“I think it’s finally over now”, says Sun Woo to Ye Rim three weeks before the events last week. If there’s one thing we’ve learnt from “The World of the Married”, it is never over and the show has shown us that there are no easy ways out. Mirroring the reality of broken marriages, the emotional impact on the couple, but most importantly on the child, will take a long time, if not forever, to heal. The show ends on a strong note with another intense, heart-rending episode and gives each character the hopeful ending they truly deserve.
At the start of the episode, we see that while Sun Woo and Joon Young have finally settled back in Gosan after a long tussle, their hearts are still unsettled. Joon Young still yearns for that happy family life, whereas a simple phone vibration shakes Sun Woo. She looks uneasily at Joon Young until he shows her that the message is from No Eul. Nonetheless, the relationship between Joon Young and his mum has definitely improved and they tease each other and have found community with Ye Rim, Ja Hyuk, Myung Sook and Yoon-ki. They go out for dinner with them, and she invites them over for dinner. Joon Young is happy and has a love interest – it looks like life is starting to take off again for him.
On the Tae-Oh front, he has been stalking Sun Woo and Joon Young. Sun Woo is definitely uneasy and her suspicions are confirmed when she receives a torn wedding photograph that is taped up.
Joon Young sees it too and tells her to ignore it, not to take matters into her own hands and to call the cops immediately. No action is taken though, which leads us to Joon Young’s disappearance that ended off last week’s episode. Sun Woo calls Tae-Oh continually after Joon Young disappears and he finally replies, apologising to her and saying that he wanted was to be with Joon Young.
Sun Woo rushes over to meet him and Joon Young at a deserted river bank. There, we see him that Tae Oh ultimately meant no harm, and all he is doing is to tell Joon Young about how his dad abandoned him when he was young and how he did not want to abandon Joon Young. Once Sun Woo arrives, Joon Young runs over to her and they are almost going to leave, but Sun Woo’s heart softens and she offers to go to a meal together with Tae-Oh and Joon Young – which shocks Joon Young completely. The whole sequence of Tae Oh walking slowly to the car, Sun Woo entering the car and Joon Young in the car is one of the most powerful scenes in the show – though no words are exchanged, the turmoil, pain, uncertainty and struggle within our three characters are so clearly conveyed.
Sun Woo still wants to give Tae-Oh a chance to make amends and apologise when she sees him all broken. However, when he starts talking about how he has forgiven her and she should now forgive him, she knows there’s no point and that he is truly hopeless. After a futile conversation at the restaurant, they walk out and just before parting, Tae Oh apologises to Joon Young, but Joon Young is unconvinced and walks off with Sun Woo.
Just as they are going to enter the car, they see a lorry coming and Tae Oh runs in front of it. Sun Woo instinctively runs over to see what happened and realises Tae Oh is safe. She brings him out and he kneels down, hugging her. Joon Young sees this and it is too much for him to take, so he runs off.
Fast forward to a year later, we see that he has gone to Runaway Children’s Counselling Centre and they are working to reunite him with her. Tae Oh has picked himself up – he’s not successful yet, but he’s making attempts to get employed. Sun Woo has not found anyone new, but she has been processing. She’s not doing well, but not doing poorly either – enduring each day, not allowing the pain to overwhelm her. We get hints that she may finally decide to forgive herself when she meets her past patient and sees he does well. She looks at Yoon Ki – perhaps wondering if she should give it a shot with him, and give herself a shot at happiness.
“Setting aside my arrogance, of thinking that I set the rules, judge and take responsibility, is probably the best that I can do,” she says after she reads the letter from the Counselling Centre. After fighting for so long, she decides to sit back and do nothing. Not just for Joon Young, but also with Tae Oh – we only see brief messages exchanged about Joon Young, nothing more. There’s a sense that she has also gradually moved on from the divorce. The series ends with the door opening – Joon Young has returned – and she walks to him, ready to receive him and a new beginning for both of them.
Speaking of new beginnings, we also have Ye Rim, who finally decides to let go of Je-Hyuk. Although they have many happy moments at the start, she is still unable to let go of his past betrayals and hurts, no matter how hard she tries to forgive him. In a heartbreaking exchange, she lets him know how she feels and that he may forever have to live such a tormenting life. They have decided to part ways and Ye Rim has started her own cafe, with no regrets at all. Da-Kyung starts to pursue her dream, but the pain of relationship lingers as she walks off from a guy who shows interest in her.
“The World of the Married” ends on a very satisfying note for all our characters. There’s no ‘happy ever after’ even after all the battles have been fought. The pain still lingers, but the best we can do for ourselves is to forgive ourselves and to not let the pain dominate each day.
For the finale, the show has once again broken the ratings records for a cable drama and it’s not hard to see why. This has truly been a very enjoyable and meaningful drama – well-paced, extremely well-acted and complex in its characterisation. Kudos to the entire team behind the drama for an excellent production.
Upcoming K-Drama Analysis Webinar [update on 23 May 2020]
Analysing k-drama has helped me realise how much work goes into these shows and appreciate them so much more. Having blogged on k-drama for a few years, I would like to share my approach on how to analyse k-dramas so as to enjoy them so much more.
I will be launching a webinar very shortly titled “Unlocking the Keys to K-drama” soon. The webinar will cover my Genre, Characterisation, Technical Details approachusing dramas like Healer, Queen In-hyun’s Man, Legend of the Blue Sea, Goblin, Hotel Del Luna and The World of the Married. If you are interested to sign up, please indicate your interest by clicking this link and you will be placed on a mailing list to be notified once the webinar is up. Spaces will be limited since it is my first run. Thank you!