EPISODE 17
This is Dr. Hwang's mother.
Hello.
I'm Geum-hee's mom.
Sung-joon, you can leave first.
I came to have a word with Dr. Hwang.
Dad.
Have I met you before by any chance?
Well, you see...
You probably saw her, that time
she came to our hospital.
Yeah, that's right.
Your face just seems so familiar.
You've come a long way. Please come inside.
Thank you for your hospitality.
You won't like what he has to say.
Please don't be offended by what he's going to say.
I'm sorry for showing up out of the blue.
I called a couple of times but it never got through.
That...
I'm sorry. I left my phone in my room.
Dr. Hwang.
Please don't misinterpret my words.
All right.
You and Sung-joon were born
from different social classes.
You shouldn't be together.
Your house, the environment you grew up in and your family traditions
can't just be ignored.
Mr. Kim, I understand what you're trying to say.
But I genuinely love Sung-joon.
I'm sorry.
Dr. Hwang!
No, how could this be?
Why is that man shouting at Geum-hee like that?
Get me some cinnamon punch and the dried persimmons I picked.
Did you thoroughly cover it in oil?
Yes.
Yoon-ee, go get me some pine nuts.
Okay.
I'm sorry, ma'am.
You have nothing to be sorry for.
What did I tell you?
I told you she wouldn't be up to the elders' standards.
My grandmother really likes Dr. Hwang.
You two weren't meant to be together.
It's better if you can accept that faster.
Please make sure to end this as soon as possible.
It wasn't easy for me to come here and say this.
Actually,
Ms. Kim, I need to talk to you as well.
I'm sorry for the inconvenience I caused by showing up so suddenly.
Because of your daughter and my son,
-there were several problems-- -Please have some of this.
Aren't these
pan-fried rice cakes with sicklepod seeds?
That's right.
The pan-fried rice cakes with sicklepod seeds
are the same as the ones my family made.
No, that's how everyone makes them.
In our family,
there was someone who made it exactly like this.
I liked
the pan-fried rice cakes with sicklepod seeds that they made.
They would always prepare them for me
when I got back from school.
I know why you came here and what you told my daughter.
If it's not too much to ask,
I've heard your name is Mi-ok Kim.
Is that right?
Yes, I'm Mi-ok Kim.
Putting frozen dried persimmons in cinnamon punch
and topping it with pine nuts was just how she used to make it.
She also used to spread honey and sprinkle ground pine nuts
on pan-fried rice cakes with sicklepod seeds.
Please don't worry.
Even if you didn't come here, I was going to stop
them from staying together.
Such a thing should never happen.
It can never be allowed.
You don't need to say anything more.
I'll persuade my daughter to follow your wish.
Do you know...
a woman named San-hae Kang?
I don't.
I've never heard of that name before.
Dad, Dr. Hwang and I will...
I'll reconsider your relationship with her.
Let's talk about it later.
Hurry up and find Gun-woo.
We need to know what he said to the prosecutor in order to respond.
The investigation is going nowhere because of him.
Use any means necessary to find him.
It wasn't me.
Hyun-myung, it wasn't me.
I believe you, San-hae.
Thank you
for being the only one who believes in me.
What did I tell you?
I told you that family would never accept you.
The only people whose opinions matter are the ones getting married.
No.
Later in life, you'll realize how important
their families and traditions are.
So, you won't allow us to be together because our family
is too inferior compared to them?
That's one of the reasons.
What kind of mom would want her daughter to marry into a family that hates her?
So you wouldn't be against it
if Sung-joon's family likes me?
No. You and Dr. Kim can never be together.
Mom!
You said that you liked Dr. Kim,
so why won't you allow it?
Later,
when the time is right, I'll tell you everything.
When will that be?
Geum-hee.
Mom, don't you think that keeping these things to yourself
will become overwhelming?
Please just tell me.
I wanted...
to tell you, confess everything
and just escape from it all.
Trying to hold it in and living my life
has become strenuous, painful and unbearable.
Geum-hee.
TEXT MESSAGE FROM SUNG-JOON
My father said that he is going to reconsider you.
He seems to have changed his mind after going
to Third Generation Seolleongtang to talk to your mom.
Thank you, Mr. Kim.
What a relief.
Mom will change her mind, too.
Grandma, are you asleep?
I'm coming in.
Yes, come in.
I was just thinking about having some tea.
Perfect timing.
Is something wrong?
Well, Grandma.
If I say that I intend to marry Geum-hee,
will you allow it?
If you've already made up your mind,
you don't need to ask me.
What I want is for you to live happily.
Living life against your will
for the sake of your family is not the right thing to do.
