Split
In the aftermath of Seo-A’s tantrum, episode 27 of Homemade Love Story begins with Na-Ro arriving just as Jae-Hee and Chae-Woon wait for a taxi. He quickly takes Seo-A off Jae-Hee and the foursome drive away while Soon-Jung invites the chairwoman and Jung-Hoo in. Inside the villa, Jung-Hoo cheerfully talks to the chairwoman. He explains that his son lives there and is dating Chae-Woon. The chairwoman mentions that it is Seo-A he is dating but Jung-Hoo sets her straight. He innocently mentions how happy she must be that her long lost granddaughter is back. The chairwoman has no other choice but to lie and agree. After the chairwoman leaves, Soon-Jung and Jung-Hoo catch up. He admits that his memories came back in the hospital but he didn’t want to say anything as he missed being James. He asks her not to tell the other residents yet as he wants to tell them himself – and also be able to drop by whenever he wants. Outside, the chairwoman runs into Min-Jae and is surprised to have seen both her and her husband in one day. Min-Jae comes inside the villa too and is surprised to see Jung-Hoo there. Both him and Soon-Jung quickly tell her that he is there to see Hwak-Se but, feeling a little awkward, tells them she won’t stay. Meanwhile, Na-Ro, Jae-Hee and Chae-Woon bring Seo-A home. Ms Kim is surprised to see the four of them together so Chae-Woon explains that they all ended up in the same place. Defying everyone, Seo-A decides to take Na-Ro on the balcony and leaves her mother with Jae-Hee and Chae-Woon. While the three have tea together, Na-Ro knows that he will have to stay until Jae-Hee leaves. Seo-A likes how clever he is and tells him that the more time they spend together, the more anxious Jae-Hee will be. Na-Ro would like her to think about him as a person though and not as bait against Jae-Hee as he wants her to like him the way he likes her. Just as both boys leave the house, Jae-Hee receives a text from his detective friend who has found out that Na-Ro served time with Pil-Hong. He quickly confronts him of course, but Na-Ro dismisses him. Back in the villa, Min-Jae leaves with Jung-Hoo and suggests that he could now have split personalities since he got his memories back. Jung-Hoo laughs it off but she insists, especially when he starts smiling at the sight of Hwak-Se’s restaurant. On their way back home, Man-Jung and Hwak-Se deny that they are dating to Ba-Reun and Ra-Hoon. Man-Jung is more adamant than Hwak-Se though and acts offended. When they ask the young couple if they are dating too, Ba-Reun happily says yes but Ra-Hoon denies it, which upsets her. In the villa, Ra-Hoon feels bad and Hwak-Se understands Ba-Reun as he should remember his place while Man-Jung regrets acting so offended earlier. Jung-Hoo walks Min-Jae to her house and notices how different her house looks. She tells him she never had fun when they were married, which makes him slowly realize how hard she had to work in the past. They then sit together and start gossiping about what is going on with the chairwoman, Jung-Won and Soon-Jung. Jung-Hoo quickly goes back to his grumpy self though when Min-Jae becomes jealous of how he is around Soon-Jung, so he leaves abruptly. Jae-Hee calls Chae-Woon and suggests meeting in the morning before work. Remembering the night, Chae-Woon almost refuses but eventually accepts. Jung-Hoo calls Jae-Hee after he hangs up as he is having problem with his heater. When Jae-Hee tries fixing it, he accidentally calls him James which makes him act very kindly. He quickly changes back though when he realizes what’s happening. They then talk about the chairwoman and Soon-Jung about how suspicious they both are. Jae-Hee then asks about the past so Jung-Hoo explains how they all used to live in the same neighbourhood. Jae-Hee starts to realize that Soon-Jung could have been his dad’s first love and teases him about it. Back in the villa, Jun-A calls Hae-Deun to ask her if she has thought about his offer. He tells her about his idea of an online shop and mentions giving people styling tips. This seems to interest Hae-Deun who mentions that she is really good with make-up and hair. However, she quickly changes her mind and hangs up. The next day during breakfast, most of the residents are very quiet prompting Soon-Jung to ask them why. Hwak-Se and Man-Jung make up some excuses but there is definite tension in the air. Man-Jung receives an email reminder that she is doing her yearly volunteering at a prison. Suddenly, she finally remembers that this is where she knew Na-Ro from as he was an inmate she treated. Jae-Hee meets with Chae-Woon and the two have breakfast together. They discuss Jung-Hoo’s different behaviour so Chae-Woon suggests that James could be his alter ego. Jae-Hee then mentions the chairwoman visiting her mother and the text she sent. This makes Chae-Woon even more determined to find out what the woman is hiding so the two head out together. Chae-Woon arrives in the chairwoman’s apartment and confronts her about tormenting her mother. She demands to know why she is getting her mother to blame herself for the kidnapping. The chairwoman tells her that everything she did was to protect her daughter, which proves to Chae-Woon that there is more to the story. Afterwards, Chae-Woon relays her discussion to Jae-Hee, who agrees that the chairwoman is hiding something. The two head to the construction site where Chae-Woon meets Pil-Hong for the first time. Jae-Hee then takes her aside to show her what his detective friend has sent him: a picture of Pil-Hong. In a flashback, we see that Pil-Hong was there when the letter was dropped off and has managed to swap the pictures over with someone’s else. The episode ends with Na-Ro arriving at the construction site as he is looking for someone just as he faces Pil-Hong, which is where the episode ends.
The Episode Review
Pil-Hong is certainly worming his way in Chae-Woon’s life and while his scheme seemed to be working, he will now have Na-Ro to face. I am sure the latter will be using him to his advantage as he has become quite the schemer with Seo-A in tow. Speaking of evil characters, the chairwoman almost spilt the truth when Chae-Woon came to confront her. I think it won’t be long until we find out the truth and surely we can expect some very dramatic scenes to come. What started as a fun and unplanned double date, unfortunately didn’t end very well for both new couples. Ra-Hoon denied that him and Ba-Reun were dating as he still thinks he is not good enough since he doesn’t attend college. Hwak-Se also feels the same way because of Man-Jung’s position. The latter really felt guilty with her reaction and I do hope all four will reconcile soon. Jung-Hoo is still feeling very torn with his life but we can see more of “James” coming through. He is starting to realize how his behaviour has affected others and slowly starts regretting it. I am really enjoying this story and how his character has evolved since the beginning. Homemade Love Story is definitely a drama that grows on you, especially thanks to its diverse characters and warm and enjoyable storyline
