Mi-Joo and Kang-Ho are the cutest couple I’ve seen in a while. So, as @stove said last week, he didn’t know she was pregnant, and clearly learned about his father and wanted to settle that. He couldn’t tell her about it, and she misunderstood. I felt so sad for both of them.
That smile on Kang Ho’s face when the assassin walks in was such a beautiful thing to see
Lee Do-Hyun is such a wonderful actor, I see a young boy when I see him, though my head tells me he is older.
My heart was breaking for Young-Soon when she was diagnosed with cancer until she appeared to start with her tough love thingy again. Jeez, woman, give it a rest already

Now that you mention it @lovepark, I sincerely hope the cancer is not a way for young soon to wiggle out of responsibility

I agree that both the cancer and the annoying neighbor subplots feel shoehorned in and unnecessary. There's enough conflict and story without these things taking up more oxygen. I like the actor playing the composer, but he's so over-the-top awful that I am very tempted to fast forward all his scenes. Same with mask woman. I almost wish she was the lost daughter of a yakuza leader as that would make her at least somewhat interesting. But as it stands, she's just a rude woman with a face mask obsession eating up airtime that would be better devoted to a more interesting character.

As far as why Mi-joo (a character who is also fast becoming my favorite) has kept the paternity a secret, I don't think it's out of any kind of guilt over what Kang-ho became. My sense is that she was very angry and hurt--and rightfully so!--at his behavior. In fact, their breakup scene indicated to me that she truly believed he had used her as emotional, physical, and financial support while he studied to be a prosecutor, and once he had achieved that goal, he no longer had any use for her. It makes sense, then, that she would decide upon finding out she was pregnant that there was no reason for her to inform this "horrendous bastard" (as she describes her twins' father) of the situation. And later, if she was aware of the kind of prosecutor Kang-ho became, I can see why she would have continued not to want anything to do with him.

That said, these episodes reminded me of something I have tried to forget: that Kang-ho murdered a young mother and her infant. It may be that the show later reveals that Kang-ho only staged the murder, but at this point, we're supposed to believe that he drugged his victims and then left them to drown. When I remember that, it's harder to be charmed by this boyish, innocent child man or root for him to regain his memories and the version of his life that involves him being the person he was.

Overall, though, this show remains very entertaining, and its main story compelling, even if it's stumbling here and there in the development of the subplots. LDH also continues to be magnificent.

I’m also really skeptical about the new stomach cancer plot. Making Young-soon die from a disease is not the same as holding her accountable for her past abuse, and I’m getting worried that the writer + PD doesn’t agree with me. It also just feels like a really juvenile route to take, story wise, because there’s so much authentic dramatic tension to mine from Kang-ho and Young-soon’s relationship - both in the past and currently - without resorting to cheap, tropey plot points. Theirs is such a rich, complex, tumultuous relationship, why would you ever want to stoop to something straight out of a makjang? There is room to explore thorny topics like generational trauma, traditional parenting methods, parental influence, gender roles, social climbing, and rural poverty - and I could go on - but they’re sticking to the cancer story instead. I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed and irritated and frustrated because it’s a clear ploy for forced audience sympathy to wring some cheap tears. After all, why put in the immensely complicated work of making someone take accountability and come to terms with the difficult fact that they mentally, emotionally and physically abused their own child when you can just… make them die instead? Ra Mi-ran and Lee Do-hyun are phenomenal actors and deserve better material than this.

There he was again, the Truck of Doom. It seems to be a particularly dangerous area when it hits a family twice, first the mother's parents, years later Kang-ho himself.

Story-wise, not too much has actually happened in the last two episodes. But as long as I see Kang-ho together with the twins or Kang-ho with Min-joo, I don't care.

I don't think Min-joo didn't tell about her pregnancy because she felt guilty for "ruining" his life. Rather, she will have told herself that he didn't deserve to know about it because he dumped her. Also, I can well understand her wanting to cut any connection with Kang-ho.

Lovepark, thanks for the recap !

I love the cast and most of the characters.
The story is interesting enough, I hope the writers can keep it under control.
Half way through is time to start answering questions with the material we already have to work worth, not introduce cancer with a reflux of “bad mom” .

