Lee C

How did Seo Ban show intererest in Song? He was there to ask her about language lessons and she told him she did not work nights so could not take him on as a client. Song would not reciprocate any interest in Seo Ban as he is too cloesely related to to Hye-Strung. And why would he show inerest in her when he is interested in the writer?

When does hearing someone's marital woes constitute an affair?

It was Hye-Strung who deduced he was Dong-ma's older brother. Another lie bites the dust! Song does not give a fig for a man's money as she has her own. whereas Hye-Strung is wowed by it. It is only a matterof time before she makes him the object of her revenge scheme. But it won't work because he does not give her the time of day prefering the attentions of the writer.

The writer is known for her long-winded writing.

Now the question is just who was Seo Ban's mother? Was she the same person mentioned as having two boys? If so she could very well be the mother of Seo Ban and the Doc. What do we know about his family other than his inheriting the clinic from his father?
The CEO is currently in the hospital perhaps about to make some sort of confession on his death bed. At any rate, clue will be released at the Lunar New Year gathering at the Seo's place.

Why do you feel it necessary to comment on conversations that clearly don't involve you in the first place?

No. We saw her envisioning doing that and she cried.

Exactly. People don't have affairs in a vacuum. But there are a myriad of reasons why people do cheat. Is it not better to try to gain some understanding in order to prevent it from happening in the first place? Marriage takes a great deal of work. ( I have 42 years' experience.)
It is a complicated balance of dependence , independence and inter-dependence. And getting it right requires a great deal of self-reflection, self-knowledge, along with the ability to compromise and communicate effectively.
Do young people give equal consideration to what is expected of them emotionally towards their partners as they do financially?
The latest research on the brain indicates that in males the brain does not fully form until about the age thirty, So if parts are not communicating as they should in the frontal lobes where executive functions such as decision-making and formulating long-term plaaning take place, you have an immature man.
Society needs to take a second look at the notion that everyone ought to get married and have children. We know better and that means we need to do better. The reality is that we face over-population, insecure food supplies and climate change. Additionally, and more to the point for this discussion, not everyone is cut out to be a spouse or a parent. Yet to so many do both only because "it's what you do". Going into a marriage blind about one's needs and ablitiy to give of oneself is a recipe for disaster.

You finally outed yourself! LMAO!

You hit an important nail on the head. People being reduced to their wrong-doings. Guess everyone must hate Michael Jackson on this board right?

Finally some intelligent commentary. What relief!

If she were smart, she would get as far away from Hye-Strung and the lawyer. I believe she will come to her senses. Hye-Strung cannot be trusted to be anywhere near her child.

In Dong-Mi's defence, he does do his part to keep them amused and be good company. Frankly, neither has been a barrel of laughs to live with.

It's better to be thought a fool, than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt.

I was thinking the very same thing. There is a spate of immorality to despise some of it far more heinious than cheating yet this gets everyone's blood boiling. I think when you live in a small world only things that can actually touch them are important. I pity anyone so narrow-minded. Ignorance is at the root of hatred. And hatred spreads like cancer. Homosexuals can tell us all about that.
You forgot to include the atrocity that strikes my heart-the eating or mistreatent of animals. Who are the holier than thou now?

How telling that you would make assumptions regarding someone you don't know...
Some women would just leave and either go back to their table or leave the restaurant altogether rather than get into a confrontation, especially a physical one, Some women have grace, class and common sense.

He can stay standing as he did not cause her ulcer. Stress can exacerbate an existing condition though. Ok back on his knees.

It is her lifestyle of choice though. As a narcissist her ego is actually built on a house of cards, Despite the confidence she exudes, deep down she is quite insecure. She needs others to prop up her ego So the loss of one of those people has a huge effect on her self esteem. She likely feels how dare he abandon her and choose a lesser being as well. Which takes precedence over the fact she no longer loves him. Her source of narcissitic supply is what is at stake. That is what is motivating her to keep the marriage intact.

