Staying at home during this period definitely feels different since I don’t have to feel guilty when I spend all day just watching k-dramas. Even if we’re all hiding in our shells, you would have definitely heard of The World of the Married. This show has been in the spotlight for becoming the highest-rated Korean drama in cable television history (Overtaking the previous contender, Sky Castle!) and for some of its controversies. Thankfully, the unique storyline has helped the drama rise above its controversies to become a fan-favourite in Korea and internationally.

The World of the Married is about Ji Sun-Woo, a family medicine doctor, who thinks she has everything – a perfect family and a successful career. But no, her husband, Lee Tae-Oh cheats on her with the daughter of the most powerful family in their district.

Upon first impression, I was confident that this would be another one of those cliché stories. Sun-Woo would be portrayed as a pathetic character who gets completely destroyed, but slowly toughens up for her revenge. But no. In fact, there are so many surprises, it breaks away from the norm and gets me on an emotional rollercoaster. With so many plot twists, it sets itself far above from the rest. These are probably the most significant scenes for me:

1. Sun-Woo sleeps with Jae-Hyuk (Episode 4)

I would have never expected her to sacrifice this much, but this was a powerful move (Cheating on the cheater lol) – especially after Tae-Oh said he doesn’t feel sexually attracted to her. The previous scenes showed how insecure she was as compared to Da-Kyung, so seeing her snap to this sexy and confident woman was definitely unforgettable.

Disappointing the #CLOY fans

For fellow #CLOY fans, this scene and basically the first half of The World of The Married would have angered you, as much as it did for me. The actor who plays Jae-Hyuk (Kim Young-Min) was such a hero and devoted husband in Crash Landing on You, yet he was basically trash in the first half of the show. To quote fellow fans, he should just return to North Korea. Although, he did redeem himself to become a cute and devoted husband at the end.

2. Joon-Young’s ‘Death’ (Episode 6)

I thought Joon-Young would understand the situation and at least support his mother. I almost lost it when this conversation happened.

Sun-Woo: You know… why I’m acting like this, don’t you?

Joon-Young: It’s because Dad has another woman, right? So what? What about it?

Sun-Woo: He betrayed us. You know everything, don’t you?

Joon-Young: He betrayed you, not me.

Initial thoughts included infuriation, creating my impression of Joon-Young as a useless and selfish son. But, when Sun-Woo lost control of her emotions and held him near the edge of the cliff, boy was I worried.

“You can’t see Joon-Young anymore. You shouldn’t have talked about my mom.”

Sun-Woo to Tae-Oh.

It was later revealed that it was an act cleverly planned by Sun-Woo to get Tae-Oh away from Joon-Young. Nevertheless, this scene really showed Tae-Oh’s love for his son, and how Joon-Young changed from wanting to stay with his dad to wanting to get away from his dad – which was a crucial part for the story to continue and develop.

PS: Joon-Young eventually redeemed himself from my terrible first impression in Episode 16. When Sun-Woo received a letter with their family photo tore up, Joon-Young took it (despite Sun-Woo hiding it) and said, “If he does this again, just report him to the cops.”

3. Sun-Woo’s Attempt at Suicide (Episode 14)

You have to admit this scene definitely made you shed a tear or maybe cry buckets like I did. Throughout the story, we have seen Sun-Woo put up a strong front and basically showing everyone else she’s Queen. But in this scene, we get to see the side of her that she’s been hiding, the side where she’s breaking apart.

This scene made the news since it was a dangerous situation during filming where the actors could have drowned and needed rescuing from the strong waves. While the safety of the actors should have been prioritised, I thought this scene was significant because of it. The strong and large waves emphasised the setbacks and challenges she has been through and has been shielding. It also contradicted with the music which showed what Sun-Woo was feeling as she walked through the waves without a care – freedom and peace.

Kudos to the editing for this scene. The impact of this scene was fully delivered during the transition from a young Sun-Woo to Joon-Young in funeral clothes along with this statement: “How could a mother leave her daughter behind like this?”. As a viewer, I felt her waking up to reality – her son, Joon-Young.

4. It’s over, Tae-Oh. (Episode 16)

Throughout the episodes, Joon-Young is usually absent when things are about to go down. In Episode 16, finally, he gets involved and gets to hear things straight from his parents. This scene is not as intense as the previous ones, BUT this scene showed a lot. Tae-Oh has become this pathetic character, and quite delusional. Joon-Young has snapped back into reality because not once did he waver when Tae-Oh suggested a reconciliation. The moment that we have all been waiting for. With this scene, viewers may think Sun-Woo has finally let go of Tae-Oh and moved on as she tells Tae-Oh to wake up. Although the scene after this will probably counter-refute this, but this scene was significant.

And those are my top four most significant scenes from the drama, The World of the Married. But if we’re being honest, there are so many significant scenes and clever plot twists. Without a doubt, this drama definitely deserves the success it is receiving. From the pre-production to the editing and choice of music, they have definitely impressed me as an audience. Its intense choice of sound effects and music really emphasises the unpredictable storyline and cliffhanger endings.

The World of the Married will definitely make you feel all sorts of emotions and deserves to go on your list of dramas to watch. As an audience, I was on the edge of my seat through the episodes. One thing to say – expect way more than your typical husband-wife fight and adultery dramas.

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