Our Blues season 1, episode 3 recap – “Han-su and Euin-hui 3”

This recap of Our Blues season 1, episode 3, “Han-su and Euin-hui 3”, contains spoilers. You can check out our thoughts on the previous episode by clicking these words.

We start with Young-ok alone in her bedroom, ignoring a phone call until it rings out. When she does eventually reach for her device, it’s packed full of “I miss you” messages, to which she responds that she will “go next month.” That doesn’t seem to be much comfort to the person on the other end, though, who continues to spam texts at a rapid rate. So, more specific details are given for her impending travel, a statement which draws about a nasty response of “you bitch.”

Our Blues season 1, episode 3 recap

Back at the fish market, Han-suk orders a soju from In-gwon, obviously distressed. She wonders how her brother could be so shameless, piquing the curiosity of the bartender before we cut to a happy Eun-hui, who is still reflecting on the re-emergence of Han-su. Her good mood is picked up on by her friends, who state that she must be excited because her knife is unsteady. And, in time, Eun-hui explains to Young-ok that the source of such energy is rooted in her upcoming Mokpo trip. “Lose your virginity,” the excited associate then says, a comment which results in water being spilled on her, and a warm gaze from Jung-joon. Elsewhere, Han-suk vents about Han-su’s financial situation, leading to a curious In-gwon becoming privy to previously hidden intel.

Later on, Eun-hui is faced with a call from an inquisitive Ho-sik, who is wondering why Han-su was brought to the auction site, and relays the information that people are already beginning to discuss the pairing as a couple. “You shouldn’t be hanging round with a married man,” he says, but the fish market owner claims to already understand, and hangs up angrily. Ho-sik (who we soon learn was her ex) does soon find himself calling back, however, as he learns that Eun-hui wasn’t actually at the auction house like she claimed to be.

Cutting back to the boat trip to Mokpo, we see that it’s fairly awkward between Eun-hui and Han-su at first, as they discuss Ho-sik’s romance with her, and tenderly end up wiping each other’s mouths following on from snack eating. Meanwhile, Ho-sik and In-gwon wonder where Eun-hui is, and who she is with. They don’t manage to find out, though, instead ending up organising a meeting with Myeong-bo to discuss Han-su.

After initially appearing tense when Eun-hui expresses her annoyance with being asked for money by those she is affiliated with, Han-su soon softens during the pairing’s car journey together when his friend begins to sing, and talk about her hypothetical career that never materialised. There’s some sadness here too, as the banker recalls his old dream of being a basketball player, and how he didn’t even dare to ask his parents as to whether he could pursue those ambitions. But such soft conversations don’t completely last, as again Eun-hui unknowingly trips up when stating her relief that the two are no longer “dirt-poor,” a fact which is obviously false.

Riding together in a cable car, Eun-hui opens up about her failed romance with Ho-sik. She claims that she started to feel butterflies when the two kissed, but that she couldn’t bear to still be poor, so had to break up with him after visiting his family for the first time. “Ho-sik went through a bad phase because of what happened,” the well-off businesswoman explains, before adding that she realised through this experience that she didn’t care about love, but rather money. When the topic turns onto why Han-su avoided the friendship group when he took his mother to Seoul, things get even more open, as the banker details how he was too ashamed to face anyone, and that he will always be a traitor to everyone. He apologises, and solemnly leans against the window in deep reflection.

Fortunately, the negative reflections don’t last. When the two find themselves in one particular street in Mokpo, Eun-hui reflects on her past experience in the city with her first love, and the fun the group of friends all had together. Smiling, she wanders to the steps where she and Han-su kissed, followed in due time by the cotton-candy bearing friend. “We were adorable back then, weren’t we?” Eun-hui gently says, a question which draws the blunt answer of “we were,” and plenty of nostalgic joy. With that being said, when Han-su’s arm ends up on Eun-hui’s shoulder, a level of awkwardness does return, with the two seemingly doubting themselves.

While they talk poignantly about their failures in romance, Eun-hui and Han-su appear to bond further, buoyed further by the latter being extremely excited when she is afforded the chance to score in basketball, and their stay in a 5-star hotel situated where the inn they stayed in back in high-school was. Elsewhere though, In-gwon and Ho-sik have been discussing the fact that Han-su is extremely financially strapped with a deflated Myeong-bo. This, of course, doesn’t turn out to be a one-off conversation, as In-gwon later doubts the validity of the claims that Han-su is splitting up with his wife when the group ask why Eun-hui is in Mokpo with a married man. So, after some digging, numerous images of Han-su, with his happy family, are sent to the fish market owner’s phone, with Ho-sik theorising that Han-su is just after her money.

