4 Situations That Test Seo Hyun Jin And Her Family In Episodes 5-6 Of "Love Me"
Love is in the air in the latest episodes of “Love Me,” but rather than revelling in it, it has brought several challenges for the Seo family. Jun Kyung (Seo Hyun Jin), confident about her feelings towards Do Hyun (Chang Ryul), makes an effort with his teenage son Daniel. However, she is met with passive resentment by the teenager who clearly disapproves of her.
On the other hand, her father, Jin Ho (Yoo Jae Myung), who has fallen in love with his tour guide, Ja Yeong (Yoon Sea), is wracked by guilt. He feels his new relationship is a betrayal toward his late wife. He is also unsure about going public, telling his children that he has found a new girlfriend, given the family’s circumstances.
Jun Seo (Lee Si Woo) resubmits his assignment, and even though he has missed the grade, the act itself impresses his professor. He is offered a chance to intern at a broadcast station, but Jun Seo seems to cares more for his erratic love life than his future.
As love throws up several challenges for the Seo clan, can this family navigate the upheavals in their personal lives and still stay together as a unit? Here are the situations that Jun Kyung and her family find themselves in the latest episodes.
Warning: spoilers from episode 5 and 6 ahead!
Jun Kyung faces Do Hyun’s son
Jun Kyung could be up for her biggest battle yet. Her opponent is none other than Do Hyun’s estranged 15-year-old son, Daniel (Moon Woo Jin). Jun Kyung has the realization that being with Do Hyun mattered far more than the one detail he had kept away from her—that he was a dad. However, the arrival of Daniel in Korea is way more complicated than it seems.
Their first meeting is awkward, as Do Hyun shows up unannounced at Jun Kyung’s home. She has prepped dinner for him and is dressed up, thinking it would be an intimate table for two. Instead, she is caught off guard as Daniel stares at her with displeasure written all across his face. Jun Kyung puts up a brave face despite the secondhand embarrassment.
She makes an effort to get to know the teenager but is up against a wall, and in this case, a very hostile one. Daniel makes no effort to hide his disdain of her and cleverly masks his behavior in front of Do Hyun.
His animosity becomes clear when he roughly pushes her hand away, making her spill food on her clothes during dinner. When Jun Kyung goes to change, she catches Daniel taking her wallet from her bag. She keeps quiet, refusing to mention a word to Do Hyun. Daniel also belittles her by calling her a whore in German. Jun Kyung is shocked but tries not to overreact.
She feels a wave of loneliness engulf her. Rattled by Daniel’s hatred, she decides to confront the teenager. She tells him that she knows he stole her wallet and threw it outside. But she wants to know by what authority he had called her a low life woman. Daniel looks her straight in the face, cruelly telling her off. He launches a tirade against her, saying she is unwelcome and that he does not want her around him or his father. She calls him a coward but gets no reaction from Daniel, who icily stares at her.
The incident leaves her stunned and unsure on how to tackle or resolve the situation. Her insecurities once again resurface, making her think that she is an unlikeable person and once again making her skeptical toward relationships. However, it seems the answer may lie right in front of her.
Jin Ho being uneasy in love
After spending a night at Ja Yeong’s home, Jin Ho is wracked by guilt. He feels it is wrong on his part to be involved with another person so soon after Mi Ran’s death. He ends up at church, confessing to the priest that he has sinned. However, it is the priest who explains to him that he has not betrayed Mi Ran nor has he sinned. Rather, he should stop worrying about what people think and live the way he wants to.
Though Jin Ho remains uneasy, refusing to acknowledge Ja Yeong in public, he has also not mustered the courage to tell his children. Things come to a head when he cooks a meal for Ja Yeong at home and Mi Ran’s sister walks in. Appalled to see Jin Ho with another woman, she lashes out at him and even alleges that he was having an affair while his wife was alive. She calls him unscrupulous and audacious for bringing another woman to the home he once shared with Mi Ran, where everything is a reminder of their life together. Jin Ho is devastated by the accusations, as if acknowledging whatever being said is true.
