The love triangle takes center stage this week as our heroines opt to be honest with each other about how they feel, resolving to compete fairly for our male lead’s heart and respect whatever decision he makes.
But it might take an external nudge for our leading man to realize where his heart truly lies.
Bunny S. watches A Hundred Memories on Viki
Episode Recaps: 01 & 02 | 03 & 04 | 05 & 06| 07 & 08 | 09 & 10 |
A Hundred Memories Episodes 9 and 10 Highlights
“She is a friend I can’t imagine my life without.”
Learning about what happened, Young-rye tries to convince Jong-hee to stay at the hospital, but the latter remains against it. Just then, the chairwoman arrives, frantically worried, and gets Jong-hee admitted for a full check-up. Young-rye argues she couldn’t find the right moment to tell Jae-pil about Jong-hee’s return. And he doesn’t seem to be mad about it.
At first, Jae-pil and Jong-hee are awkward around each other, but they soon slip back into their past dynamics. Jae-pil asks about the reason for that harsh breakup all those years ago. But Jong-hee claims she just acted impulsively. Still, she is palpably relieved to hear that Jae-pil deems Young-rye as just a close friend and nothing more. Though we can’t trust those words.
Either way, Jong-hee heads to see Young-rye along with Jae-pil and they hang out together. These three give off best friends dynamics. And it would have been much more interesting if the drama had kept their relationship at that. But what is done is done.
“I just kept walking and ended up here.”
Suspicious of her frequent outings, the chairwoman has someone tail Jong-hee and report to her. She gets livid when she hears Jong-hee is back in contact with people from her past. A big fight ensues between the two of them that ends with Jong-hee taking off wearing a thin layer of clothes and mismatched shoes. She keeps walking while getting drenched in the rain until she reaches the hospital where Jae-pil works and hugs him.
Jae-pil is perplexed by Jong-hee’s sudden visit and hug. But he takes her inside and dries off her hair. Opening up to Jae-pil, Jong-hee shares that she thought her problems would disappear if she became rich. But she now understands there is no free lunch. She doesn’t go into details about the abuse she faces, but just rants about being envious of Young-rye for having a loving family and shining brightly. Jae-pil assures her that everyone has their way of shining, and she can shine again, too.
“I tried so hard not to remember, but it all came flooding back.”
Young-rye almost saw Jong-hee hugging Jae-pil, but Hyeon (who drove her to the hospital) spotted that scene first and distracted her. Still, she witnessed from the sidelines as Jae-pil treated the wound on Jong-hee’s face from the fight. Young-rye is palpably jealous, yet it doesn’t stop her from worrying about Jong-hee.
The next day, our girls hang out together at their previous night school. Flashbacks from the past have us lamenting what could have been if Jong-hee hadn’t disappeared. Still, we are glad that the girls’ bond is going strong despite their time apart.
Sharing that she isn’t over Jae-pil and wants to get back with him, Jong-hee asks Young-rye for help. But as much as Young-rye loves Jong-hee and considers her family, she puts herself first this time. Instead of regretting it later, Young-rye asserts that Jae-pil is her first love, and she wants to fight for him too. So, she can’t help Jong-hee pursue him.
For someone who already knows about Young-rye’s feelings for Jae-pil, Jong-hee looks pretty surprised. Still, she takes it quite well, asserting that they can both fight for Jae-pil and leave the choice to him.
“I think he must have overheard people talking.”
Before Jae-pil can sort out his feelings and choose one of the girls, he has some family drama to deal with. Having overheard some nurses gossiping about him, Jae-pil’s father gets himself discharged from the hospital. In Jae-pil’s father’s mind, he is doing that for his son, having learned that the hospital wants him gone, and Jae-pil has to beg for him to stay there. But to Jae-pil and the rest of his family, he is just a stubborn old man making things difficult for others. (They are worried he might collapse again when no one is at home.)
Following a big fight, Jae-pil’s father disappears, and everyone almost loses their minds from worry. Young-rye and Jong-hee happen to be together when they hear the news. And they rush over to Jae-pil’s place. But noticing the close bond between Young-rye and Jae-pil’s family, Jong-hee feels like she doesn’t belong there and takes off quietly without approaching Jae-pil.
Luckily, they find Jae-pil’s father safe and sound, and we get a moment of reconciliation between this father-son pair after Jae-pil learns the truth about his mother’s death. She suffered from a serious case of alcoholism, and his father resorted to violence to stop her from drinking.
“Well, since this happened, I might as well aim for better pay and try to get into a bigger company.”
Meanwhile, the chairwoman does a background check on Young-rye and plots to get her fired from the salon. It is an unfair termination, but luckily, Young-rye finds another job soon at a bigger salon with better pay.
Hyeon offers to make her his secretary. But while Young-rye is thankful for the thought, she politely turns down his offer. Still, she accepts his treat for lunch, where they run into their mother, and Hyeon introduces Young-rye as the woman he loves, albeit one-sided. Young-rye is taken aback, but Hyeon tells her to think it through before giving him an answer. He wants her to see him as a man and then make a decision.
Hearing that Young-rye was fired, Jae-pil got worried and kept looking for her all day while she was with Hyeon. They go for some noodles, and Jae-pil comforts her, listing her strengths and assuring her she can find another job. He is thrilled to hear she got the job. Which is a stark contrast to his discomfort when Jong-by drops by with treats for the staff.
“All those moments when I felt like I wanted to die, she was next to me.”
Things happen, and Jae-pil and Hyeon end up drinking together again. As a warning, man-to-man, Hyeon asserts that he has feelings for Young-rye and will pursue her if Jae-pil continues hesitating. Thinking back on his time with Young-rye, Jae-pil realizes she had been by his side all those years, supporting him during all his tough times. She isn’t just a close friend to him but someone he can’t imagine his life without. Following his heart, Jae-pil heads to see Young-rye and confesses his feelings.
A Hundred Memories Episodes 9 and 10 Musings
In another story, we would be happy for Jae-pil and Young-rye, and it would make for a good friends-to-lovers romance. But there is Jong-hee and Young-rye’s friendship at stake here. Also, after everything he did for her, we can’t help but root for Hyeon to be with Young-rye, though we know it is a long shot. Likewise, Young-sik and Jong-hee would make a great couple, especially given how she goes to see him when troubled and feels comforted by his words. This isn’t to say Jae-pil is a bad person, but the other two are just better suitors for our girls.
Honestly, none of our trio is at fault here. The poor writing decisions are to blame, centering the story around the love triangle and repeatedly circling back to it. The drama is supposed to be about the girls’ friendship and how they help each other grow, but it turned into a fight over a guy. If Sang-cheol can get over Young-rye and find another woman, why can’t we conclude that exasperating love triangle the same way?
Romance aside, trouble is brewing in the background with Jong-hee’s abusive brother released from prison, and the personnel manager from the bus company vowing to get revenge on her. Seriously! Now, we have to worry about Jong-hee losing her life or getting hurt.
The drama has more than enough plotlines to wrap up in the finale week. And now it is introducing an unnecessary plotline. Is there even a glimmer of hope that we can get a satisfying ending? As things stand, it seems unlikely.
Photos and Videos: JTBC Drama
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