The Unwanted Mother
Episode 18 of Homemade Love Story picks up where we left off with Jae-Hee kissing Chae-Woon. They quickly run away though when they see Jung-Hoo. Jae-Hee then manages to convince her not to go to Busan, which work out perfectly as she gets a call informing her the position has been taken. She then accidentally calls Jae-Hee her boyfriend and they head back to the villa where Chae-Woon removes the letter she left her mother. In LX fashion, Ms Kim looks at the DNA results and is devastated. Soon-Jung drops down on her knees, revealing she’s not able to tell her why she took Seo-Yeon away so she will accept any punishment. Meanwhile, Hae-Deun heads into work, looking sadly at the trainees. She heads up the stairs and comes face to face with Jun-Ha who is struggling on the phone with one of his students. He then has an idea and asks Hae-Deun to sit with him for 50 dollars. We then see that he needs her to pretend to be one of his students as they have all quit. Soon-Jung calls Chae-Woon over to meet with her and Ms Kim. When she sits down and looks at the DNA results, she tells them that it doesn’t matter as for her, Soon-Jung is her real mother. Ms Kim then apologises to Chae-Woon in private and begs her to be her mother. Chae-Woon refuses though and walks away, leaving Ms Kim alone and crying. Outside, she comes face to face with Seo-A who is angry that a DNA test was done. She can’t believe that someone like her could be her mother’s daughter and refuses to let the woman move in. Chae-Woon shrugs her off though and tells her she can have it all. While out shopping in a market, Soon-Jung comes face to face with Jung-Hoo. The two then share some egg bread which makes Soon-Jung remember the day she made some for him in the past. After they leave, we see Min-Jae following them and remembering the same day. She became jealous of Min-Jae and ate all the egg bread Soon-Jung made. Na-Ro is almost caught by Hae-Deun when he is about to meet Mi-Ja in the subway she works in. He then quickly meets with the woman outside and pays her to do Pil-Hong’s new order. Jae-Hee is visited by Jung-Hoo’s assistant who tells him they need the CEO to attend an important emergency board meeting. Jae-Hee later asks his father to pretend being the CEO of a company as he needs his help. Meanwhile, Chae-Woon and Soon-Jung have been preparing a feast and everyone is looking forward to sitting down for a dinner party. Before eating, Chae-Woon reveals that the DNA results were a match. Everyone look solemn but she reassures them that she will not be moving out. After dinner, Jae-Hee and Chae-Woon head out for an evening walk. She tells him she regrets how she spoke to Ms Kim and her mother and how it has been playing on her mind. At the same time in the villa, Na-Ro is suspicious of Jun-Won. As they turn in for bed, Jung-Hoo and Jae-Hee continue to grow closer and bond. The old man wishes to have a son like him which makes Jae-Hee remember the difficult relationship he has always had with his father. The next day, Chae-Woon returns to work at Jae-Hee’s construction site while Na-Ro reports to Pil-Hong. He tells him that he has been having trouble getting close to Chae-Woon so he will change his target to Seo-A. He then calls Mi-Ja and tells her to start today. At the same time, Seo-A walks by Jae-Hee’s work and becomes very angry when she sees Chae-Woon and Jae-Hee together. Mi-Ja calls Chae-Woon, telling her she used to work with her mother. They meet in a coffee shop where Mi-Ja explains that she used to work next door to the Kim household. She knows that Soon-Jung is currently having a hard time and tells her not to be too hard on her since she had to raise a child abandoned by her parents. Chae-Woon doesn’t say much but asks for her name and number. As Jae-Hee and Jung-Hoo arrive in the company, Jae Hee tells him to act how he told him to and warns that people will think he is his father because he looks like him. Min-Jae and Min-Seok arrive and are surprised to see Jung-Hoo there. The latter does his best to keep the pretense going, then heads to the meeting where Min-Jae spends her time scrutinizing her ex-husband. Afterwards, Jae-Hee drives his father away but both are quickly stopped by Min-Jae in the middle of the road. Jae-Hee makes a bold decision and speeds off. On his way home from work, Na-Ro receives the shock of his life when Pil-Hong suddenly appears. The evil man tells him how he is aware that he did his best to keep him in prison. Chae-Woon returns home and brings food to her mother in her room. The latter is busy ironing all her clothes though which makes Chae thinks she is sending her away. Soon-Jung tells her that she should be living with her mum now she knows who she is. Chae-Woon refuses just as Hae-Deun comes to tell them Ms Kim is at the door. The episode ends with both women finding Ms Kim looking haggard in the rain. She cries and looks at Chae-Woon, calling her baby and asking her to go home with her.
The Episode Review
I really can’t help but feel sorry for Jung-Won and how sad she must be. She thought her daughter was dead and after finally finding her, Chae-Woon refuses to acknowledge her. I understand it must be hard for Chae as well but I wish she would be a little more understanding. She seems convinced that she was abandoned and is determined to stay loyal to Soon-Jung. On the other hand, her romance with Jae-Hee continues to blossom and I am really enjoying watching the two together. However, I am sure it is not happily-ever-after yet for our main couple as more drama is coming their way, especially with Seo-A lurking in the shadows. At the beginning of the show, I would have never believed that I would start rooting for Jung-Hoo’s character. The writers have done a really good job with his story and the bond growing between him and Jae-Hee is cleverly done too. While it is still a shame that we don’t see more of the secondary characters, Homemade Love Story remains quite the strong and enjoyable drama, one that I have definitely become addicted to, just like Beautiful Love, Wonderful Life before it!