Father said that he would reconsider,
but I'm afraid Geum-hee will get hurt if he keeps opposing it.
If that's how you feel, that's all that matters.
It seems you've finally met your soulmate.
Sung-joon.
I heard Gun-woo is moving away?
They also said that he quit his job at the hospital.
It's true.
Because of the financial problems and the prosecution's investigation,
the hospital is under a lot of stress.
Let's just stop.
-No. -Young-joo,
even I think we've gone far enough. It's time to loosen the reins.
What if we end up ruining everything at this rate?
It's not time yet, Dad.
Don't take any calls from Mr. Kim and pretend that you don't know anything.
Gun-woo, you shouldn't talk to them either.
I'm leaving the hospital next week.
I'll have to burden you for a little longer until then.
-Mr. Seo, I ask that you please-- -Gun-woo, you're so persistent.
I've told you to stay in the studio apartment I've prepared.
Don't worry about that and just live with us.
I'm happy to have another family member staying here.
Thank you for the kind gesture.
Gun-woo.
I'm thinking of building
a luxurious hospital that would only cater to VIP guests.
Why don't you work there and be something like my adopted son?
Dad, Gun-woo wouldn't agree to that now.
You know why.
Really?
Do experts even need to practice every day like this?
I have to prepare thoroughly for the final round.
I'm making boiled pork and radish wrapped in kimchi.
Young-joo,
about what you said earlier...
What? When I said I'd stop Geum-hee from competing in the final round?
Yes.
Why? Are you afraid of what I might do to her?
Gun-woo, I'm not going to hurt her.
As long as Geum-hee stays away from Sung-joon,
I have no interest in her.
Good.
Gun-woo, now's not the time to worry about Geum-hee Hwang.
Worry about your own future.
There's nothing that you wouldn't do
to make Sung-joon come back to you,
but there's nothing I can do
to make Geum-hee mine.
YOOGYEONG HOSPITAL
Find Gun-woo.
If we can't wrap up the prosecution's investigation this week,
all the investors will pull out.
We need to know what he told the police in order to resolve this.
Gun-woo.
It's Sung-joon. Call me back.
I'll...
always trust you.
It's Sung-joon.
Call me back.
Gun-woo,
I'll always trust you.
Hello, Young-joo.
The situation doesn't look good.
I need to talk to your father and resolve this issue.
Please help us.
Sung-joon?
Yes, I'll meet with Dr. Hwang soon.
Okay.
Hello?
It's Hyun-myung Kim.
San-hae.
The moment you put
those pan-fried rice cakes with sicklepod seeds before me,
I knew in my heart that it was you.
San-hae.
Hyun-myung.
How could you
live without ever trying to contact me?
You are so cold.
Dr. Hwang...
is your daughter.
How did this relationship...
I...
really liked you.
Looking back,
that's the reason why Master Park treated me so harshly.
If you hadn't left like that,
I would have ended up marrying you.
No.
That would have never happened.
It should never be allowed.
Why?
Because of what happened to my father?
San-hae,
I believe in you, just like I did back then.
Hyun-myung,
we...
We are siblings.
What...
What do you mean?
I found out shortly after leaving the head house.
That's why Dr. Kim and Geum-hee
can never be together.
We have to stop them.
We can't let them be together.
You must bury this secret with you.
You and I are the only ones who knows about this.
Think about what would happen if they learned about Mom's past.
What do you think will happen?
The family's honor,
Sung-joon and you,
will all be ruined.
That's why
I stayed away from Mom
and lived like this.
She must never find out.
HYUN-MYUNG
Thank you so much. I'll cherish it.
You crybaby.
Don't cry.
HYUN-MYUNG
Is that true?
Yes.
I don't want to marry Jin-mi.
Why did you change your mind?
What you said about her,
I believe that there must be a reason.
No matter what the reason is,
thank you for believing in me and for changing your mind.
Mom,
don't you have something you want to tell me?
Are you really never going to tell me?
What are you talking about?
How could you shoulder such an immense burden alone?
Hyun-myung, why are you being like this?
Shouldn't you have at least told me
about Jin-mi, San-hae
and your past?
What do you mean?
What have you heard?
Mr. Kim.
I'd like to have a quick word with you.
Come on, get up already.
Hurry up.
Mr. Kim.
Yes.
I don't know what you've learned or how you've learned it.
So, you knew about this, too?
Yes.
I was only told what I needed to know.
How could it be kept in the dark?
Looks like I'm the only one who didn't know about it.
Even if you knew it back then,
you wouldn't be able to accept it.
Now that you've grown
and you have some children of your own,
I can explain everything to you in careful detail today.
