Queen of Tears has become TVN’s third most popular show of all time in terms of viewership in the homeland, and I think I can see why. The show is a proper family drama and doesn’t simply focus on the love story between the two leads but on all the family members, the company, friends, and more. I guess that somehow warrants the on-average 85-minute episodes? It’s finally time to get to the real stuff now that we’re on episode 11, and Hae-In has finally announced to the whole country that she’s terminally ill. Additionally, Eun-Sung’s facade is slowly cracking, and things are soon going to turn ugly, which everyone is excited about. I think another reason the show is doing so well is that it’s not a “makjang” drama, but it gives the feeling of one because of certain overdramatic bits and how it’s shot. A complete package, so to speak, perfect for a family every weekend.
Spoiler Alert
Why does Hae-In’s family blame themselves for her sickness?
Queen of Tears episode 11 begins with Hyun-Woo and Hae-In’s family learning about her illness from the rest of the country. This comes as a complete surprise to the families because they didn’t even know that Hae-In is sick, never mind terminally, except for Hyun-Woo’s mom and Hae-In’s aunt. In the meantime, Hae-In walks up to Hyun-Woo through a set of stairs and hallucinates, creating a tunnel vision for her. There’s nobody in the room except for Hyun-Woo. She faints in his arms, and the families rush to the hospital in Seoul, business bankruptcy forgotten. In the meantime, an unconscious Hae-In is stressing about not having told Hyun-Woo that she still loves him and that she can’t go so soon. She’s desperate to tell him that she loves him.
Hae-In’s parents are gobsmacked by the idea that she didn’t tell them of her illness. Her mother, in particular, is having a hard time dealing with this news because she thinks she stressed Hae-In out all her life by neglecting her. Hae-In’s mom has only been paying attention to Soo-Cheol since her elder brother passed away trying to save Hae-In (there’s some sort of conspiracy there too, no?). On the other hand, Beom-Ja and Seul-Hee reach the hospital where the Chairman is, but Seul-Hee makes her way to the room first. Additionally, she’s got a horde of bodyguards who can help her get into the room, leaving Beom-Ja distressed. However, Beom-Ja begs Seul-Hee to let her see her father’s face and leave, and she agrees. I think it makes her feel some sense of power to see Beom-Ja desperately cry for her father.
What’s Wrong With The Chairman?
To Beom-Ja and Seul-Hee’s utter surprise, the Chairman is awake, and Beom-Ja immediately asks her father to dismiss his evil mistress, but unfortunately for her, he doesn’t recognize anybody and is in an unstable mental condition. This leaves Seul-Hee as his caregiver, aka the executor of all his assets. On the other hand, Da-Hye contacts Eun-Sung to try and check on Soo-Cheol. She worries about Hae-In, too, but it’s mostly Soo-Cheol because he has an anxiety disorder, and such news could really mess with him. Eun-Sung is in such a daze that he tells Da-Hye that if she calls him for such trivial matters about Soo-Cheol again, he’ll get him killed.
When Hae-In wakes up, the first thing she does is tell Hyun-Woo that she loves him and has done so since she first laid eyes on him. Later, when both families are there to see her, her mother doesn’t step in because she’s too ashamed. Hae-In wonders where she is, and Hyun-Woo finds her in a stairwell. Hae-In overhears her mother telling Hyun-Woo that she’s been a terrible mother and this is all her fault. Hae-In steps in and tells her mother that none of it is her doing; not even the doctors can figure out how this happened to her. There’s finally a moment of closure for Hae-In after her mother apologizes for everything she’s put her through all this time. Hae-In’s reply is that she would find it hard to deal with a daughter like herself, too.
There’s news everywhere that Hae-In is still in love with her ex-husband, and people are also trolling both of them for everything that’s happened. She could be lying or faking everything for sympathy, but for the most part, the public is on her side. We learn in the epilogue that Hyun-Woo makes sure they do because he’ll sue anyone who badmouths his ex-wife. Later, Eun-Sung visits the hospital to see Hae-In and acts like a stalker ex-boyfriend. Hyun-Woo’s had it with the guy and finally shows his strength by shoving him against a wall. Eun-Sung is threatened by Hyun-Woo’s strength and tries to punch him, only to get punched himself instead. After all, Hyun-woo is a boxer.
What’s Happening With The Slush Fund?
The business is in a big mess thanks to Hae-In’s broadcast of the threat and being terminally ill. In the meantime, Eun-Sung’s trying to make it look like Hyun-Woo embezzled money from the company, but his set of lawyer friends have his back and come to the internal audit to resolve the mess. The broker talks to Eun-Sung about how he’s still afraid of being caught, thanks to Hyun-Woo. After seeing Hyun-Woo at work, Eun-Sung asks the broker to “get rid of” Hyun-Woo, aka kill him, because he’s a nuisance to the both of them. Eun-Sung and Hyun-Woo are both on the lookout for the 900 billion won that the Chairman had set aside through some paper companies in Malaysia. These accounts have been dissolved, and for the moment, nobody knows where the money is. I guess it’s a situation of finders keepers? The thing is, since everything that is the Chairman’s currently belongs to Seul-Hee thanks to the papers he signed, the 900 billion would be hers too, but, if Hyun-Woo finds it first, the Hong family could be saved.
Beom-Ja spies on Seul-Hee and knows that she’s looking for the money, too. In the meantime, the Chairman might be regaining his memories slowly, but for the moment, he’s just afraid of the game. In Yongdu-Ri, the families sit together and have a meal, like they’re actually close. For once, the Hong family truly looked like a family, and it’s unfortunate that it was because of Hae-In’s sickness that this happened, but at least they finally openly cared for each other. In the US, somebody knocks on Da-Hye’s door, and when she opens it, a shiver of fear passes down her spine. At the same time, Soo-Cheol asks Hyun-Woo’s brother to help him learn how to box so he can defend himself and his family against Eun-Sung.
Where is the money?
Hyun-Woo is still working with Grace, who looked like she was two-timing the Hong family earlier after joining Seul-Hee again. I guess it was all part of a plan, and now the whole family knows about the 900 billion won. Hyun-Woo believes it’s in Korea, and now they must all figure out where it is. The family all visit a warehouse with Grace, and after cosplaying as potential wholesalers, they might’ve discovered the spot for the money. “Trust Storage” is the location where the money might be stored, and Eun-Sung also knows of it now.
At the end of Queen of Tears episode 11, Hyun-Woo leaves Hae-In alone to get the car because it’s raining. He returns rather quickly with an umbrella, and Hae-In tells him she wants to grab something to eat before they get home. Hyun-Woo gives a curt answer and takes her to the car, driving away swiftly. When Hae-In wakes up in the car, Hyun-Woo tells her to buckle up because someone’s following them. After a long chase, Hyun-Woo has to stop because the car blocks his way. Hae-In tries to call the police, but to her shock, it’s Hyun-Woo who steps out of the other car, and not a stranger. When she looks to her left, it’s Eun-Sung in the car, and she has been hallucinating all this while. In the end, Eun-Sung locks the car doors as Hyun-Woo screams out for Hae-In.
