Summary
The writers have dropped the ball with this series since episode 8, which is a shame because these characters are brilliant, and they have been dragged through a predictable story that keeps showing the audience the same affairs.
This recap of the Netflix K-drama series Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) episode 13 contains significant spoilers.
Another question we need to consider again for this k-drama series — have we learned anything new? And the answer is a resounding no. Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) shows audiences how men have affairs and what can lead them to it. However, there’s a slight flaw to this — we already know how adult relationships work and how monogamy is fragile in modern society. The writers continuously throw situations where the man is acting behind his wife’s back, but nothing else added to the story — remember when Dong-mi watched her husband die in the cinema? It was that kind of story that drew us in. There’s nothing like that in this story anymore.
Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) episode 13 opens with Song Won waking up in her car after a heavy evening of drinking. She looks outside and sees Sa-hyeon in the cold looking frantic, waiting for her to wake up — she collapsed in his arms hours earlier. She remembers her night with him and how close they got. It’s only 10 pm, so Song Won invites Sa-hyeon in for a warm tea as she feels guilty that he waited for her outside in the cold while she slept in the car. She gives him a nice porridge so he can warm up. Sa-hyeon tells Song Won that she looked peaceful while sleeping. The pair are getting used to each other’s company quickly.
Sa-hyeon wants to care for Song Won
And little moments between these characters are forming a bond that we already knew about anyway.
Sa-hyeon remembers when he came home to Boo Hye-rung drunk, and she was angry with him and refused to cook. He compares it to the present day with Song Won making him food to aid his hangover. Song Won recalls when she saw her ex-husband and his wife with their child and that it hit her. Sa-hyeon thinks to himself that he wants to look after her. He likes the way he makes her laugh as he tells her how he carried her back. When Sa-hyeon leaves, Song Won goes to sleep thinking about Sa-hyeon and smiling to herself — she’s falling for him. Sa-hyeon goes home and thinks about Song Won whole laid in bed next to Boo Hye-rung.
Lunch with Nam Ga-bin
This story has gone quiet, but episode 13 brings back Park Hae-ryun’s incoming affair.
Park Hae-ryun meets Nam Ga-bin for a meal. He’s made the effort with his outfit and has dressed up; he tells her about her performances and says they are incredible. Nam Ga-bin talks about her audiences, and the pair hit it off very quickly. When Park Hae-ryun leaves the meal, he looks happy. In a flashback, Nam Ga-bin receives 100 roses while at work from a Seo Dong-ma. She then goes to meet a President Lee, and Seo Dong-ma is his secretary. She seems surprised by his handsome looks. In the present day, Nam Ga-bin looks upset at this memory.
Birthday blues
Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) episode 13 then sees A-mi’s and Yu-sin’s affair escalate.
It’s A-mi’s birthday, and she’s celebrating it on her own, with a cake and a glass of wine — it’s a depressing setting. She rings Yu-sin and asks if they can talk. She reveals she’s back in Korea. Yu-sin immediately assures her that he will be right over. When he heads over, he has to let himself in. The apartment seems empty as he looks around for A-mi. She returns home, and she seems emotional and on edge.
A-mi tells Yu-sin to have a seat, and she looks serious. Yu-sin realises it’s her birthday. She’s upset because he didn’t remember when she’d be back. A-mi tells her that her heart is in pain. Yu-sin admits that he missed her and A-mi gives him a hug. They then look at each other intensely and kiss. It’s now a physical affair. A few scenes later and the kissing has moved to the bedroom while Sa Pi-young is at home praising herself for being a good wife.
Yu-sin and A-mi advance the affair to a new level; horse riding together and taking trips to the seaside. They are both in the deep now. Yu-sin is leading a double life.
Unsympathetic Boo Hye-rung
Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) episode 13 paints the picture that Boo Hye-rung is the ungrateful wife, at least from Sa-hyeon’s perspective.
Sa-hyeon tells Boo Hye-rung that he has a fever and is shivery in bed — he shouldn’t have stayed out in the cold with Song Won. But Boo Hye-rung is more bothered about getting sick and tells him he can’t sleep in the bed and tells him to sleep in the living room. She tells him that he should have been careful. Obviously, Sa-hyeon will feel a marked difference between Boo Hye-rung and Song Won — he will feel one woman is caring while the other isn’t. This reminds me of several times I’ve been told that I have “man-flu” and told to “get over it”, but Sa-hyeon sees it as an excuse to withdraw from his wife rather than communicate with her.
After Sa-hyeon rings his mother about being sick, Boo Hye-rung is annoyed, believing he’s making out that she doesn’t care about her sick husband; she calls him thoughtless and tells him to stop being a baby. As she walks off, Sa-hyeon mutters to himself that she’s inconsiderate and selfish.
The ending
Sa-hyeon meets Song Won again, and they update each other on their lives. Sa-hyeon complains about his wife earlier in the conversation, but Song Won tells him that he should spend more time with her, which is ironic, as they are having another meal together.
As the episode ends, Yu-sin and A-mi enjoy a wintry walk together. They seem lost in each other. A-mi tells him that she doesn’t expect much from him and that she’s happy with the affair — she doesn’t want him to feel pressured. We don’t believe her, do we?
The writers have missed the ball with this series since episode 8, which is a shame because these characters are brilliant, and they have been dragged through a predictable story that keeps showing the audience the same affairs.
Additional points
- Mo Seo-hyang rings her daughter and tells Sa Pi-young that she had a dream that Yu-sin was in bed with another woman. Sa Pi-young insists her husband isn’t like that and hangs up.
- Lee Si-eun and Park Hae-ryun talk about not needing a lot of money and that they are content. They ironically talk about a couple with loads of money and the husband who kept having affairs. Lee Si-eun and Park Hae-ryun say they are grateful for each other.
