Episode 11
In Episode 11, Haneul and Jeongwoo sleep together and get caught by Hanuel’s mom. Mrs. Nam can’t see the woman’s face so Hanuel tells Jeongwoo to pretend that he slept with another woman–she doesn’t want her mom to pester her with questions. One misunderstanding leads to another, and the couple quickly goes from doting on each other to arguing over who gets the last egg roll.
Meanwhile, Dr. Bin and Hongran get a little closer. As a thank you for taking care of her son, Hongran gives Dr. Bin a box of macarons–to give to his pre-teen daughter, Eunjeong. Eunjeong loves them, and Dr. Bin feels happy to finally see a smile on her face. As a single father, Eunjeong’s puberty phase hasn’t been easy. He doesn’t know what to say or give her; everything he does just seems to be wrong.
As he goes to check on the laundry, he notices blood. Upset, he raises his voice, “Eunjeong, are you getting bullied at school?!” Eunjeong also gets upset and explains that it was from her bra: the wire popped out and scraped her. Dr. Bin feels bad for getting the wrong idea, but says that she should have told him. Eunjeong says it’s too embarrassing and storms off.
Stressed and sad, Dr. Bin takes a break at the local convenience store to do some research on bras for middle schoolers. That’s when Hongran passes by and looks at him with disgust. Dr. Bin rushes to explain the situation, and Hongran offers to help him buy some inner wear for Eungyeong. The impromptu shopping errand goes well, and the two develop more feelings for each other.
We get a peek into how Kyungmin is doing after the fallout with Jeongwoo. He’s doing even better than before. He left his new professor position to become a director at his fiancee’s pharmaceutical company. Hanuel’s ex-boss, Dr. Kim, pays Kyungmin a visit as the two were close. Dr. Kim drops hints that the anesthesiology department is in need of a new pharmaceutical supplier, and Kyungmin takes him up on it. The deal: Kyungmin’s company gains a new client in exchange for buying all of the art pieces made by Dr. Kim’s daughter. Quite the personalized gift for a large business contract.
Historically, divorce has always been viewed negatively in Korea, but the stigma has been easing up in recent years. Talk shows about divorce are popular, normalizing the life event and humanizing those who have gone through it. But, out of the roughly 1.5 million single parent households in Korea (in 2022, according to Statista), there is a subset of parents who still face an overwhelming amount of discrimination on a regular basis.
They are who Korea calls “mihonmo,” women who didn’t get married but got pregnant, usually in their teens or early twenties. In a culture founded on Confucian values, the condemnation around sexual promiscuity follows these women wherever they go. The stigma is so strong that many are kicked out of their own families and forced to fend for themselves. When it comes to raising children, they meet countless barriers: a lack of government support and a lack of jobs just to name a few (employers are reluctant to hire mihonmos). Achieving financial independence feels near impossible, let alone raising a child.
Dr. Bin and Hongran are both divorced with kids, but they’re doctors. Their occupation (and wealth) not only keeps them at the top of the social ladder, but also shields them from the daily prejudice faced by poor, single parents. Of course, raising a child without a partner is still tough. The drama gently shows the emotional challenges single parents face and contrasts their lifestyle and outlook on love with those who are unmarried and naive about love.