Synopsis

“Marry My Husband” (“Marry”), based on the Naver series webtoon by the same name by Sungsojak, is a revenge story about Kang Ji Won (Park Min Young), a terminally ill cancer patient who discovers her husband and best friend are having an affair.  Ji Won discovers the affair and realizes that the two are maliciously waiting for her to die so that they can collect her insurance money.  When her husband, Park Min Hwan (Lee Yi Kyeong), realizes that Ji Won has overheard his plan with Su Min (Son Ha Yoon), he shoves Ji Won into their glass coffee table killing her.  Ji Won then awakens in 2013, a time that is prior to both her marriage and her cancer diagnosis.  In the present, Ji Won was not in a position to leave her abusive relationship, but this time around, she vows that her life will be different.  Ji Won is given a second chance at life and she seizes the moment, pursuing all of the opportunities she previously missed out on.  Ji Won’s only confidante in her endeavor is her boss, Yoo Ji Hyeok (Na In Woo), who she eventually learns has also returned to 2013 from the future.  Ji Hyeok, who has loved Ji Won ever since an encounter with her in their youth, learns the truth of Ji Won’s death just prior to passing away himself.  And when he also wakes up in 2013, he vows to protect Ji Won and help her achieve her dreams.  The two fall in love as they attempt to navigate a predetermined timeline and deflect fate.

Kang Ji Won

Ji Won lives a terrible life – she has no parents to speak of, her husband is abusive and is having an affair with her best friend, she is underappreciated at work, and she has Stage 4 stomach cancer. She feels unworthy of love and is a bad judge of character. She is afraid that the people in her life will leave her if she advocates for herself, which makes her a victim to manipulation.  In Ji Won’s life, we see the impact of childhood trauma caused by a parent making bad choices. Ji Won’s mother abandoned her when she was an adolescent, and though Ji Won had the love of her doting father, he also passed away before she was very far into adulthood. Because of this, Ji Won does not seem to understand what love - either for herself or from others - looks like, and she constantly becomes attached to the wrong people. 

In addition, Ji Won never learned to fight for herself – for what she wanted and needed.  When Ji Won awakens in 2013, she understands that consideration has limits; inconsiderate people will not appreciate your consideration for them.  She is determined to stop letting shameless people take things from her.  In the life Ji Won left behind, her husband drained her finances.  But knowledge is power, and Ji Won brings to 2013 her knowledge of future events, including the stock market.  This allows her to quietly make smart investments and gain a certain amount of freedom that only money can buy.    

Ji Won feels she has to fight her battles on her own.  She does not want to be like her former best friend who asks others for help instead of enduring and working hard.  In her second chance at life, Ji Won learns to be a better judge of character and begins to forge true friendships.  At first, Ji Won does not confide in her new allies, but eventually, she learns to trust others, especially her boss, Yoo Ji Hyeok, and her coworker, Yoo Hui Yeon (Choi Gyu Ri) – a life-changing decision.  Ji Hyeok and Hui Yeon teach Ji Won how to advocate for herself by fighting against the bullies in her life – both literally and figuratively.  Ji Hyeok and Hui Yeon also teach Ji Won how to love – how to love others who are deserving of her love, but even more importantly, how to love and respect herself.

Park Min Hwan vs. Yoo Ji Hyeok

Park Min Hwan (Lee Yi Kyeong) is Ji Won’s coworker at U&K.  He is her husband in the present and her boyfriend in 2013.  Min Hwan is an ignorant, lazy, and manipulative man.  He is terrible with money, content to suck Ji Won’s finances dry. He is also an abusive misogynist. In contrast, Ji Hyeok – who is General Manager at U&K in 2013 – is everything that Min Hwan is not: hardworking, respectful, and gentle.  Whereas Min Hwan uses Ji Won’s credit cards and cash loans, Ji Hyeok takes care of Ji Won.  When Ji Won reappears in 2013, she appears at work.  She is startled and confused, and she runs out of her office without her purse and phone.  Concerned, Ji Hyeok follows her.  He not only prevents her from dying several times that day, but he also takes her home, gives her money, and buys her groceries.  When Ji Won resists accepting his help, Ji Hyeok wisely insists that “there are times you need someone else’s help.” 

