Series / You Are My Destiny

Love you, love you / I love you..^note All of the characters.
Back row, L to R: Yunhui, Hwaran, Soyeong, Taeyeong, Yuri, Taepung, Chilbuk, Minjeong.
Front row, L to R: Daejin, Punggeum, Yeongsuk, Hosae, Saebyeok, Subin, Daegu, Yeonsil.

You Are My Destiny (너는 내 운명 Neoneun Nae Unmyeong) is an award-winning South Korean TV drama series that ran from May 2008 to January 2009 on the Korean Broadcasting System. It notably features Girls' Generation member Yoona in her first lead acting role.

The story revolves around Jang Saebyeok, an orphaned milk-delivering girl who always tries to think positively after losing her eyesight in an incident that happened several years prior to the story's beginning, after which she received a corneal transplant, her donor being a girl her age named Nayeong that died in a car accident.

As Saebyeok meets and grows closer to Nayeong's family, she searches for meaning in life, trying to piece together her past while also falling into a Love Dodecahedron that brings together various families in love, pain and strife.

Not to be confused with the Korean remake of Fated to Love You, whose alternate title is also You Are My Destiny.

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Tropes contained in this series:

• Abuse Mistake: When Yeonsil reveals her botox bruises to Punggeum, she looks to Daegu, who immediately states that he hasn't done anything to her.
• The Ace: Saebyeok cooks, cleans, and is one hell of a masseuse (she trained as one when she was blind).
• Ad-Break Double-Take: The beginnings of some episodes start with a snippet of the ending scene from the previous episode.
• Affably Evil: Minjeong, who tries to keep a good public image even though she treats Saebyeok like little more than a slave. Miok even calls her out on it in one episode.
• Alpha Bitch: Subin after she undergoes some flanderization and a Face–Heel Turn to go against Saebyeok. Not only is she a yandere over Hosae, but she constantly belittles Saebyeok by telling her she'll never make it in the design industry. She then manages to conjure a web of lies to get everyone on her side and against Saebyeok.

• Always Someone Better: Taepung's status as the Dumbass Teenage Son left him in Nayeong's shadow.
• Angry Guard Dog: In episode 55, Hosae and Saebyeok walk through a fenced-off field and have a discussion, only to be stopped in their paths and chased by a dog.
• Anti-Villain: Gong Hyun-joo, Subin's actress, sees her character as this.
  "I can’t deny that [Subin] is a mean character. But I can also understand her, too. Although [Subin] is a self-centered careerwoman, she is very obedient to the man she loves. That’s why she is so likable."
• Armor-Piercing Question:
  • From Saebyeok to Subin in episode 42:
  "Is that why you got the job at Lohas? To be with Hosae?"
  • From Hosae to Taepung in episode 66, after Taepung starts hitting Hosae when he confesses his plans about dumping Subin for Saebyeok:
  "Are you doing this for Subin? Or are you doing this for Saebyeok?"
• Arranged Marriage: Hosae and Subin get locked into one by their parents. Hosae breaks up with Subin at the end of the scenario.

• Bad Boss: Subin starts out as this towards Saebyeok, giving her unholy amounts of work, but progressively gets more lenient.
• Becoming the Mask: When Subin sends Saebyeok as her decoy into a blind date with Hosae, they actually build a relationship with each other to the point where Hosae calls himself her boyfriend. When he finds out that Saebyeok isn't who he thinks she is, he's not happy. Zig-zagged in the sense that Saebyeok isn't sure how to deal with the relationship; keeping it going or ending it to make Subin happy. She ultimately caves in and comes to terms with her love for Hosae.

• Big Eater: Saebyeok, while still being moderately thin. The first time she takes Hosae on a dinner date, the footage of her eating is sped up to add the extra oomph.

• Blatant Lies: Hosae telling Saebyeok that he's not scared after having just been chased by a dog, screaming all the while.

• Broken Bird: Yeongsuk after crossing the Despair Event Horizon to the point where she's a relatively quiet introvert afterwards from all the emotional scarring.

