Yoo Oh-seong, Ji Chang-wook and Shin Hye-sun give permission to date

JTBC's Saturday-Sunday drama 'Welcome to Samdali' surpassed 10% in viewership ratings, with Yoo Oh-seong, who was opposed to Ji Chang-wook and Shin Hye-sun's love, finally allowing them.

According to Nielsen Korea, a viewership rating research company, on the 15th, the viewership rating for the 14th episode of JTBC's Saturday-Sunday drama 'Welcome to Samdali', which aired the previous day, was 10.1% nationwide and 10.8% in the metropolitan area. As a result, 'Welcome to Samdali' once again broke its own highest viewership rating and maintained its place as the top weekend mini-series.

On this day's broadcast, Sam-dal (played by Shin Hye-seon), who realized that Yong-pil (played by Ji Chang-wook) had been silently in love with her for eight years after their breakup and that he had never been by her side, finally declared, "I don't want to have unrequited love." Their love has become stronger to the point where they decide not to let go of their hands like before, even though Sang Tae (played by Yoo Oh-seong), who was the reason they broke up 8 years ago, continues to object.

Of course, I promised to hold Dad Sangtae’s hand tightly. So, I continued to show and let Sangtae know how much they were in love. Yongpil said sincerely, "For Jo Yongpil, it's okay to be anything but Josamdal. Just as it wasn't necessary for Jo Sangtae to be anything other than Bumija. Bumija, whom my father loved all his life and can't forget, is Samdal to me." He said sincerely, "I may not be as good as my mother, but look at myself now." I earnestly begged to differ. Samdal, who always felt intimidated when he saw Sangtae, held Yongpil's hand tighter in front of Sangtae and greeted him bravely.

Go Mi-ja (played by Kim Mi-kyung) also made up her mind. Because of his guilt, he couldn't even say his friend's name out loud for over 20 years, and he cried secretly under the blanket every night, but he couldn't make his innocent daughter become a sinner like him. So, as always, I made Sangtae's favorite vegetable salad without cucumbers, sea urchin and seaweed soup, and fern, and this time I went to his house and prepared breakfast.

No matter how angry Sang-tae stabbed her with harsh words, Mija did not give in, saying, "Why can't you cook and feed your son? If you're going to eat it for dinner, just heat up soup from the refrigerator and eat it." Pan-sik (played by Seo Hyeon-cheol), another Mija-wannagi, also helped out. Pan-sik, who knows better than anyone else the sadness that he had been suppressing alone without being able to reveal it to anyone, even got into a physical fight with Sang-tae and told him how much pain Go Mi-ja had been in. As his sons Yongpil, Mija, and Pansik began to vent one by one the feelings they had been holding in, Sangtae's state of mind became more complicated.

It felt like the wall in my heart that seemed like it would never fall down was starting to become soft little by little. However, he suddenly took leave from work, packed his bags, and went to the temple where his wife's memorial tablet was kept. Yongpil's heart sank when he saw his father's room empty, including all his clothes and pictures of his mother. I was hoping that my father would now see my heart, which had been rotting and crumbling after enduring it over and over again for the past 8 years, but seeing him enter the temple without saying a word, I thought that was not the case. Yongpil was frustrated because he didn't know what else he could do to change his father's mind.

It took three months to do this. I went to the temple where Sangtae was located and confessed what I really wanted to say. During the past three months, I have never felt disgusted or scared of Sang-tae. It was because I knew very well that it was because I loved my wife too much. However, it was very upsetting to see that Sang-tae, who had always been very fond of herself and said, “Samdal, let’s be my friend,” turned into a person who hated herself from that day on. However, Samdal, who understands that this is an inevitable situation, expressed his firm will, saying, “I will hold hands with Yongpil and wait.”

Samdal's eyes sparkled beautifully as he said, "I've always only liked Yongpil. I'll probably only like Yongpil for the rest of my life. Until I get old and die." Through those eyes, Sangtae saw himself loving Bumija back in the day. Like the hackberry tree that blocks the heat and provides shade even when the villagers don't pay attention to it, he was a young man who wooed me by saying, "Even if you don't take care of me, I will only care about you for the rest of my life. I will never get tired of it until I die of old age." He finally acknowledged that Yongpil and Samdal loved each other as much as he did.

On that path, Sangtae ran towards Samdal, which was far away. Yongpil, who had come to visit the temple, was there with Samdal. Sang Tae shouted at the two people with a bright smile, “I like you, Sorang Heo.” In fact, Sangtae had already chewed the soup and side dishes that Mija had prepared before coming to the temple for the first time and was breaking down the wall in his heart. Smiles filled with joy also appeared on the faces of Yongpil and Samdal, who were now able to love each other with confidence.

Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr