Do you know the knot that develops in your stomach at the discomfort of a truly shocking twist? That is what happened to us after watching the seventh episode 7. The obscurity of the series and the eerie atmosphere have been completely done away with now that we are down to the final two episodes. But the events of episode 7 of Lies Hidden In My Garden made us wonder whether the series was about Joo Ran and Sang Eun or simply the former and her struggles. This is how it plays out, as we present it in this recap.
Spoilers Alert
What Is Joo Ran And Sang Eun’s Plan?
We got a bit of background on both Joo Ran and Sang Eun in this episode. One of the reasons Joo Ran was so affected by her sister’s death was that she felt guilty about it. Young Ran was staying at Joo Ran’s place when this happened, and the latter had left behind her older sister to go on a trip. This makes us wonder whether the real target of the murder was Joo Ran and whether this was ever considered by anyone. Maybe the neighbor back then, who turned out to be Seung Jae’s homeroom teacher, was stalking Joo Ran and ended up harming her older sister by accident? Did anyone, especially Joo Ran, think about this? Was Young Ran’s murder really unsolved?
At her funeral, her mother continued to act as if nothing had happened, and it was another social exercise. When a furious Joo Ran screams at her, her mother blames her for Young Ran’s death. Joo Ran has carried the burden of it all this time. The fact that she internalized that it was her fault made her never believe in anything she felt, and that opened the gates of manipulation for Jae Ho and Seung Jae. In the present day, Joo Ran demands that her mother give her an apology for such awful behavior towards hers. Joo Ran’s mother agrees that this is deserved, but she still asks for some time to allow her to make it heartfelt. She has held onto her ego all her life and has not apologized, despite knowing that she should. She had also taken advantage of Joo Ran’s supposed weakness and assumed that she would never have to deliver the apology as her daughter wouldn’t have the wits or the courage to demand it. But seeing her now, she agrees to apologize, given some time. Meanwhile, Joo Ran wants Seung Jae to stay at his grandmother’s place for four days. It looks like Joo Ran’s mother was desperate for a connection to her grandchild, and that is why she gave him such a hefty amount of money without contacting Joo Ran, who had cut off almost all contact with her. She agrees to take in Seung Jae until Joo Ran finishes her business.
As for Sang Eun, did we mention that her financial troubles just don’t end? Her brother got into a drunken driving accident, and her family has to sell the house if they must compensate the victim. Though Sang Eun takes care of it, her mother tells her to cut ties with the family going forward. Right from the beginning of Lies Hidden In My Garden, we have gotten the impression that Sang Eun’s mother dislikes her. But we now know that she behaved like that because she thought it was best for her daughter. She is patriarchal enough to leave the house to her son, despite it being Sang Eun, who is taking care of things. But she tells her daughter to cut ties with them and live a peaceful life going forward, to which Sang Eun readily agrees.
Sang Eun had gotten that money from Joo Ran, who wanted her to kill Jae Ho. Sang Eun wanted the 500 million won to keep the matter of Lee Soo Min hidden, but Joo Ran takes it a notch higher and says that she wants Jae Ho’s death. After all, if Jae Ho decided to take matters into his own hands, he could easily harm Sang Eun, which means that all her efforts at blackmail could go in vain. It was more beneficial to her to help Joo Ran in her little mission.
Why Did Joo Ran Betray Sang Eun?
When Sang Eun takes the money from Joo Ran, it can be taken as an agreement to the conditions placed. Sang Eun has no choice but to agree since it is a matter of self-preservation, and Joo Ran lets her know that she is not delusional about the two being any different from each other. Either way, when Joo Ran goes to Sang Eun’s house, the latter lays out the plan for her and how she wants to go about it. They are all set for it, and at the end of episode 7 of Lies Hidden In My Garden, when Sang Eun comes to Joo Ran’s house to kill an unconscious Jae Ho, she finds that she has been deceived, and it is Jae Ho who knocks her unconscious by forcefully injecting her with a syringe. Joo Ran has betrayed Sang Eun, and the only reason could be that they want to frame her for Lee Soo Min’s death or to ensure that she never talks about it to anyone or tries to extort them again in the future. Joo Ran never overcame her weakness, and she is doing what she can to keep the family together because she literally knows no other way.
But another possibility is that this is a double bluff orchestrated by her. We remember how Hae Soo had brought something for her and insisted on giving it to Joo Ran herself. When Jae Ho tried telling her that Joo Ran was sick, she said that she was sick herself. This felt more like a metaphorical comparison than an actual physical condition. On the other hand, we are sure that Sang Eun and Joo Ran’s conversation in the former’s home had an effect on her. Sang Eun had shown Joo Ran how she was abused by her husband and why killing him was a matter of saving two lives. It must have crossed Joo Ran’s mind that killing Jae Ho would mean a similar thing for herself and Seung Jae. Additionally, Sang Eun spoke about how there were factors outside of her marriage that kept making her life miserable, but she still needed to take this step for the betterment of her life. Joo Ran had always been told that she was nothing without her husband. Maybe, looking at Sang Eun, she realized that nobody had their lives sorted out, and she did not need to be in an unhealthy relationship out of fear. Currently, the most plausible explanation of the events is that Joo Ran has betrayed Sang Eun, but we are positive that the tables will turn soon enough, probably with Hae Soo also getting involved.
Final Thoughts
With just one more episode of Lies Hidden In My Garden to go, we just want to know what is going to happen. Joo Ran cannot turn evil, no matter what the reason. There needs to be some happiness for Sang Eun, and she cannot die such an unfair death. All that grief faced by both women, only for them to once again be at the mercy of the men in their lives, is appalling. We just want the finale to come with a happy ending.
