This Week, My Wife Will Have an Affair: Episode 11

by CandidClown

Now that we’ve entered the homestretch of our show, I wish I could say that we’re in for a smooth ride with a happily-ever-after waiting in the distance. But sometimes, a happy ending isn’t what every relationship needs. As always, This Week, My Wife Will Have an Affair continues to give an unflinchingly honest look at real life, and reminds us that while the head can be reasoned with, the heart knows no logic but its own. Unfortunately, you can’t always fix what’s been broken, and there comes a time when you have to give up on what was in order to realize what is.

 
EPISODE 11 RECAP

Hyun-woo is finally able to forgive his wife for her affair, but finds that he can’t hug Soo-yeon without seeing thinking of her with her lover. He tries to deny it, but Soo-yeon, crying, says she understands.

The two sit on the sofa, and Soo-yeon admits that she was the one who posted the question asking if he could forget that his wife was with another man. Stunned, Hyun-woo tries to insist that he’ll be able to overcome this so that they can return to the way things were, but Soo-yeon answers that she finally realized that the two of them cannot go back to the past. “You and I, we can’t go back to how things used to be,” she says.

Hyun-woo grows upset that she’s giving up without even trying, but Soo-yeon just keeps apologizing.

The two stay up for hours, with Hyun-woo pacing the apartment while Soo-yeon remains hunched over. He tries to come up reasons for them to stay together, like Joon-soo, then suggests they try to live apart only temporarily. But as his excuses dwindle down, he asks her to give him some time to adjust, promising that he’ll be able to forget.

Morning arrives, and Hyun-woo and Soo-yeon have stayed up the whole night on the couch. Soo-yeon starts to say something, but Hyun-woo pops up, remembering that he has an early shoot that morning before dashing out.

The film crew gathers for a meeting, but Bo-young – after discovering her pregnancy — is lost in thought. When prompted, she has to admit she hasn’t finished her assignment and promises to finish it later.

Joon-young clocks her distraction and asks if she’s sick, worried because she’s never been late with her work. He adorably checks her forehead for a temperature, but Bo-young brushes him off.

Looking for a new topic, Joon-young brings up his hope that Hyun-woo and Soo-yeon will be able to go back to their happy relationship, sure that the ADULTERYPATCH incident brought them closer together. Bo-young isn’t as sure, saying that she doesn’t know if they’re back to the way they were, or if they’re just trying to hold on to the way they were.

In his office, Yoon-ki ruminates over his upcoming divorce, wondering if he should just take off now that he has the building, or throw in some fake begging for good measure. Before he can finish his thought, Ara bursts in, asking if he’s heard the news: She’s closing his office.

Ara advises her soon-to-be ex-husband to pack up his things, as there’s another tenant arriving soon. She also tells him to return his car keys, adding that they should finish things professionally. Acting like a wounded victim, Yoon-ki complies, meekly walking out of the office as Ara glares after him.

After reclaiming her office, Ara meets with Hyun-woo, and he’s stunned to learn that she’s known of Yoon-ki’s many affairs all along. Hesitantly, he asks why she finally decided to act, and Ara answers that she didn’t like who she’d turned into.

Ara explains how she was lying to herself because she loved Yoon-ki, and because she thought she couldn’t live without him. But, no matter how hard she pretended that everything was all right, she kept wondering if he was with another woman. “That person was wrong, but I kept on being obsessed with him, doubting him… Little by little, I was becoming a monster.” With tears in her eyes, Ara admits that she hated herself for becoming like that.

Ara gets up to bid Hyun-woo farewell, saying that they won’t have a reason to see each other anymore. As she walks out, she stops to say that what she told him a while ago was a mistake. Confused, Hyun-woo stares as she continues, “Whatever wrong you did, it can’t be an excuse for cheating.”

Turning back, Ara looks him in the eye: “Didn’t I tell you? You may be able to forgive her, but you’ll never be able to forget it.” (AAHH! She is TUNAMAYO!) As Hyun-woo stares, Ara warns him that he’s already caught in a swamp, and the more he tries to forget, the more he’ll be sucked down. “Accept that reality, TOYCRANE.”