More of the OTP’s past , what happened ?
Is there still a revenge aspect ?
The evil politician and his rebellious daughter, idk, could be better ?
The mask ahjumma , wth ? She spouts the strangest stuff
I kind of like the thug boss.

Not a fan of the cancer storyline like everyone else. But I'm most amused by the hapless thug minions, who are almost certainly going to end up with a field, a farm, and manure fertilizer before much longer.

There's such an intriguing central premise of the show with good moments throughout that is getting frustratingly bogged down by so many filler moments and unnecessary tropes. The part where an abusive mother gets a chance to fix her mistakes, a seemingly sensitive man turned callous and gone to the bad side who gets a chance to possibly address his misdoings and fix the relationship with the love of his life (or show a justifiable plot twist), and a woman who tried her best but kept failing because people cheated or abandoned her gets to set herself up and be happy again is the central plot, but everything around it is taking up so much time and energy.

Why does Young Soon have cancer now in order to make her awful to Kang Ho again as some sort of justifiable action to toughen him up? She's barely repented for how bad she was as a mother, now do we need to see her be bad again because it's going to be something to help him be self-sufficient (like that awful food deprivation montage) instead of her using that time to leave happy memories?

Why is there such a long winded plot point about the annoying new neighbor, what did it establish except to keep making the other villagers unlikable and fickle? Were we supposed to feel bad for the childhood bully because Kang Ho refused to help a criminal who had treated him badly all his life? That said, I did laugh at present day Kang Ho going to complain to his little friends about the bad man swearing at him, and them being ready to go and fight an adult on his behalf.

There were enough things I liked though to still keep hoping for better episodes. Mi Joo's scenes continues to be enjoyable, loved the little opportunity that just opened up for her business and I think her anger at Kang Ho (and not telling him about the kids if they are his) is fully justified, and her internal conflict with not taking it out on Kang Ho in his current state but wanting to protect herself is a sympathetic dilemma. The children are absolutely adorable and I love all their scenes, especially with Kang Ho as their same aged but not really buddy, they're the smartest people in that village. Kang Ho's childish crush on Mi Joo and the flickers of feelings and memories are nicely done too. I also liked that Mi Joo's mother didn't blame her and instead is trying her best to help her daughter out. Random lies aside, they're one good grown parent child relationship in this drama.

Once again Ahn Eun Jin being spectacular. Mi Joo is such a great character and I honestly think she has the harder role. The nuanced expressions, the trying to tamp down her emotions around her kids while Kang Ho is around, the still striving for success, all while doing her best and being kind. Chef's kiss. That being said I agree MI Joo didn't tell him that he was the father because he doesn't deserve to know based on what she knows. I am also getting sick of Young Spon's shenanigans, being nasty to your son isn't going to make him get better faster. Cancer isn't a lesson, it is a disease. Be better woman. Good Bad mother with more bad indeed.

@lovepark thank you for summing up this weeks events so succinctly you must have had a good laugh selecting the pictures this week🤣.

How can one drama have the sweetest love story and also have a mum who shuts down and defaults to abuse whenever she feels completely emotionally overwhelmed. I can not imagine what she must be going through knowing that Kangho’s quality of life as a disabled man in a care home will be beyond bleak. However, it is never going to be ok to resort to abusive strategies to fast track his rehab. She seems to have confused rehabilitation as a motivation and will power issue rather than a physical and emotional retraining and muscle building exercise.

I can understand that her childhood trauma of hearing the moment her family were killed and having to manage life as an orphan would have impacted on her emotional development. However, when we first met her she was working in a shop with an old man who seemed emotionally attached to her and she had a lovely husband so I am assuming she was provided with loving relationships at points in her life. The unexpected death of her husband and loss of her home and livelihood were clearly traumatising too but trauma is not an automatic trigger for abusive behaviour apart from in K dramaland where it is always seen as an unavoidable side effect to be tolerated and forgiven.

The baddies jumping out of the wardrobe to save Kangho from being killed was comedy gold. It was so typical of a kid the way he was telling his mum the story to explain the state of the room and her reaction was spot on too. There are so many times I am saying ‘this kid!’ when I watching Kangho trying to execute his ill fated schemes. It is a testimony to Lee Dohyun’s amazing abilities that he can convince us that he really has the mind of a seven year old. Not stupid, but viewing the world based on his limited life experiences.

