Just how low are you willing to go to achieve a life-long goal and dream of yours? Ha-ri’s limits and ethics are put to the test when she makes a decision that is her most daring and troublesome one yet.
Note: Feel free to listen to the latest OST track for the drama while reading my recap 🙂
Oh My Baby: Episode 3 Recap
Ha-ri meets up with her mom and they both on a shopping date. They carry bags of clothes and items on both hands and things seem to be going well until Ha-ri is soaked with water from a passing car. Of course, Mom hid herself behind Ha-ri so only Ha-ri is wet. The two talk things out afterwards at a cafe while Ha-ri dries her clothes and hair out. Mom encourages Ha-ri to be more daring and adventurous for once in her life so Ha-ri promises Mom that she’ll soon cause some trouble. Hopefully Mom won’t think too much about it.
Ha-ri, Jae-young, and Eun-young all hang out at Ha-ri’s house for a bit. While her two friends bicker over whether they should order pig trotter or fried chicken, Ha-ri announces that she plans on not getting married. The announcement isn’t such a surprise to either friends as it was already somewhat expected. Eun-young warns Ha-ri to be careful; her plans of not getting married could change any moment as it did with her. Meanwhile, Jae-young can’t envision Ha-ri dating or getting married to anyone. She’s a bit oblivious to these type of things, such as the one time her colleague (played by Lee Dong-gun I might add) asked her out on a date. Of course, Ha-ri wasn’t aware that he was asking her out on a date or that he was making a move on her so she kindly declined his offer. Just when Ha-ri is about to follow up on her announcement with an additional comment, her two friends go back to bickering about ordering pig trotter or fried chicken. Ha-ri misses her timing so she holds back from saying more.
Ha-ri does some research and studying on all her options on how to get pregnant within the next six months. As she recalls in her conversation with her OB-GYN, it’s against the law for an unmarried woman to find a sperm donor in Korea. The only two options she has is to get married and to get pregnant or… she could find a random guy to sleep with and then get pregnant from there. Ha-ri contemplates on what her next move will be.
Yi-sang receives a call the next day by his brother. He’s reminded of their dad’s memorial/death anniversary and is urged to attend the ceremony, especially since their mom wants to see him. Just when Yi-sang’s phone call ends, he runs into someone else: (his favorite) Ha-ri! When he speaks to her not with his words but with his eyes, Ha-ri responds by guessing what Yi-sang wants to say. After a few guesses, she correctly learns that Yi-sang wants her to take back what she said about avoiding him. The two quickly give each other a high five before Yi-sang heads back downstairs to the work studio. LOL. So much for pretending not to know Yi-sang!
Ha-ri and her team has a meeting with Mrs. Shim. They go over what their next editorial should be about. When Hyo-joo’s idea of interviewing Won Bin and Lee Na-young is shut down (LOL), they bring up the idea of possibly ringing in Jae-young instead. He’s a single dad and sure, he doesn’t know a whole lot about fatherhood, but that’d make for an interesting and refreshing take. Mrs. Shim concludes the meeting by inviting everyone out for a company dinner. Meanwhile, Ha-ri is more consumed with a forum post about infertility that she had been researching on.
Jae-young and baby Do-Ah shop at a grocery store together. Things seem to be going well until baby Do-Ah starts crying and wailing. Turns out she needs a diaper change! Jae-young rushes to the bathroom with some wipes and diapers in a desperate effort to change baby Do-Ah, but there aren’t any changing stations in the men’s bathroom. The family bathroom is also occupied with several mom’s and their babies. Jae-young eventually has no choice, but to change baby Do-Ah in a tunnel. It’s there that he’s confronted by two older ladies who mistaken him for a homeless person. Although Jae-young refutes their comment, he can’t help but take note of his appearance once he and baby Do-Ah arrive back home.
Ha-ri and Hyo-joo head outside of the office for a break. While Ha-ri retreats to the work studio downstairs to escape from Eu-Ddeum who still refers her to as ‘Aunty’, Hyo-joo and Eu-Ddeum head to the pharmacy together so Hyo-joo can treat the blisters on her heel. Ha-ri herself gets a small injury on her forehead from bumping into the door to the studio thanks to a distracted Yi-sang. He accidentally flung the door open and bumped it on her forehead as he was on the phone. Yi-sang feels guilty and apologetic so he volunteers to help her with miscellaneous tasks once inside the studio. Of course, he was only doing this to make up for the small scar that Ha-ri now has on her head. Haha.
Eu-Ddeum brings back some band-aids for Hyo-joo’s blisters on her ankles. However, she warns him to just stay as purely her colleague. She’ll keep the band-aids for now and put them on herself. When Eu-Ddeum shares the news with his Manager Cheol-joong later on that day, he is complimented for his efforts. As part of the Advertising Department, they should be on good terms with the Editing Team and the editors. They need to be on their good side.
