Apparently, my voice hasn’t been heard because today’s Queen of Tears episode is even longer than yesterday’s. I kid. By now, I know that each episode is going to be more than 80 minutes long, and I shouldn’t have any expectations to the contrary, but I can’t help myself, you know? Anyway, things are spiraling quickly for the Hong family, and there’s only one person who can really save them from themselves. On the other hand, at least we know that Queen of Tears is good at subverting expectations, because, unlike what I believed, Hyun-Woo doesn’t get a second chance. In fact, it’s the complete opposite of that, but we’ll get into that in just a bit. With that said, let’s dive into the recap of Queen of Tears episode 8.
Spoiler Alert
Does Hae-In sign the divorce papers?
Apparently, Hyun-Woo’s tears aren’t enough to save him from Hae-In’s wrath. After his long crying session with a confused Hae-In, he decides to remind her that they already went to Germany and came back because she found out about the divorce papers. Somehow, this is enough to trigger her memories and bring back only the worst bit of the last few days—when Hyun-Woo describes how much he suffered while with her for the last few years. Immediately, Hae-In takes a few steps back and begins to cry herself. She then tells Hyun-Woo that she wants a divorce immediately. I suppose she doesn’t realize she was meant to make him suffer. The next day, her lawyer, Vincenzo (for why?! A completely unexpected cameo, to say the least), and Hyun-Woo’s friend Yang-Gi discuss the terms of the divorce. Though a difficult situation, one that makes Hyun-Woo imagine he’s going to die in the hands of an Italian-Korean mafia man, they finally come to the conclusion that the papers should read that they’ll remain friends after the divorce. Even if it’s not the truth, Hae-In’s reputation as a woman who is almost in the 3 trillion gang is at stake.
We see many flashbacks in this episode. One of Hae-In setting up the scene for Hyun-Woo to propose. He thinks the places they visit are empty because the “universe is on their side,” but it’s Hae-In who has booked all the places for them to be alone. Later, we see a flashback when Hyun-Woo shows Hae-In a beautiful sunset through the subway that comforted him during difficult situations. Now, Hae-In travels in a car in the same direction to watch the sunset. She’s then dropped off at a random (so we think) elementary school. Actually, she’s following the same route Hyun-Woo has been taking recently to see why he enjoys the activities he does alone. The elementary school is where he takes his runs, and then he goes to have dinner at the grandma’s homemade restaurant. When Hae-In gets there, Hyun-Woo and Yang-Gi show up too. Hae-In makes sure she isn’t heard or seen by them but overhears their conversation. Yang-Gi tells Hyun-Woo that he should look at the positives of this divorce because it means he can be free from his in-laws’ calls in the middle of dinners with their friends, etc. Hyun-Woo says he always enjoyed eating alone because all he really ever cared for was to stay by Hae-In’s side.
On the other hand, Eun-Sung learns that Hae-In has cancer. He’s reminded of the time he saved her from a dog back when they were kids (there was no need to hurt the dog, but okay). At that time, his mother was unwilling to even glance his way, though he was hurt. On the other hand, Hae-In thanked him for his help and used her handkerchief on his knee. Apparently, this was enough to make a mark on him, because he took the necklace that had fallen from her neck in the process and still wears it to this day. I guess we’re meant to believe he has true feelings for Hae-In (a very strange incest situation, though it’s not blood). He’s been having Hae-In’s driver report to him where she is. However, since she went off doing her own thing, when she returns home, he asks her where she’d been, like he was her husband. However, Hae-In tells him off, and then, to his utter surprise, she tells him that she doesn’t want to collaborate with Hercyna, the company he brought in for her department store. She doesn’t want to be obliged to him, but he tells her that he is happy for her to use him (sigh).
On the other hand, Hyun-Woo’s mother has a meeting with his mother-in-law to try and persuade her to give Hyun-Woo another chance. Unfortunately, she still hasn’t learned that they’re already divorced. In the meantime, Hyun-Woo has put the dots together and realized that Eun-Sung knows of Hae-In’s illness and is also following her around. Hyun-Woo promises the guy in the middle of the street, keeping many cars on hold, that he plans on continuing to follow him if he continues to follow Hae-In. Hyun-Woo also realizes that Eun-Sung is Seul-Hee’s daughter, thanks to an expensive watch she bought for him, the only one of its kind in Korea.
Does Soo-Cheol’s Deal Fall Apart?
