Wonderful World 2024 K Drama Episode 1

Episode 1 of Wonderful World starts with Eun Soo-hyun and Kwon Seon-yul coming face to face with Seon-yul in his car. The two think about their memories from the past and Seon-yul gets angry. He starts driving towards Soo-hyun as the episode cuts out to the noise of an accident.

The episode then moves back to 2015 when Soo-hyun had her life all figured out. Soo-hyun recalls winning the Rosal Literary Award as well as the birth of her son. She also recalls being happily married and in love with her husband – Kang Soo-ho. Soo-hyun’s manager drives her to the airport for an international trip.

Meanwhile, Soo-ho is at home as he watches the news about him being fired from his job. The media addresses him as Soo-hyun’s husband. A flashback from 2012 shows Soo-ho quitting his job after an argument. Soo-ho states that they should use their news channel to expose the corrupt mayor, Kim Jun, but his superior disagrees.

This prompts Soo-ho to quit his job and become a stay-at-home dad while Soo-hyun works. Soo-ho calls Soo-hyun about their son Gun-woo running a fever while she is at the airport. She gets worried and deliberates about going back home. She tries calling Soo-ho as well as her mother but when they don’t answer, she makes it back home on her own.

Soo-hyun returns home and finds Gun-woo playing in the backyard, feeling all better after taking some medicines. She inside to chat with Soo-ho and finds him hiding medicine bottles from her. Soo-hyun apologises to Soo-ho for not realising he was suffering from depression and promises to be better to him. They hear the dog barking outside the house and learn that Gun-woo has run away from the house.

Soo-ho and Soo-hyun start looking around for Gun-woo but are not able to find him anywhere. Soo-hyun panics when she finds one of Gun-woo’s shoes on the street. The two look around the locality all day only for Soo-hyun to find Gun-woo inside an ambulance. Gun-woo is taken to the hospital and Soo-hyun waits outside, praying for her son to wake up.

Meanwhile, Yu-ri meets Soo-hyun’s mother, Go-eun, at her restaurant for a meal. She gets a call from Soo-hyun who tells her about Gun-woo’s accident. Yu-ri and Go-eun arrive at the hospital where Soo-hyun and Soo-ho wait. The doctor tells the parents that Gun-woo is in a critical condition and asks them to be prepared for the worst.

While the other three are shattered by the news, Soo-hyun is emotionless and numb. That night, Go-eun tries to console Soo-hyun and asks the latter to say goodbye to her son. Soo-hyun is dumbfounded by her mother’s comment and refuses to believe that Gun-woo is going to die. Soo-hyun goes to meet Gun-woo one last time and breaks down. The machine beeps and Gun-woo dies in her mother’s presence.

Soo-hyun breaks down instantly and Soo-ho rushes to the hospital room. Soo-hyun and her family attend Gun-woo’s funeral and bury his remains. Go-eun joins Soo-hyun and Soo-ho on their way back home and they visit the street where Gun-woo had met with the accident. The spot on the street has become a memorial for Gun-woo.

Soo-hyun starts sobbing and lays herself on the street, right where Gun-woo had been. Following this, the news of Gun-woo’s accidental death is made public. The culprit – Kwon Ji-woong is arrested for causing the accident. Soo-hyun and Soo-ho attend the court case where Ji-woong is present.

His lawyer argues that Ji-woong had put Gun-woo in his car intending to take him to the hospital. However, after noticing that Gun-woo wasn’t breathing, he panicked and put him on the street before fleeing in his car. Ji-woong’s lawyer examined Soo-hyun and tried to prove she was a neglectful parent who left her sick son to play in the garden all by himself.

The lawyer accuses her of failing to lock the front gate after returning home, leading to Gun-woo leaving the house. The prosecution argues that Ji-woong’s lawyer was trying to rid his client of the blame but the damage is done. Soo-hyun goes back home, blaming herself for Gun-woo’s death. After a few days, the court is in session again as the judge gives his verdict on Gun-woo’s accident.

The judge rules Ji-woong not guilty of violating any traffic laws because he expressed remorse over the accident. Ji-woong is given a suspended sentence of two years and six months. Soo-ho loses his calm over the verdict and tries to attack Ji-woong. Soo-hyun does not leave the courtroom until later that night while Soo-ho is put in prison for his violent behaviour.

After the hearing, Ji-woong calls Kim Joon, the former Mayor of Seoul, who is now a Congressman. He thanks Joon for his help in the case that helped him walk free. As Ji-woong is making his way back home that night, Soo-hyun shows up in front of him. She asks him to apologise to her son but Ji-woong offers to pay her in cash as compensation.

When Soo-hyun persistently tries to get Ji-woong to apologise for a photo of Gun-woo, he is frustrated. He tells her he’s a busy man involved in many businesses. Ji-woong asks Soon-hyun to stop making such a big fuss and leaves.

Soo-hyun gets up from the ground and takes Gun-woo’s photo with her. She enters her car and drives into Ji-woong who is walking on the street as the episode ends.

The Episode Review

As much as I love a revenge thriller, I am not sure how to feel about this one. The first episode gives us some insight into what happened in Soo-hyun’s life but it feels like Seon-yul’s connection to her is what will make the show interesting. It is clear that Soo-ho had been feeling overshadowed by his popular wife but this also leaves me with questions about his loyalty to her.

The courtroom hearing of this show is another mockery of the South Korean judicial system because it is so easy for criminals to walk free even after committing serious crimes. We know that Kim Joon has helped Ji-woong get away with the crime but it also means that the case has some connection with Soo-ho.

For the lawyer to blame Soo-hyun for being a ‘bad parent’ while ridding his client of the blame for being a drunk driver is appalling. I can’t wait to see more of this show and more of Eunwoo too in this intense thriller.