Our Unwritten Seoul – K-drama Episode 11 Recap & Review

The Review Geek

20 hours ago

At The End of the Sentence
Episode 11 of Our Unwritten Seoul begins with Mi-ji getting rejected for numerous different jobs. Ho-su tries to cheer her up though, heading out and getting rings for them before heading to Ro-sa's restaurant. Then it happens.
Ho-su loses hearing in both his ears but Mi-ji and Ro-sa are obviously unaware of this. In fact, Ho-su heads back home and he doesn't tell Mi-ji the truth when she shows at his apartment, worried about him. In fact, he slams the door and tells her he's tired.
It's clear Ho-su is struggling though and simple things like getting a taxi to the hospital are monumental tasks for him, given his hearing loss. He does eventually get there and heads to the ENT department. They diagnose that he has sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
The doctors give him steroids to help his hearing but it's still touch and go. His charts don't look good and his hearing is down across all frequencies. A full recovery is very unlikely and the doctor warns that he needs to brace himself and prepare for the worst.
Meanwhile, suits from the Fair Trade Commission show up at KFMC looking for Gyeong-min. They're investigating the Sihan Construction Case and it even makes the press too. The CEO is pissed and lashes out at Director Choi, telling him to handle this.
While Tae-i is happy with how things are going, Mi-rae is ready to quit and turn away. Hanging about just to see the management punished is not her style and she admits that coming to work still fills her with anxiety.
Ho-su shows up to see Chung-gu and asks for his help in handling the Mi-rae sexual harassment case. He wants a lawyer like Chung-gu who will take no prisoners and win no matter what. Ho-su knows that Chung-gu has a soft spot for him, even with the bullying and Ro-sa restaurant fiasco, and Chung-gu does eventually agrees to do this for him.
Ho-su also says goodbye to Ro-sa here too, explaining about his hearing… kinda. He shields her from the worst of it but Ro-sa explains that he can't hide this from Mi-ji. Ho-su explains though that Mi-ji has just starting to spread her wings, and he doesn't want her to see him as a weight holding her down.
The thing is, even hiding this from her isn't going to be a simple task. At dinner, he doesn't hear the waitress switch the ingredients around and he can barely hear Mi-ji as she excitedly chirps on.
Eventually he decides to hit the classic penultimate episode K-drama trope – he's going to break up with Mi-ji. She calls him out for it though and Ho-su eventually comes clean and explains that he may lose his hearing completely. He knows he'll change and it may be too much of an adjustment for her. He doesn't want her to compromise for him anymore as she of all people knows that being pitied sucks.
Ironically, the words she uses to plead with Ho-su actually echo how she felt when she could no longer run. Unfortunately, just like in the past, it ends in heartbreak.
Back home, Mi-rae is shocked about the break-up and tries to be there for her sister. It's Gyeong-gu who actually serves as a best friend though, and when he finds out about the break-up, he teases her about the reasons and tries to cheer her up.
Elsewhere, Wol-sun has sodium deficiency and she's not eating much. Ok–hui shows up to see her in hospital but Wol-sun raves on about how her husband is beating her daughter. Now it makes more sense why she was so sensitive about Ok-hui being rough with Mi-ji, and what she's been so ashamed to keep from hr daughter.
Wol-sun never told her any of this because she didn't want Ok-hui to live a bad life and follow in her footsteps. When she composes herself, Wol-sun apologizes to her daughter, prompting Ok-hui to break down in tears.
At work, Mi-rae walks out with her head held high, ignoring all the badmouthing from her colleagues. She also leaves something for Tae-i to give to Su-yeon too. On the way out, Director Choi tries to intimate her but it doesn't work. In fact, one of the girls shows up and apologizes to Mi-rae for staying quiet all this time. She explains that Mi-rae's actions have helped give her the courage to stand up and speak out against the company.
Meanwhile, Bun-hong is shocked when she receives a call and finds out about Ho-su's hearing loss. She breaks into his apartment and demands the truth. She's livid and eventually speaks plainly, pointing out how his dad brought them together so they can hold onto each other. Her love for him is the reason for her to carry on, reinforcing that they're family and as far as she's concerned, he's her son.
At the hospital, Mi-rae reveals to Ok-hui that she's quit her job and the true reason for the switch-over with her twin. Having come clean, she shows at the strawberry farm and speaks to Se-jin next. She explains that his offer was a dream come true for her… but she's turning it down. She doesn't think she's ready and needs to prepare. Mi-rae is not sure on herself and she wants to see things through to the end where she is. Specifically, in being his replacement at the farm. She's following her heart, even if it's wrong, for once in her life.
At Ro-sa's restaurant, Mi-ji finds a letter from the family court regarding the registry but it's signed from Ho-su, which makes her feel emotional. Of course Ro-sa and Mi-ji both know what's up with Ho-su here and eventually move over to the topic of the break-up.
Ro-sa encourages her to be by his side and do what she's best at, just like she was all those episodes ago. Despite not knowing the answer to their relationship woes, just being there for him is enough. The thing is, Ho-su comes to the same conclusion thanks to a chat with Bun-hong about his father's words of encouragement. These resonate with him, offering encouragement to stick it out no matter what, even if you're on the losing team.
Ho-su heads over to Mi-ji's and throws his arms around her, pleading with her to stay by his side and apologizing.
As the episode closes out, Su-yeon finally looks set to leave her room, while Ho-su and Mi-ji look like they're going to be alright after all.
The Episode Review
So the 'we're going to break up in the penultimate episode before getting back together' trope is in full swing here. The difference here though, is that the execution is solid and grounded in reality, leaning into those aforementioned themes about courage, taking a leap of faith and pushing through your fears. The show dodges those miscommunications that usually comes with this, and lays all the cards out on the table first before slamming into the emotional crux of the relationship.
Both Ho-su and Mi-ji know they're not going to have the perfect relationship and it's going to have a lot of ups and downs. They each have a reason for their motivations and across the episode, they're both helped along by the supporting characters, who have had their own journeys of self discovery and perserverance.
Ro-sa's past speaks for itself, given the tragedies that have befallen her, and if anybody knows a thing or two about living with a 'burden' it's her. Meanwhile, Bun-hong finally gets through to Ho-su and there's some lovely moments between them as they reflect on Ho-su's father's words.
'Love isn't about winning or losing. It's about remaining on the same team until the very end even if you lose. Love isn't about staying together… even if you lose a hundred or a thousand times.' This quote is so powerful and works incredibly well, especially for those who know relationships are hard work at times!
The break-up scene though is so eerily parallel to Mi-ji's past too and it shows how far she's come from all those years ago.
Meanwhile, Mi-rae leaves work with her head held high. The moment she says 'My heart still pounds anxiously every time I come to work,' is going to relate to anybody who has been stuck in a toxic workplace, and thankfully Mi-rae has managed to bow out on a high. She's already won and no amount of badmouthing from management can change that now.
Ultimately though, Our Unwritten Seoul has been a great watch and it's easily one of the best acted K-dramas of the year. Park Bo-young is absolutely killing it as the twins and if she's not up for some awards this year, I'd be shocked. Roll on tomorrow's finale!
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Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!