At work, Soo-Cheol learns that the military base next to the plot where they want to build their high rise isn’t willing to move bases. There’s only one person who can help him here, and that is Hyun-Woo. Hyun-Woo was on a special team in the military when he enlisted (I don’t know how 2 years could make such a difference, but sure). Ultimately, Hyun-Woo gives the military guys a new game plan and saves the day. However, there’s yet another problem. Suddenly, all the investors decided to back out because the financial manager of the company was taken in for interrogation. Apparently, Hyun-Woo is to blame here, too, and Eun-Sung swings in just at the right moment to save the day. However, just as the Chairman is about to put the seal down on papers for a sole investor that Eun-Sung brought in, Hyun-Woo stops him. The Chairman is enraged and tells Hyun-Woo that he’s used up his three safety chances with the Chairman, so he’s not going to listen to him. Another win for Eun-Sung.
Now, because he hasn’t quit the job, the family is trying to uproot him wrongfully. However, Hae-In is on Hyun-Woo’s side. She thinks he shouldn’t leave without fighting back, but Hyun-Woo tells her that he wants to be there and won’t quit so easily. Later, Hyun-Woo meets with Hae-In’s aunt, and they discover that they’re on the same side. Now they team up, putting both their research papers about Seul-Hee and Eun-Sung together. Beom-Ja knows Seul-Hee is a fraud with a son, and Hyun-Woo knows Eun-Sung might be that son. Finally, it seems like they’re doing something right. They do some research and do a DNA test, which shows a 99% match.
What Happens During the Chairman’s Birthday Celebration?
The Chairman gave Seul-Hee a power of attorney on his birthday because now he doesn’t trust any of his children. Later, during preparation for the gathering to celebrate the Chairman, Beom-Ja discovers Seul-Hee wearing her mother’s ring. This is the last straw for her, and she immediately rushes to her father, dragging Seul-Hee along. Her father is furious and physically pushes her for the first time in her life. Beom-Ja is completely shocked, and her father tells her to leave him. He’s blinded by Seul-Hee. In the meantime, it’s already time for Da-Hye to leave for New York with their son, and unfortunately, Soo-Cheol excitedly waits for her to come to the celebration and see what he’s prepared for the family. Unfortunately for him, that goes terribly wrong, and he turns the birthday celebration into a marketing gimmick that nobody approves of. Then he realizes Da-Hye is not in the room and freaks out, rushing to look for them at home. Not finding them anywhere, he tries to bike around to find them, but he falls and bruises himself, because not only has he not mastered it, he’s also crying his eyes out.
Finally, the Chairman is alone with Seul-Hee, and they’re playing a traditional game that looks like chess. He gets a call from Hyun-Woo, and Hyun-Woo tells him the truth about Seul-Hee and Eun-Sung. This shocks the Chairman, and he suddenly starts palpitating. However, this isn’t a coincidence; Seul-Hee has poisoned one of the pieces of the game. Before he goes unconscious, Seul-Hee tells the Chairman that she’d like for him to stay in a coma for about 3 months so she can fix things for herself. At the hospital, the family members aren’t allowed to see the Chairman because Seul-Hee says so. She tells them about the power of attorney and leaves them with no way of proving that it’s fake or that she’s a fraud. Now, the shareholders (Eun-Sung has the biggest share through his company, Pione, which invested in the project earlier) have decided to take the family’s rights from the Queen Group.
At the end of Queen of Tears episode 8, Hyun-Woo’s father boards up his shop because his in-laws are suffering. He’s also worried for his son, of course; however, at night, when the family is trying to make him feel better with ramyeon and some alcohol, to their utter shock, Hyun-Woo returns home. What’s worse is that his siblings start yapping about how he made the right decision, leaving the “sly fox” that is Hae-In. Hae-In walks out of the car. Since the Hong family is now kind of unemployed and without any resources, Hyun-Woo is the only person who can help them out. Things are going to get really fun now because the in-laws are going to share a space. They come from completely different walks of life, so it’s going to cause a lot of laughs and maybe much more drama. Additionally, Hyun-Woo will, of course, find a way to save the Hong family and make sure Queens Group is theirs again.
In the epilogue, we see Hae-In cry her eyes out after overhearing Hyun-Woo say that he wanted to just stay by her side. She cries because she wants to live too, so she can be with him, but now everything is ruined.
