and a patriarchal guy, but he isn't stupid and he really likes her. Also it seems like his vision of what a patriarchal guy does for his partner has shifted a lot during the series.

My other big reaction was when Ha-Ra was apologizing to Eun-Bom for trying to get his mom to bribe him with a building. He literally said out loud in front of her that he wished his mother would ask him why he doesn't want children. By the end I was basically yelling, "OK, but ask him why! But tell her why!" When he finally did I was so relieved, even though I knew from all the hints what it was going to be. Yet there was no aha moment there at all.

I still have no idea why he left her in the first place. I know some of you think she's a steamroller and a slob, but I think she's the one who had the flashback about that. She's the one who is worrying about it. When he cleans up for her while she's on the phone, I thought she was upset by that, not elated!

He literally chose to pay her a ton of alimony by lying about having an affair rather than tell her what was going on. (Which makes her choice to try to get him a building in exchange for a baby really weird!) We are watching her bumble around like an idiot because he won't tell her what's wrong. He's sneaky and she's clueless.