JTBC‘s Sat-Sun drama ‘Quiet Sales’ Yeon Woo-jin and Kim Sung-ryung had a tearful reunion as mother and son after 30 years. The viewership ratings were 5.7% nationwide and 5.8% in the metropolitan area. (Provided by Nielsen Korea, based on paid households)

In episode 11 of JTBC’s Sat-Sun drama ‘Quiet Sales’ (directed by Jo Woong, written by Choi Bo-rim) that aired on the 16th, it was revealed that the biological mother that Kim Do-hyun (played by Yeon Woo-jin) was desperately searching for was Oh Geum-hee (played by Kim Sung-ryung). In Geum-hee‘s storage, Han Jeong-sook (played by Kim So-yeon) was troubled after discovering the same baby jacket that Do-hyun wore when he was adopted, and eventually confessed the situation, and Do-hyun also became convinced after discovering the small rabbit embroidery on the back of the baby jacket that Geum-hee said was her signature.

Contrary to expectations, the two mothers’ passionate meeting did not happen. When Do-hyun came to her with the baby jacket, Geum-hee was flustered and did not want to admit it, saying, “I don‘t know.” However, when Do-hyun asked her the last reason for throwing it away, she said, “I fell in love without thinking and got pregnant by mistake. There is no heartbreaking story,” and coldly said, “So don’t be regretful and just live forward. I want to live quietly, too.”

Do-hyun accepted the situation calmly. He had imagined meeting his mother hundreds of times, but he was not always welcomed in those imaginations. Do-hyun, who had calmed down and thought that things were better than expected, also organized the data he had collected in the basement. However, Jeong-sook, who knew better than anyone that Do-hyun had hoped that maybe he had not been abandoned and that his parents were desperately looking for him while investigating the serial kidnapping of children, was heartbroken by his efforts to act calm.

Geum-hee also had her own circumstances. Do-hyun was the child she had before marriage, and her husband Choi Won-bong (played by Kim Won-hae) did not know this fact. So, even though he seemed cold and resentful, he decided that it was right for them to live their lives as they had. However, it turned out that Won-bong already knew. In the early days of their marriage, he found baby clothes and a doll among Geum-hee‘s belongings, and when he saw Geum-hee, who had said she would not have children like a new woman, her eyes would get moist whenever she saw a baby, he guessed what was going on. He said, “If I’m the one holding you back from making up your mind, then you don‘t have to do it,” and comforted Geum-hee, who must have been struggling alone. Geum-hee, grateful for her husband’s deep love and in pain, cried in Won-bong‘s arms.

In the meantime, Do-hyun, who thought he was fine, finally broke down. His body became a ball of fire due to severe body aches, and he did not get better easily despite Jeong-sook’s devoted nursing, saying, “I will do it for you, a strong and unchanging partner in the world.” Do-hyun suffered from the same nightmare again, and finally saw the face of a mysterious woman whose identity he could not identify. When he opened his eyes, Geum-hee was there, wiping away his cold sweat, whether it was a dream or reality.

Geum-hee, who received Won-bong‘s strong comfort, went to see Do-hyun, who was sick, and took care of him in Jeong-sook’s place. She cried to Do-hyun, who was confused and didn‘t know what to do, saying, “I don’t think I was able to say what I really wanted to say,” and sincerely apologized, saying, “I‘m so sorry about everything, Mom.” Only then did the dam of emotions that Do-hyun had been holding back broke. Do-hyun cried like a baby in the arms of his ‘mother’ Geum-hee, who was embracing him. The viewers also cried along with the tearful ending of the mother and son’s reunion that had finally happened after a long, long time.

In that day‘s broadcast, the romance between ‘Geumje’s Kim Wan-sun and Sim-shin, the couple of the century’ Lee Joo-ri (played by Lee Se-hee) and Eom Dae-geun (played by Kim Jung-jin) was in jeopardy. Their mother Heo Young-ja (played by Jung Young-joo) caught them on a date at home. Young-ja handed Joo-ri an envelope with a contract and shouted, “If you‘re not going to break up, get out of the store right now”, urging them to break up. She also did something you would only see in dramas: pouring water on her with a glass of water. Dae-geun, who tried to stop this, said, “I can’t stand people doing things to our Joo-ri,” and stood on Joo-ri‘s side, and the two were kicked out. There is growing curiosity about whether Joo-ri and Dae-geun, who faced the obstacle of Young-ja’s strong opposition, will be able to overcome it with the power of love and have a happy ending, and about the direction of their romance.

The final episode of ‘Quiet Sales’ will air on JTBC today (the 17th), Sunday at 10:30 PM.

Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com reporter jhj@donga.com