The Perfect Marriage(s)
Choi Sang-Eun’s job is as a nanny. It’s a job that she loves and is very good at. But the thing is, her husband doesn’t respect her work. He thinks she should be home with him and not working.
Sang-Eun is a marriage industry professional who helps unmarried men by pretending to be married to them. Her clients are all men who need her help in order to attend important business meetings or other events. Thus, Single Life Helper was created. ..
Sang-Eun is a woman who can switch between many different styles and hobbies to fit into the role of perfect wife. However, she’s not all about money - she also has clients that she genuinely wants to help out.
Sang-Eun is a vet who has been in the industry for 13 years and has strict rules about not having more than one husband at a time. However, as Sang-Hun hits her 30s, she may be thinking about wanting more from life. Is she just saying that or is she really considering whether or not she wants to have another child?
Sang-Hn is living with her gay best friend, Gwang-Nam, who also happens to be one of her ex-husbands and now her roommate. He calls her “noona” and they get along really well. ..
Sang-Eun heads out to her Monday/Wednesday/Friday’s client, a guy called Jung Ji-Ho. She likes having him as a client given he pays well and he respects her. They’ve been married for five years and in that time, he’s said about 50 words to her. ..
Ji-Ho is a client who seems sincere but she can’t quite figure out what’s behind his quiet demeanour. He and she eat dinner silently and he seems sincere but she’s not sure if he’s really there for the right reasons.
Ji-Ho is searching through her social media profile and finds a knife. She’s also pretty abrupt and doesn’t seem very empathetic. This could be because of the past, especially when she goes out to eat with someone and notices a woman walking by.
Ji-Ho attends a meeting to improve his social skills. He wonders if he should talk to Sang-Eun, the woman he’s been interested in for some time. ..
Kang Hae-Jin, an actor working on a soapy drama with Yu-Mi, is disinterested in women since his first love. However, he’s an icon and wanted by many ladies. Yu-Mi slaps him across the face, leaving a pretty gnarly red mark on his cheek. ..
Sang-Eun, a Korean-American woman, has to deal with the fact that she is no longer welcome in her family-in-law’s home or when she goes out in public. She also has a relationship with a woman called Madam Yoo Mi-Ho, who calls her Jamie. ..
Sang-Eun was raised by this woman, and she saved up all her money to pay her back for the debt of being raised. “Stop sending me money now.” Yoo says coldly. This woman used to take all of Sang-Eun’s money from her from the last 13 years but now, they’re severing ties. For good, one would assume, especially as Madam Yoo messages one last time after their meet to inform her that she’s erasing the woman’s number.
Sang-Eun walks away from her next client, feeling a sense of dread as she recalls her past. She’s not too happy about being the wife/mum to a crying girl, but she knows that it’s what’s best for the child.
Sang-Eun has had enough of the man’s arrogance and decides to leave, pointing out that the brash man has misinterpreted their contract. When he attempts to slap her, Sang-Eun turns and almost kicks him in the face, her heel inches from his face.
That night, Ji-Ho rings and attempts to start a conversation with Sang-Eun. Unfortunately it’s stiff and awkward, with him firing off these questions like a proper interview. Eventually he finds Squid Game as a topic to discuss. After he hangs up, the attention turns back to Sang-Eun and her roommate Gwang-Nam, who attempts to approach Kang Hae-Jin at a club, which ends in disaster.
Sang-Eun and Ji-Ho make the difficult decision to break up that night, with Sang-Eun needing to leave for Canada in order to pursue her dreams. However, she finds it difficult to do so, especially given all the amazing food Ji-Ho cooks for her. Unfortunately, she puts it off until the big day arrives. ..
This is the day that Ji-Ho opens up and talks to her. He brings up the familiar poem about blades of grass that Gwang-Nam mentioned the previous night. As a result, her wavering heart stops and she decides to give him the best gift… a divorce. Only, he actually comes up with the idea himself and catches her off-guard.
Sang-Eun visits the kindergarten on Sundays to drop some stars on Min-Ju’s work. She shows up and drops to her knees, hands over a little star for her. She smiles warmly and thanks the children for their support.
The Episode Review
The show has potential but it’s not quite there yet. The premise is interesting and the characters are likable, but Kang Hae-Jin is not quite sure how to be a lead. The soundtrack is good so far, but I’m not sure if it will keep me interested.
The chemistry between Ji-Ho and Sang-Eun is good so far, but we’ll have to see what this show has in store for us moving forward.
There are a lot of things to like about this show, but it definitely hints that we’ll be learning more about Hae-Jin in the upcoming episodes.
