Summary
This series keeps bringing the emotionally-filled moments, and episode 7 tops as the best chapter so far in this drama-led, well-acted story.
This recap of Netflix K-drama series Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) episode 7 contains significant spoilers.
Wow, just wow — this is definitely a hair-raiser of an episode. If audiences had believed that the impending divorce had cooled down between Lee Si-eun and Park Hae-ryun, then think again — Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) episode 7 is a volcano of drama, following on from Hyang-gi finding out about her father’s affair.
The opening of episode 7 sees Park Hae-ryun shopping at the supermarket, unbeknown that his daughter Hyang-gi is also in the same place. She sees her father get into the car with another woman and is in complete shock; her world slows down. Her father is cheating on her mother. The seventh episode shows a family unit slowly falling apart.
Hyang-gi confronts her father in the park about his mistress
Rather than confront her father in front of her mother, Hyang-gi meets him in a park privately. She asks him where he’s been spending his time and then reveals she saw him with another woman. Park Hae-ryun’s face says it all, but the issue is compounded when her father reveals that her mother already knows. Hyang-gi calls Park Hae-ryun’s mistress a piece of trash and walks away. At this point, we thought were witnessing a teenage tantrum — it is way worse.
The family is slowly falling apart despite Lee Si-eun’s “family unit” plan
When Park Hae-ryun returns home, he wonders where his daughter is but she is still out. Lee Si-eun tells him to eat with his son, but he has pressing news and tells his wife that Hyang-gi knows about the affair. Lee Si-eun’s plan to stay as a family unit is in serious jeopardy, and Park Hae-ryun has no excuses. This is all his fault, again.
Breakfast together and a trip to the theme park — the audacity
With no surprises whatsoever, Dong-mi and Yu-sin are still spending time with each other. This situation makes me sick. They enjoy a continental breakfast together like it’s a bloody holiday! Yu-sin brings up a theme park that she took him on when younger; he wants to take her there. Mo Seo-hyang and her granddaughter are at the same theme park. Dong-mi and Yu-sin walk around, holding hands. Eventually, Mo Seo-hyang sees Yu-sin and Dong-mi together at the theme park but doesn’t bring it to her granddaughter’s attention. Like mother, like daughter — her suspicions are the same, and rightly so.
Boo Hye-rung is not well, at all
Seo Ban notices that Boo Hye-rung does not seem herself at the radio station while in an interview. After the interview, Boo Hye-rung vomits blood over the studio floor. Sa-hyeon hears his wife is in hospital and rushes over there.
At the hospital, Boo Hye-rung learns that stress is the primary factor of her illness. Sa-hyeon stays by her side. This makes their scenario interesting because Sa-hyeon will feel he is the contributing factor to Hye-rung’s stress.
Yu-sin suggests that he and Dong-mi are twin flames
Back to Yu-sin and Dong-mi. The married man tells Dong-mi that she has a beautiful profile for an older woman — this feels like a backhanded compliment, but she enjoys his words. Yu-sin continues, stating that they are both destined to be there for each other, and in a past life, they could have been lovers or mother and son — the man is suggesting they are twin flames. This situation gets stranger by the second. Yu-sin then tells her to overcome his father’s death so she can move on.
Hyang-gi tells her brother the truth about their father
Hyang-gi finally returns home and talks to U-ram. She drops the bombshell… that their father is having an affair. Hyang-gi raises how their mother hid her feelings for their sake, and that she’s in a lot of pain. U-ram wants to ask his father himself. Hyang-gi doesn’t want to live with her father anymore after he broke the family trust. U-ram thinks if their father repents, they should forgive him. You have to admire the daughter’s strength of character in episode 7; however, an inkling of me wanted U-ram to have his own opinion on the situation. It felt like the older sister had the final say on everything in this episode, while the brother nodded and agreed.
Hyang-gi wants her mother to stand her ground and to endure the hardships as a family
And the family unit breaking up worsens in Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) episode 7 as with each passing the minute, Lee Si-eun has to endure the nightmare she tried to avoid.
Hyang-gi speaks to her mother about her father — she doesn’t want her to worry about their children and vows to overcome any hardship. Lee Si-eun reminds her daughter that Park Hae-ryun is her father, but Hyang-gi does not like the deception. This is a painful conversation where the mother tries to do the best for her children, and the daughter is trying to be brave and courageous for her mother. It’s a beautiful but sad dynamic.
A strange transparency
Yu-sin tells his daughter he was also at the theme park. He’s completely open about it, so it’s difficult to gauge whether he has any intentions with Dong-mi — viewers will be perplexed. Mo Seo-hyang is looking a little off with him; she suspects something is not right. As Mo Seo-hyang leaves and waits for a taxi, she sees Sa Pi-young and walks to talk to her, however, she turns it down.
Sa Pi-young learns that Yu-sin went to the theme park with Dong-mi and finds it weird. This is another volcano ready to happen.
