Strap on in, because “Wedding Impossible” finally delves into the mind of our enigmatic female lead this week. We’ve seen Lee Ji Han (Moon Sang Min) pursue, argue with, and generally antagonize Na Ah Jung (Jeon Jong Seo) for weeks now. So when he turns over a new leaf and starts being ridiculously kind, she has no idea what to do with him. Still, why is it that she’s having trouble with continuing the charade as her wedding with Lee Do Han (Kim Do Wan) looms closer? And why is it that despite everything Ji Han’s saying, she can’t help but think that he’s lying about being happy for her? Here are four times where Ah Jung wanted to stop lying and one time she did!
Note: spoilers for episodes 7-8 of below.
1. Lies that she’s fine: When Ji Han kept calling her “sister-in-law”
Ji Han is firmly convincing himself that he’s done meddling in Ah Jung’s and Do Han’s lives. He’s determined to be zen about all of this and failing miserably, especially when Ah Jung ends up having to come and live with them after her identity is leaked to the press by Ji Han and Do Han’s vengeful half-sister Choi Seung Ah (Park Ah In). Ji Han absolutely hates this turn of events, but instead of avoiding Ah Jung, he goes out of his way to be polite and helpful. And she hates it.
Somewhere along the way, Ah Jung’s grown to enjoy Ji Han’s constant nagging. They bring out the worst in each other, true. But they’ve seen each other at different lows and like what they’ve found there. So she can tell that Ji Han’s hiding something under this bright-and-happy “Yay, you’re my sister-in-law” facade. She’s direct about it too, asking him whether he really, truly is okay with the marriage all of a sudden, and when he lies that he is, it’s her confidence that crumbles. Trying to win Ji Han’s approval gave her something to focus on instead of the huge changes that’ll be taking over her life soon. Now, she’s got to face that she’s going to be married to LJ Group’s heir. This will alter her life, her career prospects, the years after her divorce immensely. And Ah Jung gets cold feet. She lies to Ji Han that she’s fine, but he doesn’t buy it either.
2. Lies that she’s fine: When her sister found out about the fake marriage
Those cold feet only grow icier when her sister Na Soo Jung (Moon Seung Yoo) discovers Ah Jung and Do Han’s wedding contract. She’s furious that Ah Jung’s doing something this insane. Ah Jung tries to justify it, using all the doors that this could open for her, but Soo Jung equally points out all the doors this could close. If any of this ever came to light, Ah Jung can kiss her career as an actress or any chance of work in Korea goodbye. LJ isn’t an enemy you want to make.
After Soo Jung’s departure, Ah Jung is more conflicted than ever. There’s still time to break things off and walk away from all this. She wants to talk to Do Han about her nerves, but he’s too excited about how much she’s going to save his behind. He gushes about how he’ll be the best husband and take such good care of her. But while Do Han feels comfortable spilling everything to Ah Jung, he doesn’t take into account that it makes it harder for her to unload to him. Do Han’s so busy acting like Ah Jung has solved his problems that he isn’t asking if he’s solving hers. Only Ji Han notices her turmoil and says that it’s never too late to change her mind but encourages her to stick with the decision she’s made (thinking that she wants to marry Do Han but is just scared).
When she asks again if he’s really okay with this marriage, he agrees. She knows something is wrong and that they both see it in each other, but she doesn’t know what to do, so she lies that she’s fine.
3. Lies that she’s fine: When Ji Han pulled her out of her dress-fitting
Ah Jung’s numb throughout her wedding fitting, and Do Han couldn’t care less about any of the dresses because he thinks they all look great on her. But it isn’t the happy fairytale sort of fitting that she envisioned for herself, which is why she’s so shocked when she emerges wearing yet another dress and finds Ji Han, who pulls her outside and suddenly asks her to end this marriage.
She doesn’t understand what’s made him flip-flop all of a sudden. But Do Han’s ex Jung Dae Hyeon (Shin Yong Beom) has made his move. Alas, we have a gay character who’s a villain, which, coupled with how badly the drama is painting Do Han, isn’t sitting well. Dae Hyeon wants to make Do Han’s life miserable and outs him to Ji Han. To Ji Han’s credit, he flips on Dae Hyeon for daring to tell him something private that his brother hadn’t been able to say yet. He says he doesn’t care who Do Han has dated in the past and storms out. But his first thought is Ah Jung because he thinks she doesn’t know.
He doesn’t want to out his brother to her (good for him!), but now he has a crucial reason for why this marriage can’t happen. His brother won’t ever be what Ah Jung needs. Poor guy has no clue that Ah Jung knows all of this. Ah Jung sees that he’s earnest and is shaken but says she has to go through with the wedding. Meanwhile, Do Han’s frantic, wondering where Ah Jung is, and she blames herself when he’s about to blame Ji Han. She chalks it up to nerves, but Do Han doesn’t ask about those nerves and instead focuses more about how he was worried about her safety. Only Ji Han seems to notice and care that she’s rethinking her decision. And Ah Jung realizes to her horror that perhaps the reason she doesn’t mind when he seeks her out or even argues for the 100th time that this marriage shouldn’t happen is because she likes him.
She doesn’t know what to do besides keeping away from Ji Han (the same thing he did when he realized it too!). So she returns home and lies to her concerned family that she’s fine.
