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It’s hard to write weekly reviews for this drama because it’s so good, so delicate, so nuanced, and so detailed and there’s so many aspects to dive into that I’m not even really sure where to begin. Episodes 3 and 4 of “Our Unwritten Seoul” dove deeper into our characters and their stories and how they ended up where they did. We also got progress on their lives in the present, especially in relation to Mi-ji’s work project with the restaurant owner as well as her relationship with Ho-su.

I didn’t think the restaurant owner, who we learned was actually a successful poet named Kim Ro-sa, would have as much screentime in this drama as she did so I was pleasantly surprised once the drama settled in on her story in episodes 3 and 4. I thought she was only going to be a small side character but the drama really focused on her character to give us more insight on Mi-ji and Ho-su. There was so much more to Ro-sa’s story than it seemed; she too was lonely and isolated and had no family or friends. We learned that she and Mi-ji had more things in common than they initially thought. Mi-ji could relate to Ro-sa because she too felt lonely and invisible. The two of them were just trying to survive in this challenging and complicated world. It was by being able to relate to each other and empathize with each other that Ro-sa slowly started to warm up to Mi-ji. Perhaps she saw a part of herself in Mi-ji and knew what she was feeling so she had a soft spot for her. I’m looking forward to seeing where her story is headed now that Ho-su is working for her as her legal representative. They’re going to go up against Mi-ji’s company so it’ll be interesting to see how that battle goes and how conflicted Mi-ji will feel with her professional life as well as her personal life.

Speaking of Ho-su, I also liked the way that the drama has been getting him involved. His story is interesting in that he was someone who stood by his values and morals and didn’t compromise them for anyone, even if that person was his role model and leader at work. He was someone who stood up for what he believed in. But like everyone else, there were also times where he felt at his lowest and went through a difficult time. The scene where Ho-su opened up to Mi-ji about his worries and concerns of being unemployed was so relatable and I felt for him. Unemployment and the anxiety and uncertainty that comes with that is real. Oftentimes, it can feel like the end of the world and as if things are never going to get better. You feel hopeless. You feel discouraged. For Ho-su, it was even scarier because he didn’t end on good terms with his former employer who he knows has connections to other people or workplaces that can make life hard for him. Through it all, it was heartwarming to watch Mi-ji be there for Ho-su and support him. Sometimes, it helps to occupy yourself with hobbies and other interests to get things off of your mind. For Ho-su, he also centered his life around work so he didn’t know what else he was interested in or didn’t have anything else that he liked to do. Thankfully, he wasn’t alone in this shaky phase in his life thanks to the support and help of Mi-ji. It was also nice to see Ho-su be able to bond with Ro-sa who he won a scholarship from as part of her foundation. He not only visited her restaurant but also gave back to her by agreeing to legally represent her. I teared up when he visited her restaurant in episode 3 because it was something that Ro-sa had never gotten before from any of her scholarship winners. It was so touching to see Ho-su finally make the time to swing by and visit her. Additionally, I really liked how Ho-su and Ro-sa spent time together visiting different stores. She needed the assistance and he needed some time to just get things off of his mind. It was so sweet to watch them connect and bond.

As Mi-rae and Mi-ji continued to live each other’s lives, they continued to learn more about how others perceived them. Whether it was at the high school reunion where Mi-ji heard from her former classmates or from Ho-su about Grandma’s incident or from Ho-su’s mom, Mi-rae and Mi-ji learned what other people thought about them. I especially liked that Ho-su continued to be Mi-ji’s biggest fan and supporter. Nothing has changed for him since their high school days. He reiterated that it wasn’t Mi-ji’s fault for what happened to Grandma so she shouldn’t blame herself (I loved the concept of Ho-su saying these things to Mi-ji who he believes is Mi-rae since Mi-ji got to hear these words herself directly from him!). The twin sisters also learned from each other what it was like to live in their shoes: Mi-rae wanted Mi-ji to come back home to help cut Grandma’s hair which she didn’t know how to do but Mi-ji wasn’t able to because of a work meeting. Mi-ji thought taking care of Grandma shouldn’t be that difficult for Mi-rae. Mi-ji knew what Mi-rae was going through when she couldn’t come visit because she was busy working and making money to send to the family. Then Mi-rae knew what Mi-ji was going through to take care of Grandma. It was easy for them to make assumptions about the other person but it wasn’t until they switched identities and lived each other’s lives that they finally knew what the other person was going through. 

Another small aspect about this weekend’s episodes that I enjoyed watching was Mi-ji and Mi-rae getting to use their areas of expertise in their present situations. Mi-ji’s eyes lit up when she got to clean Ro-sa’s restroom and stairs at her restaurant since she had been pretending to be an office worker this entire time. She was finally able to utilize her skills, experience, and expertise and she seemed so happy to do so. For Mi-rae, she’s always been so smart and good with exams so she was able to drive Se-jin’s truck since driving requires taking a test which she’s good at. There are plenty of things that Mi-ji and Mi-rae are learning how to do or learning the ropes for in their new lives but there are also some moments where they can use their personal experiences and expertise which was fun and great to see.

