Lee Do-hyun and Ahn Eun-jin reunited in fate. As a result, the viewership rating exceeded 7%.
In the 4th episode of JTBC's Wednesday-Thursday drama 'Bad Mom', which aired on the 4th, the mother and son, Young-soon (played by Ra Mi-ran) and Kang-ho (played by Lee Do-hyun), accepted their changed lives due to an accident as an opportunity given by heaven and set out to find their own lost happiness. In addition, the past history of Kang-ho and Mi-ju (played by Ahn Eun-jin) from their time as lovers to their first meeting with Woo Byeok (played by Choi Moo-seong) was revealed.
The viewership rating for the 4th episode was 7.0% nationwide and 7.6% in the metropolitan area (Nielsen Korea, based on paid households), breaking its own record and taking first place in its time slot. The audience rating for the target 2049 audience was also 2.0%, ranking first across all channels, demonstrating its popularity.
On this day's broadcast, after the car accident, daily life could not be the same as before, but Young-sun worked hard on rehabilitation treatment, dreaming of the day when Kang-ho would stand on his own two feet again. Kang-ho, who remembered the conversation his mother had with the doctor at the hospital before being discharged, thought he had become a 7-year-old fool. Upon hearing that, Young-sun firmly answered no and explained that everyone wants to go back to their childhood, and now they have that opportunity. Therefore, he consoled Kang-ho and himself by saying that they should be happy rather than sad or broken.
When Kang-ho suddenly returned to his hometown due to an accident, Young-soon headed to Seoul to pack his luggage instead. Yeong-sun has been curious about how her son lives, but has not been able to look into it properly. As I looked around the empty officetel, I said to myself, “This is how it has ended up,” which made me feel sad. Young-soon then stopped by the prosecutor's office and encountered the people who came to see Kang-ho. They all shouted together that Kang-ho was a vicious corrupt prosecutor who received kickbacks in exchange for favors, and Yeong-soon started an argument, countering the story that she could not believe or not want to believe.
Kang-ho waited all day for his mother to return. However, Young-sun's mind was complicated and her mind was confused as to how her son, who had a child-like, bright face, had been living all this time. In the end, Young-soon blamed Kang-ho for why he lived so badly and expressed his anger, saying, “Look what you are being punished for for the sins you committed.” In Kang-ho’s memories, there was no trace of him from his time as a prosecutor. Kang-ho, who was crying along with his mother, asked again if it was a punishment rather than an opportunity given by heaven, and Young-sun hugged Kang-ho with her heartbreaking heart, bringing tears to the eyes of those watching.
Kang-ho gradually adapted to life in Jouri Village, where he returned. I became friends with the twin siblings Jeong (played by Kang Mal-geum), Ye-jin (played by Ki So-yu), and Seo-jin (played by Park Da-on) and studied and played together. Meanwhile, Kang-ho lost the twins' beloved chubby cheeks, and while Young-sun was away, he went all over the neighborhood looking for them. But there were no plump cheeks in the persimmon trees, in the rice fields or in the yard of the newly moved uncle Trotbaek (swearing Baek Hyun-jin). It was already late at night, and Kang-ho fell in the dark forest and only then did he discover the plump cheek hanging from the tree.
Kangho went to the twins' house to return the plump ball. However, the person Kang-ho met was Mi-ju, his hometown friend and former lover. Kang-ho's smile disappeared as soon as he saw Mi-ju's complex and subtle face, stimulating curiosity about the two's reunion. Above all, the recollection of Mi-joo losing everything after being defrauded by her business partner Seon-yeong (played by Oh Hani) stimulated interest as the narrative of their past was revealed. It was also revealed that Mi-joo spent a long time together while helping Kang-ho study for the civil service exam during their relationship, so attention is being paid to what changes will occur now that the two people who loved each other broke up and meet again.
Here, Tae-soo (played by Jeong Woong-in) and Woo Byeok played a thrilling game of truth over Kang-ho's accident, adding to the tension. Woo Byeok proved that Kang Ho's accident was a play of the Governor's wife and daughter. Through his minions, he obtained a statement from the wife of the deceased dump truck driver, and also captured circumstances in which the governor's daughter Ha-yeong (played by Hong Bi-ra) was prescribed a large amount of sleeping pills the day before the accident. The fall of a powerful presidential candidate was only a matter of time. Then the governor also took out the card he had been hiding. It is said that Kang-ho is the son of Hae-sik (played by Cho Jin-woong), who died about 30 years ago, and that he knew the secret of her death and deliberately approached his daughter. But Wu Byeok was not embarrassed at all. His twist, in that he already knew Kang-ho's identity and kept him by his side, was once again shocking.
Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr