Family by Choice Review (Episodes 3-4): Trauma Left By Parents that Returns Years Later

Family by Choice episode 3 brings Hae-jun’s biological father in front of him as he wishes to take him away to America. Episode 4 has San-ha’s mother returning with a demand to take him away to Seoul. How will the boys deal with their parents?

Family by Choice tells the story of a family formed by bonds of love rather than those of blood. Two fathers come together to care for their three children who share the bond of love as they grow up together. While life isn’t always smooth for the trio, and feelings of love make their way within them, the family is always ready to face everything together.

-Spoilers Ahead-

Family by Choice Recap (Episodes 3-4)

Facing his birth father, Hae-jun is shocked but soon recovers and is told that his existence was unknown to his father which is why he came now. Hae-jun is stunned but also happy to know that he has a father, however, it soon comes running down when he remembers the father who has been by his side all these years. Elsewhere, Ju-won is excited when she gets a love letter from a secret admirer.

Later at home, San-ha observes something is wrong with Hae-jun and soon makes him spill the beans. Unlike Hae-jun’s optimistic self, he is suspicious of the man and suggests they go meet his aunt the next day. Thus, while Ju-won is wondering about the person who has a crush on her and waiting to tell her brothers about it, the duo goes to meet Hae-jun’s aunt.

She tells them that the man has lied to Hae-jun and he had known of his existence all along. He had abandoned Hae-jun’s mother when she was pregnant and married the daughter of a rich family. This leaves Hae-jun stunned while San-ha suggests they go find out why he came looking for Hae-jun after all this time.

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The two go meet him the next day and Hae-jun confronts him about everything. Seeing that he has been caught, the man comes clean and tells them that he doesn’t have a child of his own which has resulted in his wife’s relatives looking for a way to get a hand on his money. This is why he wants Hae-jun to go to America with him so that he has an heir to take over his properties.

Hae-jun is stunned by his audacity and walks out of there with San-ha. Later, the man goes to meet Jeong-jae to convince him to give Hae-jun to him. Jeong-jae is also stunned by his presence and the way he tries to buy off the years he has been his son’s father. Ju-won and Park Dal walk in on their conversation but are sent away. Soon, the two come across Hae-jun and San-ha, and Park Dal (knowing about his father’s matter) hints to the two about his presence at the restaurant.

The two rush there only to find the man gone. San-ha reads the room and drags Ju-won and Park Dal away to leave the father-son duo to talk. Jeong-jae tells him about what happened and while he would respect Hae-jun’s wish to go with his “biological father”, he wishes for Hae-jun to stay with him for a little while longer. Hearing this, Hae-jun is unable to contain his tears and tells him that he fears he will send him with his biological father if he tells him about meeting him.

The two soon reconcile while Ju-won is told about the matter by San-ha. Later, Hae-jun walks into them talking about him and is touched to hear of their belief that he would never leave them for a wealthy father. He once again burst into tears when he hears them say how he can’t leave them and rushes to hug the two. While they spend the evening on the terrace, Ju-won suddenly remembers the letter she got and rushes to show it to the two who are in shock.

The next day, San-ha has a rough start after his mother’s call leaves him with nightmares all night long. The trio soon reach the school where the identity of Ju-won’s secret admirer is known to all and she rushes to meet him. Curiosity gets the best of them and the two boys see a happy Ju-won conversing with the boy. While Hae-jun is happy for her, San-ha is unable to see the two together and believes they won’t last long.

Later, Ju-won goes for a snack with the boy and is weirded out by his eating habits. While she can overlook all this, his comment about her cheerful nature despite coming from a dysfunctional family gets her annoyed. She ditches him and rushes back home, saddened by how people view her as an oddity for being happy without a mother.

Her early return surprises everyone but they soon conclude that she is too young for romance, while Hae-jun is disappointed at her for not liking such a good-looking guy. However, San-ha notices that there is something off about her. The next day, the boy approaches Ju-won again, apologises to her and asks to be friends first. Ju-won accepts his request and receives cheers from her classmates.

