How do you know when enough is enough? How do you know when it’s time to let go of a person or a dream or an image that you have of a person? Ha-ri continues to reflect on her relationship with Yi-sang and where they go in terms of their path to parenthood. However, she also has plenty of other things in her life to explore and think about, such as her complicated relationship with her childhood friend who she doesn’t want to quite lose but also whose feelings she doesn’t align with. Things have never been easy for Ha-ri, but it doesn’t get any easier.
Oh My Baby Episode 12: Grown-Ups Leave a Place to Go Back To
Ha-ri returns to Yi-sang’s side to give him a hug from behind. Unlike what she thought at first, she cannot afford to lose Yi-sang in her life. Yi-sang is relieved to be held in Ha-ri’s arms and he turns around to look her in the eyes. He simply utters an apology and gently caresses her in his arms. The two take a walk after making up and expressing their feelings. Ha-ri is certain that they’re going to have many more uncomfortable conversations with each other regarding children given the situation that they’re in, but Yi-sang is confident that things will turn out okay. He’s been getting treatments for his infertility and he doesn’t want to give up so easily. He understands how much more difficult it is for Ha-ri and he’s going to make sure that she wins in the end for he has no plans of losing either. The couple lock hands and continue to walk together.
Back at the house, Jae-young receives a phone call from Jeong-won while babysitting baby Do-Ah. He stares at the phone and contemplates on whether or not to pick it up. Later on that night, Ha-ri returns home and spends some time chatting about her relationship with her mother. Mom warns Ha-ri to not rush things with Yi-sang; they’re still in the honeymoon phase right now so she shouldn’t make any irrational decisions so soon. Mom also adds that since Ha-ri is at the age to get married, Mom should soon make the decision as to who she finds more fitting for Ha-ri. Of course, Ha-ri is confused upon hearing Mom’s words, but Mom just brushes it off. Ha-ri encourages Mom to think of Yi-sang more fondly before going to sleep.
The next morning, Yi-sang appears in front of Mom’s house again. However, he’s not there for Ha-ri. This time, he’s there to join Mom’s aerobic class that she’s instructing later on that morning. Mom is happy to see and greet Yi-sang outside of her house and even refers to him as ‘dear Mr. Han.’ Of course, this doesn’t sit well with Jae-young who also exits the house right at that moment with baby Do-Ah. After learning about Yi-sang’s plans to participate in Mom’s aerobic class, Jae-young changes his mind and decides to join as well. He doesn’t have any appointments that morning so he’ll drop Do-Ah off and join them too. Haha.
And so the two guys fool around dance their hearts out during Mom’s aerobic class. Although Mom enjoys their silly and entertaining dancing, she has a talk with them afterwards. She confronts both guys about Ha-ri. Mom’s still a little wary of Yi-sang for it hasn’t been that long since he’s gotten into a relationship with her daughter. Mom hasn’t seen his true colors so she can’t quite approve of him just yet. As for Jae-young, she’s only considering him as a possible suitor primarily for the fact that he’s known Ha-ri ever since they were young. Upset, Jae-young is close to revealing to Mom about Yi-sang’s infertility situation, but he refrains from saying anything. Although Mom does like the idea that Ha-ri has two potential suitors, she doesn’t feel completely satisfied with both guys. Mom understands that both guys are trying to appeal to her, but she needs additional time to make up her mind.
After dance aerobic class, Yi-sang and Jae-young talk a little longer before going their own ways. Yi-sang thanks Jae-young for not saying anything to Mom about his health condition, but Jae-young brushes it off. This doesn’t mean that he’s given up on Ha-ri just yet. Back at the office, Yeon-ho complains about her mother forcing her to take a pregnancy-boosting herbal tonic tea even though she has no plans of becoming a mother herself. The team transitions to discussing about an upcoming workshop that Ha-ri’s planned for the weekend. Ha-ri eventually excuses herself from the office to visit Jae-young at his clinic. She sits down and thanks him for all of his support so far. He was there for her when she was going through a difficult time in her relationship with Yi-sang. Jae-young is surprised at her gratitude, but he also still isn’t approving of Yi-sang. Must Ha-ri be with him?