Jae-young throws some of his old clothes into Ha-ri’s hamper in the laundry room. He then proceeds to join Mom in the living room and assist her in folding laundry. He shares his plans of going back to work, but he’s worried for baby Do-Ah. She’s still so young and he’s hesitant in sending her to daycare. Maybe Mom can help take care of Do-Ah? But Mom isn’t so sure if she’s up for the task. She can help take care of baby Do-Ah from time to time, but it’s important that Jae-young spends time with his baby and appreciates the time that he’s given with her.
After lurking on online forums about infertility, Ha-ri receives an email from a potential sperm donor. The two meet up the next day to chat and discuss the details about how things will work. Ha-ri approaches the man cautiously. She actually doesn’t plan on paying him just yet; she wants to know how he runs things and how exactly everything will pan out. After introducing himself and all his accomplishments in life to Ha-ri, he informs her that he can help her get pregnant… naturally. Similar to how he’s done with other women, he usually charges a large sum of money in exchange for sleeping with the same women until they get pregnant. Ha-ri is outraged at the man’s ridiculous actions and threatens to report him to the police. Little do they both know, the police has been trailing and targeting the man for illegal sperm donation and forgery. However, Ha-ri isn’t let go so easily either and she too has to head to the police station for an interrogation. She’s swarmed by cameras and a reporter from a TV show as she’s escorted to the police station.
Ha-ri attempts to persuade the police that she was an undercover journalist for her magazine company. That’s the reason as to why she met up with the sperm donor. However, it’s not until Jae-young shows up at the police station to advocate and vouch for Ha-ri that the police let her go. Since there weren’t any monetary transactions and Jae-young – who’s a certified pediatrician – is advocating for Ha-ri and proving her innocence, she should be released. Eventually, Ha-ri is given the opportunity to leave so they both exit the police station.
Along the way, Jae-young questions Ha-ri’s intentions on meeting up with the sperm donor to which she reveals that she plans on having a baby. As much as she would like to just get married and start a family and live an ordinary life, it’s not easy for a 39-year old woman like her. She too wants the same thing, but she hasn’t had much luck so far. That’s why she resorted to such desperate measures to have a baby without getting married.
It’s another day in the work studio which means another photoshoot. Yi-sang doesn’t have much luck as the photographer as his models – two little cute boys – bicker over who has more ice cream in their ice cream cone. They both eventually get into a small fight so their mothers rush to break them apart. With all the commotion going on, one of the mothers forget about her youngest child and the small infant begins to wail. Yi-sang doesn’t like children so he’s uncertain as to how to stop the baby from crying or what he should do next. Fortunately, Ha-ri arrives just in time to rescue Yi-sang (and everyone else). She cradles and rocks the baby back and forth and before you know it, the studio is peaceful once again. Yi-sang watches in awe as Ha-ri carries the baby in her arms so naturally. The photoshoot resumes with the two models and this time, things go well.
Yi-sang and Ha-ri celebrate over some drinks after the photoshoot. Ha-ri learns more about Yi-sang’s perspective on relationships, children, and marriage in life during this time. Yi-sang has no plans in becoming a father or getting married. He’s not the biggest fan of kids (“not everyone has to like them”) and he has his walls up pretty thick so there’s a small chance he’ll actually find someone who he loves and wants to marry. Ha-ri is fascinated and surprised from the details she learns about Yi-sang.
The next morning, Ha-ri prepares for work. After failing to find clothes to wear, she heads to the laundry room only to find some of Jae-young’s clothes in her hamper. She confronts her housemate and uses some of her self-defense skills to attack him all while Mom is also watching. Jae-young manages to get Ha-ri to step away by reasoning that this is the most she can do after he assisted her in her “undercover investigation.” Ha-ri quickly shuts Jae-young up and rushes out for work.
Jae-young isn’t the only person who Ha-ri almost beats up. Eu-Ddeum also receives his warning when he continually refers to Ha-ri as ‘Aunty.’ In an effort to get him to stop once and for all, she warns him once the two are in the elevator alone. There are no ‘aunties’ in the workplace, ‘only bosses.’ Eu-Ddeum understands the lesson the hard way.
Ha-ri and her co-workers all head out for a company dinner that night. Just when everything seems to be going well, a TV show broadcasts their investigation on Ha-ri’s involvement with the sperm donor she met up with not too long ago. Although they blur out her face, it’s obvious from the clothes she’s wearing as well as from the scar on her forehead that the woman on the TV show is Ha-ri. She wiggles her way out of the awkward situation even though it’s obvious to everyone at the table that she was the woman seen in the footage.
