[Apr 5] “Wonderful World” Ep 11: Rating, Recap, Review

On April 5, “Wonderful World” began its last two weeks with a bigger audience. Nielsen Korea reports that the popular show matched its highest rating ever at 11.4% for its 11th episode. This made it Friday’s most-watched show.

• You may also like: [Mar 30] “Wonderful World” Ep 10: Rating, Recap, Review

“Wonderful World” episode 11: Recap & review

In the 11th episode of “Wonderful World,” Kim Nam-joo and Cha Eun-woo finally joined hands. The duo’s next steps are drawing attention after discovering that Park Hyuk-kwon was behind the death of Cha Eun-woo’s mother.

Soo-hyun (Kim Nam-joo) vowed to help Seon-yul (Cha Eun-woo), who was left alone due to a sense of indebtedness towards Eun-min (Kang Myung-joo) and her child and began investigating the suspicious death of Eun-min. Also, after Seon-yul learned the full circumstances behind Soo-hyun’s father Ji-woong’s (Oh Man-seok) murder, he abandoned his revenge against Soo-hyun and joined forces with her to uncover the truth behind his mother’s case.

Seon-yul listened to a voice recording on Eun-min’s phone at the funeral home and learned about the events that occurred between Soo-hyun and Ji-woong on the day he was killed. Shocked to discover another side of his dad, who had always been kind to him, Seon-yul was deeply affected. 

Meanwhile, Soo-hyun visited Eun-min’s funeral, which had no mourners, and tearfully prayed in front of Eun-min’s portrait, promising to help her son. She comforted Seon-yul, who was crying in front of her and then left the funeral home.

After Eun-min’s funeral, Kim Joon (Park Hyuk-kwon) consoled Seon-yul and hinted at something significant by asking if his mother had left any last words when she briefly regained consciousness. Seon-yul, feeling tense, replied that he needed to investigate his mom’s accident further due to hearing something strange.

Returning home, Seon-yul despaired alongside Soo-hyun’s anguished cries in a conversation recorded on the phone. Reflecting on his past life, which he had spent seeking revenge against Soo-hyun, Seon-yul expressed his torment, saying, “I wanted to live a normal life too. I wanted to be a good son, but all that was left for me was revenge against you, Eun Soo-hyun. What should I do?” 

He spent days in bed, crying and not moving, which was heartbreaking. Worried about Seon-yul, Soo-hyun visited him and mentioned Eun-min’s case, urging him to move forward.

Soo-hyun also revealed to her mother Go-eun (Won Mi-kyung) that the person who sent the photos of Su-ho’s (Kim Kang-woo) affair was Ji-woong’s son and that Seon-yul, who had carried Go-eun to the hospital when she collapsed, was the same person. 

Go-eun was pained to learn that Soo-hyun had endured everything alone. And Soo-hyun broke down in front of her mother, expressing her fear and desire to stop everything.

Soon after, Seon-yul called Soo-hyun and shared the voice recording he had. Although he knew everything, Seon-yul confessed that he couldn’t forgive Soo-hyun but also revealed his true feelings for the first time. He admitted, “I knew you were already in hell. So am I. But I turned a blind eye because I thought this was the only way I could survive. Otherwise, I felt like I would die.” Seon-yul and Soo-hyun understood each other’s pain.

Soo-hyun accelerated the investigation into Eun-min’s case. She obtained photos of the accident scene from a journalist who covered Eun-min’s traffic accident and was recommended a traffic accident specialist lawyer named Kang Yoon-seok (Ha Jun-ho) through a lawyer acquaintance. However, he turned out to be the lawyer for the perpetrator in Eun-min’s past case. 

Soo-hyun sought advice from Yoon-seok, showing him the accident scene photos. And the lawyer confirmed it was an intentional accident, contradicting his own previous defense.

Meanwhile, Seon-yul noticed that someone had entered his house and moved things around while he was away. With the help of Yong-gu (Kim Woo-hyun), Seon-yul confirmed there were no hidden cameras or listening devices and suspected Kim Joon, thinking, “If nothing was installed, he must be looking for something.” 

Amidst this, Su-jin (Yang Hye-ji) relayed Eun-min’s last words, which she hadn’t had the chance to share earlier due to the chaos. This added to the mystery of what Eun-min had said.

At the end of episode 11, Soo-hyun and Seon-yul met at the scene of Eun-min’s accident and finally united in purpose. Soo-hyun shared all the information she had gathered about Eun-min’s case with Seon-yul, revealing that the car didn’t fail to slow down but had been waiting for a while until Seon-yul’s mother appeared. 

Seon-yul, filled with hatred, asked, “Why did they do that?” and Soo-hyun informed him that there was someone behind the truck driver who instigated the intentional accident. Seon-yul’s anger surged as he demanded to know who was responsible. 

The 11th episode ended with a twist as Soo-hyun looked intently at Seon-yul and said, “You know it too, Kim Joon. What’s the reason? You know everything, yet you still work under him,” revealing that Seon-yul’s pursuit of Kim Joon was related to Eun-min’s case.

Review

Seon-yul was indeed aware of Kim Joon’s actions and wasn't entirely ignorant. It’s a relief that he finally realized his father’s true nature. Although he still can't forgive her, which is understandable and something I can empathize with, unlike his plans for revenge, he now has a clear perspective and has ceased his blind vengeance against Soo-hyun.

Besides, Su-ho continues to hold Seon-yul responsible. He wouldn't have taken your picture if you hadn’t been intimate with Yu-ri. Seon-yul’s vendetta against the female lead has inadvertently revealed her deceitful husband, which is fortunate. They're now forming a connection and finding mutual understanding through their shared emotional pain. Hopefully, they can collaborate to defeat the primary antagonist.

I appreciate the narrative and the characters, but the episodes’ slow progression gives me a sense of the tedious passage of time. “Wonderful World” would have been more engaging and exciting had it been faster-paced, rather than relying on unnecessary slow-motion scenes and flashbacks to extend the duration. That said, it remains a quality show. 

The remaining mystery is the exact events that transpired on the day of Gun-woo’s accident. And indeed, where is the iPad?

(Source: naver.com)