• Butt-Monkey: Subin treats Saebyeok like a more serious variant of this trope, constantly belittling her and dissuading her from her dream.
• Call-Back:
  • In episode 34, Hosae visits the same stir-octopus restaurant that he went to with Saebyeok on one of their first dates.
  • In episode 95, Yeongsuk's sitting Saebyeok down and asking her about Nayeong's accident in crippling denial is an eerie mirroring of a scene in episode 6 where she does the same but asking her about Nayeong's death.
• Cannot Spit It Out: Taepung can't seem to tell Saebyeok that he has a crush on her, and all of his attempts to show her non-verbally by means of things like gifts always backfire.
• Can't You Read the Sign?: In episode 55, when Hosae takes Saebyeok into an area accessed by opening a fence with a "beware of dog" sign, there's only one real way the scene can end.
• Casanova Wannabe: Taepung claims to be a girl magnet ("girls can't seem to get enough of me"), although his Hot-Blooded-ness and status as the Dumbass Teenage Son claim otherwise.

• Cerebus Retcon: Soyeong's Mama Bear tendencies over Yunhui were initially Played for Laughs, but later in the series once we find out about her Dark and Troubled Past, her love for Yunhui is treated much more seriously.
• Cerebus Syndrome: The show was initially much more light-hearted, supported greatly by Soyeong's Plucky Comic Relief moments. Once episode 7 hit, the show became much more serious.
• Chekhov's Gun: The two rings, one belonging to Yeongsuk and the other to Nayeong. When looking for one of the rings, Yeongsuk is told that the ring she's looking for is hers, even though she's positive of where her ring is. When Yeongsuk tries going to the hospital after finding out about Nayeong, she uncovers Nayeong's ring and Hosae walks in and gives her her rightful ring.
• Chekhov's Gunman: The creepy man who tries abducting Saebyeok in episode 53 only to be apprehended by Hosae. He appears later outside the Kang family's house with no explanation of his presence, but near the end of episode 55 we find out that he has sued Hosae for assault and battery.
• Cloudcuckoolander: Saebyeok can certainly be quirky at times, like how she always wears ski goggles while riding her scooter.

• Comedic Underwear Exposure: In episode 6, Taeyeong accidentally pulls Taepung's pants down, exposing a bit of his briefs before he hastily pulls his pants back up.
• Content Warnings: Each episode has a brief disclaimer in between the intro and the start of the episode stating that viewer discretion is advised for anyone under the age of 15.
• Contrived Coincidence: This show runs rampant with them, sometimes combined with Missed Him by That Much. Don't expect a single episode to go by without several cases of characters running into each other.

• Dark and Troubled Past: Soyeong. She had Yunhui while she was still in high school, and subsequently became a recluse from all of her friends and family. Additionally, she is universally looked down on for her past.
• Dead-Hand Shot: In episode 51, there's a fairly dramatized Repeat Cut of Taeyeong's hand tumbling to the ambulance floor.
• Deadpan Snarker: Daegu.
  Daegu: Oh, I'm so scared! You're such a fright! I should stay away from you!
• Description Cut:
  Yunhui: [Soyeong] must be out with a great guy.
  Hwaran: I think so, too.
  (cut to Taeyeong carrying a drunk, passed-out Soyeong on his back)
• Despair Event Horizon:
  • Yeongsuk doesn't as much cross it as she does barrel through it after her Freak Out from Nayeong's death.
  "Nothing matters anymore!"
  • When Subin's Villainous Breakdown climaxes in episode 84, where she runs away from home and spends her days sobbing in the shower, and even tries to commit suicide.
• Deus ex Machina: With the show's ample use of Contrived Coincidence, it only makes sense that this trope would be used amply as well.
• Disappeared Dad: Yunhui's dad abandoned Soyeong, which is why she's a single mom. In episode 55, she says this made her vow to never love another man again, but then Taeyeong came.
• Diving Save:
  • At the end of episode 35, Subin saves Hosae from being injured by a falling board by tackling him as it falls. She does get a cut on her forehead, though.
  • At the end of episode 50, when Taeyeong sees a car about to hit Soyeong, he dives in, grabs her, and lets the car hit him instead.
• Dogged Nice Guy: Taepung. He admits to Saebyeok that he likes her, is especially protective over her, and even sets up gifts for her, only to face the truth that she's into Hosae and not him and have to allow himself to let go of their relationship.

• Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: Subin does slap Hosae sometimes, but there's never really a deeper dive into the truth that an abusive relationship is afoot.
• Downer Ending:
  • Episode 6. The Kim family is in a wreck after the news of Nayeong's death arrives. Yeongsuk is deep denial and is trying to go to the hospital, Punggeum is overcome with emotion, and Saebyeok is destroyed with guilt from letting the secret slip.
  • Episode 50. Taeyeong and Soyeong get hit by a car.
  • Episode 55. Saebyeok is left alone, abandoned, and terrified in a dark forest with a hurt ankle.
• Dramatic Drop:
  • Bukjo dramatically drops her purse in episode 43 upon seeing Saebyeok.
  • Yunhui dramatically drops her purse in episode 45 upon seeing Taeyeong and Soyeong together.
  • Yunhui drops her phone in episode 51 after hearing about her mother and Taeyeong getting in an accident.
• Dramatic Irony: The first six episodes were chock full of this, since no one knew about Nayeong's death and assumed she was still doing research in Africa.
• Driven to Suicide: In episode 86, Subin says that she "[wants] everything to end" and tries to run into the ocean and drown herself, but Hosae stops her.
• Drowning My Sorrows: Whenever someone is stressed out over something, they'll usually be seen in a bar drinking their pain away. And by "drinking", we mean "getting themselves stone-cold wasted".

• Easily Forgiven: After seeing Bokju again in episode 43, Saebyeok immediately reconciles their relationship although she abandoned her and took everything she had with her, aside from one "Reason You Suck" Speech.
• Empty Chair Memorial: After Nayeong dies, Yeongsuk treats her late daughter's room as this, regularly cleaning it and getting very irked when Subin enters it to answer a call. However, she allows it to be converted into Saebyeok's room.
• Ending Theme: Usually it's the regular theme song "Geudae Doah", but sometimes Lee Hyun's "Let's Go Back" is used.
• Epic Fail:
  • Yeonsil is really bad at consoling, considering how whenever she tries to comfort Yeongsuk, she always manages to go overboard and make things worse.
  • Yuri's attempts at pursuing a career as a model always end horribly for her, which is probably what would happen to many aspiring models in the real business. Examples include getting caught by her parents while dancing in skimpy clothing to advertise a product, and having a photo shoot of her in scanty clothes be used for a porn site.
• Exact Words: In episode 6, Taeyeong is trying to clean the room while Taepung is sitting and reading. He asks him to move, and Taepung obliges...by moving onto a clean spot.
• Extreme Doormat:
  • Daejin is extremely lenient in his treating of Saebyeok, much to others' chagrin.
  • Minjeong accuses Subin of being too nice towards Saebyeok.
• Eye Scream: Downplayed in one way, played horrifically straight in another; Saebyeok losing her eyesight isn't too bad, but when she talks about it on a radio interview, she says that she lost her eyes.

• Fade to White: In episode 7, when Yeongsuk (having had the news of Nayeong's death confirmed to her by a doctor) sees a hallucination of Nayeong, the shot slowly fades to white.
• Fan Disservice: In episode 44, we see Daegu briefly taking off a bathrobe and wearing just underwear underneath. From behind.
• Flanderization: After learning about the Saebyeok-Hosae relationship, Subin went from mildly jealous to full-on yandere, demanding Saebyeok to never see him again.

