Having waited for long to meet her first love, our leading lady has no intention of wasting any more time. Instead, she will pursue every chance to get close to him. And her sincere efforts pay off, getting our male lead to grow fond of her slowly but surely.
We ended last episode with Seo-ha getting flustered over Ji-eum’s suggestion for them to date. Little does he know he was the one to mention marriage first in Ji-eum’s 18th life as Joo-won, promising to make her happy and never lonely. But it looks like Ji-eum is the one who will take care of Seo-ho and try to brighten his life this time around.
The traumatic accident that caused Joo-won’s death affected Seo-ha a lot. Since then, he has started experiencing hearing problems. Also, the poor guy can no longer bring himself to ride in the back seat. The next day, while looking around the market near the hotel, Seo-ha almost gets into a panic attack, surrounded by a lot of noise and spotting a truck similar to the one having bumped into them back then.
Glimpsing Seo-ha like that, Ji-eum takes his hand and quickly runs. According to her, when one is overwhelmed by fear or anxiety, they should exercise those emotions off. Once they are out of breath, they will forget about everything and become calm again. They also share a sweet moment with Ji-eum combing Seo-ha’s hair with a traditional comb.
Throughout her “many lives,” Ji-eum has realized there are people she can confide in about her secret, like Ae-kyung. While there are others, she should never tell them. While the most thing she wants to do is tell Seo-ha her entire story, she can’t foresee how he will react. So, at least for now, she will be content with seeing him as Ji-eum.
Instead of waiting for the interview results, Ji-eum drops by the hotel with a plan to revive the hotel. If he is still hesitant about hiring her, she will show him her value and get him to change his mind. But what does the trick is a drawing of the hotel lobby design from when Seo-ha’s mother was in charge. Ji-eum even points out how Seo-ha’s mother used to handpick the flowers herself.
Though he does his best to keep up his cold attitude, a.k.a his charm that makes Ji-eum smitten with him, Seo-ha gets moved by the drawing and lets Ji-eum join the meeting for the strategic planning team. Though she has no clear task but to support the team. To her surprise, while looking into landscape companies to supply the hotel with flowers, Ji-eum comes across her younger sister, or more precisely Joo-won’s, Cho-won.
Cho-won has applied under an alias name, as she clearly knows Seo-ha won’t consider her proposal if she submits it under her name. Despite her many attempts to get in touch with him, be it calling or coming to see him at the hotel, Seo-ha keeps his distance from Cho-won. It is as clear as day that Cho-won has feelings for him. But Seo-ha only views her as a friend, unlike his assistant, Ha Do-yoon’s undeniable interest in Cho-won.
While Cho-won’s crush on Seo-ha goes unreciprocated, Ji-eum might stand a chance. Not only does Seo-ha get a little jealous watching her talking with Do-yoon. But he also keeps thinking of her and finally remembers meeting Ji-eum as a child. One day, while following Seo-ha around as her usual habit, young Ji-eum helped him evade trouble while skipping school. Having spotted thugs going after him, Ji-eum took Seo-ha’s hand and ran with all her might.
After that, she treated his wounds and nagged him for acting out and getting into trouble. But it is okay since Ji-eum promises to grow up well and marry Seo-ha since he is her first love. Hearing that Seo-ha still keeps her handkerchief makes Ji-eum delighted. And that happiness doubles when Seo-ha reaches out to her first, asking her for help. He needs Ji-eum to drive him somewhere as he doesn’t want to tell anyone about it. Except, that place turns out to be Joo-won’s grave, which Seo-ha visits for the first time in so long.
Ji-eum has always been the one mourning the people she parted ways with. But it is her first time seeing someone mourn her death. And it is hard to see the people she left behind heartbroken without being able to tell them the truth.
That was an enjoyable premiere week. Shin Hye-sun is shining as always, and I feel the spark between her and Ahn Bo-hyun, who is doing a great job as our lonely and lost-puppy-like Seo-ha. The drama piques my curiosity on multiple fronts. Be it the mastermind behind the car accident, probably the stepmother, or how getting entangled with Ji-eum will change Seo-ha’s life. After his mother’s death, followed by Joo-won’s, Seo-ha grew up utterly alone. Even Do-yoon seems to be spying on him or, at least, reporting to Seo-ha’s father. So, it is a breath of fresh air for Seo-ha to have someone caring for him without ulterior motives.
