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Sep 01, 2023

The Good Bad Mother

Episode 10 of The Good Bad Mother begins with Young-soon burning everything

Episode 10 of The Good Bad Mother begins with Young-soon burning everything including the flash drive. Suddenly, some men arrive and start beating Kang-ho. She is shocked and Director Song walks up to her. He is furious that Kang-ho was planning to take him down and Young-soon begs him for mercy. Kang-ho suddenly stands up as if he has regained his memory and Young-soon suddenly gets up from what actually was a nightmare.

Her symptoms are getting worse and the doctor suggests hospitalisation. She says later as she still has work left and goes home to inform Kang-ho that they are restarting the pig farm. He is excited and she says he is the new owner. He wonders about his job as a prosecutor and she tells him not to go back to his old life. He is confused as the locals pray for him to get better and become a prosecutor again while she, who made his childhood hell to make him one, now doesn't want him to go down that path again.

Meanwhile, Sam-sik successfully sells Sung-ae's luxury bag but it is only enough to pay 20% of his debt. The owner gives him till the end of the week and he's frustrated. At that moment, his father arrives and tells him that the Rural Development officers are impressed with his lettuce farm with So and Cha.

A confused Sam-sik wonders where the two men are and it cuts to them hiding in the shed since Kang-ho and Young-soon went there to burn his files. They are locked in and the next day, Lion tries to dig under the shed. But Kang-ho stops the piglet and covers the hole with a brick while Ye-jin is impressed by his strength. Inside, the two men are at their wit's end when Mr. Bang calls Cha about an interview the Rural Development wants to do with them on their farm. Excited and upset about having to miss it, Cha breaks open the shed and runs out while a flabbergasted So follows.

Meanwhile, the locals are having a feast while making alcohol for the coming year and Young-soon joins them. She tells them that she feels bad that they leave her out even if it is out of consideration since she has so much on her plate. They cheerfully invite her and Kang-ho for all the local gatherings and Young-soon uses it as an opportunity to ask Chief Son to set her son up with a girl. She says he will never go back to being a prosecutor and may be happy starting a family in Jouri and the locals are confused but excited to help.

At Mi-joo's, Ye-jin dreams about marrying Kang-ho and makes a drawing. Her mother is shocked while her grandmother almost lets it slip that Kang-ho is looking for a suitable match before shutting up as she sees Mi-joo's crestfallen face.

As for Hoon-ah, he reaches his agency to see that they have run away with his money. All of his investors are upset and push him to get their money back while he is stunned at the turn of events.

It's much more cheerful in Jouri as the locals get together to dress up Kang-ho. They do his hair, dress him up in a suit and tie that Mi-joo had customized when they were dating. They even hype him up in front of potential matches by accompanying him on the dates. Unfortunately, he keeps behaving as a child by playing with his drink and mentioning that he's 7 years old.

The dates all walk off by calling him an idiot and the locals are indignant on his behalf. They assure Young-soon they’ll find a nice girl but Kang-ho can only think about Mi-joo. After his last flopped date, he surreptitiously tries to get Young-soon to buy pesticide. She figures that he wants to show off his new look to Mi-joo and he runs off to the shop. However, at that moment, Mi-joo is being harassed by a male customer who is known for pestering girls in the town.

Before the man can hit her, Kang-ho shows up and breaks them apart. She acts like he is her boyfriend and tells him to arrest the man. He says that he is not a prosecutor but he suddenly sees a bike coming towards Mi-joo. He regains the memory of her getting into the accident before his bar exam. He saves her by pushing her out of the way, but hurts his head. She is worried but he remembers more of that incident and kisses her as he says the same thing as the last time that he can take his bar exam the next time. She is shocked but kisses him back while Young-soon spots them from afar.

Back home, Young-soon is dazed while Kang-ho is busy drawing hearts on the farm walls. She sees that his head is bleeding and he tells her of the incident at the nail salon. He suddenly repeats what she had said all those years ago, of abandoning Mi-joo since she had not died from the accident and taking his exam. The current Kang-ho has no idea why he says it but Young-soon realizes he must have been deeply hurt back then. She hopes that Kang-ho doesn't get all of his memories till he is married and settled. That will stop him from taking his revenge which would destroy him. Meanwhile, Mi-joo is drinking at the gazebo as she is annoyed with herself for kissing Kang-ho. He walks by and greets her casually which irks her. He says it is because he likes her and she is surprised. He then points out she has seaweed on her lips and she is embarrassed as he walks off.