After school when Ju-won is walking out with San-ha, the two are surprised to see San-ha’s mother Kwon Jeong-hui standing in front of them. San-ha and Jeong-hui go to a nearby cafe to talk where he makes it clear to her that he doesn’t want to talk to her which is why he has been avoiding her calls. However, she doesn’t want to let go of him and wishes he would meet his new sister and get together with them as a family.

San-ha is annoyed by her negligence in considering his wishes and walks out of there, wishing her a good life. However, the effect of meeting her is stuck with him, and only with Ju-won’s words is he able to snap out of his daze. While he heads to a carefree afternoon with Ju-won, Jeong-hui meets his father who tries to be polite with her until her wishes to take San-ha away annoy him.

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He scolds her for her ignorance of San-ha’s pain and tells her to stay away from his son. Later, he gets drunk and is picked up by Jeong-jae who scolds him for avoiding talking to San-ha about his feelings. The two men soon head home and Jeong-jae prepares some jujube water for San-ha so that he is able to sleep better at night. However, San-ha and Hae-jun have a conflict when the former wants to have nothing to do with his mother while the latter wishes that he take the opportunity to get together with his mother (putting his feelings in this).

Later, San-ha explains to him that if he stays with his mother then he is bound to tell her about her negligence which led to his sister’s death. Thus, it is better to stay away from her. However, Hae-jun is not convinced and wishes he reconcile with her. Ju-won hears their conflict and takes them out, but Hae-jun is not ready to talk to him. While out, Ju-won tells how she is not bothered when people call her cheerful despite not having a mother which sticks to San-ha, who thinks about some days back.

While Ju-won reveals nothing, the next day, San-ha hears something similar from the boy who confessed to Ju-won. He gets Hae-jun to confront the boy and tells him of the comment he made. However, the boy says nothing as Ju-won has strictly warned him. Right then, he trips and is caught by Hae-jun, while Ju-won walks in and misunderstands that Hae-jun is going to hit him.

She tells them that he only told her that she has a difficult upbringing and nothing else. This angers the two as the comment is no less hurtful, yet she told them nothing about it. Ju-won apologises to them and promises to never hide anything ever again. The two soon reach the restaurant and are shocked to see Jeong-hui there. San-ha once again makes it clear to her that he has no plans of following her wishes, while Ju-won finds through the little girl that Jeong-hui is trying to take San-ha to Seoul.

San-ha stands to leave but is stopped by Hae-jun who tries to make him reconcile with his mother. However, San-ha ends up making mean comments about how his mother lied to him about her return. This angers Hae-jun who punches San-ha in front of everyone, who in turn shouts at him that it is the truth that they have been abandoned by their mothers.

Family by Choice Review (Episodes 3-4)

The new episodes bring the trauma left behind by parents, especially in Hae-jun and San-ha’s case, back as their parents make a return to create chaos in their lives. The trio’s vulnerability is clear in these episodes as they each have their moments of sadness take over their usual self. However, while we may hate a few of their reactions, let us remember that these are characters who are in their teenage years.

San-ha is clear-headed when dealing with his mother because he has completely given up on getting any affection from her. However, the sight of his new sister brings memories that make him vulnerable in front of her. Meanwhile, Hae-jun’s desire for a blood relationship and the embrace of his mother make him push his feelings onto San-ha who has a chance to get that.

While the plot is clearly trying to make San-ha the centre in all this, it is Ju-won who is sticking out with her maturity. While she doesn’t show a very mature self in many scenarios, it is undeniable that she has worked her way through her longing for her mother and is able to contain her feelings better than the two boys.

Finally, we also see two fathers who are just as flustered by these changing situations and trying to do their best with their sons. But will their efforts really be enough to hold on to their bond in front of the bigger waves coming their way?

Watch Family by Choice on Viki.

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