The final week of Our Unwritten Seoul is here, and it’s filled with tears. I suppose in the last few years we’ve seen too many shows about depression, but not all of them do a good job of putting their point across. Only yesterday, I finished watching Oh My Ghost Clients, in which we see the need to focus not only on working hard but on working on ourselves. I suppose you could say in a way that both of these shows have a similar message. While the first is a comedy and specifically focused on the workplace, Our Unwritten Seoul is about mental health overall and looking after yourself in all aspects. Not only are Mi-Rae and Mi-Ji’s stories emotionally resonant, but every character has something or other that we, as an audience, can learn from. I still feel like the episodes drag on too long, and K-dramas should really go back to being 60 minutes an episode or less, because we get it; not everything needs to be broken down so much. This show is only 12 episodes long, but it feels like more than 16 just because almost all the episodes run for over 80 minutes. With that said, though, let’s dive into episode 11.
Spoiler Alert
What Does Mi-Rae Decide?
Episode 11 of Our Unwritten Seoul begins with Mi-Ji struggling to find jobs, but Ho-Su knows in his heart that they just need to get through their lives one day at a time and everything will be okay. He then goes to buy a couple of rings for Mi-Ji and himself, but a few hours later, he can’t hear properly at Sang-Wol’s restaurant, so he pretends he has to go to a funeral and tells Mi-Ji he won’t be free for a bit. Later, when Mi-Ji goes to drop off some food for both of them at home, she can’t unlock the door because Ho-Su has changed the passcode. He doesn’t want her to come in because he feels like a burden. He tells her he’s tired and that they should meet the next day. However, he’s basically distancing himself because the doctors have told him he’s probably going to lose his hearing entirely.
On the other hand, things are looking up for Mi-Rae because she’s quitting her job, and the Fair Trade Commission is investigating the construction case. Moreover, she’s fighting the harassment case and workplace bullying, too. Tae-I wonders why she would quit at such a crucial time, because she’ll finally be able to see how the people who did wrong will get punished, but she basically feels like she’s done her bit and now it’s time to focus on herself; there’s no reason to stay back and watch the fireworks. But Ho-Su will not be able to help Mi-Rae any longer; instead, despite telling his ex-senior-colleague that he will never look for him again, Ho-Su asks Chung-Gu to take on the case, because he’s desperate. However, he doesn’t tell Chung-Gu what the real matter is. Chung-Gu calls him out for hiding his weakness, despite having told Chung-Gu that there is power in his weakness. It makes him a hypocrite, but Chung-Gu accepts the papers, meaning he’ll help Mi-Rae.
Ho-Su then visits Sang-Wol, telling her that he’s not going to be able to help her anymore because of his hearing. She wonders if he’s told Mi-Ji, and he says no, and he hasn’t decided if he wants to tell her. She urges him to tell Mi-Ji, but he’s adamant. Later at night, he meets Mi-Ji for dinner. He’s finally made the decision to break up with her, but they have one last meal together. Even here, Ho-Su isn’t fully present, but later, he tells Mi-Ji that he’s not doing too well, and he wants her to stay away. This entire conversation reflects one they had back when they were in school, but Mi-Ji was the one who was sick. She had just had her accident, and anything Ho-Su told her did not feel comforting at all, so instead of fighting Ho-Su, Mi-Ji has no choice but to agree to his decisions. Mi-Ji gets comforted by her sister, and the next day, Gyeong-Gu shows up to buy some limited edition shoes too. They get talking, and he tries to cheer her up too.
Back in Dosun-Ri, Ok-Hui’s mum has a severe sodium deficiency and becomes delirious. The doctors tell Ok-Hui that she needs to be by her side and remind her of who she is. Ok-Hui’s mom keeps repeating only one thing: “Don’t hurt my daughter.” The next morning, when the old woman is better, Ok-Hui asks her if her dad used to hit her. Ok-Hui breaks down because she thought her whole life that her mom resented her because she was the reason she had to leave her husband, but in truth, Ok-Hui’s mom left because he was a terrible husband and father. Ok-Hui’s mom finally apologizes to her, and Ok-Hui breaks down because she never expected such a thing. Her mom brought her up with no emotions because she wanted Ok-Hui to grow up independent and be able to look after herself. She never wanted her to go back to that household.
As for Mi-Rae, when she’s leaving work, she faces her boss eye-to-eye and tells him that he will have to deal with the consequences of his actions. He tries to threaten her by saying she’ll be blacklisted from the industry and her work life will be ruined permanently, but she is unbothered and walks away with her head held high. Finally, Mi-Rae goes back to see Se-Jin. I don’t know about you, but wasn’t this a romantic arc too? Anyway, Mi-Rae has decided that she will not go to the US even though it’s a dream opportunity for her; instead, she will stay back and work on the farm. This is after she tells her mom that she quit, and Ok-Hui tells her that she should do whatever she likes in life and that she’s never disappointed anybody, because all Ok-Hui ever wanted was for her to survive, one day at a time (because she got sick so often).
Does Ho-Su Come Back To Mi-Ji?
Ho-Su’s mother tries to get in touch with him often, but he keeps deflecting because he doesn’t want her to know about the hearing. However, she gets a call from the hospital, and she has no idea what’s happened. She rushes to Seoul, and he doesn’t know someone’s come to visit because he doesn’t hear his phone or the doorbell, so she has to call the police to break down the door. Finally, Ho-Su opens the door from the inside when he realizes there’s some sort of commotion. Ho-Su’s mother confronts him, and he reminds her that they’re not related by blood, so she doesn’t have to care anymore. She tells him that he can’t discard her like that because he’s done using her. She finally tells him that the whole reason she’s alive and well is him. After the accident, when he woke up and called her mom, that was when she realized she shouldn’t end her life. Ho-Su thinks she resents him, but she tells him she resents the whole world, him not as much. She’s also grateful that his dad brought them together.
At the end of episode 11, Ho-Su’s mom finally finishes the sentence his dad was telling him just before they got hit, and he passed away. She tells him that love isn’t about winning; it’s about losing and still coming back hundreds of times. While Mi-Rae is taking over the strawberry field as Se-Jin’s replacement, Mi-Ji visits Sang-Wol and helps her read some documents, one of which has Ho-Su’s name on it. This makes her sad, and Sang-Wol tells her that she should do what she’s best at: knocking on people’s doors. Mi-Ji tells Sang-Wol that she may have stepped out of her room door all those years ago, but on the inside, she’s still unable to get out. She thinks she’s of no help if she herself is broken, but Sang-Wol encourages her to knock on Ho-Su’s door, because just being there for him is enough. Finally, Mi-Ji goes home, closes the door to her room, and manages to open it and come out, making her confident that she’s okay now. She gets ready to go see Ho-Su, but when she opens the apartment door, he’s right there. He immediately wraps her in a big hug and apologizes. It seems like everyone is finally ready to see their happy ending.
