Summary
Episode 8 brings one divorce to closure, while Sa Pi-young has to deal with a problem in her marriage — there’s no rest for the wicked in this series; it gets juicier every week.
This recap of Netflix K-drama series Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) episode 8 contains significant spoilers.
After an emotionally exhausting chapter 7, Park Hae-ryun breaks down and announces that he’s desperate. He expresses how being a father and husband meant fending off many dreams himself, like touring the country on a motorbike and playing golf. Hyang-gi believes the affection for the family should have been stronger. U-ram asks if he will be gone when they wake up, before walking into his bedroom. This is the final blow for Park Hae-ryun; the fact he even brought up hobbies he couldn’t enjoy was audacious. Interestingly, he referenced how he was 50 — this is a typical age for men to have a midlife crisis and leave their wives.
Mo Seo-hyang raises her concerns about Dong-mi
Mo Seo-hyang tells Sa Pi-young that she saw her husband and mother-in-law at a theme park and they looked like a couple on a date. She raises the odd vibe between them. Sa Pi-young waves it off and states Yu-sin is trying to make sure Dong-mi doesn’t get depressed. When Sa Pi-young goes home, she looks through photos and messages on Yu-sin’s phone, and she sees what her mother means. This is a personal moment for Sa Pi-young, especially after recent arguments with her mother; her pride will be hurt that her mother is sensing a problem in their seemingly perfect marriage.
Sa-hyeon tells Boo Hye-rung that he will break it off with his mistress
In the hospital, Sa-hyeon tells Boo Hye-rung that he will end it with his mistress. Boo Hye-rung believes this means that he wanted his mistress more than she wanted him. Meanwhile, the scene then flits to Nam Ga-bin, A-mi and Song Won who arrange to go to Jeju island; there must be a link to Sa-hyeon here — of course, we see worlds cross again near the end of the chapter, but there’s a massive twist incoming — the writers are keeping it arm’s length.
Pan Mun-ho tells Sa-hyeon to end it with his mistress to put Boo Hye-rung’s mind at ease
After learning that Boo Hye-rung is in hospital, Pan Mun-ho and Ye-jeong meet their son Sa-hyeon. He gets in their car, and Pan Mun-ho asks for his mistress’s address so they can end it for good. Sa-hyeon is irritated, stating his mistress is pregnant, so they don’t need to put another woman in the hospital. Pan Mun-ho changes his mind, realising his son makes a good point.
Pan Mun-ho and Ye-jeong visit Boo Hye-rung in the hospital. They want to help her with the best doctor, but she assures them that she’s in good hands. This scene is strangely heartwarming — Pan Mun-ho and Ye-jeong are taking on parents’ roles for Hye-rung in her time of need, even if their intentions are based on their self-interests.
Lee Si-eun shows how much of a good person she is
Now that their divorce application has been processed, Lee Si-eun’s family moves forward. Lee Si-eun reminds her children that Park Hae-ryun is their father. She’s being a noble and good mother, reminding them that he brought them into this world as well. Lee Si-eun says she’s at peace with her ex-husband, and she wants her children to be nice to their father. What nobility and principles Lee Si-eun shows here; such grace and maturity — she’s officially the most understanding character in this series, and she deserves better.
Dong-mi makes food for Yu-sin
Here we go again k-drama fans; Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) episode 8 brings back the weirdness again — this situation makes our skin crawl.
Dong-mi and Yu-sin enjoy a meal together — the widow went “all-out” to make him a meal, and he’s appreciative. Yu-sin reminds her of the time she bought him ice cream. Sa Pi-young returns home and listens to their conversation and walks in as Yu-in is feeding Dong-mi with a spoon — hilarious how she walked in during an intimate situation and surprisingly kept her cool. Dong-mi offers Pi-young food and joins them at the table. Pi-young is complimentary of the food; Dong-mi tells her cooking takes her mind off things. Although Sa Pi-young is playing it cool, she’s not happy about the situation. If anyone has ever been in a long term relationship, you can sense these moments when your partner is not happy, but they are trying to keep it hidden.
Sa Pi-young packs a suitcase for her husband
Later in the evening, Sa Pi-young is being off with Yu-sin and grabs a suitcase. She tells him to take it to work tomorrow so he can stay at Dong-mi’s place; she’s “acting reasonable” until the grieving process is over, but Yu-sin senses there is a problem. Sa Pi-young then explodes and brings up the sweet relationship Yu-sin has with Dong-mi. Yu-sin sits her down and tells her that the way she describes it makes him understand why she’s angry — he apologises for not being considerate. He asks her for a month, but Sa Pi-young tells her not to rub it in her face.