Ha-ri remains honest with Jae-young until the very end. Yes, she likes Yi-sang and she wants to be with him. Although she’s unsure as to whether or not she’ll be able to have kids, she’s going to try and work things out with her lover. Jae-young hands over his stethoscope to Ha-ri and has her listen to the beating of his heart. Ha-ri notes that he sounds angry in which Jae-young agrees. He’s angry because of Ha-ri. Ha-ri remains silent and doesn’t say anything to his comment, but she takes it into consideration.
While in the studio, Yi-sang interacts with their baby model for the photoshoot. He approaches the little girl and asks her for her name (omg, Go Joon with a baby! mY HEART!). Meanwhile, Eun-young has trouble concentrating at home and she meets up with Ha-ri that evening to vent. Although she’s been applying to many different jobs, no one seems interested in hiring Eun-young. Who knew that a single line in her resume about motherhood could eliminate her chances of getting a job? Enough about Eun-young, what about Ha-ri? How are things going for her and Yi-sang? Ha-ri is still thinking about kids, but she’s happy at the moment with Yi-sang. Eun-young encourages Ha-ri to just take things slow with Yi-sang and to not rush into making a decision. For Eun-young herself, she wants to do something different in her life than just be a stay-at-home Mom. To cheer up her best friend, Ha-ri invites her over for a sleepover. Aww.
Yi-sang calls Soo-ho to check up on him. Since Soo-cheol wasn’t at the studio that night, he ponders what his colleague is up to. At that moment, Yi-sang encounters Soo-cheol himself outside of a spicy rice cake shop. Soo-cheol is venturing out into other jobs and he invites Yi-sang inside the shop to try some of his store’s tteokbokki. The two friends move on to discussing about Ha-ri once again. Soo-cheol’s still a bit concerned about the topic of children and how the couple is navigating that conversation, but Yi-sang isn’t worried. He remains optimistic. It’s not going to be easy, but he and Ha-ri are on the same page. He wants to make Ha-ri’s dreams of becoming a mother true and his dreams of becoming a dad happen as well. He even asks Soo-cheol for some advice on what mentality a Dad should have to prepare himself for his future. All is well between the two and Yi-sang enjoys Soo-cheol’s tteokbokki.
It’s a girl’s sleepover party at Ha-ri’s place with the addition of Yeon-ho. She too is having problems at home and she’s invited to sleep over at Ha-ri’s place along with Eun-young. The two married ladies cry their hearts out and vent to Ha-ri. Eun-young’s upset at her husband who yelled at her mother and Eun-young is exhausted from being a stay-at-home mother. However, although they might be going through their own struggles, they also count their blessings in life. Eun-young might be burnt out from raising her twin boys alone, but her kids mean everything to her. It’s at that moment that Ha-ri imagines what having a family would be like with Yi-sang. They’d have two kids and Yi-sang would be a great and fun dad who plays with their kids at home. Eun-young brings it back to Ha-ri and questions if she’s ever considered adopting kids. However, adoption isn’t one of Ha-ri’s options at the moment because of all the complicated conditions and requirements that she would need to meet during the process. Ha-ri wants to prepare herself as much as possible to have a kid, but she doesn’t think she’s quite there just yet. Eun-young decides to head back home that night to reunite with her kids so Yeon-ho stays overnight with Ha-ri.
Before heading to sleep that night, Ha-ri has a discussion with Yeon-ho about what it’s like to be married with no kids. How has this affected her relationship with her husband? Although having kids after marriage is expected, Yeon-ho enjoys things with just her and her husband. Their lives are stable and comfortable and they remain loyal to each other since it’s only the two of them. They respect each other enough to give them their own space, but they never forget to be affectionate to each other. Just like she did with Eun-young, Ha-ri imagines a life where she and Yi-sang have no kids. They’d be able to do all that they’ve wanted to do together with just the two of them (such as watch movies) and they’d be able to live carefree. Ha-ri ponders at the thought of not having kids after hearing Yeon-ho’s story and perspective to things. The two colleagues call it a night and head to sleep.