• Foil:
  • Saebyeok and Subin; while the former is an optimistic Go-Getter Girl, the latter is a semi-arrogant Alpha Bitch.
  • Taeyeong and Taepung; while the former is a more down-to-earth version of The Smart Guy, the latter is Hot-Blooded and (sometimes) a Jerkass.
• Freak Out: Around the middle of episode 7, Yeongsuk has an emotional breakdown with Daejin over Nayeong's death, with her screaming at him while shaking him and hitting him.
• Goggles Do Nothing: Saebyeok strangely prioritizes wearing a pair of ski-like goggles when she rides her motorbike.
• Gold Digger: Minjeong and Subin believe that Saebyeok's motive is just to cling onto rich boys.
• Gone Horribly Wrong: Taeyeong and Soyeong going public about their relationship brought the Kim family into a state of unrest similar to when they first heard about Nayeong's death. To accentuate it, she said to Taeyeong's face that she was no longer his son.
• Good Eyes, Evil Eyes: After her Face–Heel Turn, Subin's eyes are always in a crazed, fully-widened state when she talks to Saebyeok when she's in a spiteful or yandere-y mood.
• Good-Times Montage:
  • In episode 55, Dongsoo suggests that the Lohas team goes out, to which Hosae concurs. We see a montage of them waterskiing and tubing, and it's pretty funny.
  • In episode 69, Hosae takes Saebyeok out for an hour at an amusement park, and we see them trying on headwear, riding bumper cars, and riding rollercoasters. It's adorable.
• Gratuitous Foreign Language: Saebyeok and Taepung's subplot in episode 38.
  • Gratuitous English: They speak it (poorly) to some Solsa company executives who may (not) have it as their main language. Saebyeok is barely able to formulate a phrase, while Taepung is more accurate at forming correctly pronounced sentences.
  • Gratuitous Spanish: The executive that does talk thanks them in both English and this when they retrieve his lost USB flash drive. It's not explained why he spoke in Spanish.
  • Gratuitous Italian: Before all of this, Saebyeok asks Taepung if he knows any Italian, to which he jokingly says very poor pronunciations of "pizza" and "spaghetti".
• Green-Eyed Monster:
  • Taepung admits to being jealous of Nayeong growing up.
  • Yeonsil is envious of Chilbuk and Minjeong, since Chilbuk treats Minjeong like royalty while Daegu treats Yeonsil like crap. She even admits to being "green with envy" (with that exact wording).
  • Subin tries hooking up with Hosae only to find that he's into Saebyeok, which is the opposite of what she wanted to happen. She then became a yandere.
  • Sunjeong is especially jealous of Saebyeok's relationship with Hosae.

• Happily Ever After: The final episode showcases quite a positive resolution for the characters, aside from Miok's death. After all that she's done to her up to Miok's passing, Minjeong tries to distance herself from Saebyeok, but Saebyeok convinces her to stay through The Power of Love. Lohas launches a foundation named after Saebyeok, and the very final scene is of Saebyeok's giant family taking a group picture. There's also a slight implication that Saebyeok is pregnant.

• Heroic BSoD:
  • Yeongsuk takes the news about Nayeong's death the hardest, and goes into deep denial over it from the moment she first hears Taeyeong confirming her death. She spends the end of episode 6 and all of episode 7 cycling violently through the Five Stages of Grief, and by the time she finally comes to acceptance she's reverted to a quiet, soft-spoken person. Of course, Saebyeok herself is crushed with guilt from causing everyone to find out.
  • Soyeong and Yunhui do not take the Kim family's aggressive rejection of Soyeong lightly, and the latter believes that it was her fault.

• Panjae breaks down crying upon being fired in episode 147, being unable to go anywhere else and having a family to support.

• Hypocrite: In episode 42, Subin denounces Saebyeok's submission for the design contest she is co-judging and calls her a loser despite previously having stated in a boardroom meeting that there would be no discrimination among the judges' views of the contestants.

• I Have No Son!:
  • Yeongsuk says that Taeyeong is no longer her son after he stubbornly refuses to let Soyeong go.
  • Minjeong kicks Yuri out of the family after seeing that a photo shoot of her has gone to a porn site.
  • In episode 131, Daejin kicks Taepung out of the family after learning that he went along with Yuri's pregnancy lie.

