Oohlala Spouses Episode 18 Recap (Final)

  Yeo Ok introduces herself and holds out her hand, but brushes past the ecstatic Soo Nam to greet Hyun Woo instead. As they shake hands, Soo Nam waves his hand at her until she finally takes it, causing him to be giddy. Hyun Woo reminds him that this is their workplace. Soo Nam acts abashed, but then tells Yeo Ok flirtatiously that she's amazing. He giggles and Yeo Ok greets Jin Goo, asking about the twins. He answers that although they're growing fast, he feels like he's aging twice as fast. (Btw, I'd estimate that about 2  1/2 years have passed, since the twins are toddlers.) 

  They all sit and Hyun Woo introduces Yeo Ok as the Team Lead for Customer Care/Guest Services. Soo Nam giggles some more. He's such an adorable dork! Yeo Ok goes down to her office and introduces herself to her new team. She happily examines her new desk, then spins in her chair. Her subordinates eye her in disbelief and laugh with each other and she snaps at them to get to work—she's not going to be easy on them. (Although, with Yeo Ok, being snappish is more like other people's gentle reminding. Kekeke.) 
  Yeo Ok goes to visit Man Soo, who compliments her on her new look. He tells her that all indications that she was a middle-aged housewife have disappeared. She gives him a gift of wrinkle cream, for the wrinkles caused by his excessive smiling. Well, if you're giving wrinkle cream, that's the sweetest way to explain it.
  Hyun Woo takes Yeo Ok out for dinner and asks about America. She explains that she had a hard time at first, but came to enjoy learning English. And Ki Chan loved it there too. He tells her that's good because he received a call and thinks he's being promoted to work at headquarters in America as a General Manager. He asks her to go to America with him and she hesitates, but says she's just too happy. She apologizes for keeping him waiting so long. There's just something about their interaction that makes me doubt that they're being open with each other, but I hope I'm just reading into things.
  Soo Nam waits for Jin Goo outside a drug store. He asks if the twins are sick, and when he finds out they aren't, he slyly asks if Il Ran is pregnant again. Jin Goo admits that he'd be thrilled if she were, so Soo Nam grabs his bag and laughs to see that Jin Goo is now even buying pads for Il Ran. (Can we say whipped? Except I don't really see that it's such a big deal. Besides, Jin Goo was whipped from the moment he set eyes on Il Ran.) 

  They get home, and the twins are immediately pawned off on them. Jin Goo gives Il Ran some roasted chestnuts (which Soo Nam says are supposed to make people happy), but she snaps at him and storms off. Soo Nam complains that he has to help with the kids, and he can't even tell them apart. Jin Goo reminds him which is which. (Woori and Doori. Adorable!)
  Soo Nam shows up late for a meeting of the managers. Hyun Woo announces that they've increased revenue significantly in the past 2 years, and they all cheer. Jin Goo sucks up. Hyun Woo announces that he's been filling in these past few years as Guest Services manager, but can't do it any more, so he's considering promoting one of the 5 (there are 2 new employees we haven't seen before). Jin Goo and Soo Nam both think it will be them, even when Yeo Ok whispers to Soo Nam that he was late.
  Jin Goo returns to his office, excited by this new opportunity to be promoted. He decides there will be secret tests, and that it has to be Yeo Ok who will be testing them.
  Soo Nam is also excited to have the opportunity to get his job back. Yeo Ok visits him in his office and he tries to hug her, but she pushes him away on his forehead. (Yay! I've missed that move, and it's funny for her to do it in her own body for once!) She's there to ask him a favor, and he says that of course the answer is okay. She responds that there are no "nos" between them anymore, as it should be. 
  She wants him to handle Ki Chan's school transfer, since she's so busy. He answers that of course he'll do it, especially because Ki Chan will be attending the school nearest his house. Yeo Ok argues that it's too chaotic of an environment for him there, what with Il Ran and the twins. Plus, he's starting middle school and really needs to focus on his studies. Soo Nam points out that he has custody, so it's natural that he'd register near his home. And the house is a good environment for Ki Chan, since he's only thinking of his well-being. Yeo Ok asks him if he just told her that he'd do anything she asked, and he does the Indian head bob (kind of), which in this case could indicate anything, but seems to indicate that he regrets saying that. 

