The Promise – 20-21

Dohee begins to fall for Hwi Kyung as Taejoon hands off Nayoung to Gyungwan for resolution.



Nayoung cannot believe her ears and she asks in shock why Manjung is doing this. However, Manjung is sincere for once. She begins to cry as she pours out her heart that she cannot stand to see her cold and heartless brute of a son crying because of what she did…She asks Nayoung to please let Taejoon go once more and promises to get enough money to COMPENSATE her. Yeah, that’s right, she’s talking about compensation for time that cannot be returned.

Nayoung sits firm. She reminds Manjung that if she let Taejoon go, Saebyul grows up as fatherless child. This riles Manjung up again and she turns back into the selfish witch that she is…Manjung declares that the can compete to see who is the mother who cares about her child more and leaves…

To make matters worse? Nayoung gets called to the daycare. Saebyul got into a fight because another child teased Saebyul of lying about having a father. Nayoung’s heart? BROKEN.  She takes Saebyul to Mom’s chicken shop and lets her eat whatever she wants.  Then she carefully asks Saebyul if she wants to see her dad.  Saebyul answers that she wants to see her dad since she is not lying about having a dad.


Nayoung pretends to go get more of the side dish and goes into the kitchen too cry.  Then she texts Taejoon to ask that he stops by since Saebyul wants to see her dad.

But Taejoon is off eating ramen with Sejin and lies that the text is not important.  Again Saebyul is stood up.  After waiting, Saebyul asks Nayoung if they can go home since she’s tired.


The scene changes and its Taejoon giving a presentation to the board of directors and Gyungwan.  Taejoon recommends that they sell of AP Foods even though Gyungwan pointedly asks if there is not another way.  This gains the other directors’ approvals and even Gyungwan’s respect.

Meanwhile, Yookyung tells Sejin that she picked a date for the middle of next month.  Sejin is ecstatic and hugs Yookyung from behind….While Taejoon asks to speak to Gyungwan privately.

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Gyungwan invites Taejoon to a private bar room.  Taejoon confesses that he has not been able to truly cut off and clean up his ties with his ex-girlfriend.  He asks for more time.  Gyungwan snaps back that this does not change anything and asks if Taejoon will tell Sejin.  Taejoon denies it and explains that there is a child.

Gyungwan punches Taejoon twice. He notes that the first punch is about not taking care of his messes cleanly and the second punch is for thinking about another girl when Taejoon should only be thinking about Sejin.  Then Gyungwan pours Taejoon a drink and adds that the drink is because Taejoon confessed first.  Gyungwan tells Taejoon to pretend that he does not know anything as Gyungwan will play the devil and clean up the mess for Taejoon.


Later we change the focus to Dohee, whose father thinks back on Hwi Kyung’s father’s request.  He calls and checks in on Dohee…Dohee happily muses up her hair more and even smears her lipstick to make herself look crazier before getting out of the car. She defiantly walks toward the restaurant but gets her bag taken by a cyclist.

Luckily Hwi Kyung sees this and tackles the thief.  The thief manages to get back up and jumps on the cycle but Dohee prevents Hwi Kyung from chasing the thief further.  She thanks him for his efforts but explains that she personally carries her USB drive; she’s used to taking extra precautions after she focused on publishing dirt about the rich high society.


Dohee takes Hwi Kyung to drinks and a late night snack.  She asks him more about his own divorce to which Hwi Kyung does not answer. So, she changes to ask him about Sejin.  Hwi Kyung honestly replies that he does not know anything and Dohee believes him.  She notes that all people who come to the date because of their parents are so cool and thinks it’s a good thing she did not write him off earlier that date.

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Turning back to Nayoung, she’s at Taejoon’s apartment where he finds her.  They go into his apartment where she asks how Taejoon could ignore Saebyul.  Taejoon responds coolly that he was busy and will look into a way to solve the issue with Saebyul.  He even suggests that they ask Sejin to raise Saebyul.

Nayoung’s eyes flash and she calms down.  She tells Taejoon that she will not let Saebyul live as the unwanted out of wedlock child while she is alive. She is even willing to let Taejoon go but she expects him to be a proper father to Saebyul.  With those words, Nayoung leaves and walks back home while Dohee passes in her car.  The two girls look toward each other…But, they don’t see each other.


Dohee does get a call from her mom and she jokingly asks her mom if she’s not a twin.  However, her mom reacts in an overly sensitive fashion.  Dohee promises to not make that kind of joke again but she remarks that it’s unusual for her mom to be so sensitive.