The pivotal family meeting
And here we go folks — the remainder of episode 7 is a well-acted, dramatic family meeting that feels exhausting and painful. This is a family’s hell, and we wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
Park Hae-ryun returns home, and he’s straight into a meeting with his family. He tells them all he’s sorry, and that he has no excuses. He assures them that he still loves his children. Hyang-gi raises how he’s making their mother look pitiful in front of her children. U-ram doesn’t understand what his mother has done wrong to warrant a divorce. Hyang-gi raises how her mother isn’t incompetent, but it’s because her father has a poor character. She rips into him directly, like a full-grown adult.
Hyang-gi raises many valid points, and she doesn’t stop
Hyang-gi tells her father to leave and that they will look after their mother. She doesn’t believe Park Hae-ryun is truly sorry. Lee Si-eun doesn’t want the conversation to carry on, but Hyang-gi does not stop and has no intention of doing so — she’s calm, but in a frightening way; she wants the divorce papers to be processed tomorrow. U-ram agrees with her sister. Eventually, Hyang-gi finally breaks down in tears, the emotional stress finally getting to her. Park Hae-ryun tries to tell her that there are no guarantees in life, but still wants to fulfil his fatherly duties but Hyang-gi wants no money from him. Park Hae-ryun is dismayed that it’s going as far as rejecting his finances. I believe this was a turning point for the shamed husband — he always believed that divorcing Lee Si-eun would mean he’d still be able to support his children financially; this hits an insecurity part of him.
The conversation boils over into the bedroom
Afterwards, the situation hits Lee Si-eun, and she does the unthinkable thing — packs Park Hae-ryun’s clothes. Park Hae-ryun tells Lee Si-eun to look for other men, as it’s only natural. He’s annoyed that he’s made one mistake and has been reviled by his daughter, despite leading an ethical life. Lee Si-eun tells him to leave and that they should meet in a couple of days with the divorce papers. Park Hae-ryun was hoping for something more amicable. Lee Si-eun tells him that her children are innocent and says it’s not just “one mistake” and asks him to leave respectfully.
This time, Park Hae-ryun calls a family meeting
But the audience is treated with round two; Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) episode 7 is incredibly realistic; no way would a father peacefully go to bed after a meeting like that.
Park Hae-ryun hits the cupboard for alcohol; the situation has hit him hard for the first time. He then asks his family to get out of their bedrooms in an unexpected moment. Park Hae-ryun tells his daughter that everything she said to him was right and they have every right to feel betrayed, but he wants to be at least understood. He cites how he and Lee Si-eun have been together for 31 years and that he was her first man in her life and vice versa — he thinks it’s near impossible to be in love with the same person forever. He believes that if he met Lee Si-eun after they had dated a few people, this wouldn’t have occurred.
Park Hae-ryun then lists that he’s an ordinary man, a father, a husband and a professor and that he’s not God. He tells Hyang-gi that her words broke his heart and he wanted to jump off the balcony. Hyang-gi sarcastically tells him sorry for burdening his heart. Park Hae-ryun asks Hyang-gi one question — “would you be able to love one man forever?”. Hyang-gi doesn’t see why not and reminds her father that he could study abroad and become a professor as he wished, because of her mother. She raises that despite finding a new woman, he isn’t satisfied leaving the family despite his children letting him do so peacefully. She calls him selfish.
There will be many conversations about Park Hae-ryun’s fightback, but it’s difficult to explain to a young teenager how life is not always ideal, even in marriage — we are all told of “happy endings” and “fairytales” as children — it’s hard to compete with that. Park Hae-ryun should have let the situation cool for a few months.
The ending
Park Hae-ryun wants his daughter to understand him and not despise him, but he’s having an argument that he cannot win. Hyang-gi tells him that her mother was a lottery ticket. Park Hae-ryun doesn’t want to sever ties with his children, but Hyang-gi is done with him. Lee Si-eun heads into the bedroom and hears her daughter’s kind words about how much she worked hard for the family and wasted decades in vain. Lee Si-eun eventually comes outside and tells her daughter it wasn’t in vain. She then tells her husband to leave rather than pestering her children.
Park Hae-ryun walks off and then turns around and says “can you blame the lightning when there’s a rainstorm?”. He tells his family that life has plenty of ups and downs and that he’s only made a single human mistake, before breaking down in tears. Park Hae-ryun tells them that he was born into a low-income family, and his family was irresponsible. He calls Lee Si-eun the perfect wife and wonderful mother and that he isn’t on par with them and he’s sorry for not being good enough. He wants slapping instead. Hyang-gi yet again repeats her sentiments, but Lee Si-eun puts her hand up to stop her.
The episode ends with Park Hae-ryun completely broken. I’m sure he will not be getting much sympathy from the audience, and understandably so.
This series keeps bringing the emotionally-filled moments, and Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) episode 7 tops as the best chapter so far in this drama-led, well-acted story.
Additional points
- Ga-bin, A-mi and Song Won enjoy each other’s company again with some drinks.
- Sa-hyeon stays by Boo Hye-rung’s side in the hospital, but she doesn’t accept his hand when he tries to hold it.
