Go Youn-jung revealed long-standing resentment in ‘Everyone is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness’ by denying Bae Jong-ok’s maternal love.
In the episode of JTBC’s ‘Everyone is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness’ aired on the 3rd, Eun-ah (played by Go Youn-jung) was shown pushing away her biological mother, Jung-hee (played by Bae Jong-ok).
While Eun-ah was having a meal at Dong-man’s (played by Koo Kyo-hwan) house, Jin-man (played by Park Hae-joon) noticed they were wearing the same emotion watch and asked, “Are those couple watches? Why is only the red one blinking?” Dong-man brushed it off, saying, “Stop just drinking and eat something. Out of respect for the person who brought it.”
Despite this, Jin-man repeatedly asked, “What is the purpose of your life? What kind of person do you want to be? Not things like success, as there are many fools among successful people. I mean, what kind of human do you want to be?” Eun-ah replied, “A powerful mother.” She shared her ideal, saying, “I’m going to be a powerful mother. Not powerful because of money or connections, but a mother who stands in a calm center without shaking in any situation, making the people around her feel safe. I’ll become that kind of woman. Just like my grandmother.”
Moved by this, Jin-man wrote “I hope you become a wonderful mother” in his poetry book and gave it to Eun-ah, who expressed her gratitude.
Once alone with Eun-ah, Dong-man checked her reaction, asking, “Was it uncomfortable?” Eun-ah replied, “It was good. I thought I didn’t have a purpose in life, but when he suddenly asked, the answer just came out.” Dong-man laughed, saying, “Sometimes when you speak, the surroundings seem to vibrate. Earlier, when you talked about being a powerful mother, I felt like the three of us were in space. Like we were eating in space.”
Just then, a call came from her biological mother, Jung-hee, and a startled Eun-ah quickly hung up. A persistent Jung-hee later mentioned she heard the news of Jae-su’s death and said, “Now you can do whatever you want. You can study again or go study abroad if you want. Tell me if there’s anywhere you want to go. I’ll do everything for you.” Eun-ah lashed out, “Why? Are you still ashamed of me? Do you want me to disappear far away? Or are you picking up the daughter you abandoned just so you can survive?”
To Jung-hee’s claim, “I never abandoned you. I abandoned your father,” Eun-ah retorted, “No matter how cornered you were, I have my memories and you have yours, so don’t pretend to have maternal love. A nine-year-old child made her own gimbap and went on a picnic just to avoid letting people find out she was abandoned. That pitiful child was me. I changed my name and lived quietly. So, make sure it’s never discovered that the pitiful child Oh Jung-hee abandoned was me. Because I won’t let it be discovered either.”
While feeling complex emotions, Jung-hee won the Best Actress award at the Korean Film Awards for ‘My Mother’ and gave her acceptance speech: “I took on ‘My Mother’ hoping it would be a comfort to mothers with many regrets like me, and to daughters who endured insufficient mothers. I dedicate this great award to all the mothers and daughters in the world who have endured difficult times,” receiving warm applause.
At the end of the episode, Eun-ah found comfort in Dong-man’s arms, and Dong-man was shown having “happy imaginations” through Eun-ah, leaving a lingering impression.
