Brace yourself because Our Blues episodes 12 and 13 are crafted with raw emotions and relevant hard-to-discuss themes.
Dive into the lives of four characters from the beloved ensemble of Our Blues. In particular, these two episodes chronicle the revelation about Young-Ok’s background, unresolved issues between best friends Mi-ran and Eun-hui, and domestic abuse endured by Myeong-bo.
You know the drill! Grab a pillow to hug and some tissues at arm’s reach and be enlightened by yet another great arc in the series.
Nathan Llantos watched Our Blues on Netflix
Episode recaps: First Look | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 & 08 | Mid-Series | 11 | 12 & 13 | 14 & 15 | 16 & 17 | 18 & 19 | Finale Week + Series Review |
Our Blues Episode 12 & 13 Highlights
Episode 12 of Our Blues continues from the previous cut showing Jeong-jun talking to the mysterious caller on the phone. Yeong-Ok takes her phone from Jeong-jun and answers the call outside their room. The mysterious caller immediately asks Yeong-Ok who was the guy that answered the call. Young-Ok admitted that Jeong-jun is her boyfriend.
Meanwhile, the caller insists that they are a painter. Exasperated, Yeong-Ok just agrees with the caller. Additionally, she had no choice but to promise the caller that she would visit next month. Because it happens frequently, Yeong-Ok is conscious of the gossip about her mysterious caller. She is aware that Jeong-jun’s curiosity needs to be appeased.
Hence, she sits with Jeong-jun and discloses that the caller is neither a male suitor nor a child out of wedlock which she left in the city. Jeong-jun loves Yeong-Ok dearly and trusts her word for it.
He even declares that be it a loan shark or a spiteful family member. He is willing to accept anything about her. Subsequently, the tension in the atmosphere is soon dispelled by hints that the couple will shortly sleep together for the first time in their relationship.
The Last Straw
However, the glee brought by their first out-of-town date vanished the next day at work. Once more, Yeong-Ok tries to be nice and fit in with the elderly haenyeo divers. Her efforts are futile because they are hell-bent on kicking her out of the group. Moreover, just as usual, Yeong-Ok gets greedy while harvesting abalones. Again, she disregards the elder Haenyeo‘s warning.
This time, she is not fortunate because she encountered an accident. When she was about to swim above water, her foot got stuck. She was entangled in a net, and before she got to untangle it, she was already out of breath and was about to lose consciousness. Miss Chun-hui and the other haenyeo divers were able to save her.
Unfortunately, this incident did not strengthen their bond with Yeong-Ok. Instead, it heightened everybody’s anger. They could not understand what drives Yeong-Ok to be so greedy in harvesting when they dive. In unison, Hye-ja and the others demand that she leaves the group because she caused too much trouble.
Chun-hui, the head of the elderlies who was usually silent towards Yeong-Ok, confronted her. The two had a serious talk inside the haenyeo headquarters. Chun-hui heavily reprimands her for the trouble she caused at work that day. This is the second time—and worse than the first time, that she risked the lives of the elders who had to dive again to save her.
Yeong-Ok’s Woes & Secrets
Miss Chun-hui demanded explanations about why Yeong-Ok lied to everyone in town and what made her so greedy in harvesting. Furthermore, Miss Chun-hui wanted to know who the mysterious caller was and if her parents were really painters.
She told Yeong-Ok that if she did not tell the truth, she would be officially out of the group, whether she liked it or not. In fear of losing her job as a haenyeo diver, Yeong-Ok answers Miss Chun-hui’s questions and opens up about her past.
Since Miss Chun-hui was the first person to ask if Yeong-Ok’s parents were still alive, she was the first and only person in Jeju to whom Yeong-Ok opened up. Yeong-Ok explained that her parents are artists, but they stopped creating art when she was born and made a living as vendors.
But they died when she was 12. She did not want anyone to know that she was an orphan. Moreover, she explained to Miss Chun-hui who her caller was.
A Not-So Festive Homecoming
The episode’s highlight shifts to Eun-hui and her best friend, Ko Mi-ran. In the previous episode, In-Gwon, Myeong-bo, and even the elders, Miss Chun-hui and Miss Kang, are all excited for her to return to Jeju Island. However, his sudden visit after a year makes Eun-Hui nervous as she drives to fetch Mi-ran at the airport.
To illustrate, if Eun-hui is known for her temper, Mi-ran is her opposite. The Jeju folks perceive her as a well-liked lady who is fun, trendy, professional, and self-assured lady. Supposedly, Mi-ran is preparing for an overseas trip with her daughter. It was a graduation celebration trip to Europe. Sadly, things did not go the way Mi-ran hoped they would.
Her daughter, who is in the United States, prefers to be with her boyfriend, her dad, and her stepmother, a professor at her university. As a result, Mi-ran goes to Jeju to bond with the people she missed and to cope with the heartache she feels. On the other hand, Eun-hui is overworking herself in the market.