But please,
don't talk to Master Park about it.
Master Park's health is...
What's wrong with her health?
She has cancer.
Pancreatic cancer.
No, how could this happen?
Why would she hide this when her son and grandson are doctors?
She had her reasons.
She was afraid that she would harm your reputation if people heard
that you couldn't even cure your own mother.
That's why she was diagnosed at another hospital.
But still, that might be...
That's why Sung-joon has been trying hard
to get her to accept treatment
ever since he found out.
CHANSOL FOODS
Dr. Choi.
Did you really develop those kimchi recipes?
Of course.
I wish someone else could do it for me.
It's just strange how different this one tasted
compared to everything you've fermented before.
I worked hard to get this far.
While you were competing, I--
I know. I acknowledge your hard work.
If we fail this presentation,
you know that it would be the end for Chansol Foods, right?
We'll never recover the relationship we have with INH.
I know. That will never happen.
Wait and see.
Here's the kimchi.
I signed the agreement and mailed it. Did you get it?
Yes, I got it.
Just try to persuade your mom.
I won't forget what you've done for me, Geum-ho Hwang.
Yes, all right.
But Ms. Choi,
all of our family members...
They're really struggling to resolve the bone incident and the food poisoning.
They're collecting signatures from their regular customers.
So what?
Someone from the neighborhood
said they saw a van driving to our restaurant.
They took the security footage and reported it to the police immediately.
One moment.
Ms. Kwak.
She's on a business trip.
What on earth did she do?
We're in trouble if this goes public.
Did Ms. Kwak mess something up?
You look upset, Ms. Choi.
-Sorry to keep you waiting. -No problem.
You have a guest.
This is Mr. Hwang, our partner from JS Home Shopping.
This is Ms. Seo, the Director.
Yes, hello. I'm Geum-ho Hwang,
Deputy Chief of JS Home Shopping.
Hello, I'm Ms. Seo.
Look at the diagram and write the Chinese character
-with the correct stroke order. -Mi-ok!
Mr. Lee is here.
-Hello, Mr. Lee. -Hello.
-Yes, hello. -Mr. Lee.
I heard Mr. Kim was here as well.
My apologies, Mr. Lee. Please come in.
The thing is...
I mean, food poisoning?
Imported bones? What is this all about?
I'm ashamed of myself, Mr. Lee.
I don't believe such nonsense.
Where could I find a more honest restaurant than this one?
Thank you for your kind words.
This is without a doubt
a trap set by a rival restaurant.
But our restaurant doesn't really have competitors.
Though, I understand
why you decided to cooperate with Chansol Foods,
being unable to open the shop and all.
What?
Dad, did you mess up again? Why are you running away?
I just got back from a meeting with Ms. Choi of Chansol Foods.
She said that Third Generation Seolleongtang
has agreed to share its kimchi knowledge with Chansol Foods.
Bo-ram, let's go inside.
Why didn't you tell anyone
when you found out that Mom was diagnosed with cancer?
It was what Grandma wanted
and you were struggling with the hospital's problems.
How is her condition?
Which hospital was she diagnosed in?
Hanbat Hospital's director is treating her.
She refused to come to our hospital, so I'm working with them.
Her cancer is thankfully still in an early stage and progressing slowly.
Why didn't she accept our treatment?
She's being treated with medicinal food from Yoogyeong Cuisine Book.
She also postponed it out of fear that she wouldn't be able
to finish finding a successor.
-How can she use her life as collateral-- -Dad...
I'll take responsibility for Grandma and I'll convince her to accept treatment.
This is not a small matter.
How long do we have to sit around here without doing any business?
Where did Man-jae and Sook-ja go this morning?
They found a mark on the short ribs
that were brought in without our knowledge.
A mark?
Like a stamp with a supplier's name?
They went around to look for security footage in the area.
Ma'am, are you going somewhere?
Yes.
Geum-hee, why are you not practicing?
I am. Don't worry, I'll keep at it.
Shouldn't we get a luxurious reception room
in a hotel for this important presentation?
Dad, the location might be important,
but it won't be as important as the flavor of our kimchi.
It makes sense to host it at our company so we can show them our facilities.
Really?
Given that it was developed by our own Dr. Choi,
I have confidence in this new kimchi.
Dr. Choi, I'm seeing you in a new light.
Just wait and see. Soon the whole world will taste Chansol Foods kimchi.
They'll have our kimchi with spaghetti or even a hamburger.
Jin-mi Choi.
is incredibly talented.
Mr. Seo, given your previous mishap with Mr. Lee,
please be careful today.
Yes, understood.
Here he comes.