  She keeps pushing the issue, complaining that he still hasn't learned to stop lying and he backs into his desk. She finally browbeats him into agreeing to registering Ki Chan in a school near her home. After she leaves, he wonders how the conversation turned from being so amicable to him getting yelled at for lying.
  Soo Nam shows up to take Ki Chan to get registered, and Pushy Mom challenges him to a rematch of Go Stop (I'm assuming). Since he lost so big to her last week, doesn't he want to get back at her? He agrees, and he heads out with Ki Chan. 
  Hyun Woo goes ring shopping and picks out a huge rock.
  Soo Nam goes to Hyun Woo's empty office and leaves a file on the desk. He notices a paper indicating Hyun Woo's promotion and move to Seattle. He goes down to Yeo Ok's office and watches her work for a minute, a sad smile on his face.
  Yeo Ok calls her mom to tell her to take care of Ki Chan between school and cram school, but Pushy Mom says she's out with a friend.
  Soo Nam takes Ki Chan out for pizza and asks how he liked America. Ki Chan asks if he can study abroad there and Soo Nam asks if he likes being away from him that much. Ki Chan answers that he'd like his dad to be there with him. Soo Nam sits back with his arms folded and Ki Chan asks if he's angry. Clearly angry, he says he's not and urges Ki Chan to eat more. 
  Yeo Ok gets ready to go out, but notices all her face creams are almost gone. She asks Pushy Mom if she's been using them, and Pushy Mom snaps back that she has every right to use them. She asks which coat looks best on her, and Yeo Ok points out one, but then says it might look too sexy. Pushy Mom asks what's wrong with looking sexy and Yeo Ok goes back to her room. She remembers Pushy Mom telling her she was meeting a friend and decides she must have found a boyfriend. 

  Pushy Mom goes out and waits outside a building for someone. Yeo Ok spies on her and wonders who this boyfriend could possibly be. Then she sees MIL show up, wearing the exact same "sexy" coat Pushy Mom has on. They bicker and Pushy Mom goes inside angrily, leaving MIL shocked.
  Hyun Woo plays raquetball with Ki Chan while Yeo Ok cheers them on. When Ki Chan wins, he asks Hyun Woo to give him his wish. Hyun Woo agrees and Ki Chan asks him to give up on Yeo Ok. He says that his dad still loves his mom, and she doesn't hate him any more. (That's not the same as love, kid.) She even smiles more these days when she sees Soo Nam. Ki Chan says he likes Hyun Woo, and even wants to be like him when he grows up. "My dad's a good guy, but you're a better man. But don't tell him I said that, okay?" 

  Hyun Woo asks if Ki Chan thinks Yeo Ok would smile more if he gave her up, and he answers that he doesn't know. Yeo Ok interrupts to bring them towels and water. She asks what these two men were discussing so seriously and Ki Chan points at Hyun Woo and warns him that it's a secret. Yeo Ok tickles him to try to get him to tell her the secret. 
  At dinner, Pushy Mom wonders if Soo Nam will come for a visit. Yeo Ok asks if that's why she's been secretly meeting MIL and she answers that Soo Nam took care of her while Yeo Ok was abroad. He took her shopping and bought her a membership at the cultural center, where she met new friends. He used to come and play Go Stop with her every weekend, too, and she'd always win his money. Yeo Ok angrily leaves the table and goes to her room, but smiles when she thinks about it. 

  Jin Goo visits Customer Care to try to earn brownie points with Yeo Ok. He gives everyone a juice and stops to talk to Yeo Ok, even though everyone is busy taking calls. Yeo Ok tries to shoo him away, but he keeps sucking up to her, completely ignoring the fact that she's on an important call. He reminds her that he worked his way up from bellhop and she finally manages to send him away. Outside, he gloats that he's definitely on his way, and remarks that Yeo Ok is very sneaky.

  Ki Chan sneaks up on Soo Nam in his office, and practices his English on him. They decide to go visit Yeo Ok and make *puing puing* faces at her through the window. They all go to the cafeteria for a snack and joke about *puing puing*, and Hyun Woo sees them and backs away, sad. On the way home Ki Chan and Yeo Ok joke around in the back seat, and Soo Nam is clearly thrilled that they seem like a family again.
  After he takes them home, Yeo Ok sees him to the elevator. He asks if she's going with Hyun Woo to America and sighs that if she goes he feels like he'll never see her again. He tells her that it will be good for her and she'll be able to learn lots at HQ. Just let him know if there's anything he can help with, and they can figure out what to do about Ki Chan. He leaves, but Yeo Ok never actually answered his question. More foreboding.
  Soo Nam drives home, melancholy. A sad Hyun Woo picks up the ring he bought.

