[Feb 12 & 13] “Marry My Husband” Ep 13 & 14: Ratings & Recap (2024)

How Yoo-ra seduced Min-hwan to get back at Ji-hyuk

Yoo-ra had lured Min-hwan with cash, allure, and the secret that Ji-won was worth millions thanks to Ji-hyuk’s savvy investments. Yoo-ra was too proud to take anything from Ji-hyuk, even if he offered her billions in subsidiaries; she had to crush everyone on her way and get him back.

We discover the root of Soo-min’s twisted personality and vengeful schemes through Yoo-ra’s plot. Do you recall how Ji-won’s mother had abandoned her family? She had eloped with Soo-min’s father, leaving behind Soo-min with her cruel mother and a shattered home. Soo-min was bitter and jealous of Ji-won’s caring father, and swore to befriend Ji-won and ruin her life from the inside.

She hasn’t stopped yet, as she reaches out to her estranged father and gives him Yoo-ra’s stuffed duffel bag of money to settle the debts of the adulterous pair. They’re not as smart as they think, though, as the trustworthy Seok-joon quickly figures out their plan to kill. It’s ironically funny how Soo-min’s characterization of her father fits Min-hwan perfectly — pompous, incompetent, and full of empty promises.

How Soo-min’s childhood trauma led her to plot against Ji-won

Ji-won overhears Seok-joon’s conversation in the hospital stairs, and finds out that Soo-min had a hand in the accident, under the direction of a more powerful person. She doesn’t waste any time in confronting Soo-min, who puts on her usual act of innocence and pity. It’s frighteningly believable, until she sees that Ji-won is not buying it, and the sorrowful expression drops from Soo-min’s face.

Soo-min reveals the truth of their parents’ affair with cruelty, and accuses Ji-won of being the cause of her pain and plots. Why should Ji-won be happy, when she’s drowning in misery? Soo-min’s speech is both pitiful and condemnable, because it shows how her childhood trauma influenced her fear of being left and her unhealthy ways of coping, but it doesn’t justify her malicious spitefulness at all.

Then Ji-won tells her that she had known everything, but kept quiet so as not to hurt Soo-min. Now that Soo-min’s true face is exposed, there’s nothing holding Ji-won back, either.

How Ji-won and Ji-hyuk confessed their love and survived fate

Ji-hyuk had left a voice message for Ji-won before the truck accident, thinking that he had been sent back in time to save her in that moment. He had died for nothing before, but this time he’ll die for Ji-won. Finally, Ji-hyuk admits the truth of his first death, and expresses his regrets about not being able to be with her. When she hears the voice message, the enormity of Ji-hyuk’s near-death experience makes Ji-won confess that she loves him. To her relief, he wakes up, and they vow to beat fate together.

How Ji-hyuk and Ji-won enjoyed their happy days after the accident

The next days of recovery are filled with cuteness, as Ji-hyuk uses his arm sling to coax Ji-won into feeding him and spending the night. Facing his own mortality has given Ji-hyuk a new outlook; he’s going to cherish the time he has with his love. His smile is bright and free, and he holds Ji-won gently with his love in every touch.

How Joo-ran decided to divorce her cheating husband with Ji-won’s help

While things are improving for Ji-won, they’re going downhill fast for Joo-ran. Seok-joon tells Joo-ran in his usual direct way to give her cheating husband a good scolding instead of running away. (He even lends her his golf club as a weapon, ha.) Seok-joon is purposely provoking her, trying to get her to stand up for herself for once, but Joo-ran breaks down in tears instead. “If someone’s kind to you,” Joo-ran cries, ““shouldn’t you be kind back?”

Joo-ran finally makes up her mind to turn her husband in to the cops, after finding out he was cheating on her, since they live in a time when adultery is still illegal. The scene is eerily similar to Ji-won’s fateful day — the door lock is broken, there are red shoes at the entrance, and the floor is covered with hard candy.

The husband has no shame and tries to lie his way out of it, telling everyone to get out, but Ji-won spots the glass table in the living room and knows what to do next. She grabs a golf club and smashes the table, breaking it into pieces. Joo-ran gets pushed to the ground by her unfaithful husband and lands on the broken glass, barely escaping death.

Ji-won’s gamble: How she tries to change her fate by seducing Min-hwan

This event brings back Ji-won’s trauma, but also makes her realize that the marriage isn't the only thing that determines her fate. The husband also has to be unfaithful and plot to kill his wife for the insurance money. So Ji-won decides to tempt Min-hwan and switch her destiny with Soo-min’s. She fills in Ji-hyuk on her plan, and he agrees to help her save Joo-ran, even though he is hesitant at first.

They start by putting on a fake and dramatic fight after breaking up in the office stairs, where Min-hwan can hear them. Then Ji-won seduces Min-hwan over some drinks, telling him about her new fortune. She also lies to him that Ji-hyuk was spying on her, and reveals the truth about Soo-min’s scheme to murder her, and Min-hwan believes every word.

Ji-won’s plan to pass on her doomed destiny to Yoo-ra

At the same time, Ji-hyuk is making his own moves. He secretly contacts Yoo-ra’s secretary and asks him to choose a side — will he stay loyal to Yoo-ra, or will he join Ji-hyuk? That’s how Ji-hyuk and Ji-won find out that Min-hwan is already cheating on Joo-ran with Yoo-ra. Ji-hyuk sends Yoo-ra a pair of red shoes and a can of hard candy through the secretary, passing on Ji-won’s fate to her.

Ji-won doesn’t need to pretend anymore, so she tells Min-hwan off and dumps him. But her rashness comes with a price. Min-hwan is furious that Ji-won fooled him, and he decides to scare her after work. He attacks her in the empty office, choking her and accusing her of tricking him, but Ji-won doesn’t give up, and challenges him to kill her. She passes out, but Ji-hyuk arrives in time to save her.

Wow, that was a scary scene. Lee Yi-kyung did a great job of showing Min-hwan’s cruel and dangerous side, while also being funny and pathetic at other times. Song Ha-yoon also showed her dark side when she confronted Ji-won, and it shows how abuse can be hidden and manipulative, until it’s too late to get out.

Review:

I don’t know what Ji-won is thinking with such a risky move — or if it was even needed for the story, since we’ve already seen Ji-hyuk save her several times — but I hope it means that they will work together more, instead of going solo. This is Ji-won’s fight, but she also needs to accept the help of others who care for her.

I really appreciate how smart some of our characters are, avoiding the usual misunderstandings and conflicts that could have dragged on for weeks. I was relieved when Eun-ho told Ji-won the truth about Yoo-ra’s blackmail, staying faithful even though he lost his job. And he got rewarded with a chef position on the meal kit project, thanks to Hee-yeon!

Meanwhile, our bad guys are reckless and childish. Min-hwan falls for Ji-won’s seduction and asks Soo-min for a divorce right away. He doesn’t even care enough to update her contact name after being married for months! It’s obvious that our evil-doers use their relationships for selfish reasons, but it’s this cunning scheme that makes their ties weak and brittle.

Yoo-ra is no different, but honestly, I don’t want to waste words on her. After what happened this week, I finally understand why she’s part of the story — so that Ji-won can watch the villains destroy each other without getting involved — but that doesn’t mean I like seeing her act so arrogant and conceited. Let’s get on with the villain defeat, shall we?