#gae

Na Hae-soo started dating her husband at the age of 20. It was a shining romance. She never had to deal with the pressure of the marriage market. She got picked right away, and her future husband treated her well.

Now she's 33 and he treats her like expired milk. Na Hae-soo's character design is extremely well-done. You feel like a pervert for looking at her, even though she's always dressed extremely plainly.

She's in debt.

Her beloved husband, Mincheol, took out money UNDER HER NAME.

Then, he divorced her.

Yes, they still live together.

Mincheol was jobless for a long time. He's been living off of her, promising to remarry her when shit gets better for him financially.

When the story begins he finally has it. An office job. A suit. Long smoke breaks with his managers. He ruined his wife, just so he could secure his own career. Na Hae-soo lives like a nun. She does all the cooking. All the chores. All of the real work and overtime. She pays off his debt on her own, because it's in her name and he has the audacity to act like it's hers. Na Hae-soo has been emotionally and mentally abused for about a decade, and she has no support system.

She's a dying flower.

Mincheol is going to use her until she crumbles.

The worst part is we see what she could be. Her multiple bosses all respect her. She has female acquaintances. She just has no time to hang out with anyone, so she has no close friends. Everyone always calls her beautiful. Her acquaintances encourage her to date before they learn she has a "husband". They say her age doesn't matter, because she's extremely blessed in looks.

Na Hae-soo can't see it. She's over thirty and she's in debt. Mincheol never lets her forget it.

She works at a florist, a BBQ joint, and a convenience store. Plus she takes extra shifts at other places, hoping for remarriage and a renewed relationship with the only man she knows romantically. She literally doesn't know how to move on.

She doesn't notice Mr. Rose for months.

Her coworker has to point him out.

Mr. Rose buys ten roses every single day. He's been doing it for MONTHS, and he looks like a model. Na Hae-soo thinks he's about a decade younger than her, so she dismisses him.

Her coworker realizes the truth right away. Mr. Rose is coming to see her.

She doesn't believe it.

However, it's impossible to deny. His boldness breaks down years of self-hate and insults. He refuses to talk to anyone else. He walks around the store until he finds her, and he asks her to make his bouquet. It seems...strange. It's such an obvious way to flirt. Na Hae-soo still thinks of Mincheol as her husband, so she starts thinking about rejecting Mr. Rose.

It's understandable.

If she leaves Mincheol the next man will surely be even worse.

Right?

There is another victim in this story. Her name is Ari. She works with Mincheol. She falls in love with him, and she doesn't know. Mincheol hides his ugly apartment. He PRETENDS TO BE SINGLE AT WORK. He did divorce Na Hae-soo, but they still live together. She still takes care of him. He literally treats her like a maid. He's bored of Na Hae-soo because she doesn't act cute anymore.

Ari is scared of bugs and she loves it when Mincheol protects her. She's twenty five. She's popular.

He sleeps with her.

She wants to marry him, completely unaware of the fact that he's capable of draining her dry for his own gain.

I do think she won't be a villain, and Na Hae-soo will feel obligated to warn her. After she leaves with Mr. Rose of course.

Mr. Rose lies. He pretends to be a lower middle class man who lives in the neighborhood. He says he loves flowers and he wants to start as friends with her. In reality he seems to be an extremely wealthy gangster. He starts beating up men who hit on Na Hae-soo without her knowledge. He knows her shedule. He starts showing up at all three of her workplaces after they become "friends"

Na Hae-soo becomes less lonely thanks to him.

Tae-ha gets her with TEXT MESSAGES. It's so normal and cute it hurts. It's what she needs. It's what she wants. It doesn't matter if she has to work hard. She just wanted Mincheol to check on her. To be reasonable and care about her while she works hard.

Tae-ha figured out that money wouldn't work right away. Being friends first suits him just fine. He wants Na Hae-soo to like him, genuinely. He's just a scary guy at work. When it comes to love he's affectionate, and also violent, oh and he knows about the cheating and Na Hae-soo finds out because of his meddling.

What a caring guy!

It becomes more....unavoidable. He starts walking her home. Mincheol basically never comes home at this point. He's always on dates with Ari. He constantly complains about their old and dirty apartment. He's not happy. She's not happy.

She finds lipstick stains on his underwear.