Queen of Tears episode 9, seems to be like a filler episode where a lot happens, but then, by the end of it, you feel like the story hasn’t really progressed. I’m not quite sure where it’s going, because it started off as something completely different, and I still have issues with the editing, because a lot of screen time could be cut out here. But if I do complain about the thing you expect me to complain about, then there’ll be no difference between me and a K-drama that repeatedly shows the same thing every week, no? Certainly, Queen of Tears isn’t one of those, but it’s still quite confusing in terms of what kind of show it wants to be. Is it a satire where men are treated like women? Is it about gold diggers? Is it simply a comedy-drama? I really can’t tell, and though it’s not unusual for K-dramas to often be a mixed bag of delicious chocolates with a few in flavors you don’t like, this one is quite convoluted in its approach and has me questioning my sanity. Anyway, I won’t make this as long as a Queen of Tears episode (there I said it), so let’s dive into episode 9.
Spoiler Alert
How Are the Hongs Doing in Hyun-Woo’s Territory?
At the beginning of Queen of Tears episode 9, workers are protesting against the Queen Group to get land compensation. This is a little before the family learns that they’re getting kicked out of their homes by Moh Seul-Hee. Grace invites the family home under the false pretense that there’s nobody in front of their home. Actually, she’s got journalists set up to take images of the family getting kicked out by a mere employee (herself, of course). Luckily for them, they have their own hero, their ex-son-in-law, Hyun-Woo. He saves the day and brings them to his home, where smartphones are rare, and nobody really knows how to use the internet, apparently (oh, how I’d love to be there right now). It seems the family is not too upset about the situation they’re in, except for Hae-In’s mother, who is a constant pain in the neck for Hyun-Woo’s family. Soon, the Hong family realizes that they don’t really have any friends, but their ex-in-laws treat them like they’re still family.
Soo-Cheol is still dumbfounded by the fact that his wife was in on the plan as well. He’s often crying about the situation. In the meantime, Eun-Sun tells his mother that she got carried away, and their goals are clearly different. It’s like, what did they come so far for? Also, if the chairman does end up waking up, things would get so messy. Seems Beom-Ja is the only one in this family who actually has any real feelings because she’s always crying or yelling at people.
Are Hyun-Woo and Hae-In Childhood Sweethearts?
If you thought there were enough tropes in this show, you’d be proven wrong many times over. Apparently, Hyun-Woo and Hae-In have known each other since middle or high school. Hae-In finds an MP3 in Hyun-Woo’s room and starts to listen to it (not sure how that thing could be charged, but sure). Anyway, Hae-In remembers that she lost her MP3 back in the day and asks Hyun-Woo if he went to a certain school. The doofus doesn’t put 2 and 2 together to realize the MP3 belonged to Hae-In back then. However, she acts like she doesn’t know about it and teases Hyun-Woo, saying it probably belonged to a really gorgeous girl back in the day. Hyun-Woo tries to clear the air by saying he doesn’t remember the gender of the person or even if they were a student, yet he keeps it still in his drawer. Later, in the epilogue, Hyun-Woo admits to his friend that it belonged to his childhood crush, whom he still remembers. He thinks he’d recognize her in seconds, but he’s so off about that.
At work, Hyun-Woo tells the new chairman, Eun-Sung, that he was trying to get a good deal from the company before leaving because he didn’t get any alimony in the divorce. I’m not exactly sure what game he’s playing, but maybe it’s his way to stay on for as long as possible. Obviously, Eun-Sung knows that Hyun-Woo doesn’t like him, so there’s nothing cordial there, but he believes what he’s saying since the couple is actually divorced.
On the other hand, Grace tries to get Hae-In’s job at the company, which is laughable to Eun-Sung because it still belongs to the love of his life, of course. It seems Eun-Sung will not let go of Hae-In, whatever the family feud is or however far his mother has gone to mess with her family. He thinks she’ll still come to him, and there’s love there. I don’t know; it’s massively problematic, of course. Back in Hyun-Woo’s hometown, Soo-Cheol finally gets a letter from his wife telling him that the kid he thought was his son wasn’t his and that she is five years older than him. The first time they met, he told her he was “allergic” to older women. I suppose it’s some sort of closure for him, but he’s devastated and still wants Da-Hye, for sure.
What’s Hyun-Woo Really Up To?
It doesn’t take long for Hyun-Woo to learn that Eun-Sung scammed the family to get to the position he’s in. He just needs to prove it. Hyun-Woo gathers information from a lot of people at the company. At the same time, he tries to talk to the people who are protesting in front of the company gates. He gets egged and cursed at before his friend defends him by saying he’s not really part of the Hong family anymore. On the other hand, Hae-In’s father drinks “makgeolli” (rice wine) with Hyun-Woo’s father and brother, gets drunk, and then confesses that his dearest friend won’t even give him money because he’s afraid they’ll be raided because the Hong family is under scrutiny by the prosecutor’s office.
Hae-In’s aunt, Beom-Ja, is finding it harder by the day to keep Hae-In’s sickness a secret. Hae-In faints one night, and as usual, her mother is completely unbothered. Hae-In says it’s just anemia, to which her mother replies that she also has it and it’s not a big deal. Beom-Ja then tries to tell her she should be nicer to her daughter or she’ll regret it later, but it’s like talking to a wall that spits back at you. Hyun-Woo takes Hae-In to the hospital the next day after telling her everything he’s investigated at the company. It won’t be long until he’s able to sue Eun-Sung. However, at the hospital, Eun-Sung shows up and threatens the doctor, asking him to tell him how he can save Hae-In. The doctor, of course, tells him that he’s not family or a guardian, so he can’t give him any information, so now Eun-Sung’s goal is to become Hae-In’s guardian (yikes, that randomly escalated).
Hae-In tells her ex-husband that her final goal, when she gets well again, is to be separated from Hyun-Woo like an actual divorced couple. He’s hurt by her words, but for now, he’s only worried about her health. This is also kind of why she wants him to be freed from that burden of worrying for her (they’re all stupid).
At the end of Queen of Tears episode 9, Eun-Sung’s mother tells him that she’ll make sure the chairman is alive but, at the same time, not in a state to wake up again. This is the only way she can maintain her position. However, in a fit, Eun-Sung takes the chairman away. He doesn’t care if the man dies, but I think he should be more worried that he’s going to wake up soon enough. Hyun-Woo notices someone following him and tries to get away; in the end, though, the car stops in front of him. The person following him is the broker who did Eun-Sung’s work for him and offered those land owners five times the market price and made a double contact, a typical real estate fraud (I told you the tropes are plentiful). Hyun-Woo plans on suing the guy and even calmly hands him a letter; however, the guy is a goon and begins to beat him up with some friends. In the meantime, Hae-In excitedly goes to wait for her ex-husband’s return home, but to her utter shock, it’s Eun-Sung in Yongdu-ri.
