Destined With You 2023 Episode 3

Episode 3 of Destined With You starts where we left off with Sin-yu driving to meet Na-yeon after she forces him to meet her. Sin-yu suffers from another attack on his drive and accidentally crashes the potted plants that Hong-jo had set up earlier that day. He tries to calm down and meets Na-yeon, who is upset with Sin-yu yet again. He suggests that they should take some time off from their relationship.

Meanwhile, Hong-jo makes up the potion using the love spell and decides to have Jae-kyung drink it the following day. The next morning, Hong-jo replaces Jae-kyung’s glass of water with the love potion and goes back to her desk with a half-empty flask of the potion. 

At her desk, Hong-jo learns from Seo-goo that someone has destroyed all the potted plants and ruined the neatly decorated street. Seo-goo also claims that the mess was noticed by the mayor of the city and that he’s upset with Hong-jo as a result. She pays the street a visit, instructing the workers to clean up the mess.

Hong-jo then visits Sin-yu and asks him to file a case against the reckless driver who crashed into all the potted plants. There, she is shocked to learn that Sin-yu was the person who caused the accident. Sin-yu tells her that he’s taken care of the incident by filing a report about it. He also adds that his insurance agent will take care of the damage.

Sin-yu forces Hong-jo to take the next two days off in order to go to Mount Jiri with him. He tells her that according to their deal, she needs to help cure his disease as she promised. He forces Hong-jo to pack a bag and teases her for using the love spell on Jae-kyung. Hong-jo isn’t sure the spell even worked.

As the two head out to Mount Jiri to collect the ingredients for the ritual to heal Sin-yu’s disease, Seo-goo checks up on his boss, Ma Eun-young, who has been away from work after she was embroiled in a controversy. Sin-yu and Hong-jo continue their usual argument on the way to the mountain.

In the car, Sin-yu makes sure that Hong-jo is comfortable as she naps. He is shocked at his own reaction towards her and wonders why he was so drawn to her. Meanwhile, at the City Hall, Jae-kyung accosts Hong-jo’s co-workers, Sae-byeol and Su-jeong for leaking the video of him rejecting Hong-jo’s proposal. He warns them against bullying her and leaves.

Once Hong-jo and Sin-yu get to the mountain, the latter is surprised by the fact that Hong-jo is so at ease around him. The two go around to gather the ingredients for the ritual and share a few romantic moments in the middle of their constant arguing. Once they are done, the duo return back to Sin-yu’s villa where Hong-jo gets dressed in white, in attire to perform the ritual.

After the ritual is performed, Sin-yu is startled by the fact that instead of calming down, his heartbeat has grown a lot faster. He refuses to let Hong-jo see him and rushes away, fearing he will suffer from another episode. Hong-jo is left wondering if the ritual to heal Sin-yu went well. She also wonders if she was able to get Jae-kyung to fall in love with her with the love spell.

That night, Sin-yu has a weird dream of a young girl wearing a hanbok and he is startled awake. The next morning, Sin-yu asks Hong-jo to pack up and get ready as they’re heading home. Just then, Hong-jo gets a call from Jae-kyung who asks her why she hasn’t come in at work for the last two days. Hong-jo starts acting coy while on the phone with Jae-kyung, which makes Sin-yu jealous.

Jae-kyung asks Hong-jo to see him after work the following day and Hong-jo is sure that the love spell worked. She shares the news with Sin-yu and acts like he is unbothered by the entire predicament. Meanwhile, Eun-young shows up at work for the first time since the scandal and is curt towards Seo-goo who was being very nice to her. 

As they drive back to the city, Hong-jo asks Sin-yu to join her for a meal but he refuses the offer. As she sits to eat alone yet again, Sin-yu shows up out of nowhere and joins Hong-jo as she has a meal. In the car, Hong-jo tells Sin-yu that she is waiting for a text from Jae-kyung, which further makes him jealous.

Sin-yu drops Hong-jo home and forces her to keep the dress that he brought for her to wear during the ritual. Later that night, Sin-yu wonders why he is so interested in Hong-jo and wonders what she is up to. Meanwhile, Jae-kyung’s responses on the City Hall group chat make Hong-jo happy that her spell has finally worked. 

Hong-jo shows up to work the following day and is shocked to learn that Seo-goo has consumed the other half of the potion that she left behind. Hong-jo causes a scene at the office and Seo-goo starts yelling when Eun-young shows up all of a sudden and calms her staff members. She invites everyone for a team dinner that evening.

Hong-jo realises that she won’t be able to meet Jae-kyung given the fact that she has to go for dinner. On her way out, she runs into Sin-yu and starts telling him all about her interactions with Jae-kyung from the night before. She asks Sin-yu if he’s seeing any improvement in his condition.

Sin-yu and Hong-jo share a moment before she leaves to go out with her team. Sin-yu notices how he’s suddenly experiencing shortness of breath after seeing Hong-jo. He also realises that his heart was beating way faster than usual when he was around her. Sin-yu somehow goes back home and finds Na-yeon waiting there for him.

 Since Sin-yu moved out of his parents’ home, Na-yeon was ready to start living with him as she put out couple’s slippers and other items for them to share in the house. Sin-yu tells Na-yeon that he wants some time to deal with the health issues he’s suffering from and clearly asks to break things off. Na-yeon tells Sin-yu that she needs some time to come to terms with his sudden decision and leaves without agreeing to the break-up. 

The next day, Hong-jo is at work when she calls to check in on Sin-yu. He mocks her for only being concerned about him, as she wants to make sure the love spell on Jae-kyung has worked. The two have another argument on the phone. After ending the call, Sin-yu starts thinking about Hong-jo. He follows Hong-jo on her “date” with Jae-kyung wonders how he developed all these feelings for Hong-jo.

Sin-yu goes to the City Hall CCTV room to check the footage from the conference meeting and discovers that he accidentally consumed the water that Hong-jo had set out for Jae-kyung. He realises now that he was falling for Hong-jo because of the spell and realises the mistake he’s made.

Later that night, Sin-yu waits outside Hong-jo’s house as she returns from her date. He asks about her evening with Jae-kyung and believes there’s no way the spell worked. The episode ends with Sin-yu confessing that he likes Hong-jo as well. 

The Episode Review

While this show is really slow-paced and predictable, it seems like the story is progressing a lot faster than usual Korean dramas. The execution of scenes is extremely slow but the plot finally thickens with Sin-yu confessing his feelings for Hong-jo. Since he knows about the spell, it is also possible that he will try looking for ways to reverse it. 

It is also concerning as Hong-jo performed not one but two spells on Sin-yu. Which is why it will be a hassle if the reversal ends up bringing back Sin-yu’s disease instead of nullifying the love spell. The show looks pretty predictable and it won’t be wrong to say that most fans are tuning in for Rowoon. I hope the story progresses into something interesting and does not leave viewers with a run-of-the-mill fantasy drama.