Min Hwan holds strong prejudices against women.  He speaks of them using stereotypes and fails to validate their concerns, frustrations, or achievements.  He also underestimates their strength.  When participating in a company treasure hunt, Min Hwan tells his female team members to sit back and let the man do the work.  Conversely, Ji Hyeok respects women, admires their courage and strength, and honors their decisions/choices.  Even after confessing his love to Ji Won, Ji Hyeok assures her that he will not pursue anything further until she gives him permission. 

Unlike Min Hwan, who seeks equality when at a disadvantage and strength when at an advantage, Ji Hyeok hates using his strength.  Trained in martial arts, Ji Hyeok intervenes when he witnesses Min Hwan assaulting Ji Won, and he tells her that no one is allowed to touch her like that.  We learn that, unbeknownst to Ji Won, she and Ji Hyeok first met many years before 2013 when he encountered her drunk and alone in public.  That night, Ji Hyeok protected Ji Won from becoming the victim of some unsavory men.  Ji Won confessed many things to Ji Hyeok that night, including her sorrow over her father’s passing, her fears about her boyfriend’s lack of support and possible feelings for her friend, and her fears of inferiority around said friend.  Ji Hyeok encouraged her to leave situations that made her uncomfortable, and that led Ji Won to admit that she craved stability. Ji Hyeok shared that his mom had died and that his dad had remarried before also passing away.  Ji Hyeok confessed that he had a stepmom and a stepsister (more on her later), but that he was uncomfortable around them.  Ji Won pointed out that Ji Hyeok’s dad had left him with a new family, a perspective Ji Hyeok had never considered.  The pair peacefully fell asleep side by side in the park on that night.  But when Ji Won awoke, she could not accurately recall the previous night’s events.  In a panic – convinced that she had committed a “drunken mistake” with the unnamed man – Ji Won fled while Ji Hyeok was still asleep. This was the beginning of Ji Hyeok’s unrequited love for Ji Won. 

Like Ji Won, Ji Hyeok is also living in 2013 with a second chance at altering his fate.  Shortly before his own death by car accident in the present, Ji Hyeok attended Ji Won’s funeral.  There, he learned the truth about Min Hwan and Su Min’s role in Ji Won’s death.  Overwhelmed with regret for not confessing to Ji Won while she was alive, Ji Hyeok broke down during the cab ride home.  The kind cab driver turned out to be the spirit of Ji Won’s father.  Moved by Ji Hyeok’s confession, Ji Won’s father sent Ji Hyeok back to 2013 so that he could have a second chance at loving and protecting Ji Won.  When Ji Hyeok awakens in 2013, he vows to make helping Ji Won the focus of his life, regardless of personal sacrifice.  Even if it means reconnecting her to her high school sweetheart or driving in between her car and an oncoming dump truck, Ji Hyeok is willing to make Ji Won’s second chance at life a happy one.

Jeong Su Min

At the beginning of “Marry,” we are introduced to Su Min (Son Ha Yoon) in the present.  She is Ji Won’s devoted best friend who cares for her in the hospital when her loser of a husband, Min Hwan, will not.  However, we quickly learn that everything about Su Min – including her devotion to Ji Won – is fake and self-serving.  Not only is Su Min having an affair with Ji Won’s husband, she is also plotting with him to kill Ji Won for the insurance money.  Throughout the series, we learn that Su Min is filled with rage at being abandoned by her father, who cast her aside and had an affair with Ji Won’s mother.  This rage drives Su Min’s lifelong jealousy of Ji Won, who, despite also having a parent abandon her, still had the love of her father.  Su Min believes that Ji Won is ignorant of the affair and tells her that her father is dead.  Ji Won, in actuality, knows the truth of the affair, but plays along with Su Min’s lie to shield Su Min from the pain.     

Unlike Ji Won, Su Min unapologetically believes that a person needs to do whatever it takes to get what they want in life, even if it means hurting others.  For Su Min, that means using her friendship with Ji Won to take everything Ji Won has for herself – her job; her relationship; and eventually, even her life.  In high school, Su Min coveted Ji Won’s romantic interest – Baek Eun Ho (Lee Gi Kwang) – so she spread rumors about Ji Won that drove Eun Ho away and led other girls to bully Ji Won.  Ji Won worked hard in high school, attended a prestigious university, and landed a successful job at U&K.  Incapable of securing a job there on her own, Su Min used her friendship with Ji Won to secure a job there, as well.  Unqualified, Su Min shamelessly used her looks and sexuality to secure the favor of a male superior.  And when Ji Won began dating and eventually married Min Hwan, of course, Su Min wanted him for herself.