• Intoxication Ensues: Scenarios in which Taepung and Saebyeok or Taeyeong and Soyeong have gone out for drinks have ended with the male carrying the too-drunk-to-function female on his back.
• In Vino Veritas: Subin is drunk when she informs Saebyeok that she was the pedestrian that Nayeong swerved to avoid, causing the crash that killed her, in episode 94. Gyeongwu tries to distance Saebyeok from this by blaming it on Subin's stupor, and when she wakes up in the morning, she immediately regrets saying it.

• It's All My Fault:
  • Yunhui believes that she's to blame for the Kim family not accepting Taeyeong and Soyeong, since Taeyeong's family used the fact that Soyeong had a teenage daughter as a huge bit of evidence against her.
  • In turn, in episode 44 Hwaran blames herself for having Soyeong get pregnant as early on as she did.
  • In the final episode, Minjeong blames herself for Miok's death.
• It's a Small World, After All: Who would've thought that the orphan you adopt not only has the corneas of your late daughter, but happened to be the pedestrian that your daughter swerved to avoid, causing a crash that would kill her?
  Gyeongwu: Life works in mysterious ways sometimes.

• Jerkass:
  • Subin to Saebyeok after her Face–Heel Turn, constantly belittling her, dissuading her from her dream, and finding any means necessary to ruin her dream. (Considering she used Nayeong as an excuse to get Saebyeok's help, she might have had bad intentions from the start.)
  • Taepung was definitely this in the earlier episodes, and although most of his jerkassery wore off due to Character Development, he still has his instances, such as his making Saebyeok into his servant just from his hurt wrist.
  • Punggeum after her Face–Heel Turn, firmly believing that her family doesn't care about her after she moves into Yeonsil and Daegu's house.
  • Yuri, who is the type of person to start a fight with Saebyeok in public and then blame her for it.
  • Sunjeong is the most acidic member of the Lohas team, even ordering coworkers to not come within a certain distance of her like a fake restraining order.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Taepung. He came off as a Jerkass in the earlier episodes, but thanks to some modest Character Development we found out that his Hot-Blooded senses were from his jealousy of Nayeong as a kid, and we see him being very protective of Saebyeok.
• The Jinx: Saebyeok gets herself into a lot of trouble, with one instance almost having her arrested. In episode 42, Punggeum and Subin even directly blame her for all of the hardships they've dealt with since Nayeong's death.
• Karma Houdini: After Minjeong turns into the main threat of the series, she is one of two characters to come down with leukemia, but she's the only one to survive; the other was Miok, who did virtually nothing to deserve her death. Subverted slightly since she does seem to have a change of heart by the finale.

• Laser-Guided Karma:
  • After countless instance of taunting and tormenting Saebyeok, Subin finally gets what's coming to her when she makes Saebyeok drop and break her kitchen model that she had worked on for a week to submit into the Lohas design contest and Saebyeok just snaps. To add extra sweetness to the karmic takedown, Taepung enters the room and starts laying it in on her as well. Not to mention how this is the first time she's genuinely remorseful about something she's done to Saebyeok.
  • Episode 43 has Bukjo returning after running off with the down payment Saebyeok needed to move into her own place, leaving her homeless and poor (which is why she joined the Kim family in the first place). She tries to make amends with Saebyeok, but she is quick to tell her how much she's ruined her life.
• Love Dodecahedron: Gets pretty convoluted later in the series. Bukjo likes Taepung, Taepung likes Saebyeok, Saebyeok likes Hosae, Hosae likes Saebyeok, but Subin likes Hosae.

