5 Turns Of Events In The Premiere Of “Our Universe” That Change Everything
“Our Universe” is the story of Woo Hyun Jin (Roh Jeong Eui) and Sun Tae Hyung (Bae In Hyuk), two young adults whose lives are thrown into chaos after a sudden loss leaves a baby in their hands with no one to rely on but them.
Despite a rocky start to their relationship, the two are forced to experience the unpredictable chaos of first-time parenthood together and take care of an adorable bundle of energy: Sun Woo Joo (Park Yu Ho).
“Our Universe” is shaping up to be a comforting and honest story about adulthood, the realities of parenthood, and just figuring things out as you go. The premiere episodes delivered a mix of emotions, from devastatingly sad moments to unexpectedly silly ones, and hints at a potential romance in the future. The switch-ups from sad to seriously funny are almost too quick, but that’s sort of how real life goes.
Here are five of the biggest moments from the premiere episodes of “Our Universe” that change everything for the leads and set up the emotional journey that is to come.
Warning: spoilers from episodes 1-2 below!
1. Tae Hyung and Hyun Jin find out they’re in-laws
The story starts with Hyun Jin and Tae Hyung discovering that they are going to be siblings-in-law. During a family dinner set up by Hyun Jin for her older sister and her sister’s husband-to-be, Tae Hyung shows up out of the blue, claiming he’s also part of the family. The atmosphere immediately shifts from happy to tense.
Tae Hyung’s strained relationship with his older brother is still a mystery, but what is known is that they both grew up as orphans, and something happened in the past that separated them. On murky terms since their parting, they haven’t reconnected until now.
But Hyun Jin and Tae Hyung already know each other. They actually coincidentally met before this dinner intervention.
Hyun Jin is in need of cash, so he’s selling his favorite lamp. As the K-drama gods would have it, it so happens that Hyun Jin is searching for that exact lamp for her sister’s wedding gift, and she is ready to battle it out for a good discount.
When the two meet for the exchange, their banter quickly escalates as they try to outwit each other and get the better deal. Ultimately, the lamp breaks during a silly scuffle, and they part ways, not wanting to have anything more to do with each other.
Of course, this doesn’t turn out the way they’d hoped when they find themselves sitting across from each other at an awkward dinner gathering, bound to become in-laws.
2. Tragedy strikes the family
Though their initial meeting is how Hyun Jin and Tae Hyung’s relationship begins, the story really takes off three years after their bumpy start. Unfortunately, it’s a deeply sad situation that brings them together again.
Now three years past, Tae Hyung has totally detached himself from his older brother’s life and secured a permanent job and a sense of stability. Meanwhile, Hyun Jin still hasn’t had much luck in the job field and faces another setback when she isn’t chosen for a full-time position that she had her sights on.
And a tragedy comes when everyone least expects it—Hyun Jin’s sister and her husband pass away in a car accident, leaving their toddler son without a guardian. It’s at the funeral that Hyun Jin and Tae Hyung reunite, but the situation is certainly less than simple, pulling them into a responsibility that neither expected nor feels ready for.
3. Hyun Jin agrees to raise Woo Joo
But everything isn’t entirely awful. There can be a rainbow after a rainstorm, and that little rainbow happens to be named Woo Joo. Though the situation is bleak, Woo Joo brings hope, laughter, and typical toddler shenanigans to an otherwise impossible time to get through.
Now that the funeral is dealt with, they’re faced with a difficult question on top of an already difficult situation: who will take care of their nephew now that both his parents are gone?
Tae Hyung is against caring for Woo Joo, even though he clearly has a soft spot for him (how couldn’t he!?). Because he was cast out and excluded from the family by his older brother, for reasons still unknown, he stands firm on not getting involved. After all, he hasn’t been considered family.
Without any other choice, it’s Hyun Jin who steps up to be Woo Joo’s guardian. Though the start isn’t a walk in the park, she’s determined to care for her sister’s son by whatever means necessary.
4. Tae Hyung moves in (with terms, of course)
Tae Hyung moving in with Hyun Jin feels like a total 180 from his original claims of not wanting anything else to do with Hyun Jin or Woo Joo, but there’s a reason for his change of heart.
Three years ago, Tae Hyung was working as an underappreciated but very talented freelance photography assistant. Since then, he has switched to a steady job with a decent income.
Being the relatable young adult that he is, his biggest excitement these days is securing a loan and starting to build his dream house tile by tile.
However, he gets ahead of himself and hits a snag. When his super-specific and complicated house renovation requests lead to plumbing issues, he has to push back his move-in date a whole month.
Without a place to stay and no one willing to lend him their couch, he shows up at Hyun Jin’s door, requesting to stay while his house is being finished. In exchange, he pays half the rent and helps with Woo Joo for a month, according to their housing contract.
The duo is thrown together by pure circumstance, but they’ve managed to reach an agreement and give co-parenting a try.
Even though Tae Hyung is reluctant to help care for Woo Joo and Hyun Jin is still struggling to find her way, it seems their connection to Woo Joo will be the very thing that will help the leads heal and find common ground.
5. Hyun Jin lands her dream job
The second episode ends on a positive note and with a little mystery when Hyun Jin lands her dream job at BS Food.
The whole chaotic babysitting episode that unfolds while Hyun Jin is doing her job interviews is one hilarious disaster after another, but you’ll have to watch for the details of that.
For Hyun Jin, it’s bittersweet to finally get her dream job only after her sister passed away, especially since her sister had supported her when she failed to get the job in the past. While she can’t share the joy with her, she’s excited to finally have a solid source of income to properly take care of Woo Joo.
The mystery part of this is that a man at the company seems to know Hyun Jin from the past, and he appears to be very interested in Hyun Jin for reasons yet to be known. It isn’t said exactly who he is to Hyun Jin yet, but there’s definitely something there.
Despite everything that’s happened, it looks like things are looking up for this makeshift family.
Start watching “Our Universe”:
Asya’s a BL-biased Soompi writer with a love of K-pop and all types of Asian dramas. Some of her favorite shows are “Psychopath Diary,” “Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice but to Kiss!,” “Light On Me,” “The Untamed,” “Go Go Squid!,” and “Cherry Magic!”
Currently watching: “Our Universe,” “Undercover Miss Hong,” “Countdown to Yes,” “IDOL I,” “Dare You to Death,” “Peach Lover,” and “Duang with You.”
Looking forward to: “Magic Lover,” “Mr. Fanboy,” “The Love Matter,” and “Be My Player Two.”