Episode 3 of Maestra: Strings of Truth leaned heavily into the adultery arc. Honestly, we were expecting Seeum to be blamed for things, but the show kept a much more straightforward approach to the narrative. Jeongjae took a backseat with things here, and it will be a while before we get to the root of his obsession. In the meantime, here is a recap and ending of Maestra Episode 3.
Spoiler Alert
What happens after Seeum discovers her husband is cheating?
Phil actually sees Seeum looking at them through the door. Phil had been having an affair with Ajin for a long time, and she had never been okay with being his secret. The night Seeum had arrived in Korea, Ajin was sending messages to Phil, and she was the one who left her notes in his car. Additionally, the day Phil bought the snacks, it was for Ajin since she had said that she wanted to eat donuts. Phil had promised Ajin that he would leave Seeum and they could get married, but Ajin was getting impatient with the amount of time Phil was taking. Therefore, she sent that message to Seeum for her to discover their affair. Jeongjae already knew of the affair because he had kept an eye on Phil ever since he took over the orchestra. Canceling the orchestra was his way of protecting Seeum from the truth, but he couldn’t stop the natural consequences of events.
After Phil finds out that Seeum knows what is going on, he rushes to explain himself to her, but she doesn’t want to hear it. That night, Seeum gets drunk as she remembers how Phil had proposed to her and asked her to stay by his side for the rest of his life. As she passes out, Jeongjae steps in to take care of her. He picks up Phil’s call and tells him to stay out of Seeum’s life.
The next day, Seeum tells Jeongjae to leave her to her fate and to not interfere, but the man is undeterred. When Seeum gets back home, Phil has the audacity to try and explain his affair to her. He says that he fell for how dependent Ajin had been on him, which was so different from the independent Seeum. He even has the gall to imply that Seeum was with Jeongjae, which earns him a slap across the face. Throughout the mess, the people missed that there was one other person who had witnessed the whole thing. It was Bongju, and he had taken a picture of Ajin with Phil.
Seeum comes back to the orchestra the next day, and Ajin tries to intimidate her, as if to declare some sort of victory because of the affair, but Seeum is undeterred. She doesn’t even fire Ajin and simply asks her to do her job properly. Everyone gets feedback on how to improve their set, and Bongju is annoyed at the feedback he is receiving since he is extremely obnoxious, and his ego is getting hurt. Therefore, to show Seeum down, he posted the picture of Ajin and Phil online. That kicks up a storm, and the orchestra is once again in danger.
Why Does Seeum Protect Phil?
For Seeum, nothing is more important than the work she is doing. Phil is not just the composer of the orchestra; he is also the husband of the esteemed maestra who is leading the orchestra. Therefore, the scandal spells disaster for everyone involved in the team. Seeum has already told Phil that she wants a divorce. She may have gone about that quietly, but now things have changed. She goes to a news channel and gives them her interview, where she declares that the photo is doctored and she has complete faith in her husband. The wife protecting the husband dispels a lot of doubts, though the people in the orchestra are not convinced since they have seen how Ajin and Phil were behaving in a guilty manner.
Seeum takes the whole thing a step further and speaks to the director, saying that Phil will be taking a few days off from teaching so that he can focus on composing his new piece for the orchestra. Previously, Jeongjae had fired Phil for not sticking to his contract and failing to compose. Seeum had not given it much thought, but now she needed to stand by Phil. He is angry because he has been going through a creative block for a while, but Seeum tells him that he cannot be a cheater and be bad at his job as well. He had to pick up the slack somewhere. In the meantime, Jeongjae cannot figure out why Seeum is lying. He simply tells her that if she doesn’t hit her targets, the orchestra will be shut down. But the audience knows that Jeongjae will not intentionally hurt Seeum but simply push her towards other things.
Phil really struggles with his composition, and he tells Yoseop that he will quit since he is not able to do the work. When Seeum hears that, she is furious, and she tells Phil off for giving up at the slightest sign of trouble. He has never had any perseverance, and that is why he has not measured up to anything. This is probably the reason Seeum was forced to be so independent, since she knew that he wouldn’t be able to protect her.
At the end of Maestra Episode 3, Seeum and Phil work together to compose a set, and they have successfully hit the mark. As Seeum is sitting in a corner, tired, Ajin comes to Phil’s house. She knows the code for the place, and she shows Seeum her positive pregnancy result. Ajin is pregnant, and the child is Phil’s. This is what the man had wanted for a long time, and this is a huge blow to Seeum, even though she plans on divorcing him in the future. On the other hand, Jeongjae knows that Bongju was the one to leak the picture, so he is going to cut some deals with him or punish him for what he has done.
Final Thoughts
It looks like Phil’s extramarital affair is going to dominate this week’s episodes of Maestra. Ajin is pregnant, and she is more desperate than ever to be with Phil, who has decided that he will not leave Seeum’s side at any cost. Meanwhile, Jeongjae is not letting go of any opportunity to claim his place with the woman. The next episode is going to show some violence towards all these characters. Maybe that will be the turning point for them all.
