Marry My Husband – K-Drama Episode 12 Recap & Review

The Ex-Fiancé

Episode 12 of Marry My Husband starts with a flashback. A young Ji-won bids her father goodbye as he goes on a work trip, bound to come back late at night. While buying groceries, she overhears people talking about her mother who ran away. She happens to see her father on the way home and follows him. He stops by a house where she sees her mother entering the house with another man, looking happy and in love.

Later, at the grocery store, Ji-won is unable to find her wallet and the shopkeeper makes a comment about her mother again. That’s when, Su-min enters and stands up for Ji-won. A narration from Ji-won talks about how she trusted the wrong people because she had nothing but now, with her second chance, she wants to do better.

At present, Ji-won and Ji-hyuk face Ji-hyuk’s ex-fiancé, Yoo-ra. The revelation of his engagement shocks Ji-won and she tells herself she’s made a bad choice yet again. She goes to her own house, where she gets a call from Hui-yeon saying that Joo-ran has stomach cancer.

Yoo-ra, meanwhile, talks to Ji-hyuk’s grandfather, saying that U&K is like her family. She says she was okay breaking off the engagement with Ji-hyuk, but now he’s become more charming. So, she’s going to be in Korea for a while. At her own home, she has pictures of Ji-won and Ji-hyuk spread out on her table.

Ji-won drives Joo-ran from a doctor’s appointment, having gotten a car just for this purpose. Ji-won comforts Joo-ran but inwardly feels guilty that Joo-ran is suffering what was her own fate.

Elsewhere, Su-min is annoyed about her lousy honeymoon location. When she talks about their future, Min-hwan talks about each spouse’s duties but the conversation ends in an argument. Min-hwan goes outside and talks to his friend on the phone. He is getting out of the rental apartment contract his mother set up for him, but plans to pretend it was a scam. Su-min overhears and confronts him about it.

At work, Hui-yeon and another worker run into some trouble. Gyeong-uk seems to gloat about it. Ji-won arrives and learns that the chefs are pulling out of the meal kit plan. Hui-yeon suspects Gyeong-uk has something to do with it.

Ji-hyuk then calls Ji-won in to speak with her, since she wasn’t picking up his calls. Ji-hyuk makes Ji-won realises that even in their past life, Ji-hyuk broke off his engagement with Yoo-ra. After Ji-won’s funeral, he realised how he felt about her and called it off. Because of her experience with her mother leaving her behind, Ji-won believes a relationship can’t be ended in a one-sided way. Ji-hyuk then gives her the contact of a stomach cancer specialist, whom he called specially from the US.

Ji-won gets a call from Yoo-ra and meets with her. Ji-won admits she ended things with Ji-hyuk. Yoo-ra accuses her of going after Ji-hyuk because he’s U&K’s successor. Ji-won stands up to her and makes it clear she can change her life without Ji-hyuk’s help.

Ji-hyuk comes home to find the necklace he bought for Ji-won sitting outside his door. At her own house, Ji-won wonders what’s going to happen to Joo-ran. Currently, Joo-ran and is driving home with her husband, with her daughter at her parents’ restaurant. Seok-jun watches everything from afar and notices the woman who was having an affair with Joo-ran’s husband is right there, she’s Joo-ran’s friend.

Joo-ran messages Ji-won that she has gotten a surgery appointment and Ji-won realises it’s only because of Ji-hyuk’s efforts. Just as Ji-won is wondering about Su-min, we see the latter stand up to Min-hwan and his mother. Unlike Ji-won, she puts Ja-ok in her place. In private, she tells Min-hwan she had a miscarriage and blames it on Min-hwan throwing his phone at her.

Ji-won is working late when Hui-yeon surprises her with food and drinks. She admits Ji-hyuk told her to bring it to Ji-won. She then says Ji-hyuk got engaged because of her.

Ji-hyuk comes home to see his grandfather escorting Yoo-ra out of the house. Ji-hyuk walks with her and reminds her she agreed to break the engagement. She says she doesn’t like anyone touching what’s hers. At Ji-won’s house, Hui-yeon agrees that Yoo-ra can go crazy when it comes to women approaching Ji-hyuk. A quick flashback shows Ji-hyuk confronting Yoo-ra with photos of another woman in a hospital, badly injured.

Ji-won doesn’t want to hear more but Hui-yeon suddenly reveals that she’s not Ji-hyuk’s biological sister. Ji-hyuk comes back to speak with his grandfather and we realise the truth. Ji-hyuk’s father cheated on his other with a woman named Ms. Cha, who is Hui-yeon’s mother. So when he got engaged to Yoo-ra he was determined to not be like his father. But he fell for Ji-won anyway.

Back in her own home, Yoo-ra decides to tell Min-hwan and Su-min about Ji-hyuk’s identity, to stir things up. Meanwhile, Ja-ok leaves Su-min to clean up the entire apartment. In the midst of that, she receives Yoo-ra’s mail — proof of Ji-hyuk being the successor of U&K and him dating Ji-won.

It finally dawns on Su-min that Ji-won dumped her trash on her. Min-hwan comes home to find a mess created by Su-min. She shows him the photos and documents. Su-min is determined to get compensation from Ji-won and is clearly hatching a plan.

Ji-won wakes up to find a text message from her mother and agrees to meet her.  Her mother says she was young and immature all those years ago and had to leave. She says she came to see Ji-won but her father didn’t let her. Ji-won blames her absence for making Ji-won trust the wrong people.

Since her mother seems apologetic, Ji-won sets up another meeting the next day. They spend a nice day together and Ji-won buys her a ton of things. Afterwards, her mother lets slip that she knows Ji-won is dating a rich man. Ji-won laughs, having expected this.

A flashback shows Su-min called Ji-won’s mother, knowing she was in need of money. Her mother then asks Ji-won why she bought her all the clothes and jewellery. Ji-won says she wanted the experience of spending one happy day with her mother. When her mother asks for money, Ji-won walks away.

Yoo-ra learns of what has happened and decides to get involved. She meets Min-hwan personally. Ji-hyuk meanwhile, is doing his martial arts training. Ji-won watches him from outside but leaves when he nearly sees her. She goes to her father’s gravesite and cries, upset about not being able to do things right.

While driving back, another car starts following her. In a different truck, the driver gets a phone call. While Ji-won is stopped at a signal, the truck runs straight at her. But the other car steps into the middle — it’s none other than Ji-hyuk! Ji-won can only watch as the truck rams into his car.

The Episode Review

Episode 12 seems to be losing some of the show’s crisp writing and steady focus on the central idea — that Ji-won must get rid of her fate. That part of the storyline continues, with the intriguing twist that Ji-won unwittingly put her own friend (Joo-ran) in danger. This was a good twist that shakes things up just as we’re expecting Su-min to bear the entire brunt. However, the rest of this episode is derailing the story.

There are too many new additions. Yoo-ra is not only an unnecessary element used to simply drag on the show but her presence as the ex-fiancé is part of an overused and tired cliché. Many dramas featuring rich CEOs use this trope but Marry My Husband has so far used original and fresh storytelling. By involving Yoo-ra, the unique drama is backsliding into standard, run-of-the-mill territory.

Ji-won’s mother too, if she continues to be involved, seems like a plot device to extend the story. But with no added meat. The meal kit project is having problems too. The episode is definitely a bit overstuffed. The spark that will keep viewers glued is Su-min, now that she’s realised what Ji-won did. Hopefully, her revenge will get the derailed story back on track.