‘Our Unwritten Seoul’ Ep. 1 Recap: Family Struggles, First Love, and a Shocking Choice
tvN’s new weekend drama Our Unwritten Seoul (aka Unknown Seoul) kicked off on the 24th with a heavy and emotional first episode, where Yoo Mi-ji (played by Park Bo-young) ends up deciding to live as her twin sister, Yoo Mi-rae (also Park Bo-young), after a series of intense events.
Yoo Mi-ji, who works as a cleaner and doesn’t have a stable job, lives a completely different life from Yoo Mi-rae. Yeom Bun-hong (Kim Sun-young) gives her a reality check, saying, “You’re not that young. You need to plant something now to reap a harvest later. Learn a skill or marry Gyung-gu (Moon Dong-hyuk). There’s a right time for everything.” But Yoo Mi-ji doesn’t take it well and snaps back, “Gyung-gu is just an ex-boyfriend.”
Later that night, she bumps into Lee Ho-soo (Park Jin-young), her old flame, who’s back in town for a memorial service. Yoo Mi-ji’s surprised and says, “How can you just pop out like that?” but Ho-soo skips the pleasantries and goes straight to, “Is Yoo Mi-rae doing well?” That annoys Yoo Mi-ji, and she responds, “If you’re curious, ask her directly. Aren’t you both Seoul citizens?”
Turns out, Ho-soo had once transferred to Yoo Mi-ji’s school and was always ranking top of the class. But Yoo Mi-ji didn’t like him much—he ignored her but was all friendly with Yoo Mi-rae. What she didn’t know? Ho-soo had a serious car accident before, leaving him with hearing loss and artificial bones in his leg, which is why he hadn’t really heard her properly back then.
Yoo Mi-ji didn’t just drift through life for no reason. When their grandma had a cerebral infarction, Yoo Mi-ji gave up studying and job hunting to care for her full time. When her grandma’s condition worsened, Yoo Mi-ji called her sister, asking, “Didn’t you say you’d come see Grandma?” But Yoo Mi-rae brushed her off. That set Yoo Mi-ji off: “What’s so hard for you? I do all the nursing, and you just show your face,” and Yoo Mi-rae coldly said, “Who told you to live like that?”
Their mom (Jang Young-nam) stepped in, defending Yoo Mi-rae: “If it weren’t for Yoo Mi-rae, this house would have been lost. We live like this thanks to your sister.” She then told Yoo Mi-ji to take side dishes to Seoul the next day for Yoo Mi-rae.
At the cafe near Yoo Mi-rae’s office, the conversation turned dark. Yoo Mi-rae, envious of a part-timer getting to leave work over a hand injury, said something disturbing: “All office workers would envy that. I’ve been thinking, falling from a moderate height seems best. The second floor is too low, but the third floor is just right. If you drop a blanket, you can say you fell while shaking it out later.” Yoo Mi-ji tried to talk her down: “Office workers say they sometimes experience burnout. If it’s too hard, take a leave of absence and rest.”
While Yoo Mi-ji went to the restroom, Yoo Mi-rae vanished—leaving behind her phone. Yoo Mi-ji instantly knew something was off and ran out to search for her. She found Yoo Mi-rae attempting to jump from a window. Yoo Mi-ji grabbed her just in time, and they both ended up falling together. Yoo Mi-rae cried, “Why did you do that? I had everything calculated,” but Yoo Mi-ji broke down, “Are you crazy? Is this blanket thing a calculation? Are you doing this so I’ll regret it forever? How am I supposed to live?”
Earlier, Ho-soo had told Yoo Mi-ji, “I happened to run into Yoo Mi-rae the other day, and she looked like she was having a hard time. I asked if you knew what was going on.” He added, “Yoo Mi-rae ran away as soon as she saw me. She hates showing weakness, doesn’t she?”
Yoo Mi-rae had joined her company with hopes, especially after seeing her senior speak out against corruption. But that senior got bullied and eventually quit. Yoo Mi-rae didn’t have the courage to act, only coming forward after her senior resigned. And after that, all the harassment got aimed at her.
In the end, Yoo Mi-ji looked at her sister and said, “Don’t quit and don’t endure it either. Like before, I’ll do it for you. I’ll live as you, so you live as me.” The episode ended with the two sisters hooking pinkies, sealing their silent agreement.
Oh, and if you haven’t started it yet, you can watch Our Unwritten Seoul on Netflix and TVING.
Watch first Episode Preview
Watch Second Episode Preview