The woman wearing a face mask 24/7 is so unrealistic when/if they reveal the story behind it I won’t care. Surely whatever the disfigurement she is hiding it’s not good for her skin to be constantly covered. Even people with severe allergies can remove the protection when they are home in a safe space.

I always understood where Young Soon was coming from so I didn't her as villainous as others might. I understand in literal, technical terms she could be considered abusive or cold. I get it; the whole premise is she was a "bad" mother. That said I still find her interesting and compelling. I like how you can tell the moment a switch flips in her where decides she has take the hard ass/tough love/cruel stance.
Kudos to the actress.

I'm really like Kang Ho's actor's performance. He plays all the different versions of Kang Ho well. Almost don't want Kang Ho to get better because he's so endearing and earnest with his 7 year old mentality. When he was drawn to the bag because it reminded him of the "law exam meals"(I think that's what it was called), aww the bittersweetness. I wonder under which circumstances 10√2 will show up and how Kang Ho will react to it. I wouldn't be surprised if it involves the twins (I love them haha. More & more I'm thinking he's the father).

I also hate cancer. Not only as an unwelcomed intruder in this drama, but in real life - when friends and loved ones don't get the chance to redeem themselves and resort to familiar, sometimes hurtful, ways of dealing with things. I'm not faulting drama for inserting a condition that cannot be controlled. I'm going to trust Writer, PD and Ra Miran to handle it.

I have little to add to what others have said: hate the cancer trope, the villagers. Love LDH as KangHo and AEJ as Mijoo. And of course the thug minions.

I know the idea we have of KangHo, the prosecutor, is not good: corrupted, suspect of murdering a woman and a child. We all hope it's related to his revenge and the plan he orchestrated to take down the men responsible for his dad's death, because 7 yo KangHo and preparing-for-prosecutor-in-love-with-Mijoo KangHo are just adorable.

Somehow I think that SamSik is also related to his revenge. We only know he was in jail because he was caught with a ring that belonged to someone rich and powerful. Was it TaeSoo? Someone related to him?KangHo told him, when SamSik asked for help: "I can't help you". It was not "I won't help you", but instead he couldn't. The same way he said to Mijoo he needed to do something.

I don’t know how I feel about the cancer.

There is some seriously good writing in this, particularly with Kang-ho’s and Mi-joo’s relationship. But then we have Idiot 1 & Idiot 2. I’m sorry but their inadequacy (and weird humour) takes away the ruthlessness and scariness from what we’ve seen and what was already established about Chairman Song.

Not the mention Idiot 3, the trot musician being unnecessary filler and taking up valuable screen time, and for what purpose? I can understand if this was a slice of life drama without the all the revenge stuff. But there IS the revenge stuff!

Now adding cancer to the mix, the show is becoming kinda chaotic. Tonally what does it want to be? A redemption story between mother and son or a neo noir revenge thriller?

What was the relationship between Chairman Song & Kang-ho really like? Both had no illusions who each other were. But did they, despite knowing the truth, have affection towards each other?

I have more thoughts, and I’ll add to it later but I’m definitely not liking the inclusion of the cancer trope here…

I am curious about the “Bar Exam Meal” translation. I think there were 2 scenes where it also meant “put him behind bars”. Could it be that the Korean word/words for it meant both (“bar exam meal” and “put him behind bars”)? Just like how the Korean word “sagwa” could mean “apple” and “apologize”.

Question: was the original reason for the farm being burned down really an eminent domain issue? And if so, is that still on the table, or are issues now so personal that that has gone by the wayside?

These eps were just too cute! I loved when the twins sat on Kang-ho's lap and they took off to retrieve the pig + the scene where Sam-sik confronted Kang-ho and he was just so confused with the way he was behaving lmao

I have to admit, when I saw the promos for the show I already knew that it was gonna be a melodrama with an illness plot and good golly I can't believe I was right. I was so mad with myself I had to pause for a while when I saw the diagnosis.

Sigh I really don't know if I have anymore tears left to cry. I know for a fact the upcoming eps are gonna be heartbreaking.