WELCOME TO CHANSOL KIMCHI
Look who it is!
Hello and welcome.
-It's been a while. -Yes.
Hello, Mr. Lee.
You seem like a completely different person here
from when I saw you at the contest.
-Mr. Lee, please follow me. -I will.
Right, one moment.
-Let's go. -Okay.
Although Chansol Foods produce in mass quantities,
a lot of the process is done by hand to maintain the best flavor.
This ensures that it tastes just like
homemade kimchi.
Now, we'll show you
our special kimchi project
developed at Chansol Foods with INH
that will introduce kimchi to the whole world.
There's napa cabbage kimchi, radish kimchi,
white kimchi, dongchimi and mustard green kimchi.
In total, we have five types of kimchi.
Our teams at Chansol Foods have joined forces to research
over the past six months for these kimchis.
This is great.
Mr. Lee doesn't look very happy.
No kidding.
Ms. Choi.
Yes, Mr. Lee.
I'd like to invite a kimchi expert here
to taste the kimchi Chansol Foods developed
and give me
their objective, professional opinion.
Is that all right?
Yes, Mr. Lee. Please do as you please.
Hey, escort her inside.
Mi-ok Kim, I'm sorry for bringing you here so suddenly.
Please have a seat.
Ms. Kim, would you please try this kimchi?
It really is our kimchi recipe.
Ms. Choi.
Yes, Mr. Lee.
Was this kimchi really developed
at Chansol Foods?
This kimchi is without a doubt a masterpiece.
But it wasn't made by Chansol Foods,
it was made by the one and only Mi-ok Kim who is sitting right here.
We, INH...
will not be signing this contract with Chansol Foods,
nor will it consider
any future offers.
Let's get on our way.
Thank you.
Yes, sir.
CHANSOL FOODS
Do you think Mr. Lee will stop at this?
The whole business community will soon hear the rumors.
I'm sorry. Today--
How will you take responsibility for our lost export channels?
I was so flustered earlier that I forgot, but he already signed our agreement--
I could have certainly won that INH contract with my skill
and without resorting to something so cowardly and shameful.
How low can you be?
I thought you were better than this.
Young-joo.
Mr. Seo, I'll get us another chance.
No.
I wouldn't speak to you again either if I were him.
Mr. Seo, why are you doing this?
Prepare your letter of resignation and stay out of our business.
I agree with her.
Mr. Seo.
Above all else, Chansol Foods has always taken pride
in its quality and credibility.
But we lost all of that today
because of you.
Ms. Seo.
I'm starting all over again, by myself.
I know I made a mistake, but if you give me one more chance--
I can't give you another chance.
Don't come here again after today.
I dedicated my whole life
to get Chansol Foods to where it is now.
All of that means nothing just because of one mistake?
It was your own doing. Leave.
You...
How could you...
HYUN-MYUNG CALLING
Hyun-myung.
Is something wrong?
Jin-mi Choi.
Can we really get married?
What do you mean?
There was a reason why Mom
didn't agree to our marriage.
Hyun-myung,
I have no idea what you're talking about.
Really?
Has it been that long?
-I don't know what someone told you but-- -That's right.
If someone had been honest with me, we wouldn't be here.
Hyun-myung, don't believe what others say.
You have to believe me.
You're asking me to believe you?
Given everything I know now,
do you think I could still believe you?
Go confess everything to Mom
and ask for her forgiveness.
That's all you can do now.
Hyun-myung.
I never thought that you would do this to me,
I don't know why everyone insists on blaming me for that day.
Do you have any proof?
Do you have any witness?
I never did such a thing.
What are you going to do when I find proof?
I'm Jin-mi Choi.
I won't be defeated so easily.
Did you tell Hyun-myung everything?
You said you'd never bother that family again.
There's no use in blabbing to the entire world.
Didn't you know that you need proof?
The truth will be revealed no matter what.
Try to reveal it then.
What's so special about your secret kimchi recipe?
Do you enjoy ruining my life and my future?
Are you getting your revenge on me?
The problems that our restaurant has been having lately,
are they related to you at all?
If I did it,
why would I tell you?
Try revealing the truth.
Isn't it hard enough to cover up one lie?
Weren't you all satisfied when my future was ruined the first time?
Stop living in sin.
It's all your fault.
I lost it all again because of you.
-Jin-mi. -Do you think
I'll just let this slide?
You'll pay for this.
Also, watch your mouth.
If you don't, I'll destroy Third Generation Seolleongtang
and Yoogyeong Hospital.
Regarding the INH contract,
tell me every detail of how Third Generation Seolleongtang
got involved in this
and what connections we have to them.
