Family By Choice – K-drama Episode 9 Recap & Review

Episode 9

Episode 9 of Family By Choice begins with Joo-won discovering that San-ha and Hae-jun are moving away. Naturally, she’s upset and skips breakfast the following day. At school, she acknowledges for the first time that the three of them aren’t really a family and leaves on her own.

San-ha learns about Joo-won’s visit to him while he was in the hospital and hurries to meet her at a café. He promises to return soon, while Hae-jun says a final goodbye to Park Dal. The next day, the two leave without Joo-won seeing them off, and she later cries in front of her father, regretting her decision.

Ten years pass, and their video calls turn into text messages, until finally, Hae-jun disappears entirely. San-ha apologizes each year for not being able to make it to Joo-won’s birthday. Now, Joo-won owns a bakery, and San-ha has become a doctor.

Meanwhile, Dal warns Joo-won about a strange figure lurking around her bakery. She ends up in a scuffle with a hooded stranger who refuses to reveal his identity—until Joo-won’s father and San-ha’s father both end up at the police station. It’s Hae-jun!

At the same time, San-ha arrives at the station after discovering Joo-won’s bakery in disarray. The two boys are back, but Joo-won is less than thrilled and reiterates that they’re not truly family.

Hae-jun and San-ha return to their house, feeling nostalgic upon seeing that their rooms have been left just as they were. While they have dinner together, San-ha finally announces that he and Hae-jun are home for good—they won’t be leaving anymore. Naturally, the two fathers are overjoyed, but the episode ends with Joo-won questioning their decision, tired of waiting for them for the past 10 years.

The Episode Review

As always, this episode is both heartbreaking and beautiful, capturing how life can take turns we never expected. While we may want to be around the people we care about, sometimes a temporary goodbye is necessary, and those who truly matter eventually find their way back to us. The episode feels almost painfully realistic, especially in the scenes where Hae-jun and San-ha leave, and later showcasing how relationships change over time, with excited video calls transforming into awkward silences on group chats.

And Joo-won’s anger feels justified—she was the one left behind while Hae-jun and San-ha built lives away from home. But we’re left with lingering questions: Why didn’t Hae-jun become a basketball player? Why didn’t he finish university? And what happened to San-ha’s mother and sister? Overall, this episode is another touching installment that highlights some hard truths in the lives of three individuals who consider themselves family, even if not bound by blood.