The next morning, Yi-sang visits a jewelry store to purchase a necklace for Ha-ri. He also receives a gift certificate to a bed and breakfast place on the side as a result of his purchase. Meanwhile, Ha-ri sends Yeon-ho off as she reunites with her husband who was waiting for her near Ha-ri’s house. After Yeon-ho leaves, Ha-ri reflects on her current situation. Yeon-ho and Eun-young have a place to go back to. Eun-young returned home to reunite with her family and Yeon-ho eventually returned to her husband. Unlike her two friends, Ha-ri realizes that she’s never really had that place to go back to after times of hardships. She had a good wake-up call years ago when Mom was in the hospital for stomach cancer and Ha-ri would return home to an empty and dull house. However, things might change for Ha-ri soon. Ha-ri reunites with Yi-sang after she bids farewell with Yeon-ho. Could Yi-sang possibly be that place for Ha-ri to return to? Could Yi-sang possibly be Ha-ri’s home?
The couple spend some time together by taking a stroll around the neighborhood. While walking, they come across a shop selling Yi-sang’s most favorite thing in the world, mini moai statues! Ha-ri playfully teases for Yi-sang to choose between her or the statues to which he answers Ha-ri after a few seconds of stuttering. LOL. Yi-sang eventually brings up the idea of going on an overnight trip together. Two days might be too long for Ha-ri since she has work so maybe an overnight trip will be enough. Just when he’s about to pull out the gift certificate he received earlier that day, Ha-ri gets the wrong idea and she declines his invitation for the overnight trip. Ha-ri assumes Yi-sang is teasing her for using the toilet cleaner as an excuse to visit his house the last time so she changes her mind and walks away from her boyfriend.
To make up to Ha-ri, Yi-sang comes up with an eloquent and sincere message to send to Ha-ri. He at first spends hours writing the message out on a piece of paper and then texts it to Ha-ri afterwards. Lol. He apologizes for teasing her earlier that day and making it seem like all she wanted was just to sleep with Yi-sang. Ha-ri accepts his apology and forgives him for his comment. The two are on good terms again and go back to being the cute, lovely, and adorable couple they are.
The next day at work, Eu-Ddeum pours out his honest thoughts and feelings for Ha-ri. After risking his life to protect her from some falling boxes, he sits down to talk with her about his feelings for her. You see, he wanted her to see him as a man. He wanted to stand out to her and he admired her for many reasons. However, things are different now and all he wants is for her to do well. Ha-ri smiles at Eu-Ddeum’s pure honesty and she compliments him on how much of a comfort he’s been for her. He’s a nice guy too.
Jae-young stops by Do-Ah’s childcare center to drop off some medicine. One of the staff greets him outside and accepts the medicine. In return, she hands him a blanket that Do-Ah spilled some food on. Jae-young doesn’t recognize the blanket, but finds out from the staff member that it was a gift that Jeong-won brought for Do-Ah. On the day that she came by, she even stayed outside of the daycare center to watch Do-Ah for a bit. Jae-young isn’t so thrilled at the news and he calls Jeong-won afterwards. He’ll allow her to visit Do-Ah, but she must stick to a schedule that they agree on. Jeong-won can’t just visit baby Do-Ah whenever she feels like it. Back in the studio, Yi-sang makes a reservation at the bed and breakfast place located on his gift certificate. However, he quickly cancels the plans since he learns from So-yoon that Ha-ri has an upcoming workshop to go to that weekend. With the dates and times unfortunately conflicting, Yi-sang ends up gifting Soo-cheol with the gift certificate. He can enjoy the special date with his wife.