Giving him a short bow, she departs, leaving Hyun-woo looking like he got the wind got knocked out of him.

At a team lunch, the film crew discusses new ways for a marriage to result in divorce. Throughout the conversation, Joon-young absentmindedly helps Bo-young with her food, pushing dishes closer to her or giving her his water. His actions seem almost subconsciously done, but Bo-young definitely notices.

Afterward, Bo-young scolds him for acting like that in front of others, but he doesn’t see anything wrong with taking care of her. She insists that it makes her uncomfortable, but Joon-young just grins to realize that she noticed his small gestures. Still smiling, he asks if he’s making her heart flutter, but Bo-young storms off.

Still at the café, Hyun-woo thinks about his wife’s post asking if he could forget her affair, and Ara/TUNAMAYO’s response that he’ll never truly forget. Looking pained, he thinks, “I thought it would be possible. I thought I would be able to do it. But… I don’t think I will ever be able to forget it.”

That night, Hyun-woo and Soo-yeon sit on the couch again, a divorce agreement on the table in front of them. Hyun-woo deeply apologizes, but Soo-yeon just answers that she’s the one who should be sorry. Both husband and wife look utterly defeated.

In the morning. Hyun-woo starts to fill out the divorce papers, though he runs into problems when he realizes the multitude of paperwork required for a divorce. He tries to use an online program to get the documents he needs, but it results in his computer having a hissy fit.

When Hun-woo complains to Bo-young about how complicated divorce is turning out to be, she suggests he go see a divorce planner — essentially the opposite of a wedding planner.

So Hyun-woo and Soo-yeon meet with a divorce planner, and the first thing the woman asks about is the custody of their child, explaining that it’s better for sole custody to lie with one parent in the event of a medical or legal emergency. Hyun-woo and Soo-yeon are incredibly civil about the whole thing, each trying to make the divorce as easy for the other as possible.

In the end, Hyun-woo gives sole parental rights to Soo-yeon, and agrees to pay a large sum in child support. The pair looks so sad, and Hyun-woo agrees to everything so easily that the divorce planner is unnerved as she asks if they’re really going to go through with this.

It seems that they are determined to get divorced, as Hyun-woo and Soo-yeon head to the court with their papers. In contrast to the other volatile couples there, the two sit quietly next to each other. When it’s their turn, Hyun-woo slowly shuffles up to the counter, and nearly doesn’t let go of the papers until the clerk has to tug them out of his hand.

It takes maybe thirty seconds to submit their divorce, and Hyun-woo forlornly asks if that’s it, but the clerk corrects him: First, they have to take courses to prepare them for their separation. One such course instructs how to tell a child that his/her parents are getting a divorce.

Hyun-woo and Soo-yeon note that the class is starting soon, so they attend it together. They’re shown a short video to illustrate, which includes a clip of a child sobbing as their parents tell them that they’re separating. Both Soo-yeon and Hyun-woo start crying themselves, realizing what they’ll be putting Joon-soo through.

Yoon-ki visits the construction site for his new building with his Okinawa girlfriend at his side. The two of them survey the half-constructed building, and the woman starts planning to set up a business there. She muses that if she’s going to set up a clinic, she’ll need to get more money from her husband in the divorce, and Yoon-ki promises to win it for her.

Meanwhile, Ara has lunch with said husband. She hands over photos of his wife with Yoon-ki on their Okinawa trip. As the cuckolded man clenches his fist around the photos, Ara asks the man if he’s found the will to fight.

Meanwhile, TOYCRANE’s fans are missing Hyun-woo’s posts, all of them speculating about whether he managed to reconcile with his wife.

Sadly, the almost-divorced Hyun-woo is instead having a drink with Joon-young and Bo-young (who’s drinking tea), and is in disbelief that it’s come to this. Bo-young agrees that divorce can make you feel empty, and Joon-young asks if Hyun-woo has told Joon-soo yet.

Hyun-woo admits that he has no idea how to tell others of his impending divorce, but Joon-young’s advice is for him to do it soon, and not to wait too long like he did.