Because for Su Min, it is all about winning.  Her obsession with having that which belongs to Ji Won is what drives her, and it is also her downfall.  Not only does she not know when to stop, but her foolish, single-minded obsession blinds her to Ji Won’s honest affection and genuine devotion.  Su Min could have had an epic friendship with Ji Won, if only she had been sincere.  The two women could have had a sister-like love for one another, struggling together, and supporting each other against a harsh world.  Instead, Su Min throws that all away.

A True Friend

Though everything about Su Min’s friendship with Ji Won is fake, Ji Won makes a friend in her second life who is pure and devoted.  That friend is Yoo Hui Yeon.  Her name means “joyous connection,” and from the moment we meet Hui Yeon, she more than lives up to her name.  She is passionate about life and brings joy to those around her, including Ji Won.  Hui Yeon, who also works at U&K, is in desperate need of assistance in the women’s restroom and Ji Won comes to her rescue.  Grateful, Hui Yeon repays Ji Won’s act of kindness tenfold.  Hui Yeon has an amazing sense of style, and she orchestrates Ji Won’s stunning makeover.  This is crucial to “Marry” because it helps Ji Won to visually see her own worth, opening her up to love and respect herself.  Hui Yeon also gives Ji Won the courage to confront her high school bullies.  This is another pivotal moment in the series because it exposes Soo Min’s motivations to others. 

Hui Yeon is also linked to the male lead, Ji Hyeok, because she is his stepsister.  And their sibling relationship is nothing short of awesome.  Not only is their sibling banter amusing, but their devotion to one another is touching.  We learn that Ji Hyeok only agreed to his grandfather’s arranged engagement for Hui Yeon’s sake; he was trying to create a family for Hui Yeon that was stable.  K-dramas are known for their bromances, and in “Marry,” a K-drama that empowers women, Hui Yeon is the second half of Ji Hyeok’s bromance.

Gaslighting

In “Marry,” Ji Won’s relationships are full of toxic gaslighting.  Gaslighting is the “psychological manipulation of a person - usually over an extended period of time - that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one's emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator.” Min Hwan portrays every obstacle as Ji Won’s fault.  Min Hwan tells Ji Won that their incompetent male superior is only mistreating her, for example, because she looks easy.  A gaslighter never holds themselves accountable for their actions.  Instead, a gaslighter alters the narrative to shift the blame away from themselves and onto someone else.  Min Hwan assures Ji Won that the only reason that he is harsh with her is because she is acting strange. When Ji Won confronts Su Min about thinking Ji Won’s things – her job, her boyfriend, etc. – belong to her, Su Min insists that it is because Ji Won is yielding them to her.  In gaslighting, the victim is forced to shoulder the burden of responsibility, even though it is not their burden to bear.  For example, Su Min tells Ji Won that she should have acted right to prevent Min Hwan from cheating.      

Ms. Yang  

Ji Won quickly realizes that avoiding her fate entirely is not possible; the inevitable will happen.  Instead, Ji Won has to find a substitute on to whom she must transfer her fate.  Therefore, she devises a plan to have her horrible fate transferred to Su Min, since Su Min wants to steal her life anyway.  But as the K-drama progresses, it becomes apparent that Ji Won’s fate has been transferred to her co-worker, Yang Ju Ran (Gong Min Jung).    

At first glance, Ms. Yang seems strong.  She is married, has a child, and is good at her job.  It is Ms. Yang who interrupts when Min Hwan aggressively corners Ji Won in the office supply closet.  Disturbed by what she witnessed, Ms. Yang tells Ji Won that unwanted touching – even between lovers – is still unwanted touching.  But just like Ji Won in her first life, Ms. Yang is quite weak and a victim to manipulation.  She allows people to walk all over her, both at work and at home.  She thinks that if she is good and waits, her cheating husband will come to his senses.  And it is Ms. Yang who ends up with stomach cancer, a physical representation of bottling everything up inside.   

