Everything’s Changing
Episode 9 of When I Was The Most Beautiful begins with Sung-Gon hyperventilating when he receives the news about Jin. His son is never going to walk again. When he recovers, Yeon-Ja tells her ex-husband to get Jin re-examined in Korea to be sure. However, he’s convinced that the reason he’s hiding is because of him. When Ye-Ji rings through and tries to convince Hwan, Jin vehemently refuses to go and tells Hwan not to bother him either. Alone, Jin discusses what happened to him in the past. His car crashed mid-race and landed underwater. He had to undergo multiple surgeries and during that time all he could think about was Ye-Ji. He adopted a fake alias during this time which is why no one could find him. Rapping at the door distracts their conversation as Hwan bursts in and sees his brother. Out on the balcony they discuss the past and what they both had to endure. Finally, Ye-Ji and Hwan convince Jin to head back and face his Father. Wheeling him inside, Jin stares forward and demands not to be taken upstairs. As Jin gets settled in, Hwan sticks up for his brother and tells Ye-Ji that he was only trying to save her the pain of having to deal with this situation now. As he leaves, Hwan promises to behave himself so he won’t have to deal with any nonsense his end. As we soon find out, Carry Jung was the reason for Jin going into hiding. On Jin’s orders she did her best to hide him from Yeon-Ja. Now, as Carry sits with Yeon-Ja, she berates the girl and warns her against going near their family. If she does, Yeon-Ja will kill her. Back home, Hwan goes all-in on trying to get the house prepped for Jin. He sits in a wheelchair and starts wheeling around the house, checking for any obstacles or issues in the way. While he does, Yeon-Ja returns and tries to instill some hope into Jin before he gives up completely. Unable to cope with the possibility of her son being in a wheelchair, she heads outside and begins sobbing. However, Ye-Ji manages to talk her husband round and convinces Jin to go ahead with these tests for his Mother’s sake. Back home, Sung-Gon starts drinking alone. Hwan approaches him though and sits with him. He convinces his Father that they’re not alone in this. After all, Jin has Ye-Ji by his side too so they’re more than prepared. Ye-Ji and Jin finally have their long-awaited argument. She vents at Jin and berates him for living in hiding. Given the agony she’s caused the family, she can’t understand why he did this. Not long after, Hwan heads off and visits Ye-Ji’s Mother, Kim Go-Woon. He reveals that Jin is back and what’s happened to him. He also mentions how children care for their parents. When he returns to the workship, he tells Ye-Ji about her Mother and also that he needs help with work. Jin spies them from afar and tells his brother to come downstairs. There, they discuss what happened in the past. When Jin asks if another man was involved, Hwan suddenly flips and tells him not to ask something so stupid. This reaction is only made worse later than day. While Ye-Ji heads off to pick up drinks, In-Ho shows up and taunts Jin. He tells Jin about the “love scandal” and how Hwan and Ye-Ji were involved together. Back home, Jin looks at the pictures himself and immediately confronts Hwan about it. When he asks whether Hwan still likes Ye-Ji, his silence speaks for itself. Jin tells him he wants to have an honest talk, which is where the episode comes to a close.
The Episode Review
Two words can really sum up this Korean drama – sloppy writing. Before we dive into the problems though, let’s start with the positives. The melodramatic elements are good and the acting all round really does well to push that anguish and pain that seeps through every facet of this show. However, this comes at the cost of contrived writing. How on earth would a prolific accident like this go under the radar? A few years back, footballer Emiliano Sala went missing and was later found dead in the middle of the ocean. This caused a whole wave of news to spread across the world. That was a private plane with no spectators or press coverage. A race car in front of a crowd, numerous other racers and all the organizers could not have been hidden for that long. Carry Jung may be good at her job but I’m sure she’s not THAT good. As we cross the halfway point of this Korean drama it looks like we’re gearing up for another brotherly battle over Ye-Ji. I’d imagine we’re going to see some pretty tense confrontations in the future too. For now though, the show leaves the door wide open for next week’s double bill.