Bo-young and Joon-young are hanging out later that night, with Joon-young pointing out their many date-like activities, like eating food and playing video games. Bo-young answers his needling by blatantly stating that she likes him (making Joon-young choke), but adds that she doesn’t want to date him. Joon-young asks what then, does she want to get married? Heh.

Of course Bo-young shoots that down, instead saying that it’s difficult for her to have relationships with people, and she’s tired of trying. Joon-young asks if that means she’s tired of him, and when Bo-young doesn’t answer, he softly admits that when he was pretending to be married, he was tired too. However, when he was with her, he started to care about things again.

Joon-young points out that they’re already heading toward having a relationship anyway, and very casually proposes that they date. But Bo-young just snaps at him for asking that with a mouthful of kimchi, so Joon-young swallows before asking again. Pfft. She leaves, shaking her head, as Joon-young calls out repeatedly that they should date. Gotta love the persistence.

Hyun-woo and Soo-yeon begin to break their divorce news to their loved ones, starting with Hyun-woo’s mother. Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t go over well. His mother yells that she refuses to acknowledge their decision, and tells them to think of Joon-soo, pointing out that the little boy did nothing wrong. Hyun-woo quietly insists that they’ve already decided, while Soo-yeon apologizes over and over.

The couple visits Soo-yeon’s father next, and he’s much less volatile, taking the blame on himself instead. Sounding broken, Hyun-woo insists that it’s all his own fault for not making Soo-yeon happy after he promised to take care of her, apologizing deeply to his wife’s father.

After telling their parents, Hyun-woo and Soo-yeon face the toughest hurdle of all in telling their own son. Hyun-woo and Joon-soo go for a bike ride, and father and son happily spend the day together. The two stop for a break, and Hyun-woo gently tells his son that he and Joon-soo’s mom have decided to live apart now.

As the poor kid’s lip starts quivering, Hyun-woo continues in a shaking voice, saying that Joon-soo will live with his mom now. But he promises that he’ll always be his dad, and Joon-soo can see him whenever he wants. As Joon-soo tries so hard to hold in his tears, Hyun-woo asks Joon-soo to remember what he’s always told him: “When I’m not there…” Crying, Joon-soo finishes: “Instead of you, I have to protect Mom.” Oh, my heart.

Father and son embrace by the river, both trying and failing not to cry.

Yoon-ki defends his Okinawa mistress in court, assuring her that they’ll be able to get most of her husband’s assets. He’s confident of success, until the woman’s husbands presents the photos Ara gave him of Yoon-ki’s affair with his wife. The tide turns, and Yoon-ki can only watch, defeated.

After the trial, Yoon-ki’s mistress whines at the money she lost, but Yoon-ki assures her that he’ll buy her anything she wants, reminding her that he owns a building, after all.

Since Soo-yeon and Hyun-woo decided that she and Joon-soo would find a new place to live while Hyun-woo stays in their old home, Hyun-woo looks for a new apartment for his wife and son, nitpicking at every little detail as he checks the appliances and building safety.

Yoon-ki and his mistress arrive at his apartment to find a courier with an envelope from the court. Cut to the two meeting with an older man and his lawyer, who demands that Yoon-ki turn over his building to the other man. As it turns out, the land that Yoon-ki’s building is resting on originally belonged to this man, and was taken away from him during the Japanese Occupation. But now, he wants it returned.

As Yoon-ki stutters about the ridiculousness of the situation, the man yells at Yoon-ki to destroy the building and vacate immediately. His lawyer goes even further, saying that since Yoon-ki already did construction there without permission, he’ll have to compensate them. The Okinawa mistress whines about her clinic, and Yoon-ki all but whimpers at the loss of his precious building.

Joon-young waits outside a pojangmacha tent, clearly waiting. He spies Bo-young approaching and dashes back inside when Bo-young approaches, only to rush out and meet her “coincidentally.” Unfortunately, Bo-young sees right through their fated meeting. Sighing heavily, she tells him to come with her so that she can eat, and he can warm up. She walks off, and Joon-young follows like the happy puppy he is.