• Mama Bear:
  • Soyoung exaggerated the trope to comedic extents when it came to Yunhui at the start of the series. However, due to Cerebus Retcon, her protection over her daughter is treated more seriously later on.
  • Yeongsuk to Nayeong. In one episode, Saebyeok got herself in trouble at the spa she worked/lived at, and the owner insulted her eyes (Nayoung's eyes). Yeongsuk was not happy, and immediately started ripping into the owner.
  • Once she becomes close with Saebyeok, Yeongsuk starts becoming protective of her too, like when she started ripping into Minjeong at the start of episode 36 when she saw her shoving Saebyeok to the ground.
• Manchild:
  • Soyeong, back when she was the show's Plucky Comic Relief. Thanks to Character Development and a Cerebus Retcon or two, she's dropped this trait.
  • Yeonsil is a more serious example, with Daegu complaining about her childish ways of dealing with their marriage.
• Meaningful Name: In episode 69, Saebyeok admits that Saebyeok isn't her real name, but was given that name since she was found by a cop near midnight and was given her director's last name.

• Mood Whiplash: In episode 69, Hosae and Saebyeok's Good-Times Montage is juxtaposed with Subin trying to call Hosae and angrily realizing that he's out with Saebyeok.
• Mr. Fanservice: Taeyeong. Soyeong even has fantasies that end with Taeyeong's shirt being ripped open, exposing his muscular physique.
• Murder the Hypotenuse:
  • Yeonsil is not happy about Daegu hiring a female secretary, believing that she's trying to steal him and even moving her seat farther away from him.
  • A more extreme example is Subin with Hosae and Saebyeok, not helped by her yandere tendencies. Justified as she and Hosae were engaged. In episode 69, she actually does try to kill Saebyeok with her car, but she jumps out of the way.
• My God, What Have I Done?:
  • Saebyeok is very mortified about causing everyone to know about Nayeong's death in episode 6. She even starts episode 7 by crying and saying "Oh, no...what have I done?"

• In episode 42, Yeongsuk rips into Hwaran for thinking that Soyeong could be accepted into the Kim family, and breaks down crying immediately when she gets home about the nasty things she said to her.
• After Subin shoves Saebyeok, making her drop her kitchen model and break it, she is noticeably shocked at what she's just done and tries to apologize.
• Subin's self-hatred for what Saebyeok has made her turn into comes to a peak when she tells Saebyeok that she was the one that caused the accident that killed Nayeong in episode 94.

• Noodle Incident:
  • The firecracker accident in which Saebyeok became blind, which happened several years before the show's story begins.
  • The death of someone named Doyeong, which apparently elicited a similar reaction from Yeongsuk compared to her reaction to Nayeong's death.
  • Apparently Daegu had an affair against Yeonsil.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • Subin at the end of episode 35 (the Wide Eyes and Shrunken Irises variety) after she sees a falling board about to come down on Hosae.
  • Yeonsil at the end of episode 46 after she sees Daejin and Yeongsuk arriving at Hosae and Subin's engagement party.
• On the Next: Usually, episodes end with previews of the next episode.

• Pink Girl, Blue Boy: Whenever this trope is shown, it's likely between two people in a relationship:
  • For example, Yeongsuk and Daejin have pink and blue pajamas, respectively.
  • When Hosae and Saebyeok go to the design workshop in episode 54, they are wearing blue and pink (respectively) with white.
• Please, Don't Leave Me: Saebyeok to Miok in her final bedridden moments.
• Plucky Comic Relief:
  • Soyeong's former role on the show until Character Development and Cerebus Retcon changed her persona entirely.
  • Dongsoo serves as the main source of humor and fun out of Saebyeok's Lohas team.
• The Pollyanna: Saebyeok, who adapted a new idealistic look on life after the incident in which she became blind.

• Precision F-Strike: The first swear on the show is in episode 37, when Taepung calls Hosae a bastard when he shoves him and causes him to drop his watermelon on the ground.
• Primal Scene: Downplayed; episode 44 ends with Yunhui walking in on Taeyeong and Soyeong while they're hugging, but not in any sexual act. The scarring's probably still there, though.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech:
  • In episode 7 from Daegu to Yeonsil after her attempts to comfort Yeongsuk go way too far and end up backfiring completely.
  • When a spa owner calls Saebyeok's/Nayeong's eyes "monster eyes", Yeongsuk is livid and immediately starts ripping into her.
  • In episode 34 from Saebyeok to Subin after she begins confronting her on what she's done to her.
  • Saebyeok to Hosae in episode 37 when she tells him she's not into him and never wants to see him again.
  • In episode 43, from Saebyeok to Bukjo, finally getting the chance to tell her what she's done to her life.
  • A devastating one in episode 45 from Yunhui to Soyeong about how much she's ruined her life and given her empty promises.
  • In episode 70, Saebyeok confronts Subin about deliberately throwing away her designs, saying that wouldn't think that she'd be so unprofessional in doing that.
• Redemption Equals Death: Miok's final moments are spent apologizing to Saebyeok for not being there for her, and she dies smiling after telling Saebyeok how happy she's made her.