You may wish to curb your penchant for assuming things. Starting with my gender.
You assert that the writer must love the characters of the lawyer and Song.
In other words she has a bias. The reality is that she is presenting a couple whose transgression is morally ambiguous compared to those of the other two couples. But for people who do not see the possibility of middle ground, grey areas or extenuating circumstances, the parties will be always be guilty and sentenced accordingly. A cheater is a cheater period. If that approach works for you then so be it.
But to negotiate the world we are currently in flexibility is required, Things are not all in black and white, No one is letting the lawyer and Song off the hook. But we need to consider the reasons that led to the transgression, hoping that others would do the same if we were in their slippers.
Like all crimes motivation must be considered before sentencing,

I call them as I see them. Having said that, I can back up my assertions and am not creating a false narrative nor am I attributing false motivations onto all those involved.
And since many others are seeing everything about her in black and white terms, there’s a huge grey area not being considered. And that’s dangerous!
Look, all I am doing is refuting the many false statements made about her. In no way am I justifying her existence.
The lawyer was emotionally unfaithful. ( If truth be told, I am still wrestling with this. Song was not reciprocating about herself. She was aloof. She was not interested in him. We tell friends many things about our relationships, but does it make it an affair? ) Then sexually. He ought to have waited until he was divorced , or at least separated , before he even contemplated such action.
He ought to have been more forthright about wanting to split. That right there is the crux of the issue...
As humans we strive to do the right thing but we’re fallible. We make mistakes or blow situations big time. We let down people without having meant to. Our own frailties and/or circumstances can wreak havoc on our best intentions.
When people have a modicum of self-awareness they can recognize they have transgressed, own up to their transgressions, repair the emotional damage or any other reparations involved and make a vow to never repeat their hurtful behaviour.
The person you love does not have the right to mistreat you.
Having said that. the key factor that has to be considered is motivation. Why do people behave the way they do?
What appears on the surface is the low lying fruit, which people are likely to grab. Understandably. But like icebergs there’s a whole bunch of things happening beneath the surface, hidden to the naked eye. And that’s where the grey areas or moral ambiguity lie.
This drama and its viewer reaction is very much akin to a cross between ´To Kill a Mockingbird’ and ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit?´
What I am taking issue with, is the mischaracterization to patently false interpretations that have taken place. Pick any page and you will find one!
Let’s deal with a simple one:
She felt betrayed by the parents running around behind her back.
The reality: She first suggested to his mother that she should check in from time to time on Song namely to keep tabs on her. How many times did his mom see Song? The initial meeting plus two medical appointments. That last one his father invited himself to go along. The three were hungry so they went to eat. Keep in mind this would be the last time they would see her before she departed for Jeju Island. And the healthy scan of his grandson gave grandad reason to celebrate. Son showing up was a coincidence.
It’s a stretch to say they were being disloyal behind her back. Liking Song did not mean being disloyal to her. Of course I can understand why the optics were not good. But when it was explained to her, she chose not to believe them. Sadly for her, she will bring on her worst fear, as a result of her hitting her husband.
This couple has a major issue with communication. Both contribute to the problem in different ways. With the lawyer we can see the environment he grew up in- his mother did not speak up about the disrespectful way her husband treated her. And from the sounds of BHR’s parents, dysfunction will exist there as well.
With the lawyer, it’s far easier to ascertain what contributed to the marital breakdown and make sense of it, as compared to the dynamics at play with the doctor. He’s showing sociopathic tendencies, and needs to be shown the door. But I still want to know why an intelligent man with an exemplary life partner sets out to cheat. It’s both fascinating and cognitively distorted. It’s a mystery I want to solve.
The writer wanted to convey that cheating is not always cut and dried. There can be a morally ambiguous middle ground. She shon a light on the mistresses ‘ point of view for a more thorough dissection of an affair. Given her age, she has likely witnessed a marital breakdown or two. And one needs to be cautious at attributing events to her personally. Writers do take inspiration from those in their lives. It would be statistically unlikely that one person could have attracted that much bad karma.
One thing is certain, she has succeeded in generating much discourse on the subject of extra- marital affairs the world over. For that she must be lauded, regardless of how the drama is received. We ought not shoot the messenger, after all.
Enough said.