In the pojangmacha, Bo-young starts to say something in a serious tone, but Joon-young interrupts, guessing that she’s finally agreed to date him. He grins and starts teasing her, but Bo-young issues the phrase that will shut any man up: “I’m pregnant.”

Joon-young repeats it stupidly, and asks who the father is. When Bo-young just stares at him, he shouts out, “Me? Me?!” He starts to insist that they never did that, until Bo-young says it was the night they drank together. Joon-young remembers some of their drunken ride home, and breathes out an “Ahhh…”

As Joon-young sits stunned, Bo-young says that she’s decided to have the baby, which is why she told him. Joon-young still has trouble wrapping his mind around it, but comes to a fast decision, “Okay. There is nothing more to think about. Let’s get married.”

Bo-young replies that she didn’t tell him to make him take responsibility, but Joon-young answers back, “Whether we have a child or not, I want to be by your side. To be honest with you, I have no feelings for the baby that just popped up suddenly. It doesn’t even feel real, but if you decided to have it, I’d like to be by your side for the both of you.” Swoon.

Unmoved, Bo-young responds that she doesn’t want to get married, and the baby and marriage are two separate things. Joon-young insists, and the two start bickering again, this time over marriage rather than dating. When Joon-young threatens promises that he’ll marry her no matter what, Bo-young stomps off, leaving Joon-young alone.

Hyun-woo and Soo-yeon pack up the house together. The next morning, Hyun-woo heads off to work and asks if Soo-yeon needs help with the boxes, but she reassures him with a smile that the movers will help. However, after her husband leaves, her smile falters.

Soon, the movers have taken everything, and Soo-yeon stands alone in the sparse apartment, remembering her married life here. Memories flash from when Soo-yeon had first learned cooking, to when she’d told Hyun-woo she was pregnant and he’d danced happily around the apartment.

Realizing her marriage is now well and truly over, Soo-yeon breaks down crying.

At the studio, work continues as usual for Hyun-woo. As he directs, we hear him narrate his final post to the forum,

TOYCRANE: “I’m currently in the process of the divorce procedure with my wife. But I’m okay with it. Because I came to the answer after thinking hard about it. In that regard, I would like to sincerely thank you. If I didn’t have you, who held on to me when I was going through the toughest time, I would still be blaming my wife and wouldn’t have been able to look back on myself. This will be my last post. Thank you for everything. Although I’ve never met you, I wish all of you happiness from my heart. Goodbye.”

Hyun-woo looks over the dark studio before leaving, and as he heads home, his words slowly sink in with all his fans, leading all of them to take a new look at their lives.

Hyun-woo arrives back home to an empty house. Unable to make himself go in, he stands on the threshold, unmoving.

Out in the country, Grandma and Ajumma experience a lightning storm. Aww, Ajumma is scared of the lighting and hovers outside Grandma’s door until the older woman calls out for her to just come in already. As the two settle next to each other, Ajumma asks Grandma why she allowed her to stay with her after their husband died. Grandma answers that she’s going to keep her around to take revenge on her the rest of her life, but there’s no anger in her words, and Ajumma jokes back that she should be sure to live a long life, then.

After Ajumma falls asleep, Grandma gets up and writes a response to Hyun-woo’s post on her treasured cellphone: “TOYCRANE, now that I’ve lived to this old age, I came to this thought. The times that I miss hurt because I can’t get them back. The times that I don’t want still hurt because I can’t forget them. But I wonder, the time that’s floating by in front of us now, I wonder if I will miss it tomorrow. That’s a reason I can go on today with a smile.”

Hyun-woo sits on the floor in his dark apartment. Finally getting up, he turns on lights to forage for food. However, he opens to fridge to find it stocked full of packed meals, along with small notes from Soo-yeon on how to cook everything. Aww.

Regardless of her note, Hyun-woo sets up a small grilling station for himself, musing that on his first night alone, he should have a luxurious meal. As he waits for the meat to cook, he stares around the apartment, wondering if he should change the wallpaper, or if he should bring the large rice cooker to Soo-yeon and Joon-soo’s new home.

