New Tales of Gisaeng episodes 21-30 review: other story lines
In my last review I just wrote about Sa Ran and Da Mo’s relationship as the post was starting to get very long! So here is an overview of the other characters and story lines in this section of the drama. In a nutshell, Ra Ra’s parents get divorced and so Ms. Oh tries to get closer to Dr. Geum. She fails as Dr. Geum is going to marry Ms. Han. Ra Ra plans to get married too. Ra Ra’s uncle gets in trouble when his wife discovers he has a love child. 
Ms. Oh hears that Ra Ra’s parents are getting divorced and she is pleased because she thinks that now she has a chance to finally be with Dr.Geum who she has liked for a long time. But she is shrewd and knows that she will have to win Ra Ra’s grandmother over first if she is to have any chance at all. So she starts to casually meet her. She gives her presents and takes her to spas and gives her a shoulder to cry on when she needs to talk about what’s going on in her family. She acts like a concerned friend but really she is softening her up to the idea of a new daughter-in-law. And it seems to be working…
D. Geum tells his mother that he instigated the divorce so that she won’t think badly of his wife. But when Ms. Oh hears this she sees her opportunity to make Ra Ra’s mum look bad and explains that it must have been Ra Ra’s mum who wanted the divorce as she has found another man – she heard her talking to him on the phone in the beauty salon. This makes Ra Ra’s grandmother upset and very cold towards her daughter-in-law. She tells her to move out ASAP. I think this is pretty harsh after all the years that they have known each other. They could at least part on warm terms regardless of why the marriage is ending. Surely Grandmother must know that they were never really happy? Unfortunately, Ms. Han is spending all her energy on Dr. Geum’s mother and has not considered the possibility that he may not be interested in her. His soon to be ex-wife realises that Ms. Oh likes him and tells him that she would be happy for him to find another wife as long as it is not Ms. Oh! She doesn’t like her. After she leaves his clinic she bumps into Ms. Oh arriving with a lunch box for Dr.Geum. The two women exchange a few words but although they have known each other a long time, they are not on friendly terms at all. Ms. Oh is unaware of Dr. Geum’s relationship with Ms. Han. She is totally different to Ms. Han – she is elegant and worldly and the thought that Ms. Han could be her competition doesn’t even enter her head. But Ms. Han is warm and kind and also a great cook. Ms. Oh is not the domestic type and although she brings Dr. Geum a lunch box, she didn’t make it herself. She just got the kitchen staff to prepare it for her.
Ms. Oh is getting on great with Dr. Geum’s mother (top picture). Dr. Geum’s ex wife does not want Ms. Oh to date Dr. Geum (middle picture) But Dr. Geum is planning to marry Ms. Han. (bottom picture) New Tales of Gisaeng, episodes 21 – 30, SBS
Ra Ra’s mum moves out and into a small flat. Her new man comes to see her often and we learn that they have known each other since university. They were in love but for some reason they broke up. She must have had an ideal image of him since they were so young when they dated. But they didn’t marry or live together and now she watches in shock as he sits there watching sport on the TV, eating grapes and spitting out the pips and skin onto the table! That really was gross. Looks like she’s not going to have the happy new life that she seemed to be expecting. I feel sorry for Ra Ra’s mum really. But I don’t understand her. She is a cold and solemn woman. Is this because she was in a long loveless marriage? Why did she break up with her university boyfriend and then marry Dr. Geum? And she is not warm towards Ra Ra either. 
Ra Ra’s mum is not impressed with her new man, New Tales of Gisaeng, 2011, SBS
Ra Ra’s aunt (I’ll still call her aunt although she’s her real mother) is still trying to get Ra Ra to go and live with her since she is her real mother. How can she just dismiss the last 25 years of Ra Ra’s life growing up with Dr. Geum who she calls dad? Just because she is Ra Ra’s biological mother she thinks this gives her the right to step in now after all these years and take over. It’s very strange thinking. No wonder Ra Ra is annoyed with her. Ra Ra tells Dr. Geum that she wants to stay with him and Grandmother. She is understandably loyal. But when she hears about the divorce she is shocked and disappointed. At first Ra Ra tells her dad that she would prefer him not to remarry! She says it’s fine if he dates but outside the house only!! What?? And she will find someone to marry soon so that she can leave the house? She could just get a flat on her own, couldn’t she? They have enough money. She doesn’t have to get married. Or she can just continue living at home. What is this sudden need to get married? She asks her dad to introduce her to the young doctor who works for him. Her new mother- in-law seems really nice. Too nice. She suggests that Ra Ra can live at her own family home at first if she wants, since her father might be lonely without her. This is unusual as normally a new bride would be expected to move in with her in-laws straight away. So Ra Ra seems satisfied with her new family. But Ra Ra’s new mother-in-law is not as nice as she seems. In front of Ra Ra she is kind and thoughtful but at home behind her back she schemes how to get as much money out of Ra Ra as possible. Oh no. Poor Ra Ra. Her new in-laws are a bunch of gold diggers.