In the midst of this drama, Young-ok finds herself faced with her own troubles, as she answers a call from her partner, attempting to quell his obvious insecurities through constantly reminding him that their love is not one-sided. In the background, Jung-joon watches on. Meanwhile, Han-su talks to his daughter about her ambitions to head to Seoul and quit golf due to her unhappiness, with the father painfully wondering why she isn’t happy anymore after all his efforts. When confronted once more by his wife, who details their struggles, Han-su appears defeated, angrily ending the call before throwing his phone and breaking down.

As Han-su struggles to rehearse his request for money in the mirror, Eun-hui finds out the harsh truth about her first love, with no detail spared. But it doesn’t stop her from drinking with him, or declaring to her concerned friends that she will still eat breakfast in Mokpo. As it turns out, the wine is a front for the eventual confrontation Eun-hui decides to have about Han-su’s wife, as well as the blunt statements that are delivered about hearing the truth. Wondering how much of the trip is based around lies, she turns the phone towards the banker, informing him about his underestimation of the close-knit Jeju community. And, when Han-su tries to explain himself, he only ends up hit, before a noticeably distraught Eun-hui wonders what she is to him, and whether she is even considered a friend. “You just thought of me as an idiot who was head over heels for you,” the fish market owner says amidst tears, prior to accusations about the poor man using her which are surprisingly admitted to.

After claiming she has lost a lifelong friend, Eun-hui cries into a towel in the bathroom, leaving Han-su to stew in regret. When she returns, she places the misplaced picture of his family on the table, pours a sizeable glass of wine, and imperatively tells Han-su to leave. But, the banker doesn’t go in silence, and informs his now former friend that the reason he didn’t ask for money from the start was due to her lack of joy in life. “I didn’t want to ruin the good memories you had of me,” he says, and then exits the hotel in his car following an apology. Watching him, Eun-hui closes the curtains, and the next day follows through on her promise to eat breakfast in Mokpo. When Ho-sik calls, she snaps that she never gave Han-su money, while wondering why he and his friends are any different given they make the same requests the banker was going to. And, while In-gwon interferes to claim that lying isn’t what friends do, and that is what separates them, Eun-hui further prods to try and understand how the Jeju group are, in fact, Han-su’s friends, in addition to whether they have treated him properly.

On a boat back to Jeju, Han-su admits he is relieved to find out that his family are returning to Seoul, despite worrying that Bo-ram may resent he and his wife. When she comforts him, it softens his fears, and the banker asks if they can also be happy one day, even though things aren’t going well. “Of course” is the answer, as the couple finally accept that they did what they could. The following day, Han-su resigns from the bank, packs his car, and seemingly gets ready to draw a line under his fleeting return to Jeju. While doing so, he checks his phone to see that Eun-hui has deposited a hefty sum into his account, along with an accompanying message which says that she’s just writing it off as business going badly for her. Touched, Han-su subtly laughs to himself, and drives away.

The Ending

When returning from Mokpo, Eun-hui soon sees that Han-su has deposited the sum back into her account, and, in a similar fashion, sent over a text to explain the reasoning. “You always give more than what you receive from others. I don’t want you to do the same with me,” he says, adding that he learnt a lot from his short stint back in Jeju. Meanwhile, we see Han-su emotionally welcome his family back to Korea as they head out on a trip, with the former banker jubilant over his severance pay, which may not leave his family with much, but enough to have some fun with. As the message narration continues, Han-su explains that he hopes to figure out what to do with his life on the road, and that he will think of his friends whenever things get tough. He vows that next time, the group should all drink soju on the beach together on his dime, signing off with “from your forever friend, Han-su.”

Texting back emotionally, Eun-hui expresses her wishes for her first love to take care of himself, before writing in a blank page: “My eternal first love, Choi Han-su…. goodbye.” Then, she drunkenly sings in front of her television, looking wishful as she recalls Han-su’s brief, unexpected return to Jeju, as we see his family patching up their problems to bond again.

You can stream Our Blues season 1, episode 3, “Han-su and Euin-hui 3”, exclusively on Netflix.