The nostalgia has him struggling to hold back tears, and Hyun-woo jumps up to get kimchi for his meal. He runs back to the fridge, but seeing all his wife’s notes proves to be too much. Standing in front of the open door, Hyun-woo completely breaks down, sobbing his heart out.

 
COMMENTS

Oh man, that hurt. After watching Hyun-woo and Soo-yeon break the news to their parents, and listening as Hyun-woo told his son that he wouldn’t be living with him anymore, I really thought we’d reached the episode’s angst threshold. I was wrong. Seeing Hyun-woo just standing there in his empty apartment, then seeing his sobs, my heart hurts. Hats off to Lee Seon-kyun for those honest and snotty tears. So many dramas put an emphasis on the “pretty crying” where a single tear rolls artfully down a blotch-less face, so when someone cries for real, it has a much stronger impact. I ached at his pain, and recoiled from his mucus – the exact same feeling I’d get if I saw someone cry in real life.

And if that wasn’t enough, poor Joon-young’s face when Bo-young walked away from him took what little emotional stability I had left. He’s such a good and sweet person, immediately stepping up and honestly stating that while the baby bomb is too much for him to think about, he still wants to be with Bo-young. Not only that, he wants to be there for her, helping her through this. Springing the whole “Let’s get married” thing might have been a bit premature, but I love that the news of fatherhood doesn’t change his core feelings for Bo-young — if anything, it makes him love her more.

Unfortunately, I’m having a harder time relating to Bo-young. I completely understand her taking time to come to her own decision, but it looks like she wants to cut Joon-young out of the picture, and I find that to be just wrong. Even if she’s not interested in him romantically, it’s his baby too, and if she’s decided to keep it, then he has every right to be involved. If he was slime like Yoon-ki, then I can see her not wanting him around. But she willingly told Joon-young, so to push him away afterward is cruel. I understand that she’s gun-shy about marriage given her last one, and Joon-young did jump on the wedding train pretty fast, but I think he’s so in love with Bo-young that he’d be willing to forgo the ring just to be with her and their child. I’m crossing my fingers that Bo-young won’t push him away for long, and that they can shift from adorably bickering to actually dating and picking out baby names.

I’m just going to gloss over Yoon-ki, since even with the revenge that’s getting rained down on him, I still just don’t care. I really did enjoy Ara’s conversation with Hyun-woo, though. I think most people already guessed that she was TUNAMAYO, so the reveal wasn’t quite the shocker, but I like that her words proved to be the tipping point for Hyun-woo. He saw himself in her and her story of how she tried to force herself to forget her husband’s monstrous ways, only to see that she slowly turned into a monster as well. TUNAMAYO was completely right yet again in that we can forgive, but we’ll never truly forget. It was that advice that finally made Hyun-woo see that he and Soo-yeon could never go back to the way things were.

I hadn’t realized until Bo-young said it, but Hyun-woo really did spend all this time trying to return his marriage to the way it was. He was so focused on regaining the life that he lost, that he was blind to that fact that it was truly gone. I was mad in the beginning when Soo-yeon meekly said that their marriage could never go back to how things were, and Hyun-woo was frustrated that she wouldn’t even try. But she was right — even though Hyun-woo realized his own faults in the relationship, and Soo-yeon atoned (not really, but whatever) for cheating, the affair still happened. The trust was broken. That being said, I really didn’t think they’d go through with the divorce. I can understand a separation, since it seems like what they both need to do is find a way forward rather than backward, but I can’t believe they actually divorced each other.

It really is amazing how this show has always kept us guessing about our characters and their story’s conclusion: We don’t know how our characters will end up, because they don’t know how they’ll end up. There’s no behind the scenes secrets or cookie-cutter plotlines to follow. We’re given an honest and unflinching look at a painful situation, and part of that pain is the possibility that our characters won’t remain together. Not only that, but it may be that they shouldn’t stay together. It’s a harsh reminder that life has no guaranteed happy ending. Like Grandma said, in the end, all we have are the times that we miss, and the times that we regret, but regardless, we must always treasure the moments that we have now.

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