  Hyun Woo takes Yeo Ok out for dinner, and they adorably keep putting food on each others' plates. He asks her if he's a burden, and she answers that he's not. When they're together she feels warm and comfortable. He slides the ring box across to her and says "Let's get married." She hesitates, and he says "'Give me some time to think.' That's what you were going to say, right? But taking time to think isn't going to make you say yes. In this, you follow your heart, and if you don't know right away, it's not a yes." 

  He tells her to at least open the box, since it's something he's been preparing for 15 years, and when she does, it's empty. He says that he needs to let her go now. She's a fool, and since he's slightly less of a fool, he needs to teach her what her heart says, since she can't tell herself. She asks if she's like that, and he tearfully answers "The monk taught me this: Meeting someone, you tie a knot with them. But there are some meetings that require you to untie the knot. If you try to force tying the knot with someone when you should be untying it, it's not right. Once things are untied, then a place for a new knot will be found. Thank you for everything."   
  Yeo Ok walks home and remembers all her times with Hyun Woo.
  Soo Nam visits Hyun Woo in his packed-up office and Hyun Woo congratulates him on his promotion to General Manager. He's leaving tomorrow and asks Soo Nam to take good care of Yeo Ok. Soo Nam promises that if she comes back to him, he'll make her happy the rest of her life.
  This is where I finally checked out, and it's taken me over a week to come back and finish this. Just so you know, my heart's not in it anymore.
  Soo Nam makes breakfast for Yeo Ok and Ki Chan and flirts with Yeo Ok.

  Jin Goo also makes breakfast and has to wake Il Ran up. When he tries kissing her awake, she swings at him, but he celebrates the fact that he was able to dodge her.
  At work, although Soo Nam is the GM, he still does everything he can to annoy Jin Goo, but takes special care to listen attentively to all Yeo Ok's ideas about small weddings.
  Soo Nam visits Yeo Ok in her office and tries to flirt. He asks her to arrange the second wedding of a VIP.
  Ki Chan teaches Soo Nam to dance Gangnam Style.

  Yeo Ok stresses out about the last-minute wedding prep, especially because she hasn't seen the bride or groom. She heads to her office and runs into Victoria waiting outside. They chat for a while and Victoria tells her she had surgery and is all better now and came to Korea for a visit.
  Yeo Ok gets a call about a problem with the wedding and runs to the hall where Soo Nam proposes, since she's already prepared their wedding. Surprise! The hotel staff comes in and applauds when she accepts.

  Lawyer Lee emcees the wedding and Yeo Ok gets to the front first. When they look for the groom, Soo Nam and Ki Chan come together and they all perform the family dance. 
  Moo San admits defeat, but Wolhwa corrects her and tells her that their fates wouldn't have reconnected if it wasn't for love, so she won in the end. 
  Fin.
  Comments:

  I don't have many. The show ended in a very disappointing way for me—not because I was always shipping Hyun Woo, but because it never managed to convince me that Yeo Ok would actually be happy with Soo Nam. It's a conclusion that was started far too late in the drama for me to buy it. And while they tried to bring humor back in at the end, it just seemed to highlight even more the melo that this show became the last several episodes.
  I will admit that Hyun Woo's quote about meeting to tie or untie knots was beautiful, but it still didn't help me accept where things were headed. His entire arc this episode felt like his whole character was unnecessary all along. And yes, I am sad about that.
  I am glad we got to see Victoria well and happy, but her role has also been so overlooked for so long that I just don't know why they kept her around. Since the accident with Ki Chan, she hasn't done anything to drive the plot, and even that was an unnecessary storyline (or, at the very least, it didn't need her in it). Which is sad to me, because Victoria became such an interesting character for me after I started out thinking I would hate her the whole time. For a while, she was actually the most interesting character for a while, but then they just stopped letting her do or be anything.
  That's it. I don't really have any desire to think more about this drama. Oohlala Spouses, I started out loving you, but now I kinda hate you. It's not you, it's—wait, it's totally you.