Park Bo-young’s dramas always have this way of making me reflect on my life, miss my family and parents, and learn to just really live in the present and appreciate what I have in the moment (as cliche and cheesy as that sounds). “Our Unwritten Seoul” is no exception and I cried once again during what I believe was the highlight of episode 4. After hiding from the world for a few years, Mom had enough of Mi-ji and wanted her to get out of her rut. However, the approach that she used wasn’t the healthiest and she unleashed many years of anger, frustration, and impatience that had built up over the years. Thankfully, Grandma was there to comfort Mi-ji in a way that Mi-ji needed. Grandma wasn’t angry or mad at Mi-ji; she was understanding, kind, and patient. Truly, there’s just something that’s different about a grandmother’s love that is so unconditional and warm (and I say that as someone who has many loving memories with my grandma as well). Mi-ji’s life motto that she reminded herself everyday was actually a comment that Grandma said to her during this moment. We now understand why Mi-ji felt so indebted to Grandma and paused everything in her life to take care of her. Not only did she feel guilty and blame herself for Grandma’s health condition but she was also thankful for Grandma for believing in her even when she didn’t believe in herself. I cried like a baby watching this scene and it made me miss my grandma so much. From “Daily Dose of Sunshine” to “Light Shop” to “Melo Movie” and now “Our Unwritten Seoul”, there are so many genuine, heartfelt, and touching moments in these dramas that make me cry my eyes out.

Something that stood out to me in this week’s episodes was the comparison between Ho-su and Mi-ji’s relationship and Se-jin and Mi-rae’s relationship. Whereas Ho-su and Mi-ji’s history traces back to their high school days, Se-jin and Mi-rae’s relationship is fresh and a brand new start. The drama is essentially starting from scratch with their relationship. I have to say that I’m really enjoying how the drama has developed their connection and bond with each other so far. They initially started off on the wrong note and then eventually were able to make up and get on good terms. Se-jin is a pretty funny guy so his relationship with Mi-rae is funny. The scene of him not knowing how to drive his grandpa’s truck to his thing of constantly miscalling Mi-rae with a bunch of different names is humorous. But I also loved that there’s another side to their relationship: one that is vulnerable and genuine. Se-jin apologized to Mi-rae for what he said to her when they fought and he was thankful that she came back even though she didn’t have to. He learned from her to wear boots to the strawberry farm to protect his shoes. He invited her to have dinner with him and to eat together which she eventually accepted. It may even be a little harder because there’s no prior history between them (that we know of yet) but the drama has done a wonderful job in building their relationship and showing how they’re slowly warming up to each other.

Mi-ji continues to be the strongest point about the drama and we learned even more about her story in this week’s episodes. We not only learned the reason as to why she fell during her track meet that led to her devastating injury but we also saw how her injury affected her mentally and emotionally and the strain that it put on her and her family. Ever since Mi-ji was young, she felt invisible. She never felt seen. She never felt good enough because she was always constantly being compared to Mi-rae who she felt inferior to. For her and many others, her talent in track and field was the only “sparkle” in her life and the one thing that attracted many people to her. Then once she lost that “spark” because of her injury, she went back to being invisible and unseen and ignored. This led her to fall into a dark hole that she wasn’t able to get out of for many years. She retreated and hid herself from society. She wanted to avoid and ignore everything. It was also the reason as to why she liked Ho-su. He genuinely cared for her, liked her, and supported her. He was the only one who made her feel seen.

However, if there was one thing that I felt a little iffy about after this week’s episodes, it would be that I wasn’t sure how I felt about the cause of Mi-ji’s injury. We learned that while running at the track meet, Mi-ji fell because she saw Ho-su and Mi-rae hugging each other. A part of me understood what the drama was going for: here’s another situation where someone who Mi-ji thought she could trust and was on her side ended up with her sister again. It was another example of Mi-ji feeling inferior to her sister. She also had a big crush on Ho-su in high school so I could see why she felt like it was the end of the world for her and why she was as shocked as she was. On the other hand, I kind of wished that her injury wasn’t related to Ho-su or Mi-rae. I wished it was its own stand-alone thing. I wished it was because Mi-ji really had lost her footing or that she really did fall on accident or that she really had lost her balance. By placing the injury on a sighting of Ho-su hugging Mi-rae, it kind of felt like the drama watered things down. I wished the drama left Mi-ji’s injury alone and didn’t have to pinpoint a reason for it. The injury had such a huge impact and effect on Mi-ji’s life and it would have been fine just leaving it as that. I’m not really sure I agree with the decision to trace it back to Ho-su and Mi-rae.

I’m running out of new things to say about “Our Unwritten Seoul” because it continues to be a solid drama with so many layers to unpack and process. There were so many details and information shared about each of our characters and their stories and the best part was that it was all woven together in a way that was seamless, beautiful, and careful. Just when I was watching a few scenes and thinking to myself about how great it was, there was another scene that impressed me just as much and made me feel a certain way too. “Our Unwritten Seoul” was just as strong in this week’s episodes which was a huge relief and delight. Oddly, I never really feel like I can just sit back and watch this drama peacefully because there’s so much going on and there’s a lot to unpack. But at the same time, I like feeling like I’m on the edge of my seat. You never know what’s going to happen next, what other stories are going to unfold, and what else you’re going to learn about our characters. You truly are venturing into the unknown with this drama.