The Rivalry
The adventures of our four main characters continue this week as they continue to face some challenges but also encounter touching moments. The show remains steady as the weeks tick by, giving plenty of drama and twists that should keep you coming back for more. We pick up where we left off with Jin-Woo watching his ex-wife meeting with Tae-Rang and as he follows them, he starts speaking to her, asking who he is. Outraged, she storms away, telling him to leave her alone. He continues after her though, berating her for being friends with a man. Meanwhile, Hwa-Young and Hae-Rang have lunch together where they talk about her family. Hae-Rang explains that she doesn’t remember her biological parents but does remember she had an older brother. Jin-Woo heads back home looking very upset so Hae-Rang decides to try comforting him. Joon-Hwi has been waiting for Cheong-Ah to finish her shift at a coffee shop for 6 hours and almost leaves, until she turns up late. However, things aren’t going well as he doesn’t talk or even look at her. She decides to get some food instead but makes sure he sits away from her for now as he’s making her feel uncomfortable. After an awkward dinner, they leave the restaurant where she tells him that they should do the same again another time. At the Kim household, we see that Yoong-Woong is suffering from depression while Yeon-Ah has signed the contract but hasn’t told her mum. As Cheong-Ah arrives home, her mother berates her for meeting with Joon-Gyeom’s mum. She tells her she’s going to help as she needs to speak about her son and believes they were friends. Her mum warns her as she could find out what they did. Seol-Ah arrives in the room and defends her sister, telling them she may be the reason why Yu-Ra has been able to deal with her son’s death. However, Young-Ae warns them against getting involved with that family ever again. Joon-Hwi overhears her mum on the phone talking to her father about Si-Wol being released. She explains that she’ll find him a place to stay and a job. Joon-Hwi asks her who Si-Wol is before she remembers the time she found her younger son rubbing off the blood from his car after he ran over someone. Joon-Hwi arrives at the office and is greeted by a welcoming committee on his first day back. As he steps out of his car, he sees Tae-Rang and questions what he’s doing there. Tae-Rang explains that he works in one of the restaurants and was given that job thanks to Hae-Rang, who happens to be his sister. After seeing her father acting depressed, Seol-Ah takes him out for a walk while the Mun siblings meet in Tae-Rang’s restaurant. Pae ask his brother to forgive his sister once and for all, despite not knowing why they aren’t getting on. At work, Joon-Hwi asks his cousin for a bigger budget as he wants to organise an international tennis tournament and explains that they’ve found a promising athlete in Yeon-Ah. As Cheong-Ah finishes work, she’s surprised to find Rim waiting for her as she was hoping it would have been Joon-Hwi. Rim explains that he’s failed his exams, prompting them to leave to get some drinks, while we see that Joon-Hwi had actually decided to come and meet her after all. Things are a little awkward as they start drinking and when Cheong-Ah confronts him about his behaviour, Joon-Hwi tells her he actually wants to date her. After taking a very drunk Rim back home, Joon-Hwi almost kisses Cheong-Ah but promises her that he will do it the next time they are together. Jin-Woo remembers the conversation he had with Tae-Rang when he told him that he might become closer than friends with Seol-Ah. This prompts him to head to the radio station to meet his ex wife after she finishes work. Seol-Ah comes out and he asks her to give him another chance while Tae-Rang watches their interaction from afar, where the episode closes. After much hesitation, Joon-Hwi finally decides to date Cheong-Ah and he did it just in time too, as we see that she was getting a little impatient with him. I have been enjoying watching their relationship evolve over the last few weeks as they had some fun and touching moments together. This episode also brought back the mystery surrounding Joon-Gyeom hitting someone and Yu-Ra hiding the truth about this accident. Her phone call regarding a certain Si-Wol was quite intriguing too and could well be linked to the story. I’m thinking the person who died could be someone we already know and it looks like we’ll get another plot twist soon enough. The rivalry between Tae-Rang and Jin-Woo is quite tense to watch as well, with both set to fight for Seol-Ah. Looking at the preview for what’s to come ahead, things are about to get dramatic for the trio. Seol-Ah will have to make a decision eventually but for now my money is on Tae-Rang. With all this in mind, Beautiful Love, Wonderful Life remains quite the decent drama to watch, perfect for anyone looking for a weekly fix of soapy, relationship-driven Korean drama.