Yu-sin’s story
Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) episode 8 brings a pivotal moment in the k-drama series — Yu-sin appears to have a reason for his care for Dong-mi which his wife appears to understand; it’s difficult for the audience to know what to believe after this.
In the middle of the night, Yu-sin cannot sleep, so tells his wife about his painful memories of his late mother; she only doted on his big brother, and his father was too busy with the hospital expansion and his patients — he had no attention. He remembers when his mother’s friend owned a pear orchard and invited the family over for a BBQ party, but his mother only brought his big brother — he describes how he cried that night in his sleep and that his mother looked at him with no emotions. He didn’t feel love; his mother had no affection for him. Yu-sin admits he is still impacted by it. He tells Sa Pi-young that Dong-mi doted on him like a little brother, and if it weren’t for her, he would have spiralled out of control, and he would have never met his wife. He wonders if Dong-mi was his mother in a past life and that he feels the same today. Yu-sin feels like it’s his time to repay her the favour after everything Dong-mi did for him.
Reversing the roles
Sa Pi-young reverses the roles, and shows a photo of Yu-sin and Dong-mi; she asks how he’d feel if that was her and a young stepfather. She tells him to stay with her until he’s at ease. Yu-sin promises it will only be a month. The couple seems to find an understanding with each other and Yu-sin sincerely apologises. Sa Pi-young tells Yu-sin to find Dong-mi a decent man.
Now I know many viewers will be shaking their heads at this situation — you can see it from two perspectives; either Yu-sin is extremely manipulative or is genuinely trying to repay the favour to Dong-mi. It’s relieving that Sa Pi-young reversed the roles and showed it from her perspective — she must make her feelings known. If Yu-sin is genuine in this situation, then this entire conversation indicates a married couple who communicate with each other well. That’s what we will be hoping for anyway.
Boo Hye-rung powers through
Sa-hyeon visits Boo Hye-rung in the hospital and offers to stay the night. He brings her matching watches, but she isn’t in the mood to play “happy couple”. The next morning, Boo Hye-rung thinks about Seo Ban and wonders if he’s interested in her. Despite her health conditions, Boo Hye-rung heads into work — on the radio, she talks about finding ways to “hang in there” and finding words of comfort. Afterwards, Boo Hye-rung returns to the hospital to rest.
Seo Ban is on the scene
A character that is slowly growing into the story is Seo Ban. After the radio show, Boo Hye-rung wonders if Seo Ban cares or if he’s selfish. Seo Ban then has coffee with Sa Pi-young; she asks him if he knows any decent single man for her mother-in-law. Seo Ban asks if Dong-mi should be ready to move on, after recently losing her husband, but he’ll happily find a match. He makes a good point here — he’s wiser than every other character, and he’s not even strongly involved.
Lee Si-eun tells Boo Hye-rung that she has signed the divorce papers. Boo Hye-rung is annoyed that she gave in to Park Hae-ryun and thinks she should get revenge and look for his mistress. Seo Ban turns up with flowers and a cake and then states he is leaving. All three women talk about Seo Ban and wonder if he is a player as he brought the perfect cake.
The ending
Sa Pi-young tells Dong-mi that Yu-sin has headed for Jeju island because his teacher Mr Lee Gang-jae has fallen ill recently. Dong-mi tells her that the teacher admired Yu-sin dearly. She seems more concerned that Yu-sin will be spending the night away from her though.
On the flight to Jeju island, Yu-sin’s seat is near Nam Ga-bin, A-mi and Song. Dramatic music ensues on the situation. However, there’s no clear indication of what is truly happening or what it means — Yu-sin doesn’t seem to acknowledge the three women and vice versa — he’s either involved with one of the group, or he’s going to hear gossip on the plane that involves one of Sa Pi-young’s mutual friends.
Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) episode 8 brings one divorce to closure, while Sa Pi-young has to deal with a problem in her marriage — there’s no rest for the wicked in this series; it gets juicier every week.
Additional points
- Ye-jeong is annoyed at Pan Mun-ho as she senses that he misses Dong-mi. They threaten each other to separate. Later on, Ye-jeong mentions how Pan Mun-ho has never looked at her how he looks at Dong-mi.