She is stressed that they could not secure fresh croakers during the auction. Thus, she will not be able to sell any croakers in the market. This dampened her spirits, yet she became even more upset with how In-Gwon talked to her.
He was so excited that he was being insensitive toward Eun-hui, rushing her to fetch Mi-ran. In-Gwon even said that Mi-ran is Jeju’s princess and Eun-Hui is Mi-ran’s maid.
Eun-Hui’s Unresolved Issues
There is an evident tension that Eun-Hui feels. However, Mi-ran is unaware of it. For instance, Eun-Hui is displeased with Mi-ran’s careless nature, which resulted in three divorces. Eun-Hui believes that Mi-ran has done only the bare minimum in raising her child. And that she is probably using this trip to Jeju to avoid her parental obligations.
This was because, on the car ride to Pureung, Mi-ran could not finish telling Eun-Hui what had happened. On top of that, how the people in town and their friends glorify Mi-ran unnerves Eun-Hui because she feels unappreciated and insulted that her friends regard her as inferior to Mi-ran.
That day, Eun-hui writes a log in her diary. She has been writing since she was a teenager. While writing, Eun-hui pondered on her friendship with Mi-ran. She wants to believe that they are best friends. However, she knows that unresolved issues are rift apart in their friendship. Flashbacks enter the sequence showing their youthful days.
She and Mi-ran indeed shared a good bond. They were each other’s confidant, and Mi-ran always took Eun-Hui to school with her and lets her ride in their car. Because of this, the kids at school could not bully Eun-Hui as much. They also share meals at school. Additionally, they love to sing and dance together. But that is not all there is to their friendship.
The Other Side of the Coin
However, Mi-ran has not always been the great friend that the Jeju folks believe she has always been towards Eun-Hui. In fact, Mi-Ran has been arrogant, demeaning, and selfish towards Eun-Hui. There was an instance when she tossed away the meal she gave Eun-Hui.
She called her a moocher just because she asked why the meal for that day did not have sausages. It was not a demand to share her sausages, and yet the irritated young Mi-ran got riled up and shouted at Eun-Hui in front of all their classmates.
Not only that but just last year, Mi-ran humiliated Eun-Hui in front of her colleagues. And three years after this, she was unapologetic and concerned that this greatly impacted Eun-Hui’s self-esteem and feelings. A year ago, something made Eun-Hui’s forgiving demeanor waver. After Mi-ran’s third divorce, Eun-Hui rushes from Jeju to Seoul.
She arrives at Mi-ran’s flat, terrified, and begs Mi-ran not to harm herself. Yet it was all fun and games for Mi-ran. To relieve her sadness, Mi-ran held a party at her apartment. When everybody was drunk, they all bet on whose friend would rush to go there to save them. It was an insensitive prank. Upon her arrival, Mi-ran told Eun-hui she wanted to test if Eun-hui was faithful enough to travel from Jeju Island to save her.
Worst of all, she refers to Eun-Hui as the greatest doormat when she introduces her to her friends. Mi-ran bragged about how Eun-hui always comes running when she needs her. Remembering this, Eun-Hui realizes that Mi-ran does not see her as a friend. She laments this thought while writing in her diary.
Suppressed Emotions & Breakpoints
Subsequently, in episode 13 of Our Blues, Eun-Hui returns home with a very intoxicated Mi-ran. She tucks her to bed, and suddenly Mi-ran bursts into laughter that quickly turn to weeping. Due to this, Eun-Hui hums a lullaby to help Mi-ran fall asleep. Yeong-Ok witnesses this, and she is not thrilled to see how Eun-hui goes the extra mile to take care of Mi-ran.
As this goes on during Mi-ran’s stay, Eun-hui’s suppressed sentiments are triggered. Eun-Hui feels that she is a pushover. She rationalizes the way she treats Mi-ran as a method of repaying her for the times Mi-ran helped her when they were in high school.
The following day, Mi-ran wakes up and thinks about her daughter’s decision. She still feels hurt that instead of telling it herself, her daughter Ji-Yun asked her dad to call on her behalf.
Meanwhile, Eun-Hui prepares breakfast for Mi-Ran. Feeling appreciative of how Eun-hui took care of her while drunk, Mi-ran remained at Eun-hui’s house. She spent the day cleaning and organizing.
Consequently, she stumbled upon all of Eun-hui’s diaries and began reading them. Her conscience bothered her a bit for prying into Eun-hui’s privacy, but she reasoned that she was merely being inquisitive. What is more, Eun-hui and her do not keep secrets from each other. Or so she believes.
Mi-Ran read almost all of the diary entries up until the log where Eun-hui called her a two-faced brat and selfish, which wounded her deeply. She seemed to have never considered how Eun-hui felt. As a result, she was surprised to learn that Eun-hui questions if they are genuinely friends.