Ra Ra takes her boyfriend home to the family, New Tales of Gisaeng, 2011, SBS
Poor Dr. Geum is being told what to do by his whole family. Everyone seems to be against him finding happiness. His mother doesn’t want Ms. Han in the house because she blames her for Grandfather’s death. Dr. Geum has finally found the woman he still loves from years ago but everyone around him is against them being together. Even Ms. Han feels guilty because she knows that Ms. Oh has feelings for him too. I don’t like grandmother right now. She doesn’t know what’s going on in other people’s relationships but is making all kinds of judgements. She is angry with her daughter-in-law for finding someone new even though she lived with them for years in an unhappy marriage. And she is trying to blame Ms. Han for grandfather’s death because she bore Dr. Geum’s child! What about blaming her own son for getting Ms. Han pregnant in the first place? Very irritating.
Ra Ra does not want Ms. Oh to date her dad, New Tales of Gisaeng, 2011, SBS
Dr. Geum has dinner at Ms. Han’s place. She has cooked a lovely meal but she is dressed in unattractive dowdy trousers – Buddhist monk attire. He arrives with a big bunch of flowers and he is a bit shocked at first when he sees what she is wearing, but he cheers up and just seems happy to be with her. He even tells her she looks really pretty! After the crab stew she explains that she can’t be with him and plans to go to the temple and give herself to Buddha. She feels too guilty about not finding their child and she also feels bad for Ms. Oh too. He won’t listen and has no feelings for Ms. Oh. He realizes that she dressed in Buddhist clothes to push him away but this doesn’t work and he thinks she looks even better simply dressed! They finally get to see the soothsayer who came to the gisaeng house and knew that she had a child. He predicts that if they stay together as a couple then they will find their daughter. So Ms. Han agrees to marry Dr. Geum. She has to win Grandmother over now. Dr. Geum arranges to meet Ms. Oh for dinner to explain the situation. She is excited when he says he has something to tell her. She spends time thinking about what to wear to the dinner. But then she is so disappointed when he explains that he is going to marry Ms. Han! She feels humiliated and embarrassed as well as disappointed. But she keeps her emotions inside and congratulates Ms. Han, showing that there are no hard feelings.
Ms. Han kneels in front of her future mother-in-law, New Tales of Gisaeng, 2011, SBS
Ms. Han starts to spend her days at Ra Ra’s house cooking and cleaning. When she first arrives, Grandmother shouts at her to leave. She kneels on the floor and begs her to forgive her. But Grandmother is upset and still blames her for her husband’s death. This is unreasonable and Ms. Han is already being very hard on herself. In the end Grandmother rushes out of the house. Ra Ra’s aunt turns up and when she sees Ms. Han wearing an apron she thinks she is the new adjumma housekeeper. But then she sees the real adjumma who tells her Ms. Han is the new daughter-in-law. Ms. Han explains that she is going to marry Dr. Geum. Ra Ra’s aunt looks shocked, not surprisingly. This is the first she has heard of any of this!
Ra Ra’s aunt is confused when she meets Ms. Han, New Tales of Gisaeng, 2011, SBS
There are more shocks in store for Ra Ra’s aunt. Her husband discovers that a nurse he had an affair with years ago had a son. He wonders if the boy – Son Ja – could be his son. He finds out where he lives and secretly goes to see him. At first Son Ja doesn’t want to have anything to do with him or even have a DNA test because he feels some resentment towards the man who he feels abandoned his mother. But later we learn that she didn’t want to get married anyway and he had no idea that she was pregnant. She only wanted a baby so she had an affair with him and left when she got pregnant. He was married at the time though..
Son Ja and his dad. This means Ra Ra and Son Ja have the same father. New Tales of Gisaeng, 2011, SBS
Ra Ra’s uncle is sure that Son Ja is his son, because they look so alike. They decide to do a DNA test and he tells Grandmother that he has another son. He wants her help – he wants her to let Son Ja live with her since he is sure his wife will be angry when she hears about this! Of course she will be angry! But it does seem like it is much more acceptable for men to have affairs. And the women always get blamed for everything – grandmother blames Ms. Han and Ra Ra’s aunt for the family troubles they have. What about the men? He was already married when he had an affair with this woman but all the blame is put on the woman. Finally Ra Ra’s uncle tells his wife about his affair years ago. She is fuming. She shouts at him to get out of the house. She gets a baseball bat and counts down while he rushes to pack a suitcase. He ends up leaving the house without his shoes or phone. He does manage to grab his golf clubs though! He has to go to Dr. Geum’s house. He sneaks upstairs and the adjumma thinks there’s a burglar in the house. She calls Dr. Geum who gets a stick and she gets a bowl of water. Then they tip toe upstairs. Sure enough there’s a figure in the dark room. Dr. Geum is about to hit him and the adjumma pours water all over him. Then they see it’s Ra Ra’s uncle. He has some explaining to do!
Ra Ra’s uncle wants to have Son Ja move in with him and his wife as soon as he can. Is he crazy? Will she ever agree to this?