• Riches to Rags: When Bukjo leaves without telling Saebyeok, she not only takes Subin's purse but takes Saebyeok's down payment, with which she cannot move in. After this, she is homeless and poor.

• Runaway Bride: When Yuri and Taepung end up getting married, Yuri is overcome by her fears of the drastic changes that will ensue if she chooses to go through with finalizing their marriage, and ditches the wedding before she can walk down the aisle.
• The Scrappy: Invoked; once Subin and Punggeum took a Face–Heel Turn against Saebyeok, the comments became flooded with people saying how much they hated them.
• She Is Not My Girlfriend: Taepung's reaction whenever someone is a Shipper on Deck to him and Saebyeok, although secretly he's into her.

• Shipping Torpedo: Taepung's opinion on Taeyeong and Soyeong; he believes that their relationship is for the worse and repeatedly tries to coax Taeyeong into backing out of it. This then grows into the whole Kim family later on before Taeyeong and Soyeong are given consent to marry and are accepted.

• Shower of Angst: In episode 84, Subin is seen sobbing fully clothed in the shower of the hotel room that she ran away from home to.
• Sunglasses at Night: As a result of some bruises that Yeonsil gets from her botox in episode 6, she wears sunglasses to hide them, even at night like at the start of episode 7.
  Daegu: You can't be wearing shades at a time like this!
• Teacher/Student Romance: Yunhui has a crush on Taeyeong, who is her teacher. Too bad he's actually in love with her mom Soyeong.
• Tempting Fate: In episode 42, Yeonsil and Subin enjoy some pasta while Yeonsil gushes about how good it is that Daegu is gone. Daegu arrives home immediately after she says this.
• That Makes Me Feel Angry: Whenever a character's angry or upset for any reason, you can bet they'll say something about how angry or upset they feel.
• This Cannot Be!: The default reaction to any earth-shattering truth.
  • Taepung and Yunhui's reactions to finding out about Taeyeong and Soyeong dating.
  • Saebyeok when she finds out that she caused the accident that killed Nayeong.
  • Saebyeok after Miok calls her by her real name, Sujin, confirming that she's her real mother.

• Token Evil Teammate: Punggeum after her Face–Heel Turn; she becomes the only Kim family member that doesn't favor Saebyeok.

