Summary
Pi young finally faces her karma and closure. Her grief is just the beginning of the rise and the wrath of a good wife gone bad.
This recap of the Netflix K-drama series Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) season 2, episode 9 contains significant spoilers.
Read the recap of the previous chapter.
Time is mortal. Time is vague. We never know when our last moment will be. Our best enemy is ego and grudges; the best vanity is thinking that we have plenty of time; while the best penalty is when you realize that you’re running out of time. Time and the truth always flock together. Imagine being Sa-Pi-young, The Divine Timing is favoring her on this occasion. After being slapped by the truth over her husband’s infidelity, she has to face the trial of losing her mother and perfect family in one moment.
At the beginning of the episode, plenty of things happen. From Pi-young’s breakdown; Seo-ban is slowly showing his intention on pursuing Si-eun; Hye-ryeong tries to mend the marriage again by giving Sa-hyeon another chance even when he’s not invested in their marriage anymore. However, the whole episode is gravitating towards Pi-young.
When her world crumbles.
In the last episode, after seeing the two lovebirds hugging, Pi-young confronts Yu-shin by asking about his affair with Ami. We get to see in the last preview Pi-young asking for a divorce. But once again, it’s all just an imaginary scene. The reality is, Pi-young wakes up losing her ability to say a single word. She’s on mute. Yes. After all betrayal she receives in the last episode, the writer ironically decides to bury all the truth within her.
Not aware of Pi-young’s acknowledgment of their affair, Yu-shin informs her about the truth behind her mother’s illness. Cancer has spread all over Seo-hyang’s body and she needs to be prepared for what’s coming. Feeling astonished and haunted by regret for abandoning her mother, Pi-young breaks down and crumbles her way to visit her mother’s ward. Yu-shin offers her help but she refuses, leaving him with a cold gaze and shoulder.
Everyone is perplexed by Pi-young’s condition including Si-eun and Hye-ryeong. Both of them keep on guessing what causes such strong emotional turmoil that makes her mute. We can see how Hye-ryeong is always quick to sense if something is off while Si-eun carefully thinks about everything before coming to her own conclusion. Meanwhile, Ji-A and Dong-mi visit Pi-young. After seeing their mother’s inability to speak and see her in tears, Ji-a breaks down, asking Pi-young not to cry. Pi-young insists Ji-A goes home. Ji-a refuses unless Pi-young eats one slice of fruit.
One of the interesting parts is how Dong-mi keeps on emphasizing her yearning for having a daughter throughout the entire episode, indicating her loneliness and desperation over affection. She even asks Ji-a whether or not she is willing to take care of her.
“You’re really breaking my heart.”
Yu-shin juggles between taking care of his mother-in-law, his mistress, and his silent wife. Meanwhile, Pi-young and Ami decide to play hide and seek with one another. Ami tries to visit Pi-young in her room but fails. The same thing goes for Pi-young. By the time she tries to confront her, Ami has been transferred to an affiliated hospital by Yu-shin to protect his affair. Don’t worry, the nurse comes to save the day once again. Pi-young knows about her transfer thanks to the nurse who unintentionally spills everything.
Throughout the episode, Yu-shin tries to pamper Pi-young but she keeps on refusing his advances. We even get to witness how Pi-young imagines him choking on infusion tubes whenever her resentment about his infidelity rises. Yu-shin, who is confused by her cold actions, confronts the situation and asks for her understanding. “You’re really breaking my heart,” says Yu-shin while offering love. Pi-young continues not to care.
One thing that Yu-shin needs to learn is that a wall does not only contain bricks but also ears. Since the previous episode, we witness how the staff around our main characters. They’re the ones who slowly bring illumination to the whole affair story. You better keep an eye out for all the small characters that give a huge impact while watching the series.