Ha-ri has some explaining to do to her mother that night when she gets home from the company dinner. Mom confronts Ha-ri about the footage from the TV show and wants some answers. Ha-ri has no choice, but to be honest with Mom about her intentions: she wants to have a baby via a sperm donation instead of through marriage. She’s not going to get married. Mom is outraged and furious at Ha-ri’s decision. How could she even think of being a single mom, especially after witnessing how difficult and challenging it was for Mom to raise her? Ha-ri argues that marriage doesn’t always equate to happiness. Look at how Mom and Dad ended up. It was difficult even with Dad around back then. Mom grows upset that Ha-ri is following in her footsteps and shaping her life to be similar to Mom’s. The mother and daughter pair get in a heated and intense argument that is eventually interrupted by Jae-young.
Ha-ri marches out of the house and walks outside carelessly. While crossing the street, she almost bumps into a truck until Yi-sang rescues her from another forehead injury. He pushes her back to wake her up from her trance. When Ha-ri realizes the situation she’s in, she attempts to run away from Yi-sang, but she trips and falls down. Combined with the frustration and sadness from the argument with her mother, Ha-ri breaks down into tears in front of a concerned Yi-sang. He first places his arms around her for a hug and then pats her on the back a few times.
The two head to a bench at a park nearby afterwards for a talk. Yi-sang has no intentions on asking Ha-ri what happened to her and why she was crying. He understands that she doesn’t want to talk about something that might be embarrassing to her. Instead, he gives her his take on life now that he’s 41 years old. Even though he’s aged and has gotten older, he still feels as if he’s a kid at heart. The only difference now is that he has a better judgement of someone’s character. With that being said, he doesn’t care if the weird lady on the TV show was Ha-ri or not. Yi-sang’s confident that Ha-ri is a good person. The words warm Ha-ri’s heart, but their conversation is interrupted by Jae-young who’s come to retrieve both Ha-ri and his favorite slippers that she’s wearing. LOL. The two eventually head back home together while Yi-sang resumes with his night run.
Jae-young also shows his support to Ha-ri and offers her some words of encouragement. She shouldn’t care about what others think or say; she should do what she thinks is best for herself. For Jae-young himself, he’s quit his position at the hospital and plans on opening up a clinic himself with the money he got from selling his apartment. He understands that Ha-ri is going through struggles and challenges of her own and that she’s trying whatever she can to get by. He won’t judge her for her actions or decisions. As a response to his support, Ha-ri promises to promote his new hospital in a future editorial for her magazine.
And so it’s time to promote Jae-young. During a test photoshoot for an ad, he’s recruited by Ha-ri to be one of the models. However, he’s not the only one. Yi-sang is also there as he usually is whenever there’s a photoshoot and Eu-Ddeum is there to provide support as well. While the three guys get ready for the test photoshoot, Ha-ri converse with Yeon-ho about her difficult situation. She just wants to find a man who will consent to donating his sperm so that she can have a baby afterwards. The only caveat is that well.. she doesn’t know any guys. However, that might change for Ha-ri soon who reaches a sudden realization right at that moment. Right in front of her are three different options: Yi-sang, Jae-young, and Eu-Ddeum. Ha-ri’s eyes lit up as she recognizes the new possibilities that are presented right in front of her. There’s still a fighting chance.
My Thoughts:
Oof, this was such a long and interesting recap! Things will actually get rolling now that Ha-ri realizes the kind of situation she’s in and the potential she has to actually make her dreams come true. Just when all hope seems lost and her first strategy (which was the illegal sperm donator) didn’t pan out as she had wanted, she realizes that there might be more. There still might be something.
I’ll just start off this commentary by saying that I was not prepared for the love triangle (I’m not really counting Eu-Ddeum at this point because the drama hasn’t really given us anything with him and Ha-ri just yet). I went into this drama fully on Yi-sang’s side because of how biased I am towards Go Joon and while I still am biased towards him, I was not expecting to be so intrigued, fascinated, and interested in Jae-young AT ALL. Maybe it’s because we don’t really know too much about Yi-sang and Eu-Ddeum’s lives at this point and have been given more insight on Jae-young’s life and struggle as a single dad that I found myself engrossed with his story. Out of the three guys, he’s actually the one who I’m the most interested in so far because there’s just so much life and character in him and his arc is by far the most fascinating one. Not only is he divorced, but he’s also the primary parent responsible for his baby daughter which is usually not as common. Add to this the struggles and challenges he faces in taking care of baby Do-Ah because he doesn’t have as much experience and his story is so compelling. I’m loving Jae-young’s story and all the insight and context we’re being fed about his life. I’m also loving Park Byung-eun himself who is portraying Jae-young. I remember him the most from his role in ‘Because This is My First Life’ so it’s not surprising to me that he’s doing so well in here as well. He really does a great job of playing the new and inexperienced dad in this drama and has me sold on both his acting and story.