Dohee’s mom tells her husband that she does not approve of Hwi Kyung but he tells her to leave it to Dohee. Meanwhile, Hwi Kyung reassures his mother that he is only seeing Dohee as a favor for their father. Youngsook prepares dinner for Hwi Kyung over which she sighs about how much she’s worried about him.  She ends up leaving the table in frustration when Hwi Kyung smiles that he won’t make her starve.

THEN another twist! Manjung gets a call from one of her lovers and we find out that she has another child out there whom she does not know the identity of looks of! Is it Se Kwang?

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The next day, Mom sees the hidden newspaper about Sejin’s marriage.  She goes to confront Majung and then gets an idea when she sees an ad for a moving company.  She then calls all of her daughters who confirm the news.  Mom shouts at Nayoung to tell the other family about Saebyul and force Taejoon to come back.  Nayoung puts her arm on Mom’s arms and tells her that Taejoon has his own reasons… This ends up with Mom sobbing in Nayoung’s arms that she gave everything to Taejoon who left her with nothing but tears.


Meanwhile, Gyungwan’s attitude toward Taejoon is different. He accepts Taejoon’s report but changes the topic to the kid and other woman.  He orders that Taejoon keep it a secret from Sejin and to stop communications with Nayoung… A little later, Taejoon gets a text from Nayoung asking Taejoon not to forget about Sejin and he ignores it.


Next smaller pre-wedding crisis! Sejin sends Taejoon two beds and asks him for his opinion.  He chooses the more simpler and smaller bed.  In response, Sejin quickly changes her own inclination from the larger more luxurious bed to the smaller one.  Yookyung immediately realizes that this was likely because of Taejoon and she furiously shouts at Sejin not to change her tastes for Taejoon.


Sejin insists that it was her own choice so Yookyung calls Taejoon out instead.  She then gives him an envelope of money and tells him to keep the money.  That way Sejin would not have to suffer because of his limited means.  She also adds that she does not like the light in his eyes…To her, the eyes don’t suggest that he has tenacity. Instead, she sees his limitless insecurity.

Taejoon smiles that Yookyung is correct.  He is highly insecure but he feels more confident with Sejin so he wants to hold on to her.

Yookyung leaves the envelope and storms away. But, she pauses in her room to think that a cunning guy is better than a stupid one.

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Later that evening, Sejin visits Taejoon and she picks up his phone when Manjung calls.  Manjung complains about how Malsook (Mom) tossed her out of the studio and Sejin promises to relay the message.  Then she quickly copies down Nayoung’s number before putting the phone back into his jacket pocket. When Taejoon comes out, Sejin demands to know if Nayoung has fallen out. Taejoon tells her that it might take a little longer… Sejin responds predictably by complaining that she’s nervous that the other woman will mess up their wedding.


The next day Sejin calls Nayoung and calls her out.  Nayoung agrees to the meeting but then gets a call from Gyungwan before she leaves her house.  They meet in a different cafe where he offers her anything if she disappears from Taejoon’s life, either taking the child or not.  Nayoung answers calmly that all she wants to do is provide a father for her daughter.

Gyungwan snaps that he won’t allow this as this would take away Taejoon from his daughter. Nayoung sighs that this is the first time in her life that she was disappointed in her father whom she never knew.  She continues that she’s disappointed in him as well since she thought that the uncle that she knew from before would be more fair…

Gyungwan looks started when Nayoung talks about twenty years ago. He leans forward and asks if she’s Nayoung.


If I did not hate Taejoon before, this episode would definitely do it. All his talk about responsibility is pure garbage.  A truly responsible man would deal with the uncomfortable issues in front of him as well as fulfilling his obligations.  For Taejoon, this would mean at the very least that he sees his biological daughter and reassures her that she has a loving father. He does not even have to tell Sejin about Saebyul’s existence; he just has to make his existence clear to the one person who needs it most right now – his born child.

On the other hand, I applaud Nayoung for making the difficult decision to let Taejoon go since he is already gone. Rather, I like her character more since it looks like her spine is back. Losing Taejoon as a potential husband is a different issue from letting Taejoon escape his duties as a father to Saebyul.  If Taejoon is going to try to weasel his way out, he should at least have to face the discomfort of feeling like the true coward he is.  I actually hope (even though this would suck for Sejin) that Sejin never  gives birth. That way, Taejoon has to deal with the fact that he tried his best to run away from his only biological child who will one day know the truth about what a coward that her father is.

On a final note, Nayoung’s line to Gyungwan? Well played! I love how she flat out tells Gyungwan that she resents him (though both of them do not know that she’s talking about him) to his face.  This is great fodder for when the drama returns to the plot of Nayoung’s birth secret and Gyungwan realizes that he tried his best to stiff his only biological daughter.




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