Ji Won feels guilty that her fate transfers to Ms. Yang, but unlike Ji Won in her first life, Ms. Yang is not alone.  She has a support system in Ji Won, Ji Hyeok, and Lee Suk Joon (Ha Do Kwon) – the head of U&K’s Strategic Planning, the right-hand man to the chairman (Ji Hyeok and Hui Yeon’s grandfather), and Ms. Yang’s love interest.  Ms. Yang’s friends empower her to stand up to her misogynistic boss, free herself from her cheating spouse, and survive her battle with cancer.  Whereas Ji Won suffered alone in her first life, Ms. Yang has others to rely on and help her carry her burdens.  In “Marry,” the critical difference between Ji Won dying and Ms. Yang surviving is the presence of a strong support system. 

Ms. Yang also represents the overarching message of “Marry My Husband” – that even when things seem at their worst, there is another path.  Ji Won and Ji Hyeok are able to transfer their fates to Min Hwan and Oh Yu Ra (Kwon Bo A) – a lesser antagonist in the K-drama and Ji Hyeok’s former fiancé – respectively.  With Su Min behind bars for Min Hwan’s murder, Ji Won and Ji Hyeok marry and start a foundation that helps people overcome a wrong choice made in life.  Just like Ji Won and Ji Hyeok, Ms. Yang is able to have a second chance at her life – though her second chance is a bit more conventional and does not involve time travel!

Be Still My K-pop Heart

Episode 6 is a big turning point in the “Marry” series in which Ji Won and Ji Hyeok accidentally reveal to one another that they are from the future and living with a second chance at life.  This realization is orchestrated through the masterful use of global K-pop sensation, Bangtan Sonyeondan, otherwise known as BTS!!  In this episode, Ji Won has just successfully righted one of the many wrongs in her career and is standing on the rooftop of her office building basking in her triumph.  She is listening to BTS’s debut single, “No More Dream,” when Ji Hyeok joins her on the rooftop.  After a brief conversation in which Ji Hyeok congratulates her on her win, Ji Won turns to leave and accidentally drops her phone.  Ji Hyeok kindly bends to pick it up for her and says that he likes BTS, too (I mean, who doesn’t?!).  Ji Won replies that she actually wanted to listen to BTS’s “Dynamite,” but couldn’t seem to find it.  Without missing a beat, Ji Hyeok replies, that “Dynamite is great,” but he likes “Spring Day.”  To which Ji Won excitedly exclaims, “I like Spring Day, too!”  This scene is nothing short of brilliant!  Any ARMY (as the members of BTS’s loyal fandom are known) knows that neither “Dynamite” nor “Spring Day” had been released yet.  BTS debuted in June of 2013 and this scene is supposed to be taking place in July of that same year.  In this scene, BTS would not be known as the global phenomenon that they are today, but rather, as K-pop rookies with only one album to their name.  “Spring Day” and “Dynamite” would not be released until 2017 and 2020, respectively.  The fact that both Ji Won and Ji Hyeok are familiar with BTS’s “Dynamite” and “Spring Day” reveals that they both hail from the future.   

Final verdict: MUST WATCH   

“Marry My Husband” is a MUST WATCH.  It is a revenge drama with great characters, top notch acting, and a captivating story.  In her second chance at life, Ji Won finds the love and friendship she deserves, but she also learns to love and respect herself.  In this K-drama, misogynists struggle against society’s positive changes, while those whom they have worked to repress are victorious.  (When Ms. Yang finally puts her jerk of a supervisor in check, I literally cheered!)  Change only comes with self-reflection, and those incapable or unwilling to do so inevitably bring about their own destruction.  “Marry” has a happy ending in which the antagonists get what they deserve and the lead couple lives happily ever after.  There are moments when Ji Won teeters on the verge of jeopardizing her happiness for the sake of revenge, but somehow those moments only serve to make the story feel more real.  Ji Won’s plan for revenge is not only understandable, but admittedly satisfying, given how much she has suffered at the hands of others.  While my personal taste leans more towards romantic comedies, the genius of “Marry My Husband” cannot be denied.  If revenge is what you are after, “Marry My Husband” is an absolute MUST WATCH!

So there it is, our review of “Marry My Husband.”  What did you think?!  Thank you for joining us on this journey. 

Have a favorite K-drama you think we should review?  Comment down below!!  We look forward to seeing you back again soon!

Up next, “Our Love Triangle”