4. Lies that she’s fine: When Chae Won made a move on Ji Han
Ji Han’s back on his “this marriage can’t happen” train, but this time he has good reason. He thinks his brother is using Ah Jung, and he’s prepared to do everything to rescue her. His first goal: to win over Ah Jung. He needs her to know that he isn’t doing this out of spite, but he can’t tell her the real reason either. Ah Jung takes a side-character gig in a drama just to feel like her old self, and Ji Han shows up with a food truck for the staff. He cheers her on in every scene and is the most supportive sweetheart. These two are so messy but likeable in that they have big hearts.
Ah Jung secretly enjoys his company but doesn’t say anything. Her contract with Do Han is starting to feel like a shackle. She can’t be honest with anyone, has no one she can vent to besides her sister, and is falling for the guy who’ll soon be her brother-in-law. And when Ji Han drops her at Do Han’s and they find Yoon Chae Won (Bae Yoon Kyung) waiting there, things only get worse. Chae Won’s long picked up that Ji Han has feelings for Ah Jung and determined to mark him as hers. She tells Ah Jung that they’re in talks for marriage themselves and that she has every intention of making Ji Han hers. Ah Jung quietly looks gutted, and Chae Won feels ridiculous herself. At dinner, she asks Ji Han if he really feels nothing for Ah Jung. When he lies that he doesn’t, she calls him a coward and points out that what she just did was embarrassing as heck, but at least she doesn’t hide.
Ah Jung’s about to stop hiding herself and admit that she’s having second thoughts to Do Han. But Do Han admits that he was scared after Dae Hyeon called him and hinted that he’d spilled the beans to someone. He thanks Ah Jung for always being on his side. And she wilts and hides her turmoil once more and lies that she’s fine.
5. Truth: When Ji Han confessed
Fresh off Chae Won dealing him some common sense, Ji Han comes home and confronts Do Han about being selfish. At first, this seems like an odd argument because Ji Han hasn’t done anything right either. But the picture that emerges is one that I wish we could have had sooner because it puts Ji Han’s actions in context. Ji Han’s always blamed himself for causing their parents’ death (for reasons we’ll find out in the penultimate episodes probably). He’s sought to make amends for it every day of his life, eschewing all ambition in favor of placing his brother on LJ’s throne. Do Han never said anything indicating that he didn’t want that throne and was happy to go along with the plan until five years ago when he up and vanished to New York without telling even Ji Han. This whole time, Ji Han’s been thinking that his brother left because he didn’t trust him enough to tell him where or why he was going. But LJ’s heirs are supposed to have a position within the company. Seung Ah and the rest of Ji Han and Do Han’s half-siblings do. Ji Han’s worked his way up to one himself. It’s only Do Han who’s been running away from his problems for years. And he’s still running.
This is information that could have been introduced earlier because it shows us who both brothers really are. Facing playing the role of a straight businessmen forever, of course Do Han would run. His secret was so huge that it makes sense that he would bear its weight in pained silence. And Ji Han has spent his entire life people pleasing and trying to win his grandfather’s approval, so he genuinely can’t understand why his brother doesn’t want to do the same. Do Han punches him, but Ji Han doesn’t return the blow saying that it’s fine if he lies to him, but what did Ah Jung do to deserve being lied to? Do Han pales, realizing that Ji Han knows.
I wish Ji Han would just sit and empathize with his brother for a second, but nope. He’s off to find Ah Jung. She doesn’t want to take his call but can’t resist going to him anyway and exclaiming over the bruise on his face. And that’s when Ji Han wearily tells her why he’s so opposed to this marriage. He doesn’t expect her to reciprocate. She’s shown no signs of that, but he likes her. His scheme backfired completely. Ah Jung’s first reaction is the right one. She whispers that he’s crazy and storms off. Ji Han sadly prepares to leave when she comes rushing up the road and goes through all five stages of grief from anger to acceptance.
She yells at him, saying she’s held herself back so much and now it’s all ruined. And before Ji Han can process that, she kisses him.
And when she withdraws, he goes in this time.
Well. This would be much cuter if it weren’t for the ominous cloud over these proceedings. Ah Jung’s too far gone and too committed to her marriage with Do Han for any relationship with Ji Han to work at this point. Is Ji Han worried at all at how quickly Ah Jung fell for him given that he thinks she was seriously in love with his brother? How are they to get out of any of this with their families? Meanwhile, Seung Ah is teaming up with the shady reporter, who insists that he wasn’t responsible for her mother’s death, to bring down Do Han and Ji Han. She’s a fascinating character, the perennially overlooked brilliant daughter who should have control of the company but is forced to clean up behind the men in her family. Then, there’s LJ patriarch Hyun Dae Ho (Kwon Hae Hyo), who seems to know much more about the car accident that killed his daughter than he’s letting on and was there that night. None of this bodes well. But for now, our very messy couple is together. And for the first time, they both finally look happy.
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Shalini_A is a long time Asian-drama addict. When not watching dramas, she fangirls over Ji Sung, and spins thrillers set in increasingly fantastic worlds. Follow her on X and Instagram, and feel free to ask her anything!
Currently watching: “Queen of Tears,” “The Midnight Studio,” “Flex x Cop,” and “Wedding Impossible.”
Looking forward to: “Ask the Stars,” “Sweet Home 3,” “Gyeongseong Creature 2,” and “Connection.”