Ms. Kwak, would you like to lose your job?
What?
Ms. Choi will be resigning soon.
If you don't want to follow her, make the right choice now.
Yes, Ms. Seo. I'll tell you everything.
Gun-woo, come here and listen so you'll understand the situation.
Start explaining.
What's the connection between Ms. Choi
and Third Generation Seolleongtang?
It's that family's eldest son.
He used to work at JS Home Shopping but is now unemployed.
You know who that is, right?
Of course.
So where did she get that family's secret recipe?
Look at this. You said you'd never speak to me again,
but here you are.
Is Gun-woo staying at your place?
Gun-woo?
Yes, I told him to stay with us since it looked like he had nowhere to go.
We have a lot of empty rooms.
Dad also loves Gun-woo.
Gun-woo feels the same way I do.
He wants to get Geum-hee Hwang back.
Haven't I been punished long enough?
Just end things with Geum-hee Hwang and come back to me.
Then Gun-woo, the hospital and everything else
can return to normal.
Geum-hee and I will never break up, no matter what happens.
Sung-joon,
remember what I told you last time.
If you keep this up,
I won't leave Geum-hee Hwang alone.
You should remember what I said as well.
No matter who you hurt or what you do,
my feelings won't change.
The more you keep it up, the more you'll hurt yourself.
Sung-joon.
Tell Gun-woo
that I still believe him and I'm waiting.
Are you willing to go this far for your pride?
You came here to ask a favor of me.
That's true. But we have to be on the same page
to make such a request.
You should speak apologetically if you have a request.
You haven't said what you really wanted to
and just insisted that you'll keep on dating her.
How can I grant you a favor when that's all you've said?
FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION DAEJEON BRANCH
Have you figured out what caused the food poisoning?
The clams in that kimchi were rotten.
Clams in kimchi?
Yes, but the kimchi given to the customers
that day at Third Generation Seolleongtang
didn't contain any shellfish
according to my analysis.
So, the people who came to the restaurant supposedly on empty stomach
and suffered from food poisoning after eating the restaurant's food...
They seem to have colluded to falsify their testimony.
I've commissioned the police to investigate again.
I see.
This might be related to other incidents,
so please give us a call if it was proven to be a false testimony.
Yes, please do.
Of course.
-Thank you. -Thank you.
The food poisoning incident was definitely related
to the tip about us using imported bones.
Yes. I didn't think much of it at first,
but after hearing what you said, it seems to be the same culprit.
Since everything will be revealed, things can be resolved soon.
Anyways, Third Generation Seolleongtang will have one less matter to worry about.
Yes, thanks to you.
Have things at the hospital been resolved?
Not yet.
That must be why you look so stressed out.
Really?
Shall we try to do something that we have not tried before?
What haven't we tried yet?
Well it's nothing special to anyone who's already done it,
but just a regular date where we grab a bite to eat
and I win you a stuffed animal
from the crane machine.
Let's go. I've never been on that kind of date.
I never had someone to go with me.
Should you be bragging about that?
When are you going to tell me?
What?
About the letter you got.
Did you already know?
What did he say?
GOONGDONG CATHOLIC CHURCH
I thought life would be nothing but flat valleys.
Now I'm really struggling to go through that dangerous mountains
and strong winds keep coming my way.
Don't make her life any more difficult.
If there's something more she must endure,
I'll endure it for her.
This man who has been by my side at my toughest hour,
I love him and I rely on him.
Because he has chosen me,
he is going through a rigorous trial.
Can a relationship that everyone objects to,
be allowed to continue?
He's lost so much because of me.
Because of me...
I will protect this woman
from anything that would ever make her cry again.
I am
a daughter who has never disobeyed her mother.
It's really like committing a sin to me.
But...
I still can't let go of you.
I know that you're suffering a lot because of me.
But still, I can't let go of this person.
No matter what happens,
I won't let go of this hand.
I might cause a lot of trouble
for my father and those around me,
but I still won't let go of this hand.
No matter what people say behind our backs,
don't look back
and believe in me.
Can you do that for me?
I...
won't leave you no matter what happens.
I promise.
My feelings for you will never change.
I promise.
I didn't do it alone.
Yes.
Make that seolleongtang restaurant go out of business
by any means.
I believe in you and I will wait for you till the very end.
I have a principle to not get my hands dirty
from a mess that I've already cleaned up.
If Mr. Kim and Mom are siblings, then Sung-joon and I...
That was the reason.
Young-joo.
Even if Sung-joon breaks up with Geum-hee, he won't come back to you.
Gun-woo.
Do not be afraid.
Subtitle translation by Christopher Shea