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[HanCinema's Drama Review] "My Wife is Having an Affair" Episode 5

For the first time, we get to peek into Soo-yeon's mind and witness her heartfelt reaction to how her affair has hurt her family. Oblivious to her pain, Hyeon-woo stews in his and begins to boil over, spreading his misery to those around him. The other characters experience their own relationship pain and joys that all add witty commentary to the central conceit.

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It is Soo-yeon who was the most intriguing of all. She's been viewed through Hyeon-woo's eyes until now and we don't see how hard she's worked as a career woman, mother, and wife. It's hinted that Hyeon-woo doesn't quite understand the sacrifices she has made either. None of this condones her behavior, however, it is meant to help us understand her as a person, and I definitely do see her more clearly after this episode. This woman is so tightly would that she probably just burst and Hyeon-woo just didn't see it coming. On the other hand, it seems as though Soo-yeon didn't realize how much Hyeon-woo treasured her. It's all of this hindsight that makes this painful story so fascinating.

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Hyeon-woo has trouble containing his feelings of pain and betrayal that he seeks out the man Soo-yeon cheated with and reveals to the man's wife that he's a cheater. Hyeon-woo can't seem to stop hurting because he's hurt and assuming the worst of his wife - not that we can blame him. But we can see how Soo-yeon retreats more and more into herself each time he lashes out at her. She should be more open with him, but the situation is such an entangled emotional and social mess that there is no clear cut solution. There rarely is.

Around Hyeon-woo we see his friends living out the different realities of relationships. Yoon-gi continues to cheat although eh comes closer and closer to being caught. Joon-yeong hides the painful fact that his wife jilted him three years ago and lets others assume he's still married. Bo-young  sardonically observes the world around her through her experience as a divorced woman of a cheating man. And, of course, the internet community that has supported and advised him reacts in radically different ways to the most current news of his relationships. The show has sketched out a few of them, including a lovely grandmother and ajumma pair who haunt the post office and borrow cell phones to stay apprised of the latest Hyeon-woo gossip. The disparate reactions of the netizens mirror Hyeon-woo's scattered thoughts.

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I can't help but like the show itself despite hating adultery. Exploring the human mind and how it functions in society is never dull drama food.

Written by: Lisa Espinosa AKA Raine from 'Raine's Dichotomy'

"My Wife Is Having an Affair" is directed by Kim Seok-yoon, written by Kim Hyo-sin, Lee Nam-gyoo, and Lee Ye-rim-II, and features Lee Sun-kyun, Song Ji-hyo, Kim Hee-won, and Ye Ji-won.

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