3 Bittersweet Moments From Episode 11 Of "My Youth"
In “My Youth,” things couldn’t be better for Sunwoo Hae (Song Joong Ki) and Sung Je Yeon (Chun Woo Hee), who are basking in the glow of love. Though the shadow of Sunwoo Hae’s illness still looms over them, the two refuse to let it dim their spark. They have reached a quiet acceptance. While time may not be in their hands, they can still live fully in the moment.
Je Yeon reveals her inner strength and quiet fortitude, giving Sunwoo Hae the assurance that she’s in it for better or worse. Meanwhile, Sunwoo Hae is more open than ever, allowing himself to feel deeply—to cry over ordinary things and to make a bucket list of experiences he’s never had and things he once denied himself. For once, he isn’t suppressing his emotions; he’s learning to inhabit them.
But just when life seems to have settled into a tender rhythm, it throws a curveball, one that neither Sunwoo Hae nor Je Yeon can dodge. Here are three bittersweet moments from the show that will have you both smiling and shedding a few tears along the way.
Warning: spoilers from episode 11 ahead !
Sunwoo Hae’s bucket list
For once, Sunwoo Hae isn’t holding back. All his life, he’s lived for others as a child star entertaining audiences, as a young adult paying off his father’s debts, and as a devoted brother raising his half-sister. Somewhere along the way, he forgot what it meant to live for himself.
When someone casually asks if he has a wish, he replies, almost playfully, that he’d like to cry about normal things. It’s a line laced with quiet heartbreak because for someone who has always stood strong against life’s storms, even the act of crying feels like a luxury.
Later, when Je Yeon asks what else is on his list, he admits with almost childlike innocence that he has never been on a school trip. His excitement as they set off together, riding the bus, exploring a seaside town and lighting firecrackers, is pure and infectious. For once, Sunwoo Hae is simply living, not performing.
His bucket list becomes a reflection of all he’s missed—simple, everyday joys that most people take for granted. Each small wish carries both lightness and ache, reminding us how precious the ordinary can be. These tender moments between Sunwoo Hae and Je Yeon feel like they’re creating memories not for a lifetime but for the little time they have left, and that makes them all the more beautiful.
Je Yeon reassuring Sunwoo Hae
Je Yeon has come a long way. Once hyper and overly sensitive, she now reveals a quieter, steadier side of herself, one shaped by understanding, patience, and love.
She tells Sunwoo Hae that they are in it for the long haul. Fully aware that he is unwell and will have recurring episodes, Je Yeon’s choice to stay is neither naive nor impulsive. It stems from a deep understanding of love’s realities, that it sometimes means holding on through the storms. When, during their vacation, she finds him slumped on the ground, she doesn’t hesitate. She reaches out and wraps him in a hug, even as he pleads that he doesn’t want her to see him like that. For her, being his partner means sharing both the light and the shadows.
It’s a tender, bittersweet moment when she unties his love bracelet and wears it on her wrist, saying his wish for being in love has indeed come true. She tells him that she is his partner forever in the good times as well as the not so good times. Her reassurance empowers him, giving him the support that he for once has someone looking out for him. In loving Sunwoo Hae, Je Yeon too has learned that compassion can be its own kind of courage.
Sunwoo Hae refusing treatment
For perhaps the first time in his life, Sunwoo Hae is content. Love has softened the sharp edges of his pain, and with Je Yeon by his side, he finally feels that life has given him a reason to smile. In a rare moment of honesty, he tells his friend that he wishes he could live longer—just a few more years to savor simple joys and quiet mornings. But time, it seems, has other plans. His illness is advancing swiftly, and he hasn’t yet found the strength to tell his half-sister Nu Ri.
When his doctor suggests a research-based treatment abroad, a fragile strand of hope appears. Yet, the path is uncertain—months of isolation, painful procedures, and no promise of recovery. Caught between faith and futility, Sunwoo Hae makes his choice. He will not chase a cure; he will live instead. He returns to his flower shop, tends to his blooms, and spends peaceful days with Je Yeon, choosing to find beauty in the fleeting.
But fate, ever cruel, does not allow him to stay hidden in serenity. When Je Yeon accidentally discovers his medical report, her calm gives way to fear. She confronts him, desperate to make him reconsider. Sunwoo Hae, ever composed, merely smiles and shrugs. What use is treatment when nothing guarantees tomorrow?
In one of the series’ most poignant moments, Sunwoo Hae celebrates Christmas with Je Yeon, Nu Ri, and her boyfriend, finally embracing the warmth of family and love. But the moment of joy turns unbearably fragile when he collapses soon after, leaving Je Yeon to watch helplessly as medics fight to bring him back.
As the finale looms, viewers are left with one question that lingers like a prayer: will life, just this once, grant Sunwoo Hae the second chance he so deeply deserves?
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Puja Talwar is a Soompi writer with a strong Yoo Yeon Seok and Lee Junho bias. A long time K-drama fan, she loves devising alternate scenarios to the narratives. She has interviewed Lee Min Ho, Gong Yoo, Cha Eun Woo, and Ji Chang Wook to name a few. You can follow her on @puja_talwar7 on Instagram