“Bird with the same feathers flocks together”
Ga-bin asks Hae-ryeon to accompany her to the hospital. They visit Ami. Upon their first meeting, Hae-ryeon acknowledges Ami after recalling their unexpected encounter at the equestrian arena. The day he witnessed the affair of Yu-shin. Later at home, Hae-ryeon asks Ga-bin about Ami’s relationship. Ga-bin refuses to answer but Hae-ryeon catches on fast. Ga-bin becomes uncomfortable when Hae-ryeon asks whether their relationship is the same as theirs; she responds with “yes”. The same thing happens to the other couple. Ami expresses her jealousy towards Ga-bin due to her relationship progressing rapidly.
In the meantime, Song Won meets Seo-ban through her friend who purposely arranges their “blind date” at the restaurant. You can see how Song Won is surprised by Seo-ban’s frank personality. Well, he is not here to be swooned over easily by you, sweetie. Seo-ban later mentions that he works at Boo Hye-ryeong’s radio show as an engineer which quickly raises Song Won’s anxiety. Her friends are also curious about Hye-ryeong’s real personality off-air, putting Song Won in an uncomfortable situation, realizing how people are highly interested in Hye-ryeong’s life. Well, wherever you go, you can’t escape your destiny as someone else’s mistress, Song Won-nnie. Seo-ban quickly cuts off the conversation by telling her how her personality does not have anything to do with her job.
After the confirmation, Hae-ryeon secretly visits Si-eun’s house with a box of dried yellow carvina. He puts everything in front of the door. To his surprise, Hyang-gi comes out. Both of them have an awkward encounter. Luckily, Si-eun opens the door. She refuses all the stuff Hae-ryeon brings. Not wanting to be a wreck alone, Hae-ryeon uses his chance to confirm Yu-shin’s affair with Ami. He reveals that Ami is Ga-bin’s friend and she’s already confirmed the affair. Si-eun responds with “how a bird with the same feathers flocks together”. While leaving, Hae-ryeon and changes the subject. Ouch. I love how Lee Si-eun is becoming more outspoken after the confrontation.
“Please… Forgive me… I love you.”
After deciding to move into the same ward as her mother, Pi-young limpidly walks to her mother’s bed. She takes care of her, despite all the tensions we have seen between Pi-young and her mother. The highlight of today’s episode is the moment Pi-young is running down memory lane about their last encounter. She recalls all the fights and harsh words that she has thrown at her mother while caressing her face. Without words, just emotions, she groans in desperation, asking for her forgiveness.
Even though Seo-hyang is unconscious at the moment, she still responds to Pi-young’s heartfelt apologies. Tears stream down from her closed eyes marking the end of their resentment. I finally understand the meaning of Seo-hyang’s dream when she meets her late husband at the golf. He came to alert her final days.
After the heartfelt moment, Seo-hyang’s heart rate slows… and then stops. Pi-young presses the red button to call for help while helplessly screaming. The painful thing is, during their last moment, she does not have a chance to say her apologies, “I love you”, and goodbye in a proper way. All this time she had the chance to do it, but she ignored it over her grudges. It’s truly heartbreaking seeing Pi-young’s devastation over her loss. The actress did a great job of delivering her agony without a single word and the limited range of motion. You can feel the pain written all over her face and voice.
The ending of Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) season 2, episode 9: the birth of her wrath
After Seo-hyang passes away, Pi-young is still mute while grieving over the loss of her mother. Dong-mi, not knowing anything about the affair, tries to comfort Pi-young about all things that are left to be grateful for in life. She still has the so-called perfect and wealthy husband; a smart daughter; and a long career ahead. She later reminisces how her late mother left the world in resentment and how she regrets it.
Everyone has received the obituary. Hye-ryeong who planned on going to Busan with Sa-hyeon for Lunar New Year’s staycation cancels her plan. She asks Sa-hyeon to attend the funeral together yet he refuses. He tells her how it’s not good to go to the funeral while expecting a baby. Hye-ryeong quickly cuts off his superstitious excuses. The reality is, he’s secretly meeting Song Won instead.
The episode ends with Pi-young giving her only true family, alongside Ji-a, a final kiss on her mother’s coffin.
What did you think of Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) season 2, episode 9? Comment below.