At this point, I want to root for Yi-sang all the way, but I also have a soft spot for Jae-young because of his story and his close relationship with Ha-ri. They’re just so comfortable and natural around each other and this could possibly be because they’ve known each other for a while now. However, there’s just something about their relationship and dynamic that also feels so natural and sweet. Yes, they seem sibling-like at this point, but I also feel like there’s so much potential for Ha-ri and Jae-young to be even more at this point. There were so many instances in this episode that proved exactly this: Jae-young rescuing Ha-ri at the police station, Jae-young being the first one who found out about Ha-ri’s plan to have a baby without marriage and Ha-ri feeling comfortable enough to let him be the first to know, Jae-young witnessing Ha-ri at her lowest and most difficult moments such as the argument with her mom, and so much more. He’s always there for Ha-ri in times where she does need him (such as at the police station) or when she doesn’t (such as when he came to bring her back to the house after her fight with Mom).
It’s this “we’re like siblings, but we’re also compatible with each other and get along so well” dynamic between the two that makes me root for them to be together. Ha-ri and Jae-young fit so well with each other and it’s because they’ve seen each other at both their lowest and greatest moments that they have such great compatibility with each other and get along so well. I can’t wait to see their relationship evolve and develop even more in the future and Jae-young possibly develop feelings for his long time friend and housemate. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the love triangle and second-lead syndrome might be strong in this one.
The drama is also doing a really great job in setting up the story between Ha-ri and Yi-sang. Similar to Jae-young, he too is there for Ha-ri when she needs him and in times when she doesn’t necessarily want him there. I would say the only difference between Yi-sang and Jae-young being there for Ha-ri is that Yi-sang is there during her most vulnerable moments when she’s alone. He doesn’t know the depths and details of her story and her plans to have a baby like Jae-young does, but he’s still as genuine in how he feels about her. Yi-sang still wants to help her out at work so he becomes a photographer even if he doesn’t necessarily likes babies or children. He cares for Ha-ri so he awkwardly attempts to cheer her up even though he’s not that great at it. He respects her so he doesn’t inquire on why she’s crying or why she’s so upset and instead offers her some words of encouragement and support to make her feel better about her situation. Ha-ri is going through alot and she’s stuck on what she should do. Her desperation landed her in trouble. It means a lot to her to have Yi-sang there to listen to her and to support her, especially considering the history they have with each other. They might have started off on rough terms, but there’s an incredible amount of potential for them to build a new future together. I would even dare to say that’s something that both Yi-sang and Ha-ri are willing to create together now compared to how they were three years ago.
Mom and Ha-ri’s heated argument in this episode was the both of them confronting the elephant in the room that they had been avoiding or ignoring in the past. I don’t want to pick a side because I think the arguments presented by both Mom and Ha-ri are valid. Mom wants Ha-ri to have a different outcome from what she had which is ultimately a loving and healthy marriage with kids afterwards. Mom doesn’t want Ha-ri to endure and experience what she went through as a single mom. It’s not as easy and nice as Ha-ri thinks or as Mom might have made it seem as Ha-ri was growing up. Ha-ri has this vision of being a single mom because that’s all she was exposed to growing up. She’s seen her mom successfully raise her as a single mom so she too wants the same thing and believes to an extent that it’s something she can do as well. However, Ha-ri is only resorting to this because she’s fully aware that time for her is running out. That’s why Ha-ri is so desperate to have a baby even if that means breaking the law which she knows she shouldn’t do.
It’s heart-breaking for both Mom and Ha-ri because they just ultimately want the best for each other. Mom wants Ha-ri to live a life of her own. She wants Ha-ri to have an ordinary life that includes marriage and kids because that’s what is expected of her. Meanwhile, Ha-ri wants to grant Mom an experience that most other Mom’s experience which is the gift of a grandchild. Their relationship is so complex and complicated. It’ll be interesting to see how the mother-daughter pair make up in the future as it’s obvious that Ha-ri’s inability to get married has impacted both their lives. What I think both Mom and Ha-ri has yet to realize is that this ordinary that they keep referring to doesn’t exist; what they deem as “ordinary” can be different for them and they can create their own concept of what the term means based on what suits them best.
‘Oh My Baby’ is slowly starting to shape up and I imagine things are only going to get more wild now that Ha-ri realizes the potential she has with all three guys in the picture. It’ll be interesting to see how the drama will approach Ha-ri’s pursuit and journey once she gets Yi-sang, Jae-young, and Eu-Ddeum all involved. Here’s to hoping there won’t be any more illegal sperm donations or police arrests or embarrassing appearances on TV shows or heated arguments with loved ones. Here’s to hoping things go better with this second chance at life, love, and hopefully babies.
Extra screenshots from the episode~
MaryMeKpop 