Ha-ri’s weekend frees up upon learning that their workshop has been cancelled. Yeon-ho worries that ‘The Baby’ might be discontinued at this point, but Ha-ri remains positive. They’ll just have to keep thinking of ways to prove their relevancy. Yi-sang assumes Ha-ri is still attending the workshop so he agrees to doing a photoshoot that weekend for work. His weekend too shall be packed. Yi-sang’s gift certificate ends up getting passed around in the office. Soo-cheol hands it over to Hyo-joo after accidentally spilling some liquid on her expensive dress. She brings up the topic of the gift certificate to Eu-Ddeum who she meets at the company lobby shortly afterwards. To thank him for staying with her at the police station the other day, she hands him the gift certificate. Eu-Ddeum assumes Hyo-joo is giving her the gift certificate as a sign of gratitude so he kindly takes it. His parents will surely appreciate it. Lol.
And so the gift certificate goes from Eu-Ddeum to Cheol-joong to Yeon-ho to eventually Ha-ri through a series of events. To thank Ha-ri for letting her sleep over, Yeon-ho hands Ha-ri the gift certificate and even suggests that she and Yi-sang go together that weekend. Jae-young picks up Ha-ri that evening after work with his brand new car. On the drive home, Jae-young reveals his plans to move out of Mom’s house. Ha-ri doesn’t think too much about it, but she begins to worry when Jae-young invites her to go apartment hunting with him that weekend. He wants her feedback and thoughts on their apartment search. Ha-ri quickly changes the subject by bringing up the gift certificate and suggesting that he take Jeong-won and baby Do-Ah with him, but Jae-young wrings the topic back to them. He wants to be able to spend a day with Ha-ri and just chat with her on his plans for the future. He’s indirectly telling her that he wants her to be involved in his life as more than just a friend. Ha-ri isn’t so comfortable with the idea and she doesn’t have a specific answer for Jae-young. She’s eventually distracted by a text from Yi-sang so she asks to be dropped off at the park to meet up with her boyfriend.
Once together, Yi-sang and Ha-ri make plans for the weekend. It’s been a while since they’ve last gone on a date so they should head to the bed and breakfast place that Ha-ri has a gift certificate for. After some more digging, Yi-sang finds out that Ha-ri ended up with his gift certificate. Lol. Although Yi-sang has a photoshoot that weekend, they decide to go on their date after his photoshoot ends. And so the days pass by and the weekend eventually arrives. Ha-ri and Yi-sang go about with their respective schedules and activities. While Ha-ri prepares for the date, Yi-sang meets up with his clients for the photoshoot he has scheduled for that day.
Meanwhile, Mom visits Ha-ri’s aunt and uncle at their bakery store during the day. She brings up her conflicting thoughts on Ha-ri’s dating situation and how she’s in a predicament as to which out of the two guys would be more fitting for Ha-ri. However, Aunty and Uncle aren’t so thrilled at the sight of Mom’s appearance at the store. In fact, they even panic upon seeing her. Just minutes earlier, Uncle had given a man asking about Ha-ri some updates regarding the Editor-in-Chief. Just when they thought things couldn’t get worse, the man re-enters the bakery store to ask for Ha-ri’s phone number. Of course, Mom is also in the store and she freaks out at the sight of the man (I’m assuming the man is Ha-ri’s dad, but I’m also not completely sure).
It’s the weekend which means it’s apartment hunting day. Jae-young heads to a cafe to wait for Ha-ri, but she texts her childhood friend and housemate to let him know that he shouldn’t wait for her. She doesn’t plan on coming. Instead, Ha-ri makes her way to the vacation house at the bed and breakfast place that they reserved. Since Yi-sang is still busy with his photoshoot, Ha-ri spends some time alone enjoying the scenery and fresh air at the house. Although Yi-sang works his hardest during the photoshoot, he’s also cognizant of his time and anticipates for the photoshoot to end so that he can join Ha-ri at soon as possible. Ha-ri occupies herself by watching a slideshow with Yi-sang’s photos that he compiled and put together. She’s interrupted by a phone call from Jae-young so she stops to answer the call.
Jae-young questions why Ha-ri is still waiting at the house by herself. Why is she waiting for a man who is making her wait and who might not even show up? However, Ha-ri argues that what’s more important is the fact that she chose to wait for him. It was her decision to stay and wait. Jae-young offers to pick Ha-ri up so that they can go home together, but Ha-ri declines his offer. She once again reiterates that she wants to wait for Yi-sang so it’s up to her as to what she wants to do. She hangs up after her comment and the waiting for Yi-sang continues.