To make matters worse, Jun Kyung walks in and is shocked to see Ja Yeong leaving in a hurry while her hysterical aunt continues to lash out at her father. As father and daughter confront each other awkwardly, it’s clear that Jun Kyung is not pleased about her father’s relationship. She tells him that while one may not seek approval, the absence of it can make things uncomfortable.
Jin Ho, torn between his feelings for Ja Yeong and his own guilty conscience, suddenly decides to sweep the house of all his wife’s belongings. Meanwhile, Ja Yeong decides to visit Jun Kyung, who is cold toward her. Ja Yeong admits that she has been selfish, having thought only about Jin Ho and herself and being oblivious to what his family might feel. However, she adds that he should not be made to feel accused just because he tried to live for himself.
This is when Jun Kyung realizes that the hostility she feels toward her father’s girlfriend mirrors what Daniel feels toward her. But can father and daughter work through these undercurrents in their own uneasy love lives?
Jun Seo on the rebound
Jun Seo’s love life appears to be unravelling. He grows increasingly insecure over the attention his girlfriend Sol receives from another man. The presence of a love rival who is financially secure and settled only deepens Jun Seo’s sense of inadequacy, leaving him feeling small and unsure of his place in her life.
Ironically, just as things spiral, fortune seems to favor him professionally. His professor, impressed by his perseverance despite earlier setbacks, offers him an internship at a broadcast station. It’s an opportunity that could mark a turning point.
Buoyed by the news, Jun Seo heads to Sol’s home, only to be blindsided by a confession. She admits to cheating on him and apologizes for not being honest sooner. Jun Seo, heartbroken and defeated, gives up on his internship.
Weighed down by the revelation, Jun Seo gets into a physical fight with Sol’s boyfriend. Bruised and shaken, Jun Seo walks away from the situation both literally and emotionally battered.
Seeking refuge, he turns up at Hye On’s (Dahyun) doorstep. She tends to his wounds and, in a moment of vulnerability, confesses her feelings for him. Caught off guard and still reeling from the night’s events, Jun Seo responds impulsively. The two end up sleeping together.
The following morning, reality sets in. Embarrassed and weighed down by what has transpired, Jun Seo quietly slips out of Hye On’s home, leaving behind more questions than answers about where his heart—and his judgement—truly lie.
Seeking answers through Mi Ran
Grappling with the situations in their lives, the Seo family members find their answers through Mi Ran. Jin Ho, who had packed Mi Ran’s stuff to dispose of it after the altercation with his sister in law, comes across an old diary. In a note in the diary, which was written on the day she had passed away, Mi Ran thanks him for everything he did for her. The affection and honesty of the words ease the weight he had been carrying, freeing him from the guilt that has accompanied his decision to fall in love again. In her own way, Mi Ran reassures him that he did right by her. It is the validation Jin Ho seeks in his heart.
For Jun Kyung, the shift comes after meeting Ja Yeong. Left alone with her thoughts, she imagines a conversation with her mother, questioning whether she is unlovable. In her mind, Mi Ran reminds her that she is not cold hearted. She narrates an incident when Jun Seo was a baby, and Jun Kyung’s attitude toward her brother gave an insight into how deeply sensitive and attuned she was toward others. It is the reassurance Jun Kyung needs, especially given her fractured relationship with her mother.
Jun Seo lost and directionless suggests they visit Mi Ran. Soon after, conversations that the family has long been avoided finally surface. Jin Ho tells Jun Seo that he is seeing someone, Jun Kyung shares that Do Hyun has a son, and watching their reactions, Jun Seo confesses that he gave up on his internship after his breakup.
Once guarded and emotionally closed off, they now find themselves opening up, bound together by memory, honesty, and the quiet presence of Mi Ran, as they prepare to face the next chapter of their lives.
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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