Eun-Hui, ironically, returns precisely at that moment and notices how beautifully she’s cleaned the house. Eun-Hui is overjoyed, but when it comes to Mi-ran, she smiles faintly through her agony.
Reunions & Ruckus
Now that Mi-ran is aware of Eun-hui’s repressed feelings towards her, she too feels conflicted about attending their reunion party at the bar. She tried to clear the air by getting Eun-hui to open up to her while doing Eun-hui’s makeup. Unfortunately, with her eyes closed, Eun-hui lied and said everything was fine. Little did she know that Mi-ran had read her diaries.
Despite this, the two went to the bar to sing karaoke with their friends. All the high-school friends relived the memories of their youth. Trouble followed suit, however. Myeong-bo’s wife, In-Jeong, is jealous of Mi-ran because of how Myeong-bo dotes on her.
Mi-ran read the situation and confronted In-Jeong, telling her she would not lower herself to flirt with Myeong-bo. Eun-hui notices the tension between Mi-ran and In-Jeong. She sits down and pacifies In-Jeong.
After much singing and dancing, Mi-ran went outside the bar. She sees Myeong-bo and talks with him a bit. He then confides in Mi-ran that he plans on divorcing his wife, In-Jeong. Mi-ran encourages him not to ruin his marriage. However, Myeong-bo, for the first time, revealed the physical abuse he has been enduring for a long time.
First, he showed Mi-ran his bleeding toe. Earlier at the bar, In-jeong stepped on Myeong-bo’s foot out of jealousy. She did not care that she was wearing heeled footwear. Next, he shows Mi-ran the scratches, horrific bruises, and cuts scattered over his body. Mi-ran cried with Myeong-bo after seeing this.
Tragically, In-jeong sees Mi-ran and Myeong-bo when they are hugging. Automatically she assumed that Myeong-bo was cheating on her. In-Jeong attacks Mi-ran and a cat fight ensues. Eun-Hui sees this and intervenes. Out of frustration, Mi-ran slaps Eun-Hui in the face and proceeds to knock In-Jeong so she would stop.
Friendship Fallout
Mi-ran walks out on Eun-hui after her fight with In-Jeong. Not long after, Ho-Sik sees her walking alone and stops his truck to talk to her. Despite being irked by Mi-ran’s presence, Ho-Sik offers to drive Mi-ran back to Eun-hui’s residence. On their way, the two conversed about Ho-Sik’s indifferent attitude towards Mi-ran.
Surprisingly, high school members of the lunch box incident way back in high school cared a lot for Eun-hui since then and were mad at how bratty Mi-ran acted at that time. He opened this up t-ran and told her he was not afraid to speak his mind.
Upon arriving at Eun-hui’s residence, Mi-ran explains the events in detail. However, Eun-hui’s preconceived notions about how Mi-ran handled her past marriages made her skeptical. Mi-ran even told her about Myeong-bo’s wounds, but Eun-hui insists that Mi-ran would do no such thing.
At this point, Mi-ran eventually repeats precisely what Eun-Hui wrote in her diary. Additionally, she calls out Eun-hui to be truthful about her sentiments. Eun-hui was enraged that Mi-ran had read her diary. Eun-Hui ultimately gave in to her frustrations and told Mi-ran that the list of Mi-ran’s insensitivity toward her was long. She told Mi-ran that it was all in the past and talking about it would not help.
On the other hand, Mi-ran prods her, stressing that Eun-Hui lied to her and appeared to like her all those years when, in reality, they were never actually friends. Mi-Ran hastily packs her belongings and departs, after telling Eun-hui that the friendship they had is now non-existent, before leaving Jeju, thus ending the thirteenth episode of Our Blues on a cliffhanger.
Our Blues Episode 12 & 13 Musings
Our Blues’ Impeccable Plot Premise
This arc in the storyline no doubt comprises emotive and thought-provoking episodes. In particular, Our Blues episodes 12 & 13 depicted the real-life flaws, struggles, and dynamics of a close-knit relationship impossible to be perfect.
Moreover, all the actors whose characters are highlighted in these episodes demonstrated their versatility. Hence, the two episodes are brought to life in the best possible way imaginable.
The two episodes remind viewers that no matter how perfect the friendship seems; anyone can commit mistakes and shortcomings. And friendships without problems do not exist. It is great to see this side of Eun-hui. Writer Noh proved once again that her characters in this series are anything but one-dimensional.
Besides that, Our Blues episodes 12 & 13 make viewers look forward to what will unfold next and how will Eun-hui be after losing her best friend. More importantly, representation matters. It showed how men could be victims of domestic abuse.
Marvel the wonders of Jeju and get to know the stories of mundane pain and hope chronicled by Our Blues. Episodes are available on Netflix.
If you wish to know more about the cast ensemble of Our Blues, read our press conference coverage here:
Photos: tvN Drama
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