The next day, Kang-ho notices the yellow nail paint Mi-joo had painted on his bleeding nail after fixing it. Young-soon tries to cut it but he makes an excuse and runs off. Andrea shows up and says he can set Kang-ho up with his classmate and Young-soon is excited. As the locals once again dress up to become Kang-ho's wingmen, Sam-sik learns about it from his mother and is confused. As they go to meet the girl, they realise that Kang-ho isn't with them. Young-soon says she wants to meet the girl first in case she rejects him too and the locals cheer her up that he's a good match.

Alone at home, Kang-ho keeps thinking about Mi-joo parading him as a prosecutor during the nail salon incident while Young-soon keeps telling him to run a pig farm. At that moment, Sam-sik shows up with alcohol and they hang out. Kang-ho is wary at first but he gives in and they get drunk. As they talk, he reveals that he wants to be a prosecutor and Sam-sik decides to help him. He says he needs to be a jerk and have handcuffs which he can get for Kang-ho for free. In return, he wants a gift like an engagement ring. Poor Kang-ho perks up as he remembers the diamond set that Young-soon has, but is sad as it is kept aside for his fiancee. He reasons that a fiancee is a friend and Sam-sik declares himself as Kang-ho's fiancee.

Elsewhere, the cops find Hwang's dead body, a fake passport and 30 million won in her bag. They wonder if it's an accident or murder as nothing is missing. Song as well wonders what is up with Kang-ho as So or Cha have not checked in with him for a while.

As for the blind date, it goes swimmingly and the girl is interested. She asks for a video of him and Geum-ja shows one where Seo-jin records Kang-ho drawing Mi-joo and Young-soon is troubled. However, the date likes Kang-ho and everyone is excited. But Young-soon suddenly gets a call from the police station. The locals rush to see Sam-sik in handcuffs and the diamond set. Chief Son is upset as the village had almost gone 20 years without any crime and he would have been awarded for it. But before Sam-sik's parents can beat him up, Kang-ho appears and says he gifted the set to him. The older boy is delighted but his face again falls when Kang-ho explains it is because he is his fiancee while everyone looks awkward.

At home, Young-soon is annoyed at his trusting nature. Kang-ho chooses that moment to say he wants to be a prosecutor and says it is because of Mi-joo. She is upset and tries to hit him but he stops her. He says he endured all of her torture like being thrown in the water till he walked because he wanted to make her happy but for once, he wants to do something for himself. Young-soon is surprised and then decides to meet with Mi-joo. She explains that Kang-ho doesn't understand that Mi-joo is married to someone in USA and asks for her help. She says she is running out of time and Kang-ho needs to marry the blind date. Mi-joo finds it suspicious and presses on till Young-soon reveals that he needs someone to take care of him as she will be dying soon. As a shocked Mi-joo walks home, she remembers the day Kang-ho broke up with her because he needed to do something.

It is the same day she finds out she is pregnant with the twins. She tries to date again but decides to wait for Kang-ho till he does whatever he needs to do despite loving her. But she's broke as she cannot work. One day, while on a dispute with a landlord who gives away her apartment to someone else, she spots Kang-ho. She also overhears that he has been stalking Ha-young and is now dating her for her money and connections. She is upset and leaves her twins at Geum-ja's till she can fend for herself.

Back in the present, she tells all of this to Geum-ja who warns her not to get with Kang-ho as it will be difficult to take care of an adult all their lives. She cries at their luck but Mi-joo suddenly wonders why they are pitiful. She says she should have told everyone involved and decides to reveal the truth. The next day, she dresses up the twins and takes them to Kang-ho's place while Young-soon tries to get him to meet with the blind date.

From the beginning of The Good Bad Mother, viewers have been getting an inkling that the twins’ father is someone they know – if not Kang-ho then maybe Sam-sik. The fact that it is indeed Kang-ho is bittersweet as all three have been robbed of each other for so long but have finally been reunited albeit under different circumstances. Seo-jin already thinks of him as his father while Ye-jin's new obsession with Kang-ho might get a little awkward.

It will definitely be exciting to see how they react once Mi-joo tells them the truth, if she does. But as K-dramas go, the truth might also be revealed a tad bit dramatically such as Kang-ho finding out from someone else or overhearing it.