The photoshoot finally concludes and Yi-sang rushes over to join Ha-ri. Jae-young himself arrives at the bed and breakfast location shortly after Yi-sang and witnesses the couple spend time together in the house through the window. Determined and heart-broken, Jae-young makes his way to the entrance of the house. He climbs up the few steps of stairs, stands firmly in front of the door, and raises his fist to the door. However, Jae-young holds himself back at the very last second and pauses from knocking on the door. He contemplates on whether to make his presence known to the couple who’s enjoying their time together in the house or if he should simply walk away and let them be in peace. Jae-young remains conflicted.
My Thoughts:
Let it go, Jae-young. Let it goooooo. At this point, he’s just beating a dead horse. Things were already over between him and Ha-ri before anything ever really began. Ha-ri never really viewed Jae-young in the way that he sees and feels for her at the moment and I don’t think she ever will. And even if she was considering Jae-young at one point in her life, I’m positive those feelings for him have disappeared by now with Yi-sang in the picture. Like Ha-ri stated in this episode, she chose to be with Yi-sang and Jae-young has to understand that. She chose Yi-sang by not meeting up with Jae-young, she chose Yi-sang by waiting for him at the vacation house, she chose Yi-sang the moment she imagined a future where she and Yi-sang didn’t have kids. To go from only wanting kids and becoming a mother without a husband to even considering a life with Yi-sang where no kids are involved speaks volumes about who Ha-ri has chosen between the two guys.
I’m a little disappointed and sad that this is the route the drama decided to take in its third half of the run. I’m not so sure I enjoy the pushy, desperate, and needy Jae-young storyline as I find it 1) irritating and 2) unnecessary. Nothing he does will change Ha-ri’s mind. She’s already made it very clear to him in multiple ways that she doesn’t feel the same way about him. I think what irritates and frustrates me even more is that he clearly sees her happily spending time with Yi-sang, but yet, still interjects himself into their relationship. Jae-young’s seen Ha-ri and Yi-sang together many times before, and yet, remains in denial until the very end. I think the situation would have been a little different if say Ha-ri hadn’t yet chosen either Yi-sang and Jae-young and was conflicted on which guy she wanted to be with. I think I would have been a bit more understanding of Jae-young’s assertive and ambitious pursuit after Ha-ri if she wasn’t in a relationship with Yi-sang because it would make sense that he try to impress her and win her over. However, things are different because Ha-ri’s in a relationship with Yi-sang and she’s made it clear to Jae-young that she doesn’t like him that way. Ha-ri has chosen Yi-sang and yet that’s something that Jae-young either doesn’t understand or doesn’t want to understand. He still wants to believe that he stands a chance against a man who Ha-ri loves and is in a loving relationship with.
I think it’s interesting that the drama is wringing in other sub-plots, such as concerns of ‘The Baby’ possibly going out of business or Ha-ri’s Dad (I assume the man was her dad) returning into Ha-ri’s life. These topics were brought up a little later in the drama than I would have liked (I wanted these topics to be explored as much as possible), but I’m also just glad that they were introduced at all than not. With only two more weeks to go, it’s unpredictable as to how things are going to wrap up for our couple. I assume (and certainly hope) that Jae-young will eventually back away from Ha-ri and Yi-sang’s relationship and let them love each other in peace. I’m not so sure what it’s going to take for him to finally realize that he and Ha-ri are not meant to be.
I feel sad for making these comments and observations about Jae-young because I did enjoy his story and arc before he went full-on liking Ha-ri. I think I was fine with Jae-young liking Ha-ri at first because it was during the earlier stages of the phase and he wasn’t so pushy about his feelings and it was more comedic relief than anything. Plus, Jae-young’s story as a single dad taking care of baby Do-Ah was fascinating and my heart hurt for him as he was exploring his new journey into fatherhood. It was interesting to see the ways that he was learning to be a good, reliable father for his baby daughter as well as how to navigate a complicated relationship with his ex-wife. Now, Jae-young’s story is centered around fighting for Ha-ri who she doesn’t necessarily want to lose in her life, but who she also wants to just be friends with. Despite Jae-young’s pushy and desperate behavior, Ha-ri still appreciates him for all that he’s done for her in her life. Current Jae-young doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s been that source of support and comfort for Ha-ri during both her good moments as well as her not so pretty moments. However, it’d be nice if Jae-young can leave our lead couple alone and take the time to figure out some things in his own life, such as whether he wants to accept Jeong-won back into his life or not. Jae-young has decisions in his own life that he needs to ponder and decide on.
What I’d do for Go Joon to stare at me the way he’s staring at the little kid *__* i’M SO SOFT
I think this is what remains the most frustrating part about the drama and has been the most disappointing aspect about the third half of the show. I’m not so sure where the drama is planning to take Yi-sang and Ha-ri’s relationship, especially with the current situation they’re in regarding children, but I would rather watch more of that than whatever the drama is giving us with Jae-young. I want to see what Yi-sang and Ha-ri’s plans to have kids in the future are or what their options are. I know the drama is slowly giving us insight and details into that, but I want more of that and less of pushy Jae-young. I would rather watch more of anything at this point than watch Jae-young failing to respect both Ha-ri and Yi-sang’s boundaries and wishes. I can’t quite understand why he’s pushing himself onto them and inserting himself into a relationship that he has no business being in. It makes for a tiring, frustrating, and irritating watch.
Moving past this, I’m glad the angst didn’t last for too long and that our lead couple made up a lot faster than expected. Although they still faced a few bumps on the road and had another small fight in this episode, it felt great to see them hold hands, laugh, and spend time together again like they did pre-angst. Just because Yi-sang and Ha-ri have overcome some of the biggest struggles and challenges in their relationship just yet doesn’t exactly mean that things are going to be perfect and smooth from here on out. Relationships take work and it’s a commitment you have to be loyal to everyday. Ha-ri and Yi-sang are loyal to each other and they’re certain that they want their relationship to work out.
Of course, I’m also glad that the episode dove into a possibility where Yi-sang and Ha-ri don’t have kids. As much as they (and we) want a miracle to happen, we also have to be realistic given the circumstances and conditions that our lead couple is in. Miracles do happen, but it’s also good to remain grounded and realistic and maybe Ha-ri and Yi-sang will find that living alone without any kids is an option for them. I’m glad that the drama introduced this idea as a possibility for our lead couple because it seemed like up until this point, the two were so keen and stuck on their goals of becoming parents which is completely fine given that they want to become parents by choice (and not because they’re pressured by their family or because it’s expected of them). However, it’s also okay if Ha-ri and Yi-sang decide that living alone and spending the rest of their lives in each other’s comforting grace and presence is what they feel is most fitting for them. There’s nothing wrong with either decisions or sides and I’m glad that the episode presented another perspective or angle to the topic of children. Ha-ri has really only ever considered having kids as a priority in her life that it was nice to see her consider other options – whether that’s options in terms of ways to have a kid or the more unpopular option which is to not have a kid. For Ha-ri to even imagine such a future with Yi-sang was a huge stepping stone for her. With or without kids, she and Yi-sang can still be happy.
However, I do have to admit that my heart hurt a little when Ha-ri imagined a future where she and Yi-sang were happily married with kids. The scene was so happy and beautiful and touching, but it broke my heart knowing that it was a future that our lead couple wanted more than anything which they possibly might not get. They want to start a family and to become parents and to live that ordinary life that other married couples have the privilege of experiencing. However, they also might not have the opportunity to live this type of lifestyle with the difficult situation and health condition that they are in. Although it’s uncertain as to what type of outcome Ha-ri and Yi-sang will have, I hope it’s a scenario where our couple is happy — happy with themselves and their relationship however that looks like.
Extra screenshots from the episode~
MaryMeKpop 