When I Was the Most Beautiful – Episode 11 Recap and Review

Skeletons In The Closet

Episode 11 of When I Was the Most Beautiful begins with Yeon-Ja revealing to Ye-Ji that the diagnosis for Jin may actually be wrong. Needing to know more, she asks what happened to Jin in the US.

Apparently he was hidden away in a sanatorium and swam from his submerged car to shore. Yeon-Ja waves this away though, saying their bigger problems come from convincing Jin to undergo rehab again.

This catches us up to the divorce bombshell last episode, as Ye-Ji berates her husband for not caring all this time. Against his wishes, Ye-Ji wheels him outside and admits that there’s hope yet. Eventually her fiery demeanor gets through to him and he agrees to go back to rehab for her.

Meanwhile, Hwan offers himself up as a sacrifice for Ye-Ji. He speaks to his brother at hospital and tells him not to keep pushing Ye-Ji away. If he does, then his fears will become reality. Jin comments how similar Hwan and Ye-Ji are given they both told him the same thing.

As Hwan walks away, he promises to sever ties with Ye-Ji and even get married if it makes her feel better. This brings him back to Amber at the workshop. They start spending more time together as Da-Woon arrives and immediately becomes jealous. Amber however mischievously grins, commenting on how many rivals she has.

When Jin and Ye-Ji return home, Amber and Hwan leave hand in hand. Right now though it seems like Hwan is using Amber as a way of making Ye-Ji jealous. Amber is a pretty sharp tool though and forgives him for using her in front of those two. Hwan decides to try and make a go of it as the duo hug it out.

Out in the street, Ms Kim suddenly passes out at work and is rushed to hospital. Hwan and Amber notice and head up with them. Showing up at the same time happens to be Jin and Ye-Ji who learn that she’s there because of malnutrition. When Ye-Ji leaves, Jin tasks his assistant to tell Ms Kim to leave her work so Ye-Ji can be in peace.

Meanwhile, Yeon-Ja comes under fire in the board meting. She admits her wrongdoing and promises that a replacement will be given in her stead. It’s here she shows Jin to the group who apologize. She admits to giving back 60% of the loan she used to find her son already and that’s just the start. They also confirm that the Chairman was profiting off stocks. A corrupt chairman? I haven’t seen this in a Korean drama before!

As the meeting comes to a close, Carry presents herself and asks just why Jin didn’t say anything to her before. She asks whether Ye-Ji knows they spent time together in the US and, of course, she doesn’t. It seems now that Carry was the one responsible for all of this and as she saved him, she proclaims that his life belongs to her.

Elsewhere, Yeon-Ja learns she’s being investigated for embezzlement. This happens to be the chairman and Carry’s plan all along, aiming to unsettle her and drive the woman out the company.

Back at the hospital, Ye-Ji and her Mother come to blows thanks to Il-Hwa’s interference. It’s here Ye-Ji learns that her Mother was actually helping all along and protected her from her Father. Before the past can be uncovered further, Hwan arrives and breaks up this family reunion.

At the workshop, Jin breaks the news to Ye-Ji that he pushed her Mother out the market. On the back of this, Ye-Ji asks him to be completely honest as she senses he definitely isn’t right now. The next day this is overshadowed by Jin’s rehab, as he takes a massive step forward in his recovery.

As the family celebrate, Carry arrives purposefully at the house. She lets herself in as Jin loses his temper and tells her to get out. Instead, she turns to Ye-Ji and asks if she remembers her. Of course she does and it leads to quite the confrontation.

The Episode Review

Well things just got a whole load more interesting. It seems like a rift is growing between Ye-Ji and Jin and just as it seemed to be righting itself, Carry arrives to mess everything up.

Ignoring the contrived nature of how Jin survived in America, this melodrama has some seriously soapy components that keep things interesting. Hwan and Amber as a couple could work but I can’t help but feel he’s going to drop her the minute Jin and Ye-Ji go their separate ways. It seems likely that that’s the direction this one will goo next, especially if Carry reveals everything to the family about what went down in the US.

Did Jin seep with Carry as a way of alleviating his pain? We’ll have t wait and see if that holds weight but right now things are left on a knife-edge. Despite its problems, When I Was Most Beautiful is certainly a compelling melodrama.