• Trauma Conga Line: After Soyeong is rejected by the Kim family, things pretty much go downhill for her and her entire family.
• Tsundere:
  • Taepung towards Saebyeok, who insists that he's not into her yet is very protective of her (especially against Hosae) and secretly into her.
  • Subin towards Hosae; in episode 37, she chews him out for what he's done to her, breaks down in tears, and hugs him seconds later while talking about how much she likes him.
• Two Scenes, One Dialogue: In episode 4, Saebyeok states that she wants to give Nayeong's family the best that she can afford. The next scene has Hosae stating that he wants to offer his customers the best he can give them.
• Unfortunate Item Swap: At the end of episode 6, Saebyeok sees two identical purses and takes one of them thinking it belongs to her. As episode 6 proves, it's actually Subin's purse.
• Viewers Like You: The final episode ends with a thank-you message to the viewers of the show.
• Villainous Breakdown: Subin suffers this over the course of her first finding out about Hosae's infidelity up to the point where he tries to end the relationship entirely, which reflects especially in her treatment of Saebyeok. When she reaches her Despair Event Horizon, she runs away from home and almost tries to commit suicide.
• Wham Episode:
  • Episode 6, where the Kim family finds out about Nayeong's death. Nay, everyone (save Daejin and Taeyoung, who knew from the start) finds out about Nayeong's death.
  • Episode 23, where everyone finds out about Saebyeok and Subin's plan.
  • Episode 34, where Taepung finds out about Taeyeong and Soyeong's relationship.
  • Episode 43, where Bukjo returns.
  • Episode 67, where Saebyeok's apartment is broken into, and Subin finds out about Hosae's relationship with Saebyeok.
  • Episode 68, where Yeongsuk announces plans to adopt Saebyeok and Hosae officially tells Subin that he wants to call off their engagement.
  • Episode 69, where Saebyeok starts trying to figure out her past life and almost gets killed by Subin.
  • Episode 95, where the Kim family finds out that Saebyeok caused the car crash that killed Nayeong.
• Wham Line:
  • In episode 45:
  Chilbuk: We'll have to disqualify Jang Saebyeok.
  • In episode 55:
  Chilbuk: Kang Hosae has been sued for assault and battery?
  • In episode 56:
  Saebyeok (to Hosae, via Inner Monologue): I love you.
  • In episode 68:
  Yeongsuk: I'm taking Saebyeok in. She's going to be my daughter from now on.
  • In episode 69:
  Saebyeok: No one knows my real name.
  • In episode 70:
  Taepung (to Saebyeok): I don't want you to become my sister. I don't want to be your brother.
  • In episode 72:
  Minjeong: I'm thinking of sending [Saebyeok] to Russia for 4 or 5 years.
  • In episode 75:
  Human resources worker: If you [Saebyeok] don't go [to Russia], you'll be asked to leave the company.
  • In episode 81:
  Nurse (referring to someone walking by): Isn't he the guy who was in the accident with Dr. Kim?
  • In episode 140:
  Miok (calling Saebyeok): Sujin? Is that you?
• Wham Shot:
  • In episode 43, Saebyeok gets a suspicious call and visits a nearby motel; upon entering, she sees Bukjo.
  • In episode 55, Subin walks in on Saebyeok and Hosae at a cafe and straight-up slaps Hosae.
  • The ending of episode 66, when a robber walks into Saebyeok's apartment.
• What Have I Become?: Further into her Villainous Breakdown, Subin has moments of clarity where she laments over what she has turned into.
• White-and-Grey Morality: Althogh Subin is something of a villain on the show, and Saebyeok is a de facto "hero", Subin isn't really the most soulless person. She does have senses of humanity that kick in upon crossing certain thresholds, although her yandere side gives her most of her villainous traits. She does foil the all-pure and optimistic Saebyeok quite well, though.
• Why Did You Make Me Hit You?: Subin's rationalization for shoving Saebyeok and causing her to drop and break her kitchen model, claiming that she shouldn't have gotten on her nerves.
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: Saebyeok, who deliberately tries to stay on the bright side of life, using "I will stay positive" as a Survival Mantra. Her close friend even lampshades her neverending positivity.

• Workaholic: Played for Drama with Daegu, who prioritizes work over time with his wife, which makes the wife in question very upset.
• Wounded Gazelle Gambit:
  • In episode 74, Subin pretends to faint as Hosae is about to announce to Subin's parents that he called off their engagement.
  • In episode 87, Subin pretends to have trouble walking on the beach so Hosae will be more concerned about her.
• Yandere:
  • Subin is the show's most cut-out example of this, not being able to let go of Hosae after he starts going after Saebyeok. She's in deep denial when he tells her that they should break up.
  • Taeyeong just won't let Soyeong end their relationship.
  • Although Yeonsil admittedly doesn't whole-heartedly love Daegu, her protectiveness over him grew ten-fold after he introduced a female secretary that she thought was trying to steal him.
• Yank the Dog's Chain: Saebyeok pours her heart into her submission for the Lohas design contest only for it to be broken at the end of episode 42 when Subin shoves her.

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See you next time...

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